Candle Lust

Left to right: Slatkin & Co candles in Homemade Cookies and Frosted Cupcake (from Bath and Body Works) and Ecoya candle in Wild Frangipani

 

I loves me some luxury scented candles. I mean, I REALLY love them. If I had a load of money and enough room, I'd fill my house with them. Recently, I came into possession of three awesome candles:

First up are the two candles from Bath and Body Works; Homemade Cookies and Frosted Cupcake. Sent to me by my awesome friend Alyssa (as B&BW doesn't ship outside the US), these candles are perfect for someone who loves baking (like me). Both candles smell like yummy baked goods, all sweet, creamy and vanilla-like. And after browsing the selection of other candles on the site, I have decided that I need to make a trip to America and buy all the other candles I like the sound of.

The other candle is Wild Frangipani from the Australian/Kiwi brand Ecoya. I had a hard time picking which scent I wanted, as I have four favourites: Wild Frangipani, Vanilla Bean, French Pear and Sweetpea and Jasmine. I ended up picking Wild Frangipani, as it's a lovely, summery, tropical scent, so it's perfect for the current season (spring/summer). Had it been Autumn, I probably would have picked the warmer French Pear. The particular candle I purchased comes in a beautful jar with a wax seal on it, and it would look lovely sitting on a coffee table.

RIP Yummy Yummy Yummy and Chox Away

I am a very sad bunny. Why? Because two of my favourite Lush products, Yummy Yummy Yummy shower cream and Chox Away soap, have been discontinued.

Yummy Yummy Yummy has been a favourite of mine since I recieved a small bottle of it in a gift set. It's rich, thick, creamy and slightly scrubby, with a delicious strawberries and cream scent and lots of moisturising ingredients, so it made my skin feel super soft and smooth. I've already got a new favourite shower gel, the jasmine and honey scented Flying Fox, but it's not the same.

I've already mentioned Chox Away in my Auckland Haul post; I have since tried that chunk I bought, and part of me is now wishing that I had saved it instead of used it. It smells like the Mange Too massage bar and Honey Trap lip balm (my favourite), and has a lovely creamy lather (although it's not quite as creamy as Honey I Washed The Kids).

I can only hope that Lush brings out another shower gel and soap that are just as good, if not better. In the meantime, I'm going to stock up on as many bottles of Yummy Yummy Yummy and chunks of Chox Away as I can. If you'd like to try either of them, try ebay or swap with other Lush fans on any of the Lush forums.

Cute Cookie Charm!

Oops, I haven't posted for almost a month again. I blame being sick for that.
Last month, I purchased a cute little heart shaped cookie charm from a friend on deviantART.com, =kamijo. When the parcel arrived, inside was this little cutie:

Look at the texture! And the icing!

It has a cute little star stamped on the back!

What it looks like then worn:

I believe that there sre still some of these available, and they come in chocolate and vanilla (the chocolate was my favourite). Go and get one!

Lush Halloween/Day of the Dead Goodies

Hello all!

Since it's Halloween, I figured I should share with all of you my thoughts on the Halloween/Day of the Dead goodies I picked up at a Lush Halloween party I attended yesterday.

Left to right: Calavera bath ballistic, Lady Catrina soap and Calacas shower jelly

Each product has the same scent of neroli and lime.

I have unable to use the bath ballistic due to the fact that I do not have a bath, but the shop assistant told me that it makes the bath water turn several different colours before finally turning it green. The Lady Catrina soap looked rather festive in the shop (before it is cut up, it looks like a giant purple hat covered in flowers of various colours), although, as you can see, I didn't end up with a very colourful piece. Perhaps I can get the shop assistants to cut me a more colourful piece the next time I go in...

The final Halloween/Day of the Dead product (and the one I have been looking forward to getting the most) is the Calacas shower jelly, which comes in three different colours (green, yellow and orange) and looks like a sugar skull:

Happy Halloween everyone!

Hair Care Routine: L'Oreal Elvive

Hi again!

I decided that to make up for my lack of posting recently, I'd write a little review about my hair care routine.

Left to right: L'Oreal Smooth-Intense conditioner, shampoo and masque, and Re-Nutrition night serum

Before using these products, my hair had a tendency to dry out and go all frizzy, particularly this one patch of hair at the back of my head, which seemed to be dry, frizzy and crispy feeling all the time, even if I cut that part short. Normal supermarket shampoos and even some salon brand ones made this even worse, and no amount of conditioning would fix it. However, after one wash with the shampoo and conditioner, my hair remained soft and smooth until the next time I had to wash it, including that stubborn patch at the back! Using the masque produced even better results.

To top it all off, applying the night serum to my hair (it can be applied to both wet and dry hair) resulted in my hair being almost perfect when I woke up the next day, with hardly any knots in it! If that wasn't good enough, it was absorbed almost straight away after I applied it, and it didn't weight my hair down or make it greasy!

An additional bonus? All of these products are under $20! Now I can have more money to spend at Lush and MAC.

Orly Sweet Collection and Top2Bottom

Derp, I haven't updated in over a month.

Anyway, I promised that I would update if I got any of the nail polishes from Orly's Sweet Collection (mentioned in my last post), so here we go.

Left to right: Pixy Stix, Gumdrop, Cotton Candy, Lollipop, Snow Cone and Lemonade

As you can see, I got each colour from the collection. Strangely enough, Lemonade (a pastel yellow) was the most popular of the whole lot.

So far, I have tried Gumdrop, Pixy Stix and Snow Cone (which I am currently wearing). All of the colours have a shiny cream finish with no shimmer. So far, I have noticed that they dry quicker than other Orly nail colours, and that some of them require only two coats to get full coverage instead of three.

So far, my favourite out of the whole collection is Gumdrop (a turquoise blue):

Each nail polish comes with a mini lip gloss in a matching colour and scent:

Left to right: Cotton Candy, Lemonade, Snow Cone, Pixy Stix, Lollipop and Gumdrop

Before and after applying my Sweet Collection polish, I apply Orly's Top2Bottom Top and Bottom coat:

This stuff is an excellent money saver, as it can be used as both a top and bottom coat. It also prevents the polish from damaging the nails and adds lots of extra shine.

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully the next time I post, it won't be this time next month. ^^;

What I'm Loving Right Now: Candy Nail Polishes

Spring is upon us (well it is if you live in the Southern Hemisphere like me), and now is the perfect time to bring out brightly coloured nail polishes to banish the last of the Cold Weather Blues. Normally I choose to paint my nails with dark, vampy colours, such as navy blue, violet or red. At the moment, however, there is something about candy shades that I love right now. I'd love to buy all of the colours from Orly's new colour collection, "Sweet". Each polish comes with a mini lipgloss in a matching colour. Cute! You can find the collection here.

Another sweet collection is Up & Away by China Glaze. They have a bigger selection of colours in this collection, but I don't think this brand is available here (unfortunately). Their collection is here.

In addition, Revlon have released three new candy coloured shades: Minted (a mint green), Peach Petal (a peachy pink) and Lilac Pastelle (lilac, as the name suggests). You can also find a variety of candy shades among other nail polish brands, including OPI, which is one of my personal favourites. Hopefully I will be able to get one of the Orly polishes, although ideally I'd like to get the whole lot. If I do get one (or all), I can guarantee that I will review them here.

Until next time! ♥

Shoe Lust

So normally I'm not that into shoes. For me, shoes are a "meh" accessory. On the rare occasion that I do end up liking a pair of shoes, I end up ruining them by walking through puddles or across muddy fields at university, and then they end up becoming Paddy's new favourite plaything (Paddy is my cat, he has a shoe fetish). Anyway, in town (and in all the other cities in NZ), there is a shop which sells the most divine leather handbags and shoes, by the name of Mi Piaci. I can attest to the quality of their products, as I own one of their handbags:

Anyway, as a previous customer, I received their Spring/Summer catalogue in the mail. I found some shoes I liked, and went in to have a look. I came out with these:

And, since those shoes were on sale, and they had a deal going where if you buy a pair of sale shoes, you get $50 of a pair of full price shoes, I also got these:

I am in love! And believe me, I am NOT going to be walking through mud and puddles while wearing these babies. And I already have my sights set on a lovely pair of evening shoes (these), which I hope to put on layby one day.

Oh, and about my kitty with the shoe fetish?

Yeah...

Feature: Escapist Fashion

I purchased a necklace from my awesome friend Megan's Etsy shop, Escapist Fashion. When it arrived in the mail, I was in for a treat. The necklace was wrapped up in light blue tissue paper, tied with a matching blue ribbon, sealed with red wax and accompanied by a lovely little card. It was so pretty that I was reluctant to open it! But I opened it without ruining the pretty wrapping, and I found this little beauty inside:

I've always wanted a bird nest necklace like that, and this is simply perfect. It's beautiful and exquisitely made, and the little medal and bird charm are lovely little touches. Thanks Megan! Expect more orders from me in the future! ♥

The Escapist Fashion shop can be  found here. You should totally buy something from there. *hint hint*

Mini MAC haul update

I have finally got around to posting an update on my mini MAC haul!

First up is the primer. As I mentioned before, it has a lovely light consistency (despite its creamy appearance), it goes on smoothly, absorbs excess oil and gives my skin a lovely, silky, shine free finish. In fact, it eliminates the need for powder (although I prefer to wear powder anyway). And since I forget to apply sunscreen most of the time (which is bad, I know), this will stop my face from getting sunburned during the warmer months.

Next up is the eyeshadow. It looks very pretty on the skin, with just the right amount of shimmer. It has quite a lot of pigment in it, but not so much that you need to be extra light handed with it. It's really easy to blend too. I'd love to try other MAC eyeshadows in the future.

Finally, the lipstick is also very pigmented, goes on smoothly and has a lovely satin finish. I prefer satin when it comes to lipstick finishes as it is not glossy, but not quite matte (which, if your whole makeup look is made up of matte products, can make your face look flat). To make it look even better, it is essential that you exfoliate your lips (you can make your own scrub using sugar and oil, but if you happen to be lazy like me, the scrubs made by Lush and Sara Happ are good alternatives) and apply lip balm, allowing it to sink in before you apply the lipstick.


To finish this post off, here is what the eyeshadow and lipstick look like when applied to the skin (please ignore the kitty scratch):

Lush Update: Sympathy for the Skin and Turkish Delight

So I finally got a chance to try out a couple of the Lush products (Sympathy for the Skin and Turkish Delight) I picked up in Auckland, so I figured I'd better update with a mini review of both of them. Please excuse my ugly bathroom.

First up is Turkish Delight. When I first scooped it out of the pot and squished it around in my hand, it felt thick and creamy, yet as light as a mousse dessert (if that makes sense). It says that it's an in-shower body polish, but I couldn't feel anything exfoliating in it, but that's alright. It felt like butter when I smoothed it on in the shower, and it turned out that I didn't need as much as I had scooped out (I only scooped out a small bit, and I only needed half of it to cover myself). When I rinsed it off, my skin felt all soft and smooth, so maybe there is some sort of exfoliator in it? It also made my skin (and the whole bathroom) smell good for hours.

After using Turkish Delight, I decided to make my skin extra soft by smoothing on some of my Sympathy for the Skin. Like Turkish Delight, I didn't need a whole lot to cover myself, and only a thin layer of it was enough to work its magic on me. My skin felt extra soft and smelled like a custard dessert after using it. The only downside is that you get covered with little vanilla seeds, although it's not that much of a problem.

And that is everything I have to say about them. Stay tuned for an update on the MAC stuff I bought, plus I will share with you a few products I ordered from the Lush UK site. ♥

Auckland shopping haul! Lush, MAC and other stuff

So yesterday I went on a lovely shopping trip up in Auckland, and I came back with a nice little haul of beauty goodies from Lush and MAC, plus my favourite foundation and a perfume I have been lusting after for ages.

Back row: Sympathy for the Skin body cream, Sweet Lips lip scrub and Turkish Delight shower smoothie. Front row: The Godmother, Chox Away and Honey I Washed The Kids soaps

First of all, I went to the Lush store in Queen Street and I kinda went overboard, but that's OK. Anyway, I ended up purchasing a body cream, a shower smoothie, a lip scrub and three soaps. I have heard good things about the Chox Away and Godmother soaps (they certainly smell good, and The Godmother apparently smells like Lush's limited Christmas edition shower gel Snow Fairy, so I will be in line to get some this year!), but I think Honey I Washed The Kids is my absolute favourite. It smells like honey and caramel, it produces a rich, creamy lather and it makes my skin super soft. I used up my last bar of it not long ago, so I simply had to get another.

I already have Lush's Bubblegum lip scrub, but the lovely vanilla chocolate scent of Sweet Lips sucked me in and I had to buy some. These make your lips super smooth and soft, and, if applied before some lip balm, are the perfect lipstick primers.

Finally, I intend to try Sympathy for the Skin and Turkish Delight in the shower tonight. I had tested the body cream on the back of my hand before, and it made my skin super soft and smelling of a yummy custard dessert. Turkish Delight sounds heavenly, and I can't wait to give my body a good scrub with it. It also smells like genuine roses, not like the synthetic rose scents you get in some products.

Left to right: Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50, Eyeshadow in Honesty and Lipstick in Faux

Secondly, I got a mini MAC haul (once I could get the attention of the staff) consisting of an SPF 50 primer, eyeshadow and lipstick. I had the chance to try out the primer today, and it's lovely and light and stops the oils from my skin from coming through and making my skin all shiny, giving my foundation an extra silky and satiny finish. I especially like the fact that it's SPF 50, as I fail when it comes to remembering to put sunscreen on my face in summer.

I haven't had a chance to try the eyeshadow yet, but it's a gorgeous bronze with a little bit of shimmer without making it look too gaudy. I can't wait to give it a try.

Finally, the lipstick in Faux is a lovely pinkish nude with no shimmer and a beautiful satin finish. I am addicted to nude lipsticks like this, and I prefer satin textured lipsticks to matte and glossy ones. As a bonus, it smells like vanilla. It may replace my current favourite lipstick!

Thirdly, I roamed around the Revlon counters of several stores before I found a bottle of my favourite foundation (Colorstay for combination/oily skin in Ivory), which I am almost out of (thanks to me spilling half of what was left on the bathroom floor). In my opinion, this is the best drugstore foundation, and it's the only foundation I have found that actually suits me. I have very pale, pinkish skin, and not even a MAC NW15 foundation is light enough.

Finally, I purchased a perfume I have wanted for ages; Estee Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. I first sniffed it last year, and I have wanted a bottle of it ever since. It's an utterly lovely white floral, dominated by gardenia. While some perfumes claim to have gardenia as the main note, they don't end up smelling like gardenia at all. Not this time; stick your nose in a gardenia and compare it to this, and I am sure that you will find that they smell almost exactly the same. This perfume is rather expensive (NZ$196 for a 50mL bottle of Eau de Parfum), but as it is sold at only a select few Estee Lauder counters, there is a good chance that it will be your exclusive signature scent.

I guess that's all for now. See you later! ♥

Oh hi!

Hello everyone! This is a blog for all things sweet, cute and girly, including fashion, accessories, jewellery, beauty, perfume and, occasionally, any pretty cupcakes I come across or make.

Short introductory post is short, but I shall be soon be showing off a nice little beauty haul I got on a recent shopping trip to Auckland.

See you soon!