My Monthly Skincare & Makeup Favourites - October Edit

We are now at the end of October, and I swear that my brain is still stuck somewhere on the 12th/13th of October. This month, I find, has gone by so quickly and once I blinked, I found myself at the cinema at 10:30 in the morning last Thursday to see Doctor Strange. I've completely lost track of time, and it's sad to say that I'm already pretty excited about Christmas now that Halloween is almost over.

Australians don't view Halloween in the same way as everyone else in the Northern Hemisphere, mainly because it's approaching summer here, so we don't get the whole fall scene - we have green, green, and more green with some flowers here and there. However, in recent years there's been a growing interest in Halloween, with stores putting on their best orange and black displays, bats and witch hats placed precariously on shelves and little kids running around the shopping centre in Elsa costumes. Tonight we've had two groups, two, that's one more than last year, of kids come to the door, and yet again we were unprepared and had nothing to offer. It's weird seeing children come to the door for Halloween in broad daylight, though.

I've gotten a bit too old to get into the Halloween spirit, but I'm always up for Christmas, and even though they start putting up the decorations in stores late September, deep down inside, *whispers* I'm loving it! I know, it's too early, but I really like seeing them!

Wet n Wild Eye Primers Comparison & Review

FERGIE CENTERSTAGE TAKE ON THE DAY & PHOTO FOCUS EYESHADOW PRIMERS

The day has finally come when I can confidently publish a post on the two primers by Wet n Wild Beauty and tell you with absolute honesty that these are the best primers that I have ever, ever, come across. They are my holy grail primers, and without these, I would have never been able to begin my obsession for eyeshadow palettes. I kid you not, I've been collecting eyeshadows like there's no tomorrow, now that I'm able to wear them without the damn thing melting off within seconds. All thanks to having greasy hooded eyelids.

Wow, I got a tad bit emotional there. It's what finding a brilliant eyeshadow primer does for me.

I've tried several cruelty-free primers in the past year, from e.l.f. to essence, from Too Faced to Cover FX, and none of them have performed half as well as these two products. Well, technically it's 'one product when you think about it. They are practically identical in every way - the ingredients, the texture, and the lasting power. The only thing that differentiates them two from each other is the packaging and the name. Wet n Wild kept to their word when they said they were going to absorb the Fergie primer into their regular catalogue, just with new packaging, as the Fergie Centerstage collection was limited edition and therefore discontinued earlier this year.

Makeup Revolution I Heart Makeup Pink Fizz Eyeshadow Palette

REVIEW & SWATCHES

This review has been a long time coming. I wanted to review this sooner but I didn't have enough experience with this palette to give a full, in-depth review. I actually wanted to get this one up after the Wet n Wild eyeshadow primers comparison, but I needed to do a morning vs night shoot to show the results, and I failed to get some photography done on Saturday before my cousin's wedding. The perks of getting ready at the very last minute.

I reviewed the I Heart Chocolate palette a couple of months ago, which happens to be an exact dupe for the Too Faced Original Chocolate Bar palette, and I love it to bits. However, with this palette, there are some slight differences that need to be pointed out. I chose this palette over the Naked Chocolate one as I figured I could do with a more colourful palette for the spring and summer of this year, as it had pinks, blues and nudes that all worked with each other. The palette is a bit on the cool side, but that worked for my neutral-leaning-yellow skin tone.

Going Cruelty-Free: How & Why Did I Do It?

The last time I did this kind of post, it was way back when I first started blogging. I had amassed a small collection (far smaller than what it is right now) of makeup at the time and spoke about some of them. Now, however, I've got a deeper understanding of what it means to be cruelty-free and the different levels of being cruelty-free, and my collection has grown to reflect that. Going cruelty-free is not all black and white, there are various shades of grey in between, but I'm covering two main umbrellas first, and then I'll expand on them.

Firstly, there are brands that are certified by a cruelty-free organisation, having passed certain criteria to be considered truly cruelty-free in that they do not test any ingredients or finished products on animals, nor do they do it through third-party suppliers/labs, and do not sell products within countries where there is a law that products must be tested prior to sale. Seventh Heaven, Sugar Baby Beauty, Sukin, and Australis are such brands that have been carefully assessed before being certified as cruelty-free. They may feature an official bunny logo, a statement, the PETA bunny logo, or they will be found in lists run by organisations. However, I really do not consider PETA a true cruelty-free organisation, because they do not consider parent companies when it comes to giving brands the tick.

e.l.f. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette Review and Swatches

Drumroll, please! Today, I'm bringing you guys a review on the e.l.f. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette along with swatches of the shades in the palette. I got this in my care package from Cat last month and have used it at least a few times. Cat picked it up for me at my request because I had always wanted to try it out, and I think she bought it from Target.

I think there must have been a manufacturing issue because the packaging for this palette is different to what I've seen on the internet - the palette doesn't have openings on the bottom where you can push the pans out and swap pans with other palettes such as the blush palette, contouring palette or even the foundation palettes. There's literally no way for the pans to come out of the palette. Also, the front of the palette only has "e.l.f." printed on it, while the back has "Illuminating Palette" along with a little silver sticker that has the batch code and product number on it.

The Mission to Improve My Skin #3

Sunday 25 September
I've discovered a few things since my last entry. One, high-end brands don't always equal amazing skincare. I tried a sample of Argan Cleansing Oil from Josie Maran and that didn't improve my skin. If anything, I think it dried it out a little bit. Two, I must not get within a 10-foot radius of products containing alcohol. I put on a mask last week and it took me a very long time to restore my skin. Finally, rose hip seed oil has to go. I used it twice a day to help heal the dryness, and while it did help, it clogged my pores to the point where they were raised, red and fat with sebum. Since I stopped using the oil my skin has settled down.

Australis Killer Curves Mascara Review

It's finally time for me to review this mascara from the Australian-owned brand, Australis. I think, by now, every Australian makeup aficionado knows of Australis, the brand having been around for three decades. I remember their old handwritten logo with the sun next to it, sometimes in rainbow lettering. I had a few of their products including a clear mascara while growing up. These days their logo is a crisp pink text on a black or transparent background. Personally, I find the current a little boring considering how the old logo was really reminiscent of what makes Australia; the sun, the beaches and just being casual. Now, Australis has taken on an edgy, punk-rock style with their packaging.

The quality of their products is quite good for a drugstore brand, even if the shade range for bases are quite narrow, with three to six shades for each type of foundation and concealers that they stock, which is why I've yet to find my foundation shade in their collection. I enjoy their nail polishes and do like the banana powder even if I don't get to use it as often as I should (I keep forgetting to use it).

My Five Favourite Beauty Brands

I was planning on posting this yesterday, but I failed to succeed in taking photos while the skies were grey and pooptastic. I had no motivation whatsoever so I spent, literally, the entire day watching Gilmore Girls. I didn't even get the chance to tick off washing clothes from my To Do list yesterday. I did, however, burn holes into the bottom of a bucket to make my own bokashi compost bin which didn't take more than five minutes.

I don't know if you guys remember but last year I tried my hand at growing pumpkins, and that somewhat failed (it failed pathetically) but this time I'm using my green thumb to attempt growing tomatoes, spring onions, chilli and some parsley. Only time will tell if I succeed in having my own supply of fresh home-grown cherry tomatoes to pop into my mouth like popcorn. In the meantime, I'm setting up my compost, stocking up on fertiliser and crossing my fingers for a lifetime supply of chilli.

I really digressed from the topic of this post there, but I thought you guys would like to know what I was up to these days. I also managed to find some marble adhesive at Kmart the other night, so that really put a spring in my step. I actually like it better than the one I currently use as the backdrop for the blog, it's got a semi-matte finish that makes it look quite natural, and there's not so much contrast between the black and white. I'll need some more foam board so I can stick the new one on, but for now, it's nice knowing I have a backup for when I need it.

A Butterbeer Recipe You Can Make At Home!

I promised all of you my Butterbeer recipe, and here it is! Butterbeer is well known for being a very popular beverage in the Harry Potter books and can be found at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for all the fans to sample. My recipe here was adapted from a few that I found online. The reasons why I adapted them from the ones I saw online were because they mostly asked for butterscotch syrup, marshmallow fluff, freshly whipped butter, condensed milk, ice cream and so on and so forth. The drink at Universal Studios wasn't as complicated in terms of flavour and texture, so to speak. It was a fizzy, transparent, deep brown liquid and creamy froth that was a bit on the buttery side.

I hunted down the basics and put it together, and I pretty much got the proportions right on my second try. My first try had the same amount of butterscotch schnapps to vodka and I found it too sharp and quite alcoholic in flavour when butterbeer in the books were meant to be sickly sweet and does not inebriate kids and adults alike. This adaptation tastes very, very similar to the one at the park. I don't have a non-alcoholic version of this recipe, but I imagine a butterscotch flavouring would do the job of replacing the schnapps just fine, and skip the vodka.

The Versatile Blogger Award

First of all, I want to thank Romina, of Romina's Little Corner, so much for this nomination. I had seen this award make the rounds last month or so and never thought I'd get it, especially because I didn't think I was out there as a blogger. I haven't had much of a chance to really snoop through and read every blog post on Romina's blog, but I already love it from what I've seen so far. I highly recommend that you guys go and visit it.

Romina, once again, thank you so much!

Much like the Liebster Award, this is given by bloggers to bloggers and is a way for us guys in the community to help each other get our blogs out there, as well as discover new blogs to read. I think it's a fantastic way to support each other.

My Monthly Skincare & Makeup Favourites - September Edit

Damn, this year is going by really quickly, and I cannot believe we've just finished September. Blink and you miss it, and I feel like that will happen with the rest of the year. There're almost three months till Christmas, and already they've got the decorations and trees up for sale in the stores. It's gotten me in the mood to draft up a Christmas (and birthday) wishlist for a few of my favourite brands, pin together a whole bunch of baking recipes and found a few projects that I could put together in time for the Christmas season, especially for my Christmas tree.

Now, where does one find pine cones for next to nothing in the middle of Spring?