Thursday, January 31, 2013

Mad about "Mod About You" by OPI

Wow! Definitely going to become one of my holy grail nailpolishes - I absolutely love this colour!!

The first coat was a little streaky (as I've noticed with creamy pastels) but the second coat fixes that all up.

I ordered this polish on Catch Of the Day along with some other OPIs for $10 a bottle! Can't wait to try them all!  

Monday, January 28, 2013

FOTD! Wedding Guest makeup

Yesterday, two of my beautiful friend's were wed! They had a beautiful Hindu-Jewish wedding and I felt so blessed to be a part of it!

I wanted to share my FOTD with you guys! I went for very simple makeup with thick eyeliner and lashes and a pop of colour on my lips - this look is fail safe!! I also swept my hair to one side and curled the ends.

Hope you guys are enjoying your Australia Day long weekend!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Review time! The Clarisonic Mia

 I was lucky enough to trial the Clarisonic Mia from beautyheaven.  The Clarisonic is a device used as part of your daily cleansing skincare ritual and 'scrubs' the impurities, dirt and grime from your face in a more effective manner than simply using your hands or a washcloth.  The technology in the Clarisonic is similar to that of an electric toothbrush, with micro movements of the brush head.  As per the official Clarisonic website, it offers the following:

- Removes 6X more makeup than manual cleansing
- Leaves skin feeling and looking smoother
- Removes impurities that keep creams and serums from working their best
- Gentle enough to use twice a day
- Reduces oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes
- Minimizes the appearance of visible pores.

Now the Clarisonic has a very loyal following, so I had very high expectations and was super excited to try it out! My skin is normal/combination so I have an oily T-Zone otherwise I think my skin is pretty good - I usually receive compliments on my skin.  In terms of problem areas, I had some congestion on my forehead (little pimples) and also blackheads.  I've now been using the Clarisonic for two weeks, once a day (at night time).

Below is a before and after shot of my bare skin (i.e. no makeup!)...can you see the difference?

Here are my thoughts on the product!

Pros!
* Straight after using the Clarisonic, my skin felt super soft and this feeling lasted even the next morning.  As I kept using the Clarisonic, my skin didn't feel as soft as before, this could be because I was getting used to how soft my skin was feeling
* My moisturiser was being absorbed better, I think this also contributed to soft-feeling skin
* My skin felt very clean afterwards - similar to how it feels after exfoliating but not to that extent (as the Clarisonic is gentle enought to use twice a day!)
* My blackheads particularly around my nose has become less visible (hurray!)
* Very easy to use, only takes a minute out of your day 
* My skin is looking smoother!

Cons!
* My congestion on my forehead was still there. This could be attributable to other things, like weather (we have had a couple or ridic heatwaves in Sydney lately(!) causing me to sweat like crazy), seasonality, etc

I can't really comment on visible pores, as I think my pores are not very visible anyway.  Also, it would be difficult to tell if the oiliness or dry areas on my skin were reduced because it is summer in Australia at the moment, and I will be oily and sweaty on my face no matter what haha!

Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I'm giving the Clarisonic Mia a 4 out of 5 stars because my skin does feel more softer and cleaner, but given I have been using it for only two weeks, it is difficult to see any material changes on my bare skin.  I do think skincare products are being absorbed better and with makeup on, my skin also looks much smoother! I don't think I would repurchase though.

What do you think of the product?

Sunday, January 20, 2013

NOTD! After dinner mint by Face of Australia

I seriously cannot stop looking at my nails. I am in love with this colour! So I've had this polish lying on my makeup table for a while now but have been afraid to use it...silly me!

This mint is soo pretty - I love it! The first coat was a tad streaky, but the second coat fixed that all up!  The polish has a nice consistency too.  I definitely recommend After Dinner Mint by Face of Australia!

Hope you all had an awesome weekend! :)

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Huskisson B&B

Happy New Year! My first post for 2013 :) I hope you all had a fabulous break over Christmas and New Years, I can't believe it's back to the usual grind already!

I had a very enjoyable break, spending time and catching up with family and friends.  One of my highlights was definitely spending the last couple of days of 2012 in Huskisson with the hubby, about 2.5 hours drive down south from Sydney.  We stayed at Huskisson B&B which is a quaint, vintage cottage which has been renovated.  I absolutely loved all the decor - wish I had an eye for interior design!  The B&B is run by Kate and Steve, who are lovely, helpful and very hospitable - we looked forward to the breakfast every morning :)  We definitely recommend this B&B! We also visited Hyams beach which was amazing! Loved it!!