New on Shelf - April 2016 Edition

It may be well and good to love decluttering and ridding yourself of great chunks of your makeup and beauty stash, but for someone like me who adores trying new things (and spending money in general) I have to balance my purging efforts with a good window shop (or in most cases, an online beauty shop where I don't check out my cart!) I've spotted some new products that have hit the shelves in April and wanted to share my window shopping bounty with your eyes - feast, my friends!

 

I don't know how I managed to do it, but I've misplaced my Violet Candy Styler from ghd straightener and my VS Sassoon set that had lasted me over 10 years has finally carked it. I am struggling without a straightener for this crazy mop, and thinking of a new VS Sassoon since the quality is definitely there. The VS Sassoon Goddess Ultimate is mighty pretty and sparkly ($142.95AUD)

I have such a soft spot for Bobbi Brown, and after seeing Jessica on YouTube rave about the Art Sticks I'm lusting over the new Bobbi Brown Art Stick Duo ($80AUD) The colours seem so pigmented and they look like a fancy version of my beloved Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils.

Dermalogica always knock it out of the park and I'm eyeing off the new Hydrablur Primer ($70AUD) I'm a fan of primers that blur pores as I have some large areas around my cheek and nose that could do with some spackle before I apply foundation!

I've been waiting for Garnier to release an updated anti-dandruff shampoo as my stockpile of the discontinued blue bottles is running low! Grow Strong Anti-Dandruff Shampoo ($5.95AUD) looks like it is worth a try, and I might pick up the hair mask from this release to give it a whirl.

Kiehl's Turmeric + Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque ($58AUD) is reminiscent of the Peter Thomas Roth masks, and goodness knows I do love a good face mask! I have my go-to moisture masks and a great clay mask from Kiehl's for spotty days, but radiance is always a plus and I love the turmeric aspect of it most of all.

I had to include something for Mister as I scrolled through the new beauty bits for the month, and he's in need of a good moisturiser for his flaky cheeks and he likes the L'Oreal Men packaging. L'Oreal Paris Men Expert HydraPower 48hr Moisturiser ($15.95) sounds like a safe bet to grab for him at Priceline, so he can stop stealing my products!

I also liked the look of the new The Body Shop British Rose Collection so I may have to sniff that in store soon...

 

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I love being able to chat about new product releases without buying each and every one when they're released - are you like this as well, or does it frustrate you not to own all of the exciting beauty goodies that are out now? How do you maintain a balance in your makeup and beauty collection, do you purge frequently or limit what you buy?

 

-Emma

 

*Not a sponsored post, just an honest window shop for you to peek at!

Violet Candy Styler - ghd's new Candy Collection!

Sometimes a beauty product is so hyped up that you cannot help but overthink things when you get to use it for the first time. I think it often helps to step back from the details and think about how a product makes you personally feel when organising a written piece about it, so when I was send a beautiful Candy ghd styler* to trial recently I did just that.

 

During my high school years, hair straightening was just about the coolest thing you could do in the beauty realm. Not many girls wore much makeup at my high school (bar a little bit of eyeliner and maybe some gloss) but if you had your hair straightened, you were the coolest! I didn’t have a straightener for a long time, but we would all go to one of my friend’s houses and she would painstakingly run the ghd over our locks before we would head out to our underage discos. I used to practise not putting my hair behind my ears so that I wouldn’t cause kinks, and if we were heading out to the shops the next day I would sleep stiff as a board so I woke up with my hair still glossy and lovely.

 

I always yearned for a ‘proper straightener’, which of course is the ghd branded one! My sister lovingly bought me a Vidal Sassoon straightener (which I still use and love!) but I still wished for the sleek style and ‘cool girl persona’ that comes along with a ghd. It wasn’t until this year (in my early 20’s!) that I finally got my wish! The Violet Candy ghd Styler is a thing of beauty, and though I am an adult and should know better – I am totally feeling like the ‘cool girl’ right now!

before (photos were taken before I darkened my hair)

After using the GHD Candy Styler

This glides over my long (and crazy!) locks really easily, and because the styler isn’t very heavy it doesn’t cause pain in my weak wrists that are prone to sprains. The packaging is absolutely stunning (of course!) and if you were looking at getting a beauty gift for somebody, this gives a great wow factor and is something that is luxe but totally useful at the same time. I admit that I am hardly what you would call creative with my hair styling, but for a simple straight look this totally hits it out of the park for me. Having a blow wave or freshly straightened hair always has a positive effect on my mood, and this made my hair really silky (I also used the ghd Heat Protect Spray* beforehand)

For more creative hair styles with the ghd Candy Styler, ghd have put together a great bunch of ideas and inspiration here – my personal favourite? The Power Beehive!  I'm not sure that it would totally suit my chipmunk cheeks, but I'd still love to rock that one night To check out the other stylers that are available (the Pink Diamond Styler is so pretty!) head over here!

Did you have a fascination with ghd stylers in high school?

How often do you straighten or curl your hair? Only on weekends, or during the week too?

*Provided for consideration, but all childhood flashbacks belong to me ;) Honesty, always.