It is a true testament to how amazing Adele is, that one of my closest girlfriends is now a super fan of her work (yes, SUPER FAN). I have never known this particular friend to love a specific musician or style of music but a couple of weekends ago her super-fan status of Adele was revealed. She had spotted Adele in the “ups and downs” column of one of our local newspapers and investigated her music to see what the fuss was about. She now knows all of the words to Adele’s songs, the back history of each song and has spent hours watching videos of her performances on YouTube. SUPER FAN status achieved. I was first introduced to the music of Adele after listening to her rendition of “Make You Feel My Love” (aka the most beautiful song in the history of the world) and after having her latest album (’21′ for those playing at home) on constant repeat I am close approaching SUPER FAN status myself. Not sure what the fuss is about? Please do yourself a favour and listen to this woman sing:
May 30, 2011
May Empties / Project 10 Pan Update
I have decided to upgrade my Project 10 Pan to a Project 20 Pan. I have already finished up 7 full sized products in one month (and accidentally bought 3 new ones, shh…) so I figure I might as well go all in for the long haul. Finished up in May:
01: Sebastian Hydre Shampoo
02: Sebastian Hydre Conditioner
03: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Orchid & Coconut Milk Shampoo
04: Yves St Laurent Touche Eclat
05: Givenchy Photo Perfexion Foundation
06: Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover
07: Neutrogena Oil-Free Fresh Moisture Ultra Light Moisturiser
Samples: Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask
Not a bad effort for one month!
May 28, 2011
Product Review: Face Of Australia Loose Powder
Until very recently, I had come to the solid conclusion that The Body Shop loose powder would take reign as my holy grail of loose powder. Enter the Face Of Australia Loose Powder in Outback Translucent. After I started using this powder, it took me a little while to figure out why my makeup was looking so much better and lasting longer throughout the day. And then I realised that I hadn’t changed anything else in my basic face routine except for the powder. (And yes, I have been wearing this face powder every day since making that discovery…) The powder is lightweight, finely milled and the shade Outback Translucent is perfect for those with super fair skin like myself. I must admit that the packaging is not ideal, as with most powders housed in this sort of jar all of the product seems to migrate to the top section of the container which can make for a whole lot of mess when you twist the top off. To combat this I would suggest leaving the plastic seal on the inner lid and cutting a small section of the seal off, or poking a few of the holes open with a pin to stop too much product escaping. All in all this product is great value for money, as the Face of Australia Loose Powder in Outback Translucent retails for $11.95 AUD and it really seems like this powder will last a lifetime. Check the Face of Australia website for a stockist near you. (note: I was sent this product for consideration for review)
May 27, 2011
Product Review: TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Thickening Gel Creme
Allow me to introduce to you to something that will henceforth be known as a ‘miracle product’, the TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Thickening Gel Creme. I initially heard about this product through a review on Holly’s blog “Am I There Yet” in which Holly posted beautiful pictures of herself with glorious Victoria’s Secret Model-esque hair (see here and be jealous). On a fanciful whim where I imagined that I too could have such glorious hair, I impulse purchased all of the products Holly mentioned in her review. I was pleasantly surprised by the results because this product actually works. And it works well. My somewhat lifeless hair actually had something happening. It had body. There was movement. My flat head syndrome wasn’t as obvious. This was officially a miracle product. The consistency of the “Gel Creme” is definitely more gel than creme. It comes out of the pump top bottle aa a light purple gel that smells sweet but definitely reminds me of hair gel. (I realise this probably makes no sense, hopefully someone understands what I mean by this.) To use I simply pump a small amount of product into my hands, run it through damp hair, blow dry and voila. Good hair. The TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Thickening Gel Creme is currently available for purchase from Strawberrynet for $22.50 AUD.
May 25, 2011
Wardrobe Wednesday: ASOS/Shopbop Haul
I was planning on doing a feature on my earring collection (as requested by Claire), but taking into consideration the fact that I threw even more money at ASOS and Shopbop over the past week or so I figured I might as well share my purchases with the world.
(In my defense, every single item I purchased was on sale…) I had been looking for a nice pair of wedge heeled closed toe ankle boots for a while, so when I saw the above pair on ASOS I couldn’t resist. I also had the leopard print scarf saved in my to-buy folder on my bookmarks and lo and behold when I searched for it, it was on sale. Bonus. The top I was up in the air about, but I thought it would be nice & easy to throw on over jeans with flats to wear to the movies or something like that. So into the basket it went. I also broke all of my wardrobe shopping rules and impulse bought some jeggings (don’t judge me) despite them being the absolute wrong style of jeans for my body type. I had to buy something to push me over the $100 mark to qualify for free international shipping, so I also ordered this baggy jumper to wear over the jeggings to save the world the sight of me in jean style leggings.
May 24, 2011
Beauty Haul: MAC, Urban Decay, Laura Mercier, Benefit & Chanel
This was my “last hurrah” splurge before embarking on Project 10 Pan recently. Any beauty obsessed girl worth her salt knows about the now cult-status Naked Palette from Urban Decay. They will also know that this precious gem has been sold out for A VERY LONG TIME. Granted, I could have traded one of my organs for enough cash to buy one from someone selling them on ebay but miracle of miracles Sephora decided to get them in stock. And lo and behold… They are still in stock. Also shown in this haul: MAC Lustre Lipstick in Lustering, MAC Fashionflower Beauty Powder in Apha Girl, MAC Cremeblend Blush in So Sweet, So Easy, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Adventure, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Bonheur, Benefit D’Finer D’Liner, the Laura Mercier Silk Road Eye and Cheek Palette and a tube of the Mirenesse Sexy Secret Weapon Mascara which was a gift from Adore Beauty.
May 22, 2011
Product Review: The Jojoba Company Jojoba Bead & Bamboo Facial Exfoliant
I have a am developing a deep love for The Jojoba Company. Though this is only the second product I have officially reviewed so far, I am loving the entire range of products that was sent to me for review. The Jojoba Company Jojoba Bead & Bamboo Facial Exfoliant is currently my favourite exfoliant that I have on rotation. As I already use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant quite a bit during the week I try not to overdo it with any other exfoliation products. The Jojoba Bead & Bamboo Exfoliant is a manual exfoliant, which means there are little grainy bits in the product that scrub away to remove dead skin cells. The first time I used this product I used it in the shower and for some reason my face felt like it was reacting negatively to the scrub. I was sure that when I stepped out of the shower my face was going to be beet red, but it wasn’t. It was ghost white as always and looked freshly scrubbed and clean. Ever since that first use, I have not experienced the same sensation when using the product so I’m really not sure what that little episode was about. Having said that and despite this product being recommended for sensitive skin, I would recommend those of you with sensitive skin try a sample of this product before investing in the full size tube just to be on the safe side. One of my favourite things about the Jojoba Company products I’ve tried so far is that my skin doesn’t feel “stripped” in any sort of way after using them. Apparently you can also leave the Exfoliant on for 10-15 minutes for a luxury treatment face mask. I am yet to try the product in this way, but it does sound divine. The Jojoba Company Jojoba Bead & Bamboo Facial Exfoliant retails for $34.95 AUD and you can search for a local stockist on the Jojoba Company website. (note: I was sent this product for consideration for review)
