Autumnal Beauty

There's something about the colder months that always gets me excited, and the combination of hot drinks and cosy coats aren't the only reason why. The colour palette for the autumn and winter months are my favourite; berry, mustard, navy and browns all scream perfection to me. I see an oxblood cape coat or red wine sweater and I just automatically feel cosy and autumnal. But it isn't just the fashions which evoke this sense of warmth or help create the perfect autumn or winter look but beauty as well. You could wear black on black ( as I so often do) and pair it with a deep berry lip and you're already set for the colder months. 

To me it's all about the bold lips and nails throughout autumn and winter so I'm sharing with you all of my current top favourite beauty products for the colder months.

Lets start with lips. You don't need to purchase super pricey high end beauty products to pull of the perfect autumnal look. These four lip shades are relatively well priced from all three beauty price departments. 

I have two lip shades by Revlon, a moisture stain and a lip butter. The lip butter in the shade Pink Truffle I mentioned briefly in my January 2015 favourites still continues to be one of my favourite lip shades. It is a deep mauve pink that is almost brown once applied and reminds me very much of something Kylie Jenner would be spotted wearing during the fall. It is moisturising but a little messy and hard to apply due to the shape of the actual stick but nonetheless is still a gorgeous autumn shade one which is a little more subtle for those of you not wanting to wear extreme colours during these seasons. 

The Revlon moisture stain in the shade Parisian Passion is by far my new favourite lip product and I have been wearing it without guilt throughout the end of summer as it is simple too stunning not to wear. This shade is a deep blue plum that applies super evenly with a glossy finish. It is extremely opaque and lasts pretty much all day but does require a little touching up after eating or drinking to avoid patchy colour. The formula also includes aloe so it is super moisturising and doesn't require a lip balm underneath. 

For autumn I also love wearing the Clinique Chubby Stick in the shade Super Strawberry if I want a very subtle and sheer hit of colour that still screams 'autumn'. This shade is really easy to apply but needs frequent touch ups as it fads quickly and doesn't stain.

For a super deep and dark lip shade I always find myself choosing the Topshop lipstick in the shade Depth. It is incredibly dark and almost black in colour so it is deffinetly recommended for those of you who really want to make a statement. It is a little hard to wear especially for lighter skin shades as it sometimes comes of too vampy. I love pairing this with monochrome outfits with neutral eyes and bronzer. It is a little drying so I deffinetly recommend a lip balm. 

Lip butter, Moisture Stain, Lipstick, Chubby Stick

The two shades throughout autumn that I love wearing are both by Essie and are in the shades Angora Cardi and Bahama Mama. Both are deffinetly autumn colours, Angora Cardi is a dusty mauve rose and Bahama Mama a deep wine shade. Both aren't streaky and dry super quickly and last around 3-4 days without chipping. 

What are your favourite beauty products to wear throughout the colder months? Let me know in the comments below.

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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Estée Lauder skin care | Review

One of the best feelings I think is the feeling of clean and fresh skin. Whether this is bright and early in the morning or after a long day. A great skincare routine can make all the difference but the products you use are even more so. 

I have tried many products when it comes to skincare, my skin is normal combination and can often be a little temperamental... nobody's perfect right? I have tried a huge range of brands from drugstore to high end and I have never found products that really make me and my skin happy. This was until I tried the skin care range by Esée Lauder. I have owned quite a few skin products by Estée Lauder over the years but these products are my favourite and definite must haves when it comes to my skin.

Estée Lauder DayWear moisturiser is the perfect moisturiser for all skin types it leaves my skin so soft and hydrated. I find it particularly helpful throughout summer time it prevents my skin from drying out and leaves it super soft. The textured is smooth and thin and doesn't leave a greasy feeling after application, the smell is also fresh and it just adds to that 'clean' feeling we all love. 

The perfectly clean multi-action foam cleanser is my number one skin care product. It is my Holy Grail and I will never, never use anything else. My skin is prone to break outs but this clears everything up within 24 hours. It doubles as a purifying mask and leaves the skin feeling so incredibly clean and fresh. It foams up easily with little needed product and really opens up your pores. If you don't love that 'tight' feeling on your skin however I wouldn't recommend it as it leaves the skin tight once it is washed off; I however love this feeling so I can't find a fault even the smell is nice. 

The Advanced Night Repair under eye cream works miracles when it comes to minimising tired eyes and dark under eye circles. While not my all time favourite eye cream out of my Estée Lauder favourites it definitely makes the cut. This eye cream is medium to thick in consistency and almost gel like. I find the formula to be really smooth and it sinks in quickly without leaving any greasiness. If I wear this product before going out at night my foundation glides over it smoothly without caking up.

The Idealist pore minimising skin refinisher is amazing for leaving gorgeous fresh and hydrated skin. I love using this product in the morning or when going out to an important event. It is super luxurious to use and leaves the skin so smooth. It also really brightens and shrinks the pores. Combined with the foaming cleanser the refinisher works wonders for blemishes and combination skin types.

Have you tried any Estée Lauder skincare products before? Let me know your favourites.

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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Benefit boxes collection

Benefit has long been one of my favourite brands their packaging is just to die for in particular their Benefit 'boxes'. I have a few Benefit beauty box products that I have loved for a very long time, some of which are re purchases. I know the selection can be a little over whelming as there are so many different colours and shades to choose from so I thought I would share with you my favourites from the selection they sell. 

Out of all the Benefit boxes I own, Thrrrob is by far my favourite. This blush is ridiculously pigmented with excellent colour pay off. A little goes a very long way with this product which is great as I want it to last as long as possible. I haven't seen this product in store for a while now and I have a feeling it may have been discontinued so i'm using it sparingly. The colour of this blush is the perfect barbie rose pink with a matte finish. I have used this blush on my natural fair skin as well on tanned and it looks great on both. 

Dandelion is a pretty peachy ballerina pink that Benefit describes as a 'brightening' blush which is very true! This blush provides a super delicate and gentle flush to the cheeks. It is not as pigmented as Thrrrob but very buildable. The finish is relatively matte and slightly satin. 

As you can probably tell this blush I have owned for a very long time,unfortunately the Benefit box packaging, while very cute, are not very durable but it's what's on the inside that counts right? Sugarbomb is crazily shimmery with an almost satin finish every time I go to use it I feel like i'm about to apply sugar on my face so use it sparingly! This blush has four different shades which you could use separately but I prefer swirling all the shades together to create a soft pink. When using this blush I use a very little amount without a highlight as it really is super shimmery. 

Hoola is part of the Benefit box collection and is a bronzer...my absolute favourite bronzer might I add. I have just reached pan on this product and it is possibly one of the worst things to happen to a beauty lover! Hoola is the perfect soft brown matte bronzer which doesn't come off as muddy particularly on fairer skin tones. This product is buildable and pigmented but also effortless to blend which is always helpful when it comes to contouring. I use this both to contour my cheeks and nose but also to warm up my complexion. 

Do you own any Benefit beauty boxes? what are your thoughts, let me know which products I should try out!

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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University Lookbook | My uni style

After a huge weather change recently I've really had to work quick to put together new winter styles for this season. Spending a lot of the time in the city in the cold at uni I thought I would take this opportunity to show you some outfits I would wear throughout the Autumn and Winter while at uni.

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette | Review

If you have been following me on Twitter then you should know by now how long I have been anticipating for the release of the Hourglass Modernist eyeshadow palettes. I first came across them while browsing through Sephora's online website looking for new beauty goodies I could pick up on my trip to Los Angeles this winter. In some ways I wish I had never seen them because I knew immediately I had to have at least one and that my bank account wouldn't be thanking me for it. 

It just so happens that I loved these palettes so much that I was the first person in Brisbane to purchase one from Mecca Maxima the day before the release date. Am I a dedicated beauty lover or what? The very helpful staff member was shocked to find out I even knew they existed as there had been limited advertising of the product in Australia. 

Now lets get to the palettes. I was shown all six colour palettes in the shades: Atmosphere ( cool neutrals), Colour Field (Olives), Exposure (Plums), Infinity (warm neutrals), Monochrome (Roses) and Obscura (Earth tones) all of which were beautiful. I found it very difficult to choose between Infinity, Monochrome and Obscura as all were gorgeous shades of browns and rose golds. Eventually, I decided on Obscura but promised myself that i'd go back for the others (as if i needed to). 

This eyeshadow has five finely-milled shades including one highlighting shade in a soft cream with a slight satin-matte finish. I love using this all over my lid as a base however it is slightly too powdery like the other 4 shades so it takes a little more product to stick and stay on the lid.  The palette also includes a soft chocolate brown, warm brown with a metallic and super sparkly finish as well as a dark matte brown and copper bronze also with a metallic finish. My favourite shade would definitely have to be the third which looks beautiful either all over the lid or as a crease shade.

All shades are super creamy when swatched but when applying onto the lid are quite dry so they do take quite a bit of effort to blend and get great colour pay off which disappointed me a bit for the price. However, when applied properly you can create very gorgeous shadow looks with more time. The range of matte, metallic and satin finishes provides a number of neutral to smokey looks and the massive mirror makes it super handy to apply on the go or to touch up. 

Overall, I do love this eyeshadow palette the uniqueness of the eyeshadow pans I find so incredible and innovative and it is for that reason that I wanted one so badly. However, I do not think that the price which I believe to be around $75-76 AUD is worth it. While the shadows are gorgeous the texture has been really disappointing as I was expecting super high quality for a product worth so much. If you are willing to fork out so much on an eyeshadow palette and not feel so guilty afterwards then this palette is for you as you can achieve a number of gorgeous looks, it just may take you a little while.

Have you tried any other palettes from the Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow range? Let me know.

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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L'Occitane | Review

I call this post L'Occitane Review as the experience I had within the store was so amazing that I felt I had to review it as well as the luxurious product I purchased while there. 

Before this visit I had never stepped foot into a L'Occitane store and I am so glad that I did! I have never received such impeccable customer service in my entire life, there is nothing worse than going into a new store even any store and receive bad customer service! As I said I had never been to L'Occitane and was overwhelmed with the amount of products that I had never heard of but the lovely lady working was so incredibly helpful she knew everything about everything and it was so refreshing. She was able to tell us so much about products but didn't stick around like a second shadow, there wasn't once where I felt pressured into purchasing something. Other than the service L'Occitane also offers a cup of Lavender tea as you enter the store which I though was such a lovely touch as well as the spritz of perfume on tissue paper and personalised product samples inside of the take home bag.

Okay! lets get onto the product review. There were a huge number of products that I wanted to purchase during my visit to L'Occitane however there was one that really captured my eye. And that was the Cherry Blossom Shimmering Lotion. This is the most luxurious moisturiser I have ever owned and I can't see myself picking up another.

This shimmering lotion has a incredibly light formula and quite thin in consistency which absorbs quickly into the skin leaving behind a very subtle iridescent sparkle to the skin. I love using this for special occasions or for those times where I really just need a good pamper night. The subtle shimmer is so beautiful when caught by the light which is lovely to have a product which moisturises and can be seen on the skin. 

The scent of this lotion reminds me of spring time it is so fresh and floral without being overpowering  and has a scent that lasts almost all night or day. I have once or twice used more product on my arms as a soft and pretty scent rather than using a perfume. L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Shimmering Lotion is enriched with shea butter making it extremely hydrating for a product that has such a thin consistency. Cherry extract from the Luberon region of Provence adds to the beautiful light fragrance of this lotion which has quickly become my new favourite scent. If the scent doesn't entice you than the packaging surely will, I think I'm a sucker for anything pink, silver or floral.

I thought I would also leave a short wish list of L'Occitane products that I hope to try out and think you should to. Have you tried this lotion? let me know.

FLEURS DE CERISIER L'EAU

ALMOND MILK CONCENTRATE

PIVOINE FLORA SHIMMERING OIL

ALMOND SHOWER OIL

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation | Review

If you have been following my blog lately you would know that I am not a huge lover of changing up my foundation routine. Once I find something and I love it I will stick with it and so branching out and trying a new foundation has been a huge step. After seeing the review of this foundation by Danielle Mansutti I was already hooked, this combined with the fact that the price has dropped from around $70 to $50 pushed me to pick it up; and I am not disappointed in the slightest. 

This foundation is very different to my coveted NARS Sheer Glow particularly in terms of its finish and consistency. Double Wear has a relatively thick consistency with a semi matte finish. Because of this the foundation lasts much longer particularly through hot days and decreases those horrid 'smile lines' even after long periods of time. I put this foundation on in the morning and by night it was pretty much exactly the same after one or two touch ups with powder. The thickness of the foundation also decreases my skin from getting as oily in my T Zone which is absolutely amazing for nights out and as a plus it has not broken me out.

Estée Lauder Double Wear has incredible coverage and only requires one layer for a perfect flawless finish on the skin. I was concerned at the beginning that the foundation would feel very caky and heavy on my skin due to the thickness however this wasn't the case in fact it is quite lightweight however not as much as NARS. 

There is only one problem I have with Double Wear and that is the colour range. I have very pale skin and so I automatically had to pick up the lightest shade in Cool Bone without being colour matched however it is still slightly too dark and I have to blend it a lot down my neck. However, once blended it is almost perfect.

I think for how incredible this foundation is the cost is well worth it and I definitely recommend picking it up particularly if you have oily or oily-combination skin or just have that troubling T zone. Let me know if you have tried this amazing foundation or have any questions.

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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