my favourite hydrating face mask // The Jojoba Company

I tend to use a facial mask once or twice a week, and often when I'm in need of a hydration hit I reach for my The Jojoba Company Botanical Hydrating Face Mask* (or 'that squishy red tube' in real talk!) This mask is a 97% natural clay based mask that I smear on thick and go about my business while it dries and works its magic.

 I use this after I've had a night out drinking or feel like my skin is parched. It smells quite strongly of something a little bit floral and a little bit organic-y, and looking at the ingredients I can attribute that to sandalwood, lavender and ylang ylang. I leave this on for 20 mins +, and it can also be kept on overnight if you are that way inclined. I love that the back of the tube mentions it helps repair the damage that comes from urban living- most of us need that in one way or another!

This mask is a winner because it makes a noticeable difference to my skin when it's in need of a hydration hit, and being housed in a squishy red tube is awesome. 

You can head here to find out more about the mask here (including ingredients etc)

It retails for $49.95 AUD.

*This product was provided for consideration quite a while ago, and I've been loving it hard ever since. Honesty, always!

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

As much as I adore new cosmetic releases and squeal over a bright shadow or new gloss, the staples in my collection are the glue that holds it all together. Without my MAC Painterly, my eyeshadows would all be worthless, as crease-city is not a destination I am fond of. This is, to date, the best product I have found to prime my lids with before eyeshadow.

Painterly is part of the permanent line of MAC products, and in my experience is more effective at gripping onto shadows than products like Urban Decay Primer Potion or drugstore eye primers. It makes the colours of my shadows appear more vibrant and it's really easy to blend over, which is really important when considering an eyeshadow primer.

Paint Pots come in 5g glass jars which feel nice and heavy in the hand, with a sturdy black plastic lid. Each morning I pop on my facial moisturiser then swipe a small amount of Painterly onto each eyelid. I then flick through my collection to decide on what look I'm going to create that day. By that time Painterly has had time to settle, and I go about applying my eyeshadows. I find that if I apply this at 6.45am, by the time 6.45pm rolls around my eyes are still looking good. I don't experience any fading or smudging, and I am happily crease-free unless I take a nap during the day. Even then, I'm usually okay. Sigh, the life of a uni student!

I have been using this pot for over a year now and as you can see I have plenty left. I use this at least once each day, and as I wear eyeshadow almost every day I would say this is great value! I must mention that I prefer the creamier Paint Pots over their glittery counterparts (like Genuine Treasure from the Posh Paradise collection) as I find these a million times easier to spread and work with in general.

Painterly doesn't contain glitter or shimmer so can be used with muted daytime looks or under a smokey eye for night. It's a beige colour that is a touch darker than my uber-pale skin tone, and this works perfectly for me.

As you can see, it's a really natural looking product. I found myself without this for 4 days last week and I couldn't bear using my eyeshadows without it, so just wore liquid liner. I don't like having bare lids with my liquid liner, however, as I like to use Painterly and a neutral shade to mask the discoloration on my lids even if the shadow is not the focus. This is why I think Painterly would make a great staple in anyones collection, if if you don't wear full on eyeshadow all the time.

On the MAC website Paint Pots are described as 'eye colours' but they really are so much more than that. They come in range of neutral shades (check them out here) so if you have a darker skin tone or want a darker base, you should be able to find one. I have my eye on Rubenesque next, but am trying to fill up my MAC palette so we will see.

Paint Pots retail for $35AUD or $17.50 USD.

Yes, the difference is ridiculous but there you go. Lucky the Paint Pots are worth the $35!

What eyeshadow primer do you swear by?

What is your favourite Paint Pot shade?

*This product was purchased with my own moolah, I have received no compensation for this review. Honesty, always.

Travalo- Perfume on the Run

I first heard of Travalo on Primped, and was fascinated by the idea of a perfume atomiser that wouldn't leak, and was safe to take on planes. I had owned atomisers before but had problems with them leaking, and couldn't be bothered taking the effort to fill them up all the time. My problems were solved when I discovered Travalo, and it hasn't left my handbag since.

The Travalo comes in a range of colours including gold, black and pink and retail for $24.95AUD.  They're very easy to use, even for a lazy girl like myself. I often shake my head when I see the girls at work toting 100ml bottles of designer perfume in their handbags- I'd be scared I would scratch the bottle, or worse, smash it to smithereens! If you're like that too, this little baby might be for you.

step one is to choose a perfume, and take off the cap of it as well as the cap from the Travalo

pull off the inner cap of the perfume so that the nozzle is exposed

see the rubberised base of the Travalo? Line it up with the perfume nozzle like so

pump the perfume up and down and it will transfer into the Travalo.

the clear display along the side means you know when you need to top up.

I always carry this in my handbag alongside a fragrance sample as I like to have choice during the day. This is generally either filled with Bulgari's Rose Essentielle (as pictured), Guerlain's Champs Elysees or Lancome's Tresor In Love. I am contemplating buying a golden version to keep with it, so that I can use up some of the other full size fragrances I have piled up in my bedroom. I won't get the black version, though it's super sleek it'll get lost in a second in my mid city Foley and Corinna, which is huuuge and has all black lining.

I adore my Travalo, and think it's a much better option than the other atomisers out there. well worth the cash, I think. It's only 8cm and carries around 50-60 sprays of your best juice- winner.

available at adore beauty, find out more about the product at the Travalo site here

have you tried the Travalo?
what fragrance are you rocking this holiday season?