Blush Love: NYX Peach

The first twelve months of this here blog saw me hesitate from reviewing my most loved products, for fear I would not do them justice. Over the new year, I realised that I am not perfect, nor do you expect me to be (I hope!) So expect to see some kick ass products rocking this page, starting now, with my most adored blush.

 NYX PEACH

This was definitely one of my top products for 2011, as I used it at least 5 days out of each week. Considering how affordable this blush is, I am amazed at how long it has lasted. Surely I am about to hit pan on this?! The suspense is killing me!

This is quite a heavy swatch, which seems appropriate as I often wore this blush heavily. It's very buildable, so is excellent if you like a sheer look or heavy cheeks like moi, and it lasts all day long on my cheeks. I've seen others talk of broken packaging as it is made of plastic, but so far I've been lucky despite this going everywhere with me. It's a matte peachy pink shade that would suit a wide range of skin tones, in my opinion. I've seen it look quite peachy on others, but it's pretty darn pink on me.

I adore this blush and will be repurchasing, but before I do I'm going to use up some of my other blushes. When Peach is around, they get no love :'(

What is your one true blush love?

Have you tried NYX Peach?

Details!

I purchased this from a store in Spencer St DFO (Melbourne) but it is also available at:

*Crush Cosmetics here for $11.15 AUD

*Cherry Culture here for $6 AUD (but is on sale right now for $4.50!)

*Groove stores, or eBay

This product was purchased by me and is not sponsored by NYX, all opinions are honest, this blush really does rock. x

 

Have you entered my Botani birthday giveaway? Leave a comment on this post then scoot over and enter!

clear blue skies in Corfu

Sometimes I just fall in love with a polish because it is glossy and gorgeous- which happened with Corfu!

B Collection by Bloom are forever tempting me with their stunning polishes- from a non-polish lover, that is saying something!

This is Corfu, and I bought it from Target for $14.95 AUD.

I just can't leave my accent nail alone, it seems!

I threw Ulta3's Confetti over the top of my accent nail, to jazz it up a little. Loved the effect, and ended up repainting this crappy mani later in the week with Confetti on every nail.

This just reminds me of sunshines and sparkles, sigh. Can you tell I'm getting hyped up for my upcoming tropical holiday?



image source here

Corfu City Hall, that bright bubblegum blue sky could have been the inspiration for this shade, no problem.

This photo was taken years ago when Chris and I were away in Rye- I rocked that shade the whole long weekend, and it still reminds of the sunshine and fun we had. That is one of the great things about polishes- they can transport you to somewhere else entirely.

What polish do you rely on when on holiday?

Do you have any great polish memories?

Friday fawnings

the birthday money edition

Benefit Hervana, Elie Saab parfum, YSL lippies and lots of them, z-palette for my depotting and pressing adventures, MAC Snob and Patisserie, Urban Decay Naked2 to pair with them, Jimmy Choo Parfum to snuggle in.

I may or may not have already ordered some of these, and may or may not be heading on a shopping spree tomorrow for a few of them.

happy friday!

tell me what you're fawning over this week?

just read

Since I've been on university holidays, I've gotten my teeth stuck back into reading for pleasure again. I set myself a GoodReads challenge at the beginning of November to read 15 books by the end of 2011. I only managed to chew through 9 in the two month period, but I was still really happy with myself when I considered the crazy hours I had at work over that time. This year I've set myself a challenge to read 30 books. 1 down, 29 to go! Here are a selection of the books I read in my first challenge.

-Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

-The Second Wife by Elizabeth Buchan
-Cocktails for Three by Sophie Kinsella as Madeleine Wickham
-The First Stone by Helen Garner
-The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
-Perfume by Patrick Suskind
-Sexing The Cherry by Jeanette Winterson

Top pick from this bunch goes to Patrick Suskind, Perfume was so well written and gripped me by the stomach (nostrils?) and never let me go. Has also got me hooked on scents of all kinds, have been stopping quite often just to sniff and sigh. The First Stone was also marvellous, was a wonderful example of strong non-fiction. A very scandalous subject matter too, which I'll delve into in my GoodReads review. Most disappointing of the bunch would definitely be The Second Wife, which I thought was crap, to be honest. Cliche storyline, characters not appealing or hateable enough for it to be worth it, and dragged on in a whiny fashion. I will note here that I do like chick lit, I find it relaxing, but I wish I hadn't wasted my time reading this particular novel.

Have you read any of these?
Come on over to GoodReads and set yourself a challenge- you can see my profile and track how I'm doing here, and also in my blog sidebar to the left <<
Do leave a comment and let me know what you're reading, or what novels I should download on my new Kindle.
Happy Reading!

I'm engaged!

Just a quick post to share my happy news with my blog family- Mister Christopher popped the question, and I said YES!

setting the scene

He took me out to dinner on Friday night for my 21st birthday (which was on Monday 2nd) to a chocolate lounge which is also a restaurant. We had the best time eating, chatting and giggling our heads off, and left with a takeaway nougat hot chocolate and some gourmet chocolates. He seemed a little distracted, but I didn't think anything of it, and when we got back into the car he took his time taking off...there were some guys walking to another restaurant nearby and I said to him for us to hurry and go (the nervous nelly I am!) He was about to propose to me-d'oh!We were driving down the main road and he told me he had another birthday present he wanted to give me before we got home, and I immediately thought he was going to buy me flowers! So when we passed all of the florists, I was hella confused. He said 'Oh I don't know when I'm going to give you your present, don't worry' and I was all 'aww but I was all excited for it!' little did I know!



image via pinterest



the proposal

He pulled over on a side street close to home, and leaned in for a kiss. I was all 'whoa, can't we kiss at home' as he's never done that before. He said he wanted to marry me, and I said I did too (not realising it wasn't 'dream' talk, it was 'real' talk!) He fumbled in the side panel of the car door, and pulled out the box. Don't ask me why, but in my head I thought 'ooh, earrings?' That was when I saw the tears in his eyes, and the serious expression on his face, and my heart sped up and I quickly put the hot chocolate into the cup holder. The mushy talk continued, and I was shaking like a leaf 'omg.omg.omg. are you serious?omg.omg.omg' then out it came.

Emma, will you marry me?

Pretty sure the kiss I gave him at that point almost knocked his lips off! Then he opened the box, and there is was- a little circle full of diamonds that has cemented our love. I am head over heels for both Chris AND the ring now!

*

just so could see my mani- I will forever love Orly Rage!

We had been looking at rings for a while and both fell in love with this one, but I had no idea he was anywhere near buying it! It's exactly what I wanted, with a thick band, cluster top and brilliant cut stones on the shoulders. My dream ring :)

 He asked my Dad for my hand on Thursday and he said it was much more nerve wracking than asking me was! My dad cried and they had a moment, which was nice. After he slipped the ring on my finger (I asked whether he'd asked my Dad first, aren't I a good girl!) I said 'Can I go to my Mum!?' so he drove me over there. The car hadn't even stopped and I had jumped out and was running towards the back yard as I could hear her there- poor Chris was left behind! I heard her say 'she's here' in a loud whisper and when I turned the corner I saw my parents and Chris' parents sitting waiting for us! So I really was the last to know about all of it, I didn't even suspect a thing! They bought us a cake and we popped a bottle of Moet and had a happy cry together, as a newly formed family. It really was the perfect proposal for us, I had always maintained that I wanted it to be just the two of us and not overly 'romantic' as we just aren't like that. I am so happy and can't wipe the smile from my face, we announced it to my family + friends at my 21st party the following night (post to come) and it was so nice to be able to share it with everyone we knew.

I'm so lucky to have all of my twitter/blog family sending me love and support and congratulations- you all mean the world to me, and I'm so glad we can share this special moment in our lives with you.



a little collage of our lives together thus far



Love you all!



Love Talk

I've been wearing green eyeshadows quite a bit lately, and Essence's Love Talk is one of my more recent aquisitions. I love the ultra metallic muted green shade, and think it would look wonderful smoked up. It reminds me of the Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Epatant, but when I place them beside one another they are quite different.

I adore the designs of Essence products, as I've stated in many of my other brand raves I can't believe the little touches they include despite being at a low price point. This shadow is silky to the touch and quite easily blendable.

It comes in a clear plastic domed contained which doesn't sit too high (so will still fit in thin bags without taking up too much room) and has a sturdy and secure closure. I've thrown this about a ton and it's in great condition still, which is a testament to Essence's packaging as well as their product.

Metallic goodness in a single swatch.

Dopey half eye really shows off the colour, ha

Next time I wouldn't use this mascara, would have tamed my brows, and would choose a lighter colour to blend out Love Talk. But seriously, how pretty is it! This is just over MAC's Painterly paint pot and blended out with another colour- primarily it's just a sweep of Love Talk, though.

I've included a picture of Love Talk next to NYX Algae and MAC Mink&Sable to give a little bit of context.

Essence Mono Eyeshadows retails for a tiny $3.25AUD and are available Australia wide at Target stores. For more information, click here

What green shadow should I add to my collection next?
And what should I pair Love Talk with next time I wear it?

a Botani birthday giveaway!

Hip Hip Hooray, it's my birthday today!

 I thought it would be appropriate to showcase a product I love today, so here is my rave about the Botani Spirulina Salt Scrub! The lovely Sabine from Echolife sent this to me, and I promise that all opinions are honest and not affected by that in the slightest.

There are those times when you connect a certain scent to a place or to a memory, and it is forever attached to that no matter what you do. My favourite smell comes from my kindergarden, and I think it is because it opened my world to real learning which is to this day my passion. The kindy is just around the corner from me, and after I went there my sister worked there so I had opportunities to sneak back to visit that intoxicating smell. It smelt of cleaning products with a citrus twang, and some good old fashioned love from the lady who works there (still! she taught my nieces and nephews 10 years after she taught me!) If this description seems quite vague and hard to imagine, I have a solution for you.

Stick your nose into Botani's Spirulina Salt Scrub. It's that exact smell, it's crazy!
I was beyond ecstatic to find something that brought me back to such a happy memory, and even more so when I used the Botani Spirulina Salt Scrub and realised how amazing a product it is! I'm happy that on my 21st birthday I have this little pot of memories from my childhood to enjoy as I get ready to spend time with my family.

Made with the moisturising jojoba and shea butter, the Botani Spirulina Salt Scrub is scented with Australian lemon myrtle and mandarin which gives it that amazing smell. A little goes a long way, which is a big plus for me as I like to use a scrub each time I shower. It's a nice thick scrub, which is another thing I look for.

The scent lingers on the skin after you hop out of the shower, but in my opinion is not overwhelming. This scrub retails for $24.95 and is available from EchoLife online here, with free shipping. As stated at the beginning of my review, I was gifted this to trial and review, and Echolife have kindly offered another to giveaway to one of you! I figured that even though it was MY birthday, you deserved a treat,too!

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is be following my blog on GFC/email/bloglovin, and leave a comment on this post with a new years resolution! Please leave your email,too, so I can get in contact with you if you win. This competition will run until the 20th of January, and is open Australia wide. Good luck!

(Please note that this product was provided by Echolife for my review, and the giveaway is sponsored by them also. Honesty, always!)

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!