I went through a phase a little while back of obsessing over the Mecca nail polish range. I’ve since gotten over that obsession and I don’t think I’ve purchased a new shade in over a year or so. The colours that I do already own from their range though, are beautiful. ‘Audrey’ is one of my favourite cool-weather shades, and it’s a lot more beautiful in person than what shows in the image above. In fact, this colour is so pretty that at least 3 of my friends have gone out and purchased this after seeing me wear it. Not bad, huh?

The Carol’s Daughter Rosemary & Mint Clarifying Shampoo & Conditioner have been on my wishlist for what feels like forever, but in reality since I received sample sized packets of them both with a Sephora order. I held off from buying these for quite a while because I need shampoo & conditioner like I need a third elbow, but I saw them pop up on Strawberrynet & I jumped at the chance to buy them without having to pay a billion dollars to parcel-forward them from the US. I also ordered a mega sized bottle of Dermalogica Special Cleanse from Strawberrynet, because I am getting close to finishing the bottle I already have and it’s the facial cleanser I use 95% of the time (iron clad justification). I’m down to the last few drops of my beloved Givenchy Photo Perfexion Foundation and went into a mild state of panic when I realised that the back up I had ordered from Strawberrynet a month or so ago had never arrived (and the payment had been refunded back into my account without so much as an emailed notification but whatever). Thankfully Sephora finally had my shade back in stock, so I ordered a bottle alongside the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner to replace my close-to-being-completely-dry NYX Felt Tip Liner and also some Boscia blotting papers because a gal like me can never have too many blotting papers. So really the only completely unnecessary purchase here was the shampoo & conditioner combo, and I really wanted those so I’m not going to be too hard on myself. Now onto more mindless spending.

So the money that I mentioned being returned into my account earlier? This is where it went. I cannot justify these purchases in any way shape or form because I have enough vegan body products stored in my cupboard that I could probably turn to them as a food source in the event of an apocalypse (note: if I mention the impending apocalypse too much, let me know). So that’s it! My fall from grace well documented and now we’re ready to move forward. I’ve finished up some more big ticket P50P items so there will be a Pan update coming up in the next week or so.

This is one Essie shade that I’d never heard of before ordering it from OzSale a few months back (and with a name like that, you’d think I would have). It’s a beautiful deep red shade with a hint of shimmer to it. And let that sentence forever stand as a testament to how crap I am at describing nail polish shades. In any case, it’s a pretty colour and perfect for the cooler months.

Aside from the nail polish that I literally wore throughout the entire month of March, I really struggled to find products that I would consider favourites. March, as it seems, was as blah as always. Nevertheless I managed to rustle up a few of my most-used products for the month, and they were: Flourish Bath & Body Almond Milk Body Lotion, OPI for Sephora Metro Chic Nail Polish, Flourish Bath & Body Brown Sugar Perfume Oil, Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner & Davroe Lemon Grass Detangler.

I’ve literally had this colour on my nails non-stop since the beginning of March. My grandmother brought it back from me after her trip to the USA last year, and I’ve only just opened up the bottle as it’s the start of Autumn and time to start wearing these sorts of shades. This is pretty much the perfect mushroom purple/grey colour, so if you’re lucky enough to live in the US or are able to get someone to ship it to you – I suggest doing so ASAP!

The Lust Have It selection for March was pretty impressive and there are 2-3 products in here that I know I’ll get some use out of. I’ve been toying with the idea of of cancelling my subscription for a while now but I just can’t resist the lure of having a parcel arrive once a month, especially when I’ve cut back so much on all of the other online shopping that I do. Included in this month’s box were: Karpati Dito Nail Lacquer $19.95 for 8ml, Mirenesse Pearl Crush Creaseless Shadow $29.95 for full size, Davroe Moisture Senses Argan Oil $23.95 for 50ml, 1Skin Solutions Lip Balm in Vanilla $9.90 for 5g, Kosmea Replenishing Moisture Cream $49.95 for 50ml.

]]> http://thebellelumiere.net/2012/03/18/lust-have-it-march-2012/feed/ 12 Belowen http://thebellelumiere.net/2012/03/04/mini-haul/ http://thebellelumiere.net/2012/03/04/mini-haul/#comments Sun, 04 Mar 2012 02:00:24 +0000 Jessica http://thebellelumiere.net/?p=6917 ]]>

Due to Project 50 Pan, this post should have been called ‘things I bought but probably shouldn’t have’ but oh well, we all slip sometimes. I purchased the Aquolina Pink Sugar fragrance on a whim after receiving a sample of it with a Sephora order, and I don’t really know what I was thinking. I also purchased Taylor Swift’s fragrance ‘Wonderstruck’ in rollerball form and although it’s incredibly sweet, I love it. I finally purchased MAC’s Trax eyeshadow, after wanting it for over a year now and last but not least I bought a replacement Lancome Hypnose Mascara for when the tube I’m currently using runs out. Not too bad as far as hauls go, but not great. There are three things here that I could have easily lived without, but three unnecessary things purchased in three months isn’t too bad.

Lust Have It took a sabbatical at the beginning of the year, so I was happy to return from my Bali trip to find the the Lust Have It February box delivered and ready to be opened. It was filled with annoying shredded paper (as always) and the following beauty goodies: Taut Collagen Infusion Mask $44.95 for 5 pack (I am wary to try this after receiving the Taut shark cartilage drink in an earlier box. Just… no.), Davroe Tame Lemongrass Detangler $21.50 for 315ml (probably the most interesting product for me in this month’s box), Sasy N Savy Rose Lavender Hand N Nail Repair Cream $25 for 100ml (worst brand name ever), LUSH Sugar Scrub $6.50 for 100ml (I am looking forward to trying this, despite the botanical scent) & Lancome Juicy Tube $46 for 14g (the only product I’ve tried previously, and look forward to using again). What are your thoughts on this month’s box?

11 - Original & Mineral Fine Intellect Shampoo
12 - The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner
13 - Wella Enrich Moisturising Treatment
14 - Bloom Vanilla Bean Scented Soap
15 - Haus of Gloi Litchi Milk Tea Pumpkin Butter

I’m plodding along gradually with the products that I’m using up, and I slipped and ‘accidentally’ purchased a few things, so I’m not doing that well with sticking to the plan. Having said that, my spending has slowed down a LOT in regards to beauty products since starting this challenge. So far, so good!