IMATS 2014 Haul

Last Saturday, myself and two friends went to IMATS Sydney (a little too early in the morning, if you ask me). With the thought of not spending too much money, I purchased items I can't necessarily find on the shelves in Australia. In this post, I wish to show you the items I purchased and received. In the coming weeks, I will have reviews of individual products as well. On to the haul!

(I absolutely adore the Lime Crime bag, fyi)

I was really excited to take a look at the Ben Nye products. I ended up picking up the Neutral Set Colorless Powder, which I believe worked out to be $15.

I also had a look at the Lipstick Republic booth and the SauceBox Creme de la Creme Palette that I have been eyeing out for a while was available so I decided to pick it up - this one was $35. 

An item I have been dying to try out for a while is the Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow, which I got in the shade 30. I have used it a few times and so far I love it - but I will have a review up of it shortly. From Make Up Store, I picked up two Eyedusts (for only $13.50 each!) - in Umber and Extravagance. They are pigments from what I have gathered, and the shades are gorgeous. A review of these two will also be coming up!

The Lime Crime booth was very exciting! I picked up two Velvetines - Pink Velvet and Wicked.

I've tried out both colours the past week and absolutely love them - I'll probably end up buying all the Velvetines. 

I also picked up a few tools - a Precision Duo Foundation brush, a spatula, and a metal pan. I also picked up empty stackable containers, which I thought would be good to put some pigments in and include in my kit. 

I also picked up a Royal and Langnickel Black Patent 26-Compartment Brush Belt - and it was only $10! This will definitely make doing makeup on other people easier with the brushes all in one place around my waste with this brush belt. Super excited to use this!

And lastly, Karissa Pukas crashed IMATS and was handing out $3000 worth of lashes from her brand, Socialeyes Lashes! I got the Alluring and Minx lashes - and am super excited to try them out! 

Now that I know what to expect, I think next year I will seriously be stocking up on brushes for my kit! IMATS was such a fun experience, and there were so many great brands available that aren't readily available in Australia. Were you at IMATS Sydney or attended any IMATS over the world this year? What did you pick up?

Thanks for reading, 

x

Mini Haul - David Jones Christmas Shopping Event Sale

On Tuesday it was the David Jones Christmas Shopping Event. It runs morning to night, and usually is 20-30% of items. I only picked up four beauty/makeup related items, but I though it was worthwhile to share them.

First I got the David Jones Beauty Daily Brush Cleaner. I deep clean my brushes as often as I can, but it's always good to have a brush cleaner. This item was 25% off.

Revlon was 30% off, which is an awesome deal. I couldn't toss up between trying Nearly Naked or repurchasing Colorstay, which I've recently run out of. I ended up picking the Nearly Naked foundation in 120 Vanilla, and I think it is a little light for me but I can make it work. I tried it out yesterday, and I wasn't the biggest fan as it seemed to cling to dry patches.

Finally, I purchased the Burt's Bees Cream Cleanser. THIS TUBE IS HUGE. I've tried a sample of this, and I loved it. When the lady showed me the tube, I couldn't believe how big the product was! There was 25% off Burt's Bees, and originally this was around $22 dollars, but for the amount of product I don't think it's bad at all full price!

And those were the four things I picked up from the sale event. I apologise for the lack of posts recently, I'm in the exam period at university and super stressed. Normal posting will resume at the end of next week, I promise! 

MUA and Fashionista Haul

About two weeks ago I placed an order on MUA. When I was overseas, the only MUA stand I saw was small so I didn't get anything from the brand. I was really interested in the Fashionista Build Your Own Palettes - and the three blush and one highlight shade I purchased were only $2.81 each! How can anybody say no to that?! I decided to also pick up some MUA eyeshadows, as after uni finishes this semester I want to depot a majority of my eyeshadows and stick them in Z Palettes, these included. I haven't swatched any of the eyeshadows yet (I think I will do a separate post for that), but they look extremely beautiful in the pan! Here's a quick post showing you everything I got.

First, let's talk eyeshadows. I have two MUA palettes (Undress Me Too - see comparison with Naked 2 here, and the Heaven and Earth palette). I've heard some good things about these single eyeshadows, so I decided to pick up a few. Each eyeshadow worked out to be $1.74, and I got the pearl eyeshadows in Shade 1, 9, 12, 15, 24 and 30, and one matte eyeshadow in Shade 17. I haven't swatched these as yet, but I am excited to!

I decided to pick up the Fashionista 4 Pan Custom Design Palette in Black, along with three blush shades and a bronzer (which is more of a highlighter)

The back of the blush and bronzers looks like this, and they just pop out of the container and you put them right into the palette.

For the blush shades I got Cinnamon, Butterscotch and Juicy Apricot. For the bronzer (which is really a highlighter), I got Barcelona. Each pan was only $2.81, and when you get the four together the Custom Design Palette is free - the price is deducted as a discount on your invoice. 

I also picked up the F2 Stippling Brush, as I thought it would be a cheaper alternative to the MAC 130, but alas, it doesn't seem to be. This brush cost $5.22. 

I picked up a Fashionista Double Take Long-Wear Lipstick in 9 Atomic Tangerine. I'm actually quite happy with this colour choice, as I don't own anything like it in my collection. This lipstick cost $2.61. 

And that's all I got from the MUA site! Postage worked out to be $13.04 (I believe they have a flat rate for international postage), and my order including postage only came to $44.53! MUA is definitely an awesome brand to check out! Look out in the next few weeks for reviews of these products. 

England Haul pt 2 - Skincare, Haircare, Nail Polish and Perfume!

Time for part 2 of my England haul, which features skin care, hair care, nail polish and a perfume. I didn't go as crazy as I did on makeup, so I've condensed these all together. 

I got some Soap & Glory travel size items, they were 3 for 2 at Boots when I went in, and I never got the chance to go back and get some more. I bought Hand Food, Flake Away Body Scrub and the Daily   Smooth Body Butter. I purchased an Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner (which isn't as great as I thought it would be). The second week I was in England, we went away to the beach, so I decided to fake tan because I am pale. I purchased the St. Moriz Instant Self-Tanning Lotion and it was awesome! I bought a back up of it to take back with me to Australia. I also visited Lush because there is a dramatic difference in price. I bought back ups of the Dreamwash Shower Smoothie and Dream Cream, which I use both of for my eczema. I also bought Ultrabalm, WHICH IS AMAZING. I've repurchased it since returning to Australia.

I also brought back some sample sizes I wanted to try while I was there, but I never got around to doing so. There is the Skin Wisdom Instant Benefit Peel Off Face Mask (which I've tried, and loved), the Skin Wisdom Skin Essentials Thermal Face Mask, another Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Colour Deep Treatment and a Garnier Ambre Soleil Natural Bronzer Self-tan Face Wipe.

Marc Jacob's Daisy Eau So Fresh. I purchased this duty free, and I absolutely adore the scent! Very happy with this purchase, and the bottle is adorable.

I also picked up some nail polish not available in Australia. Three Barry M (one Nail Effects in Foil Effects, and two Gelly Hi Shine in Guava and Lychee) and a Rimmel Cocktail Colour in a Flash in 110 Baby Bellini.

And this concludes everything I purchased from England. Next time I go, I will definitely pack a lot less in regards to skincare and makeup because I bought much more then I intended to and it really is so much cheaper than it is in Australia! I'll even pack less clothes because I didn't really have much room in my suitcase to bring any clothes back. I loved shopping in England, and I can't wait to go back. 

England Haul pt 1 - Make Up!

I've recently come back from visiting family in England, and I went a little crazy on cosmetics. With the significant price difference in cosmetics between Australia and the United Kingdom, I think I can justify my purchases.

I was most excited for Urban Decay and Sleek. As you can see, I purchased a few things from each. It might just be easier to list the products, and do in depth reviews at a later date (particularly with the Benefit and Sleek palettes) 

Urban Decay All Nighter Make Up Setting Spray - I've had a mini bottle of this since my Dad went to England last year, and it's been on my to-buy list for ages. I love this stuff. 

MAC Mineralise Moisture SPF 15 Foundation in NC25 - I thought it was about time I bought a foundation specialised for dryer skin. 

Benefit The Bronze of Champions - I actually picked this up duty free which I was really excited about. It has a mini Hoola bronzer, They're Real mascara, a Creaseless Cream shadow and a mini Watt's Up! highlighter, all of which I have wanted to try for ages, so it is a perfect purchase for me! I will have a review up sometime soon of this set. 

Sleek Ultra Mattes VI Brights Palette - I have wanted this palette ever since it came out, but the websites I rely on to buy my Sleek (mainly Lipstick Republic) haven't had it in stock for ages. This was the last one on the shelf at Superdrug when I went in, so I snatched it of course. A review of this palette will also be up soon. 

Sleek Storm Palette - I've contemplated buying this palette for a while, so I took the plunge when I was able to swatch it in store. I haven't tested any of the palettes I've bought out yet, but I probably won't review this one because it is one of the most popular Sleek palettes. 

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - This is another palette that has been on my to-buy list, but I always told myself to wait until I went to England to pick it up. I probably don't need this in my collection, but you can never have enough eyeshadows, or palettes! 

Vivo Cheeky Cream Blusher in Bloom - I'm not big on blush, but over in England people are, so I thought I'd pick up a cream blush (as I have dry skin and it would work better) to try out. I've used it a few times, and so far so good. 

Nivea Lip Butter Raspberry Rose - I haven't seen this lip butter in Australia, and I picked this up on my first day in England when I saw it. 

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Stellar - I saw this colour and instantly thought of a favourite lipstick of mine, Party Parrot. I haven't done a side by side comparison yet, but if it is dupable I will make a post. 

Collection Cream Puff in Powder Puff 2 - I just wanted a nudey every day lip colour while I was overseas, but I haven't been overly impressed with this. It is meant to be a matte formula when dry, but it likes to cling to all kinds of dry patches on your lips. 

Lancome Hypnose - The lady at duty free tempted me with this, and how could I say no once I looked at the packaging? I'll have a review of this coming up soon. 

Barry M Fine Glitter Dust - I wanted a gold glitter, and I got it. Can't wait to give this one a go.  

Maybelline Colour Tattoo On and On Bronze - In Australia, this is called Bad to the Bronze. I decided to pick this one up while I was in England because it was cheaper, but also because it was summer and I wore this a few times on my lids as an all over colour. 

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Light in Purple - In the beauty blogosphere, I have heard people talk about this lovely duochrome colour tattoo, of which I'm unsure will ever be released in Australia. This was another purchase I made on my first day. I'll definitely do a review of this. 

Collecton Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair and 2 Light - I bought Light first, and it was a little dark on me (it leaned a bit orange). Fair I picked up later, and while it is a little light, it is good as an undereye concealer. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in 012 Bronze - I actually don't own a bronze eyeliner, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to pick one up. 

Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light - My beloved contour in my Sleek Face Form palette has hit pan, so I picked this up as a back up. 

Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Mystic - I've wanted this lipstick for a while, but I wanted to be able to swatch this and another one to see which I preferred. The other had shimmer in it, so I opted for the matte.

Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Naked - I'm trying to get into nude lips (which I have until recently avoided), so that is what fuelled this purchase. 

MAC Candy Yum-Yum Lipstick - It's been on my to-buy list since it was made permanent, and with the significant difference in prices between Australia and the UK, why not ;) 

MAC Honey Love Lipstick - This is a matte nude, that looks very friendly to me. Can't wait to give this one a go and get some use out of it. 

Mini Haul - BeautyJoint

I have read mixed reviews from BeautyJoint, and I was a bit skeptical about ordering from the website. However, I really wanted the Wet n Wild I Love Matte palette, and I couldn't find it anywhere for a reasonable price online (it was on Crush Cosmetics a couple of months ago, but when I went back to order it the week after it had disappeared). So I checked BeautyJoint, and there it was for $5.99. I also wanted to try one of the Milani Color Statement lipsticks, so I picked up one in Violet Volt, which was $5.69. The order took 10 days to arrive, I ordered it on the 10th and received it on the 20th of May which is fairly reasonable. The shipping cost $12.75.

Above are swatches from the palette. The shades are fairly pigmented, and I'm really happy with the second browbone shade. 

Here is a swatch of the Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Violet Volt. I'm very excited to use this. 

I will be ordering from BeautyJoint again - there are some Wet n Wild lipsticks I want to try, and some NYX and ELF products as well. 

Mini Haul - Lipstick Republic

Last week, Lipstick Republic was having a 20% off store wide sale and I had to purchase something. At the moment, I'm trying to save money, so I'm not allowing myself to spend money on make up (it's not going too well), but I decided to purchase two things that I've really wanted for a while, while the sale was on. Lipstick Republic stocks some international brands (Sleek, ELF, OCC for example) that are really hard to get in Australia.

I ordered the ELF Cool Bronzer, and the Sleek Acid Palette. Two NYX pencils in Gold and Seafoam Green were also thrown into my order, which is awesome because I don't own a shimmery green, nor a gold eye liner. I think the green will also work well with my Lime Crime Serpentina lipstick - I might do a tutorial with these two sometime soon, as I'm yet to really test out Serpentina.

Above is the ELF Cool Bronzer. I chose this bronzer over the Warm Bronzer as the Warm Bronzer has shimmer and I don't like shimmery bronzers for contouring. I will have a review coming up on this product when I get more use out of it. One thing that surprised me with this product is its size - it's actually really huge, and much larger than I thought it would be. 

The Sleek Acid Palette is something I never really wanted until recently. I have the Sleek Au Natural Palette, which I really like. I didn't think the neon colours were practical, but the two shimmery blue colours look amazing in the pan. I'm actually really excited to try out the neon colours, and I really don't have anything like this in my collection so for the $11 or so dollars it worked out to be, I can't really fault this purchase. Look out for swatches in the coming days! 

And that's my mini haul! I really recommend checking out Lipstick Republic. This is the third time I've ordered from the site, and every time I do some freebie has been chucked into the package, and I always enjoy using the products.  The shipping is relatively cheap (around $7) and the order comes within a few days - I ordered mine around midnight on Wednesday night and this arrived this morning. I do believe there is also an express option for shipping. 

Thanks for reading xo

Haul - Essence, MUA, theBalm and Lime Crime

It's been a while since I've updated, and I'm going to blame that on going back to university. Almost two weeks ago, I placed an order on the MUA site - and I wasn't expecting it to come so quickly! My first order from MUA a couple of months ago took almost a month to arrive! So Thursday when I came home from uni, I had two parcels - one from MUA, and the other with my Lime Crime lipstick. I also visited a shopping centre the same day and they had one Mary-Lou Manizer left in stock at David Jones and I had to grab it. I also picked up an Essence highlighter from their new collection. On to the haul!

The MUA purchase totaled $30.97, and in it I bought the Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder, the Undress Me Too Palette, the cream blush in Bittersweet, an eyebrow pencil in Brunette, the Mosaic Blusher in English Rose, and the lip liner in Softly Lined. For this order, I was most excited about the Undress Me Too Palette - which is supposedly a dupe of the Naked 2 by Urban Decay. My Bootycall in that palette is almost gone, so I'm hoping this palette will have a good dupe as Urban Decay don't do singles of Bootycall :'( I will put up a comparison post sometime this week.

In a wish list post from last month, I posted about Serpentina by Lime Crime - a forest green lipstick! The site I have ordered Lime Crime from previously has been sold out, and from my googling last week I found a site that had one left in stock - I was so excited. The lipstick was $21, which is standard, but the postage was a little expensive at $11.95. I ordered it on Sunday night, and it came the following Thursday. The site I got it from was veganbeauty.com.au. I still don't know how I will wear this lipstick, but I am glad to have it in my collection! The order also came with a lemongrass and bamboo face scrub 5mL sample from Ayana Organics, and I am glad to give this a go.

Two weeks ago when I went into David Jones hoping to buy the Mary-Lou Manizer from theBalm, they were sold out. When I went in the past week, they had one left in stock and I had to get it. It retails for $34.95, but I have a staff discount and it came down to $27.95. I absolutely love this highlighter! So glad with this purchase.

Lastly is an Essence highlighter, which I saw in Priceline a few weeks ago and went back to purchase last week. A girl can never have too many highlighters, right? Excited to give this one a go too! It's from their new Circus Circus trend collection.

Don't forget to check out my instagram, where I love to post all things make up (and my dogs!) @_crystalised 

Thanks for reading guys, 
Sarah x