October Favourites

With the majority of my cosmetic collection tucked away, I was finding it hard to use and enjoy a lot of the stash. Now that the lovely Chris has put together my desk and storage, I’m relishing in old makeup finds and digging into some lovely products. Quite a large lot of favourites this month!

As always, Laura Mercier has held strong in my heart and I’ve been loving the Lingerie Cheek & Eye Palette. All of the shades have been getting love from me, and when I haven’t been wearing those I’ve reached for some pieces from my MAC stash. Jaunty is a stunner, and paired with the recently purchased Coquette my perfectly lazy day eye look is created (see the look here!) When I have a little extra time to put my face on, I grab for my essence gel liner in Midnight in Paris-gorgeous name, wonderful gel liner that really stays put. In October I cracked open a fresh tube of mascara, trying the new Impact Curl from Face of Australia. Love, love, love.

My beloved Illamasqua blush duo was well loved in October, especially the Lover pan when I wanted peachy perfection on my chipmunk-esque cheeks. If I craved a little pink action, my essence marbled blush in Swirlpool hit the spot, and my oh my does it make me glow in the best way. I’ve gone back to using a good base for my foundation, and it has made a big difference to the way my skin looks with makeup on. Face Base from Face of Australia is a lovely one, and feels like moisturiser but lets the foundation glide on and stops it from attacking any flaky patches. The Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Oil Free Matte sunscreen* also acts as a terrific primer, and though I have issues with the firm bottle, the formula is worth working for it.

Lips have been loving one of my favourite ‘my lips but better’ shades, the Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey. If I hadn’t won this shade from Clinique online I don’t think it is a shade I would have gravitated towards, so am grateful to have had them choose something that suits me perfectly. I’ve also been liking pale pink lipglosses like Nars Turkish Delight and my Sportsgirl Liquid Lipstick in Luscious.

 What were some of your favourites for October?

Have you tried any of my favourites?

 

*Marked items were provided for review, and I won the Clinique Chubby Stick on my personal facebook page, so it has no blog affiliation. Honesty, always.

Graduation // FOTD, NOTD, celebration!

The day finally came for me to don the university gowns and get up on stage to receive my degee. I plan to return next year for a diploma, but am still relieved and excited to have entered this new chapter of my life as a graduate!

Rather than getting the stiff official photographs from the university, my best friend grabbed my Nikon and snapped away and it worked out perfectly for me! My parents were still on the plane coming home from overseas so didn't make it, but I had other family there to cheer me on, and Chris took the morning off work and beamed up at me from the audience.

Candice and I, with the beautiful orange flowers she bought me.

Graduation FOTD

Candice is holding my hair back from the windy weather!

Products Used
Face:
Face of Australia Face Base Primer
Illamasqua Skin Base in 3.5
Illamasqua Lover blush
Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Light 4-5

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
Laura Mercier African Violet and Black Plum with Pale Pink to highlight
essence gel liner in Midnight in Paris
Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara in Black Shimmer

Lips:
YSL Rouge Pur Couture in 6 Rose Bergamasque

I went with my 'dependable' look for such an important occasion, rather than trying anything new or exciting. I wanted to define my eyes for photos, and I knew that Lover looked great on camera so went with that. I was really happy with how it all came together, especially seeing as my skin is terrible right now and you can't tell in most of the photos.

I wanted something darker than my usual nail looks for my graduation so that you could see that they were painted in photos, so I chose to use my new Mode Cosmetics metallic shade in Blue Steel. I couldn't resist glittering it up with my BYS glitter polish in N347 (one coat wonder, with a base colour!) I was really happy with how they looked, I'll pop a photo with flash below so you can see how dark they actually were.

All the late nights, coffees, sleep ins and long lectures were made worth it when I finished this course. Even though I'll undoubtedly be studying something my whole life, my graduation ceremony made me proud of myself and I really feel as though I've accomplished something.

What is your proudest moment? Graduation? Becoming a mum? Buying your first home?
I'd love for you to share your stories with me!

I personally purchased everything used in this NOTD and FOTD. Honesty, always.

Emptied in August

Clarins Eau des Jardins Uplifting Shower Gel

Will be posting a full review on this as I adored it, smells amazing and is PH balanced.

Priceline Round Cotton Pads

You constantly see these in my empties, because I use them for everything! Bioderma, toner, folded in half to fix eye liner. You name it!

Dermaveen Oatmeal Conditioner

The matching shampoo was featured in my last empties, and this isn't much better. Doesn't give my hair enough moisture, but I've used worse conditioners in the past.

Boots shave cream

This is so old the can has rusted, I found it at the back of my cabinet and was repulsed. This is not empty, but a chucker.

Sunsilk Colour Lock Shampoo

A grotty sample that I don't want to put near my head, this is also a chucker.

Shu Uemura Skin Purifying Cleansing Oil

I felt that this took my makeup off well, but did leave a bit of an oily residue. I didn't dislike it, but I can't decide if I like it enough to buy it in the future.

Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel Foundation

I really enjoyed this, it really does feel like a cross between a cream and a gel. I found that it sets really quickly so you have to blend each section of your face separately to avoid it feeling mask like. The finish it gives is like real skin, but without major flaws, and I liked wearing this to work or out to lunch on Sundays.

Lancome Tresor Midnight in Love

I love fragrance samples, and this sweet blackberry vial was lovely. It was uber sweet so I tended to wear it at night, but I can see myself buying a full bottle of this.

Australis Lash Length Extension mascara

Reviewed here, I really enjoyed using this fibre mascara and loved how easy it was to remove. In the end up it became very clumpy (in a soft, fibre-y way) but it lasted well past it's proper 'expiry' date (yes, I kept using it because I'm cheeky) Would repurchase. 

 Face of Australia Face Base Primer

I already have another tube of this on the go, it is my favourite moisturising base and it lets my foundation glide on a lot easier. I use this daily and find it helps my colour cosmetics last a little bit longer, but it's more for application help than anything. Have and would repurchase.

What did you use up this month?

What mascara and primer are you using right now?