I got featured!

Candice from YouReview contacted me recently and asked if she could feature me on her blog as part of her "Behind the Blog series". Of course I said yes as I love her blog and I love her honest opinions in her posts. I answered a few questions for her and she posted them on her blog. Please click on the photo below and check it out :) Please follow her and show her some support as I think that this is an amazing series that she's doing and she's featured a lot of amazing bloggers!

Favourite makeup removal methods!

Favourite makeup removal methods!

Taking my makeup off at the end of the day is really therapeutic for me and I wanted to share the different ways that I use to take my makeup off. I don't have a "preferred way" as it really depends on how lazy I am.

1)  Facial wipes: I prefer Wotnot facial wipes ($7-10) as they're alcohol, fragrance and paraben free. I'm not a huge fan of scented facial wipes as it really irritates me. These are really good at removing foundation but it doesn't really take my eyeliner or mascara off very well. I use these as a "pre-cleanse" before I wash my face. I do use other facial wipes but only if I get them for free (like GWP's) because who's going to waste free stuff? :P

2) The Body Shop Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash ($18.95): If I've forgotten to take my makeup off before I shower at night, I use this facial wash to get it off. I bought this after Sarah from More Than Adored raved about it and I absolutely love it as a cleanser. It's a bonus that it takes off my makeup (inlcuding my eye makeup!) really well. The bottle in the picture above is actually empty but I've already repurchased it as I love it :)

3) Avene Micellar Lotion: I bought this from Priceline recently as I'd read that a few other bloggers had picked it up too. It's basically the same as Bioderma and you just wet a cotton pad with it and wipe it over your face. I've used it a few times and I'm not 100% sold on it because of the price. It's $34.99 (I got it on sale for $27.99) which is kind of expensive as I know that I'll go through it quite quickly when I have to wet like 2-3 cotton pads to clean my face properly. I know people love micellar lotions as you don't have to wash your face afterwards but I have to wash my face as I know that although it feels like the micellar lotion didn't leave any residue behind, my face is always quite slippery when I wash it. It also feels kind of wrong not to wash my face at night. I do have a bottle of Bioderma at home which I haven't touched for like a year and they're very comparable. I can't really tell a difference between them.

I'm heading off to Melbourne next week and I'm looking to pickup a cleansing oil while I'm there. Is there one that anyone can recommend me? And for local Melbourne people, is there anywhere that I should visit (we'll have a car)? :) I was sick when I went last year so I didn't really get to do anything. 

And one last thing, does anyone know why Melbourne has so many 7/11's?! I swear there was a 7/11 store like every 100 metres!

10 Random Facts About Me :)

I've seen some tags like this but I didn't know who to reference/tag so I thought that I'd just go ahead and do a post with 10 random facts about me so that you could get to know me better :)

1. I was born in Australia but I believe that I lived in Shanghai for 2 years when I was really young (not 100% sure... I've pieced this together from stamps in my passport)

2. English is my third language but the only one that I'm fluent at. Apparently Cantonese was my first language but I moved to Shanghai when I was really young and forgot it after I learnt Shanghainese. When I moved back to Australia to start primary school, I obviously had to learn English.

3. I tend to default to American spelling as I used to read a lot of Babysitters Club books when I was young. When I edit my work, I'll generally change the words back to Australian spelling but some words like 'mom' look more correct when it's spelt American style.

4. My favourite day at work was the day that a customer returned to the store with some roses for me :) Not sure what I did to deserve them as she never said why she gave them to me but it's my favourite memory :)

Roses from a customer

5. If something is really hyped up, I want it. I don't care that I didn't want it before or that I know it won't suit me... I just want it. For example, I tried on a spotted jumper from Country Road (clothing store) and it didn't suit me but as soon as I found out that it was selling out country wide and everyone was trying to get their hands on it. I wanted it. I can't explain why I always feel like this.

6. I'm a really picky eater. I used to be vegetarian and I still eat mostly vegetarian but I'll eat some meat every now and then. I don't eat any seafood and anything that smells weird to me like lamb or bacon. I've never been a healthy eater and my food groups consist of bread, McDonalds fries, cheese pizza, coffee and coke/energy drinks. On a normal day, I'll have a coffee for breakfast (and maybe a yogurt or McDonalds cheese and egg McMuffin), McDonalds fries for lunch and (microwaved from frozen) cheese pizza for dinner. I'm addicted to frozen cheese pizzas and I just microwave them to make the cheese and base all soft and gooey.

7. I LOVE bright lipsticks. My favourite lipsticks are MAC Impassioned, Chatterbox and Riri Woo, Maybelline Vivid's in Vibrant Orange and OCC lip tar in Queen.

8. I could eat McDonalds for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. I eat it like 4 times a week right now (I'd eat it more if the food court wasn't so far away from work!) but my boyfriend has started to limit my McDonalds intake. He's the one who drives everywhere so he just refuses to take me. He also won't take me through the Krispy Kreme drive through :( Apparently it's for my own good as he's trying to make me healthier.

9. I can never apply mascara without smudging it on my eyelids or under my eye. I'm pretty good at it until I poke myself in the eye and blink...

10. My friends are mostly asian (I went to a selective girls high school where practically every girl was asian) and they're all tiny so I've always been the "tall one" in the group. It's always made me feel ginormous and obese as they're all size 6-8's and between 150-160cm. For reference, I'm 164cm and size 8-10 (my weight fluctuates 3kg depending on how healthy I've been :P).

I'd love for you to share one random fact about yourself :)

p.s. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin! It's super quick and easy to set up an account :)

Mini Haul :)

I don't always show you guys what I buy because I normally only buy one or two things at a time and I always forget to do a collective haul post on them but I recently got a few things at once and I had a few things to say about them so here's a mini haul/review :)

Left to right: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder,
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, MAC Brush Cleanser

1) Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler from David Jones ($40): I misplaced my Shiseido eyelash curler a few months ago and I'd been meaning to replace it for ages. The Shiseido one used to pinch my eyes a lot so I decided to just spend a little bit extra this time and buy the Shu Uemura eyelash curler instead and I'm so happy that I did as it's so freaking amazing! The funny thing is, every time I curl my eyelashes, I always wince a little bit as I expect it to pinch my eyelids but it never does and I always fall in love with it a little bit more.

2) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light from Mecca Cosmetica ($62): I was feeling sorry for myself yesterday as I went to the dentist in the morning and I left with the bottom right hand side of my face (including my nose!) completely numbed and I was REALLY hungry... so I went to Myer to buy this as I've had my eye on it for ages and I needed a distraction :P I originally wanted to get Luminous Light or Dim Light but I got talked into this as the sales assistant thought that it was better as a setting powder and that the other ones were better as bronzing powders. I've used this as a setting powder and I really like it. I can't see any difference in normal lighting but I seem "glowier" in darker lighting. The only problem with it is that it's so finely milled that whenever my brush touches the product, I get a lot of fallout and it goes everywhere!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light

3) Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous from Chemist Warehouse ($9): This colour wasn't released in Australia with the rest of the range but I'm a sucker for orange lip products and I just had to buy it when it was 50% off at Chemist Warehouse. I'm not a huge fan though... it seemed to be a little drier than the other colours.

4) MAC brush cleanser from David Jones ($20): I needed a new brush cleanser and I didn't have time to go to Daiso to buy the $2.80 one that everyone keeps raving about. I'm also a sucker for MAC's Back to Mac program so I kind of justified it as I can use the empty bottle towards getting a free lipstick :)

And that's it! I have a post about a major haul coming up shortly :) And don't forget to add me on Bloglovin! I'm not 100% sure if GFC will be gone with Google Reader on July 1 but it's better to be safe than sorry :P You can use the button below to add me on Bloglovin :) I promise it's really quick and easy to set up an account if you don't have one already!

Recommend 10 Blog Swap

A few weeks ago, Abigail from The Shrinking Wallet tweeted that she wanted to do a "Recommend 10" swap with someone after seeing it on Youtube. I offered to do it with her as I loved the concept of it. We basically had to give each other 10 items that we love and recommend :)

The rest of this is actually a guest post from Abigail :) She emailed me and explained why she recommended each item. I'll do a post in about a week's time with my thoughts and feelings on everything :)

From Abigail:

1. Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum

Physicians Formula

I haven't really noticed a difference in my lashes after using this but that isn't the reason why I love this product. The reason is that I absolutely LOVE how pigmented this eyeliner is. It's also really easy to draw a thin enough line and it doesn't smudge (at least it doesn't on me)! Another reason is I love how the cap makes a satisfying "click" when it's on because I'm weird like that. You may have to store it upside down (cap downwards), otherwise the liner will not come through very well if its stored the other way around. It also works ok if it's lying horizontally.

2. Bath & Body Works Daisy Dreamgirl Shower Gel and Body Lotion

Bath & Body Works Shower Gel and Body Lotion

I am in love with bath & body works and I HAD to share a bottle of shower gel with you! I'm not sure if you like sweet smelling shower gels as much as I do, but I'm hoping you do. If you don't like the smell of them, I'm sorry! I won't be offended if you offload them to your family or friends.

3. Maybelline Pure BB Mineral BB Watergel in 02 Medium Beige

Maybelline Pure BB Mineral BB Watergel

When I saw this product in a video, I was so intrigued by the water part of this BB cream and wanted to try it out. But it wasn't meant to be because it's made for drier skin types. I thought that it might be perfect for you, since you have dry skin. I'm really hoping that I picked the right shade and that you'll love it! :)

4. Etude House LUCIDarling Fantastic Rouge Lipstick

Etude House Lipstick

I can't remember the name of the shade I got you but it was a pretty bright pink, which is what I think you like. I have to admit that I haven't actually tried this Etude House range before, but I have tried a different range and I love it! I did swatch a tester in store before I bought this for you and it felt quite creamy on the back of my hand, so hopefully this will be a winner for you!

5. Nexcare Acne Patch

Nexcare acne patch

We had a conversation on Twitter with Sophie from Born To Buy and since you were interested in trying it out, I bought a twin pack for you! As I said on twitter, it works on some pimples - especially the ones that are white and so tempting to burst. They work by soaking/sucking up the oil and gunk overnight. The sticker should turn an opaque white in the morning. When you peel the sticker off, the pimple should be quite flat.

6. Etude House Oh m'Eye Lash Petticoat

Etude House Oh m'Eye Lash Petticoat

An eyelash primer from Etude House that I bought in Singapore. I loved it so much, I went back to pick up one for you! It's amazing at lengthening my lashes and adding a touch of volume.

7. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Baby Doll

Laura Mercier Lip Glace

My favourite lip gloss in the world! I love the smell of it, the colour and how it's not sticky at all! I've layered this over the top of quite a lot of my lipsticks, and it looks amazing! I think the colour of this lip gloss is so versatile, and thought you might like it too. 

8. Etude House Help My Finger UV Diamond Top Coat

Etude House Top Coat

I also had to pick one of these top coats up for you after I gave it a go in Singapore and loved how quickly it dries… and the shine is quite distracting. *stares at her shiny manicure*

9. Glitter Guilty nail polish in A Subtle Star

Glitter Guilty Nail Polish

After receiving and swatching Sweet Subtlety from Glitter Guilty, I fell in love immediately! I HAD to get you a bottle of A Subtle Star, which is very similar to Sweet Subtlety… in fact so similar, I think it's identical! Anyway, I hope you love this as much as I do.

10. Hare Polish in Rad Cloud

Hare Polish in Rad Cloud

I'm not sure what nail polish colours you like, but I'm hoping your tastes are the same as mine… I sent you this polish because I love the colour combination in this bottle of awesome and I felt the need to expose you to the wonderful world of indie polishes.

11. MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Springsheen

MAC Shimmer Blush

I've just discovered MAC sheertone blushes and I LOVE them!!! I love that you can built up the colour of the blush (I'm naturally quite heavy handed, so this is amazing). The shimmer in my sheer tone blusdoesn't make me look like a disco ball either, so that's always a plus.

`12. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Blissful

Tarte Blush in Blissful

Like I could not recommend a tarte blush for a recommend 10 swap! I've raved about Tarte blushes a lot on my blog, and I'm pretty sure I've sent you a tarte blush before. I haven't heard anything bad about it from you, so I'm going to make an ass out of you and me and assume that you like it! :)

That's all that I'm sure that I've sent. I really hope that you like them all as much as I do. I feel like a guy on the first date with an armful of presents, praying and hoping you'll like them all… crying a little at night out of nervousness… ok this is getting a bit awkward so I'm going to stop here.

Abigail

What's in my bag?

...... enough junk to open a shop :P

I'm a super duper nosey person and I love seeing what's in other people's bags. I think I spend way too much time on Youtube searching for "what's in my bag" videos. I did one of these posts last year but I've since changed bags and I carry a lot of different things now. Consider yourself warned, there's a lot of photos :) and please excuse the messy background...

I'm currently using a Mimco mini turnlock bag. I got this on sale for about $160 (reduced from about $425). My last bag (a Longchamp tote) lasted me for 2 years but the leather on this one is starting to crack and it's kind of getting really dirty now.

Current day bag

In the 2 side pockets, I keep my Chanel card holder with my most used cards (train tickets, store loyalty cards, credit cards etc) and some of my most used makeup.

Chanel Card holder

Side pocket 2

Makeup in side pocket 2

Makeup in the side pockets:

- MAC brow pencil in Linger: I absolutely love this! I can't live without it :P

- Maybelline eyeliner

- MAC brow set in clear: If anyone knows of a cheaper dupe of this.. I'd love to know :)

- Benefit They're real mascara sample

- Australis eyeliner

- Bare Minerals primer sample: In case I run out of my normal primer

- Multi 2 ticket: I always keep a spare ticket handy so that I don't get caught out and have to wait in line to buy a ticket at the train station

- Bare Minerals foundation sample

- Nurofen

- Nivea lip butter

- Assortment of lip products and Liole bb cream samples

- Hair ties and lash cards since I'm hopeless at applying mascara properly :P

The mimco bag has a main compartment inside and it's FULL of makeup too :/ I seriously have a problem...

Inside the Mimco bag

I always have a MAC blot powder pressed compact as I use the mirror to do my makeup in the morning. I'm one of those people who do their makeup on the train and I know that I must annoy a lot of people but like... if it annoys you to see people doing makeup on the train, just look the other way! It's not like I'm eating a smelly fish curry or listening to music loudly... I'm perfectly avoidable :)

I alos have my 3 concealers in this compartment. The Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer is my holy grail concealer and I use 2 different shades (7 and 8) depending on how tanned my skin is. I actually haven't used the other MUFE concealer but it's an under eye one that's apparently really good.

Daily makeup essentials

I also have this little makeup bag that was primarily used for the Crabtree & Evelyn rosewater hand cream. Am I the only person that has trouble with hand cream tubes splitting? I've had Jurlique and Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream tubes split and leak before so I didn't want to take a chance with this. I've also got an Illamasqua foundation that's new which I got on sale for $15 :D and 3 lip products that I'm currently trying out at the moment (Maybelline vivids lipsticks and a Clinique chubby stick).

Small makeup bag

And then I have 2 Mimco pouches that hold cards and receipts and stuff. I only need one but I didn't know what to do with the other one so I kind of just use both now... I got both on sale for about $15 each. The mint coloured one was really hard to find but I found one in the city and had it transferred to my local store. The sales girl couldn't believe that I managed to get one as I believe they sold out pretty quickly. The tube of QV cream has been in my bag for months now and I still haven't opened it.. not sure why I'm still carrying it around.

Mimco pouches

QV cream

And if you've stuck around this far... there's only a few more things left :) I have a Country Road makeup bag with a tonne of lip products inside. I used to carry around a lot more but I culled about 60% of them. Some of these lip products are favourites of mine and others are some that I'm testing out and I haven't made up my mind on them yet (like the Max Factor lip pencils).

Country Road Makeup Bag

Top right hand photo:

- Models Prefer lip pencil

- Tarte lipsurgence in elite

- 2 x Dior lipsticks

- 2 x Max Factor lip pencils

Bottom right hand photo:

- OCC lip tar in Queen

- Limecrime lipstick in Geradium

- MAC lipstick in RiRi Woo

- MAC lipstick in Chatterbox

- Chanel rouge coco shine in liberte

- Lancome eyeliner

And finally.... I have a YSL makeup bag (came free in a christmas makeup gift set from David Jones) which is also filled with (surprise, surprise) makeup.

YSL makeup bag

Contents of YSL makeup bag

This bag has the face products that I carry around.

- Dior BB cream (haven't tried it yet. Need to test it out at home to make sure that it doesn't turn orange on me!)

- Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation (a possible holy grail item)

- Lancome highlighter

- TheBalm Frat Boy blush

- NARS Deep Throat blush

- The Body Shop Lily Cole blush

And that's finally it :)

No I don't get a chance to use all the makeup and I have no idea why I carry it around with me everywhere for. I think I just want to feel prepared for any situation. My bag is ridiculously heavy and I have a feeling that I'll be culling more stuff soon (Update: I've culled about half of the makeup out of my bag!). I also realised that I forgot to take a photo of my keys :P My house keys are on a huge and obnoxious Tweety keychain :P

If you've done any what's in my bag posts before, please link them to me as I'd love to read them :)

New Product Alert!

I'm not 100% sure of how new these are as I've noticed that my local Priceline can be a bit late at putting out displays for new collections but I noticed this fully stocked stand the other day (Update: my other local Priceline's don't even have these out yet so I'm guessing that they're pretty new?). Model's Prefer hasn't really ever been on my radar before although I was aware that a lot of their products resemble Benefit products like their boxed blushes and eyebrow highlighters but I've been hearing a lot of good stuff about their lip products so I couldn't resist buying 1 (or 3!) of these new "Moisture Lust Glossy Lip Tint" lip pencils.

Practically every brand has released these lip pencils and I'm a huge sucker for them. I love how easy they are to use and that they don't need to be sharpened. I'm really sorry for the slightly blurry photos as my hands were shaking a lot when I was trying to take the photo. I was trying to balance an armful of other stuff at the same time.

Priceline stand

Priceline stand

The pencils are kind of short and chubby in size and are about the same size as a Clinique chubby stick. The packaging is a little flimsy but I don't really expect much from an $8 lip product. They have 2.4g of product in them whereas the Clinique chubby sticks have 3g. There are 8 colours in total for this range. I picked up (from left to right) Raspberry Ripple, Marshamallow and Tutti Fruiti.

Comparison to the Clinique Chubby Sticks

Close up of the colours

Now the disappointing thing about these lip pencils for me is that they're very sheer on me. I have really pigmented lips and I love really opaque lip products. I felt that I could build up colour if I layered it on but then it got too thick and I just got turned off by it which is why I only opened one and the other two are still in the plastic as I'm trying to decide whether or not I should return them. The one that I did open (Tutti Fruiti) though was a gorgeous orangey pink with glitter in it.

Left: Swatched 5 times
Right: Swatched once

I think they're absolutely perfect for anyone who does like sheer lip products but unfortunately, they're not for me :( I prefer the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains over these which can be purchased for the same cost when Chemist Warehouse or Priceline have "buy one get one free" or "50% off" promotions.