NOTD - Hearts, chocolates and flowers.

Hello lovelies!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you gorgeous people! I actually wrote this yesterday but then there was a bit of a hiccup and so I couldn't share it till today! :(


Oh well, better late than never!

In my book, V-Day isn't just about 'couples' but it's a chance to celebrate love in all forms, be it friendship, family ties or your love for your partner! And yes, I firmly believe that love should be something that is celebrated every single day, but since we all know how easy it is to take your most loved ones for granted, I don't think it hurts to have one day a year where you go out of your way to do something a little thoughtful or meaningful to show you care. :)

If you're single, I think it's the perfect chance to splurge a bit and spoil yourself! Because you deserve it, you gorgeous thing, and who can be more important than you are! I treated myself to some new, colourful, make up, which I'll be posting photos of soon.

I just wanted to put up a quick little post of my Valentine's day manicure. I do apologise for the messiness/photo quality, I started doing it last night and for some reason it was just one of those nights where nothing goes right! This is what I ended up with, and I was so exhausted after doing my polish over twice that I just decided this would have to do! I used Inglot pink polish in #167, it's a soft pink but for some reason is coming through almost nude in the photos. I wanted something a bit more subtle as I'd be at work all day, so this is what I went with.

Lastly, the boy managed to surprise me with a gorgeous chocolate bouquet, so I'll just leave you with a photo of it! It's so cute and was such a wonderful surprise having it show up at work! It's made with 22 Belgian milk chocolate hearts, some of which I shared with the lovely ladies at work. He also surprised me with a cute little necklace with a really bling pendant! So sweet of him, it was such a lovely effort!

Anyhow, regardless of how you choose to celebrate it, I hope you had a wonderful day! Do let me know what you did, and if anything special happened! ;)

Much love,

MM.

x

February Lust Have It Box Review!

Hi lovelies,

This won't be as long a review as I'd like, because I'm beyond exhausted. I've been away all weekend at my company annual technical seminar in Sydney. We're literally rushed up there on Friday night, given activities/presentations ALL day on Saturday, given an hour off to prepare for dinner (which is a ten-fifteen minute walk from where we stay), and then repeat it all again on Sunday before being rushed back to Melbourne in the evening. Spending all weekend with a bunch of engineers, scientists and geologists is always interesting...but I'm completely tuckered out from lack of sleep so I'm actually planning on hitting the sack soon.

I just wanted to share my February Lust Have It box with you. It arrived on Thursday last week but I just didn't have time to blog as I had to pack for the weekend trip away. We didn't receive a box last month as the folks at LHI decided to take a break to improve their service, so this is the first box for 2012.

First, let's take a quick look at some photos.

The design has changed slightly, it never used to have a butterfly before.

(Click to read the itemised listings and pricing of each item.)

Skincare tips for each age group.

L-R: Taut collagen mask, Davroe lemongrass detangler, Lush sugar scrub,
Rose Lavender hand and nail repair cream, and Lancome
Juicy Tube lip gloss.

Close up of the sugar scrub, lipgloss and nail cream.

Collagen mask and the detangling spray.

As you can see from the photos, I received a Lancome juicy tube lipgloss (no idea what colour this is as there isn't a name, but everyone seems to have gotten the same shade, so at least you won't be envious of anyone else's colour), a Davroe detangling spray, a tiny sample of hand cream from Rose Lavender, a Lush sugar scrub and a Taut Collagen mask.

Lancome were one of the first brands to come up with decent glosses and the Juicy Tubes gained quite a cult following, however, they have sort of lost some of the appeal in the past few years. While I've used it in the past, I haven't used it recently so it will be interesting to see how it compares. As for the Collagen mask, I actually already have a sample of this as I won one of a little quiz that LHI did on their FB page a few months ago, which I have yet to use! I really need to start using some of my products! I'm looking forward to giving myself a pamper evening someday this week, and I'll be using this to see if it really does make me feel any different.

The hand cream is the only product I've tried from the box thus far, and I quite like the scent (although I wasn't expecting to as I'm not a huge fan of rose products), but it's such a tiny sample! Still, I love hand cream so it's a good size to pop in my handbag or in a clutch purse. It really sinks into your skin beautifully, so your hands feel wonderfully moisturised without a greasy or heavy feel afterwards. The scent is also quite lovely as it's not too overpowering. I'm quite glad I put this on before I went to bed, I feel more relaxed now!

I think the item I'm most excited about is the detangling spray, I've been seriously considering getting one lately so this will give me a chance to see if I actually need one. I've heard good things about Davroe but never tried their products, so this sample arrived at a good time! As for the sugar scrub, I might give it a go one of these days when I have a bit of time free.

VERDICT? I liked this box, although I wasn't hugely excited by it. The only thing I'm truly excited about trying is the detangler, but I will get some decent use out of every other item in this book so it's terrific value. I do wish that the LHI boxes came with slightly nicer packaging, it seems very lackluster after all the beautiful boxes we receive from the other companies. I will admit that I'd rather decent contents in an uninspiring box compared to a gorgeous box with lackluster contents, but I do think packaging adds to the whole experience and something about the LHI packaging is leaving me feeling a bit flat.

I've decided to drop a couple of boxes this month, as it will give me a chance to use the samples I have been collecting, and also because I'm starting to get box boredom. The only problem will be deciding which ones to keep, as it's so hard to pick between the different brands! I like them all for these reasons:

Lust Have It - Arrives promptly every month without any drama, and every subscriber receives the same items so no one is subjected to box envy. Not sure about their customer service as I've never had to contact them! Only problem is I'm not as crazy over the brands as I am over some of the brands other boxes offer, so I've had mixed feelings over some of the items I've received from LHI.

I Love This Box - FANTASTIC customer service, great value in each box thus far, great packaging and the boxes have been really fun, I've loved the items from each box I've received thus far.

Bellabox - Also great customer service, great value in each box (I have LOVED at least one item from each box this far), but I was a bit disappointed in the last box. I like but don't love the brands associated with them.

Glossybox - Oh, where do I begin...consistently problematic EVERY SINGLE MONTH, with atrocious customer service, although this has improved a great deal in the past one month. All the same, I have had trouble with each box I've received, and have yet to receive my February box or tracking notice despite others having received theirs days ago. Also very disappointed because everyone seems to receive different items, so there is unfair loading with some people getting fabulous boxes and others receiving crappy items. I love the brands associated with them but shoddy service is really going to sway me away from continuing my subscription. My February box is definitely going to be the deciding factor with this subscription.

I'm going to make my decision after I receive all my boxes for the month, so stay tuned to see what I finally decide to do.

What did you think of the box? Would you choose a box based on loyalty or based on the brands it's associated with?

Much love,
MM.
x

Surprise haul!

Hello lovelies,

I got to work yesterday all frazzled after battling with rush hour traffic to find a wonderful surprise, not one, but four parcels on my desk! It really added a lift to my day and put a smile on my face! I couldn't wait to blog about it but just didn't have the time as I went to the Incubus concert last night at Festival Hall, here in Melbourne (which was fantastic, but has convinced me I'm getting a bit too old for general admission, I think).

Anyhoo, here's what I received; a Mirenesse lipstick I won in a 'free kiss' competition, a Mirenesse Valentine's Day set I purchased last week (containing a contour palette, lip gloss and lipstick), a nail polish from Cherry Culture to replace a faulty product (you can read more about it here), and a special edition Bellabox from a competition Bellabox and Primped were running a few months ago! I actually almost didn't even enter, and I didn't have much faith in winning, but it was a great surprise! Guess it's true what they say about having to be in it to win it! Let's have a look at some photos, shall we?!

My parcel stash!

Mirenesse goodies and Nyx Girls polish in Gilded Glitter.

L-R: Gilded Glitter polish, contour palette (2 blushers, highlighter and
bronzer) and Viva Eternal Gloss in Sexy Starlet.

French Kiss Lip Cocktail lipstick in Mai Tai (R) and Red Lotus (L). 

Bellabox packaging.

The special Bellabox prize with goodies taken from the best of the Nov and Dec boxes.

L-R: Batiste Blush dry shampoo, OCC Lip tar in 'grandma', twistbands, Lancome Visionnaire serum, Ozotic Elytra nail polish #530, Elemis papaya peel, Orofluido hair elixir, Gatineau day/night serum, and Madly Kenzo perfume.

Madly Kenzo perfume, what a gorgeous bottle!

So there you have it, my surprise Tuesday haul! I was especially thrilled with the Bellabox because I missed out on getting the Kenzo perfume the last time. I was actually considering buying it so this will give me a chance to wear it a while and decide if I want to purchase it. I'm also happy to get the dry shampoo, it's such a handy thing to have (although it's not my favourite scent but I'll still use it), the Orofluido is the perfect size to pop in my travel bag and the twist bands will always be handy (I actually bought some from Bellabox not too long ago). As for the serums/peel, I handed previous samples to my mum, but I've been thinking of giving it a try so these arrived at a good time!

Oh, and a quick note, the Mirenesse lipsticks are really good, they look lovely on and they're quite moisturising. I'm planning on doing my make up tomorrow with the contour palette and one of the lippies, so I'll try and post a photo if I do. :)

So, my verdict? Completely thrilled with this box, which is supposed to have the best items from the November and December boxes ( articularly as I received several items that I missed out on from my subscriptions), so thank you, Primped and Bellabox! :)

Don't you love receiving surprise goodies in the mail?

Love,
MM.
x

NOTD - Rimmel Cranberry Surprise

Hi lovelies!

My goodness, I can't believe it's been five days since my last post. I've so many things to share but geez, has it been busy. I was away for the weekend with some girlfriends on a girly road trip, it was really good fun but it hasn't left me much time to blog!

Anyway, I just wanted to share my road trip manicure with you. I used Rimmel Cranberry Surprise from the Rimmel gift with purchase (GWP) set which I blogged about here. I'd had my eye on it for a while as it looked like the perfect scarlet shade, so when the GWP popped up, I decided it was fate! It's from the 'fruities' collection, which means that the polish has a lovely scent that lingers well until the next day. It's rather a pleasant change from the usual nail polish scent.

I also just wanted to mention that the brush is pretty good and really helps with an even application. The formula of the polish is also great, I only needed 2 coats with my usual base/top coat. And lastly, it wears pretty well...I managed to get 4 days out of it without any chipping (despite spending a good 45 minutes soaking in a tub on Saturday morning) and the only reason I took it off was because I couldn't wait to try on a new polish I just got (more on that in another post soon to follow).

Anyway, here we go with photos in as many different light settings as I could scrounge up. I find that the colour looks different in each light setting, with how it looks in full sunlight being my absolute favourite.

Artificial light

Artificial light

Natural light

Natural light

In full sunlight

In full sunlight

In full sunlight

There you have it, lovelies...what did you think of it? I think it's such a cheerful colour it made me feel happy every time I caught a glimpse of it. Have you tried the 'fruities' yet? If so, did you like the scent? I'm looking forward to trying the other four in the collection.

Much love,
MM.
x

David Jones Autumn 2012 Beauty Catalogue

Hello lovelies!

The David Jones Beauty Catalogue for Autumn 2012 came out yesterday, and I just couldn't wait to pop online and check out what interesting gifts with purchase (GWP) and special promotions they had on! It's usually pretty exciting stuff, and this season was no exception. The heritage tote containing a selection of miscellaneous goodies is available again, although it's been only about 5 months since the last one was out.

David Jones Beauty Book - Autumn 2012
with Miranda Kerr on the cover.

If you're interested, and unable to pop into a store to pick up a copy of the beauty book, you can view it online here. Now, to be completely honest with you, I did think I preferred last year's Spring 2011 Beauty Catalogue, but that's mainly because it had more make up deals as compared to this season's. I happened to drop by DJ Melbourne yesterday after work to check out the deals in person, and so, I've put together a list of my top six most interesting and best value deals. In no particular order, they are:

• Estee Lauder GWP

Spend $75 or more and receive a seven piece gift set with your choice of cleanser, moisturiser, serum, eye cream, eyeshadow palette and lipstick, all nicely packaged in a pretty cosmetic bag.

• Jurlique GWP

Purchase 2 or more facial skincare products and receive a skin care gift valued at $175, containing the wrinkle softening cream, daily exfoliating cream and purely age defying eye cream.

• Rimmel London GWP

Spend $20 across the range and get a free Rimmel nail polish set valued at $29.75.
(I have to confess I was actually lusting after four of these shades, so I snapped this up quick smart. I bought the new Scandaleyes mascara and a friend purchased a nail polish, so together we managed to hit $20.)

Rimmel polish set with cranberry zest, lemon drop,
hot and spicy,  lively lilac and strawberry fizz. 

• Comvita Promotion

Buy one product and receive the second one free!

• Bloom Value Beauty Bag

For $49.95 receive $105 worth of beauty buys, comprising cosmetic bag, eyebrow duo with pencil and gel, black eye definer, Boost lip balm in mango tango and top selling make up wipes and blotting paper.
(I have these, they're pretty good and so handy for carrying with you on the go).

• Heritage Deluxe Sampler 

Includes a cute heritage tote with button clasp, Aromatherapy Co diffuser (choice of two scents), DJ lemongrass sea salt scrub, DJ wild orange and jasmine body butter, mini OPI lacquer (miscellaneous colours), and choice of either: A'kin pure man scrub/face wash, Ultraceuticals moisturiser, Crabtree and Evelyn hand therapy cream in Iris, and Elizabeth Arden daily moisturiser; OR, MOR hand cream (miscellaneous fragrances), ROC anti-age/anti-wrinkle moisturiser, Elizabeth Arden skincare trio and NP set pre-foundation primer. 
(I got this too, I was a bit iffy about it but I figured I'd use the diffuser, scrub, polish, body butter and hand cream, at the very least, so it was good value. I have one piece of advice if you're a bit iffy about this tote and are not sure if you should get it...walk around DJ's and have a bit of a sniff at the products in the tote, so you can pick the items with scents that most appeal to you. Also, make sure you check all the bags as the OPI colours are all different. I definitely saw a glitter/flakie topcoat and the Pirates of the Caribbean range minis in some of the bags. If you will use at least 3 of the products in the bag, it's a great value buy).

Heritage tote bag with button clasp.

DJ Body butter and body scrub, Aromatherapy Co diffuser in
lavender and rosemary, and blue mini OPI polish.

MOR hand cream in neroli clementine, ROC moisturiser,
NP set primer, and Elizabeth Arden skincare trio.

Some other fantastic offers and promotions to look forward to:

• Visit the Bobbi Brown counter to try their high shimmer lip glosses and receive a sample of the Extra Eye Repair Cream. 

(I personally went to check this out as I love Bobbi Brown products, and the lip gloss is no exception. I'm also looking for an eye cream so this was a great chance to trial a new product, the sample is quite generous at 2.5 ml, too)!

BB eyecream sample.

BB eyecream sample.

• Visit the Shu Uemura counter to get a customised skincare consultation and a sample of their famous cleansing oil. 

(I cannot tell you how much I love their cleansing oils, it's my Holy Grail make up remover and I will be doing a post on it soon. If you haven't tried it yet, you simply must go into a store and pick up a sample)!

• Visit the Clinique counter for a customised skincare consultation and receive a complimentary 3 pack containing three 15 ml products.

There you have it, what did you think of this season's beauty catalogue? Do any of these appeal to you? What will you be getting?

Much love,
MM.
x

Guest blogging special by Beauty in a Bottle!

Hello lovelies!

Boy, do I have a fantastic treat for you. A few days ago, I had the zany (?) idea of trading guest blogging stints with fellow bloggers. One of my favourite beauty bloggers, Ms Beauty in a Bottle, decided it sounded like a fun idea, and so we decided to do a quick stint guest blogging on each other's blogs! So, without further ado, please give her a warm welcome as you read her blog post below on make up tips for pale skin! 

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Hi, all you lovely readers,

Today I am doing a guest post for the lovely MM. She came up with a great idea of getting bloggers to do a special post on another bloggers site, so you can get a different voice and get to read someone else’s opinions and knowledge. I blog over at Beauty In A Bottle. My blog is on everything and anything that related to beauty.

As great as it would be to try every product/style/colour out there, certain things just won’t work. So my post is going to be about pale skin. The lovely MM has gorgeous skin but it’s hard for her to trial products made for pale skin. Just like I can’t try products for darker skin!

So here are some important things to know about pale skin tones…

Red doesn’t always look cool

When your skin is pale, redness is much more noticeable. It is also much harder to conceal. You can either cancel or conceal the redness. To try and cancel it out, use green. Natio, Clinique and Napoleon Perdis all do great redness concealers. Unless it is a green based moisturiser, don’t put it all over your face, as they are usually thick and therefore much harder to conceal if it is ALL over your face.

Try not to do anything to your face that will cause more redness. If you want to exfoliate, either use a gentle one, or if you still go red no matter what products you use, exfoliate at night.

Cate Blanchett.

Ace Your Base

Always make sure you protect your skin by using a sunscreen. Fair skin is much more sensitive, and you will get burnt easily. Even if you might not be playing in the sun, you still get sun exposure from being in a car, walking from the train station into work or getting your lunch at a nearby café.

If you don’t like foundation, tinted moisturisers and BB creams are fantastic for evening up your skin tone. They aren’t heavy, or obvious, but just make your skin look that bit more even toned.

Emma Stone.

Eyes

Most colours will look great on a pale complexion. The only colour to steer clear away from is yellow and red as it can make you look like you’re sick or have blood shot eyes. If you want to perk up your complexion, a pop of a blue based eye shadow looks great. Colours like aqua and lavender look amazing and help to brighten up the skin. A soft smokey eye looks great in browns, navy or charcoal.

Evan Rachel Wood.

Bronzer

Make sure you don’t apply bronzer on with a heavy hand. You don’t want to look like you are going to a dress up party as Snookie! Either apply a soft coloured Bronzer, or use a face tanner to give you a bit more colour. Just remember to make sure the rest of your body also has tanner on.

Rachel McAdams.

Blush

Always make sure you have blush on. It doesn’t have to be a loud colour, just a soft colour will give your face a nice glow and stop you from looking washed out. A tint is great for a sheer colour. Soft peaches/apricots and pinks look natural but beautiful against pale skin.

Leighton Meester.

Lips

Since colour looks striking against pale skin, go crazy with any colour you want on your lips.

But there are two things to remember….

Firstly always exfoliate your lips, especially if they are your focal point. Secondly if you want a “nude” lip, always make sure it has a pink tinge otherwise you will look washed out and have no colour on the bottom half of your face.

All you pale skinned girls, what are your favourite looks to wear? Do you embrace being pale, or hide it under a (fake) tan?

I really hope you enjoyed todays guest post!

XO

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Wow, that was a fantastic post on make up tips for pale skin, thank you so much for contributing, Beauty in a Bottle! I do hope y'all enjoyed reading her tips, do hop on over to her blog and check things out, she has some wonderful tips to share!

Much love,
MM.
x