Products I Regret Buying 2015

One of my favourite videos to watch on YouTube are products I regret buying videos, so I thought I'd put up a post on products I regret buying. In no shape or form is my word gospel, but these following products are products that really didn't work for me. It may be the colour, or the formulation, but here are my thoughts on the products I regret buying.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation
I really wish this foundation worked for me, but unfortunately I think my skin is too dry for this to work. The colour is fine but it just clings to my dry patches.

Australis Face and Body Tint
When this foundation was released, many believed it would be a dupe for the MAC Face & Body foundation. Unfortunately, it is not. Should you try to layer this product at all, it balls up. Do not recommend, and have only used it the one time.

Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer
I have used a significant amount of this primer, and it is super moisturising. Unfortunately, it made me break out every single time I used it. I like the primer but not enough to have pimples. It did take me a while to realise I was breaking out because of this primer.

Rimmel BB Cream in Light
This BB cream had a strange tone to it. It reminds me of the original Garnier BB Cream, which I wasn't a fan of (love the one for combo to oily skin, though!). This BB cream comes out grey toned but once blended goes quite orange. Doesn't match my skin at all.

MAC Studio Fix Liquid Foundation
I used to adore this foundation, but I regret purchasing a second bottle once I had used up the first. Since I first tried this foundation, my skin has definitely become dryer. This foundation does not work well with my skin at all anymore.

Revlon Photoready Powder in Translucent 
This powder has shimmer in it. No matter how little you use, you can see glitter on your face. Not a fan of this powder at all unfortunately.

MAC Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish 
This is an annoying one. Everyone seems to love this product, but I find it too gritty. I do occasionally pull it out and try to use it, but for the most part I find myself asking 'why did you ever purchase this?' It might work better on more medium skin tones, but for us fair girls, I would recommend picking up MAC Lightscapade instead. On a brighter side, this Mineralise Skinfinish does work good as an eyeshadow.

MAC Studio Fix Powder 
I have used a lot of this powder, and that was before I noticed my skin going very very dry. This powder is heavy duty - when I went to MAC (about two years ago now) and the lady suggested this powder, I should have really done my research and told her I wasn't down with the super full coverage face. The flashback on this powder is not flattering at all.

Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait 
I love the Revlon Lip Butter's for the most part, but this one is basically glitter in a tube - and this is not a look I like on my lips at all. The colour is gorgeous swatched, but once it is on the lips you can feel how chunky the glitter is.

And those are the products I regret buying!

Thanks for reading,

X

February Favourites

It has been so long since I last did a Favourites post, that I am actually embarrassed. But alas, let us move on to my favourites for the month of February!

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 31 Ivory
This has become my base of choice for the last couple of months, not just February. The only real main skin concern I have is redness in my face, and this base covers up beautifully. I'm sure this is available in Australia, but I picked mine up from ASOS a couple of months ago.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette 
I will put up a review of this palette soon! But in particular, I have been loving the Mood Exposure (last shade in the palette). It is absolutely gorgeous and the colour lasts on my cheeks all day. The shade that comes out on your cheeks is so different to the shade in the pan (at least it is on my complexion).

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette 
I have no clue if I've mentioned this palette on my blog as yet, but it is hands down one of my favourite palettes ever. I bought it a few weeks before Christmas, and since then, it has been my go-to palette. It is the perfect mix of shimmers and mattes. The Semi-Sweet palette has now come out to Australia, and I am contemplating purchasing it... But honestly, do I need more palettes? (probably).

My Burberry EDP
This perfume was a gift from my parents for Christmas. I've hardly touched the bottle as I think this is my first sophisticated, grown up scent. Only to be worn on special occasions, but I love the scent and would recommend it. To me, it is a very sophisticated scent.

MAC Runner Lipstick
This is from the Nasty Gal collection, and I absolutely adore this lipstick. It is a perfect shade for winter. It is a dark red, and described by MAC as a 'burgundy'. If you can still get your hands on this lipstick, I would highly recommend it.

And those were my favourites for the month of February! I'm glad summer is officially over now so we can move into the cooler months and I can experiment more with winter appropriate makeup looks!

X

Top 13 of 2013

I cannot believe 2013 is at an end. This year has been one of the best years of my life, the most significant was my travels to England. For this yearly favourites, I decided to pick 13 of my favourite products I discovered in 2013 - and it was hard to narrow it down! But here it is, my top 13 of 2013!

1. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

This is probably the best purchase I've made this year, and definitely number one on my list of best products of the year (and probably my favourite palette ever). This is the perfect palette to accompany any makeup look, single eyeshadow, or palette you have. See my review of the Naked Basics here.  

2. MAC Painterly Paint Pot 

This is the best matte base I've ever tried - I don't know why I put buying this off for so long! Although my whole body is dry, I have hooded eyelids that get quite oily. This keeps everything on my lids. I don't do a makeup look without this base, and although it is on the pricier side in Australia, if you're looking for a good base that'll work, I recommend the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly.

3. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

I've found that this year, my skin is much more dry than it has been. I slowly had to move away from powders, and venture into the world of products specified for dry skin. This isn't a holy grail foundation (I know I'll find it someday), but it is a great everyday foundation for dry skin. 

4. Essence Lash and Brow Gel

2013 was definitely the year of the eyebrow for me. This brow gel sets everything in place, and is relatively cheap - under $5. Even if you don't fill in your eyebrows or apply any product to them, it's always good to set them and smooth everything out, and I recommend this brow gel. 

5. Benefit Coralista Blush 

This is the blush that made me fall in love with blush. I absolutely adore this blush, and since then have tried incorporating blush in my everyday routine (something I never really did). On paler skins this is beautiful, and on darker skins it is beautiful. I love this blush.

6. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

My Seche Vite is basically all gone, but this is the greatest top coat I have ever used. It dries super fast, is glossy, and everything I want in a topcoat. I highly recommend this product if you haven't tried it yet! 

7. Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Perfume 

This is one of my perfume favourites of 2013. I picked this up on my way back from England at Heathrow, and I absolutely adore this perfume. I'll probably invest in the original parfum next time, but I love the scent of this. I love floral scents! 

8. YSL Parisienne Perfume

I've included two perfumes because this was the year I ventured out into different scents. Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf is my all-time favourite scent, but when I got a sample of this earlier in the year I had to buy it. I purchased this a week or so before I went to England, so every time I wear this perfume I'm reminded of that time away, and this is definitely a scent I'd purchase over and over again. 

9. Lush Dreamwash Shower Smoothie

For when my eczema flares up, I love this stuff for in the shower. It's like a clay almost, and is super soothing. 

10. Daiso Puff and Sponge Cleaner 

This is the greatest thing to clean makeup sponges. For regular brushes, I find it mediocre, but it just sucks liquid makeup out of brushes. 

11. Sigma Small Angle E65 Brush 

This is the only brush I will use in my brows. It is much smaller than the other angle brushes I own, and is perfect for filling in brows. I think I'll need to invest in another one soon, because I also adore this brush for gel eyeliner, or black eyeshadow on the lash line. 

12. Sleek Face Form Palette in Light 

This palette (at least the contour) has seen better days! The contour is absolutely lovely for my light skin, the highlighter is also nice. My only vice with this palette is the blush - on light skin tones, I really can't work this. When I was in England, my cousin who is dark skinned used it and it looked phenomenal on her! But on me, no! However, I'd recommend this palette just for the contour alone - I love it.

See my review of the palette here.

13. Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze (Bad to the Bronze)

This was a purchase I made in England. I've been a fan of the Colour Tattoos since they came to Australia in late 2012, and although this has been a favourite, I never picked it up until I was in England - another product I put off buying for so long!

And those are my top 13 of 2013. Happy New Year everyone, see you in 2014!

September Favourites

I can't believe it's the end of September already! Where is this year going? On to my favourites!

Napoleon Perdis The One Concealer 
I don't know what it is (maybe stress of uni), but my bags have been bad this month. I purchased this peach coloured concealer during August when my friends got me a gift card for Napoleon Perdis, and this works wonders for cancelling out any bags and blues under the eye around my eye (it gets pretty bad in the inner corner). This isn't a concealer but a corrector, and you need the smallest amount of this. I use this almost daily, especially when I'm super stressed or haven't had enough sleep. Love this product!

Sigma E65 Small Angle Brush 
This is my brush of choice for applying powder to my brows, and I love it. Not much else to say!

Urban Decay Naked Palette 
I went a little backwards with my Naked Palette purchasing, and bought the Naked 2 before the original Naked Palette. The Naked 2 will always have a soft spot in my heart, but lately I really have been reaching for this palette (which has both surprised me but pleased me!)

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumising Mascara 
I think I got this mascara two weeks ago, but every day since, I have loved using it. It's great to use in combination with other mascaras, or on it's own.

Garnier BB Cream Combination to Oily Skin in Light 
This was a product I was meant to include in last months favourites, and I completely forgot to do so! When the original Garnier BB Cream was realised last year, I bought it with high hopes and was disappointed. I find it too orange for me. This BB Cream, though targeted for oily/combination skin, gets a lot of love and attention in the beauty blogging/vlogging world, so I decided to pick it up and try it out. I absolutely love this! For good skin days (which haven't been many lately) this is an awesome product. Although designed for oily/combo skin, it is still a moisturising product and it works on my dry skin fairly well. This is in the light colour, but unlike the original I own in light, this is fairly light and not orange at all!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla
This is another product I was sucked into buying, expecting great things and being disappointed. I don't know why I was, because this is a lovely foundation, but when I first bought it a couple of months ago, it didn't live up to what I thought it would be. However, this month I have been loving this foundation! It's not super coverage, but it is a nice foundation.

Savvy by DB Smooth Finish Primer 
While I don't find this primer one that will make your make up last all day and then some, I do find this a nice moisturising primer to smooth my skin before applying foundation, especially on days my skin is feeling super dry.

Benefit Coralista Blush 
This blush has shimmer in it, which I thought I wouldn't like. But it is the most subtle, gorgeous looking blush I have ever seen and now I look forward to applying this blush! (I never thought I'd say that!!). This blush has really made me fall in love with blush, and I think I need to add another Benefit blush to my collection! What Benefit blushes do you recommend?

(L to R: Napoleon Perdis The One Concealer, Benefit Coralista Blush) 

And those are my favourites for this month! Thanks for reading!