Tuesday 24 February 2015

February Favorites 2015

Here's a rundown of what I've been loving this month hope you enjoy! :)

Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation (30 ml)
  

 I've had this foundation  for awhile but have rediscovered my love for it this month! I have it in  the colour 103 True Ivory and it is a perfect match for my skin colour. It is a medium coverage foundation but it is build-able. I mostly wear this foundation going to work, I put it on around 6 a.m. and don't take it off until around 6 p.m in the evening. It lasts well all day but it does begin to break down after awhile but it is easy to touch up. I wouldn't agree with the whole 25 hours thing but who wears their foundation for that long anyways?? Rimmel have also brought out this foundation in lighter nude colours recently so I might try them when this runs out. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a good, cheap day to day foundation. Just to mention it contains SPF 20 which is good for this HOT Aussie Summer we're having.



Schwarzkopf Ultimate Repair Anti-Damage Hair Mask


Hair masks are a product I've only started using over the last few months. I style my hair often enough with a hair dryer and straightener, my hair is quite fine already so it can become damaged fairly easily.I use this hair mask to keep my hair hydrated during the summer months. This hair mask by Schwarzkopf is amazing! It only needs to be left on for one minute ( you can leave it on longer if you like) but my hair is super soft after I use it and it smells really good too. I use this mask twice a week on my hair but I will probably cut down to once a week when the weather isn't as humid. One thing I will say is that to apply most of it to the ends of the hair and a tiny amount to the roots if you want, because it can build up in the roots if its not washed out thoroughly leaving you with that heavy weighed down feeling after :(

Available from Coles here or find simmilar from Boots here

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Kate Moss Lipstick





I am so in love with this lipstick, I got mine in the shade 112. I got mine in Priceline for the unbelievable price of $1.47!! I purely got it at first because of how cheap it was but when I seen this colour I loved it. The shade is a deep red/ brown colour (perfect for the Autumn season) and for a matte lipstick I must say it is not one bit drying on the lips. Unfortunately I think the reason it was so cheap is because this shade is being discontinued!  I tried to find it on both Priceline and Boots' websites but it was the one shade they didn't have in stock, if this is the case I'm definitely going to have to stock up on some before it's sold out everywhere!

Benzac AC 5%



This is the best treatment for acne that I have ever found. Benzac is a water based acne gel that is used to treat the affected areas, it comes in different percentages and I think 5% is their strongest one. I bought this months ago for my other half when he was suffering from a bad break out, and only started to use it before Christmas when the same thing happened to me. It reduces the redness and size of a spot over night and after two days the breakout is non-existent! I use this regularly as part of skin care routine and it's definitely a must have product! 

Available from Priceline here

Accessorize Black and Brown Leather Look Cross Body Bag 



This my all time favourite handbag! I've had this for a couple of years now but when I moved to Australia from Ireland it didn't make the cut and I don't know why! So when I was home last I made sure to pack it this time around. It has a moose head embellishment (which I think gives it a vintage look) and a big pocket both at the front and back. It goes with most things and I use it both during the day and at night. I get so many compliments on this bag,the only thing that I don't like is that it doesn't have a zip just a fold over top with a snap button so it makes me wary of pick pockets at times! 



Thanks for reading,

Colleen x



Tuesday 17 February 2015

Homeware Haul - Kmart, IKEA and Woolworths


                                  

I'm moving house very soon so I've been slowly collecting a few bits over the last few months to decorate our new place and make it feel more like a home! So I thought I would share some of the things I have bought. The majority of stuff is from Kmart with a few pieces from IKEA and Woolworths thrown in.


Ornament Pineapple $9 (Kmart)
My favourite thing I've bought by far is this ornament pineapple from Kmart. I actually bought this after I seen in one of Brittney Lee Saunders YouTube videos. I think it's perfect for having either on your bedside locker or on  a hallway table. It also has a removable top so you could use it for storing things like keys or other small objects! 


Mugs $1.90 each (Woolworths)


I picked up these mugs last week from Woolworths on sale. I actually only own 6 mugs in total including these ones. I remember when we moved house last year we had to buy all of our own kitchenware and completely forgot about mugs when we were doing so and never got around to buying any. I thought these would make a nice addition to our small collection! I love the colour of these and the floral pattern, I want to keep a theme of pastel colours for our kitchen if I can so I might get more of the in different colours during the week. 


Heart Candle holders $4/5 (Kmart)


I bought these candle holders around Christmas time and ended up using them as part of our decorations. I was thinking of using these as make up  holders instead when we move and use them to put mascara and lip glosses in. I'll have to see what kind of place we move to first but if not I'll probably put them either on a matlepiece (if we have one) or on a shelf in the living room. I think these were around 4-5 dollars I can't remember but I know that they still have them in stock in Kmart.

Mason Drink Jars $2 each ( Kmart)

I  got these as a present from a friend after she seen me admiring them one day. I've wanted something like these for ages to put smoothies in or cocktails on the weekend. These are such a bargain and the straws come with them, they're made of hard plastic so they can be used again. 

Fragrant Candles (Small $1 each, Large $6) (Kmart)


I adore the smell of these candles! I bought the smaller ones at Christmas to put into the candle holders (mentioned above) instead of using tea lights. I usually don't buy cheap scented candles because I find the scent doesn't really fill the room or last very long. In saying that I recently repurchased the apple and rhubarb candles because they smelt soo good and the smell did actually linger in the room when I used them. The rhubarb and apple one is a real sweet smelling candle but the rhubarb tones it down slightly so it's not sickly sweet. I got the larger candle after I was so impressed with the smaller ones. It's an exotic spiced berries and pomegranate fragrance.  As the name says it's more of a spicy scent the berries still give it that fruity smell and it has a slight cinnamon smell to it as well. I think these are a great cheaper alternative to Yankee candles especially if you're on a budget like me!

Candle and candle holder $2-3 each (IKEA)
I went on my very first trip to IKEA just before Christmas because the closest one to me in Ireland is 3 hours away! There were so many things I wanted but I said I would wait until we moved before I went spending mad in there! I picked up this Vanilla scented candle and a steel candle holder to go with it. I'll probably put this candle in our bathroom because I'm not the biggest fan of vanilla scents but I think a strong fragrance like this is perfect for the bathroom! I can't remember the exact price of these but I'm positive it was just under $5 for the two.

White Plant Holder $4/5 (IKEA)

I'm sure a lost of people will recognize this item! Most beauty guru's use these as make up brush holders and that's exactly what I got it for. Again I'm not completely sure of the price but it was under the $5 mark.

Set of Tea Towels $2.90 (Woolworths)


This item is probably a bit boring but I thought I'd throw it anyway! I got these in the sales after Christmas.They're supposed to be Christmas tea towels but I don't think the design is very festive. They tie in with my pastel theme and I'll probably just have these more for show than anything else.

Glass Trinket Box $2 (Kmart)
This was such a steal at $2! I didn't really know what to use it for at first but I loved the look of it. The removable lid has a butterfly for a handle. I've been using it to store my cotton pads in instead of keeping them in the bag I think it looks nice on my make up table! :)



 And that's it! 

Thanks for reading,

Colleen x









Saturday 7 February 2015

Micellar Water - Swisse vs Garnier

Unless you've been living under a rock, I am sure you have heard of Micellar water! I've been using micellar water for the past few months instead of makeup remover wipes, unlike wipes it's really gentle on the skin and doesn't leave a residue behind on the skin. I much prefer it as I've often had rashes break out on my face due to wipes, so this has been my Holy Grail product! Micellar water contains tiny molecules called micelles which are fatty acids, these micelles act like magnets attracting the make up away from your face! I decided to compare two different brands of micellar water and see the pros and cons of both.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water All in 1 (400ml)



I think this brand is popular with most people especially in Ireland. This micellar water is the more expensive of the two at $12 but I actually bought this bottle for half price in Priceline recently. I find the price of it here in Australia ridiculous as it is sold in Penneys in Ireland for less than €4! It's quiet a big bottle at 400ml which is value for money at least. It claims to last for around 200 uses. It doesn't have much of a scent to it and it's clear in colour. I use a cotton pad with this and usually one does me to take off all of make up. It isn't the best for completely removing eye make up it can take a couple of go's to get off liquid liner. It evaporates of the skin almost instantly so you don't have to go back with a second pad to absorb the excess. Overall the price and struggle to remove eye make up are a con for me but the scent-free liquid, evaporating formula and generous amount of product more than make up for this! 


Swisse Micellar Makeup Remover (300ml)



I actually only bought this brand because it was cheaper than the Garnier and I was on a budget that week. I got this bottle in Woolworths for $9 but I seen on the Priceline website they charge $10.99 its technically only a $1 in the difference. Also this is only a 300ml bottle so what you save on money you lose in product. This micellar water is a scented one it smells strongly of cucumber which is kind of a turn-off. It is a natural derived and free from harsh chemicals. This product does remove makeup in one go like Garnier but you are left with your skin feeling like its soaked so you need to use another cotton pad to absorb the rest of the moisture left on you skin. Overall the cons definitely outweigh the pros in this case.


I think Garnier is the winning product and would defo recommend it to anyone looking for a good cleanser to remove makeup that is kind to the skin. I do however think in the case of both products you would need to buy a good eye makeup remover because these just don't cut it! 





Thanks for reading,

Colleen. x