REVIEW: MODELS PREFER BEAUTY TO GO CREAM AND COMPACT BLUSH

Yesterday , while I was out and about, I stopped by at Priceline to see if they had a particular product that I was looking for. They didn't yet have the thing that I eventually came home and bought from their online store, but they did have a little stand of Models Prefer sets that were reduced in price, and I managed to pick up some bargains!

One of those bargains was this amazing little blush set, called Beauty to go cream and compact blush, which contains two similarly toned blushes, one in cream form, and the other a powder!

The one that I got is a lovely peach-toned set, and I can really see myself using them to death.

The cream blush is called Tickled Pink, it's very smooth and luxurious-feeling, and blends out beautifully. The pigment is strong, so building it up from a very light touch would be the way to go with it, I think, unless you're a fan of the scarlet fever look.

The powder is called Desk to Date, and I can see how just a light brush of this on your cheeks would be the perfect daytime look, with the option to amp it up a little later for a glam night time "date" look.

The swatches here on my arm are Cream blush in Tickled Pink at the top and Compact blush in Desk to Date at the bottom.


 These little sets are well worth a look. Models Prefer is exclusive to Priceline and Priceline Pharmacy, and is available nation-wide.

SPRING FLING: KATY'S SPRING ESSENTIALS

Spring has most definitely sprung and I'm ready for a bit of a change up in my makeup routine as the months get warmer.

Here are a few of my essential items for spring, and heading into summer:

Number one, hands down, and without a doubt is sunscreen. I have very fair, sun-sensitive skin. Having now traveled overseas as an adult, I can definitely say that the sunshine we get here is so much harsher than other places, even in Texas, where it's like an oven 9 months of the year, I just didn't feel the sun beating down on me like I do at home. Dylan Moran famously jokes in his stand-up routine that Australia is three quarters of a mile away from the sun.
I like Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer dry touch sunblock. It's SPF 70, and it has one of the less-greasy feels. Every sunblock is going to feel like sunblock on your skin. There's just no getting around it. I think we just have to sacrifice a tiny bit in the warmer months especially, to have our skin protected.

Next is Red Velvet soap from The Soap Bakery (Vic). These guys are in the process of getting their website up and running, but can be found at local farmers markets around Melbourne. I highly recommend a trip out to one of the local markets to smell their awesome scents. My favourites right now are Red Velvet and Chai.


Super awesome for spring are these Lonvitalite cloth facial and hand masks. They allow you to take a 20 minute break to take care of your skin. Springtime is a really beautiful time of year, but there are so many allergens in the air! Take the time to give your skin a break and a bit of rehab with their awesome masks.



Every girl needs a really fantastic lip treatment, and I've found one of the best. Sukin's nourishing lip treatment is absolutely beautiful, and very reasonably priced. It keeps my lips soft and nourished, and I'm always happy about that.

Looking for a bit of extra oomph without wearing really heavy false lashes? I love Eylure naturalites. They are lightweight, natural-looking lashes that will give you just a touch of extra pizazz without weighing down your eyes. Perfect for warmer weather.






As it starts to heat up, I like to go for a less-heavy approach to makeup, and my lips are a great place to start. Switching heavy lipsticks for Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, or Kissable Balm Stain in Honey, are a couple of my perfect ways to finish a springtime look.






Keeping it light is something I'll also switch to for my eye makeup, so I switch up from my heavy mascaras to something a little lighter, and Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless mascara is a really good one for giving length and definition without weighing down the lashes.





Next up, for lightening the look on my face, Revlon's new Nearly Naked foundation is perfect for springtime wear. A gorgeous, lightweight coverage, which can be worn alone for a dewy look, or with the pressed powder for a more matte finish, it won't leave your skin feeling cakey at all, which is awesome when the heat increases.




Last of all, my nail polish picks for spring are mostly lighter colours, some neons and pastels, but definitely keeping it a bit lighter and brighter than your usual winter nails is the way to go. I love these colours from Sinful Colors, OPI and Sephora by OPI.

PAMPER TIME! LONVITALITE COLLAGEN EYE MASK REVIEW

 This week, I'm all about relaxing. After a break from medication to control my anxiety (because I needed pain meds more urgently for my leg), I'm at the point where everything is just a little too stressful, and I need to concentrate on balancing out the anxiety again.

I'm getting my body used to the meds again,(over the counter sleep aids, which help tremendously - it's amazing what a decent night's sleep will do for a body), and I'm taking some time out to just relax and take care of myself.

That's where the awesome people at Lonvitalite come in. They have sent me one of every product to have a look at and review, and those of you who have been reading since the beginning already know I'm a massive fan of their products!

This one is my favourite quick-pick-me-up product of theirs, and it's the easiest and least intrusive one. Their C8 collagen crystal eye mask just sits on the face, under the eye, and works its magic there for 10-20 minutes while you chill out and read a book, surf the net, or even just close your eyes and zone out for a bit.

I find that it really helps with my eye bags and dark circles. It feels really nice on the skin, and even with my sensitive skin, it causes no irritation whatsoever.


I'll be doing an entire-brand review with some more information for you guys later in the week. I really think that Lonvitalite is a company worth supporting. They have come from expensive, salon-only products, to affordable (for the same product - I've tried their 24K gold mask before and after the restructure, and it's exactly the same) products that anyone can get their hands on!

Even better than that, you can get yourself an awesome 10% discount on their entire range just by using the code KATY at checkout (click the ad in my right bar to go straight to the website)! That's amazing value, and I'm really happy to be able to offer that to you guys. Get it while it lasts! Check out their awesome range of skincare facial cloth masks, hand and eye masks at www.lonvitalite.com.au today!

MAKEUP SKILLZ: MAKE YOUR LIPSTICK LAST

Here's a skill I get asked about a lot. How to make lipstick last as long as possible. It's really pretty simple when you get down to it. You need to layer and build the colour as well as you can in order to keep it on your lips for longer.

Usually, I'll combine a liner, a lipstick and a gloss to achieve this. Usually, I only have to carry the gloss for touch-ups and that keeps me going all day. Here, I've chosen asap mineral lip pencil, ChiChi viva la diva lipstick, and Revlon lip butter.

Step 1: Liner. Use the pencil to line your lips, then colour in your entire lips with the pencil to get a really good covering of colour as a base. This will have a better overall look if your lips are well taken care of.

Step 2: Lipstick. Apply a generous coat of your lipstick, making sure you don't get it all over your teeth and that you've covered the entire lip.

Step 3: Blot. Using a tissue, clamp your lips down to blot away some of the lipstick colour. This will allow your lipstick to dry a little bit more and the colour will adhere better to the lip liner.

Step 4: Gloss. Apply a slick of lip gloss over the top as a finishing coat. If you like a more matte look, you can use another coat of lipstick instead.

And that's it. That's all I do. To me, that seems like a lot of mucking around, but I suppose it only takes a few minutes to make sure you get a really long lasting colour. Obviously it helps if you're using a long wear lipstick, too.

LIFE/INJURY UPDATE

So, as you all know, I've been a bit cooped up in the house lately following my injury, and I wanted to update you all on how that's going, since I've had some lovely messages asking after me.

It's been a pretty long 3 weeks since it all happened, and I've had lots of doctors appointments and hospital visits and different pieces of equipment to help me get around.

First, I started out in a makeshift cast, a "back slab" of plaster, bound up with bandages. I couldn't walk on that at all, and needed both a wheelchair and crutches to get around. The picture here on the left is how my foot looked when we took the plaster off. The swelling and bruising had subsided considerably, but it still looked quite a mess.

After my first hospital visit with the Orthopedic surgeon, I was fitted with a moon boot and told to remain non weight bearing for 2 weeks. That was a loooong 2 weeks. The boot is heavy and not the most comfortable thing in the world, but at least I can take a shower and sleep in comfort because I can remove it pretty much whenever I need to.

A few days before my 2 weeks of non weight bearing was up, I started physiotherapy. My therapist, Caitlin is amazing, and she tries to be as gentle as possible, whilst also getting the best results we're able to. She informed me that I'll be doing physio for at least 2 months, and gave me exercises to do every day, which I'm trying to make sure I do enough of. One of my main concerns is that the injured leg has lost quite a bit of muscle mass, and I know that's to be expected, but it's still quite shocking to look at. We'll be slowly rehabilitating my leg and getting me to a point where I am fully functioning again. That time cannot come fast enough for me.

Right now, I've been weight bearing, hobbling around on the moonboot for about 5 days, and it's getting easier. The ankle aches at the end of the day, but I think that's pretty normal. I'm weight bearing in the boot for 2 more weeks, then the boot comes off and I learn how to use the joint properly again without the support of the boot. I believe it will be braced for a little while, just with a basic ankle brace that I can get at the chemist. Here's what it looks like now. It almost looks like a proper ankle again, not a big swollen bruised up mess.

I'm looking forward to getting on with my fitness goals, and have set myself some new achievements to unlock. I'll be walking a marathon at some point next year, after I'm fully healed and I've worked my stamina back up to a point where I'm happy to push myself again.

I'll do another update in a couple of weeks when I'm out of the boot and on the road to proper recovery. Thank you all, those of you who have been concerned and asked about it. It means a lot to know you all care.

REVLON NEARLY NAKED MAKEUP - REVIEW

The awesome folks at Revlon were kind enough to send me some samples of their new Nearly Naked foundation and pressed powder to try, and I was quite impressed with both products!

Hear what I have to say about my first impressions of these products in my video below.

The foundation is available in 12 shades, the powder is available in 6 shades, and there's something for every skin tone. Very impressive light to medium coverage products that let your natural awesomeness shine through, whilst providing coverage where you need it.

Pick it up today, available at most cosmetic outlets and pharmacies.



Fair and full disclosure: I was provided with these products free of charge for my consideration. I was under no obligation to review these products and always endeavour to bring you open, honest reviews of products I have used and genuinely enjoyed.

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER! SUKIN ORGANICS PRIZE WINNER

The last of my blogiversary prizes has been won! This comp was run on Instagram, and I'm pleased to announce that @megandgypsy, aka Katie, has won this amazing prize pack!

The method we used to draw this one was the good old fashioned "3 year old kid draws a name out of a hat" method. Tried and true.

Katie will be enjoying over $160 worth of Sukin Organics products, and I can definitely vouch for the yumminess of the scents, and the effectiveness of the products. I still have a couple of reviews for you guys as the weather gets warmer!

It actually makes me really happy that this prize is going to someone who has been a supporter of the blog since the very beginning. I think the universe chose a very deserving winner. Congratulations to Katie. I'll have the products to you very soon.

I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who entered and got involved. We had quite a few entries from new followers, which helps the community to grow.

My biggest thank you needs to go to Sukin Organics, who provided the prize for this awesome giveaway. I appreciate their support so much, and love working with brands who not only have amazing products, but who embrace the blogging community and appreciate us. It's a really awesome community to be a part of, and I'm really happy that I get to combine two passions of mine: writing and beauty. I feel very fortunate.

My next giveaway will be a Christmas one, after I show you guys some really cute Christmas gifting ideas this month and next. Stay tuned for that. I also have some great posts coming up in the next few weeks. We need to explore the Spring trends, and I'm going to share some more Makeup Skillz, as well as some reviews of awesome things I've found recently. It's going to be a really great rest of the year!