November Empties

Hooray November is nearly over! November has been a pretty tough month for me, but hey lets not get into that and instead jump right into my pile of rubbish!

1. Nak Nourishing Shampoo and Conitioner: I love Nak products and this Nourishing range is fantastic for my bleached hair, It makes my hair super soft and it smells amazing. I can't justify purchasing the full sized products as I have about a lifetime supply of shampoo and conditioner to use up.

2. Schwarzkopf Extra Care Toner: An excellent budget friendly toner that I have repurchased multiple times. It is effective at removing brassy tones in the hair although I decided to switch it up and have since purchased a different toner that I'm sure will be included in my next empties post.

3. Schwarzkopf Salon Permanent Extreme Lightener: For a blonde I'm pretty easy when It comes to colouring my hair, In fact I pretty much just buy whatever is on special. This was on sale for a ridiculous $4 so I picked it up and I really honestly wish I had grabbed another 10 packets. This lightened my hair really well and gave me that super light blonde look I'm after.

4. Vagisil and Eve Feminine Wipes: No I'm not having crazy vagina troubles, In my last empties post I mentioned how I don't think I would use these wipes up and Lily from Lily Not Louise mentioned that she uses them to wipe grime off tables- my makeup desk has never been so clean!

5. China Glaze Nail Polish Remover: This is the second bottle of this remover I have used up and I'm glad its finished, a pretty average remover and the green colour weirded me out.

6. Laura Nail Buffer: This buffer has been used for so long so I decided it was time to chuck it and break open a new one.

7. Kmart Makeup Remover Pads: You guys must be sick of seeing these, they make a frequent appearance in my empties posts as they are just so affordable at $2 for a pack off 200 and I use them for so many different things - removing nail polish and makeup, putting on toner etc etc.

Thats everything I got through this month, I'm so excited for December to begin and I'm even more excited for Christmas! Although I know I need to get through some more products before Christmas and my birthday In early January. Are you trying to get through any products before the festive season begins? Thanks so much for stopping by,

Monique xx

FOTD: Cocktail Party Makeup

It was my partners 21st birthday party over the weekend and the theme was cocktail, so I decided on some glamourous makeup with a hint of glitter, heres the products I used!

I'm pretty safe and boring when it comes to my face products, often using the same things. Although some newbies I have been loving recently is the Stila All Over Shimmer Duo in Kitten, a stunning highlighter that contains a lighter shimmery shade as well as a bronze shade. I love using the lighter shade for a subtle glow on the top of my cheeks and cupids bow. I have also been testing out the Mac Prep and Prime Skin Refined Zone after reading some great reviews on it for oily skin. I have noticed my nose hasn't been going as shiny as quickly although I feel I haven't tested it out enough to give a full opinion on it.

Having oily skin I knew that I needed an excellent base if I wanted to apply glitter onto my eyes and not have it all over my face half way through the night. So what better base could I use other than eyelash glue itself! I did risk losing a few eyelashes although the glitter stuck on fantastically as you can imagine and I found it quite easy. I used the Eyelure eyelash glue and If you have ever used this brand of eyelash glue before you will know that it smells terrible when you first apply it, although I find it to be one of the best eyelash glues on the market so I find the smell is worth bearing through.

The silver glitter I used was only $2 or $3 from the brand L.A Girl available on CherryCulture.com. It has a great dispenser hole that allows you to dip your brush inside, preventing glitter from going absolutely everywhere. I think it's fantastic for the price and I plan on picking up many more colours! Another new product I have been using is the Lash Control Clear Mascara for setting my brows. Apparently its the only mascara on the market that enables you to control the amount of product you use by squeezing the clear tube. I honestly think its a bit gimmicky although it does set my brows nicely. 

I loved incorporating some glitter into the look and thought the cocktail theme was the perfect opportunity to wear it. Let me know if you like to add anything a little extra to your look for those special occasions. Thanks so much for reading!

Monique xx 

My Christmas Wish List

Can you believe it's THAT time of the year again!? I absolutely love Christmas time so I decided to do a little post harmlessly sharing what I would love to find under the Christmas tree this year. Who knows you might even find some great gift ideas for friends or family (or yourself hehe). So in no particular order here is my christmas wish list for 2014!

1. YSL Parisienne Eau De Parfum: I'm am a complete and total sucker for gorgeous packaging, so when I first laid my eyes on this perfume bottle I didn't even need to smell it before wanting it in my life. Thankfully It smells just as beautiful as it looks, floral and sophisticated. I would love to add this baby to my current scents although I just can't justify buying it myself when I have sooooo many perfumes already (hint hint santa). It's also hugely discounted at Chemist Warehouse at the moment with the 50ml bottle only being $49.99!

2. Anatasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow Pomade in Taupe: An absolute raved about product that I'm also dying to get my hands on. I wont stop trying out new brow products until I find my absolute holy grail, and I think that this product is definitely a contender! I think the shade 'Taupe' would be a perfect match for my blonde hair. Unfortunately its currently out of stock which is such a shame as the brow pomade's are less than $30 shipped to Australia from Net-A-Porter.com. 

3. Lorac Mega Pro Palette: I'll try not to get too excited over this palette BECAUSE IT'S FRICKEN SOLD OUT EVERYWHERE. Why Lorac why, I have been checking amazon like a crazy person but nope I don't think its coming back. I have seen the palette floating around on Ebay although I wouldn't be surprised if fake replicas have been made already. Such a stunning palette that I'll just have to admire through the internet, although I would be extremely happy if santa happened to place the original Lorac Pro Palette under my Christmas tree.

4. Deep Thought Heels in Black: My 21st is coming up in early January and my twin sister and I decided on a Masquerade party. I have already purchased my gown and these heels would be perfect to wear with it. These heels along with many other stunning designs are currently only $30 with free express shipping from Popcherry.com. 

5. Real Techniques 'Nic's Pics' Brush Set: I am a huge fan of real techniques brushes so as soon as I saw this set I knew I had to have it. You can never have enough makeup brushes right! The whole set is around $30 from Iherb.com which I think is an absolute bargain for 5 high quality brushes.

Andddd I'll just add the whole entire Mac store onto this list. That's the items I've had my eye on this year that I would feel very fortunate should santa put one under my tree. Let me know if you have anything on your christmas wish list! 

Monique xx

October Empties

I can't believe October is officially over and we're already in November! Already my weekends are becoming full of birthdays and pre- christmas activities. October felt like it went forever for me, I managed to get through a good chunk of products too!

1. Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Mask: This was my first time using a sheet mask and I really liked it! I looked ridiculous with it on but my skin was super hydrated afterwards so It was worth it.

2. Neotrogena Hyrdo Boost: This is the second sample of this moisturiser I have used up and I don't really have anything bad to say about it. I really like the cooling sensation it gives when you first apply it. I wouldn't repurchase just yet as I have so many moisturisers to use up.

3. Hydro Silk Razor: Definitely my favourite razor, I have already opened up a new one and I still have two more backups stored away (oops!).

4. Vagisil Wipe: Kinda just used this for the sake of using it, I was a bit on the fence about using this anywhere near sensitive areas. I wouldn't use these for anything other than that fun time of the month.

5. Nuxe Oil: Gosh this oil smelt amazing, I need a full bottle in my life asap!

6. Sex In The City Body Lotion: An ordinary body lotion that I received in a perfume set ages ago, I'm glad to finally use this one up and chuck it in the bin.

7. Maybelline Clear Lash Mascara: I have been using this clear gel to set my brows for quite some time. I finished about 90% of it up and decided it was time to open a new product, It just looks gross now and every time I use it the germ-a-fobe in me thinks about the bacteria that must be in it.

8. Schwarzkopf Ultime BB Cream: This is the first time I have tried out a hair BB cream and honestly it was just like an average leave in hair treatment. Didn't notice any difference to my hair but I quite liked the smell of it.

9. Colgate Optic White Toothpaste: I enjoyed using this toothpaste, not necessarily for the whitening qualities but I felt it gave my teeth a really good clean.

10. Benefit They're Real Mascara: A cult favourite mascara, I love using it on my top lashes but for some weird reason If I wear this on my bottom lashes it smudges everywhere. 

11. L.A Girl Pearl Eyeliner: I was seriously impressed with this liquid liner considering it cost me $2 or so from CherryCulture, It didn't smudge or flake off throughout the day and has the best tip for winged liner. The pearlescent finish was nice for day to day use as it wasn't as harsh as a straight up black. It lasted me forever so I would happily repurchase!

Thats everything I got through this month, let me know if you have tried any of these products and what you think!

Monique xx

EOTD: Dramatic Teal Smokey Eye

Back in July I posted a simple teal smokey eye look using the same gorgeous 'Aquarius' shadow in the Urban Decay Feminine palette, but last night I decided to try out a more dramatic look for a 21st party. As I knew we were eating there I avoided dark lips and opted for a nude, so I couldn't think of a better opportunity to play with some colour on the eyes.

I purchased the Urban Decay Feminine palette from Allcosmeticswholesale.com and I'm so glad I did, the bright purple and teal shade make the palette worthwhile alone. The Sleek 'oh so special' palette has been another constant reach for me lately, for this look I used the matte warm taupe and black shadows. I patted the matte black from the Sleek palette on the outer corner and with whatever excess was on my brush I would put lightly in the inner corner, leaving a small blank space in the middle of my lid for the gorgeous teal shade.

I love how the teal looked against the black and think this look would be so amazing on brown eyes. Sadly not even the amazing Nars eyeshadow primer was able to stand the warmer weather and my shadow creased after a couple of hours, damn you oily skin. Anyway thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

Monique xx

Mo's Lowdown: Bondi Sands Gradual Tan Range

With the hotter weather approaching tanning seems to be all the talk at the moment, being quite fair myself I have naturally avoided fake tanning as it always seems to be too much of a hassle. I have recently decided to break out of my comfort zone and try some gradual tan, I figured if I wanted to ease slowly into tanning this would be the way to do it. I read some great reviews on the Bondi Sands Gradual Tanning Milk range and decided it would be worth a shot in hope of achieving some bronzed skin.

I started applying the Bondi Sands Gradual Tanning Body Moisturiser to my skin after showering at night, as well as applying the Bondi Sands Gradual Tanning Face Milk to avoid a noticeable difference in my skin colour when not wearing foundation. I found both products super easy to use and just applied them like I would a normal moisturiser, they absorb quickly so I didn't find myself waiting around to get dressed which was great. I love the cocoa butter scent of the body moisturiser and the large pump makes it super easy to dispense, the face tanner seems to have no fragrance and the squeeze tube is great for applying small amounts to the face. They both receive 10 stars for packaging and not having an unpleasant tan smell, but now onto the actual results!

L-R: No Tan, One Application, Three Applications

I'm so glad that I haven't turned into an oompa loompa from using these products. The great thing is about the gradual tan is I'm able to pick a desired result. After three applications I was quite happy with the colour turnout and stopped applying the moisturiser daily and instead I will apply every second or third day to top up the colour. The only mistake I have made using this product is once I forgot to wash my hands after applying and woke up with some orange streaks in-between my fingers, whoops! Overall I found the colour is very natural which is great for someone as naturally pale as myself, I haven't had anyone tell me I look orange which is my biggest fear with tanning! If you want to try fake tanning but are a bit on the fence about it I definitely recommend these products, they're inexpensive and are fool proof (coming from tan newbie myself!).

Let me know your thoughts on fake tanning or if you have any product recommendations!

Monique xx

FOTD: Spring Clubbing Look

I posted my go - to clubbing look back in July, which is dark and vampy. And now I'm sharing what I would consider a spring edition. Heres the makeup mess!

Of course I forgot to photograph one of the new products I'm testing out- the Mac Prep and Prime Skin Refined zone, a raved about primer for oily skin. I've only used it twice so far and I'm not sure what to think of it just yet but I'm sure I'll do a review on it eventually! I have been lusting after the new Velourlips matte lip creme range ever since they announced the new colours (actually I've been desperate to buy the original colours too but I must not give in to my lip product addiction). As I didn't have any colour like it I picked up the shade 'Lun- Dun' which is a vibrant pinky purple, I absolutely love it! Anddd besides that I'm still sticking too my favourite products for clubbing, including Benefits 'Hoola' bronzer, Mac Studio Fix foundation and Nars 'Orgasm' blush. I think its time to try out some new products!

I think the look is suitable for spring and the smokey warmed toned eye makes it a little more dramatic for hitting the town. Let me know if you change your makeup up to suit the weather or if you just like the same look all year round (you'll still see me rocking a vampy lip in summer of course). Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Monique xx