Wednesday, April 30, 2014

All About Nude

While I was in Priceline on my holidays I managed to find this palette from Essence Cosmetics which I wanted when I purchased my other Essence items from Target but sadly they only had the candy palette which I have no interest in, nude all the way baby. I have told you of my love for Essence products time and time again, and this palette did not disappoint. It is called the All About Nude eyeshadow palette. It is in plastic clear packaging and contains 6 shimmer eyeshadows with one highlight shade, 2 pink shades, 2 brown shades and a deep plum/cranberry shade. 







The eyeshadows are quite good quality, not chalky at all in my opinion and were quite smooth and easy to blend. I wish there was more brown shades than pink but I guess I have enough neutral brown shades in my collection! The last time is quite good, I don't actually own a primer but I am sure they would have a better lasting time with one. I will have to try using them with my color tattoo as a base and see if they have a longer lasting time. 



This retails for $6.45 AU and does come in another shade which is candies and as I said does not interest me at all, but they are lovely shades just nothing I would wear out! It is only a limited edition so if you like the look of the colours I would definitely recommend you go out now and try to pick it up! 




Love Liz xx

Friday, April 25, 2014

Essence New In Town

I picked up two products a week or so ago from the limited essence range New In Town which is exclusive to Target. I really liked the look of quite a few things in this range, but I only picked up two items, one on a whim and one I was dying to get. 






I picked up the new blush, Blush Up! in shade 10 heat wave which is a striking mixture of orange and bright pink. This was the whole reason for my trip to Target, I have really been liking Essence products lately and I couldn't pass adding this baby to my collection for the mere price of $6.45 AU. This is really pigmented so I have to use a light hand and a big fluffy blush with this to avoid looking like a clown. Technically you could get three colours out of this blush, the orange, the pink and a mixture of the two however I prefer just to mix them. This is very pigmented and lasts for 4-5 hours on my oily skin which I think is great for the price! I would definitely recommend picking this up from Target while you can.






I also grabbed the XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss Matt Effect in shade 05 velvet rose which is a lovely muted pink colour. I don't own any other colours like this but I do really like it, matt lip products are not the best for my dry lips but it helps if I use a lip scrub beforehand and make sure my lips are moisturised. This is still moisturising but not as much as a non matt product. I don't consider this to be extremely long lasting, more an hour or two on my lips, without food or drinks. However for the price, $4.10 AU I think this is good quality, just make sure to have it on hand for touch ups. 





I did really want to pick up one of the eye palettes as well, all about nude, however they only had the candy coloured one which I would unfortunately never touch! If I see it I will probably grab it, after all it is only 6.45 AU, and really how many nude palettes can you have?!

Have you tried any of Essence's limited edition ranges?

Love Liz xx

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Review: Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation

I purchased this foundation on sale the other day after hearing many people rave about it on Instagram and I was looking for a foundation to take away on holidays with me (if you are reading this now I am in Queensland yay!). I picked up shade 825 which I believe is called Buff Beige, I purchased this from Kmart so it was a bit of a risk as they no longer have any testers. It is a fairly decent match, a tad light but once my tan fades it will all be matchy matchy!



This foundation claims to be a foundation, primer and concealer in one! The back of the package even reads:
Lasting power of a primer, coverage of a concealer, and blendabillity of a foundation in one. Shine free.

I do believe this has a high medium coverage but not a high coverage, my Revlon Colorstay is higher coverage. I also find that I need to wear a primer underneath this, I do get shiny after 3-4 hours which is typical of me but it is better when I use a primer. However despite these slight drawbacks I really do like this foundation as something slightly less than my Revlon one, for going out for a few hours its great. I just wouldn't want to wear it for a full day, people with dry skin would probably be better off than those of us oily skinned gals, aren't we lucky! 



This retails here for $`56t9.95 AU however if you get yourself down to Priceline it is 40% the entire brand so you can pick this up for only $11.97!!!! (I hope this promo is still running when this is posted, if not I am super sorry)

Love Liz xx 

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Review: Essence Metal Glam Highlighter Powder

I picked up this Essence highlighter from Priceline recently, I had wanted to purchase a powder highlighter during the Priceline 40% off sale but there was only a couple I could find and they weren't very appealing. I am ashamed to admit that this is the only powder highlighter I own, I only own a couple liquid and cream highlighters. 



I have wanted a powder highlighter for a while as I find cream and liquid are a bit hard to wear on my oily skin. I had considered purchasing one by the Balm, however I read a few reviews comparing this highlighter from essence to that of the Balm's Mary- Lou Manizer. 



This highlighter is part of a limited edition range by Essence so if you want to pick it up be quick, it is exclusive to Priceline so you will need to purchase it there. It retails for $5.35 AU which is ridiculously cheap for 9g of a powder product that will probably last me forever. 



The shade is 01 Gold Digger which is a lovely pale champagne colour. It is a metallic highlighter, it does not have glitter particles but it does look quite shimmery on the skin. This lasts for around 4-5 hours on my oily skin, drier skin would probably have a longer last time, but for the price I really cant complain.



I am considering picking up another one as I know this is a limited edition, however I believe Essence usually put out a highlighter every so often in their ranges so I will have to think about it! But this is a really lovely highlighter for the price so I definitely recommend grabbing one if you haven't already.

Have you tried anything from Essence?

Love Liz xx


Thursday, April 10, 2014

My First Time In MAC

Hello Everyone!




So it finally happened, after much deliberating and debate I finally picked up my first product from MAC, I foresee this being a long and expensive love affair. I picked up the lovely Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose which is apart of their A Fantasy of Flowers, I was debating which skinfinish to purchase, and I decided that I should go with a limited edition one as the others would always be there! This is an absolutely love product, the MAC website describes the Mineralize Skinfinish as:
A luxurious velvet-soft powder with high-frost metallic finish. Smooths on: adds buffed-ip highlights to cheeks, or an overall ultra-deluxe polish to the face.

Warning! This is a little picture heavy as I am just so in love and wanted to share its amazingness with you all.





This is more of a blush on my skin tone, it works really well as a highlight and blush in one when applied to the cheekbones and swept up to the temple. It is very shimmery so slight warning to anyone who does not love shimmer! It is a coral peach colour with gold veining through the powder. I havent tried this as an all over colour yet, I am a bit worried that this has too much colour in it to do that, but I may have to try that someday soon.



This lasts a good 6 or 7 hours on my oily skin, more with a primer and when used with a setting spray. I usually apply this with my Real Techniques blush brush but any fluffy brush would do. This retails for $47 on the MAC website and in store, it is however a limited edition but I would definitely recommend snapping this up if you can.







And for anyone that follows me on Instagram (@justalittlebitofliz) I do plan on purchasing some MAC eyeshadows in the near future, however they do not sell the pro palettes in store so I have to purchase online.


Love Liz xx

The 40 Beauty Questions Tag

I was not tagged in this but I have seen this post floating around and decided to join in after seeing it on the lovely Holly from Face London who you can find here.


Image taken from google (if only it was my makeup mess)


SKINCARE

How many times do you wash your face daily?
Usually twice a day in the shower (yes I know I shouldn't but I am lazy) and if I wear a lot of makeup during the day I will cleanse with a milk cleanser when I get home

What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
I have oily, blemish prone skin :(

What is your current facial wash?
Avene Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser, which I have mentioned on here before, however I have a cleansing balm coming in the mail as part of a sample skin care kit I want to trial

Do you exfoliate?
Yes, once or twice a week but I do it chemically with Alpha H liquid gold

What brand do you use?
The most products I use from one brand would be Avene but or Clarins but I am happy to try anything and I have a lot of products

What moisturizer do you use?
Currently trying to use up a Nivea mattifying moisturiser, but it is not my favourite

Do you have freckles?
Nope

Do you use eye cream?
I have been trying to add it to my skincare routine as I have so many samples to use up

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Yes, I have tried a lot of different things but my skin is slowly coming under control 

Did you ever have to use Pro-active?
Yes once, felt it was overpriced and there was better products out there

MAKE-UP

What foundation do you use?
Depends on what I am doing that day and how long my makeup needs to last. But my go to is Revlon Colorstay for oily/combination skin as it is high coverage and lasts really well on my skin 

How about concealer?
I am struggling with concealer, under my eyes I like Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind but I use a concealer palette on blemishes or any other places on my face 

Do you know your undertone colour?
Mainly neutral but leans towards yellow, pink undertones look horrible on me

What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I like the fairly simple my lashes but better types, however I am not adapt at application. I did once try the paper insane design ones and I loved them but felt horrible on my eyes

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
No, I had heard 6 months, but I usually keep new ones on hand so I can replace them with ones I have brought on special

What brand of mascara do you use?
Currently Revlon Lash Potion, which I do like but not really love

Sephora or MAC?
MAC, much easier to access here in Australia. Although latest news is there is a Sephora coming to Oz! 

Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
No, I have only just bought my first MAC product 

What makeup tools do you use in make-up application?
I used to use my fingers, however I now only use brushes because I discovered Real Techniques

Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
No but if I do need a long lasting eye look then I will use my Maybelline New York Color Tattoos

For the face?
If I really need my makeup to last for ages and ages and ages I will use the Clarins instant touch perfecting base (not 100% sure on the name sorry!) which is lovely 

What is your favourite eye shadow (colour or shade)?
Anything brown or neutral preferably with a hint of shimmer in it

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
Gel or pencil because my hands are way to unsteady for liquid at this point in time

How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Not very often, usually only when I am in a rush haha

What do you think of pigment eye shadows?
Messy but usually worth it

Do you use mineral makeup?
Yes I use a mineral powder and I love it, for those in Australia look into Nude by Nature

What is your favourite lipstick?
I don't really have one, I change my mind depending on my look or outfit 

How about lip gloss?
I am a big fan of chubby sticks, does that count? The chocolate brown colours are usually a good choice 

What is your favourite blush to use?
Oh god no, I love a lot of blushes but lately my BYS blush has been used a lot

Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
I have but I try not to now, I worry about it not being authentic or out of date, but sometimes it is the only way to get stuff to Australia 

Do you like drugstore makeup?
Yes, I can't afford all high end products, one day! 

Do you go to CCO’s? (Cosmetic company outlets)
I wish I knew of any! 

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
I don't currently have the money or time but I would love to learn more skills for myself in future

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
Sometimes! Depends what with or if I am nervous or distracted 

Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Fake tan hands, exfoliate that stuff 

Do you like colourful shades of makeup (lipstick, eye shadow) or neutral ones?
I am very much a neutral person, maybe a bright lip if my clothes are monochrome 

Which celebrity always has great make up?
Kim K is the queen of contour, but I really love Lauren Conrad's overall beauty look

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?
Foundation, or concealer, a base product to cover my scars up

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
I wish I had enough confidence to but I always put a base of some kind on

Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
No not really, good think I love makeup!

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
Oh what a difficult question, probably Estée Lauder as it seems all so lovely and sophisticated and everything I have tried from them I have loved

What do you think of Makeup?
I love makeup! It has so many things it can do and it can make you feel like a whole new person


I don't have anyone to tag but if you read this and have a blog/beauty blog then I recommend you do this! And let me know in the comments <3

Love Liz xx





Monday, April 7, 2014

Mini Priceline Haul

Hey Guys

So I received a text message from Priceline services the other day informing me that I was 19 points away from receiving a larger quarterly gift voucher but the cut off was the last day of the month. Sadly this marketing tactic worked and I quickly found myself spending more money in Priceline. Another reason for this haul was to grab a clarifying shampoo as I had a ridiculous amount of product build up in my hair and my hair products weren't removing it. Onto the products..




This was only $7.99 AU and I really needed a clarifying shampoo to remove build up I have been suffering from lately. I don't typically choose Pantene products but I didn't have time to look for a higher end clarifying shampoo. I used this last night and I am really impressed with the results, my hair feels squeaky clean and hopefully will continue to feel that way for a couple more days rather than feeling greasy the next day. 



I had seen this in Priceline during the 40% but resisted picking it up and I am glad I did as a larger range of Antipodes products can now be found at Priceline and currently at an introductory price! This mini set retails for $19.90 or $19.95 AU but I picked it up for $15.99 so not a huge saving but its something! I mainly wanted to try this set due to the Divine Face Oil that is included in it. I really wanted to purchase the full size but it retails for $33 AU on Adorebeauty, which is a lot for me to spend on a product I haven't read many reviews about. I do know a lot of people think highly of the NZ brand though. This set includes a 10ml sample of the Divine Face Oil and 15ml sample of the Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream. I will do a full review on this when I have fully tested it out. 


This is part of the Essence limited edition set Metal Glam which is exclusive to Priceline, I would recommend picking up what you wanted from that range soon as it says it is only available until April on the website! I am ashamed to say that I don't own any powder highlighters as I have found they are mainly limited editions released from drugstore brands and the rest are all liquid formulas. This is in the shade 01 Gold Digger and looks absolutely gorgeous so I am excited to test this out.




Have you picked up anything from Priceline recently? 

Love Liz xx

Friday, April 4, 2014

Review: Lust Have It! March Beauty Box

Hey Guys




My March Lust Have It! box has only just arrived and I quite liked this month so I wanted to share my thoughts with you. In case you weren't aware Lust Have It! is a company that provides numerous boxes for men and women (women mainly though), I have an annual subscription (that is ending soon) for the beauty box, which retails for $19.95 AU a month. Onto the products contained in this months box, which was more just some plastic bubble wrap as they are redoing the boxes for April I believe. 





KLARA KISS PROOF LIPS
RRP $29, 8ml

This is a deluxe size sample which is very cute! I received shade 04 which is a lovely bright almost neon pink. I do really look forward to using this, it will be good for a bright lip on a night out, perfect with a smokey eye! The small sample size is adorable and great for purses as well. I just hope the formula is good.

BLOOM SECRET WEAPON CONCEALER KIT
RRP $20, 5.5gr

This is a full sized product that I am super happy they included, it was going to either be this or an eyeliner of which I already have heaps. This contains 6 different concealers in one palette, there is a fair, light, medium, green, yellow and illuminiser shade. This palette is great for fair-medium skins but not so much if you are out of that shade range. I think I will get a lot of use out of this.

ORLY NAIL LACQUER SELECTION 
RRP $18.95, 18ml 

This is only 5.3ml of product so I would class this as a mini or deluxe sample, so recieved this in a purple shimmery shade called Grape Glitz which is a perfect name. I haven't tried Orly before so I am looking forward to trying this.

AVEDA INTENSIVE HYDRATING MASQUE
RRP $79.95, 150ml

This mask isn't really designed for my skin type, hydrating products are always a worry for my oily skin. However I can get dry patches every so often so I will save this for one of those times. Aveda is a really good brand so I have fairly high expectations for this, especially considering the price for the full size.

CHAPSTICK STRAWBERRY LIPBALM SPF15
RRP $4.69, 4.2gr

I am always happy to receive another lipbalm, especially one that smells like strawberries. 

RECOVERLYTE TROPICAL POWDER
RRP $11.95, 10 sachets

This pretty much just seems like berrocca, something you use in the morning that is full of vitamins and all the good things after a rough night. I don't go out for a big night very often but I will keep this for when I decide to! 


That is everything from my beauty box this month, lots of cosmetics which has been missing from previous boxes lately. Also included which was not pictured or mentioned was a $20 off voucher for Runway Dream, designer fashion hire, something I will never use but may be good for some.

Izzy stealing my iPad while I was trying to write this post! 


Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes?

Love Liz xx

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

March Monthly Favourites

Hey Guys

This is a bit late I know, but I have never done a monthly favourites before and I really wanted to start it but couldn't get my act together to chose everything I have been loving the past month. Better late than never I believe in this case!

March has absolutely flown by and April will be jam packed for me! I have multiple assessments due, a week holiday, a rental inspection, an upcoming hair appointment and another vet trip. I have also chosen to participate in the 30 Days of Beauty Challenge that is currently making its way around Instagram, I have never been one to take heaps of photos so it will be interesting having to post a photo a day but I am looking forward to participating more in the social side of beauty blogging. 

On to my favourites for the month though..



It has been a beauty heavy favourite month this month, my skincare has been the same for a while as my skin can be fairly sensitive to some products so I am scared of breakouts if I try to switch up my routine too much. One good new product I have been using on my skin is the Sukin Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil which I mentioned in a blog post here, back in February. I try to use treatments every other night and an oil in between, when I use this Rose hip Oil I tend to wake up in the morning with much smoother and plumper skin. The only other sort of skincare product I have been using constantly this past month is the Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid with Lemon Oil. My lips are fairly dry and cracked a lot of the time (might have something to do with a nervous habit I have of biting my lips) so I like to keep this on hand to use. It is travel friendly and smells fantastic!

I have been using the Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer under my foundation and then placing a cream concealer on top, that is just how bad my under eye area is at the moment. I really like this product and on a good day this is more than enough to cover and conceal everything. I also enjoy that it aims to conceal AND treat your puffy and dark under eye area. The base that I have been loving lately after repurchasing is the Revlon Colorstay Makeup for Oily/Combination Skin, I was a little concerned that this was breaking me out, but I believe I have narrowed that down to a primer I was wearing. I really hope this isn't breaking out my skin as I absolutely love this foundation. It is the only low end foundation I have found that stays on my skin all day and will look relatively the same at night as when I put it on in the morning. I have shade 220 Natural Beige which is a good match for my skin colour at the moment. 

The only cheek product I have been wearing lately is a light sweeping of BYS Compact Blusher in shade Coral. This is really pigmented and very cheap so I love to use this on a daily basis, I don't have to feel guilty if I use it all up. It is coming up to colder months now so I should probably stop wearing coral products but I absolutely love this blush so I probably wont be giving up using it any time soon. On my eyes I have mainly been using the Essence Quattro Eyeshadow in shade 05 to die for, I reviewed this product fully here. I really enjoy using this eyeshadow quad, the shades are lovely and the formula is really good, they are not chalky and are quite buttery smooth. You can create a few looks from just the four shades, but I mainly just stick with the same one, if it aint broke don't fix it.

There is all the products I have been really loving this past month. What have you been loving?

Love Liz xx 

Izzy

Hey Guys

This post is a little bit different, I thought I should introduce my newest family member/roommate, Izzy. We got her almost two weeks ago and she is 9 weeks old this week. She is a Russian Blue cross Burmese mix, she is a lovely blue grey colour with dark grey stripes and a white chest and socks. My partner chose the name based on the name of my old dog Isolde who was my family dog growing up, I am touched that he remembered and suggested it (it is very unlike him!). 



I got her for free from a friend whose cat had a large litter, I wish I could of taken two but it is difficult enough having one kitten! She is definitely a handful and needs lots of attention and love. As she is so young she needs to be trained up to be good around people and not to attack or shy away. Myself, my partner and his younger brother spend most of our free time with her, and she sleeps either in our bed or in my partner's brothers bed. 



She is a typical kitten, she spends majority of her time sleeping or playing and then eating every so often. My partner and myself have only ever had dogs before so it is strange having a cat, they aren't as loving all the time as dogs but they are very self sufficient and a fairly easy pet to take care of. 



She is up to date with her worming and vaccinations at this current point in time, I just wanted to mention that so no one thinks I am a bad cat mummy! I don't know a lot about cats but I am learning for Izzy. 



She loves her large soft toy cat that my bestie got for her, she also loves her tunnel that I picked up for $5 at Kmart, and really she loves anything you move in front of her including my hair ties, alfoil, paper. She also loves to hide in the most awkward spots like the under the couch, in the window sill, in any cupboard. 



Do any of you guys own a cat? If so do you have any helpful tips for me? 

Love Liz xx

Wishing For #02

Hey Everyone

I am trying to save money for my holiday coming up at the end of next month so my spending has been limited lately (apart from the slip up with Priceline's 40% off sale). As a result of this I have been wishing for a lot of products.. Shame my birthday is not for another couple of months!

So here are the products I have been wishing for lately..





This is a fairly recent release in the UK from Maybelline, I have read a few reviews online about it when it first came out and I quickly emailed Australian Maybelline to find out if it would be making an appearance here, unfortunately they couldn't give me an answer which is fair enough but I have been waiting for it to trickle onto eBay so I can snap it up but no luck yet. I don't really need another foundation but I like to try all the ones I can to try and find the best match for my skin.





After reading about the benefits of using an exfoliating toner from many people (thank you Ms Hirons) I have really been wanting to try this one from Clarins. I can't find it on the Clarins website but I have found it on the adore beauty website for $40.50 AU. I really hate using abrasive exfoliators and much prefer using chemicals such as the Liquid Gold by Alpha H so I think this would be a good exfoliator to add into my routine.





Everyone has been raving about this lip balm and I really want to join the band wagon and try it out. According to the Nuxe website one of these lip balms are sold every 28 seconds in the world. How insane is that!! I have been waiting for a bit more money in my bank account before I snap this up, it retails for $19.95 AU on Adorebeauty.

What have you been wishing for?

Love Liz xx
 

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