TheBalm Nude'tude Palette

I spotted this at David Jones the other day. They had moved their O.P.I section aside for TheBalm products. I was a little excited as the brand sounded familiar and i laid eyes on this beauty instantly.

TheBalm Nude'tude nude eyeshadow palette $49.95

swatches

I have a feeling i will own this palette very soon. The price is really good for a palette of 12 colours and the shades are extremely pigmented. Sophisticated, sexy and serious were a little dry and took a few swipes to get good pigment but besides that the others are amazing, The lighter shades are the most pigmented as most shimmer eyeshadows are. I think i'm in love with stand-offish and sultry. I'm pretty sure i already have these shades in MAC shadows already but this offers every colour you need for a neutral to brown smoky eye. This is my perfect palette and if i didn't already own a shipload of eyeshadows i would have bought this instantly. I am still lusting after this and just might pick this up next time.

Essie Nail Polish Haul

Today while the weather was nice and sunny, i decided it would be a shame to stay at home so i went out and did what i do best. Shop!

Luckily the only thing i ended up buying were some Essie Nail polishes. Didn't want to end up breaking the bank.

Essie is the reason why i've rediscovered my love for nail polish and my tolerance for them. A few years back when i was fresh out of high school i had an addiction to crazy nail colours with my friend. However the phase ended quite quick as the cheapie brand nail polishes we got back then took over an hour to dry and usually messed up within a few minutes of application that it wasn't even worth the time.

I've tossed many of them out by now but some colours are so crazy i still keep them around even though i refuse to use one hour to dry nail polish ever again. 

I've known about O.P.I but nail stuff just doesn't appeal to me as much as make up so i didn't bother with that. I can't remember how but i came to own some of the mini Essie polishes. I loved how cute the bottles were. How matte the shades were and i was starting to get a little obsessed. 

I had purchased a mini set from Myer from one of their summer collections and i love all their unique pink shades. I've become neutral nail colour crazy. Their mini sets are very affordable at $29.95 for 4 shades. It is much better than spending $20 for the one shade. I had been eyeing for new mini sets to come out but there doesn't seem to be.

The Myer i was at today happened to have a mini set from the 'Sweet Time of the Year' Collection. I had asked for the price as there was no label for it and turns out it was a GWP when you spend $30 on Essie. I had recall seeing this set a few months back and also asking the price and it was purchase 2 Essie Polishes so i'm not sure if the sales assistant just wasn't sure.

Since Essie was also 30% off i knew before i even chose out colours this mini set was going to be mine! The total for 2 polishes would have been under $30 on sale and i really didn't want to spend extra on the 3rd shade. So i took my two chosen polishes to the counter and let the other sales assistant know the set was a gwp and it scanned through with no problems. 

So at the end i got 2 full sized polishes and a 4 mini set for $26.53! That's amazing :D

I wanted some neutrals so i got 325 Tea & Crumpets and 82 Pink Lemonade. The only thing i disliked was that these weren't sealed and Myer doesn't seem to prevent customers opening and testing products. Pretty much everyone i picked up looked like it had been opened at least once. The polish was still nice and runny so they should be fine. I would recommend buying these online instead because the price is much lower and it would be still fresh.

 Essie 325 Tea & Crumpets and 82 Pink Lemonade

Sweet Time of the Year Mini Set

Mint Candy Apple, Lollipop, Rock Candy and 3 Way Glaze

My current mini Essie polish collection

Tea & Crumpets and Pink Lemonade go on like a dream. The first coat is sheer but decent and by the 2nd coat it looks great. I love how neutral these are. Mint Candy Apple is very opague but a little clumpy to apply because of it's thickness. I had to blob on more colour onto a spot that the polish wouldn't stick to. And sadly i smudged it a little while it was drying but when i tried to smooth out the ripple with my finger it went back flat very nicely which i'm quite impressed with.

Rock Candy is very sheer and is the type of polish for a french manicure. The colour does not build up on my nails at all. Lollipop is wonderful and very nice. I'm a little disappointed about the 3 way glaze because i would have preferred a coloured polish but i'm low on clear polish so i don't mind too much this time.

Overall i'm very happy with my Essie purchase and continue to love their polishes even more :)

New Bourjois Foundation 1,2,3 Perfect Foundation and concealer Swatches in shades 51, 52 and 53

I was in Priceline on Monday and spotted the new Bourjois Paris Foundation. '1,2,3 Perfect Foundation, 3 Correcting Pigments, 0 Imperfetions'. It didn't really stand out like their strangely packaged Flower Prefection Foundation, which i still haven't tried.

I love that Bourjois keep their shade numbers same throughout their foundations so it was easy for me to pick out my shade.

I apologise for the picture uploading sideways which has never happened before and i don't know why but it won't change back. Anyways, i'm normally a 53 but i've started to think that is too dark for me and find 52 to be my perfect shade. I could wear either 51-53 i think since i was a bit tanner during summer. The set of swatches next to it are the concealers. I don't recall how many shades there were available but Bourjois usually only does 3. Again i can go for either of these shades but i would probably not choose #2 simply because it is pink toned and would only be used under the eye unlike the other yellow toned ones.

They were very smooth in consistency and spread out nicely. The Foundations are not thick and don't dry patchy.

The concealers are nice and smooth, they don't clump up like the bio-detox one and are very similar to the healthy mix concealer. However i cannot say how this does for coverage. This range is suppose to correct pigmentation and imperfections. It did even out the skintone on my hand very nicely in a brightening way, however i don't believe the foundation is anything more than medium coverage and the concealers are around medium coverage also. Overall i am very interested in this range as it reminds me of the Healthy Mix range... i just might pick these up next time there's a good sale :)

Priceline Beauty Skincare Goody Bag!

UPDATE:
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I hauled :)
Before i went to work today i went to Priceline to pick this up. The 3 Priceline's i was in today didn't seem to have that much bags in stock! Or they weren't displaying that many...
I really didn't need anything but maybe cleansers. Also i am so upset none of the 3 Priceline's i was at had the Biore daytime moisturizer i was after or the self-heating masks! It's like the Biore line got cut in half! I hope this isn't forever :(
Here is what i picked up:
Palmer's Eventone Tone Perfection Cream - for dark spots and discoloration
Nivea 3 in 1 waterproof make-up remover
Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser 
Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser
Biore release steam activated cleanser
Biore Ultra pore strips
Biore Revitalise 4 in 1 self foaming cleanser
Palmer's Luscious Lips lip buter duo gift pack


I'm quite happy with the products i got because they were all on pretty good sale also.
I did take around an hour choosing what to get. I really didn't want to get things i don't need or things i have a massive stash of at home already. I think i chose wisely :) And the things i wanted to pick up but didn't need came free in the bag! So it all works out and i must say i'm impressed with the amount of goodies and the variety... so many brands i've been wanting to try are inside!


Here's a photo of what i got and what came in the bag :)

rough list of the products in picture order:

Yes to Voucher (spend $10 or more and get $3 off)

Avene Thermal Spring water 300ml for $14.99 Voucher

Palmer's Softens, Smoothes & Relieves Dry Skin Cream 250ml

Nivea Q10 Plus Handcream 75ml

Vaseline aloe fresh SPF 15 daily light lotion 20ml

Pure therapy by Purist Intensive Moisture Repair Gel 15ml

Yes to cucumbers Facial Towelettes 30 pack

Avene Thermal Spring Water 50ml

Biore clean things up nourishing gel cleanser

Puretopia Exfoliating & Renewing Body Polish

SkinVitals multi-peptide Flex-cloth mask - 1 pack 25ml

OXY zit blitz gel 10ml

Apivita express beauty with cereals nourishing mask 2x8ml

Sukin Facial Moisturiser 125ml

Playboy Parfum deodorant For Her - 75ml

Innoxa SOS skin tissue oil 150ml

Neutrogena Ultimate Sport sunscreen lotion SPY 30+ 115ml

U Little Beauty nourishing hand cream 75ml

Dove silk nourishment body cream 300ml

Witch naturally clear Blemish Stick 10g

Softlips vanilla lip protectant SPF 20 2g

forgot to include these two in the photo:

Gosh that took forever to type out! Clearly there is more than enough products. I love how there is a bit of everything also. Ranging from sunscreen to perfume body spray to face masks. Out of all the beauty bags Priceline has had this year, i would say this is the best! The Make up one was a bunch of junk, the hair one was decent but this skin one is amazing! It's not filled with 70% of reject unpopular products like the other bags in my opinion. If you missed the other 2 because you didn't feel it was worth it, you MUST get this one, it is definitely worth it :)

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Heads up beauty lovers! Remember how priceline did a make up goodies bag and a hair goodies bag around 2 months ago? Start this Thursday 21st June there should be a skincare goodies bag coming out! 

Spend $50 or more on skincare across participating brands and then receive a FREE Skincare Goody Bag. (While stocks last). Your gift valued at over $220



Here is the link to the new upcoming catalogue also. I was about to go get some lunch on my day off and i'm so glad i came across this because i'll go into Priceline and eye out what products i should get for this sale since i'll be working on the Thursday and won't have much time!


Biore has a free gift so i want to pick up one of my favourite daytime moisturizers from their skinpreservation range. Nothing else interests me at the moment as i've come across a phase of OMG i have too much products i need to use up. I wish it started today though as i'm itching to shop a little but i shall hold out today so i can go nuts on Thursday lol


Anyone else excited about this? What is on your list!

MD Visage Multi-Action Eye Freeze wrinkle free eyecream

I can't remember if i did a review on this eye cream but i had the sudden urge to write one since i almost blinded myself 2 seconds ago.
This 15ml eye cream retails for $34.95 in Australia and comes in a simple squeeze nozzle tube. The packaging looks simple and clean. Very professional like.

The actual cream is a watery gel like consistency in a murky white clear colour. It smooths on like a gel and spreads nicely. It absorbs into skin quite fast and once rubbed in you feel the instant tightened skin effect. It also creates a minty menthol like feel. And although this is an eye cream, for the love of god do not get this inside your eye! The menthol feeling made me constantly open my eye twitching yet i knew to keep it closed so i can quickly search for my eye drops to wash it out. Washing out didn't seem to rid the menthol burn but it did fade after a minute which seemed a lot longer.

Overall i love this eye cream and already have a massive stash of these babies. The only thing i don't like is the menthol-ness. I'm not sure if this was necessary to add in or if they did it intentionally so you would 'feel' more of the product at work but for something that goes so near inside the eye, not very good. It wouldn't kill or blind you, just need to be extra careful :)

Sorry i cannot say how this has an effect on wrinkles as i only have one on my forehead that comes and goes. I can say that this really does tighten and hold the skin. I have been using this more often lately and my eyebags do seem to sink lesser lately although i'm not 100% sure it could be due to this product. Another similar product would be the Dr. Lewinns Firming eye cream which also has a tightening effect and is one of my favourites. Highly recommend this if you're tired of generic cream like eye creams and want something that actually feels like it's doing something!

Update: I've been using this every morning and night on the eye area for 2 weeks now and have noticed less sinking under my eyes! Of course the difference is very minor but the area really looks firmer. I'm really excited about this and will continue to use this and hope for even better results :)

Bourjois Concealer Review Bio Detox and Healthy Mix Comparison

Bourjois is one of those brands that i feel very close to yet i don't own much from them.
They are the first brand where i've found a foundation that is a perfect match for my skin tone and affordable. My favourite is the Healthy Mix Foundation and the Healthy Mix Serum Foundation. Both are pretty much the same except i've come to the realization that the serum version does make me look a little oily and i have super dry skin! Both are very lightweight and sadly low in coverage also. Which is a big no for my freckled skin! Concealer is a must when i'm sporting these foundations.

I've heard positive reviews of the Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer and have always been keen to try. However it is a little pricey at $24. So while Priceline had 20% off the range last week i picked up my shade in 52 and also the Bio Detox concealer in N.02 Light to Medium.

The Healthy Mix concealer at first impression was that it was very smooth and foundation like.
It seemed to pat on like a mousse and smoothed down to a flat smooth surface. The coverage is only medium but seems to be build-able if more product was packed on. I think this is a great concealer simply because it doesn't clump up on the skin and you get 10ml of product which is a lot better than those ysl touche eclat like concealers with 1.5ml of product!

Now for the Bio Detox concealer... i'm trying to convince myself its not that bad but i think i'm going to have deep regrets about this product.
It is 98.9% organic and i'm sorry but i guess organic just doesn't make good make up. This concealer has a roller ball applicator which is interesting and seems like a good idea for the under eye area. However, this concealer does not roll on smoothly. The product clumps up and when you attempt to smooth it out, it will rub against itself and clump up leaving bits of dried concealer on the skin. If you manage to spread it fast enough, the concealer seems to fade into nothing. Is this even a concealer? It is like a dried out horrible tinted moisturizer. I will not buy this product ever again. In fact i think it is discontinued as Priceline had it slightly cheaper than the usual RRP which normally means discontinuation.

Overall the Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer is pretty nice and the Bio Detox one sucks.
I really enjoy using the Healthy Mix for dark circles and for surfaces which tend to be more bumpy.
If you're looking for a good concealer for freckles, i recommend the Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation. It's not a concealer but i love to take this after foundation application and dot this onto more freckled areas. It works amazingly for coverage and gives me a more flawless look. Not only that, it is light and water like, plus the compact has 14grams of product! You can't beat the value you get from that. Everyday use has lasted me over 6 months for one compact. Love it :)