Essence Nail Polish and Blush Review

Hii, apologies for the pic heavy post! I wanted to share my thoughts on the new me and my ice-cream range because these pastel colours match the perfect spring weather we've been having so perfectly! The nail polish range has 4 colours, and they have the cutest names! I found that the polishes were a little sheer (although two thick coats worked quite well), and they all have a slightly shimmery finish. I don't know if its my technique, or impatience with the drying time, but I found that these polishes mark and smudge fairly easy within an hour of applying (maybe my coats are too thick). All the images of the nail polish on the left were without flash, and with flash on the right.

Ben and Cherries is such a gorgeous pale pink. I actually don't have a colour like this anymore, but I pretty my first ever nail polish was fairly close to this colour.

              

For me, Always In My Mint was my least favourite. It just didn't suit my skin tone very well, and in certain light, it looked more grey than it did mint.

Ice Ice Baby was probably one of my favourites. The image with flash (right) is much more true to the colour, although in certain light, it did come off slightly pink. It was the most opaque polish out of the collection, and I just love purples!

Unfortunately for me, Icylicious was the worse polish in regards to application. I felt that the formula was more runny and sheer, but I love this colour. It's meant to be a pale apricot colour, but comes off more nude against my skin tone - but in a good way. Most nude polishes look terrible so I'm really happy with this colour. Lots of patience required in the application though!

The cream blush was in the colour ice bomb. It felt really spongy, and gave a beautiful pink/peachy colour. It was quite pigmented and had a nice sheen to it. I really like this blush! With a light hand, it gives a gorgeous glow to the skin, and if you apply it a little heavier, it has a great colour pay off! I was really impressed with this product.

The images above show blended and heavy swatch of the blush. The image of the left had flash.

What did you think of the new essence trend edition?

Essence Me and My Ice Cream

Exciting news! The new Essence trend edition is finally out! I remember there were hints that a new trend edition was going to be released in September, and whilst shopping at Chadstone today, I saw the stand. There were gorgeous pastels everywhere, perfect for spring. The nail stickers were no where to be found, and to be honest, there wasn't much on the stands in the first place. I hope this is not the only stock they'll have!  I couldn't resist picking up all the nail polishes, as well as the cream blush (since there was only one left), but might go back for the lip balms, and I'm considering the shimmer pearls too!

I have a feeling these stands will be demolished soon haha. Will you be picking up anything from this new trend edition?

Clinique GWP

Yay! It's GWP time again - and again, its perfect timing, as I'm just about to finish up my moisturiser AND face wash :P Basically, you need to spend $60 or more to receive this GWP, which for me is perfect since my moisturiser costs $60 anyway!

 I purchase this gift set that contains the full sized Moisture Surge, as well as a mini eye serum and chubby stick (in whopping watermelon) in this adorable checked make up bag! This gift set was a bargain at $60, which meant I essentially got the minis and the make-up bag free, and also qualified for the GWP :)

 I love that the GWP included a chubby stick again - and whats even better, its one of the new ones! There were 7 products + the make up bag:
1. Moisture Surge Extended Relief 15mL
    Perfect to pop into my handbag!
2. Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream 5mL
    This is a new product, and nice to receive something other than the All About Eyes :P
3. Rinse-off Foaming Cleanser 30mL
    This is a great size for travelling, and I will definitely be making the most of this product!
4. Even Better Dar Spot Correcting Hand Cream 30mL
    This is another new product, and I am really hoping it will help even out my skin - I have ezcema         s   scars that still won't fade!
5. Moisture Surge Face Spray 30mL
    I love this product, and especially the size of it! Always a fave in the GWP
6. Chubby Stick in Rommiest Rose
    New chubby stick, yay!
7. High Impact Waterproof Mascara
    Another new product! I'm so glad it's not the usual mascara we get :P

I absolutely love that 4/7 products were new! I felt like recent GWP were a be repetitive, and it's great to see Clinique taking that feedback and giving us generously sized samples of new products!

The lady at the Clinique counter was also super nice, and gave me this little mini clinique bag with the 3-step skincare range (and included both the moisturising lotion and gel!), as well as samples of their foundation!

Haul Post!

If you saw my LHI post yesterday, you would then know I had a very good post day! I wanted to do a little haul post to share my purchases!

First box was so funny - it was huge, and filled with loads and loads of tissue paper but only contained two small items! 

I forgot to take a picture so I stole the brush guard image from the website! I got two products that have been on my beauty bucket list for some time now from fishpond. I got it during click frenzy as they had a $10 off beauty purchases offer! This site has loads of cheap make-up, as well as a lot of products that I think are hard to find! It also has free shipping! Yay :) Anyhoos, onto the products..

Seche Vite Topcoat

As a massive nail polish fan, I can't believe I still haven't tried Seche Vite products! I've been meaning to purchase this online, but only realise I run out of top coat too late, and I end up buying some generic brand instead. I don't like to have TOO many topcoats, as I prefer to go through one bottle at a time which is why it's taken so long for me to finally purchase this!

Brush Guard

I've actually wanted to get these brush guards ever since Michelle Phan mentioned it in her video years and years ago, but back then, I didn't have a credit card, and when I finally got one, this item slipped my mind. When I saw this on fishpond, I knew I had to get it. I think these will be great, especially for when I pop my brushes in my travel bag!

Second box contained BENEFIT! YAY :) 

Looks like a beauty box :P

I combined my shopping with my friend so that we could get free shipping :P
Stocked up on essentials (erase paste and high beam!), and got a few minis to play around with :)

Coral my world is such a cute little set! It's $12USD, and these mini blushes are such a great travel size. I really recommend this pack to anyone who wants to try a product but is on the fence about getting the full size! I had the same sample sized high beam, and that lasted me a few months, as you do use it sparingly, so its well worth the cost :)

The Dandelion wishes pack was only $10! Pretty cheap in my books. I really wanted to try out the dandelion (I was a tad worried it might be too pale for me), and the lipgloss is a fairly decent size - perfect for your handbag ;)

Finding Mr Bright is currently on sale for $28! I love that they are all deluxe minis, yet still so generous. The erase paste is probably the most worthwhile product - the full sized erase paste is 4.4g whereas the mini is 3.2g! I mainly got it for the erase paste as I like to have minis handy for my travel bag!

Well, thats it for my mini haul - probably last haul for a while since I need to save! I just got tickets to go to the US over Christmas, so want to save up for sephora! hehe any suggestions of products/brands I should look out for in the US?

July LHI

Came home from work to those boxes, yay! I love a good mail day - so expect a little haul post soon :P
Anyhoos, onto my LHI goodies.. this months box was a bit heavier, which made it seem much more promising!

PHTS'S Lait Hydro-Nettoyant and Soin Riche Protecteur

I really dislike sachets - especially when it comes to trying out skincare products! These will go into my sachet sample box that I will use up...eventually :P 

CALIFORNIA MANGO Mango and Jojoba Body Lotion

This is a great size, and smells delish, so I'm already sold on this product! It's also veryyy cheap (only $3.49 for this full size bottle!) 

 SWISSE Hand Cream with Vitamin F and Pomegranate

I've actually received this product before in BB, and didn't really like or hate it. It was a blah product - it didn't really make my hands more moisturised and only seemed hydrating immediately after application. I also found that it left a slightly greasy residue, which can be annoying for some. Scent wise, I'm not in love but it doesn't make me gag either so thats a plus I guess. This will go onto my desk at work because I bring all my mediocre products and leave them at work haha

NUDE BY NATURE Tinted Moisturiser

Not really impressed with this product - I've used it before and just wasn't a huge fan. I found that it left my skin oily after a while. Props to LHI for providing a full sized bottle though~

COLORSMASH Hair Shadow

I've never used a product like this before, and I hope it comes out on my black hair. Might try it for when the girls do a pink themed night haha

SCHWARZKOPF Extra Care Volume Powder

Not really sure if I will use this - My hair is usually quite boofy on its own, maybe I'll save it for those flat hair days to see if it really does work! 

 KNOTTIES Hair Ties

Believe it or not, I was actually most excited about this product. I've always wanted to try twistbands ever since I missed out on the BB that contained them, so I'm glad I can try what seems to be a dupe of that product. The Purple one also matches my gym shoes perfectly! :P

BONUS : HEALTH ESSENTIALS Maqui Berry Active

On the fence about this product - I'm not the biggest fan of taking supplements, especially ones that seem too good to be true!

So that was my LHI box for July. Not a bad box, especially compared to the previous months, however, I'm still not seeing the value, especially considering the price has increased to $19.95 a month. I think that the products from BB and LHI seem to be on par - however BB is a mere $15 per month. What do you think?

'Hazy' NOTD

Hi Guys..
Just another quick NOTD post :) I'm hoping to do these more regularly since it forces me to do my nails more often (I went from changing my nails every day to leaving my nails chipped and yucky for weeks at a time). I wanted to use my grey polish since I've hardly ever use it, and decided to make it more fun with pastel blue and pink dots! :)

What I used:
Revlon Top Speed in Hazy
Ingot in no. 972
Ulta in Soft Hydrangea

July Bellabox!

It's that time of the month again - beauty box time! YAY
This months BB was super heavy (and the lid was about to pop open, which was very promising!) However, I did not receive the babyfoot, which I have been itching to try since I missed out in LHI. Oh wells, maybe next time :P

Luxe City Guide:
I was really hoping to get a luxe guide for a city in USA since I am heading there at the end of the year. I got the London guide - anyone want to do a little swapsies? :P haha

 Yu-Be Moisturising Cream

I wish this was a bigger sample size! I've heard heaps of good things about this - hopefully I have enough to really test the effectiveness of this cream!

La Fresh Eco Beauty Wipes

I got the make-up remover wipes. If they are as good as the description, I might need to buy myself a box for when I go overseas!

Janesce Softening Refresher Mist

I love facial mists! They are so much fun, but maybe not so much in winter. This mist smells liek roses, so I might give it to my mum who loves the rose scent!

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Cream

Such a shame that this is a sachet - again, wishing I had a bigger sized sample because I'm really excited to try this product!

Clear Scalp & Hair shampoo and conditioner

I can understand why some people didn't like this product as it's one of those samples that you can get for free from other websites, however, I love travel sized shampoo and conditioner sets, and I've never tried Clear before, so I'm happy to give this a go.

Libra Hotties Heat Patches

I love these heat packs - they are so popular in Asia, and I'm glad to see that Australia is finally getting into it :P

Modelco Cheek + Lip tint

Yay, I love lip and cheek stains! Currently loving all the benefit ones, so I'd love to see how this compares to benetint!

I think this months BB has great variety - although I do wish we had bigger sample sizes (or maybe even a few sachets so we can really try out the products). What did you think of this months box? 

Floral and Polka dot NOTD

I couldn't sleep (should not have taken a nanny nap after work) so I decided to decorate my nails since it has been a while! Got inspiration from nail tutorials by Bubzbeauty and Elleandish! Click on the links to check out their tutorials! :P

I have a whole range of pink polishes, but I really liked the blue and yellow combination - it's nice splash of colour during dreary winter days :P However, since I only have lower end polishes in these colours, I'm still waiting for the polish to dry properly! (already smudged one finger *sad face*) Tips: be patient and let the polish dry (especially when using lower quality polishes!) - and I learned the hard way that applying topcoat too soon can drag the polish :( haha


What I used:
Ulta - Lily White
BYS - Black Nail Art Liner
Be Yourself - Darker blue/aqua colour (got this in a Xmas pack years ago, used for polka dot nails)
Seandal Nail Lacquer - Mint Whisper (used for flowers)
Innoxa - Lemon
Essence Quick Dry Top Coat
Dotting tool

June LHI

I received my LHI on Monday, so props to LHI for getting it to us so quickly. Unfortunately, this box was a big disappointment for me :( After last months debacle (where I received the same product as the previous month), LHI emailed and apologised, promising a bigger and better box, with lots of new brands to play with. Naturally, I was excited, but was disappointed to see that 3 of the brands/products had been in previous boxes!

After checking out other peoples boxes, I guess I am lucky as I received the box with more make-up items, but it still doesn't make me feel better about it. The LHI have gone up to $19.95 a month now, and I still find the BB contains much more value, and at a cheaper cost too! Anyhoos, enough whinging, lets get to the contents of the box.

OPI Pure Lacquer Nail Apps $19.99

I don't know how to flip images once it's been loaded onto the blog, but you get the gist of this product :P Yet another nail sticker, but this design was really ugly (no offence OPI!) It's a red sticker with dragons printed on it - I guess it would have been good for chinese new year last year...I guess I can save them for when it is the year of the dragon again :P

Real Purity Natural Lipstick in Romantic Red RRP$15.00

Not too fond of this lipstick - felt more like a tinted lip balm. The colour is great though if you want a sheer red for the lips

Pure Fiji Hydrating Body Lotion RRP$29.95

Pure Fuji again? I'm not the biggest fan of coconut so I have already passed this onto a friend!

Savi Organic Soothing Cream RRP$27.95
As nice as organic products are, the smells really just put me off. This one is particularly potent, so unfortunately I will give it a miss.

Rachel K CC Cream RRP$39
I received 3 sachets of the cc cream, which is a nice amount for me to really get an idea of this product. Since it is a Korean brand, I am curious to try it out and see how well it works ( I am so racist when it comes to BB and CC creams - I tend to stick to Asian brands only haha)

Batiste Dry Shampoo RRP$9.95
I've actually already got this product (I have 2!!), but since this is one of the nicer scents, I guess I don't mind too much. Either way, I think dry shampoo has been around long enough, and been in so many beauty boxes it's no longer classified as something 'new and exciting in beauty'.

Klara H2O Proof Eyeliner RRP$18
Cute name, but I have enough black, waterproof eyeliner to last me a lifetime (which is no fault of LHI)! The eyeliner seems ok - not as soft as I like, and not as pigmented as some other cheaper eyeliners (ie Rimmel eyeliners).