March Favourites!

It's that time of the month, the time to go over and recognize those products I've been loving and sharing them with the world.

This month has been a mixture of extreme heat and extreme rain. No in betweens, just extremes, great right?

I thought I'd so something a little different this month and also include a music, book and perfume favourite at the very end, let me know what you guys think about that.

Foundation and concealer have been key this month as my skin went through a mini freak out. I broke out like crazy and was left with some not so pretty scars. This month I rediscovered my love for the Revlon Photoready foundation, I've had this for a while and I go back and forth with it, I really love the colour selection and the coverage but some days I feel like it can look cakey. However this month this foundation has been my holy grail, I haven't worn any other foundation and I really like how it blurred those pesky imperfections.

Teamed with this foundation I have also been using my Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer. I've been using this for highlighting under the eyes and on those spots that need extra coverage. Now you might think that this concealer would highlight the imperfections but I found it helped hide them perfectly.

To finish and set the foundation plus adding that extra bit of coverage I've been using the Australis Fresh and Flawless powder. I love this powder, it's always in my purse for touch ups, It's got really good coverage, sometimes I wear it on it's own and it makes my skin look amazing. The only downside would be the colour range isn't very big, so if you're pale or darker that I am you wont find a colour match. Maybe Australis will expand the selection eventually as it's one of their best selling products and it's very comparable to the M.A.C studio fix powder.

On my lips I've switched to darker berry tones and I've pulled out one of my all time favourite lipsticks, 'Forever Red' from W7 cosmetics! It's a beautiful deep berry with silver sparkles, and it suits all skin tones, I literally have used this colour on all my friends and it looks amazing.

On the eyes this month I've been using gold tones, especially the colour 'Galaxy' from this Playboy 'Ultimate Sultry Smokey Eyes' palette. I just brush it over the lids and blend it softly into the crease, apply liner and mascara and I'm done.

For skincare this month I've loved the 'Byphasse Make up remover solution'. It's not oily and removed even waterproof make up, it doesn't irritate my eyes and my skin feels soft and refreshed when I use it. You don't have to rinse your skin after using this but I always cleanse my skin anyway with my Avene clearance gel cleanser.

For Perfume this month I've found myself going for one of my all time favourite perfumes (it's becoming my signature smell, I use it ALL the time) One Directions 'Our moment' perfume. Whenever I wear this I always get compliments on how good  I smell, I really like that I can wear it during the day and night, it's perfect for all year round. I'm super excited to try out the new 'That moment' perfume that they're releasing soon, I hope it smells just as good.

Take a look at the hilarious commercial for it below;

My book favourite this month has been Vampire Academy, I reread the entire series in preparation for the movie (hilarious, go watch it), although in my opinion the books are way better. I fell in love with Rose's antics and Christian all over again. A very good series, have a read if you already haven't.
I also recommend reading, Divergent and the Maze runner series, both have been made into movies so keep an eye out!

Lastly here are the top 5 songs I've been listening to non stop this month;
(click to hear the songs)
5 seconds of summer - She looks so perfect
Rixton - Me and my Broken heart
Dan + Shay - 19 + you and me
McFly - All about you
Daughtry - Waiting for Superman

Hope you've had a great month, here's to April!
xo Sam

January Beauty Favourites 2014

I don't know about you, but January flew past for me! One minute it was here and the next it was over! Anyway I know this post is a bit late, but hey! I've been busy :)

So let's get into it! Here are my January Beauty Favourites;

(From L - R; Australis Colour Inject Lipstick in 'Gangsta Rap', Revlon Lip butter in 'Juicy Papaya', Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation in 'Soft Beige', Avene Thermal Spring Water, W7 Light Diffusing Concealer, Rimmel Scandaleyes waterproof pencil '012 Bronze', Australis Velourlips Matte lip cream in 'NY-Cee' & 'TOK-I-O', Bourjois blush in 'Golden Rose/Rose d'Or', Ben Nye Blush in 'Victorian Rose', Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in 'Black Drama')

Let's Start out with the Rimmel Products!

First up is the Wake Me Up Foundation.

I love this foundation, it gives me a radiant glow and I find it lasts well and I don't need to powder it on my dry skin. It perfects my imperfections and I get a lot of compliments on my skin when I wear it. I find that I haven't worn much foundation during January as it was way too hot here in Australia but on those days when I did, particularly on work days, I found it lasted at least 5-6 hours. Now this foundation does have specks of glitter in it, but I find that like the Revlon Photo Ready foundation you cannot see the sparkles unless you are under direct sunlight and have someone staring at your face up close!

The next Rimmel product I've been loving is the Rimmel ScandaleyesWaterproof pencil in 012 Bronze.

Boy is that a mouth full! Anyway, I've been loving this on my waterline instead of black, or all over the lid for a bronze smokey look. I find that the pencil really lasts a long time and I still have it on at the end of the day.

Nothing much else to say really. 

Check out the swatch below!

Now you'll probably get tired of hearing me rave about this but the next favourite is from Avene and it's their Thermal Spring Water spray. I love this stuff, I use it on hot days when I need a pick up, before bed, after my shower, after I remove my make up. It's just a great spray. I'm not quite sure what it is about it but it really helps my skin brighten up and feel refreshed!

Australis has been releasing some really great products recently, and I've added quite a few to my collection. Good Job! But of course being the lip junky that I am, I have 3 lip products that have made it into my favourites for this month!

Let's start with the Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in 'Gangsta Rap'

I love the Australis Lipsticks, they're moisturising and have gorgeous shades (and they're cruelty free and an Aussie brand!) so when I saw this beautiful purple lipstick I just had to have it. Purple Lips are really on trend at the moment, I find anyone can wear a purple lip, as long as you have confidence and find a shade that suits you!

Gangsta Rap is a great shade in my opinion as it's purple but not too purple (like the Tok-i-o shade) so it's great for those who don't want to fully commit but still follow the trend! 

I find that it's a gorgeous summer colour that I've been rocking for most the month unless I was wearing what I'm about to talk about next.

The next two lip products from Australis are their brand new Lip Velours! These babys are AH-MAZING, they're matte,really stay on for hours , albeit they are a bit drying on my lips. There is a nice selection of colours ranging from nudes to pink, red and purple, so basically a colour for everyone, you can even mix the shades! I find they don't transfer too much so they'd be perfect for Valentines day *wink wink*.

Once again good job Australis!

The only other thing I have worn on my lips this month is from Revlon and that is their Lip butter in Juicy Papaya. A gorgeous peach shade that Tanya Burr featured in her favourites that I immediately went out and bought. (PS check our Tanya Burrs Lip and Nail collection on feelunique.com) 

Below are some swatches of all the lip products mentioned!

(From L-R; Juicy Papaya, Gangsta Rap, TOK-I-O, NY-CEE)

For Mascara I've been loving the Maybelline the Falsies. It just makes my lashes look amazing, its really great and I recommend you try if you already haven't.

For undereye concealer I've been loving the W7 light diffusing concealer. It has a peach undertone that cancels out any darkness and really highlights under my eyes! Not to mention the packaging reminds me of the YSL Touche Eclat, however this concealer only comes in one shade, so if your dark skinned this will look ashy.

And Finally the last two favourites are blushes!

I've been loving pairing these two together for a beautiful glow this month. The first blush is from Bourjois and its one of their little round pot blushers. I've had this blush for ages and I love wearing it out, it just gives the prettiest glow on the cheeks. It's a light rosey pink with gold running through it, fitting as it's name is 'Golden Rose'. It's a gorgeous colour that would suit anyone with a fair to medium complexion.

The other blush is from Ben Nye and from my professional kit. The shade is 'Victorian Rose' (Can you tell I've been loving rose blushes this month? ha!) It's just the perfect, just flushed colour for my cheeks and I just wear it a lot to be quite honest. Ben Nye blushes are highly pigmented though so if you do decide to check them out, remember to apply with a light hand!

(Top - Bottom; Golden Rose, Victorian Rose)

So there you have it, my January beauty favourites!

I hope you enjoyed, let me know what you're favourites were!

xoS