March Empties

Well today I woke up and realised its the 10th of April and thought 'Shit! I better get my March empties up' so here I am avoiding inspection cleaning and sharing my beauty rubbish with you instead.

1. Puretopia Refresh and Rebalance Mist and Toner: I loved using this spray toner as it was just so convenient to apply and smelt like lime and other delicious stuff. Definitely give it a go if you're in need of a new toner.

2. Dermalogica Microfoliant: I had a love hate relationship with this powder product mainly because I found the packaging/ powder aspect so annoying. I do the majority of my skincare routine in the shower so I found that water easily got into this container resulting in the powder becoming lumpy and ruined. I have another bottle that I plan on testing out again and I'll try with all my will power not to use it in the shower.

3. Pantene 3 Minute Miracle: This did actually make my hair feel quite soft after using it, one tube was perfect for my long hair and there wasn't too many nasty ingredients in this product. If you are after a 'quick fix' this might be worth a shot but would I call it a miracle? Nope.

4. Mitchum Powder Fresh Roll On: I have been using this roll on deodorant for years and its definitely a holy grail product of mine. It's the only product I've found that I can use in summer and go the whole day without worrying about any odour. Now that its starting to cool down a little I will be looking for deodorants that don't contain any aluminium.

5. Party Candy Perfume: Such a random purchase of mine years ago when I was in Melbourne. I was drawn to this scent as it's an imitation of Prada Candy and true to it's name it smelt like lollies, well a sophisticated version of lollies. I used about half of the bottle before using it as a room spray and now the liquid has separated so it's time to go.

6. Rimmel Lasting Finish 25H Foundation: I quite enjoyed using this foundation for every day as it had a nice medium coverage and held up well in summer. There's no way I think this foundation would last 25 hours but its safe to say I didn't test out that claim.

7. Kmart Coconut Cleansing Wipes: Im always testing out different face wipes and these ones from Kmart did the job but the coconut scent was just way too overpowering for me, and that's coming from a lady who loves scented things.

8. Sukin Facial Moisturiser: A light and fast absorbing face moisturiser. I can't wait for the day I use up all my moisturisers so I can actually go purchase one, Sukin would definitely be on my to purchase list. 

Thats all my March Empties! Hope April is treating you well so far and thanks for stopping by!

Monique xx

First Impressions: L'oreal Paris Nude Magique Cushion Foundation

Cushion Foundations seem to be popping up everywhere at the moment! So you can imagine my excitement when BeautyHeaven sent me the Loreal Nude Magique Cushion foundation to try out. It claims to be a weightless foundation that provides build able coverage, with a antimicrobial applicator and convenient 'to go' compact'. 

On first impressions I have to say I absolutely love the adorable packaging, the muted pink metallic container would look lovely in anyones beauty desk or handbag. I selected the shade 01 Porcelain as I'm naturally quite fair and usually the lightest shade available works for me, don't quote me but there only seems to be six shades currently available in Australia, although there appears to be twelve shade options over seas. The liquid is soaked into the sponge inside and the nifty packaging means that you can seal after every use making it handy for travel. The compact only holds 14.6 grams of product which is not much compared to the standard 30ml foundation and considering the $29.95 price tag. 

I used the sponge provided to apply the product in tapping options all over my face. I noticed that the shape of the sponge made it difficult to get into areas such as the nose crease but overall it blended and applied the foundation nicely. Even though they claim the sponge helps prevents bacteria, I just couldn't bring myself to keep the sponge after use and threw it out. I feel a beauty blender would be the best option for applying this foundation, although the supplied sponge would definitely be handy for those who like to touch up their makeup while out. 

L-R: No foundation, One Layer, Two Layers

The coverage after two layers was medium and it provided a nice dewy glow, personally I would still apply concealer to dark circles and any spots but this is definitely a foundation for someone who loves a more natural look. I have fairly normal skin with the occasional oily T- zone and think this foundation works beautifully for me. If I were to head out for the day I would definitely powder, but this foundation does look it's best left dewy and un set in my opinion. If you have dry skin I feel like this foundation would look and feel amazing on you. 

Overall I have to say that this is a very nice natural foundation that lives up to the claims. Personally I couldn't justify the price for the amount of product but this Is super handy and convenient for on the go. If you're after a dewy natural look I would definitely check out the L'oreal Paris Nude Magique Cushion Foundation. Thank you for stopping by my blog and I hope you're having a lovely day!

Monique xx

January Empties

I have been slack updating my blog recently, going through some stressful times combined with a bad head cold meant that blogging wasn't a priority but I am keen to get back into it! I didn't get through as many products I would've liked last month but here they are none the less;

1. Lapurete mild creme face cleanser: This is a natural and very gentle face cleanser that was creamy and soft on the skin. It was a little too gentle for me so I used it as a 'pre wash' to help remove any makeup still on my face.

2. PureTan pure bronze rapid tan: This tan is supposed to give you a deep tan after only one hour of developing. The first time I tried it out I applied the product only to my stomach, it looks instantly dark and intimidating when you apply it so I was definitely hesitant as I am very fair. I applied my regularly used tan to the rest of my body and let it develop over night rather than just one hour. I woke up and after rinsing the pure bronze was a nice natural tan on my stomach. So I decided to test the 1 hour claim and had enough product left in the sample to cover my whole body, after rinsing despite the initial product looking very dark and scary I was actual left with nice natural tanned skin. The product also fades nicely and doesn't smell unpleasant so I would definitely pick a full size of this up!

3. Frangipani & Vanilla Hand soap: I was out of hand soap at home so I picked up the first one I could find, this one was from kmart and was on clearance for 25 cents, probably should have picked up a few more as it smelt really nice! The packaging isn't really my style but for 25 cents I definitely didn't mind using it as a refill for my ceramic dispensers.

4. Benefit They're Real mascara: A cult favourite, this mascara is lovey the first few weeks its open but for me It dried out very fast. If you want to splurge its nice but I personally don't think its worth the price tag.

5. Nip & Fab exfoliator face pads: I really enjoyed using these pre soaked pads before bed. They made my skin feel refreshed and were super convenient. I really recommend these.

6. Aveda thickening conditioner: Another product that didn't live up to the price tag for me. I absolutely loved that its made from natural ingredients but If I'm going to spend $50 on a thickening conditioner I'm going to expect it to thicken my hair. It smelt lovely and made my hair soft but yeah, I'm on the fence about this one.

7. Kevin Murphy anti gravity: This sample came with an Adore beauty order and I was excited to try it as I'm always trying to add volume to my hair. I was able to use the sample once before the product went all weird in the sachet. Kinda bummed as I really didn't get a good judgement out of once use. Smelt nice though!

8. Kmart makeup remover pads: These have been in so many of my empties posts, they are super inexpensive and I use them a lot to apply toner and remove nail polish, I will continue to purchase them.

9. Random loofah and rectangle beauty sponges: Sponges are just handy to have in your makeup collection and I finally used up this 20 pack that I have had for a few years. I also decided it was time to retire a loofah and replace it as you do every so often. 

That's all my January empties, hope February is being kind to you all!

Monique xx