Monthly Favourites + Unfavourite

I can't believe it's the end of the month already! Where has the time gone? Anyways, I have been wanting to do a monthly favourites post for a while, and now it's finally the time to do one :)

I wear pretty much all of these products every day, with the exception of the lip product, and I like to alternate between the products in my collection each day.

My first favourite is ModelCo's Lash Xtend mascara. ( RRP $28 ) I received this in a magazine a while back, and was kinda skeptical about it, but it is now my all time favourite mascara. Not only does it lengthen lashes, it also separates them well and makes them look natural. You can also build up the thickness of the product for a more dramatic effect, without clumping. I also love that this comes with a little mirror on the side of the packaging. It's perfect for your makeup bag. I definitely recommend this if you're in the market for a higher end mascara.

The second product I have been loving this month is my Revlon PhotoReady bronzer in Bronzed and Chic. (I can't find the RRP price, but it is around the $25 mark I believe.)  I had heard great things about this from other beauty bloggers/YouTubers, and wanted to try it myself. I received a $5 off voucher for Revlon and thought it was the perfect opportunity to try it. Now I can't live without it! It's perfect for adding a subtle sunkissed glow to my skin, and it's not muddy or orange at all. I apply it on my cheeks, jawline and forehead with a kabuki brush, and blend it in well. I love that it has four different shades in it, which allows you to customise the darkness of the product - it's great for most skin tones.

The other Revlon product I have been loving lately is the Just Bitten Balm Stain in Honey. (RRP $17.95) This is a perfect every day colour, and just glides onto the lips effortlessly. The staying power is great, and I definitely recommend this colour in particular.

I only have one eyeshadow from MAC, and I can already say that I'm in love. They are buttery soft, long wearing and beautifully pigmented. My favourite eyeshadow this month is MAC's Woodwinked. I wear this a lot, and I find that you can easily build up the colour to go from day to night. It's a golden/bronze shimmery shade, and I find it just breathtaking. This eyeshadow is definitely an investment, and I plan on saving up for a few more to add to my collection.

The last favourite this month is a fragrance. I have to be honest with you, I'm crap at describing fragrances, so I've Googled what this scent is described as. haha. This perfume oil is from MOR, and is called Belladonna. I'm in love with it. I wear it every day, and I'm considering making it my signature fragrance. Here's the description: "Belladonna is a sweet symphony of spring with the notes of narcissus, Moroccan roses and pink tulips, revived with sparkling lemon and sweetened by the base of cassis, sandalwood, vanilla and musk."


My unfavourite this month is the Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara. This product didn't work for me at all. I only used it twice and hated it both times. It's a very dry, clumpy formula and I find the brush way to big for my liking. I wouldn't really recommend this mascara to anyone, because there are so many other drugstore mascaras that are way better than this one. This probably won't be repurchased in the near future.

Until next time, 

Shelley xx

Designer Brands Twist 'n' Go Instant Nail Polish Remover REVIEW.

I'm kind of a lazy person when it comes to removing my nailpolish, because it usually takes a bit of effort to get off, and you need a while to do it properly. So when I saw this product at my local pharmacy, I just had to try it. I didn't hesitate because the price was quite reasonable ($4.99 for a decent sized pot) and I am a big fan of the DB company.

For those of you who don't know what Designer Brands is, it's an Australian company that offers inexpensive yet vast amounts of makeup and beauty products. Their products are rarely priced over $20, and their lip liners/eyeshadows/lipstick is usually only around the $5 mark. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend them! :)

Anyways, I wanted to see if this product lived up to it's "1 second effortless removal" claim. I have to say, I was fairly impressed.


 These are the colours I chose to test the nail polish remover on. I tried to pick differing colours and brands, to show the results in a more extensive way.

The names of the polishes, left to right (for anyone interested)
Turquoise Treasure by Ulta3 (part of the Greetings from Paradise set)
Valentine by Natio
High Street and Winter Skies by Polished London
Steel Her Heart by Revlon

BEFORE

 

AFTER (ONE SECOND ONLY)

The picture above is after I put my fingers in the pot for one second at a time, and "twisted" them like the instructions told me to do. For being in the solution for only one second, I find the results quite impressive. The remainder of the polish came off after a few more attempts, which is still a fairly effective result in my opinion. It's definitely quicker than the traditional method of nail polish removal. I also think it might take a little longer if there is more than one coat of polish involved, as I only put one coat on, but I still love this product.

I give it a two thumbs up! I'll definitely be using this in the future.

Until next time, 

Shelley xx

Just a quick announcement.

Hey guys!

Now that I have my blog up and running successfully, I have decided on the days I'll be publishing new posts and how often I will be posting.

I have free days on Monday and Thursday each week, so expect two posts a week on the those days. I hope to keep this up for a long time, as I want to be a reliable and consistent blogger. I believe that building up the loyalty of an audience is really important, and I think this is the best way to do it.

Also, don't hesitate to comment on my posts. I love hearing feedback and having conversations with people - it helps me understand what my readers want, and helps me feel involved with the people who read this blog.

I'm working on a new post for tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Shelley xx

Bellabox July ; First Impressions and Overview.

Hey Guys!

Today I received my July edition of the Bellabox, and I just had to share what I received this month.
If you haven't heard of Bellabox before, it's basically a monthly subscription that costs $15 per month, and you receive a box full of beauty/skincare etc products based on a profile you fill out when you join. I'll post a link to the website at the end of the post, if you want to check it out :)

This month's box had the theme of Luxe, and there were three different types of boxes based on cities around the world. I got the Paris box, and wasn't disappointed by the amount of stuff that was in there this month. Here's a pic of everything I got:

I received a total of EIGHT products this month. WOW! Definitely value for money.

I haven't yet tried any of these products, so I'm just going to briefly explain each product and give a first impression review.

1. CULT - YU-BE MOISTURISING SKIN CREAM. ( RRP $34.95 )
This product claims to be a best seller in Japan, and also states that it works to heal dry skin anyone on the body.
The sample is tiny. I think I'll only get one or two uses out of this, if i'm going to use it on my hands. I find it hard to form a solid opinion on a product if the sample size is too small. But, I will be trying it out to see how it fares against my other hand/body creams that I have been using this Winter.

2. ECO FRIENDLY - LA FRESH ECO BEAUTY WIPES ( RRP $16.50 )
These wipes come in single-use packages that are ideal for your handbag or when you travel.
I cannot wait to try these! These wipes have been on my radar for a while, since I saw Grav3yardgirl receive them in her Glossybox a while ago. I'm always looking for ways to minimise space usage in my handbag, so I'm definitely keen to give these a go. Who knows, a repurchase might be in the near future.

3. NATURAL - RUBIFRESH CLEANSING OIL ( RRP $23.00 )
I'm a bit confused as to why this was included in my box this month, as I already have oily skin, and I don't think this will work for me. It claims to moisturise the skin while cleansing, but I am a bit skeptical about this. I'm gonna try it and possibly make a blog post on the results, just to let you guys know how it worked (or didn't). I'm always up for new things!

4. CULT - FURLESSE ELEVENS ( RRP $34.95 )
These patches work by smoothing out wrinkles and smile lines while you sleep - not exactly something a 17 year old needs! Once again, I'm not sure why this was included in my box, because I don't really need them. I think these are going to be given to my mum to try.

5. ESSENTIAL - CLEAR SCALP AND HAIR BEAUTY TOTAL NOURISHING CARE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER ( RRP $5.99 )

These products claim to be jam-packed with nutrients for your hair, and who can refuse a product that has Miranda Kerr as it's ambassador?
I have already tried Clear's products before and was impressed, so I'm glad this was included in my box.

6. BONUS! - LIBRA HOTTIES HEAT PATCHES ( RRP $4.99 )
These a basically single-use heat patches for cramps - 'nuff said.
Anyways, I think they are an awesome idea, and I can't wait to try them! I tend to get bad cramps, and if these help ease the pain, they'll definitely be on my next shopping list! I also can't wait to try them when the weather gets super cold, which has been happening a fair bit lately. I can't wait till Winter is over!

8. COLOUR - MODELCO CHEEK + LIPS TINT IN ROSY RED ( RRP $24.00 )
This tint says that it helps achieve a natural glow on both the lips and cheeks.
I was quite excited when I saw this product, because I'm a massive fan of Benetint. This product however is deeper in colour, has a gel consistency and is less pigmented. The application of the product seems quite tricky, because it just comes straight out of the tube - there's no doe foot applicator or fine tip to make application more accurate. (If you have seen/used Lanolips lip gloss, you will know what I mean, because the tubes a pretty much the same).

The final bonus product was a travel guide to Paris, which I'm not sure if i'll get much use out of. haha. Fingers crossed, though!

Until next time,
Shelley xx.


If you want to find out more about Bellabox, click here.

Beauty things I suck at.

So I saw a few YouTubers take part in this tag a while ago, and it got me thinking about the beauty things I'm not so good at, and things I want to improve on. I love makeup and all things beauty, but I'm by no means a professional makeup artist or guru; so I suck at a few things when it comes to beauty.

Here's a list of things that I never managed to get the hang of or haven't learned yet. ( feel free to comment with the things that you suck at! I'm sure you're not alone )

1. Liquid Eyeliner. 
I must be really uncoordinated when it comes to applying liquid eyeliner. I manage to get it everywhere, and it never looks even. That cute, flirty winged out look? Forget about it. It's impossible for me to do. And besides, I've never had the patience to spend 20 minutes on each eye.

I can never get my liquid eyeliner to look this perfect, but I really wish I could!

2. Filling in my eyebrows.

I already have thick eyebrows, but there are some spots that have less hair than others. But whenever I put a pencil through my brows, it looks unnatural. I also suck at choosing the right colour for my brows, and I have no idea whether I have a warm or cool skin tone and whether I need to go lighter or darker with the pencil/powder colour. 

3. Waiting for my nail polish to dry.

Ain't nobody got time fo dat! I always seem to find other things to do while my nail polish is drying, and it ends up smudging and looking horrible. Maybe I should invest in a proper manicure? I also get sick of my nail colour really quickly, and want to change it after like, a week.

4. Resisting makeup sales.

They're just so tempting! I need to start saving my money, but I usually find something I 'need' in the sale. haha. Do you have this problem? Is it too tempting for you too?

5. Taking care of my skin adequately.

I suck at doing a meticulous beauty routine every morning and night. I don't always use a toner, exfoliator, expensive skincare product etc. A lot of the times it's just cleanse and go. I also don't drink enough water and I sometimes binge on chocolate. I find it hard to go through a complicated routine when I have more important things to do. I do make sure I wash of my makeup every evening, though! That's super important!

Hope you enjoyed this little insight into the things I suck at when it comes to beauty, and I tag you! Even if it's just a comment on this post, tell me the beauty things you can't seem to master. :)

Until next time,

Shelley xx

Review : Simple Radiance Brightening Eye Cream

I was in the market for an eye cream that would restore moisture and also brighten my under eye area, but I wasn't prepared to fork out a ridiculous amount of money for such a small amount of product. *cough* Estee Lauder *cough* . I've always been a fan of the Simple brand, as they focus mainly on providing products for sensitive skin, and let me tell you, they don't disappoint with this product.

The Simple website states that this product "is a perfect blend of ingredients and light reflecting particles to help to moisturise and visibly brighten your delicate eye area. Perfect for even sensitive skin." Their description is spot on. I can honestly say I saw a difference in the appearance of my under eyes. I had quite obvious dark circles, and after I applied this cream, they were almost gone. 

The formula is creamy but not too thick, nor is it greasy. It absorbs well and quickly into the skin, and you don't feel it after that. The packaging also states that it has 3 vitamins and 4 nutrients in the formula, which I guess is good for your skin. (I haven't really seen much difference regarding the health of my skin). It is very moisturising as well, and I have noticed an improvement in the dryness of my skin.

Another benefit is the price of this product. It is less than $20 for a tube of 15ml, and you honestly don't need a huge amount per use. I've been using it day and night for two weeks and I haven't even put a dent in it. 

Let me know if you've tried it, and what you think!

Shelley xx