Christmas Gift Guide 2016

Christmas Gift Guide 2016

There are some fantastic gift sets out for the holidays! Here are some of my favourites out of the many I’ve come across – hopefully it might inspire you if you’re still stuck for ideas!

Skincare

Christmas Gift Guide 2016Christmas Gift Guide 2016 Christmas Gift Guide 2016

I generally don’t suggest gifting skincare – skincare is pretty personal, so unless you know exactly what they use or if you know that their skin can tolerate most things, I’d recommend sticking with indulgent body products. Reactions and breakouts are much more common on thinner facial skin. For facial skincare, the least risky products are those that don’t stay on the skin for long, like masks and cleansers, or skincare tools.

Jurlique Rose Oil ($59 AUD for 100 mL) is based on safflower and macadamia oil. It’s an awesome indulgence for a friend who loves roses and isn’t sensitive to natural fragrances. Sephora also has a selection of their own little gift sets including konjac sponges ($20 for 2 – great for gentle exfoliation) and bath treats. Lush is also always great for bath products, especially with their huge Christmas collection. My favourite products are the bath bombs ($4.25-$8.95).

Makeup

Christmas Gift Guide 2016Christmas Gift Guide 2016Christmas Gift Guide 2016Christmas Gift Guide 2016Christmas Gift Guide 2016

There are a whole bunch of makeup sets out, and makeup is pretty easy – anyone can use more makeup! Makeup brushes are a sure bet: IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Must-Haves ($110) are a lovely set for your makeup addict friend. For younger makeup fiends, ulta3 have a range of affordable gift sets under $25, and Sephora have the fantastic Geometricolor palette ($69) if you want to set a budding makeup artist with a great starter kit. For someone who is a bit more conservative with their makeup, Revlon and Mirenesse gift sets are a great option. My personal favourite pick are the NYX vaults ($79), which have great pigmented formulas at a low price.

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MAC Twig Dupes and Comparisons

MAC-Twig-dupes

I’ve always been a fan of the brown/rose/mauve family of lipsticks, so when I got my hot little hands on the much-loved MAC Twig, I wasn’t surprised when I loved it. Then I realised that I had an embarrassing number of lipsticks in my collection in the same colour family…so why not do a swatch comparison post?

(This is only about a third of my pinky-browns. Like I said, embarrassing.)mac-twig-dupes

MAC-Twig-dupes

MAC Satin Lipstick in Twig* – This is a lovely pinky-brown colour that’s great for my-lips-but-better looks on darker girls i.e. “Kylie Jenner lips”. It smells pleasantly vanilla. The formula is a bit drying on my lips, but my lips are very prone to dehydration (fat lip life) so most people will fare better. The colour payoff is magnificent, and it’s opaque with one swipe, with a not-quite-matte, not-quite cream finish.

Marc Jacobs Lip Crème in Infamous* – Close colour dupe. This is a tiny bit little pinker than Twig, but has the same sort of finish. It’s very creamy and moisturising for a satin lipstick, with nicely opaque colour payoff. The packaging screams luxury, with a cool magnetic closure that snaps shut with a satisfying click. It’s practically fragrance-free.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in SultryClose colour dupe. The crayon format of this lipstick makes it very easy to apply, and I love the matte metal detail on the twist-up end, although I’ve found that these Revlon lids crack very easily and then slip off in handbags. The colour is a bit redder than Twig, but it’s pretty damn close! The colour payoff is great. Like other Revlon crayons, this has peppermint oil which gives a minty scent and a weird tingle.

ulta3 Matte Lipstick in Rose BloomClose colour dupe, slightly matter finish. It’s almost the same shade as Revlon Sultry and the colour is fantastically long-lasting. This is an excellent budget option – the main drawback is that the packaging feels flimsy, and the bullet is a bit wobbly in the packaging. Its floral scent also hangs around for a bit, which won’t be to everyone’s liking. It’s a bit drying as well, but for the price it’s hard to complain too much.

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Project Pan 91-100

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Woohoo! I finally finished my Project 100 Pan…about 2 years after I first started. I think I’m just going to do monthly empty posts from now on! 91. Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two Clarifying – This is one of my favourite shampoos of all time. I’m a bit of a hairy oily freak and this shampoo cleans my scalp so well …

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ulta3 Eye Shadow & Blush Palette review

ulta3-palette

ulta3-palette

I’ve been really impressed with ulta3’s new products lately – ulta3 Eye and Cheek palette is my new favourite! I’ve been meaning to review this for ages, and only got around to it now.

It’s housed in an elegant-looking, glossy black square palette with a satisfying heaviness, and a deep solid click when it closes. I think packaging is really important for how “cheap” or “expensive” a product feels, and this palette really nails it in the luxe department – it feels like one of the better Australis palettes.

ulta3-palette

The entire inside lid is covered by a large mirror, which also adds to the upmarket feel of the palette. The powders are pressed into little bumps. The presentation is just so spot on for such a budget-friendly product. Well done ulta3!

(By the way, it’s $10. I couldn’t believe it! It would still be a bargain at double the price.)

Onto the actual products! The palette has two rows of eyeshadows, one brown/nude and one monochrome, separated by two blushes.

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What’s a CC cream? (and DD, and EE…)

All the way back in April 2012, I wrote a post on BB creams. Fast forward almost two and a half years and the “alphabet cream” market has exploded! What does it all mean? What’s a BB cream again? BB stands for beauty balm, blemish balm or beblesh balm. They’re multipurpose products that provide colour and coverage, as well as …

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ulta3 Autumn lip and nail collection: review and swatches

Have you been to an ulta3 stockist lately? The cold weather hasn’t hit Sydney yet, but ulta3 have a new vampy autumnal collection out… First up, the polishes! Red Velvet – Red jelly polish. It’s a really nice classic with a twist – the jelly finish makes it look extra shiny!Blackberry Tart – Another classic colour with a jelly finish. …

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Blue rose nail art inspired by Leroy Nguyen

I haven’t done nail art in a while, but I was inspired by my friend Leroy Nguyen’s latest collection, inspired by the blue rose from the film Pan’s Labyrinth. A while back I did another manicure inspired by his prints – strangely enough, this new collection lends itself to drag marbling as well! I think I’ll have to incorporate the …

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Best Australian brands to check out

I’ve been travelling around Europe a bit lately, and before heading to each country I’ve been looking up lists of beauty brands and products to look out for. To return the favour for all of those awesome recs, I’ve decided to compile a list of my favourite Aussie buys for skincare, make-up and nails… Skincare  In the realm of skincare, …

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