Ulta3 Nail Polishes: Spring Collection!

Hey guys! I just wanted to do this little post for you. I just came back from running some errands and stopped off at the shopping centre to pick up some last minute Father's Day essentials. As i was leaving I decided to stop by Terry White Chemists because i read that they stocked the Bioderma H2O make up remover and i really wanted a full size bottle after receiving a sample in one of the Lust Have It! boxes. But to my disappointed, they didnt have any.. Oh well!
Anyways, the point of this post is when i was leaving, there was a big Ulta3 stand of makeup and nail polishes which i thought was interesting and near it was this stand:

Click on image for larger view

How pretty! This is from their spring collection named "Pretty in Pastels". I just loved every single colour and have been looking for pastel nail polishes for awhile now in the lead up to spring. As you can see there are 6 colours available and all of them are just gorgeous. They also had this promotion where if you spent $10 on ANY Ulta3 product, that is, makeup, nail polish etc, then you would receive a free tote bag which is pictured there also. The nail polishes retailed for $2, what a bargain. I don't actually own any Ulta3 nail polish so I have no idea about the quality but for $2 each I decided to give it a go. I also wanted the tote so i picked up 5 out of the 6 pastel colours.

 

L-R: Lilac Bloom, Orange Blossom, Pale Dahlia, Soft Hydrangea & Corsican Rose

 

I just can't get over how pretty these colours look in the bottle, if i hadnt just done my nails last night i would have tried these by now! I'm especially loving the mint green and pastel blue. If you guys want to see swatches of these, let me know and i'll have them up by the weekend!

So that's my post, just wanted to share this with you guys and if you're interested in picking any up, let me know! I wanna know what you think :)
x

REVIEW: One week of Génifique

See what I did there?? haha lame i know. Well if you guys had read, I recently received a prize package from Lancome which you can read about here. One of the products that i received was the Lancome Génifique 30ml bottle. I was really excited to try this out as I had thought about it previously but the price was a bit too steep for me to go out and buy (mind you Lancome have reduced the prices now across selected skincare products).

What Lancome Claims:
Lancome Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate is supposed to boost the activity of our genes so skin looks and feels younger. The 2 biotech active ingredients are Bio-Lysat – stimulates gene’s expression of the identified youth protein; and Phytosphingosine – re-establishes protein synthesis and promotes the development of higher quality, more beautiful skin.

How I used it:

For my first week trial, i decided to use it only once a day at night before bed. I just used the dropper to dispense two drops onto my hand and dabbed it all over my face before gently massaging it into my skin. It doesn't feel sticky but rather a smooth gel consistency that immediately soaks into the skin and dries up. After about 30 seconds you don't even realise you had applied anything! it instantly feels refreshing and my initial thoughts was that I was impressed!

Milky gel consistency and only two drops required for my whole face

Results:
For the first 3 days I was really impressed, I honestly thought my skin felt so much smoother, bouncier and soft however it wasnt until the fourth day of application that when i ran my fingers over my forehead I noticed little bumps and unevenness appearing. I decided to ignore it but on the morning of the 5th day after i had cleared my face, i could clearly see little red breakouts forming on my forehead. Now I wont say I've never had breakouts but generally my skin is pretty good with pimples and blemishes. It's quite rare that I do get pimples and when i do, it's only one or two here and there. But now my forehead has completely broken out and i have at least 10-15 little pimples all across my forehead which definitely was not there before i started to use the Génifique.


Also, I have another theory as to what may have caused my breakout and have also considered it may be from the WOTNOT facial cloths that i have been using that i received in the July Bellabox. I used both the WOTNOT facial cloths and Génifique on the same day and everyday after that so a combination of both or just one product could be the cause of my break out on my forehead.
However, I have stopped using both now to try and let my skin calm down before i consider using the Génifique again. I really wanted it to work for me and although i did feel a difference in my skin, i'm not game enough to keep using it with the breakouts occurring. But I havent completely given up hope yet.

So that's my review after one week of trial. Have you guys tried Génifique? or curious to try? let me know below! xx

Prize Pack from Lancome

Today I was just chilling at home, doing my assignments when the post man rang my doorbell and held out a package for me. It had slipped my mind but last month when Michelle Phan came for Lancome I had won a competition on the Lancome facebook page to participate in a Google hangout live chat with Michelle and also won a gift pack valued over $300 of Lancome products. I was so excited when opening the package, which mind you, was beautifully wrapped and i regret not taking a photo of what it looked like when it arrived. But it's okay, the products make up for it!

Top of the box has the logo of the Lancome rose

The box was very study and looked so elegant. It was wrapped with sparkling silver ribbon too!

The contents! :D

All the beautiful products

The products I received were the Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara, Rouge in Love lipstick in 340B, Vernis in Love nail polish in 179M, Genifique 30ml and Blush Subtil Rose in #40 Rose Rouge.
I am absolutely ecstatic to have received these products as I do love Lancome products however can't bring myself to always be buying new products. It's more of a splurge for me when i do so now i have 5 new products to try out before having to make that trip to the counter :)
I was also planning to get the Doll Lash mascara because I had a 2ml sample that I love but tried not to use for fear of it running out and $52 for a mascara is not really my thing as i prefer to spend more on face products such as foundation or skincare. So i'm really happy to have the full size. Also, I had intended to try the Genifique but again, the price tag was a little on the expensive side so i was holding off it, but now, no need!

If you guys would like any reviews, let me know and i'll make a note to fulfill that request. I might do a review on the Genifique though and let you know if there are any results!

x

Bellabox AUGUST 2012

Today I finally received the August edition of the Bellabox. This month's theme is GO GREEN where they aim to take a more natural approach to beauty. This is what I received in my box:

Overview of what I received

Wotnot Facial Wipes

Pack of 25 RRP: $7.95
What you get: FULL SIZE

These wipes are made with 100% natural fibres and enriched with certified organic aloe vera, sweet almond oil and rosehip oil and can be used to remove make up and refresh skin. Also, they're 100% biodegradable! amazing! I actually just used these wipes 5 minutes before writing this post. I needed to take my make up off so i thought now is better than ever to test them out. Now, i don't ever use wipes mainly because I dont own any and I just generally use my make up remover on a cotton pad and take my make up off that way. But wow, after using these wipes I am completely in awe. It felt so soft and moisurising on my skin and did well with removing my make up. I was wearing my Revlon Colourstay Whipped Foundation and it just came right off. This is the only product that I've tried so far from Bellabox that makes me actually want to purchase another pack once I've finished. I'm really loving these wipes.

USPA Wheatgrass Solar Energy Leave in Serum

150ml RRP: $32
What you Get: 30ml

This is a leave in serum that utilises the unique properties of wheatgrass, silicone, glycerine and essential oils to preserve and protect colour treated hair.
I honestly don't care too much for this, I was actually really hoping for the foot pumice that I saw other people had received because my feet are in desperate need of care. But oh well, I may try this one day but I am really lazy when it comes to hair maintenance.

LUK Beautifood Lip Nourish

3g RRP $24.95
What you Get: FULL SIZE

This is a lip nourish that is made from a 100% natural, edible and food active recipe. The flavour i got was Tangerine and Vanilla.  Upon looking at it, the colour is horrible and definitely not something i would ever pick up. However when swatched, it applies very sheer and the brown hardly shows up. I haven't applied it onto my lips yet so I can't comment on whether it is moisturising but there is a scent to it that does smell like it's description of tangerine and vanilla.

LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

225g RRP: $29.95
What you Get: 45g

This is described as a conditioner that is to be used just like a conditioner but instead for your body. The smell is incredibly strong as usual with LUSH products in my opinion and smells strongly of a floral scent with a bit of lemon. I tried this product on my arm and it did feel incredibly soft and moisturising however I am very sensitive to smell and after a while I had a headache because of the fragrance so i had to wipe it off. That is not to say the product isn't good though, the smell issue is just my personal problem but I've heard a lot of people are really enjoying this product!

Be in Awe Skincare

Clearing Serum:
50ml RRP: $69.00
What you Get: 5ml

Calming Serum:
50ml RRP: $79.00
What you Get: 3ml x2 = 6ml

These are described as perfect for itchy skin conditions and for use after skin irritation treatments. I suffer from neither of these so it probably won't be too useful so maybe i'll end up giving it away. I dont usually like to change my skincare especially if what i'm doing is already working for me, I dont like risking a breakout lol

Phytocare Daily C

30 satchets x 3.7g RRP: $17.80
What you Get: 1000mg x 2 satchets

This is Vitamin C powder, individually packaged containing a mix of essential nutrients that are free of sugar and with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. It aims to make you feel good on the inside and out. It'll probably come in handy with my late night uni cramming and full time work as well as i'm feeling a little run down these days. I'll keep these on hand for an all-nighter session.

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion

 

225g RRP: $29.95
What you Get: 29ml

Aveeno moisurisers contain natural colloidal oatmeal to moisturise and protect skin, providing 24 hours relief from nasty dryness, scaling and chapping. It is non greasy, absorbs quickly, non-comedogenic (won't clog pores) and also contains no added fragrance.
Basically, just another moisturiser but with it's cute travel size, i'll probably throw this into my handbag where it'll be most useful while im out.

So that's all that I received in this months Bellabox. I did read around on what other people received and i have to say I was really really hoping to receive the Eyes of Horus liquid liner. I wanted that more than any of the products as i use liquid liner in a pen form on a daily basis but much to my dismay I didnt receive it.. I always seem to not receive the things i really want so maybe next month I should lay off the stalking of blogs to find out what's in the month's box lol. All in all, this month I'm a bit half half, i'm not completely disappointed but not overly impressed either. I do however, love the wipes so the box isn't a waste for me.

What did you receive? was there something you really wanted but didn't get either? let me know :)

Recent Haul: Essie Nail Polish!

So recently i came to have the  knowledge that we were able to purchase Essie nail polish from Cosmetics Fragrance Direct which, if you live in Melbourne will be able to find in all our DFO stores, Spencer Street and Uni Hill Factory Outlet in Bundoora. Usually Essie nail polish retails for about $18-19 in department stores such as Myer however in CFD they are selling for $6!! and $5 for the mini holiday collections, wow!  Although yes, the colours are very limited and probably old or excess stock but hey, colours are colours and if you like them then "last season" becomes irrelevant right? I ended up picking out some pastel colours that i had planned to get into and also the 2011 resort collection because unfortunately that's the only one they sold in the store i went to.

Overview of all the polishes i purchased :D

The Resort Collection

L-R: Da Bush, Fair Game, Your Hut or Mine, Lion Around

 

 

It was so hard to control myself but i managed to settle on these 4 singles

L-R: Lady Like & Smooth Sailing

L-R: Spaghetti Strap & Bangle Jangle

 

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

I was also surprised to see they stocked the Seche Vite topcoat so I just grabbed one too while on the way to the counter.


There were a lot more shades that I was tempted to buy but I really had to limit myself as I'm not much of a nail person and it'll probably take me awhile to even try out just this much at least once each so we'll see how it goes.
I haven't had a chance to try out the nail polishes hence I have no swatches but if you guys would like to see swatches or any particular colour, let me know and i'll endeavour to do a post for you :)

x

MYER Melbourne Masterclass with Michelle Phan!

Last night i attended the MYER Melbourne's Michelle Phan Masterclass. It was definitely one of the more special nights I've had in a long time. It was held in the Myer Bourke Street Mural Hall which is one of the prettiest venues I've ever been in, the atmosphere was very classy and elegant and we were provided with Champagne, sparkling water and light finger foods. The event was supposed to start at 6pm but I dont think Michelle was introduced until about 6:30pm. She started by speaking a little about how she came to where she is today and provided some basic make up tips. I actually thought she would be doing some demonstrations with models however she didn't. After that, we were given a photo opportunity with Michelle and also the chance to walk around to different areas of the hall that were set up with Lancome's products. Overall, I think the event didn't even last for over an hour but apparently she had a flight to catch straight after so they were probably trying to fast track everything. Nonetheless, it was definitely a night to remember! I ended up picking up the limited edition Michelle makeup kit, which is actually really pretty! I didnt think i would like the palette after seeing it online but in person the colours are really gorgeous!

Michelle and I!

Champagne!

Michelle Phan!

  

My friend and I :)

Did anyone else attend? If you did, say hi! :) x