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

Soap & Glory-ous.

Living in Australia, sometimes some of the best products are pretty hard to access... Soap&Glory is one of those brands, that is, until I discovered Mecca Cosmetica's stash of Soap&Glory goodies!

I've heard so much about Soap&Glory from various bloggers and vloggers, so when I was in London I had a peruse of the products in the aisles of Boots... But there's only so much you can fit in your suitcase! Enter Mecca Cosmetica (and also Kit Cosmetics), they provide a taste of the Soap&Glory range, (although they don't stock all the products unfortunately).

So what did I pick up?

I picked up the 'One Heck of a Blot' Super Translucent Mattifying Powder, (which Australian stores don't stock). This powder is brilliant!  I use a big powder brush (usually the RealTechniques Powder Brush) to apply this to either: set my foundation, or as a kind of powder primer.  It's completely translucent, so it doesn't affect the colour of your foundation, and it doesn't make your face look cakey.  And as a girl who is very lazy when it comes to touching up make-up throughout the day, this powder helps my make-up last and last!

Now to the Australian purchases... I've heard so much about the Soap&Glory body washes, so I had to give one a go!  I have super sensitive skin (see this post), and so it's often hard to find products that don't irritate it.  I bought the Clean on Me - Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel.  First of all, this shower gel smells glorious!  It has a sweet, yet citrusy scent, that lingers on the skin.  It's also perfect for those of you (like me), who can't be bothered using a body moisturiser, because it leaves your skin feeling soft and nourished.

I also picked up the ever-hyped Hand Food.  Not sure how well it goes in the repairing hand stakes, (it's Winter here, and my hands are suffering majorly), but it definitely smells lovely (a more floral scent), and I definitely can't stop using it! 

So far, I've enjoyed all the Soap&Glory products I've used, the quality is lovely, and the retro packaging and the product names are really cool.  I will definitely have to order more in the future!

Ordering online through Mecca  was an amazingly easy and worthwhile process.  Not only does your parcel arrive quickly, (and beautifully packaged I may add), but you get to choose two samples to try out! 

I chose the By Terry Baume De Rose sample... Which definitely lives up to all the hype! It's so nourishing, and it smells lovely. I'm going to have to save my pennies to get the full size!  Secondly, I chose the Nars Pro Primer for eyes, which I haven't used yet, but am definitely looking forward to!

Have you tried Soap&Glory?  What products should I try? 

Beth. x