Introducing Piper

A Commonwealth Games inspired friend was welcomed into our clan yesterday in the form of a 6 month old Scottish Terrier that we aptly named Piper. Getting a friend for Max had been casually discussed but on Thursday night my dad dropped the news that Max would be getting a sister from Brisbane. The poor soul endured the stress of the flight and arrived to us unscathed and curious about her new surroundings, still bearing the stitches from being fixed a week prior. Whilst we're still getting to know her (our latest discovery is that her hair takes longer than mine to dry ie hours), so far she seems like she's got a bit of stubbornness in her, adores the cat and is very happy socialising with other dogs, remaining unfazed no matter how cold some welcomes were at the dog park.

Makeup/Skincare Haul

As a girl who is trying to save right now there are far more products in this haul than there should be but alas I can't resist a good sale and I usually know what I want and wait for it to be discounted before I give in. It's been months since my last haul and some of these are more recent and others are a bit older but all worth mentioning.

Starting with skincare the Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight mask has become my life saver. I spend a lot of time in air conditioning/heating at my work and I've found it completely dries out my skin. If I'm doing a real pamper I pair this with the Aesop Parsley Seed Mask to really cleanse my face of all the bad stuff and then use this to nourish it so it's not so stripped of moisture. It's not overly expensive in the scheme of things for skincare in Australia and you don't need a lot so I think it's a good price point, available through Kit Cosmetics or Mecca Cosmetica.

I believe this is my third pot of the Dirty Works Buttery Salt Scrub that I have going as I live in fear of it being discontinued, it's insanely affordable and a beautiful body scrub that leaves the skin feeling lovely and smooth. Follow with a really nice moisturiser or body butter and your skin will love you for it. I've only seen it at Coles supermarkets but a quick google found two places online that stock it for Australians, internationally I think this one will be a bit harder to access unfortunately.

Bioderma, Bioderma, Bioderma, this wonder product is so expensive in Australia by comparison to France it's ridiculous but fortunately my dad was in France last month and picked me up a 500ml bottle (we don't even have this size in Australia) for under 10 Euros which was a complete bargain and cheaper than a 250ml bottle here. If you know someone going to France get them to leave room in their suitcase to pick you up a bottle, it'll be well worth it.

Face wipes are such a hush hush topic in the beauty world but the reality is that when it's 11 o'clock at night and I've got a full face of make up, I just want it off so I can go to sleep already and I don't care how it happens as long as it doesn't make me drift to sleep standing up. I figure it's better for your skin to remove it rather than sleep with it still on no matter if it's a wipe or a whole skincare regime that does it and this is what inspired the Yes To Cucumber Soothing Towelettes (brownie points for those who get the Glee reference with towelettes) purchase. They're cheap, supposedly soothing which if you've been to a party is always a good idea and will hopefully just do what they say on the packet which is all I can ask for.

I've been in a bit of a nail polish funk of recent, I've become over my nail polish collection and no colour is the right colour but I don't want bare nails. I saw my lovely friend Phoebe wearing the Maybelline Color Show polish in Audacious Asphalt and it looked so good on her that I had to buy it for myself. I don't think I pull it off as well as her but I like it and I'm quite fond of the lighter shade compared to my usual grey polish go-to Essie's Master Plan.

If you haven't noticed, I really love nail polish and it's not often that I hear a formula raved on about as much as I've heard for the Maybelline Super Stay 7 days polishes. The range in my local Priceline was limited with about 8 shades and it's not even online yet but I picked up Surreal, a purply denim blue which I love and Eternal Lilac which is quite a bright pinky/purple and one I'm sure I'll be bringing out in Spring/Summer. The opacity is great, two coats with the really thick brush and your set, I can't speak for the lasting power yet but keep your eyes peeled for a full review.

I'm lucky in that I'm not self conscious about my skin so often I go without a base at all but sometimes a slight amount of coverage just brightens your complexion and this is where the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer comes in. The shade range is basic but the yellow tones of ivory counteract my very rosy skin and covers The Vein, a dark blue annoyance under my left eye. I wear this most days under my eyes and sometimes on my cheeks if I'm over having rosy cheeks that day. It doesn't crease on me, it's brightening and it seems to last well but I'm very limited in my concealer testing so don't just listen to what I say.

As mentioned before my dad was in France last month and what kind of daughter would I be if I didn't at least try to get a present from Sephora? I sent him in search of the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red (Amelia Liana and Lily Pebbles are to blame for this) amongst the Parisian sales and he returned with this beauty and a story about the man who helped him find it. I will be doing a full review in a few weeks (there's a reason why it's postponed which you'll find out about) so look out for it but it's definitely going to be a rave.

I've been needing some eye brushes for far too long now, over a year at least and when the Real Techniques brushes were 25% off I decided it was time. The Your Eyes Enhanced starter set contains 5 brushes which cover your blending, packing on and lining requirements which high quality brushes and I picked up the single shading brush as well which is amazing. Having good eye make up brushes (and multiples of them too) really changes eye make up looks and is essential, more so than a lot of base brushes which are interchangeable with fingers. So glad I finally invested in a set and I'm thinking another shading brush needs to happen soon as well.

On the mascara front I've had two $10 bargains that I couldn't resist, the first is a repurchase of the Maybelline One by One mascara which is a daily mascara favourite for the past few months. One light layer and then another over the top once it's dried gives a really fluttery effect on my lashes, it's volumising and lengthening but not OTT and most definitely not clumpy. Mascara is quite dramatic on my mostly blonde lashes so during the day I don't like anything too intense and this fits the bill. 

The Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes is a very recent launch in Australia and I ummed and ahhed about it until I bit the bullet and decided that worst comes to worst I get a bottom lash mascara out of it. I went for the waterproof formula for a change and it's most definitely waterproof let me tell you, bioderma didn't budge it and I needed an oil based cleanser to get it off and it still took a bit of effort. I've only tried it once but it held the curl really well for the few hours I had it on, it gave me volume, length and was truly black. It's quite a dry mascara and I found the application almost a little scratchy on my lashes but with two layers it wasn't clumpy which was good. A mascara round up post is due on here once I get my act together and I expect this one will be included for a dramatic mascara.

And I made it, that was a long one and was totally my own fault. What have you sneakily purchased recently? Or maybe don't tell me otherwise I'll want to buy more things..

Book Haul

There is one person (other than myself obviously) to blame for this post. She is the ultimate book enabler, Sanne aka booksandquills is the reason behind the majority of these books and I love her for it.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg must be one of the best selling books of 2014 for a reason, right? As a girl entering the workforce and figuring out where I fit into it, I think this book will be quite inspiring to be a strong independent working woman and I look forward to what should be a very interesting read if the reviews are true.

I've actually already read Attatchments by Rainbow Rowell, it's on my iPad and I loved it so much I wanted the physical copy on my shelf. Rowell is one of my favourite authors, both from her adult and young adult novels and I really adored this book when I read it. This also leads onto the other purchase which is unpictured because it arrived later but I just binge-read Landline, Rowell's latest book, and loved it just as much. I think Fangirl is my all time favourite of her novels but they're all spectacularly well written and have well developed interesting characters whom I adore.

An Object Of Beauty by Steve Martin was the impulse buy of this haul. Spotted in one of Sanne's book hauls I believe, this books art world aspect appealed the most to me. I love art in a lot of forms, I want to learn more about it and I just really liked the look of this book really. Very excited to read it but it's not first on the list right now.

Just One Day followed by Just One Year followed by Just One Night (ebook only) are a lovely trio (or really 2 and a half but that doesn't sound as nice) of books written by Gayle Forman. I read these quickly on my iPad and loved them so much that once I discovered Just One Night existed around 11pm, moments after finishing Just One Year, I made the very immature but at the time satisfying choice to stay up even later and finish that. If I miss sleep to read a book it's worthy of sitting on my shelf.

Trouble by Non Pratt was one I discovered on Goodreads and is really a book that I would have bought on my iPad if it was an iBook because it's not one I really needed to own. I read this whilst I was poorly (part of the reason for the lack of noise on this blog) and I liked it but didn't love it. Personally the goodreads reviews were a bit generous and the only really great thing with this book was the character Aaron who I adored, buying off bookdepository at least means I didn't throw too much money down the drain.

Estee (of Essiebutton) and Sanne are the reasons behind my purchase of We Were Liars by E Lockhart and I am so grateful! It's not the kind of book I'd pick up, I generally stick to the YA/Chick Lit genre because it's light and this novel is anything but. It's not a long read but it's a lovely one, with some more poetic aspects and very interesting medical conflict elements which I adored. It was $2.99 on iBooks on sale so it was a no brainer really.

Last but not least is Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson, a book which I found through #shelfie on tumblr, one of my favourite tags to peruse, when it kept on appearing in people's book collections. It's been highly rated on Goodreads from over 4000 ratings which is a good sign and I think it'll be a nice holiday read when I go away to the country next week.

Do I dare ask what other books I should check out? Tell me what you've been reading in the comments below.

Maybelline Express Remover Review

I first saw this concept with the release of the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover quite a while ago and have been waiting for it to hit Australia's shores since. Maybelline seem to have beaten them to it with the Maybelline Express Remover being released here a few months ago.

I paint my nails a lot, depending on what I have going on it can be up to 3 times a week (excessive, I know), so fast removal is really convenient for me and worth the 10 Australian dollars for a few months of use.

I'm onto my second pot, the first is now filled with confetti polish speckles and stains my finger pink because of all the red polish I've taken off with it. It's not 'one dip' but by pressing gently on the spongey sides and moving your finger around, removal takes seconds and there are no acetone soaked cotton pads to worry about cleaning up!

It's fuss free, quick and even though I'm usually sceptical of acetone free nail polish removers this one does work really well. It's the lazy nail polish wearers dream and available from Priceline and some supermarkets in Australia.

Keep An Ear Out..

I mentioned in my May Madness post that there are some new music releases coming up that I'm particularly excited for, especially in the male British singer-songwriter part of the music world, so I thought I'd share with you some popular and lesser known artists to check out.

Ed Sheeran's much anticipated second album Multiply is on it's way and I'm very excited. The first single 'Sing' was a small declaration in a way that things will be getting switched up a bit on this album but I although I am keen to see which direction he's taking some of his songs I hope that some of the raw acoustic notes of the first stay around.

Lewis Watson is one of my favourite singer-songwriters, his progression from acoustic to more alternative has been amazing and very natural I think as his skills and abilities musically have grown. His first album has been long awaited with a succession of EP's prior all of which I have fallen in love with. I have high hopes in the success of 'The Morning' and I think he is one to watch if you're not already.

Passenger's new album 'Whispers' is truly a thing of beauty, following the success of his single Let Her Go this album had a greater amount of people waiting for it and I think he rose to the challenge. He's stayed within his genre and it's not a dramatic change but it's more cinematic than his previous four studio albums and the strings section just gets me. Surprisingly '27' is my favourite track from the record as it's one of the most upbeat songs but I'm a sucker for a good clapping section (being able to clap in time to this is about as musically talented as I get).

I fell in love with Sam Smith's voice with his song 'Leave Your Lover' from his album 'In The Lonely Hour', the mainly acoustic guitar and piano track had me on iTunes listening to the rest of the album which I fell in love with and have had on repeat since. 'Stay With Me' was so good the BBC Radio 1 host Zane Lowe deemed it his 'hottest record' and I couldn't agree more. One of the best breakthrough pop artists so far this year.

One of the most popular youtube cover artists Kina Grannis recently released another album entitled 'Elements' and I think finally she has reached her music potential. Her covers have always been amazing but for some it ends there, and I had a fear that was the same for Kina but this album has proven me wrong. 'Elements' is a bit more unique than her previous albums and really showcases her talent more than her previous albums have. My favourite track is Winter but all of them are divine and worth a listen.

Hudson Taylor, an Irish pop-folk duo, have released their 'Battles II' EP with three new tracks and 2 remastered versions of Battles prior to the release of their first album due in September of this year. I love the 2014 version of Battles, it's very powerful and showcases how far they've come, as well as the track Throw Me A Line which is my pick of the new tracks.

Any new artists that I need to listen to before they get big? Let me know in the comments.

Link Loving #2

I spend a fair portion of my life on my computer (sometimes productively, I promise!) and I often come across some really great things which are too good not to share so here is the second instalment of my link loving series.

Nouvelle Daily posted a really great DIY for a jewellery display which is simple but very classy with easily accessible materials. I loved it so much that I'm keen to do my own when I get the opportunity. It's also very customisable to match your style and needs, you can change the hook set up or paint it a different colour with ease to make it your own.

Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup has recently started doing weekly vlogs (I say recently, this has been going on for ten weeks) and I absolutely love them! Her and her boyfriend Mark document the best bits of their weeks and wrap it up into a nice little weekly Tuesday upload. A part of the problem with daily vlogging is that sometimes it feels like people are trying to fill them out to make them more of a substantial video instead of being great content but making them weekly eliminates that and these have quickly become one of my favourites videos to see in my subscriptions feed.

Lewis Watson has been one of my favourite singer-songwriters for over two years now and he recently went back to his youtube cover roots and uploaded a beautiful cover of Oceans by Coldplay. I can't even begin to explain how much I love this cover so all I can say is click here, close your eyes and listen.

I've confessed my crush on Alexa Chung a fair bit on the internet and just when I thought I couldn't love her any more (I mean seriously, she used puns to name her eyeko range) she collaborated with Lisa Eldridge for a tutorial of her own signature look. Not only is her eyeliner applying skill incredible (she does it herself in this video) but she is also really interesting and I love the her laid back attitude in this video.

My handwriting is something I'm weirdly proud of, I personally think mine is neat but effortless at the same time and I have spent a lot of time making it how I want it to be (there was a time back in primary school where I spent weeks getting myself into the habit of doing normal f's instead of the really curly ones I'd been doing before). Cupcakes & Cashmere recently shared her faux calligraphy tips and not only is the writing beautiful but it is a very simple technique which I have loved learning how to do.

And last but not least is a bit of news that interests the Australian beauty lovers who read my blog. Somehow I missed the news that Australia was getting Sephora at the end of this year (right in time for my birthday, it's going to be grand) but they have revealed they intend to "price match the US on a portion of it's range" creating a new level of competition in the Australian market (you can read the article about it here). For those who don't know, makeup and skincare is incredibly overpriced in Australia with up to a 200% mark up so if Sephora do this well and stray true to their word this is just the right shake up that will make my bank account very happy.

What have you been loving on the internet recently? Anything that has managed to slip past my very watchful eyes?

The Want List

Part of the problem with being very active in the beauty/fashion blogger community is that the wants accumulate and for a girl who is trying to save her pennies, the temptation is painful. I try not to have too many impulse buys and go shopping with a plan to make the most of what I buy. The best way I've found to keep track is to have a running list and to check back on it so I only but what I really really want and have done for a while. What's on this list you may ask?

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - This has been on my list for over six months now and after my first dabble into Origins with the charcoal mask I think this is the next progression. It's a no fuss mask that has rave reviews and just fits in with the budget. I see it as the more I invest in looking after my skin the less I have to in covering it.

Marc Jacobs Baker watch in gold - I almost caved for this at Christmas but just couldn't quite bring myself to spend so much money on a watch but I think it's going to happen as my gap year survival present to myself at the end of the year. My wrists are childlike so I can't even find a bracelet that fits nicely but I think this watch will be the best investment my wrist will ever have.

Urban Decay Naked 2 palette - I have mentioned this previously on my blog before and the want still stands. It's on the back burner right now because I'm quite content with my no fuss concealer, brows and mascara look that's my go to at the moment but I'm keeping an eye out for it to go on sale on Beauty Bay so I can snap it up.

See by Chloe - Spotted on the vlog channel of Estee from EssieButton, this perfume is most likely my next buy in the scent department. I've been wearing Dot by Marc Jacobs almost exclusively since I got it in December which I still adore but it's half gone and I think it's time for a switch up. I smelt this once and loved it (it even got the mum tick of approval), a few more swatches are in order for my final conclusion but it's looking hopeful.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper- I swatched this on my hand and I kid you not it lasted two days of showers and handwashing before it was all gone. It's a perfect red and the formula has gotten the tick of approval from the bold lip goddess Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup so I'm sold. In Australia it's not exactly cheap so I'm waiting for it to go on sale before I pick it up but expect a review on here soon after I do.

Black brogues - I did have my eye on some from Wittner but they are out of my price range so I am going to hunt through the end of financial year sales to find the perfect pair. I love the masculinity of the brogue, I think they definitely fall into the 'tom-boy chic' category and they are also really versatile, downplaying feminine cuts and can replace heels for the right occasion (my brown pair already do). Shoe shopping for me is quite hard and it's a godsend for me to find a pair I actually like.

What is on your want list? Actually, don't tell me. I don't need any more ideas.