ANOTHER CHEEKY LUSH HAUL!

 Another kid-free weekend means another chance to sneak off and do cheeky things... and in my case, that just means going to Lush and checking out what awesome things they have for me this week!

The kids love bath fizzies and so do I, so it makes sense to spend a few bucks every couple of weeks on some things that make us all feel special.

This week, I got a few different things; the Ickle Baby Bot bath fizzer, Dorothy Bubble Bar, Father Christmas Bath Ballistic, Bombardino, The Honeymooner massage bar, and Cupcake face mask.

 I'm loving all of their holiday-themed products, and tonight I took a bath with Bombardino, a gorgeous Lemon-Cheesecake-scented bath bomb which left my skin feeling really soft and hydrated!

The other thing I really want to comment on is the customer service at my local Lush Store. I go to Fountain Gate, which is the closest one to me, and there is a girl there (I'm really kicking myself that I didn't catch her name!!! But I know she'll read this and tell me in the comments section below!), she's absolutely gorgeous, with blonde hair and several facial piercings. She is the kindest, most friendly retail salesperson I've encountered, and I feel like she deserves to be recognized for that...so well done and keep up the awesome work. She always helps me find things that I'm looking for and recommends products without being pushy or hanging around too much. That, to me, makes a great sales person.

I'll add the video of my unwrapping these things as soon as it's finished and uploaded. It also contains details about the very first giveaway in my 12 days of Giftmas series, so stay tuned for that on December 1!

WEIRD JAPANESE BEAUTY PRODUCTS! DAISO HAUL.

Yesterday I went shopping with a friend, and we dropped into DAISO, which is a Japanese store, where everything is $2.80!

So much awesome stuff was found, and here are some of the beauty finds we came up with!

HAUL: WHAT I BOUGHT IN THE USA

First of all, I think we need to address the disgusting price differences, particularly in drug store/low end makeup, between the USA and Australia. I don't know what the situation elsewhere is, but to be paying 2-3 times the price for some of these items at home really peeves me right off.

I didn't go too crazy on makeup while I was in Texas, but I did spend a couple of hundred dollars, which is unheard of for me, especially since I've been blogging. Here's a video of all the goodies I picked up, along with some shocking price comparisons on really super-trending items.

Mini Chi Chi haul and makeup look

Today I went to Gloss to "try out" my visa load and go travel card for when I go to Texas, and I had no idea what I was going to buy.....until I saw the big sign that said "50% OFF SELECTED CHI CHI PRODUCTS!!!!"

It was decided at that point that I would like to spend a little bit of money and pick up a few chi chi products. I have a couple of things from the brand, but haven't really tried out much of their stuff. Now I have a gorgeous green eyeliner in "Glamazon", a to-die-for pink matte creme lipstick in "Flirt", a shimmery awesome metallic eyeshadow crayon in "Barbarella", and my favourite item, an absolutely gorgeous eyeshadow quad in "Paparazzi Princess".

With the exception of the green eyeliner, I later decided that they would make a really gorgeous, understated makeup look, which I have created here for you. If you guys want to see a tutorial of this look, please let me know, and I'll make a video either while I'm away, or when I get back.

Let's have a closer look at the products I used in the makeup look:


Metallic eyeshadow crayon in "Barbarella".

This is a fantastic product either for an eyeshadow base, to highlight the inner corner, or even blended out as an under-brow highlight. It has a beautiful gold sheen, but isn't overpowering. It's an awesome team player for any makeup look.



Viva la Diva matte lipstick in "flirt"

This lipstick is my ideal. It's the perfect shade of pink, its creme finish is so comfortable and luxurious-feeling on the lips, and it has a matte finish to die for. I can really see this becoming my go-to lip product once Liptember is over. I loveloveLOVE the packaging. It's really beautifully designed, and the lipstick closes really solidly, the lid clicking into place and reassuring you that you won't find your awesome lippie smeared all over the inside of your handbag.

 Last of all, my very favourite of the haul, my new eyeshadow quad in "Paparazzi Princess". The colours are stunning, a perfectly put-together quad for me. I love the gold and pink shades, and they really suit my skintone. There's enough highlight and shadow here to create a really multi-dimensional look, but it's still simple enough for daytime wear. This is a really great all-purpose palette, and I see myself using it for daytime looks, night time looks, and special date makeup.

My look was completed using my normal foundation products and eyeliners/mascaras, but I did use the light pink eyeshadow from this quad as a blush and the lightest colour as a highlight. I think it really lends itself to the multi-purpose very well.

I'm definitely a new chi chi (prounced "she-she", with a french accent) devotee, and I even changed my Sephora budget for when I'm in the states to accommodate more chi chi purchases when I return. I have my eye on their mosaic blushes and their gorgeous foundations, which come in a really awesome range of shades.

Check them out at Myer, Target and Gloss!

JULY FAVOURITES AND DOLLAR COSMETIC CLUB HAUL!

I finally got around to filming my July favourites video! I had a whole bunch of stuff to show you guys this month, so please bear with me while you watch this 16 minute video.

Also included as a favourite are all of the products that I got in the DCC July Bravehearts fundraiser, and there are some really great ones!

Check it out!

Priceline haul and beauty bag!

Right now at Priceline, for the next week or so, there is a really awesome deal! Spend $60 amongst the brands included (Bourgois, Sally Hansen, Australis, ModelsPrefer, Savvy by DB, Rimmel London, Manicare, Eco Tools, Kiss, Revlon, I'm sure I've missed some, the point is there's lots to choose from!) and you automatically get their Beauty Bg with over $200 of products inside!



The top photo here is what I bought to get it. Total was $63.28.

The middle picture is the contents of the beauty bag. WOW!

At the bottom is a better picture of the Sally Hansen Nail strips that I bought. I couldn't wait to put them on! I'll do a tutorial later in the week on how to apply nail strips and decals.


For an even better look at the contents, check out my video below!

Discount makeup haul!!!!!!!!

There's not a lot that I like better than an amazing bargain. This year has been a really awesome one for discovering avenues to purchase top quality products at really affordable prices. Everything in this picture was more than 50% off the RRP, with four of the items costing me $1 or less (free).

The lip tattoos (stickers) I got on ebay for just over a dollar each. I wasn't interested in paying ten dollars each for something that lasts one wear, so I took to ebay to find what I wanted (Thank you, reader Alice for the advice about where to find them!!!). They had about a hundred different styles to choose from, and I chose five of the more unusual ones. I'll show you how they work in a review post later next week.
Next is my Elizabeth Arden Go red for women palette, which I've already reviewed. It cost me $13.50 from cosmetics corner. The RRP is close to $60, so I feel like I got the bargain of the century. Everything else in this haul is actually from cosmetics corner/dollar cosmetics club.
The MAC metallic eyeshadow in the round pot is called "unflappable, and is a really awesome dark purple shade which will be great for smoky eyes and special effects (bruising). I think it cost me abour $12.
The next four items are dollar cosmetic club $1 deals or freebies with the $1 deals, so we have Revlon Grow Luscious eyeliner pencil in Graphite, which has become my favourite liner, Revlon just bitten lip stain/balm in Lust, and Max Factor Silk Gloss in Cinnamon Glow all for $1, and Almay pure blends eyeshadow in cocoa, which was a freebie with one of the $1 deals.
I got 2 Calvin Klein lip products for $8 each, including the delicious pout lipgloss in Sparkle, which you saw last night swatched, and their delicious luxury creme lipstick in Memerize, which is a really awesome deep pink colour.
Last is my best purchase so far, another Elizabeth Arden product. Flawless Finish Foundation in Buff, which provides a flawless base and SPF 8 sun protection. It was, I believe $12 at cosmetic corner.
Let me know what you think of my awesome bargains, and tell me what great deals you've had recently!

Discount Makeup Haul!

Today I decided to go have a look in K Mart at the beauty section, and I also went for a train ride with my kids to Mentone and popped into the makeup outlet store across the road from the train station and I came home with this epic haul!
First of all, not one piece of this cost me more than $10, with 80% of the pieces being less than $6 each.

So here's what I got (I'll blog some of this stuff separately later on, so stay tuned for swatches, etc):

Sally Hansen Strengthening Nail Polish Remover. I needed nail polish remover, and this was the best smelling one.

Natio for men EDT. In the warmer months, I am a fan of light mens' fragrances for myself. This one is lovely and I think I'll be wearing this every day. From the Natio website: The top notes and first impression of the fragrance are Citrus, Bergamot and Grapefruit. The middle notes, also called 'the heart' because they give the fragrance its body, are Sage, Violet Leaf, Capsicum and Cardamom. The base notes - Pepper, Benzoin Tree, Myrrh, Patchouli and Cyprus remain long after the top and middle notes have faded.

Australis Rush Hour Pinks palette. This palette has a blush, four eye shadows, and three lip colours. I'll blog this in a review later, and include swatches and more details.

BYS Diamond Shine Lip Gloss in Precious. It's a lovely, shimmery nude-pink colour. Right up my alley.

BYS Blusher in candyfloss. A lovely pink shade that will be ideal for spring to summer looks.

BYS Desert Sands Palette. A collection of bronzey-brown eyeshadows, which I'll review in further detail soon.

BYS Mystique Palette. A collection of greys, blues and deep purples, which I'll also blog in further detail soon.

St. Ives Peel Off Hydroxy mask. 3 single use masks to lift dead surface cells and impurities, revealing smooth, visibly healthy skin. This one is for all skin types.

St. Ives Mineral Clay Firming mask. Made with mineral clay to deeply clean while firming and tightening skin. For Normal to Oily skin, this product is oil free.

So, that's my haul from today. I also bought some makeup sponges, but they really aren't all that exciting. I can't stress enough, though, how important it is to always use clean tools to apply your makeup. Sponges are the most important thing to change over on a regular basis, because bacteria builds up so fast inside them...and then you apply that straight to your face....ew! 

Stay tuned to find out more about these great products soon!