Benefit Launch: FOTD

Super excited to be off tonight to attend Benefit's launch of their new 'lolli-tint' cheek and lip stain. Hopefully I will pick up a few of the Benefit products I've been eyeing for a while and I'm also excited to see beauty youtuber Chloe Morello ! Should be a good night :) it's so exciting that this is a public event so If you're in Sydney tonight pop over to Myer in the city.

My Favourite Beauty Tools

Long before I started really exploring the world of makeup I was always interested in beauty in general. I liked to keep my eyebrows waxed and shaped, hair and skin healthy and enjoyed doing my own manicures and pedicures. Here are a few of my must have beauty tools to keep you looking fab all the time. Its so easy to do things like pluck your eyebrows and do your own manicures in between seeing a professional, extending the life of your beauty treatments and making your money go that little bit further.

My absolute favourite beauty tool EVER is the La-Tweez Professional illuminating tweezers. After experiencing a horrific burning incident when getting my eyebrows waxed a few years ago resulting in awful blisters all over my eyes I swore to never get an eyebrow wax again and learnt how to shape my own eyebrows. I am so lucky I found these tweezers because I really wouldn't have been able to keep my eyebrows in acceptable condition without them. The best part is the little light that is positioned really well in between the two arms of the tweezers, giving the perfect angle and brightness of light onto your eyebrows making it super easy to see all the little hairs that you wouldn't be able to see in natural light. They are available online from a variety of different sellers, so your best bet would be to search around for the best prices and shipping options to your part of the world.

I always have a hairbrush with me wherever I go and am definitely one of those people who obsessively brush their hair. Something that I only got my hands on very recently but have already fallen in love with is the Tangle Teezer Compact Styler and it and has made my life so much easier as I don't have to carry around my full size brush in my bag! It actually is so fantastic at detangling hair without any pain or discomfort at all and definitely doesn't make you feel like you are pulling your hair out of your head. In Australia you can purchase the Tangle Teezer range from http://www.tangle-teezer.com.au/.

This is more of a novelty item, but just makes doing my own manicures at home so much more fun! The Sportsgirl Mini Nail Dryer is a mini fan that you place your hand under and when you press down the fan starts and dries your nails! I love using this especially if I'm a little bit rushed because it saves me flapping my hands about and looking silly! Although its sold out online, I have seen it in stores recently and you can pick it up for $14.95 AUD.

Finally, for my pedicures, I like to keep my feet nice and smooth with the Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi. I was absolutely so excited when I received this as a gift because I never need to go to a salon to get a pedicure again! It works really well to buff away the hard skin on the bottom of your feet leaving them so smooth and it doesn't hurt at all - way easier than an old school pumice stone. You can purchase this from Priceline for $49.99 AUD.

xx Cat ^.^

Back to uni!

Hi everyone!

I wanted to say a big thank you for everyone who has followed the link from my facebook or any of my other social media sites and had a scroll through this blog. It makes me so excited to have so many people reading and enjoying my blog.

Today I went back to uni for 2014, a little earlier than usual because I'm completing a summer school course. The course I'm completing is very intensive so my post frequency will be less than usual but will still be working very hard to get a few posts out every week. I have some really exciting posts about some beauty tools coming up.

Don't forget to follow InTents Beauty on Bloglovin' 

http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11465803/in-tents-beauty

Also as promised, here is a shoutout to my friend Yenée who is so lovely and gave many compliments ! Thanks Yenée :)

xx Cat ^.^

Lush Skincare: First Impressions

Having never tried any thing from Lush before I was super excited to receive this gift for Christmas. I thought I would do a first impressions of the products in the gift.

Included in the 'Happy Christmas' gift:

• Orange Soap 100g
• Olive Branch shower gel 100g
• Sandy Santa Body Butter 130g
• Green Fun 100g
• Celebrate lotion 45g

I first tried the Olive Branch shower gel. The smell is kind of odd to me, not unpleasant at all, just different - but definitely nice and fresh. I prefer to use shower gels over soaps in the shower so I have been using this every day and my initial impressions are that it does leave the skin leaving lovely and clean with a nice scent. What I was most surprised about was that the packaging says this product can be used in your hair and to be honest I was fairly skeptical. I don't do anything to my hair except shampoo and conditioner and I think it was happy to be treated a little nicer because it makes my hair feel so soft but also its really shiny and this lasts for a few days so I was definitely impressed with that!

The Celebrate body lotion is also absolutely divine! The smell is amazing and citrus-y and I was walking around smelling like a fruit salad. The lotion absorbed really well and left my skin feeling so soft and silky - exactly what I needed for my skin after my one week holiday at the beach and in the sun every day. Although I prefer lotions in a bottle you can squeeze or pump out, so that is possibly the only negative of the lush body lotions that come in pots.

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed with the Orange Soap. Although quite moisturising for a soap, it didn't foam up like normal soaps and I didn't really like that. Mostly my disappointment came from the really strange smell which was quite off putting. Despite Lush products being made from natural ingredients, this definitely smelt the most artificial of any product I've tried and the orange colour came off everywhere making a big mess in the shower. This definitely has put me off from purchasing Lush soaps in the future.

I enjoyed using the Sandy Santa as an exfoliating scrub for my dry feet. It smelt delicious and most importantly both exfoliated and hydrated my cracked feet really well. A fantastic edition to the Christmas themed gift box and definitely makes me want to try some of Lush's other body scrubs.

I was definitely most interested and also scared to try was the Green Fun. It says it can be used as a bubble bar, shampoo and body wash so I really didn't know where to start - basically 'Fun' looks and feels like playdoh so you can see my dilemma. In the shower I finally figured out that when you break off a little piece and rub it between your hands it turns into a sort of soapy texture. I did put in through my hair which worked well as a shampoo I thought but really didn't do much for my skin. Overall I think the best part of this product is the amazing smell but I just don't think the concept is that great.

I also tried the Phoenix Rising Bath Ballistic

After the initial excitement of seeing my bath 'ballistic' explode and fizz into the water turning it a vivid, sparkly magenta I literally felt like I was bathing in butter. The water was so so silky and after I got out of the bath, I don't think I have ever felt my skin so soft - probably because a few of the main ingredients include shea butter, cocoa butter and a variety of natural oils! The smell was very pleasant too which is always a plus - I absolutely love everything cinnamon and was super excited to find little cinnamon sticks floating around in my bath. I will definitely purchase another one of these as I think it would be perfect for extra dry skin in the winter time.

I was so happy to receive this gift for Christmas because it meant I could try out a variety of the Lush products and overall I am very very impressed! Already planning a trip to Lush to restock on some of these products and hopefully find some new favourites.

xx Cat^.^

Red Carpet Glamour: Inspired Makup Look

My red carpet inspired makeup look was inspired by choices for best dressed at the 2014 Golden Globes - Taylor Swift and Zooey Deschanel. 

I chose a natural eye look with a bit of shimmer, a thin winged liner and flirty lashes (if I new how to apply false eyelashes I would have!), a full coverage foundation - I skipped powder because all the celebrities on the red carpet had dewy, glowing skin - and added a little bit of cream blush to add further dewiness and a subtle pink the the cheeks. Finally, a classic, glossy red lip.

Also thanks to my lovely brother who agreed to take some photos of me without too much resistance!

Coming up in the next couple of posts I have a few reviews so stayed tuned :)

xx Cat ^.^

Red Carpet Galmour

My favourite time of the year has to be awards season in Hollywood! I'm not a big movie buff or anything but I can sit in front of the TV and watch E! Live from the Red carpet for hours - followed by the fashion analysis that follows on Fashion Police. In this post I will be showing some of my favourite looks from the Golden Globes and I was so excited with the start of the awards season that I have put together a classic Hollywood look inspired by the makeup of the red carpet.

My favourite look from the Golden Globes was a tie between Taylor Swift and Zooey Deschanel.

I can't believe how absolutely stunning TSwift is in this beautiful Carolina Herrera gown. But I was mostly struck by her stunning hair and makeup - so classic, glamorous and perfect for the red carpet.

There are absolutely no words to describe how perfect this whole look is on Zooey Deschanel. Classic red lips, long, flirty lashes and absolutely gorgeous hair - she has such a perfect fringe its like my dream to have such a bouncy fringe - not to mention she always wears the most adorable nail art! And this is definitely my favourite fashion look of the night in Oscar de la Renta.


Other memorable mentions are: Cate Blanchett - always stunning and incredibly classy, Tatiana Maslany - amazing hair and makeup and finally Lupita Nyong'o - possibly the most stunning woman I have ever seen, she is so beautiful there are no words.

Who were your best dressed at the globes?Tomorrow's post will be my Golden Globes inspired makeup look so make sure you come back to check it out!xx Cat ^.^ *Disclaimer: All photos were sourced from http://au.eonline.com/ and do not belong to me.

New Year, New You: Day 6 and 7

Unfortunately while I was on holidays I didn't have access to internet after the first few days so I wasn't able to post the last two days of my New Year beauty goals, but I haven't forgotten!

Day 6 - Hair Care

I'm lucky to have dead straight hair so I have never needed to use a hair straightener in my life. I wash my hair, wake up, brush it and I'm good to go. Unfortunately this means I often leave it very neglected and don't take much care of it apart from washing it every once and a while. My goal for 2014 is to be kinder to my hair. I need to get hair cuts more often to get rid of dead ends, put a treatment through it every once in a while to keep it healthy and shiny!

Day 7 - Makeup Hygiene 

One of my worst makeup habits is being slack in cleaning my brushes. After the end of my spending ban, the first thing I'm going to buy is a new set of face brushes and my goal is to keep them clean!!

I hope you enjoyed my week of beauty goals and are inspired to change up your beauty routine in 2014. Let me know in the comments what your beauty goals are and I look forward to your support this year :)

xx Cat ^.^

Day 5 - New Year, New You: Makeup storage and organisation

There's no denying I have some obsessive tendencies... Organisation ad tidiness is definitely one of them. Recently I haven't been able to stop thinking about my makeup storage and organisation so this year my goal is to put together my perfect makeup storage unit and hopefully be able to have a vanity with a beautiful big mirror in my room!

Currently I have one self in my bookcase dedicated to my lipsticks, nail polishes and brushes and then in my wardrobe I have a partitioned tray thing to store all my makeup and skincare but am fast running out of room!

Here is some of my organisation inspirations:

I love watching makeup collection videos on YouTube! One of my favourite beauty youtubers GooRoo beauty has the most astonishing collection I have ever watched. This can only be described as makeup porn.

http://youtu.be/dJTdPy71OLw

Another collection I love is that of beauty youtubers xofemmebeauty. This is definitely what I want my collection to look like and my goal for organisation.

http://youtu.be/E8y0t1qZT2A

Also I love these acrylic tower makeup organisers like wow they look so clean and a really great organising tool. They were made famous after the Kardashian sisters were seen to store their makeup in these type of storage containers.

Xx Cat ^.^

Day 4 - New Year New You: Nails

Until late into 2013 I had always had awful, chewed up nails until I finally decided to break the awful habit. One of my beauty goals in 2014 is to continue to grow my nails, keep them nice and strong and mostly find other ways to let out my stress when i'm feeling nervous rather than chewing my fingers!

I've made a little nail care bag which has everything I need to keep my nails nice and healthy.

What's in my travel makeup bag?

Day 3 - New Year, New You: Skincare

Its no secret that when you have a regular skincare routine your skin is going to improve. Whether it clears any acne or imperfections you have or whether your skin becomes less erratic there is definitely benefits to having a consistent skincare routine. I've been pretty good with my skincare in the last couple of months so my goal for 2014 is to continue taking good care of my skin as well as trying some new skincare products - I really want to try face masks!

My current skincare routine is:
Morning before putting on my makeup

1. Sukin Revitalising Facial Scrub
2. Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner
3. Sukin Facial Moisturiser

Night after taking off makeup with makeup removal wipes

1. Natio Ageless Gentle Cleansing Milk - perfect for taking off left over makeup late at night because it doesn't foam which is really easy when you're not in the shower
2. L'occitane Immortelle precious essential face water
3. Revlon Age defying DNA face serum (this is just a sample I got so I don't feel I would need to repurchase an anti ageing serum)
4. Natio Antioxidant Facial Moisturiser

FOTD

Products used:

• Kate Somerville CC Cream in No.1 Fair
• Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil (discontinued)
• Young Blood Mineral Blush in Sherbet
• Revlon Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde
• Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Inked in Pink
• Lancome Ombre Mono Effects Sensational Eyeshadow Quad
• Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner
• Lancome Hypnose Mascara
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo
• NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches and Cream

Day 3 - New Year, New You: makeup wish list & spending ban update

It's officially been one month since I began my spending ban and I'm really excited because I reach my savings goal which is super exciting and during the Christmas period it was really nice to focus on buying gifts for others rather than buying things for myself when I felt sad or just on a whim. I didn't exclude skincare from my ban and I have probably over compensated a bit in the spending of skincare which I hope to cut down on a bit in the second month but since I didn't ban myself I'm not feeling terribly guilty. Not buying any makeup at all has been super hard, especially because I got $200 of gift vouchers for MAC and also some vouchers for Myer and when all the Christmas gifts went on sale I was finding it difficult to control myself. However, I decided to wait until the end of my ban to use my vouchers and I feel good about the decision. The month without spending has also been great to see what I really want to add to my collection and time to find reviews and watch so many videos of tutorials etc. so I have some sort of wish list which I will indulge myself with at the end of my ban period. The great thing about this is I have so many vouchers so I wont need to be dipping into my savings at all to treat myself!

My Wish List

• Benefit Hoola Bronzer 
• Benefit Benetint
• Real Techniques face brushes
• Stila In the Light palette 
• YSL Rouge Volute Lipstick in no.1 Nude Beige 
• From MAC - mostly face products; blushers, highlighters, setting powders/powder foundation as well as a few lipsticks

My goal for 2014 is to create better spending and saving habits. I made a good base for myself in 2013 by saving money for the first time ever and I'm really proud of myself for that. It was a year of experimentation of saving and earning money and balancing that all with studying, wanting to go out and wanting lots of clothes and makeup. So this year its time to refine my skills! I'm aiming to save $1000 more than I did last year which I don't think will be too difficult and regulate my spending so I can have things that I want but not going crazy.

See you for a new goal tomorrow!
<3 Cat ^.^

Day 1 - Welcome to 2014! New Year, New You

I'm not really one for new years resolutions because I know if I want to achieve something I'm very determined at will work hard at it if it is important to me. Just recently starting up this blog in the last month of 2013 I'm really keen to put a lot of effort into writing quality posts and sharing with you my adventures in exploring makeup (and hopefully watch this blog grow). To start off 2014 I will be posting everyday for the first week of January along the theme of 'New Year, New You' sharing some of my beauty goals for the year.

To start off - skills: the beauty things I really want to get better at this year

1. Contouring - I have only just started using bronzer and it really scares me to be honest, I really want to be able to apply bronzer to create a really natural look along with perfect blush and highlighter.
2. Foundation - I definitely need to play around a lot more with foundation application to achieve that flawless skin finish, I think this has a lot to do with the brushes I use so trying different brushes for foundation is a goal for this year.
3. Cleaner eyeshadow - I've always loved eyeshadow and have been experimenting with all sorts of looks for a few years now. Although I feel pretty confident mixing colours and creating a 'look' I really want to perfect my skills to create a really clean look as my eye makeup tends to look a bit messy if I don't spend a lot of time on it.
4. Applying false eyelashes - let's just say my ability to apply falsies is nonexistant 

For Christmas, Maddy bought me a voucher for a 3 hour makeup class which I'm really excited about and hopefully I'll learn lots of things!

Cat ^.^