Body Shop Haul!

I finally received my Body Shop order in the mail last week after buying a number of things from their sale. A few things are for myself and a few are for giveaways :) I haven't used The Body Shop in a LONG time as my local Body Shop shut down but I couldn't resist the online sale prices!

My package!

1. Limited Edition Mini Brush Kit:

I haven't had a chance to test any of them out yet. I bought them as they're small enough to pop in my bag for emergencies.

2. Limited Edition Illuminating Face Base:

3. Limited Edition Tailored Cheek Tint:

I have no idea if these are any good. I normally read reviews about makeup before I buy it but these were pretty cheap ($6 and $4) so it's no big deal if I don't like them.

Mini brush kit, Illuminating face base & cheek tint

4. Travel sized Sweet Lemon Whip:

5. Travel sized Sweet Lemon Shower Gel:

The shower gel is part of a giveaway!

(enter here: http://shoppingqueenjen.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/giveaway.html)

The body lotion was meant for myself. However, can you see how it's missing a huge chunk of product from the top? I don't know if it's meant to be like that or not but that's what it looked like out of the box.

Body lotion & shower gel

6. Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel

I had no reason for buying this at all. I just couldn't resist how cheap it was! But like the Sweet Lemon Whip I got, it's also missing a chunk of product from it. I'm beginning to think that they're meant to be like that?

Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel

Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel:
missing product

7. Raspberry Ripple Bath & Shower Gel:

8. Cucumber Freshening Water:

And again, these are missing a good chunk from the top. I seriously can't remember any of the bottles in the Body Shop ever not being completely full? Can anyone please let me know if I'm wrong?

Raspberry Ripple Bath & Shower Gel
& Cucumber Freshening Water

Raspberry Ripple Bath & Shower Gel:
missing product

Cucumber Freshening Water: missing product

Postage was really cheap! I'm normally really stingy with paying for postage as I can get what I want by going to the shops rather than paying for someone to send it to me but the Body Shop sale was only online and at select physical stores. Postage was $8.95 flat rate which was really decent considering how heavy the box was and how many things I got.

UPDATE: I emailed The Body Shop and asked about why the bottles weren't filled up. They replied that "they couldn't fill them up as the bottles would leak". I still think that they were too light handed on the body lotion haha. A good chunk has been left out of that one!

Myer Haul!

I splurged a little yesterday as Myer have started their mid-season sale and there were so many discounts in the beauty department!

I bought a few things but I won't be able to show them all to you today as some of the things I bought, are actually for an international swap that I'm doing with someone and I don't want to ruin the surprise for her! (check out her blog at minandmegs.blogspot.com.au). Megs and her friend Min are Canadian bloggers who do not use products that have been animal tested and products that contain phthalates (fragrances) or parabens. I had an amazing time looking for beauty products that ticked all the boxes.

For myself, I bought:

1. Natio camouflage tinted spot cream:

I've been wanting to try this out as it claims to "attack blemishes, cover up redness and blends in with skin". I'll do a review of it once I've used it for a little while. This was $9.95 RRP but I got all my Natio products for 30% off yesterday.

Camouflage tinted spot cream
by Natio

2. I picked this up at Illamasqua. I thought it was an eyeliner but after reading some reviews online, I think the medium pencils are also lip safe? I won't be using black on my lips though! This was $12.50, discounted down from $20.

Illamasqua Medium Pencil
(in black)

3. I picked these up for $4.15 each (after my discount). I thought they were adorable and I'm keeping the peach for myself. I'm giving the rose one (and some chocolate!) to one of the girls at work as a thank you present for swapping shifts with me :)

Natio nail polish in rose and peach

4. On the way out of Myer, I spotted this and I had to have it! It's the Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Terracotta Gloss in Porto Fino. It's a gorgeous pink coral colour and swatches beautifully! The photos do no justice. Check out the lid! It's so pretty.

The RRP was $46 but I got it for half price at $23.

Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Terracotta Gloss
in 10 Porto Fino

Favourite purchase of the day

5. Bloom lip balms. I snapped up the peach and grapefruit ones for $5 each (RRP $10). They smell amazing!

Bloom lip balms

Group photo: forgot to add the Bloom lip balms in.

I have some more hauls to show you guys soon! The post man's been really busy delivering packages to me :)

Cranberry Cream Lipstick

I recently received the Elizabeth Arden Cranberry Cream Lipstick from a swap on beautyheaven.com.au

When I first saw it, I was intimidated by its dark red shade and to be honest, I'd never worn red lips before. But this shade is gorgeous! It actually goes on like a deep raspberry pink colour that's very wearable. It's very creamy and gives a great colour payoff. I find that it's easiest and most precise to apply with a lip brush.

Left: One swipe
Right: 3-4 swipes

Bare lips

One *light* swipe of lipstick

Two swipes

Bare lips

Two swipes of lipstick

Outside lighting (two swipes)

This started my love affair with bright lipsticks and I'm dying for the MAC Marilyn Monroe collection to be released. There's a nice pinkish-red lipstick in that collection :)

Concealer rave!

I used to be the sort of person who would be like "what's the need for more than one of each makeup type?" So I only ever had one foundation, one concealer, one blush etc. The only exception was lip products and I had dozens upon dozens of lip glosses and balms.

In the last couple of months though, I've changed my philosophy and now I have too much of everything. This time, the only exception is concealer. I only use the one concealer because nothing could be better than it!

The concealer that's now my Holy Grail is the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer.

It was US$32 from Sephora for 0.5 oz which is roughly about 14mL. You can get it in Australia for $43 at mediamakeupstore.com

It does an amazing job in covering blemishes and you only need the smallest amount each time. My main skincare concern is pimples and acne as I often get breakouts in the middle of my forehead. I have a pimple party on my forehead right now so I took the opportunity to take before and after shots for this review.

Lots of red pimples and scarring! I'm makeup free. Ignore the
messy eyebrows :)

After a light application of Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer.

I'm makeup free in the first photo and you can see the red pimples and scarring that's on my forehead. The second photo is after I applied the concealer. I lightly tapped a little bit on with my fingers as I find that I get a more natural finish and use less product than if I use a brush. The redness has been eliminated. In person, it looks like my forehead is flawless but the camera managed to pick up a few bumps (they're the bigger pimples - gross I know).

There are 12 shades available and I used shade 8 (Beige). In comparison, for foundations, I use MAC NC25-30 or Punjab in NARS sheer glow.

September empties and reviews

I finished up a couple of things over the last month and while I've been impressed with some of them, I've been disappointed with others. Before I buy anything, I always read reviews and look at swatches and then try to find the best price for it. It usually means that I'll order it from the US or wait for it to go on sale at Priceline or Myer. I always jump on things if there's a GWP. I rarely ever buy anything full priced.

If I love something, I'll always repurchase it but for most things, I feel like I can find something better. I rarely ever finish anything so I'm hoping that by trying to do an "empties and reviews" post every month, I'll be more motivated to actually finish up my products :)

The first thing I finished was my Estee Lauder Daywear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant SPF 15 for normal/combination skin (wow that's a mouthful!).

Estee Lauder Daywear Moisturiser $45/30mL or $65/50mL

 I was given a small 7mL sample at Myer about a year ago and I havn't used another facial moisturiser since. It has a bit of a green tinge to it and smells like cucumber. I already repurchased it with a GWP :) The best part is that the price has dropped recently! The daywear moisturiser dropped $20 so it used to be $65/30mL and $85/50mL. It lasts about 2 months for me but since I started to use rosehip oil, I've been using less and less of this so my new jar should last me about 3-4 months.

I also finished two types of shampoo and conditioner as well. I got both sets as sample sizes from Lust Have It! and I have mixed feelings about one of them.

Matrix Biolage Smooth Thérapie and Evo the therapist
shampoo and conditioner. I've already thrown away
my Matrix bottles.

I've already done a review on the Evo shampoo and conditioner. You can read it here: http://shoppingqueenjen.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/evo-hair-review-and-haul.html

I loved it!!

I wasn't a fan of the Matrix Biolage Smooth Thérapie. I thought it was pretty ordinary and didn't work any better than Pantene, Herbal Essences or any other supermarket brand. It smelled nice but I prefer Pantene Aqua Light or any of the Herbal Essences over this. I believe it's about $25-30 for a 250mL conditioner and the same for a 500mL shampoo depending on where you get it from. Hairhouse Warehouse had a promotion recently where you could download a voucher from their website and buy the Matrix range for $2.50/bottle (bargain!).

Next is the Bioré gentle make-up removing wipes with purifying green tea.

Bioré gentle make-up removig wipes
with purifying green tea

First up, I'm not a huge fan of these as they taste horrible. Sometimes I'll accidentally lick my lips after using these and they are so bitter and you can taste the scent. They have a strong sweet but chemical like scent to them and I always have to wipe hard to get my make-up off. The other thing is, I absolutely have to wash my face after using these as they leave a sticky sort of residue behind so you can't use these as wet wipes for your hands or anything.

The only reason why I keep using them is because they were on sale for just over $1 for a 10 pack at Woolworths and I bought about 5 packs (I thought it was a bargain!).

And lastly, this is the Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous foundation.

Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous

Inside - see the black spots on the
right hand side?

I didn't actually finish this but I'll never use it again so I consider it an "empty". I was walking around Sydney Myer one day and one of the ladies at the Benefit counter convinced me to try some on my face. I didn't love it but it looked ok so I bought it a few weeks later.

When I used it at home, it was really greasy like animal fat (eww!) or like when you try to wash oil off a plate with water and it doesn't come off. I do have to admit that it gives good coverage. If you did want to use it, I would recommend setting it with a powder to remove some of that greasy feel to it. I would also suggest not to use the sponge applicator underneath it as it's pretty flimsy.

The main reason why I'm not using it anymore is because I accidentally spilt some black eyeshadow onto it and can't get it off! You might be able to see it in the photo if you look hard. Every time I try to clean it off, it gets worse and the black dots become big black smears so I just use it as a compact mirror now :)

Fingers crossed that I'll finish enough products for another "empties and reviews" next month :)

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

http://shoppingqueenjen.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/giveaway.html

Evo Hair Review and Haul

I was first introduced to Evo by Lust Have It! a few months ago when I got the therapist calming shampoo and conditioner in small 50mL bottles.

 It's probably the best thing I've ever gotten from a beauty box as it's completely changed my hair! I used to use whatever was on sale at Woolworths or Priceline and wasn't loyal to any one brand. My hair was knotty every morning when I woke up and it was super duper dry.

Evo is a salon brand that has totally saved my hair! It's tangle free now and I don't have to brush it too much in the morning as there aren't any knots! And for some reason, my hair is growing like crazy! It might have something to do with the fact that I had a big haircut about 8 weeks ago BUT it's pretty much grown back already whereas in the past, it would grow super slowly.

It costs $24.95/300mL bottle from the website or from hairdressers and salons (there is a store locator on the website). The website stocks 50mL bottles and 10mL sachets so you can trial them before you buy the full size.

I ran out of my trial size so when I was in Surry Hills, I popped into a hair dresser who stocked Evo and she actually recommended that I use ritual salvation instead of the therapist as she recommends it for people who have badly damaged and dry hair through bleaching. She suggested that I give ritual salvation a try as it's also more popular than the therapist.

So I bought this:

It's aimed towards people who have dry damaged hair but isn't as intense as the therapist. I can't wait to use it and give you guys a review on it. Hopefully it's just as good as the therapist :)

As a side note, I havn't dyed my hair for almost 5 years and wash it with shampoo and conditioner every 2 or 3 nights (it doesn't get oily). However, I do like to at least wet my hair in the shower every night as I feel dirty if I don't.

September Wish list

My September wish list is a bunch of stuff I've been going crazy over for a little while now. I've been obsessing over palettes since I saw the NARS foreplay and NARS Joie de Vivre palettes.

Unfortunately the Joie de Vivre palette is sold out :( There's one on eBay for about twice the RRP which is absurd but it was a limited edition so won't come back in stock again. If anyone is selling their Joie de Vivre palette, let me know!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway. If there are more than 100 entries by the end, I'll do another one (and it'll be bigger!).

Giveaway link: http://shoppingqueenjen.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/giveaway.html

September wish list:

NARS Joie de Vivre Palette: Sold out!! :(

MAC 6 Pan Blush Palette (customised): I'm a sucker for anything pink.
It costs $118 in the US but over double that here!

DuWop Reverse Lip Liner: A clear lip liner so you don't
have to buy numerous ones to match your lipsticks.

Makeup storage box: Why are these so expensive?!

Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel Palette: A nude eyeshadow
palette for only $10 :)

Mini haul

I have a mini haul to show you today :) I also have a beauty haul that's coming up soon but I'm just waiting on the last few packages to arrive from the US and then I'll post pictures here :)

Country Road have their Mid-Season sale on right now and I couldn't help myself! I scored 2 pairs of flats for $52 each (RRP $99).

I bought the Letitia soft leather ballet in black suede and camel (sorry for the bad photos. I'll try to replace them later with better ones). I went to Sydney QVB at about midday on the first day of the sale and they had sold out of pretty much all the sizes already.

 I also recently bought the La Source exfoliant from Crabtree and Evelyn using their Facebook promotion. They gave me $10 off my purchase and a free 25g hand cream in Wisteria. They ran out of Pomegranate and replaced it with this without telling me but luckily, it smells nice and I havn't tried it before.

I can't wait to post reviews on it :)

- Jen

Welcome to my new blog

Welcome to my new blog :)

I'm known as the shopping queen for being a shopaholique and being the go to person if anyone is trying to track down something that is "sold out".

So I started a blog because before I buy anything, I always look at reviews. I've gotten so many reviews from blogs that I thought I'd like to start doing the same thing :)

I also wanted somewhere for me to basically document my thoughts and important events in my life so that I can look back onto them later when I'm old :)

- Jen