PRODUCT REVIEW - Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner

You may or may not know that my face is fucking annoying. Well, more specifically, the skin on my face. To add to its plethora of issues, I’ve recently been encountering a hell of a lot of oil. Seriously – I'm talking total oil-slick within one hour of stepping outside. Really attractive stuff.

When I received an email asking me if I’d like to try one of the new oil-control Kiehl’s prodz, I pretty much jumped with joy. The range has a bunch of impressive-sounding ingredients such as Antarcticine and Imperata Cylindrica so it sounded like the goods. I chose the toner (I enjoy toners!) so if you're interested to know what it was like, keep on readin'.

How much is it? $28

How much product do you get? 250ml

The good?

It refreshed my skin. I’m aware that pretty much all toners do this but hey, it had to be mentioned. My skin felt refreshed and super-squeaky clean after I used this. I must say, it wasn’t as refreshing as other toners I’ve tried in the past. Didn’t give me that much-needed morning pep-up. Boo.

It removed oil. When I swiped this stuff on, my skin looked instantly mattified. It didn't last though. More on this below. Double boo.

It didn’t dry out my skin. Being an oil-control prod, you'd think it’d dry out the skin but low and behold, it didn’t. Good stuff. P.S. This stuff is alcohol-free (explains why it didn’t dry out my mug!), oil free (duh), pH-balanced and doesn’t have any evil parabens, silicones or fragrances.

The packaging. It’s important, I tells ya! I like it. It’s pretty.

The not so good?

It didn’t help clear up/control the oil. Really unfortunate. I had high hopes with all the mention of cool ingredients and impressive stats (apparently it’s supposed to ‘balance’ skin in a mere week!) but I can safely say it didn’t have any affect on my oil whatsoever. That being said, I have a major oil problem so if you’re only slightly oily, it may work for you.

The smell. It reminded me of the liquid I used to put in my Nebuliser (asthma shiz) when I was a wee, wheezy kid. In other words, not good. Still, I’ve smelt worse.  

The price. $28 is pretty hefty for a toner. But hey, if it had worked, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

 ...

All up, I won’t be buying this stuff. It didn’t help my oil sitch, it smelt a tad funky and it wasn’t as refreshing as I like my toners to be. Quite the shame considering I’ve become quite the Kiehl’s fan.  

Anyone tried this? Or anything else in the range? Thoughts?

IMATS Haul

Hello!

I’ve been a horrible blogger. Sorry! Hopefully this post will get me back into the swing of things and I'll start posting regularly again. 

Last weekend was awesome. The ABBW was something I’ll most likely never forget. It was not only fun as hell but also motivational, inspirational and just plain cool. Unfortunately, I hardly took any pics so please refer to some other, better bloggers if you want the scoop on the awesome weekend.

As part of the ABBW, all attendees scored tix to IMATS. Woot! It was incredible but also very overwhelming. Crowds + chicks pushing and shoving for makeup = eek. Still, I managed to have a great time and score a few bits and pieces. If I hadn’t been so exhausted on Sunday, it would’ve been great to go back and pick up some other things I wanted. Dang. Anyway, without further ado, here are the goodies I picked up from IMATS: 

Did you miss my crappy photography? You so did.

MAC Fix+

Been wanting this for a while. I believe it was 20% off at IMATS so I got a nice, little saving (not sure how much I actually bought it for, though!). I used it today after I slapped on my slap and it was fine. It gave my skin some moisture and pepped me up a bit. I also enjoyed the smell. We’ll see how it goes, yeah?

Mehron Face Smoothie

I like using a brush for my foundation but I’d heard so many good things about the Beauty Blender that I thought I’d give the cheaper version a go. Haven’t used it yet but will defo blog about it when I do. This was $10. Yay.

Inglot 5 palette

Inglot has been on my list for a while. Everyone and their freakin’ dog has been raving about their shadows so it was just a matter of time before I had their goodness in my hands, as well. Truthfully, I could’ve bought 20 shadows but managed to settle for 5. The pigmentation and smoothness of these shadows is fucking amazing. I was drowning in swatches (seriously – I had them up to my elbow before a lovely girl took pity on me and handed me a makeup wipe) but managed to buy myself 5 perfect shades. Wore a few of them today and I’m a little in love. Oh, Inglot. <3 I paid $42 for this lil palette. Or $44. Can’t remember. Whatevs.

Girlee Cosmetics pigments + sealant thingy

I’ve never heard of this brand before but they had some ridonkulously beautiful shadows. Yes, I’m a shadow-fiend. I bagged the shades HD Bronze, Screaming Pink and Gold Bronze. Crazy-pigmented and gorgeous. They were my first purchase and I cannot for the life of me remember how much they were. Must try them out soon! Oh, and as for the sealant, it basically intensifies the shadows. I saw it in action and it was an instant purchase.

Crown something-something brush

I have no idea what the name of this brush is. I don’t really care. I bought this because Anita convinced me it was the shit for applying liquid foundation. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be sending her an abusive tweet. This was $20.

I also picked up a Ben Nye makup sealer and a few cream blushes from Mehron (a pressie for someone) and managed to lose them all, bar one of the blushes. Epic fail. I was so keen to try the Ben Nye stuff! Balls.

As for regrets, I really wish I hadn’t walked away from those MUFE Aqua Creams. They were bloody amazing. Fail. So much fucking fail. ANYWAY.

Any thoughts on my lil haul?

PRODUCT REVIEW - Milani One Coat Glitter Polishes

I love glittery stuff. LOVE it. Anything that sparkles, shimmers or even kinda slightly almost sometimes catches the light and glistens needs to be mine. When I saw the Milani One Coat Glitter polishes, I had to have them. Are they any good? Yes. Yes. YESSSSS. Yes.

Such a good photo.

How much are they? US$3.99 at Cherry Culture atm.

How much product do you get? 13.2ml / 0.45 fl

The good?

They’re glittery! Duh, right? These babies are super sparkly and just bloody gorgeous. I’ll post some pics below so you can see the awesomeness. Ignore the fug nails, shoddy paint job and horrifically-dry cuticles.

You don’t need a base colour. Woo! Cuts the whole making-your-nails-glittery process in half. Winner.

Great staying power. With a top coat, this polish lasts for about a week. This is pretty phenomenal in my eyes.

The removal process doesn't make you wanna die on the inside. Removing glitter polish is a bitch but these are a hell of a lot easier to whip off. Not as easy as regular polish but not nearly as bad as other glitter polishes. 

Price. They’re cheap! Hoorah!

The not so good?

They dry to a matte-finish. Now, this might be fine for some but I don’t really like matte. Even if you put a top coat on, they still stay a tad matte. Well, not as shiny and glossy as other polishes, anyway. While I don’t like matte-finish nails, these are so damn pretty that I kinda don’t give a shit.

The name is B.S. One coat glitter? No. The first pic below shows you what they look like with one coat. Not pretty. Slap another coat on and it’s perfect, though. No biggie for me.

Availability. For those of you in the States, I hate you (not really) because I’m pretty sure you can get these in plenty of places. For Aussies and other peeps from around the globe, I think online is the only way to go.

And some pics for you:

All in all, I love these and am totes glad I bought them. If you’re into glittery nails, I really recommend these. Go forth, fellow glitter-lovers.

If All My Makeup Dissapeared...

There was a ‘If all my makeup disappeared’ tag floating around YouTube a little while ago and I thought I’d get on it. From what I can see, it’s basically ‘10 things you always use/need/obsess over’. So, without further ado, here are 10 things I’d totes re-purchase if all my makeup disappeared (NOOOOOO!!!!11!1!).

Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover in Very Light

I’m liking this foundation! It feels creamy, gives a matte finish and covers pretty darn well. If you only have a few blemishes or marks, you’ll pretty much get a flawless finish. The shade ‘Very Light’ is a tad too light for me but the next shade up is far too dark. Boourns. At least I can use bronzer… Would definitely re-purchase if it disappeared.

Natio blush in Peach Glow

I love my BYS blush in Coral but I find that I reach for this one far more often. It’s just such an easy colour to wear, with its lush yet soft peachy tone. Well done, Peach Glow.

Savvy by DB Bronzer in Terracota

I love this! I love the colour, the fact that it has absolutely zero shimmer and the price. I think it was under $10. Bargain! Plus, the thing is bloody huge. Win.

Australis Pressed Powder in Natural

Another love. Cheap and good. Uh, yeah.

Covergirl LashBlast Volume (not pictured)

Love this stuff! I find it really hard to stray from this mascara and when I do, I always go back to it. It just fucken rocks.

Prestige Browliner in Taupe/Australis Eyebrow pencil in Light Brown

I love these equally. They both work awesomely, they’re both the perfect colour for me (although the Prestige one is a smidgen darker) and they’re both pretty cheap.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

How the hell did I manage without you, my love? This shiz is the shiz. When my makeup is sliding off my face and my skin is oily as hell (I don’t know wtf is up with my skin anymore. Frankly, I’m sick of its bullshit.), I can, at least, be happy to say that my shadow is perfect. Yay.

Covergirl LiquilineBlast in Blackfire

I enjoy this a lot. It’s smooth, very black and well-priced. I also like Prestige’s Waterproof Automatic Eyeliner but I prefer this just a little bit more.

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Black

Loving this. So effin black and the staying power is fab. I’m still finding it a little hard to work with the extra-fine nib (lack of skillz) but I’m getting there. So far, this defo earns a re-purchase status.

Lancome shadow quad in Blondette Fatale

Goddd, I love this. I scored it from a Lancome event about a month or so ago and I’m in total love. I can do both my brows and eyes with it. Genius! If I were to go on holiday and had limited space for eye and brow stuff, I could definitely live with just this quad alone. This baby has two matte shades (taupe and dark brown) and two magnificent shimmers (pinky champagne and bronze). I die. Shame it’s nearly $100. *gulp*

So, what 10 prodz would you immediately re-purchase if they went missing? Anything you just couldn’t live without?

Revlon Top Speed Fash Show

This past weekend, my unstylish self was allowed to attend/invade a fashion show presented by ACP's 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty and Revlon Top Speed. I felt heaps glam shit while I watched the insanely tall and insanely long-limbed models stride by me. Honestly, I was in total awe. Ahh, to be a model...

Alyssa Sutherland, Sarah Stephens and Heidi Harrington-Johnson were there, too (mega-babes) as was superstar MUA, Elsa Morgan. Oh, and the fash director of Cosmo, Nicole Adolphe was the MC. Nice.

Anyways, I took a few piccies for you. They're not that good. Soz.

The show pretty much reiterated that great, big blocks of obnoxiously bright colours are totes in for the upcoming season and that being a model means you look stupidly-hot in everything. Also: turbans. Totes in. I want one. Oh, and suede, sky-high heels and wedges in bright shades. Lovely.

Now for the Revlon Top Speed polishes. Here’s my little collection:

I’ve tried the yellow (Electric) and while the colour is the shit (would look extra amazing on someone tanned/dark skinned), the formula seems a bit wonky. I can’t really explain what makes it wonky. It’s just a little hard to work with. I’m going to play around with the other colours, suss out the formula a bit more and write up a NOTD/review in the future. Stay tuned!

So, my summer to-do list:

• wear bright colours on my mug and bod
• get taller
• slap a turban on my head at every opportunity
• grow obscenely-long legs
• wear heels I can’t walk in

P.S. If you saw anything you like/want/need in the above pics, the clothes are by Seduce and Dotti and the shoes are by Lipstik and Siren. Oh, and the clutches are by Olga Berg.

Another thing: The Glam Vans are coming! WTF is a glam van? It's a van that gives peeps free mini-manis and free Top Speed polishes. Woo! Go here for more info on dates and locations.


Cheerio!

Skin/Weight/General Crap Update

Sup girlies!

Thought I’d update you on my skin and weight and all that getting healthy shiz.

I’m not gonna lie – it’s been fucking hard. Changing my eating habits/style from bad to good has been a massive challenge. I haven’t been making the best decisions this past month but I’ve definitely improved. Yay!

I find that weekends are the hardest/worst. Too much alcohol + drunk 4am meals at Maccas + hungover meals at Maccas the next day = bad. Plus, I just tend to eat crap. Naughty me.

In terms of exercise, I’ve been okay. I take my dog for a walk twice a day and I hit the treadmill every once in a while (READ: not enough). The issue I have with exercising is the fact that I get a really severe burning sensation from my ankle and along my calf about 5-10 mins after I begin. I’ve been having this issue for years and don’t know wtf it is! I’ve tried stretching beforehand but it’s made no diff. A friend told me it was some sort of lactic acid issue. Anyone got a clue on how I can help this problem!? Plz.

The good news is that I’ve lost 5kgs! WOOT. The bad news is that I can’t really tell. Lolz fail. I’m a big girl so I guess that’s no real surprise. Hopefully the next 5 will show. My rings feel looser, though! Woot? Woot.

As for my skin, it’s still bad but it's improved. I’ve been using my Rio Rosa Mosqueta oil religiously (fucking love the stuff!) and every now and again, I use my Kiehl’s Overnight Biological Peel. I also use my MD Formulations Face and Body Scrub once or twice a week. Big thanks to Tara for giving it to me! I've posted some pics of my skin below. And yes, I have a towel on my head.

Here's my last post so you can compare. 

Anyway, that’s all. Hopefully next time I update you I’ll be a size 10 and have perfectly clear skin. Ha! No.

Have a good weekend, kids!