Revlon Lip Butter Set

Picture stolen from Myer Website!

This was one of my Christmas presents to myself, and I absolutely love this set! It was really good value for money (if I recall correctly, it was only $29.95 and I had a $20voucher so technically only paid $10 for it!). It came in a really useful box (I keep all my samples in the box) with three shades of lip butters and a great compact mirror that has an enlargening (is that a word?) mirror on one side so I can see all my pores properly :P

The three shades I received, from left to right, were Sugar Plum, Lollipop and Peach parfait.

Sugar Plum is the lip butter I reach to whenever I go out at night! Its a gorgeous colour that is a shade darker than my natural lips. I know I'm very late on the whole lip butter band wagon, but the formula is SO HYDRATING. I can't get over it! HAHA I knew I should have gotten some a lot sooner!

Lollipop is a bright shade of barbie pink. It's great for when I want a pop of colour, and is quite bright and opaque on the lips. Only issue I have with Lollipop is that it has tiny glitter/shimmer in it - I prefer my brighter lip colours to have a more matte finish. This gives a very glossy effect - almost as if I had lipgloss over it.

Peach Parfait is definitely the most used lip butter. As you can see from the swatch on my lips below, it gives a my-lips-but-better effect. I love this one so much, and now understand why the testers for Peach Parfait are always completely used up! I pretty much use this everyday as a lipbalm, because it's so moisturising and has such a natural look. I will definitely be repurchasing this colour!

Swatches on my lips

Swatches on my arms - as you can see Sugar Plum looks like a darker version of Peach Parfait, which is probably why it suits me so well!
 

January Bellabox

Look what arrived in the mail for me today! Makes up for working on a 39 degree day :P

 

The box was quite heavy, which was very promising, however, I felt that the contents were a little underwhelming (in order words...no makeup!!). I guess last months box had a lot of makeup, so this month felt more like a skincare box? That being said, I will still end up using almost everything in the box so no loss there! :)

You, Me & Everybody Cool It Aloe Vera Gel
I'm actually quite happy to receive this! It is made from 98.5% Aloe Vera, which will make my mum happy since I always just rip off some Aloe Vera leaves from her garden whenever I get a burn! I'm curious to see how this compares to using 100% organic aloe vera (ie plucked straight from the plant!)

Face Of Australia Makeup Purifying Cleansing Wipes
When BB announced that it was an all Aussie brands box, I suspected that FOA would be included - I just hoped it was a lipstick or other makeup item. However, I did just run out of my makeup wipes, so I am happy to try these out, and it also saves me a trip to priceline (which usually ends up with me buying more than I intended!)

Mode Nail Polish in Hot Stuff
YAY nail polish! Unfortunately I have about a million shades of hot pink! You can receive either 'Hot Stuff' or 'Rave'n' so I'm curious to see what the other colour was! This will be going to my sister since she always steals my polishes - now she has one of her own and has no excuse to steal mine!

Swisse Body Wash 
I will probably not end up using this. I am in complete LOVE with my Body Shop Vineyard Peach Body Wash and it smells divine, so I have no intention of using a different body wash! This will go into my emergency toiletries bag at work!

Natio BB Cream 
Although its just a sachet, you can get a few good uses out of it! I received one in the mail from Natio a few weeks ago and I got about 4-5 applications out of it. My tip is to empty it into a little jar (thats when those adorn sample pots come in handy!) so that it doesn't dry out in the sachet. Unfortunately I actually need to use the light BB cream, so this will also go to my sister!

Also got a cute little hedgehog wall decal! Hedgehogs are so cute!

That's what I received this month, what did you get?

Estee Lauder Skincare

My cousin highly recommended the Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator, and when I saw that the Estee Lauder giftsets were 30% off (bringing it down from $80 to $56), I couldn't say no! Only the sets containing 30mL of the Idealist serum were on sale (there are also 50mL sets). I actually saw this sale on the Myer website, and it was sold out online, and at the three different Myers I went to! I ended up finding the set at a nearby David Jones.

 This serum itself costs $80 RRP so already, I knew I snagged a bargain! My cousin has flawless skin, and swears by this serum, so I was really excited to purchase it. It promises to repair and moisturise your skin, and correct uneven skintone, and is suitable for all skin types and skin tones. I've just started using it and I love the texture of it. It is oil-free, and I use it after cleansing and toning, but before moisturising. I haven't noticed a significant difference in my skin tone as yet, but since I've only started using it yesterday, I will update this post when I notice a difference!

 The Advanced Night Repair Eye cream was a deluxe sized sample included in the set. It's actually more a gel, which sinks right into the skin, however, I'm not a fan of the smell. It smells like organic cosmetics? not really sure how to explain it, but all I know is that it's not my cup of tea. Regardless of the smell, I really like the way it just sinks into the skin, and since I only need to use it at night, I will continue trialling this product.

The Idealist Daywear cream smells so nice! Reminds me of this gorgeous smelling suncreen that I used to buy but is now discontinued. It's very creamy and feels hydrating, and I love anything with SPF in it, since I HATE applying sunscreen on my face (I find it too greasy and heavy). I really like this product and I am considering replacing my Clinique Moisturiser with this one when I run out!

Kiehl's Gift Set

I received this gift from our friends secret santa for Chrismtas! As soon as I saw the Kiehl's Box I was super duper excited!! Everything was packaged so nicely, with dried flowers all over the box :) Our budget was $30 but my secret santa went slightly over budget!

The Lip balm was the first thing I reached for! It was quite coincidental, as I was actually at the Kiehls counter the day before I received this, and was checking out the lip balms during my work break! I love this balm so much. It is made from petroleum so its like having a tube of vasoline, with the addition of sunscreen. My lips get so chapped in the harsh Aussie sun, and I feel like this thing works really well to protect, and relieve dry lips!

I've been using this conditioner every time I've washed my hair and I've actually noticed a significant difference in my hair. My hair feels softer and silkier, and the scent is gorgeous. It says that it is made naturally from avocado oil, lemon extract and olive fruit oil, and it has a very subtle, but lovely sweet smell to it!

To be honest, I don't really like this scent. I'm not a fan of woody smells, so I spritzed it once when I got it and never again :P

This body lotion sinks right into the skin without making it greasy. I love that it has lychee in it too! Lychee is my favourite fruit scent and I think everyone should use lychee scents in their products :P It actually has a very strong initial scent of the orange flower, but the lychee scent really creeps up on you after application.

This was the first beauty related gift that I received which is why I posted about this set first. There are a few more items I received that I can't wait to share with you all!