Shopping My (Sample) Stash

For about six months I was subscribed to both Bellabox and Violet Box as well as receiving the first Marie Claire subscription box. Subscription boxes are a really fun way to discover new beauty. Bellabox provided samples from popular brands and for cult products, while Violet Box truely opened my eyes up to the world of Indie Makeup brands and I discovered some real gems.

However, after six months I've accumulated more samples than one would ever need. I've discontinued both my subscriptions so I actually have a chance to properly try all my samples and hopefully find some new favourites and of course save some money!

I love to organise things so made the most out of this Ikea organiser to have all my samples easily accessible - and I've already discovered a few gems!

 

//Elizabeth Mott It's so BIG Volumizing Mascara [$25.00]
This one came in my last Bellabox and it's definitely a great find! Firstly, I would never have come across the brand if I didn't receive it in my box and secondly its the kind of mascara that's right up my alley - texture that's quite wet, medium sized fibre brush and gives both length and volume.

//KMS California Hair Play Moulding Paste [$31.99]
Now this is a real surprise find because I would never in my life have bought a hair styling product. I wash and brush my hair and that's about it. However, I rub just a little bit between my fingers and then brush it through my hair when its wet adding texture and volume - kind of like a 'beach waves' look. This sample was from a Violet Box way back!

//Camille Beckman Glycerine Hand Therapy [$18.95 - $21-95]
Best smelling hand cream ever!! My little sample pot has almost run out and I'm so tempted to buy a full size as it adds so much moisture to my lizard hands! Another great find from Violet Box.

I've linked below some of my subscription box reviews if you're interested - and a heads up, I would definitely give Violet Box ago if you are a beauty lover who already has a large stash.

September Violet Box

July Violet Box

Bellabox - September, August, July, June

xx Catherine

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Beauty Favourites - Top 14 of 2014

Let's just say I tried a few beauty products in 2014. Actually, to be honest, its more than a few...probably into the hundreds. But I took one for the team and from exciting new releases to old favourites and cult products I've put together a list of my top 14 products of 2014. Enjoy!

FACE
1// Maybelline Fit Me Concealer ($14.95)
To be honest, I always felt I had to rely on high end products for my base but this concealer from Maybelline is incredible for the price. Perfect for under the eyes, on blemishes and to cover redness this is definitely by no.1 drugstore recommendation.

Review

2// The Body Shop Honey Bronzer ($22.95)
I don't think I have once used another bronzer since I picked this one up. Using a big fluffy brush adding a natural bronze to my face with this product is practically fool proof. A beautiful bronze shade that isn't orange at all and perfect for all skin tones as it comes in three shades. It's also really blend able and will last all day. Worth the investment!

Review

3// MAC Powder Blush in 'Melba' ($41.00)
This is everything you want in a blush - it blends beautifully, looks gorgeous on any skin tone and with any look and most importantly is a pretty great colour. Melba is one of those blushers I reached for when I didn't know what blush to wear. If you are just starting out with makeup or looking for a new signature blush, pop into a MAC store and try Melba - you won't be disappointed.

Swatches

EYES
4// Maybelline The Falsies Mascara ($19.95)
Another AWESOME find from the drugstore and once again Maybelline offers excellent value. The formula is great - not too wet or dry - and easy to work with along with a great want. It will last all day without smudging or flaking either. My favourite choice for thick, long lashes without much of a fuss.

Review

5// Lancôme Hypnose Mascara ($52.00)
My favourite ever mascara of all time! If you've read my blog all year you'll know I rave about this product a lot and it's been one of my favourite makeup products even before my makeup obsession when I wore makeup about three times a year. It's definitely a splurge item that I believe is worth the price tag. Unlike the mascara from Maybelline, this mascara will last longer, never irritate your eyes and with just one layer separate your lashes whilst adding amazing length and the perfect amount of volume every time.

Review

6// Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Bad to the Bronze' ($11.95)
Yep, another amazing Maybelline product. The Colour Tattoos are cream eyeshadows that are perfect for that smokey eye look with about zero effort. Sweep over the eyelid using either your finger or a synthetic brush and voila! Easiest eye look ever. As the name 'tattoo' suggests, these really don't budge once you've applied them so they are a perfect eyeshadow option for summer. While 'Bad to the Bronze' is my favourite shade to wear on its own, I've got heaps of other shades that I like to use as a base for other eyeshadows to create extra dimension to my eye look.

Review

7// NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk' ($9.95)
Milk is the ultimate cult beauty product. It's not a new release by any means and a permanent addition to the NYX line but finding in stock is a mission. I wear this everyday as a highlight under my brows and it also makes an awesome eyeshadow primer. A great all-round product which is proven by it's popularity. If you're in Target, swing past the NYX stand to see if you can find one in stock - in which case you should buy it.

8// NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in 'Rue Bonaparte' ($32.00)
A product I've mentioned in my monthly roundup posts countless times this year because it really is one of my favourite products ever. I haven't yet found another eye pencil that stays in the waterline no matter what. It has a high price tag, especially for a pencil but well worth the money and you'll definitely get a lot of use out of it. With any makeup look this looks amazing on the waterline to make your eyes look bigger and brighter.

Review

9// Benefit Gimme Brow ($32.00)
2014 was the year of the brow and the search was on for the perfect brow product. I'm pretty happy with how far my brows have come this year and I have Benefit to thank for that. Apart from regular appointments to get a wax and tint the Benefit Gimme Brow worked to add a little bit of colour and hold those stray brow hairs in place. Literally the perfect brow gel with the handiest little wand making to super easy to apply too. My pick of the brow products this year!

Review

LIPS
10// MAC Lipstick in 'Plumful' ($36.00)
In my makeup explorations of 2014, I definitely tried more lipsticks than any other type of product. Plumful was my most worn and favourite shade meaning it is definitely an amazing product. A soft, rosy-purple shade in MAC's Lustre formula Plumful is not only super pretty on the lips but really comfortable to wear and moisturising too.

Review

NAILS - Reviews
11// Sally Hansen Insta- Dri Topcoat ($15.45)
If 2014 was a quest, it would be the quest for the best nail polish top coat - one that was super fast drying, extended the wear of my nail colour and would give a glossy, gel like finish. Thankfully, the quest was completed and I found it in the Sally Hansen display in Priceline. One of my favourite discoveries of the year, it has made doing manicures at home so much easier.

12// Essence Cosmetics Nail Hardener ($4.10)
I've been a nail biter my whole life and was only able to kick the habit about a year ago, so my much destroyed nails still need a lot of TLC. I would never have been able to grow my nails so long without this product, makes such a difference to the thickness and strength of your nails and is also under $5.

SKINCARE
13// Trilogy Rosehip Oil ($19.99)
This year I have discovered the wonders of adding natural oils into my skincare routine, and Rosehip oil has by far been my favourite. In the winter, it added the moisture I needed when my skin became really dry and in the warmer months helped balance out the excess oils being produced by my skin. Since using it my skin has been overall smoother and brighter. It also helps fade scars and other gross spots super fast!

Review

14// Natio Antioxidant Moisturiser ($17.95)
I'm a Natio lover from way back and their Antioxidant Moisturiser has been a staple in my skincare routine all year. It is really rich and hydrating without being heavy at all, making it easy to apply and soaks in quickly.

Review

So there is all my love to all my favourite beauty products of 2014. I hope you enjoyed my roundup of this years best in beauty. Don't forget to check out the links under each product for more in depth reviews from posts throughout the year :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

xx Catherine

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Goodbye 2014!

It's always a bit of a shock when the end of the year comes around. Time seems to fly by so fast it's hard to come to terms with the fact that another year is almost over. 2014 wasn't a great year for me personally and because of health issues I wasn't able to achieve the things I wanted to.

One thing I did achieve in 2014 and am super proud of is the creation and my continuous commitment to this blog. I have had such an amazing time getting involved in the online beauty community. I started to blog because I love beauty products and by putting my thoughts out there I have learnt so much and my passion has grown even more. Thank you for your continuous support and I wish you all an amazing and beauty-full new year.

Much Love,

xx Catherine

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Book Review - Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Photo: www.zoella.co.uk

One of my greatest passions in life is literature - I absolutely love words, reading, and writing. I have a book collection larger than my makeup collection (which is really big!) and I am studying English as my major at university. So, it's safe to say I've read quite a few books. Everything from the classics - Austen, Bronte, Joyce, Woolf - to my current favourite genre, Teen fiction. Yep - it's summer and I want to read fun stories without any effort. So when my sister kindly bought me back a copy of the first novel by YouTuber Zoe Sugg or 'Zoella' I couldn't wait to get stuck into it.

Girl Online (RRP: $19.99) is the story of Penny who writes a blog as the anonymous 'Girl Online' where she goes to be herself and share all her feelings about boys, friendships and family. The story is light hearted and really adorable, making me smile with feelings of absolute joy.

Zoe Sugg is famous for her YouTube success, so she is not a writer and as her first novel, you can definitely tell. The writing is, well, bearable. Perhaps it's because I'm not a huge fan of really bad metaphors or maybe I shouldn't have been looking for sophisticated metaphors in teen fiction, the point is I didn't choose this book for it's ground breaking writing style. It's well known that Zoe used a ghost writer which I have zero problems with, except maybe they could have done a bit more editing.

However, I was incredibly impressed with the story itself and it's characters - all Zoe's own work. As I mentioned before, the story is a complete cute-fest (which I loved!) and the character's are surprisingly really interesting to read. For example Penny, the protagonist, suffers from anxiety and the way this is dealt with in the story is really thoughtful and constructive. Penny's best friend Elliot is another character I really loved to read. The relationship between Penny and Elliot is portrayed as really genuine and authentic friendship.

Overall a great, easy read that is perfect for summer. If you are a fan of Zoella's Youtube channel or follow her online at all I would definitely recommend Girl Online, especially over the holidays!

xx Catherine

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SEPHORA SYDNEY ! Opening Day and US Price Comparison

Friday 5th December 2014 marked the opening of the first Sephora store in Australia, located on Pitt St in the centre of Sydney's CBD. I never thought I would be one of those crazy people who lined up for the opening of a store, but with Sephora, I didn't even think twice. I spent around 6 hours lining up from 6:30am with the lovely Cathy from Silver Screen Beauty Queens and our new friend from Germany (also named Catherine!). We were entertained with a DJ from 8am, stilt walkers, dancers and Sephora staff handing out freebies including compact mirrors, popcorn and gelato! The countdown the midday was particularly exciting, ending in an explosion of confetti and Taylor Swift blaring through Pitt St! Inside the store was really crazy and they didn't stagger entry as much as I would have thought - it was a pretty intense shopping experience!

As one of the first 150 people to enter the store (105th to be exact!) I received a gorgeous Sephora makeup case, making it well worth the early start and 6 hour wait. As well as this, I was also one of the first 300 people to purchase a Kat Von D product, meaning that I received a mini Studded Kiss lipstick and bracelet as well as the guarantee of a spot at her meet up! Today I ventured back to Sephora for the meet up and was so honoured to meet the absolutely beautiful Kat Von D. She loved my Wheels and Dollbaby dress and told me she was shopping at their Surry Hills store yesterday!

Price Matching Promise?

One of the biggest dramas surrounding the opening in the last few days has been the revelation of a significant mark up of prices on the products in Sephora despite their promise to remain as true to US pricing as possible. Australian consumers are used to paying a lot more for products in stores, so is Sephora ripping us off?

I put together a table of the items I bought on the day, comparing the US prices to the ones in the new Australian store. Of course, a few factors need to be taken into consideration regarding the mark up of prices:

• US prices do not include tax, in Australia, all items are taxed at 10%
• The Australian dollar, while fluctuating, historically is valued less than the American dollar - so exchange rates need to be taken into account. 
• Shipping Costs
• Import Taxes - which for cosmetics is 5% (http://www.customs.gov.au/tariff/tariff2012.asp)

So I added the estimated the percentage mark up of 35% to the US prices to take into consideration the above factors. This came to an additional $75, still making my purchase $55 more expensive than it should have been, if prices were 'comparable'.

Product	USD$	AUD$
Tarte Bon Voyage Holiday Set	$59	$78
Tarte Pin Up Girl Blush Palette	$42	$58
Tarte Gifted Mascara	$20	$29
Sephora Pro Angled Blush Brush #49	$32	$43
Sephora Cream Lip Stain in ‘Always Red’	$13	$21
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in ‘Trooper’	$18	$28
Formula X Base Coat	$10.50	$20
Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz	$21	$34
TOTAL	$215.50 + $75 mark up = $290.50	$345

Not only that, but at the moment the Australian dollar is at a low point, meaning that when the value of the dollar increases, this also increases the gap from what we should be paying to what we are being charged in stores.

It's obvious that cosmetics costs more in Australia, but the question remains - why? Particularly since Sephora did make a big deal about remaining comparable to US prices.

Final Thoughts

Overall, opening day was really fantastic! Not only did Sephora put on a fantastic show and really looked after all the beauty fans who were lining up for hours but Westfield Sydney was absolutely wonderful! Not only were the staff from Westfield extremely patient with the huge crowds of people blocking entrance ways but brought out muffins, banana bread and coffee when we all needed it early in the morning. Despite the significant price inflation, I will definitely continue to purchase from the Sydney Sephora store. Prices of drugstore brands are also ridiculously inflated in Priceline etc. but it is still the easiest and most convenient way to purchase those products. I'm so excited to be able to access brands like Kat Von D, Make Up For Ever, Tarte, Bite Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills and IT Cosmetics!

Will you be braving the Sephora crowds any time soon? If you did, what did you pick up?

Don't worry a haul post featuring lots of product photos and swatches will be up soon !!

xx Catherine   

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3 (Affordable) Skincare Miracles

I don't know about you, but my constant search in the skincare isles at Priceline is driven by my search for that 'miracle' product that will make all my biggest skincare nightmares disappear. Maybe, no such thing exists - or maybe I need to extend my price range a bit! I have, however, found three amazing products with affordable price tags that work in miraculous ways.

1// Blemish Treatment

The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion ($22.00) is the answer to all those really painful, impossible to squeeze, under-the-skin monster pimples. A dab of this lotion literally dries and shrinks pimples under the skin over night - or over a few nights if they are really persistent. The miraculous nature of this product is that the pimple will never rise to the surface if treated properly meaning no temptation to pop and therefore no lingering scars!
Available at: Mecca Maxima & Kit Cosmetics

 2// Skin Smoother

I always reach for the Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil ($19.99) whenever I really need a miracle to restore balance to the oils on my skin and help get rid of pesky breakouts. I always rely on facial oils to manage break outs and I've found Rosehip Oil to be the most effective. I apply a few drops to my day moisturiser in the morning as well as my night time moisturiser to help the oil soak into my skin and mask its very 'natural' scent. Within a week my breakouts had cleared and the scars were healing so quickly.
Available at: Priceline, Pharmacies and Health Food stores

3// Blackhead Remover

It doesn't matter how much I exfoliate, having oily skin and large pores around my nose and cheeks means the build up of dirt and other gross stuff can be really unsightly. Luckily this is easily fixed, especially with Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips*($5.79/6 pack). An oldie, but a goodie - these strips are so effective at removing black heads in ways manual exfoliation just can't. When you peel the strip off your nose and see all the little black heads you'll be able to see what a miracle it is!
Available at: Supermarkets, Priceline & most other pharmacies

Have you tried any of these products out? What are your skincare miracle products?

xx Catherine

Disclaimer: Products marked with * were provided for consideration.

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October & November Favourites

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog which has definitely not been ideal for me. I've been struggling with my health and after spending three weeks in hospital It's taken me another month just to get back into the hang of everyday life. I hope to do a more in depth post later on, or even starting another blog to document my experience of struggling with mental illness.

As we get closer to the end of the year, I have a new goal of posting every day in December! There are lots of things to be excited for (it's my birthday tomorrow!!) and I'm really happy to be diving head first into my writing again, and of course sharing my love of beauty with you.

I thought to best way to start off would be to take you through both my beauty and non-beauty favourites from the last couple of months!

Beauty

Two of my most recent beauty favourites are both new finds for my base - and are definitely on the other ends of the spectrum when it comes to coverage. Firstly, is the Super BB Cream by ChiChi ($22.95). I've heard a lot of reviews impressed with this BB cream's coverage but to be honest I find it to be pretty similar to other light coverage products on the market. The reason I've been reaching for this a lot is that it lasts SO LONG! In this Australian heat, a long wearing base is essential for any makeup look and this will last all day when set with a little bit of powder. Such a fantastic everyday base and is also great value as you get 50mL.

My other favourite is another base product, again in the drugstore price range. I picked up the Australis Full on Foundation ($12.95) in the recent Priceline 40% off sale and I have been very impressed. This foundation, marketed as "heavy coverage" is so easy to apply, blend and covers imperfections flawlessly. I swiped the product straight onto my face and then blended out with a fluffy brush and that was it! I have tried Australis face products before and they really did not work for me so I was pleasantly surprised, especially as the shade 'Nude' was the perfect shade for me. Another great affordable foundation!

My final two favourites also fall into the same category - nails! I've been really enjoying painting my nails as a little motivation to grow them out after my anxiety resulted in the total destruction of my nails. My favourite nail treatment is the Ultra Strong Nail Hardener by Essence ($4.10) and I was so excited to see that it was back in Essence stands as part of their Australian range. I always use this as a base coat and it keeps my nails nice and strong as well as preventing staining. Essence is available at Target and in Priceline.

Finally, after lots of trial and error, I have finally found my perfect top coat and my no.1 essential for doing manicures at home. The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat ($15.45) ticks all the boxes: fast drying, glossy gel-like finish and makes a huge difference in extending the life of your manicure. Whilst I do think it's a little pricey, I always stock up at either Chemist Warehouse or Priceline when they have their big sales as I do go through this quickly!

Non-Beauty

Having some extra time on my hands meant I have been able to spend some more time exploring Youtube. I have been particularly loving watching daily vlogs and a few favourites include Zoella and Lindsey from BeautyBaby44. 

My favourite beauty guru of the moment is the incredible Tati of GlamLifeGuru. She is just amazing, posts videos five times a week and gives amazing tips and reviews. She is currently planning her wedding and has started a 'Wedding Wednesday' series including little vlogs of all the wedding craziness!

I've also been obsessed with the Divergent trilogy and can hardly put them down! They are a great easy read and a must if you have enjoyed the Hunger Games series.

And finally, I hate to admit it but I have been slightly addicted to the new Candy Crush Soda Saga app. I'm really terrible at computer games at general but really like those type of puzzle games. I hate how it drains the battery on my phone though! 

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I hope you all enjoy my presence back in the online beauty world and I am very excited to be back! One of my favourite beauty bloggers' Sarah from More Than Adored is hosting another photo challenge on instagram which I will also be taking part of every day in December so don't forget to follow me there and definitely get involved too!

                                  

Happy 1st Day of Summer! 

xx Catherine

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