Head to head: Micellar waters.

Micellar water is a game changer when it comes to removing your makeup efficiently and effectively. They have gained cult status over the past few years, with Bioderma being the name that comes to mind when you think of what sparked this skin care revolution.  I personally love the concept of micellar waters, especially as someone with very sensitive skin.

I have tried three different micellar waters from different ends of the price spectrum, and two I've already repurchased, while the other didn't make the cut.

The one that I tried first was Bioderma. I'd heard beauty bloggers and vloggers talk about it for ages, and so when in landed on the shelves of Priceline in Australia, I was all over it. It's not cheap, at about $30 for 250mL, but personally I think it's worth the money. My skin is irritated quite easily, but this doesn't affect it at all. It removes make-up (and even waterproof mascara) easily, without having to pull and tug at your skin. There is no scent, and it leaves your skin feeling clean and refreshed.

I had put off trying the Garnier Micellar water, because I didn't think anything could be as good as my beloved Bioderma. It is at the other end at the price spectrum at $13 for 400mL. It does a very similar job to Bioderma, although it does require a bit more product to do the same job, but at that price, that isn't an issue. Again, it didn't seem to irritate my sensitive skin, which was great. I rarely wear waterproof mascara, so I am unable to say if it effectively works on that. I personally find that there is a weak scent with this one, that did initially put me off, but I have gotten used to it now. So all in all, a brilliant lower end micellar water.

Lastly I tried the Sukin Micellar Water. I have tried other Sukin products in the past, and found that my skin doesn't seem to be irritated by them, so I thought I would give this a go. It's paraben and sulphate free, and organic. The floral scent of this is much more pronounced than the others, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, when I used this it made my skin tingle and go red and patchy. I also found that I needed to work harder to get my eye makeup off than I did with the other ones. It's $10 for 250mL.

What is your favourite micellar water? Is there other ones I should try?

Beth. x

Mecca Haulin'

I'm lucky I don't get down to Melbourne very often, because my bank balance doesn't really approve. Every time I seem to go into Mecca just for a browse, a basket just falls into my hand, and before you know it, I've walked out with a bag of goodies...

This trip I stocked up on some of my favourites and finally bought one of the most highly praised concealers ever.

The first thing I picked up was the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade vanilla. Now, if you've been reading beauty blogs or watching beauty vloggers in the last 3 years or more, you will have heard about this, many call it a holy grail product. I quite like it. The colour is a good match for me, and the staying power is brilliant, it's great for use under the eyes and all over the face, and doesn't get too cakey. I only have two problems with this... 1. It does crease slightly under the eyes, (although I do tend to have big wrinkles under there anyway, so that was bound to happen), and 2. It's quite hard to justify $40 for a concealer, it is great, and it will last me a very long time, but there probably are cheaper alternatives.

The second thing I picked up was the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you will know all about this product! I've been through two of these already, and I'll happily call it my favourite lip product of all time. It's a gorgeous blue-toned red matte lipstick, that applies so easily and lasts all day, simple as that. Again, because it's Nars there is a $34 price tag, but that's a pretty decent price to pay for true love.

Last but not least I re-stocked my favourite Soap & Glory Hand Food. This smells really sweet and fruity, and it sinks into the skin really well. Priced at only $10, it's the perfect hand cream for the changing weather.

Is there anything you guys would suggest for my next Mecca splurge?

Beth. x

You don't know what you have until it's gone. #Beautyproblems

So, I ran out of my favourite moisturiser the other day. My holy grail, 'save my skin' product, the La Clinica Clear Skin Oil Control Day Cream.

This may not sound like a big deal, but when you have to get your skincare products sent to you from stores on the other side of the country, because your skin reacts to most products... It's a big deal.

In between the disaster that was running out of moisturiser (who thought opaque packaging with an airless pump was a good idea?!), and the arrival of the package that contained my new one, the moisturiser I used caused my skin to break out and look incredibly greasy.

It was then I realised how much I love my La Clinica moisturiser, and how much I need it in my life, with it's lovely lemon scent, and it's skin clearing abilities. You really don't realise what you have until it's gone.

What product could you not live without? Do you have any other #Beautyproblems ?

Beth. x

The Christmas List...

Christmas is a time for giving to others, spending time with loved ones, singing carols all day every day and thinking about the deeper meanings of the holiday.  Receiving gifts is just an added bonus of this exciting time of year... That being said, today's post is a list of things I would love to have wrapped up under the tree for me!

1. The Complete Set from Zoeva. - Every blogger on the planet wants the rose gold Zoeva brush set, but when I was browsing the Luxola website I stumbled upon this set that has almost double the brushes and is cheaper too! It's not like I need more brushes, but these ones are lovely. 

2. Crosley Executive Turntable - Black (CR6019A-BK) - A record player has been on my wishlist for some time now, and this one from Crosley has had amazing reviews! Perfect for the music lover who likes to keep things authentic.

3. Records to play on the record player! - A lot of the bands I listen to produce their albums on vinyl as well as cds etc., so I think I may need some of them, as well as some old school op-shop finds too!

4. Bobbi Brown Art Stick. -  I saw Zoella wearing one of these in a vlog months ago, and since then I've been dreaming about them! As a lipstick addict, I feel that one of these would be a lovely addition to my collection.

5. Nars Audacious Lipstick in Grace, Greta or Natalie or Charlotte... or most of them. - These have been talked about a lot in the beauty community lately, and with the amount of shades in the range, there is definitely one, or many for every person! 

6. Some yoga/sport pants that aren't see-through. - I have a constant struggle when shopping for exercise clothing... It's got to be comfortable and practical, but also not super expensive, because I don't exercise THAT much. 

So I think that is enough wanting for one post. I hope it might give you some inspiration.
What's on your Christmas list this year?

Beth. x 

Zoella Beauty

Zoella is one of the biggest YouTube commodities around at the moment, with more than 5 million subscribers, this fun-loving, girl-next-door reaches people from all over the world. Like many other vloggers, Zoe has ventured into the land of merchandising, releasing her own range of bath and body products, (aptly named Zoella Beauty), and it has been going from strength to strength, which isn't surprising with her millions of fans (including myself) wanting to get their hands on these beautiful products.

Now to the products... The Zoella Beauty range is available in Superdrug in the UK, and FeelUnique (for us overseas beauty lovers). The packaging of all of the products is beautiful, (and very much fitting with the Zoella brand), and very affordable too! (All of the products are less than $18 AUD).

I picked up the Zoella Beauty Eyes Beauty Bag, the Fizz Bar, the Soak Opera Bath Soak and Shower Cream and the Creamy Madly Dreamy Body Lotion. I also desperately wanted to try the body mist, but sadly it can't be shipped overseas.

My favourite product out of the lot is the Creamy Madly Dreamy Body Lotion. First of all, the name is incredibly cute, but the product itself is really good too! The smell is to die for, and it sinks into the skin really quickly, moisturises well, and doesn't leave any stickiness at all.

The beauty bag has just enough space for all the beauty/skin products you'll need for a night away, and can fit make-up brushes too, (if you don't have too much other stuff in there).

The fizz bar, does what is says on the package and fizzes away. It leaves the water in your bath nice and silky, but doesn't add any colour or bubbles... It does smell glorious though! (Just like the body lotion and the bath cream).

I always use the fizz bar with the bath soak, as the bath soak adds bubbles into the mix. Again, this product smells glorious, in a subtle, girly way, that doesn't overpower you.  The only problem is that the bubbles don't last that long, (but if you're just having a relatively quick bath, then you won't have a problem).

Overall, I really enjoy the range, and I'm looking forward to new additions in the future! It's well worth a look, if you want to pamper yourself.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

Beth. x