Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Christmas gift ideas!

I've seen quite a few beauty bloggers posting about Christmas gift ideas in the last couple of weeks and I wanted to get in on the trend haha. 
More for myself though because I always struggle in this area!
I'm terrible when it comes to thinking of presents for everyone, so I try and start thinking early on so I have it all covered! I especially struggle when thinking of presents for men
and I have absolutely no clue what to buy so I think this post will be very helpful.
I might even discover some things that I want to buy! (most probably will) and hopefully you will too! 
Because it's definitely not an easy task.


So I've done my research and found some great beauty / self care buys for everyone, men and kids included! 


 When you don't know what to buy for Kris Kringle...
Lush Shine Gift
Includes:
So White Shower Gel 
Multi-purpose Gold Fun and Reindeer Rock Soap

AUD $19.95



I love the Lush christmas gifts available this year, and I think I will definitely be buying a few!
They're just so easy, all the products are put together for you instead of choosing them one by one.
There's no thinking for this one, you don't even have to wrap them and for $20 I think you're getting quite a bit for your money!
Perfect for Kris Kringle or another little something to put under the tree!




MOR Sparkle Duo in Lychee Flower
Hand cream and Soapette

AUD $19.95

This set is beautiful, I absolutely love MOR's packaging!
Perfect for Kris Kringle and so pretty.
I think any girl would appreciate this.


Bulldog Skincare For Men Man's Best Friend Due Gift Set
Includes: Original Face Wash & Original Moisturiser
with collectable tin.
AUD $18.90





Now I'm not quite sure how many men would appreciate self care products
in a Kris Kringle, but if you think they may like it / are that kind of guy who likes to look good / take care of himself, I think it could definitely work!

Miki Cosmetics Lip Gloss LadiesAll on keychains! 
AUD $9.95

I've seen these in chemists everywhere and they are so cute!
Miki cosmetics is such a cute company and if you need a Kris Kringle for kids
this ones perfect. They can hang them on their school bag too!






And when you're buying for family or friends...

I had to include some more Lush gifts because they are just so cool haha.
Lush


Santa Claus is Coming to Town Gift
Includes: Golden Wonder Bath Bomb, So White Shower Gel,
Snow Angel Bath Melt, Butterbear Bath Bomb,
Dashing Santa Bath Bomb, Snowman Jelly, Reindeer Rock Soap,
Holly Go Lightly Bubble Bar.
 


AUD $59.95

If you want to spoil someone, this is definitely a gift to consider!
There's a whole heap of different ones on the Lush website, at all different prices and sizes.
I'm just choosing ones to show here that I like most!



e.l.f 12 Piece Nail Cube
Colours included: Desert Haze, Wedding Bells, Prissy Chrissy, Nude, Purple Pleaser, Blush,  Sea Escape, Gold Star, Gina Girl, Smokin Hot, Raspberry, and Purple Dream
  


AUD $25.00

This is a great gift for a mother, a daughter, or a friend!



Le Labo Classic Collection - Solid Perfume
In any scent from Le Labo

$85.00
This is a unisex solid perfume which I think is a great idea for men especially.
They can put it in their toiletries bag or in their pocket, I think it's easy and stylish!

So there you go, I hope I've given you some inspiration for Christmas presents this year!
I love unique presents and I think these are perfect! :)

Good luck with your Christmas shopping
and I will talk to you in my next post . x

Byyeeee!







Wednesday, 26 November 2014

My Beauty & Fashion Wish List ♥

 
I'm always lusting over new makeup, skincare and a little bit of fashion too.
There's always something I want to try out that I've seen on a blog, YouTube channel or something that has caught my eye. I thought I'd share my wish list with you, I guess this could be my Christmas wish list, but I never really ask for anything at Christmas!
These are the things I will be getting my hands on in hopefully very soon!
I get so excited going to buy things when I've been thinking about buying it for a while or a day... ha

 

Lush
There's quite a few Lush products I've got my eye on at the moment which I am actually planning on buying as soon as I finish this blog post most likely.
These include:

Big Liquid Shampoo
I read a review about this on a blog a couple of weeks ago and I think it might just help out with my hair situation. My hair is quite thin, it has hardly any volume to it and will get weighed down with any products or styling you put in. So when I heard about what this shampoo does and read some reviews, I think I might just have to try it!
    
Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask
 If you've read my last post about my skin, you'll know I have acne.
And through reading some blogs, I've come across a mask that I neeeeeed to get onto my skin now!
The Catastrophe Cosmetic Mask is made from fresh blueberries, calamine powder, Irish moss and almond oil to soothe, calm and reduce inflammation.
I need this, it sounds like it smells amazing, and might keep my angry spots under control!
Vanillary Perfume - 30ml Spritzer

The only reasons I want this is because I need a new perfume, I was on the Lush website, saw their new gorilla perfumes and fell in love with the packaging.
I probably need to go to the shop to test all these products because I find that I don't really know what I want until I smell the them. If it doesn't smell good, I won't buy it.
And obviously with perfume scent is the most important thing.
So I better go to lush instead of buy online.
Wish it was a little closer to me, it's like 40 mins away :/
I love the packaging though ♥
 
You can also get this in a 10ml spritzer and a solid perfume balm.

 
 



MOR
These products are soooo pretty. I just can't get over it.
Love love them and every time I see them I'm drawn to the marshmallow scented products.
 I'd really like to try out one of their candles and a body wash so
I'll definitely have to look around on their website a little more but I want these two for sure...

Little Luxuries Marshmallow Petite Candle
 Marshmallow Hand and Body Milk
 
 
 

FOA
I am in need of some new lip liners, I have got into the habit of not wearing lip liner, and it really does make a difference to the look of your lipstick. I've come across these Face of Australia mechanical liners. I've tried a few testers in store, and I'll be buying them in red and nude.
 

 
                                 
 
 

TheBalm
The balm have some really cute nail colours.
They're called Hot Ticket Nail Polish...
And they're the last beauty related things...


Lookbook and Hunted Dreams Boutique
I have fallen in love with these two beautiful pieces of clothing from lookbookstore.co and Hunted Dreams Boutique. The first one is by lookbookstore and I love this sooooo much. The fact that it's Spring in Australia and I am willing to buy this NOW shows how much I love it. It's just so unique, I love the frills. I love everything about it. Even if I have to wait like six months to wear it !
I'm going to get my hands on it somehow. They actually said on instagram that they 'might' be putting this on their website, but they have to! I don't know what I'm going to do if they don't. :(




And this one... this just looks adoreable.
I love the colours, and the flowers... yeah.
I think it speaks for itself. It's a beautiful piece.



What's on your beauty / fashion wish list?


 

 

Monday, 24 November 2014

Acne struggles!


I'm not sure why I decided to write a title like that, maybe because it's raining outside!?
I must admit I have been lazy with makeup for a long time. I know it's a bit on the strange side since this is a beauty blog but the reason for this is my acne.
For some reason sugar and junk food don't agree with me anymore - in the last year or so.
But since I have stopped eating all the bad stuff (3 days so far - I wonder how long I last), and after reading a very interesting book about the connection between diet and acne. 
I'm almost 100% sure that the spots on my face are related to diet.
I have have a healthy diet, but one chocolate bar or packet of chips and I'll wake up the next morning with multiple spots every time, even if I have them sometimes!
And I know what you're thinking... people wear makeup to hide their acne...that's what concealer's for right? Well for me, it just feels disgusting when I have painful spots coming up all over my face.
My skin is clearing up and I am going to commit to eating healthy from now on 
and since I've said it here, I can't really cheat can I?  
Anyway, that's the reason I'm not wearing makeup as much as I would like to which really sucks when you've got acne too, you develop a love-hate relationship with makeup! 
When I've got painful spots I just like to give my skin a breather and in reality, that's one of the
best things you can do for you skin!
If you're suffering with acne and you think it may be related to diet, or you haven't changed your diet and you think it may be another way to help, try Erica Angyal's books:

Gorgeous Skin for teens & Gorgeous Skin in 30 days.
http://www.gorgeous-skin.com/

I've definitely seen a difference!
I don't particularly want to upload a photo, but I will definitely make a blog post
sometime when my spots clear up.
If that guy on supersize me can eat McDonalds for 30 days in a row (ew) then I can eat healthy for 30 days.
I don't know if that makes sense but I think I know what I mean lol!
And I'm hoping that I will see a difference in my skin. 
I will get back to you in 27 days, (20th December) 
And see how everything goes.

Update: Tried, and failed miserably with this challenge! :(
And also discovered that a lot of my 'acne' isn't actually acne anymore, and just red marks or macules as they call them left over after they have healed.
I've read up about it and they say that good exfoliation works wonders at reducing the appearance of them. I am planning on buying a Clarisonic type brush.
Thanks for reading! 

Emily. x






Sunday, 23 November 2014

The Ugly Side of Beauty - Animal testing




 
Hey there.
I want to talk about animal testing today.
It's something that has always been on my mind, and something I always consider when buying cosmetics but I don't think I realized how many companies out there actually test, and even if they say they don't many of them actually lie.
I think animal testing of any kind is disgusting and shouldn't happen, but unfortunately  it does.
I wouldn't pay to see an animal die by any means - I am vegetarian after all, but animal testing happens and it happens frequently to make sure the products we use to get ready for a night out are safe for us.
I've recently decided not to support companies that currently test on animals because like I said I wouldn't pay money for any animals death even after receiving a pretty product at the end of it.
It's easy to forget about what really happens behind the scenes of the making of your makeup products and most of of us just buy it anyway not thinking about the products grim history.
Everyone has a choice in what makeup they use sure, no one can stop that but I found that because I didn't really know what was going on, I somehow didn't really acknowledge  it was going on if you get what I mean. It really annoys me more than anything that I can't wear that perfume or use that mascara because I know that the products have been tested on animals. 
There are so many cosmetics I wish I could use, but now refuse to because they test.
I'm glad that there are companies out there that are cruelty free and don't take part in animal testing, so these are the companies which will be getting my money from now on! :)
Companies such as The Body Shop, Urban Decay, Burts Bees and more recently NYX who are cruelty free are all owned by companies that test on animals themselves, so buying the products means your money goes towards animal testing anyway.
L'Oreal is one of the biggest offenders, so I stay way clear of them.
Sometimes I have make mistakes as it is quite difficult to know if a company is truly cruelty free so if you want to go cruelty free, make sure you research the company before you buy.
All companies argue that they don't support animal testing and they do their best to prevent it, but in circumstances when they are obligated by law to test, they will.
Thanks for reading, I think it's an important issue to discuss. 
What are your thoughts on the matter?

X




Visit www.peta.org.au for more information on animal testing and 
which companies are cruelty free.






Tuesday, 18 November 2014

Favourite internet gurus!



I am so incredibly grateful that I grew up surfing the internet. It's something I just love doing. There's so much information on whatever topic you may be interested in, and can be a great way to relax after a long day, or something to do when there's nothing else to do! I may not be involved in everything social media wise. To be honest I don't even really use facebook that much anymore! YouTube, Instagram and Bloglovin are some of my favourite websites on the internet these days and 
I'd like to share some of my favourite internet gurus, some old and some new!
I do have a very unique taste, and alot of them are very well known. 
I tend to 'consume' a lot of inspirational content as well as beauty / random loves.
I'll give a little description on those that aren't as well heard of.


YouTube

Zoella
 
Lauren Curtis 

Infinite Waters (Diving deep)
- This man has pretty much changed my life and he doesn't even know it!
If you need some inspiration in your life, you definitely need to have a look at his channel.
Incredibly inspiring.

Kute Blackson 
- Kute blackson is another incredible channel for inspiration and life advice.
Vsauce 

Grav3yardgirl 

Ashens
 - Hilarious cheap toy / random buy reviews. 
I watch this with my boyfriend, and we absolutely love it. 
CutiePieMarzia 

Shaaanxo

Crime documentaries
- I just can't stop watching these, even though they scare the absolute crap out of me.
I have unhealthy obsession for these.

Bloglovin

TheDailyLove
- Daily inspiration.
 
Willworkformakeup

Jennypurr

Shrinking wallet
- As she describes herself:
a 20 something year old beauty lover who does not have any concept of the word "budget". 
Instagram
Positive_Action 
 - Positive quotes

FitzroyIsland 
 - Fitzroy Island Queensland is one of the most beautiful places I've been,
One of the best ways to see the Great Barrier Reef up close.

Hunted_Dreams
 - Boutique 

Nailitmag
- Amazing nail creations.
 
Rentthetrendofficial
 - Beautiful trends to rent
Ringo_thegringo
- The coolest dog on instagam! 
 
selfhelpquotes
 Theskincareobsessive

Thegoodquote

Saboskirt




Saturday, 15 November 2014

Think Positive


I want to share some positive thinking tips today, as I have a few tips which are helping me to keep positive at the moment. Everyone faces challenges in their life and sometimes it gets all a bit much.
 Here's a few things I do to keep a smile on my face.

- Show gratitude for all that you can -
Gratitude can do incredible things for your happiness if you practice it on a daily basis.
Everyone has something to be grateful for no matter what, and if you're in a low place it can really brighten up your day to be able to acknowledge what's going right in your life instead of focusing all your attention on what isn't.

- Affirmations do the world of good -
Belief is everything, and if you don't believe in anything but your full potential then you need to change something. Change the way you talk to yourself and you will change your whole world.
Life is way too short to put yourself down and feel sorry for yourself.
You're a champion.

- Live like every day is your last -
Lately I have been making the decision to have the best day possible, to live every moment to the full because the harsh reality is that no one really knows when their time will be up.
Do what you love everyday, go and do that thing that you've always wanted to do in life.
Spend quality time with your friends and family and stop waiting for the perfect moment to start living your dreams.


Nickleback may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found this song really inspirational.
I listen to it everyday, and realize that... like he says, time is never on our side...



I hope that I may help someone out there who's reading, I think it's a really important subject that I felt inspired to write about today.

Emily. x


YouTube | Instagram | Bloglovin

Friday, 14 November 2014

ORLY Nail Polish



 
So I was wondering through the chemist the other night and picked up some ORLY nail polish.
I have been looking for a nail polish that isn't too plain but goes with most clothes / looks.
So I decided on these two pretty ones.
The glittery one on the left is rage which is a really pretty rose gold polish,
I'm wearing this at the moment and I just can't stop looking at it!
 It's a very unique polish in the fact that it's closer to rose gold than gold.
I love rose gold so I had to have it, and the fact that it will go with anything was a plus!








The next polish is a simple taupe shade called country club khaki which I think just looks really simple and classy as well as workable with any style of clothes.
I realize that these two colours are very similar, but I think I was just drawn to the shades because they are so simple, easy colours to wear!

 


 

What ORLY colours are your favourite?