Product Review - Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub

This post is quite a sad one to write because I was really hoping I could rave about this Lush product. I've heard so many great reviews, but unfortunately I don't have many positive things to say.

I've been long awaiting the day I could purchase one of these babies because as aforementioned, I'd been expecting great things. For quite awhile now I've been using a DIY lip scrub recipe (blog post about it here) which does wonders to my lips, and to be quite honest with you (as you only deserve an honest opinion) my DIY recipe is much better than this lip scrub!

My first impressions of this lip scrub were great. The container it comes in is very convenient and aesthetically appealing, and the lip scrub itself looks quite nice. The smell of the lip scrub however...wasn't to my taste. Bearable, but more of an off popcorn smell (if that's even a thing).

The lip scrub claims to leave your lips 'soft, smooth and tasting delicious', which is not entirely true. My lips were indeed left soft, but not as soft as when I use my DIY lip scrub, and they certainly were not left tasting delicious. In fact I had to quickly rinse off the scrub from my lips it tasted so bad. Maybe I just have a weird sense of taste. Has anybody else found this? My lips were also left feeling a little sore, and not nearly as moisturised and silky feeling as when I use my DIY lip scrub.

Finishing on a positive note, I did enjoy the novelty of using a popcorn flavoured lip scrub and my lips were looking a little poutier and bigger than before, which I liked (I think because they were aggravated by the exfoliation of the scrub).

I'm keen to try the bubblegum lip scrub from Lush as I smelt it in the store and mmm, I can only hope it tastes as good as it smells (I only tried the Popcorn lip scrub because it came in a Christmas box I bought at Boxing Day sales for half price)!

I'm not sure if anybody else has had this experience with this particular lip scrub, but please let me know in the comments below!

Rrp: $9.95 

xxx

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Latest Beauty Obsession - Winged Eyeliner

My latest obsession through November and going into December is the winged eyeliner look, or commonly known as the 'cat eye'. I believe it's really good to mix up your regular makeup style once in awhile to keep things interesting and fresh.

The winged eyeliner is not necessarily a simple technique to achieve at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's really super duper easy and makes such difference in making your eyes look bigger, brighter, more alluring and in my opinion, really cute! 

I use a black liquid liner with a thin brush tip but you can also use a sharp and pigmented eyeliner pencil or eyeliner gel for less harsh lines or less of a dramatic effect (it's also a little easier to master the winged liner technique with a gel or pencil eyeliner). 

How to achieve a simple winged eyeliner:

1. Looking down into a small mirror, slowly and gently draw a thin line of eyeliner across the lash line (as you would normally apply eyeliner).

2. Continuing on in the same direction/angle as the outer corner of your eye, draw a thin line with the eyeliner on each eye, trying as best you can to make each eye the same. 

3. Fill in in the wing by drawing a connecting line between the middle section (about one third from the outer corner of the eye) of the eyeliner to the tip of the wing and then fill the triangular like shape in. 

I've shown you some of the ways I've been wearing the winged eyeliner look in the pictures below.

[Here is an example of a full face of makeup including a simple winged liner.]

[This was my Cara Delevingne inspired makeup- you can find a post about it here.]

[I tried a dramatic winged liner on my friend and we both really liked the outcome. It's not something she would normally wear, but I think I've sold her on the style haha]

[This was an experimental winged liner that I did on my friend for a Christmas themed makeup style. Does anyone know what it's called?]

What is your latest makeup obsession? Do you commonly use the winged eyeliner technique? Let me know.

xxx

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Schoolies

I apologise for not posting soon enough, but I do have a pretty good excuse; schoolies!!!
For those not familiar with the concept of Schoolies already, it's generally thought of as a week (or more) that you spend on vacation with your friends after graduating high school to celebrate. Most people go to actual Schoolies events, such as Byron Bay and Queensland, where they party hard all week long, however my friends and I decided to take a vanilla week away from the stresses of life and chill out in Sorrento. My friend's family owns a massive beach house in Sorrento, so it only made sense that we all bunked together up there free of charge and away from the dangerous drunk teenagers that bombard the beaches of Byron Bay and Queensland.
Schoolies week was one of the best weeks of my entire year. My friends and I were able to spend quality time together; laughing, tanning on the beach, swimming, bike riding, watching movies and having the occasional...*cough cough*...drink. It's not often that I get to take a proper vacation where I can blob out under the sun doing nothing for a week and not feel guilty for it, and I think it's so important that everybody does this once in awhile.
For those of you that are considering going on Schoolies once you graduate high school, my advice would be to go for it! If you're like my friends and I, and raging parties full of drunk or drug induced teenagers doesn't appeal to you, pick a place where not  many people go. A place that's quite and convenient. Make sure you plan way in advance (we started planning over a year in advance), and sort out the small details such as groceries that will make your week easy going and stress free :)
Below I have included some photographs of my stay in Sorrento at schoolies, I hope you enjoy them.

[This cool chick's name is also Issy. That makes us Issy Squared. I call her my squared.]

[Tanning on a super duper hot day. I actually came back a little less ghost looking. Pleased as punch!]

[Went for a drive with my Chummy (yes, we call each other Chummy) to pick up more girlfriends from the ferry]

[A snazzy panorama picture of the view from the beach house's deck on a glorious and sunny day]

[I thought it only appropriate to add a snapshot of one of the many delirious and silly moments we had on Schoolies (this one features my squared). Can you tell I'm a little tanned now?]

[Dangling my feet over the salty bay water at the peer]

[Another panorama. This one is of a couple friends and I chilling by the water at the peer having a little d&m]

[I call this bestie Jess because she looks like Jessica Rabbit. A shot from one of our bike rides into town.]

[Doesn't everybody cook dinner with a Sombrero hat on?]

[Shenanigans building a tower from cups...]

[...and we got it to touch the roof!]

[Eating Olives with this nutter in the rain at 3am. The things you get up to on schoolies... haha]

[It was a cloudy day so we decided to do makeovers...starting with an avocado and oatmeal face mask!]

[I did her makeup, do you like it?]

[I did her makeup too. Do you like it? I tried to make it Christmas themed and her sparkly jumper just so happened to match perfectly with the theme.]

Now that I've told you about my Schoolies experience and spammed you with a load of photographs, I'd like to know about you. Have you heard, been or are going on Schoolies week? How do you plan to take a break this Summer?

xxx

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Product Review - Star Light Star Bright Bath Melt From Lush

[Blue, sparkly substance that comes out from inside the star]

[How my skin looked when I got out of the bath]

'Star Light Star Bright'; the most uplifting and the most beautiful of Lush bath melts. This truly will put you in a positive mood, swiftly sending you away from reality and into the realm of dreams.

Lush bath melts are probably my most treasured product of them all, mainly because of the velvety smooth skin that they leave me with. This bath melt caught my eye at an instant because of it's extreme amount of sparkles and vibes that scream Christmas, and I was eager to give it a go. I also haven't been able to find many reviews on this particular Lush bath melt, which I find disappointing.

At first, although the amount of sparkles on this bath melt did look beautiful, I was curious as to whether I'd come out of my bath looking like a disco ball, and whether or not this would be a problem. I did come out of the bath covered in sparkles, but they aren't uncomfortable or annoying...so I guess I'm okay with this.
The bath melt smells, as the product claims, like zesty lime and ginger, which I found to be very uplifting and put me in a positive mood. The scent is quite strong and I could smell it throughout my entire bath, unlike some of the other lush bath product scents which tend to fade over time.
When I put the bath melt into the bath a blue, sparkly substance came out from the centre of the star; an exciting surprise and a wonderful addition to my bath as it made the water look as though I was in tropical beach water...a clear, pale blue.
Once I was out of my bath and dry, my skin was left feeling very moisturised (from the cocoa and Shea butter) and hydrated (from the extra virgin lime oil) just as the product claimed to do. You definitely won't need to moisturise after bathing in this bath melt!
As I mentioned earlier, I did have a lot of sparkles left on my skin and on the edges of my bath...but this wasn't a problem for me. If you're not keen on sparkles however, I wouldn't recommend this bath melt as it's inevitable that you'll leave the bath looking like a sparkling Edward Cullen from the Twilight saga (apologies, I had to).
Last but not least, I still have a fresh citrus scent lingering on my skin and I really love it.

I would recommend this product and it's certainly one to get you in the festive spirit for Christmas!

rrp: $5.25

Have you tried this product? Did the sparkles bother you? 

xxx 

Product Review - Lush 'Candy Mountain' Bubble Bath Bar

As I was shopping in the city a couple of days ago, I dragged my friends into the Lush shop full of different aromas and smells, and I picked up a couple of goodies whilst I was there. One of those sweet scented delights was this 'Candy Mountain' bubble bar which I honestly can't rave about enough.

The bubble bar smells, as the name suggests, like sweet candy. Creating beautifully soft bubbles and pale pink water, this bubble bar made my skin soft and smelling delicious. The bar itself can last for about 2-3 baths; just break off a little 'Candy Mountain' and crumble under running water. My hot bath water doesn't run very fast, so I have to put the cold jet on to get the bubbles going for a bit. The sparkles in the bubble bar are sparse and you won't even notice that they're there, so there's no need to worry about getting glitter in places that you don't want them...like in between your toes (what did you think I meant? You dirty little minxes).

All in all, if you're keen on sweet smelling bubbles, pink water and deliciously soft skin...you will thoroughly enjoy this bubble bar!

rrp: $6.50

What are your favourite bath products from Lush?

xxx

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DIY Lip Scrub

I've been drooling over the Lush lip scrubs and wanting to buy one for quite awhile now, but there are too many other beauty products higher on my 'to buy' list. It didn't occur to me however, that I could easily make my own lip scrub from home, that would probably be more beneficial for my lips than a store bought one filled with chemicals and nasty ingredients. So as per usual, in the penniless struggle to pamper and spoil myself with beauty treatments, I came up with this super easy lip scrub recipe that uses only two ingredients of which I'm sure most of you will have lying around the kitchen.
I've never used a lip scrub before, and I was so very impressed with how this one turned out. My lips are now incredibly soft, velvety smooth, and they are also a little poutier...LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

• 1 Tbsp of Caster Sugar (you can use any type of sugar, this was just the only sugar we had in the kitchen. I actually found that the finer grain particles from the caster sugar very kind and gentle to my lips but also exfoliated them very effectively, but it's up to you) 
• 1 Tsp of Olive Oil 
• 1 Small bowl 

Pour the caster sugar and the olive oil into the small bowl.

Mix the two ingredients together until just combined. You want to apply the mixture quickly to avoid the caster sugar melting into the olive oil, therefore making the lip exfoliation less effective.

Last, but obviously not least, apply the mixture to your lips and gently scrub away. Once you feel you've properly exfoliated your lips, leave the mixture sitting for a minute or two so that the olive oil has time to moisturise and soften the lips, and then rinse off.

If you happen to try this method, tell me what you think in the comments below ♡

What lip scrubs do you use?

xxx

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Tutorial - How To Clean Makeup Brushes

I thought it might be helpful to show you how to clean makeup brushes; such a simple, yet regularly forgotten task by many girls. There is an array different products and methods that you can use to clean makeup brushes, but this is just my way of doing it.

A few reasons to clean your makeup brushes:

• Bacteria grows on the brushes over time which isn't healthy for our makeup, face or brushes (ever wondered why you might be breaking out so much?)
• Leftover colours from previous makeup that you've used can over time, mix in with other colours (that pure white eye shadow may not be so pure anymore...)
• Prolong the life of your makeup by cleaning your brushes. Cleaning your makeup brushes once every one to two weeks, you will remove the toxins and bacteria that transfer into your makeup, therefore making your makeup last longer. 

Let us begin!

If you're like me and you can't afford to spend the extra pennies on an expensive makeup brush cleaner, you can simply use a soap-free baby shampoo. You can buy baby shampoos from most Supermarkets and drug stores.

• Makeup Brushes (In this tutorial I am cleaning my Sigma Mr. Bunny Essential Brush Set)
• Baby Shampoo (I am using Johnson's Baby Shampoo)
• One small bowl 
• One to two clean hand towels 

Washing one brush at a time, rinse the dirty brush underneath a warm running tap of water. Be careful not to tip the brush facing upwards because the water may soften the glue in the middle and cause the bristles to fall out over time. 

Over the bowl, squeeze a dollop of baby shampoo onto the brush (size of dollop depends on the size of the brush) and then use the bowl to lather the soap and clean off all the makeup. You may also want to add a little water to the bowl and as you do this, you'll see the water become murky. 

Once all the makeup has been removed, rinse the brush underneath warm running tap water again to get rid of any makeup residue and baby shampoo. 

Gently damp the brush on one of the dry hand towels. Whilst doing this, you can press your brushes back to their original shape. 

Leave your brushes laying flat on a clean and dry hand towel. They should completely dry over night.

It's really important to make sure your makeup brushes are lying FLAT after you've cleaned them until they are completely dry. This ensures a pool of water doesn't soften the glue that holds the bristles together which will eventually cause the bristles to fall out. It also ensures that the brushes dry back into their original shape. 

Do you use any other methods?

xxx

A Place I'd Rather Be - GAP Year?

Less than a week until I finish my final exams, meaning less than a week until I NEVER have to go back to school again... mixed feelings.

It's gotten to that time of year when the big questions are flying around; what am I going to do once I finish? Will I take a GAP year? Will I go to University? I know what I'd rather do, but I don't know how to voice my opinion without offending or disappointing those closest to me, and I don't know whether I'm ready to face the big, wide world. It just seems so...daunting. 

My family is one amongst many other families that expects their children to go to University straight off the bat, really no question about it (unless you're a crazy talented Ballerina like my sister). But me on the other hand, the eternal optimist who hasn't a clue what she wants to do with her life but knows she'll end up in a happy place somehow, wants to take a year off to explore, try a beauty course, maybe try and work in the equine business..

I don't know how I would the break the news to my family and to be quite honest, I'm petrified. The thought of going to University and studying all over again makes me want to cry, or hide up in a little ball and never come out. I'm feeling really conflicted at the moment because although I really want to study Media at University, I'd also like to take a year off before the study begins again. 

Has anybody had/have this problem? What would you do? 

xxx

Product Review- Maybelline Super Stay 24 Lip Colour

At last! I've been wanting to write this review for awhile now but have been so busy with exams that I haven't found the time. So here it is, the Maybelline Super Stay 24 Color in 'All Day Cherry' 015.

I LOVE this product! For quite awhile now I've been searching around for a deeper red lip colour that doesn't transfer and get messy. I've had some difficulties with previous red lipsticks as they transfer and rub off ever so easily and this one literally doesn't move for a good 24 hours. It's an easy 3 step application; apply the colour, wait 2 mintues and then apply the lip balm.

Pros:
♡ It is a beautiful, slightly deeper coloured red which is great for Autumn and Winter. 
♡ Once the colour and lip balm has been applied, you get a lovely moisturising and slightly glossy texture.
♡ It doesn't leave your lips feeling dry, and you can always re-apply the lip balm as needed throughout the day.
♡ This lip colour doesn't smudge, transfer, rub off or fade for hours and hours on end. You wouldn't need to reapply the lip colour unless you wanted to top it up for a night out after a long day.
♡ The lip balm actually has a lovely fruity and sweet scent...not like a normal lipstick.
♡ It comes in a convenient double ended stick that can easily be carried around in your pocket/handbag.

Cons:
♡ If you're looking for a super duper quick red lipstick to apply on the go, this may not be the one for you as you do need to wait a minute or two for the lip colour to dry before applying the lip balm.

If you'd like to see what it looks like on, I'm wearing it in my grunge inspired makeup look here.
I love this product so much that I might have to go back and buy some more colours...(mischievous giggle)

rrp: $21.95 (I got it on sale for $18.39 at Chemist Warehouse)

xxx

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Places to shop for Spring/Summer essentials

[Gotta love those monotone expressions on my face]

As we approach the final days of Spring and move into Summer (ohh what an exciting prospect!), I thought it would be nice to show you a couple of clothing brands that I've been absolutely loving throughout the season, and will continue to love throughout Summer. These brands always provide some quirky, fun or plain essential items, they're versatile so can be worn on multiple different occasions, and if you're lucky you might even catch a great bargain (never know when you'll need some extra pennies for a rainy day)!

Above is my favourite dress for Spring that I bought from Mink Pink (link provided below). This is honestly the most comfortable of frocks and I can dress it up or down for all sorts of occasions.

Links:

♡ http://www.minkpink.com/au

♡ http://shopmarkethq.com/

♡ http://blackmilkclothing.com/

♡  http://beginningboutique.com.au/

♡ http://www.princesspolly.com.au/

Free shipping: 

♡ http://www.dailylook.com/

♡ http://www.asos.com/au/?r=2

What are your favourite brands this season? 

xxx

Summer Makeup Look - Cara Delevingne Inspired

Cara Delevingne inspired makeup look for Summer!

As I was researching current makeup looks for Summer 2013, I came across a picture of Cara Delevingne with a simple winged liner and neon pink lips. My current favourite lip colour is 'Fuchsia Flash' Colour Sensational by Maybelline (review of it here) and Delevingne was wearing a similar colour, very doable for a night out in the Summer (or during the day if you want a little something more).

This specific look focuses on a simple pin up eyeliner (I used a black liquid liner), neon pink lips, contouring (of course!), a neutral brown eye shadow, and I added the bold inner corner highlight for the eye (I did this using a white kohl eyeliner from Rimmel) because it's Summer and we want our eyes to look bright, fresh and awake, which is exactly what white eyeliner does. Last but certainly not least, this look focuses heavily on big, bold eyebrows just like Delevingne, so pull out those eyebrow filling kits and brow gels guys!

Pinks and reds worn together are also very popular this Summer, so if you're feeling extra daring, it's time to throw out your fashion hand book and team this makeup look with a red item of clothing (I'd say preferably a softer coloured red skirt, shorts, scarf, shoes etc. as it may look a little crazy if you go for a bight red dress...each to their own though).

Happy makeuping (I've decided that 'makeuping' is a word haha) ladies!

xxx

Ps. If you have any suggestions or requests of makeup looks for this Summer, let me know :) Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The perfect foundation treasure hunt

What a dilemna!
I think we can all agree that finding the perfect foundation isn't as easy as it looks; whether it be too cakey, orange, too sheer and the list goes on. I've gone through so many different kinds and brands of foundation, leading me to the latest foundation that I've been using by MAC. It's the studio fix fluid with SPF 15, in NC15.
I've been using this particular foundation for quite a few months now, as I finally thought that this was the one! The shade matches my skin tone perfectly, the consistency isn't cakey on my skin, it doesn't rub off or slide until the end of the day, and it doesn't particularly cause any dryness or oiliness for me. It is these past couple of weeks however, that I've been having quite an issue with it, which is a real disappointment as I am now back to the drawing board in a hunt for the perfect foundation.
Lately I've been noticing my skin start to break out a lot, and I'm not necessarily prone to this sort of thing so it was quite an unpleasant shock to the system. My pores have been getting worse and each day I find a new spot somewhere on my face. In order to get rid of the problem, I decided to try changing foundations, changing face moisturiser (which I have been using for longer than the foundation) and of course, changing my pillow cover regularly. Well I can safely say that my skin has started clearing up in just the first 2-3 days! I'm not 100% sure whether it was the foundation or the moisturiser causing my breakouts, but changing the two has made a huge difference. It's exciting to see my skin clear up in just a couple of days, but I'm also now stuck with the dilemna of which foundation to try next. It's clear the MAC studio fix fluid won't suffice.
All in all, I'd just like to say that this foundation wasn't for me, and after reading many reviews on the same foundation, it's clear that I'm not the only one with this problem.

Have you found your perfect foundation? Let me know in the comments below ♡

Toodlepop my lovelies xxx

Product Review- Maybelline Colour Sensational lipstick in Fuchsia Flash

It's all about PINK! I usually never wear bold lip colours other than red but as I was walking through chemist warehouse yesterday looking at some awesome sales I thought, 'go big or go home!' I've seen so many beauty gurus talking about the MAC lipstick in 'Candy Yum-Yum' but I checked out the price and it was far too expensive for a lip colour that I wasn't 100% sure about. Although I love MAC lipsticks, this one is less than half the price and a very similar colour to 'Candy Yum-Yum'. It's a soft texture, very moisturising and has a really long wear (and by long, I mean hours and hours to the point where I had to wipe it off with a makeup remover wipe and my dad still thought I was wearing lipstick!)
I would highly recommend giving this one a go and it's a great wear for Summer :)
Product: Fuchsia Flash - Colour Sensational
Brand: Maybelline
Normal Price: $16.95 (Sale price: $14.39)
Bought from: Chemist Warehouse (drug store)