HUGE Combined Makeup Haul: Sephora, Mecca, Beautylish

Its been a couple of months since I did a beauty haul and I have so many things to show you that I've picked up lately. With holiday limited edition products being released as well as end of year exams I've had a lot of reasons to shop - yes exam stress is the best reason to shop!

I'll start off with what I picked up from Sephora! I went to check out the new Sephora Broadway store when I was procrastinating from studying and picked up a few items I've had my eyes on for a while. Firstly is the Cover FX Custom Blot Drops. After seeing Tati's review of this product a couple of months ago I knew I had to have this to try and tame my oily-ass skin this summer. After stalking Sephora in the city so many times I finally found one left in stock at Broadway - hooray! I also picked up the Commodity Cocktail Kit which have ten mini fragrances. I've been spraying myself every time I walked into a Sephora trying to pick which fragrance to buy so I was excited to find this kit so I can try them all! I was also excited to see Sephora Australia had updated their Beauty Pass rewards and are now offering little samples in exchange for points, so I was happy to take home a mini Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara to try.

I also placed an order from Beautylish because by some miracle they had the Anastasia Modern Renaissance Palette back in stock and I couldn't wait any longer to get my hands on it! I have another one of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow palettes and the quality is AMAZING! Can't wait to play around with those gorgeous burnt red shades! (So many exclamations! Can you tell I'm excited?! - also sorry friends but it seems to be out of stock again *sad face*) I also picked up the Becca Blushed With Light Palette. I've been meaning to try some of Becca's blushes and didn't want to buy the Jaclyn Hill palette since I already owned Champagne Pop so I was super excited to see this palette released.

 

Finally, I hit up Mecca and grabbed a few holiday releases. Of course, I could not help but get my hands on the Hourglass Surreal Light Palette. I got the ambient lighting palette last year and love it so much! Not only did I want to pick up the palette because I love the product, but the packaging is so beautiful and as a makeup collector I needed to have this in my collection. I also got the Sun's Up Face & Body SPF Duo which is such good value and perfect coming into summer! As a 'translucent white' I need all the SPF 50+ I can get. I also love the little neoprene bag it comes with which will be great for beach days. Finally from Mecca I picked up the Ciate Kiss Collective holiday gift set which includes three minis of their Liquid Velvet lipsticks in the shades Wonderland, Pin Up and Starlet. Unfortunately it is no longer available online but definitely worth seeing if there are any left in store. I love the texture of these liquid lipsticks, they have a moussy formula and are super comfortable on the lips.

So that's my huge *cringe* haul! I'm not planning on picking up anything else for myself, its definitely time to think of presents for my friends and family!

xx Cat

Combined Makeup Haul

There's been lots of skincare talk on the blog lately so I thought I would share same of the newest makeup bits I've added to my collection and who doesn't love a good haul! I've also been able to test out most of these products so I have given some mini reviews as well :)

I wanted to first talk about all the goodies I've recently picked up from NYX which is now being stocked in Priceline! The NYX Priceline displays have taken over Max Factor and Face of Australia I believe and are much bigger than the current displays in Target. Priceline also have a wider range of NYX products including a few exclusives. 

I was really excited to find the Liquid Suede Lipsticks stocked in Priceline and picked up the shade 'Cherry Skies' a beautiful deep red shade. I really like how comfortable these liquid lipsticks are and you can reapply/layer them without the formula going crumbly and gross. The formula wears really well too, but will definitely come off in the centre of the lips after eating. I would also recommend a lip liner or primer as it tends to bleed. The real downside however is how large the applicator is and with a dark red shade its pretty much impossible to apply without making a mess. I also noticed the Lip Lingerie Lipsticks have the same applicator, so be prepared to need a lip brush!

Probably my favourite purchase from NYX was the Roll On Shimmers in the shades 'Salmon' and 'Almond'. I can't believe I haven't seen these before and they are only $8.95!! Haven't yet had a chance to play with these on the eyes yet but I'm really impressed with how they swatched, hopefully if they work well I would be keen to pick up lots more shades!

L-R: Roll On Shimmer in Salmon and Almond, Liquid Suede Lipstick in Cherry Skies.

Finally, I picked up the Micro Brow Pencil in the shade 'Ash Brown'. I was really impressed with this brow pencil! I've heard lots of people saying its a dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and to be honest, I prefer the NYX. The cool brown shade is perfect for me and the tiny tip of the pencil makes it really easy to fill in the brows to get a natural look. I would definitely recommend this brow pencil, there are eight different shades and is a great price point at $16.95.

Next, from Target I picked up the In theBalm of Your Hand palette from TheBalm. I was attracted to this palette because it has a collection of theBalm face and eye products (even a lipstick!) all in one palette. I haven't had a chance to play with this one yet but I'm really intrigued to try all these different products, especially the eyeshadows and of course the cult favourite Mary LouManizer. I wasn't able to find this palette online but I would check out your local Target stores if you're interested!

I made a sneaky trip to Sephora just to have a bit of a browse and came across the new IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara. I picked this one up because I saw one of my favourite Youtubers, Coffee Break with Dani wearing it and it looked incredible! I've been using it for the last couple of weeks and I do like it, especially for adding volume to my lashes, but I do prefer my Chantecaille Faux Cils which gives me the length I want as well as volume. It also cost me $38 from Sephora Australia (not currently online) which I think is a little expensive. If you're after a mascara from Sephora I would recommend the Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, which is around $10 cheaper and does pretty much the same thing. Also the packaging is just insanely large for a mascara!

Finally, because I have such wonderful friends who also happen to be well travelled, I was lucky enough to add a few makeup bits from Soap and Glory into my collection. Firstly, is the One Heck of a Blot Translucent Powder which I already love and was very happy that my lovely friend Madi was so kind to bring me another compact back from her travels just in time considering I've hit pan on my first powder! This is my favourite powder for touch ups because it's so matte and smooth. Next up is the Solar Powder Bronzer which I've had on my wish list for ages. I've been using this quite a bit and it it absolutely gorgeous! So natural with just the right amount of sheen. Shout out to Olly for searching 4 Boots stores to find this one for me!

What new beauty bits have you picked up recently that you've really loved?

xx Cat

Holiday 2015: My Haul

Everyone loves holiday season, but I bet you that beauty addicts love the holidays more than anyone due to the super exciting limited edition releases.
I've been shopping up a storm recently picking up some of the beautiful products from the Holiday 2015 releases from a range of different brands and I am going to share them with you today!

There were two holiday palettes this year that I knew I absolutely had to get my hands on and didn't hesitate for one second when purchasing them.

The first was the incredibly gorgeous Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette. I was so disappointed to have missed out on the blush palette released for Holiday last year that I wasn't going to risk it with this beauty! Since making the order from net-a-porter almost a month ago I have been getting so much use out of this palette. I love being able to try a variety of the Hourglass Ambient lighting powders and the exclusive highlight shade is incredible! You can also purchase the Ambient Lighting Edit from Mecca Maxima, Mecca Cosmetica and mecca.com.au for $117, but stock is extremely limited.

Top row (L-R): Paloma Contour Duo, Laguna Bronzer. Bottom Row (L-R): Robotic (LE), Blasphemy (LE), Luster, Dolce Vita.

The second palette I purchased is part of the incredible NARS X Steven Klein collaboration. I was so excited to get my hands on the One Shocking Moment Palette because of its amazing value! For $100 you get the contour duo in Paloma, the cult classic Laguna Bronzer (with more product than the full size compact!) and four blushes - two limited edition and two permanent shades. The NARS face powders are amazing quality and if I haven't been reaching for my Hourglass palette I've been getting good use out of this one! I especially love the contour shade which is the perfect tone for my light complexion. The NARS X Steven Klein collection is available at Mecca Maxima, Mecca Cosmetica and mecca.com.au.

Last year I indulged in a few Tarte holiday sets and this year I wasn't overly excited by many of their releases. I have more than enough eyeshadows and I already had the blush palette from last year so I wasn't anxious to get my hands on those. However, on a complete whim I came across the Stroke of Midnight Brush Set when I popped into Sephora to pick up a replacement beauty blender. After one look at the packaging and the fact that I was also impressed with the value for money - 5 brushes for $59!! - I quickly added one to my basket. This is such a gorgeous set and being the brush collector I am, I am super happy to have added these to my collection!

L-R: Complexion Brush, Eyeshadow Brush, Buffer Airbrush Finish Foundation Brush ($48 value!), Fluffy Blush Brush, Concealer Brush.

Finally, I picked up a few limited edition lip products because I cannot help myself when it comes to lipsticks (and pretty packaging!).

The first lip product I picked up was from the MAC Holiday collection, which I was really impressed with this year and managed to be extremely restrained! In the end I chose the matte lipstick in Please Me. I absolutely adore the purple metallic packaging and chose Please Me because pink lipsticks are my absolute favourite (although I was so tempted by all four shades)! Available in store at MAC or online at maccosmetics.com.au.

The second lip product I picked up was from Jeffree Star's holiday collection. I have never been interested in Jeffree Star's lipstick range but when I saw swatches of the shade Doll Parts I knew I had to have it! I ended up purchasing mine from beautylish.com and I can't wait to try the formula!

And finally for my huge holiday haul are more liquid lipsticks! When I saw this adorable Eternal Love Liquid Lipstick Set from Stila I couldn't help myself! I've had my eyes on the shade Beso for ages which comes in the set and I also love both the limited edition nude and deep berry shades that are included as well. The formula of the Stila liquid lipsticks are extremely long wearing, however can be quite drying on the lips so I prefer to apply really thin layers using a lip brush. Unfortunately this set looks like it is sold out online but pop into your nearest Mecca store if you want to get your hands on it.

So that's it for my holiday haul! I would LOVE to know what you have picked up from all of the holiday limited edition collections - let me know in the comments :)

xx Cat

I've got mail! Online Haul

I placed orders on three different online sites and wanted to share with you guys not only my haulage but my experience of shopping with them as well. I'll be comparing each online shopping experience including shipping costs and how long I had to wait until my order arrived!

Firstly, I have had the Tanya Burr lip glosses on my wish list for a long time, especially when she launched heaps of new shades. I was browsing feelunique.com when I came across a deal of 2 for 3 on Tanya Burr's range! I immediately placed an order for the shades I Found Nemo, Lunch Date and Picnic in the Park. These glosses are $13.49 which I definitely found to be good value. The glosses are creamy, pigmented and long lasting. The only thing I don't like about these glosses is the scent which is a sweet, candy like scent that is WAY too strong for my liking.

My shopping experience with feelunique.com was definitely positive! I received my order just under two weeks from when I placed it. Shipping is free for all orders over $20 so you'll likely be able to get free shipping on your order otherwise shipping is only $3. Overall I will definitely shop on Feel Unique again especially as I've noticed they often have sales and discounts.

My second order was placed on beautybay.com, another UK online beauty site. I've know about Beauty Bay for a while, particularly as a convenient way for Aussies to get their hands on Urban Decay. I noticed they now stock Zoeva and after wanting to fill a few gaps in my brush collection I placed an order for the 101 Luxe Face Definer and 105 Luxe Highlight brushes. (please excuse my dirty brushes I couldn't help myself!)

Shipping is free from beautybay.com for all orders over $20 or just $3.80 - comparable to the great deal offered by Feel Unique. The only problem I had with ordering was that I couldn't pay with Paypal. I know as a reputable online store I don't really have to worry about security but I do prefer using Paypal. I also found that my order took almost four weeks to arrive. After the two week mark when I started to get a little anxious I noticed that there is a mention on the shipping page that parcels are often delayed to Australian addresses because they get intercepted at customs - my package was definitely opened!

Zoeva brushes are also easily accessible from website Luxola which I have heard a lot about from Youtubers. When I found out they had a 25% off code for Zoeva and Sigma brushes I jumped on the chance to order the Pink Elements Complete Eye Set which I have honestly been lusting over forever. Seeing one of my favourite Youtubers Sharon Farrell use these gorgeous pink brushes I just HAD to jump at the chance to get the set at an amazing price.

Luxola is a Singapore based site but is also great for Aussies as you can shop in AUD$ which is always handy. Shipping is free for all orders over $40 which is fantastic, although not quite as good as the deal offered by both beautybay.com and feelunique.com. Orders under $40 will set you back $15 for shipping. Another positive of shopping at Luxola is that you can pay with Paypal which is definitely my preferred way of paying online. However, Luxola doesn't ship to PO Boxes and my usual delivery address is a PO Box. Whilst this is a little annoying I ended up choosing to ship to my mum's work address. I received my order in less than two weeks! Definitely the fastest arrival of my orders.

Overall all my online shopping experiences were very positive! I love the range of brands available on each site and the option free shipping for such a low minimum purchase. Just note that Beauty Bay shipping could take a long time!

What have you ordered online recently?

xx Cat

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Lip Product Haul!

My absolute favourite makeup products to shop for are lip products! If I see a blogger or beauty youtuber talk about a lipstick and it catches my eye I will usually go out and buy it. My lipstick collection is something I'm really proud of and love adding to.

From Priceline I've picked up a few different lip products - from matte to glossy and lip balms.
Firstly, as a recommendation from Sarah at morethanadored.com I purchased the Savvy Long Lasting Matte Lipstick in 'Maui' ($6.99) as I cannot resist a bright orange coral! While the colour is beautiful and quite neon, I find the formula quite sheer and can be a little patchy once you try to build it up. Still I can't believe how affordable this range is from Savvy!

Next, I've been wanting to add to my collection of Australis Colour Inject Lipsticks ($12.95) and chose the shade 'Gangsta Rap' after seeing a swatch online. It reminded me of the Lime Crime shade 'Airborne Unicorn' which I was hesitant to pick up, especially if I didn't like how the light purple shade looked on my skin tone and this was a more affordable option. I love the formula of the Colour Inject Lipsticks too!

A lip product I had my eye on since their release is the L'Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire lip lacquers ($21.95), however, I waited until they went on sale to pick one up. I chose the shade 'Rouge Soprano' which is a beautiful watermelon red and it just melts onto the lips. As they are a lip lacquer, they have a lot more pigment than a gloss and last longer as well. This product is very similar to the Colour Elixirs from Maybelline - same texture, applicator and smell even!

And I just couldn't help buying the new Maybelline Baby Lips 'Electro Pop' balm ($3.95). These new additions to the Australian market look like the Baby Lips available in the US and I have the flavour 'Berry Bomb' which smells amazing. Unfortunately, these aren't available online yet, but I did purchase it from Priceline.

Target has also been on sale lately and with 30% of ChiChi I picked up two of their Stay on Lipliners, 'Lady in Red' and 'Status'. These are beautifully creamy and so insanely pigmented! I can't believe I got these for only $6.96. ChiChi is really fantastic value for great quality products and is often on sale at either Target or Myer. I also picked up the NYX lipliner in 'Natural' after I saw one of my fave Aussie Youtubers Katrina post on instagram saying it was a dupe for MAC's Velvet Teddy lipstick. NYX is rarely on sale in Target and unfortunately wasn't on this occasion but still a great price at only $9.95.

Finally, the last two items in my haul are from a brand I've been dying to try for so long. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to IMATS this year where I was planning to pick up some lipsticks from Lime Crime. To make me feel better about missing the event I order a few lipsticks online anyway. I had also wanted 'Geradium' and I also ended up ordering 'Babette'. The price of the Lime Crime Lipsticks vary online, however, the cheapest I could find was on Australian online retailer Princess Polly. Each lipstick was AUD$22 and I only paid $5.00 for express shipping (it arrived the next day!)

L-R: Geradium, Babette, Rouge Soprano, Maui, Gangsta Rap, Lady in Red, Status, Natural.

I hope you enjoyed this lip product haul! I definitely have been loving playing with all these bright, fun colours :)

xx Catherine

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Mini Weekend Haul

This weekend just gone was a little 'holiday' for me. I took the weekend off work and stayed with my girlfriend and we had the loveliest time going out, heading to different markets, brunching and most importantly getting through a lot of TV shows! On Saturday we went to Glebe markets and then headed into the city to get our eyebrows done at Benefit. We both got a little spend-y and here are a few of the things I picked up.

Vintage Jacket

I picked this up at Glebe markets and it took me all of five seconds to realise I had to have it! Markets are definitely hit & miss and sometimes I just can't justify spending money on people's old clothes. However, this jacket was so cute and so me and for $15 I knew it was a good deal.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

I had a pretty generous sized sample of this primer and after testing a few different primers I found this one to be the best for my skin. It is fantastic for smoothing out your skin before applying foundation and really makes a huge difference to the wearing time of your foundation. With this underneath my foundation and the NYX Matte Finish spray on top my foundation doesn't budge! I picked this up from David Jones for $45.

Benefit It's Potent! Eye Cream

I have been trying to reduce the money I've been spending on makeup and in the last month I have been quite successful! However, this means I am itching to get my hands on new skin care. While I was getting my brows done the brow technician did a little mask with this product under my eyes and I was so impressed! I picked it up and will let you know how I go with it :)

So just a mini haul for you today and a catch up on my weekend! I hope you enjoyed this post and I wish you all a fantastic week <3

xx Catherine

HUGE Collective Haul

I've been shopping up a storm recently and can't wait to share all my new goodies with you !!

First up, I placed an order with crushcosmetics.com.au. This is one of my favourite Australian online shops to get US drugstore makeup and is where I first ordered NYX from before it became available in Australia. They have now expanded their range and stock Wet n Wild, Milani, Elf, Jordana as well as Sleek and you can also get both the Beauty Blenders and Real Techniques sponges from them as well. They have super fast shipping and even though the prices are definitely higher than shopping on cherryculture or beautyjoint, if I'm not doing a huge order I don't want to wait 3 weeks or pay heaps on shipping.

I picked up products I've been dying to try for ages including the Beauty Blender, Milani's blush in Luminoso, the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yoghurt and Wet n' Wild palettes in Comfort Zone and Walking on Eggshells. I also added some Ardell lashes to my cart to qualify for free shipping.

Secondly, Priceline recently had their 'Gift of Beauty' promotion, where if you spend $60 on certain brands, you get a free gift bag! Gift with purchase is definitely my favourite things ever so I definitely jumped on this offer.

To reach the $60 threshold I picked up a few lipsticks I've been wanting for ages: Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 'As you want Victoria' (which I forgot to photograph) and the Maybelline Colour Sensational Bold Matte in 'Mat 1'. I also finally found some stock of the new Maybelline Colour Sensational Stripped Nudes collection and picked up 'Tantalising Taupe'. I swear, the search for this shade had me scour all the Priceline and Target stores in inner Sydney! I also picked up the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser and this absolutely gorgeous Custom Eyes palette from Revlon in '020 Naturally Glamorous'. Like I needed another nude palette... I just couldn't resist the beautiful quilted texture!

And onto the gift bag! Unfortunately both shades of the BB cream and the foundation were way to dark for me but I will be happy to regift. This does however bring down the value of the bag and I think that Priceline could have done a better job in making the bag really great value for money. Overall most of the products are really fun and ones I wouldn't have picked up myself so I can't wait to give them a try.The bag itself is also quite cute!

Another item I've been lusting over for a while and an EssieButton induced purchase, the Body Shop Honey Bronzer in '01'. This is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to wear it throughout winter, where I feel my Hoola bronzer will look a bit muddy on my particularly fair skin. How amazing is the honeycomb texture!?

Finally, after seeing the Shanghai Suzy lipsticks keep popping up on one of my favourite beauty blogs More than Adored, I just had to place an order. What first struck me about these lipsticks were how affordable they were and the shades available were all beautiful and definitely on trend. Shipping was quite fast too - so my first impressions were definitely good. I can't wait to try these out!

The shades I got were; The Gossling Lippie, Miss Simone, Miss Melissa and  Miss Sophia.

Since I've pretty much ticked everything off my current wish list and given my Priceline card a good workout, I'll be putting myself on a definitely needed spending ban. I really want to give all these new products a good test and provide some in depth reviews. So now you know all the exciting things coming up!

Until next time,
xx Catherine

Makeup and Skincare Haul

I had this week off uni and did a little bit of shopping picking up some new beauty items.

//Makeup

I've been looking for a lightweight foundation or tinted moisturiser for a while now but I really didn't know which one I wanted to try and if the products that had a light coverage were going to be too dewy. I eventually decided to go into Mecca. I always go into Mecca when I have a beauty conundrum because the staff are always so amazing and helpful. I didn't go in with any expectations and was recommended the Dr Dennis Gross CC cream. After I tried it on my face I absolutely loved the finish - it wasn't completely matte but had a nice natural finish and didn't feel at all too wet on my face. I'm really impressed so far and will give you a review after I've given it a good test run

Target was having a bit of a beauty sale and I decided to go in to get some lipsticks from Maybelline, but all the ones I wanted were sold out :( I ended up choosing the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in translucent as I've heard so many great things about this powder and it was 30% at around $9 so I had to buy it!

//Skincare

I had to repurchase some of my daily skincare items as conveniently all my skincare products are running out at once. My first repurchase was the Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner which I have been loving, especially now as my skin is becoming drying into the colder weather. I also wanted to get some more rosehip oil as my little sample size from Kosmea was running out. Kosmea isn't stocked at Priceline so I picked up the Trilogy Rosehip Oil instead. Finally, I picked up the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water to see what all the fuss is about.

Finally, after finishing all my bath ballistics from Lush I couldn't stand the thought of not having a bath without one so when my sister went into the city I got her to pick some up for me. I chose three that I hadn't tried before - Butterball, The Secret Garden and Blackberry. I also got a container to house them in called the 'Pillar of Fizz'. I thought it was a great storage idea to keep my bath ballistics near the bath without worrying about the packaging getting wet.

Let me know if you've tried any of these items. Also I've just put an order through crushcosmetics.com.au so be expecting another haul soon!

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a beautiful week <3

xx Catherine

Drugstore Haul// Priceline & Target

What's this?! A video?!

I'm very excited to share with you my first video post or beauty 'vlog' where I talk about all the items I recently hauled in the Priceline 40% off sale and more exciting stuff too.

Because this whole video making thing is new to me I lost the footage from the first part of my Target haul - I can't remember if it was because I ran out of memory or I deleted but here are the items I forgot to mention in the video.

• Maybelline Colour Show Nail polish in Twilight Rays and Blue Freeze - these were 2 for 1 at Target!
• NP Set Crease Blender Brush - was $15 down to $10.50

Have a beautiful day and let me know if you enjoyed my video :)
xx Catherine

Tarte Cosmetics/Sephora Mini Haul

 

 

When I hear someone is travelling to the US or anywhere with a Sephora I get VERY excited. I immediately thought of all the makeup I could buy! However, I thought to be considerate of the person kind enough to shop for me and also keeping in mind my budget, I chose a few special things that I've been lusting over from Tarte because there is literally no way to get their products in Australia unless you use a shipping service. Taking a few recommendations from one of my absolute favourite Youtubers Essie Button I picked up the;

• Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Natural Beauty
• Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation in Fair-Light Neutral
• Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush

I just wanted to share with you these beautiful products before I try them out and do full reviews - but really I just couldn't contain my excitement!
Thanks to Maddy's mum for picking up these products for me at Sephora and of course Maddy for helping organise everything <3

Hope you enjoyed this special haul as much as I did !
xx Cat  ^.^

Real Techniques Brush Haul!

Finally received my iherb order of Real Techniques brushes. I desperately needed to do a big update of my face brushes and thought the RT brushes were the most budget friendly option and I can add specialty brushes as I need but at least I know I have enough brushes to create a good base.

I purchases 2 sets - the core collection; which features 4 base brushes and a case as well as the limited edition duo fibre collection; which came with 3 duo fibre brushes for face and eyes.

I also purchased 3 single brushes - the blush brush, stippling brush and expert face brush.

In terms of ordering off iherb, it is definitely the cheapest option for buying these brushes - For a total of 10 brushes I paid around $60 and got free shipping. There is a faster shipping option which is extra and for some reason it was unavailable to my PO Box address. However, I would definitely recommend the faster shipping option because shipping took a lot longer than I expected.
If you haven't used iHerb before you can use this code GKT568 at the checkout or this link http://www.iherb.com/?rcode=GKT568 to save off your order.

I will let you know how I go and hopefully have a review soon!

xx Cat ^.^

Flawless Base; by Benefit

Another weekend, another trip to Benefit! Mum and I visited the Brow Bar for a wax and tint and then headed over to the beauty counter where some of the lovely staff treated us to a mini makeover/makeup lesson. I absolutely love visiting the Benefit counter because the staff are always so amazing and friendly.

I wanted to focus on complexion and try some products to create a really flawless base. The product I tried on my face was the Play sticks 3-in-1 foundation, concealer and powder. WOW! Just with one layer applied with a paddle type foundation brush it created the most flawless, full coverage base that looked liked it just melted into my skin but didn't feel like I was wearing such a full coverage product.

Look how much a difference a brow tint makes!

Since I just bought a new foundation last week, and the Play sticks are on the more pricey side, I decided to buy the Hello Flawless pressed powder instead since I was desperate for a new pressed powder! I have been using the Australis Fresh & Flawless and I was surprised that it didn't work for me considering it is widely reviewed as a great product, but even the lightest shade was way too dark and orangey for me. This shade is "I Love Me Ivory" which is a much better match for my skin tone. This is also beautifully finely milled and just takes the shine off without looking cakey - everything you need in a powder!

Although you're paying a little extra for Benefit products you're definitely getting a fabulous quality product in cute, sturdy packaging (I love how they close with a magnet) and it even comes with both a little brush and a sponge which is a really nice touch!

Overall another amazing experience at Benefit. I was super impressed with the products that created a truly flawless base. The Play stick has definitely gone on my wish list and I'm thinking of ordering it on the Benefit website to save some money.

xx Cat ^.^