My beauty loves

Today's post is going to consist of all my current beauty loves, from foundations to cheeks to makeup brushes and hair styling favourites. Im going to try not to ramble on as much as i normally do so we will just jump straight into it. 

Foundation Loves:

Laura Mercier silk creme foundation in soft ivory. This foundation is amazing, creamy, blendable and the perfect shade for my skin tone. You only need the smallest amount of this foundation to get beautiful coverage that looks like skin. 

Garnier BB cream for combo/oily skin in light. This is a bb cream with reasonable coverage, a very light feel and a glowy natural finish. The colour is slightly to dark for me but once blended it looks very natural and im loving it. 

Shiseido sun protection foundation in the lightest shade. This foundation it watery, light and has a beautiful glowy, natural finish which is what i have been loving for this summer. With the high spf (43) i have been using this on the hot and sunny days that we've been experiencing lately. 

Concealer love: Maybelline super stay 24 hour concealer in light, this concealer is full coverage and light enough to blend in with my skin. it stays in place all day and doesn't cake up.

Cheek Loves:

Smashbox bronze lights bronzer in suntan matte, this bronzer is the perfect shade of brown for my skin tone, with minimal to no orange in it, it doesn't make my face look dirty or orange, only give its a natural contour. 

Sleek blush in suede, This blush give my cheeks the perfect flush of dusty pink, while also giving it a subtle contour. 

Eye Loves:

Maybelline illegal lengths mascara, this mascara gives my lashes the perfect amount of length without them looking fake or spidery, it gives them a natural length and i love it.

Revlon eyelash curler, i have been absolutely adoring the curled eyelash look, it makes my eyes look much more open and my lashes look very long and ive been really enjoying curling my lashes with or without mascara.

Smashbox Master class palette. This palette has almost everything i would need for an eye look, the gel liners are my favourite, with brown and black being my most used, while also loving the variety of eyeshadows and cheek highlighters.

Naked2 palette. This palette speaks for itself, it gives a beautiful natural bronzed eye look without using excessive glitter or over the top colours.

Stilla in the know palette. This palette is my favourite of the 3 palettes Im mentioning in this post, it has all matte shades that i absolutely love for everyday natural look that i prefer when im not going out to an important event or at night. 

Makeup brush lovess:

Sephora precision powder brush. This brush is amazing for bronzing up my face and giving it a natural glow.

Real techniques buffing brush. This brush is perfect for liquid foundations, and really getting a natural glowing look and buffing foundation into the skin.

Sedona lace 480 round top brush. This brush has been my favourite brush for contouring my face, it fits perfectly in the contour of my cheeks while also being dense enough to blend the bronzer out.

Sigma flat top kabuki. This brush is also amazing for applying liquid and cream foundations, it gives a lovely flawless finish and it one of my favourites.

Elf stippling brush. This brush is perfect for applying my blush and gives a lovely natural look to the skin, while applying just the right amount of product. 

Hairstyle loves:

Macadamia oil leave in condition and healing oil. These products are moisturising and nourishing and make my hair feel soft and healthy while also taming frizz.

Tigi catwalk curlesque rock amplifier. This creme is amazing for allowing my hair to hold its natural wavy curl, only needing the smallest amount to do so, if you use to much this can cause your hair to become crunchy. 

Redkin anti-snap leave in protein treatment. This is a liquidy formula that once put on my hair makes it feels soft and moisturised while also protecting my ends from damage. 

So thats the end of my current beauty loves.

i hope this wasn't to boring or long winded. Let me know what your favourite products of this summer are.

Have a wonderful day

Jess xx

So where have I been and what have I been loving…

So…long time no see blogees, to be honest its been a few months since ive written a blog post, but I have had a very full on few months and now that I am on holidays I am back to share what beauty bits I have been loving and obsessing over.

Firstly I have been obsessed with some new foundations for the warmer weather, Shiseido sun protect foundation is long wearing, water proof and SPF 43++, which is absolutely amazing, it is a little on the darker side for pale people such as myself, and does only come in 6-8 shades, but for those who can get a shade match, its incredible. The foundation feels so lightweight, like you are applying cool water so your face, and it is incredibly blendable and buildable from medium to full coverage if you want it. Given that it is a water based foundation you do need to shake it before use, but that is no drama for me. The foundation for all us Aussie women is available in myer and david jones, but I suggest going in to only get colour matched and purchasing it online from www.nowcosmetics.com.au, which I have found to be a cheaper alternative to buying a lot of high end makeup products, with free (and fast) shipping to Australian customers and cheap shipping elsewhere, I cannot rave highly enough about this website.

Secondly I have been loving my new hair, some of you may have seen pictures of the new cut, well I’ve gone slightly shorter and given it a slightly ombred look for the summer, which I am absolutely loving. Its so light and fresh and I don’t think I ever want long hair again.

To maintain the health of my hair and give it moisture I have using a few different products, which have been amazing. Firstly the macadamia nut deep repair masque is amazing, it leaves my hair feeling soft, moisturized and nourished. This feeling is crucial to anyone who dyes or heat styles their hair. I purchased mine of www.beautybay.com as it was approximately $20 cheaper than in my local stores, and also have free shipping, the site took approximately 2 weeks to ship it to me, which I thought was reasonable considering I didn’t pay the extra $2 for the express dispatch.

I also purchased the travel kit to get a small sample of the leave in conditioner and the oil treatment, both of which have fast become favourites of mine, they leave my hair feeling very detangled and soft, and are the perfect size to throw in my handbag for on the go moisture.

Another Treatment I have been loving is Coconut oil with a tablespoon of olive oil, warmed up slightly, left in overnight and this gives my hair a lovely moisture and nourished look and feel to it, and it is fairly cheap to get the two products from your local supermarket or health foods store.

So I don’t make this post to long and boring, I will split it into two, I will write part 2 of this post in a few days on more makeup and other beauty favourites.

Sorry for my absence I will see you all again soon.

Thankyou for reading and have a fantastic day. xxx

Snip Snip Snip it off...

Todays blog post is a little different, its not a review or a favourites, but look out for those coming soon:) This post is about my hair, now I have naturally curly/wavy hair that is a little dry and very thick but otherwise reasonable healthy. I have spent the last year or so trying to grow out my hair my hair to beautiful long lengths, trying to ignore the desperate need for a trim, and then getting disappointed when the hairdresser cuts a little more then I want off. My hair managed to get to about midway down my back before I decided to make the big chop, I realised after speaking to my boyfriend and hairdresser that my hair just wasn't in good enough condition to grow to the great lengths I wanted, while also being an incredibly unflattering, knotty, tangly mess. So last friday I went in for my appointment, and after a long discussion with my hairdresser, we decided on a length and style and I let the hairdressers have at it.

So without any further ado I will get into the pictures of my old and new hair.


Before:

After:

So as you can see, its a huge 5-6inches difference, but it feels so much lighter, and looks much more flattering and healthier. If you are interested in seeing how I take care of my hair, I will have a haircare routine coming up soon.

Hope you guys liked this post and il be up and posting again very soon.

XX

My Everyday Makeup Favourites and Routine

Today's post is going to be about my everyday makeup favourites, and when I say everyday I mean days when I'm wearing a full face of makeup. I don't wear makeup everyday and somedays I just wear BB cream if I'm just running out to the supermarket or to university. These makeup products make a very natural and neutral look which is what I prefer for everyday, if i have an special event or evening out i will do a more full face of makeup, but for everyday this is my go to look, hope you all enjoy and lets get into it:). 

First up is my BB cream, now this changes depending on what BB cream im using at the time and at the moment i am swapping between the skin 79 super BB cream or this Lioele Beyond the solution BB cream, which gives me a good base for my foundation and a little extra coverage.

Next comes my foundation, which for this particular look is the revlon colourstay whipped foundation in 150Buff, i love the coverage and feel of this foundation and have a full review of it on a previous post. 

Lastly for my Base is my meow cosmetics mineral foundation which i lightly dust over the top to set the foundation and BB cream in place. A full review on this brand will be coming up soon, stay tuned:)

Concealer is something i don't need or use on an everyday but if i was going to use one it would be this Maybelline super stay 24 hour concealer in light, which is amazing coverage and stays all day and i would use this before i set my base with a powder.

Following my base being complete i would use the prestige my brow due to colour in my eyelid to give it a even and neutral all over colour.

The last thing i would do on an everyday basis to my eye area is apply 1 or 2 coats of the maybelline great lash mascara, which just gives me a little bit of naturally looking colour and length.

For my cheeks i like to contour a little with either my sleek contouring kit or my think lizzy 6 in 1 makeup in dark, both colours are lovely neutral matte browns, that do not make my pale skin look orange or dirty and just leaves a natural looking cheek lift.

Next I apply my all time favourite blush, it is a mineral blush from the brand bloom, and it is in a beautiful pink coral colour called coral reef, that gives the most gorgeous natural flush.

And the Last thing i do in my makeup routine is apply a little highlighter from the sleek contour kit onto the tops of my cheeks, just to give a natural glow.

And here is the finished product:

I hope you guys like this post, please follow me if you would like to see more blog posts from me, and i will see you all next time:)

thankyou for reading

xx

Ten Favourite Products of the Moment

Hello my lovely readers,

Sorry I have been gone for awhile, I have been buried under a pile of university assessments and exams which have been keeping me pretty flat out lately, but I have finally found a time to be able to write a little blog post for you guys. This post is going to be on my ten most favourite products at the moment, with a mini review on each product as well. So lets jump straight into it hey:) In no particular order:

Clean& Clear advantage fast clearing spot removing gel: This gel has been a lifesaver over the past few weeks, Ive been really stressed out and having a few little spots pop up, and this gel has been amazing in minimising the redness and overall appearance of the spot, while also helping them to clear quicker. This was very inexpensive and it a great size to carry around in my everyday makeup bag. This is available for about $8.99 from Priceline.

Physicians Formula Trio in "baked sands": This trio of eyeshadows have been my most used eyeshadows the last few weeks, basically since i bought them. They are beautifully pigmented and they are also wet to dry eyeshadows, so  if you add a little water on your brush it makes them so smooth and lovely to wear and they are just such wearable neutral shades that are amazing for everyday use. These eyeshadows were about $8 in a Priceline sale a few weeks back.

Maybelline Falsies Mascara: I bought this mascara on a whim when Maybelline at Priceline was having  a sale on their mascaras, so i pick this up for about $10. I got this mascara in waterproof as i prefer waterproof formulas as they last longer on my eyes. This mascara makes my lashes look long and voluminous, and is my go to mascara at the moment. It is available at Priceline for about $14 normally.

Witchhazel: I have been using witchazel for about a year now and absolutely love it as my everyday toner, the smell is the only downside to this product but it dulls down after a while and doesnt linger on the skin. This toner visibly improves my skins redness and overall appearance and this bottle lasts absolutely ages. This is also available at Priceline for about $11.

Alchemy 24 hour intense moisture leave in conditioner: This product has actually only recently come into my life but i absolutely adore it, it is FULL of natural and beneficial ingredients for your hair and you only need a tiny piece for you hair to feel nourished and moisturised. I have naturally wavy/curly hair that is quite thick and a little dry and this is an absolute god send, it is a little pricey at $20ish but i think it is totally worth the money as it is mostly natural, very beneficial for you hair and a little goes a very long way. It is available at most health vitamin stores and Priceline.

Clean & Clear essentials moisturiser SPF 15: I absolutely LOVE this moisturiser, it has become my go to moisturiser since buying it, i wear it every day before i put on my BB cream or foundation and everyday before i go to bed, it has a SPF to help aid in sun protection  and has a lovely floral smell to it. This moisturiser also has salicylic acid in it which has been helping with my breakouts. This moisturiser is available for $8.99 from Priceline.

Michael Mercier Detangling Brush for thick hair: I bought this brush on a whim, hoping it would do what it says, make my hair detangle without damaging or pulling it, and this brush does just that, it is AMAZING, they have two other colours for thin and medium thickness hair, but the thick hair one detangles and brushes my hair without pulling it or damaging my hair and i have really seen a difference in the quality of my hair since buying this. This brush is also available at most pricelines for about $18, which although is quite pricey, i couldn't live without it now.

Revlon 24 hour whipped foundation (150 Buff): This foundation has been my go to foundation on the days I've been wearing a full face makeup rather then just BB cream and powder. The texture of this foundation is creamy and smooth and is quite moisturising on my skin with a semi matte finish. The colour matches me perfectly and it looks really lovely and natural (if your after more information i have done a review of this product on my blog). The foundation is available from Priceline for about $37, but i always look for a sale (Myer has it online for $24 at the moment!)

Essence stay all day cream eyeshadow: This eyeshadow is in the shade "And the glammy goes to" which is a shimmery neutral shade which is gorgeous as my everyday all over the eyelid shade, i often wear it on its own or in combination with the previously mentioned physicians formula trio. This eyeshadow is available from Target or Priceline for $5.50.

Meow Cosmetics mineral foundation: These foundations are my go to mineral foundations, they come in SO many colours and are incredibly affordable with worldwide shipping, I have this foundation in about 3 shades and in the two sizes available. I will do a full review on these foundations in another blog post but for now i will just say they are amazing with a very natural coverage and are available from www.meowcosmetics.com

Alright guys hope you like this post, let me know if you love any of these products also.

I will post again soon lovelies and hopefully more regularly now my assessments are coming to an end.
Have a great day guys and talk to you next time




Jess xx

Review: Revlon colorstay whipped foundation

As a beauty lover, I was absolutely thrilled when revlon bought out a new version of one of my favourite foundations of all time. The revlon colour stay whipped foundation comes in really lovely packaging, a heavy glass jar that feels expensive and rather luxurious.

This foundation comes with a really different consistency, it is nothing like whipped cream, I would compare it to the consistency of thickened cream. The product itself gives a nice even finished when buffed into the skin, with medium to full coverage, I use my Sedona lace flat top kabuki (reviewed previously) to apply this foundation and it gives me a lovely natural "skin" look as opposed to a cakey look.

This was the foundation after about 10 hours on my skin
and still looked as perfect as when i had applied it

This foundation has amazing staying power, i can apply it early in the morning and by the late evening it still looks as if I've just applied it.

The shade I wear in this foundation is the lightest one (150 buff), which is a reasonably good match for my skin. I bought this from chemist warehouse on an introductory price of $29, but it will be available in Australia for around $34 normally.

I hope you guys liked this review and I really do recommend this product as it is beautiful finish

see you all soon

xoxo

My weekly workout routine

I have never really been interested in fitness, up until the end of last year, and over the past few months i have perfected my own workout routine and made it one that i am really enjoying and that i see the best results for myself.


In todays post I am going to go through my normal weekly workout routine. Now before i begin, i will say some people may find my workout routine quite full on, but i enjoy it and i really like to push myself to see results. For these workouts the most you will need is a goof pair of workout shoes and a set of hand weights (i use 3lb)

Mondays & Wednesdays: I have a full day of university on Mondays and Wednesday this semester, which makes me a little short for time when it comes to my workout routine. After dinner on Mondays and Wednesdays is when i am more likely to workout as it is the only time i have. I usually begin my workout with the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, followed by either a 30minute bike ride(on the exercise bike) or 30minutes of the Prevention slim,strong and firm pilates workout.

Tuesday, Thursdays & Fridays: I don't have university on these days this semester, so i will normally do a full workout. This workout will consist of me completing Jillian Michaels burn fat boost metabolism workout (approx. 45mins), followed by Jillian Michaels no more trouble zones workout (approx. 45). I will usually do my workout between breakfast and lunch. I will further review these workout dvds individually in future blogposts.

Saturdays:I will normally complete Jillian Michaels 30 Day shred and a 20minute bike ride, this is because on Saturdays i don't want a full workout but i like to take more than one day off a week from my workout.

Sundays: Sundays are my rest day during a normal workout week, this can change if i have an event on a certain day of the week and don't have time for a workout, if this is the case then my sunday workout will be the same as my saturday workout.

I have been following this workout plan for a number of weeks now and have seen very good results.
i hope this post was helpful for those who were interested in a at home workout routine that doesn't include expensive gym equipment or gym membership.

Disclaimer: Just because these routine works for me, doesn't mean it will work for everyone, always consult your doctor or practitioner before beginning a new workout routine, especially one as full on as mine can be.

Workout Dvd Series: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

This post will be the first of many in my new workout dvd series, now I will admit, most of my workout dvds are Jillian Michaels workouts, but that is because I favour her workouts over many others that I've looked into. The 30 Day Shred is the first Jillian Michael workout I purchased( it was infact the first workout dvd i had EVER purchased), I bought it on a whim when my financials were running a little to low for my expensive gym membership. Now this dvd is a 20 minutes workout (give or take a few minutes) with a warm up and cool down. All that is needed for the workout is a set of weights (i used 3lb) which i really prefer because it means i don't have to go out and spend money on expensive equipment. The workout itself is 3 sets of 6 minute circuits, which consist of the 3-2-1 strategy Jillian uses, which translates into 3minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs and repeat. The workout has 3 levels, which start off easier and get harder as you go up in the levels.

The workout also adapts for different levels of fitness as the girls who workout with Jillian in the dvd offer an easier option for some of the harder moves(the girl to your right) and a more difficult option for those with better fitness or who want to push themselves( the girl on the left).I honestly believe that this workout is one of the best beginner workouts that i could have possibly done, and even now if I'm running short on time i will chuck this in the dvd player and get on my way. By no means is this an easy workout, but it really does push your limits and make you work for it, and i find that Jillian Michaels really does motivate me and make me want to sweat it out and work for results.

Doing this workout along with others that will be mentioned in this series i have lost a substantial amount of weight (about 20kg so far, in 6 months) and i am striving to continue to complete these workouts on a regular basis and lose more weight and tone. I originally did this workout 6 days a week, i now do it 4-6 days a week in conjunction with other dvds, and along with healthier eating, managed to change my life.



For those of you who are interested i picked up this dvd from BigW for $25 but it is also available from amazon for my international readers.

Thankyou for reading and il see you all soon :) xx

Product review:Sedona lace review

The sedona lace "midnight lace" brush set is a synthetic brush set with beautiful black and purple bristles, the set comes with 4 brushes (a kabuki, a flat top kabuki, a round-top kabuki, and an angled kabuki), all which are incredibly good quality soft brushes.

The set itself is very similar to the sigma "sigmax" brush set which i have yet to try but expect to do so very soon, and i may compare the two brands.

As i previously stated, the quality of the brushes is amazing, they are all quite dense, but not so much so that they are stiff, they are very soft and not scratchy in anyway,they are very efficient is putting on my mineral foundation (review coming soon) and give a very natural even coverage. Since using them i have had no shedding and as they are synthetic they are reasonably easy to clean.

This set retails for $49.95 USD with reasonable shipping. The set comes in a beautiful purple bag and comes with a pamphlet explaining what the brushes are used for and some useful tips also aswell. These brushes are able to be purchased from www.sedonalace.com and i would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a nice synthetic brush set.

Hopefully you found this review healpful

Thankyou for reading, and i will see you all soon:)xx

Product review: Essence stay all day long lasting eye shadows

This is a product that in my opinion, deserves the first product review on my blog, it is not a product I've read or heard about before, which is disappointing as this product is amazing, for an incredibly reasonable price. The stay all day eyeshadows are very similar to the Maybelline 24hour colour tattoos, but in my opinion, they are better.
Now when i bought these eye shadows, i wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised, they are well pigmented, even textured, soft, creamy and incredibly long lasting. Now the real shock with these products is that these only cost $5.50 AUD each! Yes ladies and gentlemen you read that correctly $5.50! This is an extremely affordable price and compared to the $11-16 AUD you have to pay fro the Maybelline shadows, i would definitely opt for the cheaper, and (in my opinion) just as amazing eyeshadows. The only downside to this product is that their is only 6 shades available that i know of, three that are silver toned and three that are gold toned, and although i only have four of them i will very soon be purchasing the other two to add to my collection. Also for those who would be interested in purchasing these, they are available at target and in some priceline stores here in Australia, and i believe they are also sold in the UK. Here are some pictures and swatches of the four colours i have.

(L-R) Rock chic, Steel the show, Glammy goes to, Coppy right

(L-R) Steel the show, Rock chic, Coppy right, Glammy goes to


So i hope you all liked my first product review post
i will be up and posting again soon
thanks for reading:)

Farewell for now<3

As cliche as it gets

Starting a blog, i never wanted to begin it with the cliche "first post" that I'm sure so many bloggers make, i wanted to begin this blog with something a little more quirky or fascinating, but i digress, my name is Jessica and i am a student from Australia. On this blog i will attempt to feature and review different aspects of my life, including; healthy lifestyle choices and exercise ideas for those who may not be normally inclined to exercise, affordable beauty products that are available for all those Aussie girls out there, who (like me) cant get their hands on many of the products international bloggers can at an affordable price, and any other lifestyle and beauty aspects that may take my fancy. My aim is to try and post regularly, and would be more then happy to take suggestions or request on products that any readers would like me to do. So to finish up my first blog post by bidding you all farewell and saying WELCOME to healthy beauty obssessions :) xx