July Empties

Time for another instalment of looking at my rubbish, I don't know about you guys but I enjoy reading others empties posts so hopefully a few people enjoy reading mine! I'm excited to have got through some makeup items this month, so without further rambling lets get onto my empties.

1. NatureStyle Permanent Hair Colourant 101 Light Dawn Blonde; I had really bad regrowth created from the previous box dye I used in my June empties so when I received this dye from BeautyHeaven to trial I had high hopes. Thankfully it fixed my gross hair and I love that it contains less nasty chemicals. I would definitely use it again!

2. Pure Ever Blonde Shampoo; Another one that I had used last month, I managed to get through another two sachets this month and I think I still have one left. Quite a nice shampoo that smells amazingly like musk, whenever I use it I'm in heaven.

3. Fallen Gel Perfume; It was kind of strange using a gel perfume but I used up the sample regardless. At first it smelt kind of herbal but once settled into the skin it was a unique floral smell. I probably wouldn't purchase the full size.

4. Neways Clear Science Balancing Cleanser; I just used this cleanser for the sake of using it up. I didn't see any difference in my skin although it was good for removing my makeup- especially mascara. I like that it contained salicylic acid, but like I said I didn't see any difference in my skin so I wouldn't re-purchase. 

5. Revlon Colour Stay Foundation; As you can see by the condition of the bottle I tried to get every last ounce out of this foundation out. I quite liked it although I just have so many foundations to use up I won't be purchasing it again for a while.

6. Avon Night Magic Deodorant; Nothing spectacular about this deodorant, it was alright for cooler days but I think it would struggle in the hotter weather. It was slightly scented which was nice as I absolutely love the Night Magic perfume by Avon.

7. Neutrogena Deep Clean Scrub; A nice scrub thats smells fresh and isn't too harsh on my skin. Not much to say other than that!

8. Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner in Waterproof; This was my go-to liquid liner for quite some time. It lasts all day and is really good quality for the price. I have since been loving the Maybelline Master Precise Liquid liner as its of the same quality although the tip is more flexible and perfect for creating wings, whereas the Rimmel liner applicator is quite stiff. 

9. Vaseline Aloe Fresh Moisturiser; I really liked this moisturiser, it absorbed into the skin super fast and I particularly liked that it had spf15 in it. Once again I have way too many moisturisers to use up before I'll even considering re-purchasing. 

Thanks for reading about my empties! How many products were you able to get through this month?

Monique xx

FOTD: Maroon Smokey Eye and Nude Lips

I think I have worn a nude lip maybe twice in my life? They're not my first choice of lip colour, but I've been wanting to do a maroon coloured smokey eye for a while now, and nude lips seemed to be the best choice, hopefully I didn't look like a corpse all night!

Face Products Used

1. Elf Mineral Infused Face Primer
2. Mac Studio Fix Foundation in NC15
3. Mac Pro longwear Concealer in NC15
4. Australis Fresh and Flawless Powder in Natural
5. Benefit Hoola Bronzer
6. Face of Australia Contour Kit
7. Sleek blush in Pinktini

Eye Products Used

1. Mac Eye Brows in Lingering
2. Urban Decay Primer Potion
3. 'Naked' and 'Buck' from the Naked Palette
4. Sleek Oh So Special Palette (Damn the names not being on it)
5. Nars Eyeshadow duo in China Seas
6. Maybelline Master Precise liquid liner
7. Eyelure Lash Fix eyelash adhesive
8. Unbranded lashes
9. Benefit They're Real mascara
10. Models Prefer Kohl liner in Dark Chocolate
11. MUA Glamour Nights Palette (white shade as brow highlight)
12. Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara

Lip Products Used

1. Lush Bubblegum Lipscrub
2. Elf LipLiner in Natural
3. Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in shade 26

A whopping 22 products! I never realised how many I used until I wrote all the products out like that. It's also strange for me not having my lip ring in, I decided it was time to part ways after a good 2 and a half years, I feel a little naked at the moment. Anyway thanks so much for reading, and let me know how you feel about nude lipstick!

Monique xx

All About My Tattoos

I've been meaning to make this post for a while now, I want to be able to share my tattoos and experience getting them with anyone who may be interested. I know tattoos aren't every bodies cup of tea, but there is no room on this blog for negativity so if you are against it in anyway now is your chance to leave :) Without anymore rambling, lets get into it!

My very first tattoo was actually lyrics on my wrist which I got when I was 17. The script wasn't perfect so I began having laser tattoo removal to fade it so that I can have it touched up. At the moment it's one more session away from being touched up, which is why I didn't think I would include it in this post as its quite faded. The day before my 18th birthday I got Ariel from The Little Mermaid tattooed on my right foot. If you know me you know that I kind of have a disney obsession, and I absolutely love foot tattoos. The whole tattoo took 6 hours (the artist was quite slow) and it was excruciatingly painful, I burst out crying 3 hours In. Despite the pain I was back 6 months later for the other foot…

Princess Jasmine from Aladdin was my choice for my left foot. Although this time I decided to have it done in two sessions. It was just as painful, took about 2 and a half hours anddddd I still haven't been back to finish it! One day when Im willing to face the pain I'll have it completed, for now I think its beautiful regardless of not being coloured in.

It was a good year and a half before I got tattooed again, a few days after my 20th birthday I spent my birthday money on a beautiful deer on my shin. I love neotrad tattoos and this was the beginning of having my legs slowly covered. This wasn't as painful compared to my feet, but definitely got worse the longer it went on. It took two sessions and I'm probably due for a touch up soon.

And last but not least, a month ago while holidaying in Broadbeach I got this tiger on my ankle. This took about 4 hours and had lots of intricate lines to complete. Towards the end it was very painful, as the artist had to re work some lines. None of my tattoos have itched much while healing, except this one! This tattoo woke me up in the middle of the night twice it was that itchy, I just had to bare through it and pat it but to be quite honest it was torture. 

Heres a full shot of me for some perspective, before the tiger on my left ankle was added. For me tattoos are a way of expressing myself, I think that they are a beautiful form of artwork and I honestly can't wait to add more. If you would like to know anything more in depth, such as laser tattoo removal or aftercare, feel free to leave a comment. And let me know, do you have any tattoos?

Monique xx

Mo's Lowdown: John Plunkett Glyco Peel

I first mentioned the John Plunkett Glyco Peel in my current skincare products post but I love it so much I thought I would give it the attention it deserves. This product definitely intimidated me at first, I mean come on 'peel' and 'acid' aren't exactly comforting words, but once you begin to use this product, all the doubts are worth it! So, what is it??

The John Plunkett Glyco Peel is a clinical strength exfoliator with 25% glycol acid, and works by exfoliating the skins outer layer, removing all the gross dull surface skin cells. It also has Lactokine to protect against inflammation and aloe vera to soothe and hydrate the skin. It claims to reduce surface discolouration and fine lines and keep the skin looking young and refreshed. For me the gylco peel has been my skin saviour. Although It can sometimes sting on application, after using it I wake up with bright and healthy looking skin, my pores are reduced in size and any pimples begin disappear.

As much as my skin loves this stuff I stick to the directions of only applying the clear lightweight serum to my face and neck for 7 days in a row, and then rest my skin for 7 days before using It again. I have been using this product for about 6 months now, and I still have over half of the tube left which I think is fantastic considering it is only $29.95! So now you all have read my love confession for this product, If you have used it before let me know what you think.

Monique xx

Come Play With Me: Wing It Out

My friend Monique chose the next Come play with me theme, and to my delight it was 'wing it out', essentially creating a winged eyeliner look. I really want to go all out with this one, but due to having many errands to run today I kept it fairly simple so I didn't scare anyone in public.

To achieve this 'double wing' I used the maybelline master precise liner which I have been absolutely loving, followed by putting the Mac glitter liner in 'Blitzed' on the base of the wing. I put half baked from the Naked palette on the bottom lash line to add to the gold theme followed by both of the matte browns into the crease.

And of course I used the Benefit They're Real on my lashes. It was so hard to photograph the glitter on the liner and unfortunately my photos didn't really do it justice. In good lighting all the sparkles moved when it hit the light and I just fell in love with the look. It was fun to play around with liner and do something I wouldn't usually wear. So let me know, will you be taking on the challenge?

Monique xx

Mac Alluring Aquatics Nail Colour: Shimmerfish

Everybody and their grandmother have already heard about and seen the amazing Alluring Aquatics collection that Mac bought out recently, but when I was ever so fortunate to win this stunning nail polish from The Beauty In Life's blog giveaway, I just had to talk about it! 

It was extremely hard for me to throw away the box of this polish, I mean come on- is that not the prettiest box you ever saw? Thankfully the polish itself is even nicer to look at, with the little fake droplets of water all over the lid against the metallic teal, it's so stunning! The nail colour itself is a very shimmery (go figure) silver with super fine champagne flecks throughout. This looks absolutely amazing when the light hits it, it sparkles and seems like it almost changes colour at every angle.

Shimmerfish is such a complex shade that just doesn't match up to any other nail polish I already own. It applies opaque after two thin coats which is fantastic, and for longevity? After three days of wear I have minimal chipping, which is a rarity for myself. Now hopefully its not too much of a pain to remove…

Let me know if you picked up any of the Alluring Aquatics collection and what you thought of it, I'm dying to get my hands on some of the lipsticks. Thanks again to Hailey and if you haven't already make sure you check out her blog!

Monique xx

EOTD: Simple Teal Smokey Eye

Colour on my eyes is something I'm still slowly getting into, as I'm usually one for cool toned eye makeup and a super bright lip. Today I went out for lunch with my partner and decided to avoid the hassle of reapplying lipstick after eating and play up the eyes instead. This super simple teal smokey eye that happened to exactly match my shirt is what I went with!

I've been really enjoying my Jordana eye base as my eye primer lately, it's one of the few bases that actually withstands my oily skin. Next I worked some of Naked from the Naked palette into my crease followed with this lovely teal shadow I had never used before in my Urban Decay Feminine palette all over the lid. I wanted the eyes to look smokey but not over the top as I was only going out for lunch, so I opted for a grey shadow and put gunmetal from the Naked palette into my crease and outer V. As always I had to do a dramatic cat eye and for this I've been loving the Maybelline Master Precise liner. To finish the look I used some crappy white pencil liner in my water line and tear duct, and then the Benefit They're Real on my top and bottom lashes.

A pretty simple but nice eye look in my opinion, if you have darker colour eyes this would look absolutely amazing on you! Let me know what you think and thanks so much for reading.

Monique xx

Mo's Lowdown: So…? Fragrance's

If there's one beauty product I love more than lipstick, its definitely perfume. I know I'm not the only one out there who already has enough to make a whole other country smell good, but more and more continue to add onto my wish list. I've recently been trying out a few of the So..? fragrances which I'm seriously impressed with, so If you want to laugh at my very bad attempts to describe perfume please read on!

I'll begin by saying how cute is the packing of these babies!? I really like that the bottles are made from glass and not cheap plastic. This particular perfume has a matte black and red lid, and a very simplistic design on the bottle which Im a huge fan of. So…? eau de toilette is a very classical scent, musky and floral but not too overpowering. I think this is a perfect scent for everyday, and the 30ml size is perfect to chuck in your handbag. I honestly absolutely love the smell of this perfume, I think its definitely suited to all age groups as its very wearable and not too girly. Now I wasn't expecting longevity to be a strong point of this EDT, but to my surprise I could still faintly smell the perfume on my wrist after a long day of running errands- seriously impressive! 

So…? Sexy is like the younger sister of So…, a sweeter scent and in my opinion is very comparable to Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture - one of my favourite perfumes! Like the other it has really impressive longevity for an EDT as I could still smell the floral goodness on my skin at the end of the day. I also love how the packaging is tailored to the name of the perfume, with a shiny red lid and lace detail on the bottle.

Overall I'm impressed which the So…? range, I really have nothing bad to say and I want more! Uh Oh my perfume addiction is kicking in again.. Did I mention that importantly of all that these bad boys are super affordable and are available at Priceline and most chemists. Let me know If you have tried any from the range and if there is any favourite's you recommend I pick up!

Monique xx