September Empties

It's that time of the month where I collect up all my beauty rubbish and talk about what I was able to use up! Funnily enough I'm finding myself using the things I need (deodorant, hair dye etc) and not enough of the products that have multiple backups (body/face lotions, conditioner and perfumes). Oh well, at least I'm getting through of some of them!

1. Nivea Stress Protect Deodorant: I used up two of these samples (yes I smell okay) and I found that they just weren't strong enough for me. I found myself having to reapply after a few hours and thats just not ideal for everyday.

2. Kmart Makeup Remover Pads: Love these pads, they're $2 for a pack of 200, they remove makeup and nail polish well without falling apart as soon as they come into contact with liquids.

3. Ardell Lahes: I forget which style these lashes were in but I really loved them, they were super easy to apply and gave me the volume I desire. Sadly they have been used one too many times and its time to hit the bin.

4. Catalinageo Mascara: This is the second time I have finished up this mascara (I received the original plus a refill from a subscription box) and to be honest I'm not going to miss it now its gone. An alright mascara for everyday, it just didn't give me the volume that I like my lashes to have.

5. Goldwell Rich Repair Shampoo and Conditioner: I would repurchase this shampoo and conditioner purely on the gorgeous scent alone. I didn't notice much difference in the damage of my hair but that being said I did only use a small sample. 

6. Loreal Paris Preference P01 Metallic Silver Blonde: I used the exact same hair dye back in June and I wasn't a fan of it at all. While it developed it turned my hair a slight greyish colour, which freaked me out so I washed it out earlier than the recommend dye time. This resulted in my roots not being lifted at all. This time I persisted and kept the dye on despite turning grey and thankfully it turned out better, my root colour was lifted so I'm a happy chappy.

7. Neotrogena Hydro Boost: I liked testing out this product, it didn't make me break out and has a slight cooling sensation when you first apply it. I wouldn't repurchase it though as I just have so many face creams to use up.

8. Seacret Products: I had a bit of a pamper session at a lovely ladies house named Karren a few weeks ago trying out some Seacret products. She gave me some samples to take home and I finished up the Salt and Oil Scrub as well as the Ocean Mist body butter. Funnily enough while I was walking through the shops one day I was handed a sample of the Seacret hand cream which I finished up too. They were all really lovely products that contain amazing ingredients from the dead sea. If you have wanted to try the Seacret brand but without the high price tag make sure you check out Karren's Facebook page, there is some awesome before and after shots on there!

Well thats everything I managed to get through in September, I'm really excited for October to begin! Let me know if you were able to get through some of your beauty stash this month.

Monique xx

FOTD: Breakfast Date

Let's just all stare at this eggs benedict for a minute and drool shall we? This morning my partner was kind enough to take me out to breakfast and I thought hey might as well do a blog post on my makeup while I'm at it. So if you want to see the makeup I used to create the following look, please keep reading!

I wanted to wear a dark smokey eye with matching lips but I had to restrain myself as after all I was just going out for breakfast, and with the lovely weather it's time to start embracing some lighter and brighter colours. I received a sample of the Bare minerals 'Bare Skin' foundation yesterday so I thought I would try it out. Its formula is essentially a liquid, although the coverage is lovely and it doesn't feel like you have a thing on your skin, so far so good! Of course I'm the lightest shade in the range, no surprise there...

I also used my Mac See Thru lip colour in the shade 'Secret Crush' for the first time, it's a sheer lip colour that gives off the nicest berry flush to the lips. I wore this as I was eating and didn't want to worry about fixing my lipstick, reviews I read on the product stated it stains the lips, and I wouldn't say it stains but It does wear off nicely. The eyeshadow palette I used is the Sleek 'Oh So Special' palette, I have been absolutely loving the purple tones in this and that's what I used on my eyes today. The only thing that annoys me about the sleek palette is that it is so hard to open! In fact when I had acrylic nails on I didn't even try to open it, they're lucky the shadows are worth the hassle!

Quite a simple look that I enjoyed wearing out, I am now currently nestling my food baby and trying not to think about the calories I just consumed. Let me know if you have any exciting weekend plans, and thanks so much for reading!

Monique xx

First Impressions: Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Having oily eyelids is pretty much a curse, you spend a ridiculous amount of time blending out and applying beautiful eyeshadows, to go look in the mirror an hour or two later and find that your gorgeous creation is now a hot creased mess. Let me tell you, I've tried multiple paint pots, colour tattoos, mineral eye primers and even the raved about Urban Decay primer potion multiple times and yet nothing will give me the confidence to go out for a full day without worrying about my eyeshadow creasing. So after reading many claims that the Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base was a god send for oily lids, I had to pick it up. I've tested it out and today I'm going to let you know my first impressions of the product, and does it live up to the hype!

Well, you don't need me to tell you that the packaging of the product is simply stunning, I purchased it for $34 from Mecca, and was surprised at how big the tube was, which is great because at $34 a pop I don't want to be repurchasing this eye primer frequently (unless it makes my eyeshadow look like real diamonds or something crazily awesome). The applicator is a simple doe foot and the consistency is just like any other liquid primer, this one is white/clear and dries on contact- it won't change any eyeshadow that you put on top of it. 

I created a simple neutral look for the first time testing out this primer - something similar to what I would wear on a working day. Before applying the shadows I focused the primer on my lid and crease, which is usually where the eyeshadow looks super gross at the end of the day. The day was quite humid and you guys know that shopping is a form of exercise right... So basically this eyeshadow was under extreme conditions, I kept it on for a good 12 hours before inspecting my eyeshadow again later that night;

I was so impressed with the outcome 12 hours later! As you can see there is slight creasing near the inner corner of my eye. Using other primers, my whole lid area would be creased and separated after 2-3 hours of wear. My liner still looked practically new and the matte crease colour still looked great too. I'm not going to claim that this primer is bullet proof- but I'm definitely impressed at its ability to keep my eyeshadows in place, especially after such a long day.

I feel now that I can use this primer and go much longer without having to worry about touching up my eyeshadow, and actually use eyeshadow in general on a woking day- before I didn't even bother as I knew it would look terrible after a few hours! My first impression of this product is great, and I look forward to testing it out more, I'm sure it will definitely be making more star appearances on the blog.

Let me know what you think of the outcome and if you have any holy grail eye primers that you think I should test out! Thanks so much for reading,

Monique xx

Mo's Lowdown: Rimmel Wonder'full Mascara

If there was one makeup item I could take with me on a desert island it would be mascara. I kind of look like an alien without it, so naturally I got excited when I tried out the new Wonder'full mascara by Rimmel. Firstly, I'm a sucker for anything glittery or shiny, or basically anything thats hard to get a photo of without being able to see my refection in it. And the Wonder'full mascara packaging ticks the shiny and hard to photograph category, so I was in love at first sight!

If you're unlike me and packaging isn't enough to spark your interest, the Wonder'full mascara has a custom built wand that it slightly bendy, which is great for wiggling in between your lashes. I found that the wand was a great size, not too big that it would poke out your eye but big enough so that it doesn't take an hour to coat your lashes. The formula itself is also great, its build-able without going clumpy, so you can achieve your desired look. Oh, and did I mention argan oil!? Yep, this mascara formula contains argan oil, which hopefully means that my lashes will be nourished and grow longer throughout the use of it (can I get a hell yeah!)

Above you can see my alien eyes before and after with two coats of the Wonder'full mascara applied. Despite having two coats on my lashes this particular formula is super light weight, and my lashes still feel soft to touch. I found that after wearing this on long days out I had no smudging at all on my eyes, even with my oily eyelids. Despite being long-wearing this mascara is also super easy to remove, I find I don't even need to use a makeup wipe before cleansing, it just comes off in the shower!

I definitely recommend checking out this product if you're looking to try out a new mascara, I honestly have nothing negative to say about it. It retails at $17.95 but is currently on promotion at Priceline for $13.95 PLUS you get a Rimmel gift with purchase when you spend $20. Happy Shopping!

Monique xx