Cosmetic Cupcake

Aaaaaaaaaaaand I'm back from my trip! I hope you've all been fab =D 2 weeks seriously is not enough time for a decent holiday, it just went by way too quickly! I spent time with my grandparents and also doing wedding stuff (got so much stuff ordered and organised!) which didn't leave too much time for shopping so my wallet is happy haha. I went over with a specific wishlist as I'm on a tight budget so my haul this time is far less than my usual ones! I have way too many products and I still need to get off my butt and do a blog sale! I bought quite a bit of clothing though this time and also shoes but I can't be bothered taking pics of those oops. Here's my haul!


Polishes!! 3 of the Essie Mirror Metallics, China Glaze Wicked collection and one from the Bohemian collection, innisfree glitters, Deborah Lippmanns, a Jessica and a peripera.


I met up with the lovely Jen as always and she very very kindly gave me a $50 Make Up For Ever voucher! I was only going to get one polish from the Black Tango collection but they were buy 2 get 1 free so of course I couldn't resist and ended up with the whole collection! I also picked up a Aqua Eyes Liner. They are the BEST liners!


Some nail art stuff of course! Fauxnad plates, nail art brushes, nail decals and stickers, fimo, palette and some cabochons.


Yes I indeed did lug home a 1L bottle of Zoya Remove lol. It was on sale and it's so hard to get here! The downfall to polishing my nails all the time is staining so I let myself get talked into getting the Cuccio Sicilian nail whitening paste. Here's hoping it works!


The shu uemura eyelash curler is my HG and I was tossing up between getting the gold or the mon shu girl curler and ended up going with mon shu girl. Karl Lagerfield rocks and I'm a sucker for a charm.


A few misc items! A refill for my Clinique powder, YSL glossy stain, MAC Select Moisturecover concealer, Kiehl's Cryste Marine eye cream and one of the new Clinique Chubby Stick shades.


I've heard so much stuff about the Bioderma I had to try it out. It's so much cheaper in HK!


Of course I got some face masks! I'm kind of obsessed with them lol. I actually bought 4 more boxes but had to leave them behind because my luggage was too heavy. The darn Zoya Remove!


Kracie poppin' cookin' is the bomb so I got a few more kits. If you haven't heard of them I HIGHLY recommend you check out RRcherrypie's blog and YouTube channel! You will be addicted!


My sister got an iphone 4S a while back and nicked some of the cases I got last time so I had to restock my supply haha. The MJ and Kate Spades I got for a bargain at Ladies Market so they're obviously not real xp


So that's my haul! I haven't done a haul post in a while because I've been on no buys. I hope you enjoyed my post!

Thanks for looking as always =)

It's the middle of winter here in Aus and it is COLD! My skin freaks out at the best of times but in winter it needs a lot of help. I thought I would share some of the products I love for winter - some also feature in my day to day routine too. I don't post too much about skincare on here because I am such a skincare noob and my skin is not good at all. These products work (relatively) well for me but may not be suited to your skin so please try with caution!

Today's quick Christmas gift idea post features face and body products that I'm lemming! Only one of the products I've tried myself and the others are on my wishlist. Here we go!


Bobbi Brown Party Shimmer Brick: This limited edition Party Shimmer Brick is dressed up in silver and gold and is just so festive and gorgeous. It's even embossed with a martini glass and shaker! WANT.
Available from Myer and David Jones for $85.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush: Tammie helped me get my hands on two a while back and they are the must have blush for the year. Long lasting, super pigmented and gorgeous matte colours. I have Natural Beauty and Dollface and I can't recommend them enough!
Available from Sephora for $25US.

Stella McCartney Lily perfume: I only read about this new addition to Stella McCartney's perfume range the other day and I know I already want it without smelling it! The Stella perfumes are my absolute favourite perfumes in the entire world and are my signature scent. NEED.

Benefit Watts Up highlighter: I LOVE highlighters and I've fallen for this new addition to the Benefit highlighter family. Everyone is raving about it and I really want to try it!
Available from Myer and Adore Beauty for $53.

Kiehl's Crème de Corps limited edition trio: A special limited edition version of the well known Crème de Corps. Kiehl's have collaborated with Australian designers Sass & Bide, Zimmerman & Ksubi for Kiehls and 7.4% of all sales will be donated to Australian children’s charities – THE SHINE COLLECTIVE, a sass & bide and Barnardo’s initiative, for sass & bide; the Starlight Children’s Foundation for Zimmermann, and War Child Australia for ksubi.
Available from Myer and Kiehl's online store for $45.

Have you tried any of these products? What face and body products are on your wishlist this year?

Thanks for looking as always!

I think I have 10+ lip balms on rotation at any given time. I seriously am addicted to lip balms and I can't do without them! The air conditioning at work is terrible so I stockpile them in my work drawer, I also keep 5 in my handbag (along with lipsticks and glosses!) and another few on my bedside table. Crazy I know! I enjoy using Kiehl's products but I'd never tried their lip balms so I was excited to be given the opportunity to try out their Lip Balm SPF 15 in Black Raspberry Hue no. 58B. There is also a great offer from Kiehl's for Aussie ladies so read on!


What they say:

"A traditional base formulated with the latest technology, this emollient balm helps to moisturize and soothe dry, parched lips with skin conditioning agents as Sweet Almond Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Aloe Vera and Squalane. SPF 15 sunscreen provides UVA and UVB protection."

Black Raspberry Hue 58B is a sheer lip balm with cool red tones. It contains SPF 15 sunscreen which provides UVA and UVB protection which is essential for us Aussie ladies! There's a slight scent and it's packaged in a handy tube with a slanted tip applicator to help with application. The lip balm looks SUPER dark in the tube but it's actually quite sheer once applied.


Please excuse my extremely dry hands in the next pic. It's Winter here in Sydney and my hands just DO NOT play nicely in this weather =(


On my lips:



Lip Balm SPF 15 in Black Raspberry Hue no. 58B.
Overall: Sun protection is so important here in Aus and I really love that Kiehl's Lip Balm SPF 15 Hue no. 58B contains SPF 15 to help protect against sunburn as not many balms have SPF. The balm feels nice on the lips as the formula isn't sticky at all and it applies smoothly. I also love the slight hint of colour Hue no. 58B gives my lips - a rosy "my lips but better" with a hint of shine.

The lip balm is supposed to be unscented but there's a definite funky scent going on. I prefer my balms to be either fruit scented or to have no scent whatsoever like pawpaw ointment. The slanted tip applicator is good for on the application in theory, but as the balm is dark in colour it makes the applicator look really messy which is a little pet peeve of mine. The balm doesn't feel that moisturising unfortunately but the staying power is quite reasonable on me. The main ingredient is petroleum which may not be agreeable to everyone. I'm not hugely fussed honestly but I know that some of my readers may be.

Would I repurchase: Unfortunately no. I however am very interested in trying the Scented lip balms!! Especially the Mango and Pear ones mmmmmm.

Details:
In Australia, Kiehl's Lip Balm SPF 15 in Hue no. 58B retails for $12 and can be purchased from the Kiehl's Aus online store here .

In the US, Kiehl's Lip Balm SPF 15 in Hue no. 58B retails for $9.50 and can be purchased from the Kiehl's US online store here

A special offer for Aussie readers!!
During the month of July, Kiehl's are rewarding their online customers with the following:

* Free shipping on all orders of Dermatologist Solutions Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate
* Samples of Dermatologist Solutions Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate with Every. Single. Order.
* A deluxe sample of Dermatologist Solutions Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate when you purchase a “powerful partner” (Think: Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler, Abyssine Cream or Whitening Cream).

What are you waiting for ladies!! Get shopping here! Thanks for looking as always =)

* Product(s) sent to me for consideration but this in no way influenced my review in any way. As always, my reviews are my 100% honest opinion. My Disclosure Policy can be viewed here.