Sydney Trip / IMATS HAUL 2015!

Hello! Welcome to my SYDNEY Trip / IMATS 2015 Haul Post! I have been saving money for some time for this trip to buy some special makeup items both in the city and at IMATS so here is what I picked up! 

Day 1 : We arrived in Bondi, explored a little and got down to some shopping at 'Westfield Bondi Junction' which is now one of my fave places to shop, it has nearly everything I need!

Day 1 Purchases :

'Miss Shop' large clutch - As much as this was an impulse buy, because it was so pretty and on sale! I was on the look out for a new clutch for the nights out we had planned for our trip to Sydney so it really came in handy to have found and bought this on our first day! 

'Mimco' small coin purse - I have been wanting to start my collection of these gorgeous little coin purses from Mimco for so long and what better way to start than by picking one up in a new holiday destination I was visiting for the first time!? I just know every time I look at it or use it I will remember the fab time I had exploring Bondi / Bondi Junction for the first time. 'Mimco' was also having a sale at the time so it feels good to start my collection with a bit of a bargain! 

'Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder' - many many beauty youtubers/ bloggers I love have spoken about, used and reviewed this product and I have been so excited to pick it up, it has instantly become a fave and I have been using it daily since I purchased! 

I also picked up some staple items such as some black tights at target, always pick them up when I can find them! Some new 'Havaianas' from 'General Pants'. 

Day 2 : We got up early and made a bee line to the CBD to check into our new hotel and hit up Sephora! 

Sephora Sydney

Day 2 Purchases : Sephora

'Kat Von D' Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette - I had decided on buying this palette in June this year when I visited Sydney last, but decided to wait until this trip so I would have more time to read more reviews and practice some of the eye contouring / shaping / reshaping techniques after watching 'Kat Von D's' makeup tutorials and of course putting aside the money to buy it! I'm SO happy I picked up this beautiful palette! 

'Sephora' Let It Snow Holiday Collection Body Moisturiser - I have been swooning over this collection for the holidays online for a while now and once I got to Sephora I decided I had to get something! Lol 

'Sephora' facial fibre masks - I planned on stocking up on these on my trip but there was not many available so I only picked up a couple! 

'Clinique' dramatically different moisturising gel - As we were queuing to pay for our items I was of course taken in my all the little 'grab on the go' minis that line the way to the registers! It was handy to find this smaller size as I had forgotten my full size moisturiser in the frenzy of packing! 

Day 3 : It's IMATS time! I suppose this is a somewhat modest IMATS haul? The lines were HUGE this year & my budget was blown from all the fun of my trip! It was wonderful to see so many people getting into the spirit and some amazing new brands showcasing their goods at this awesome event! 

I waited in line for an hour or so to pick up some goodies from 'MAC Pro' as a priority because I love the chance to pick up some staples and new items all on sale! 

'Mac' Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium - A constant repurchase for me, love the opportunity to get it on sale! 

'Mac' Lipstick / Lady Danger - this beautiful lipstick has been on my 'must buy' list for quite some time so I was thrilled to pick this up on sale! 

'Mac' Lip Liner / High Energy - I bought this stunning lip liner shade, my first ever lip liner! (Look out world!) to compliment my latest 'MAC' Lipstick purchase as mentioned above! 

'Mac' Blush / Melba - on a wim I swatched this colour and decided. YES. I feel like for the warmer weather already upon us here in qld I will be able to use this when I am a little more tanned! 

I waited in the huge line at 'Dose Of Colours' briefly but decided I would rather put in the hours at 'Makeup Net' to see the gorgeous 'Jeffree Star' and pick up some items from his 'Velour Lips' collection! Definitely worth the wait! 

'Jeffree Star' - Doll Parts - I'm so happy that I did wait inline with everyone else to pick up just one of these beautiful lip products! It was so worth the wait and every penny! Such a nice wearable formula, colour and finish! I now feel confident to buy many, many more online! 

I was determined to pick up some 'Sigma' brushes from 'Redefining Beauty's' stand at IMATS and had been monitoring the line throughout the day I was so excited to make my first purchases from sigma! 

Sigma spa express brush cleaning glove, 

Sigma powder brush, Sigma tapered blending, Sigma short shader -

I am so excited to try these brushes, hopefully I can use them to build up my skills with makeup and eyeshadow! 

'Crown Brushes' is always a fave stall to visit for me to pick up some cheap brushes, I was so impressed with these little pink brushes and I would have picked up more but it was just so crowded! 

Day 4 : We had booked our flights home for late afternoon to have the chance to have a final stroll around the city and of course shop! I enjoyed checking out the newish 'H&M' store and impulse buying off the sale rack at my beloved 'Forever 21' more on that later!

Day 4 Purchases : 

No trip to Sydney for me is complete without a visit to 'Priceline' I checked the newest 'Essence Cosmetics' collection and picked up these cute 'Models Prefer Glitterati' brushes! 

Next stop 'Mecca Maxima' to pick up this gorgeous 'Too Faced' Melted Kisses and sweet cheeks minis gift pack! I have had my eye on this for a while as I only own one of these beautiful blushes in a fu size and have never tried the melted lip products! 

One final stop was the 'Amuse Beauty Studio' at Sydney Airport. I like many in the beauty world have been swooning over the brand 'Becca Cosmetics' for some time and even more so since the gorgeous 'Jaclyn Hill' released 'Champagne pop' earlier this year! I swatched these beautiful highlighters at Sephora and of course most were sold out so I jumped at the chance to pick up this 'Glow On The Go' mini pack including the highlight shade 'Opal' 

Thanks so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed seeing all the products I picked up in Sydney and at IMATS! I love reading haul posts! Do you!? 

LLx

Too Faced Cosmetics "Born This Way" liquid foundation REVIEW

I've been blogging for a while now and in that time I've tried a LOT of different liquid and powder foundations. One thing I haven't done, however, is post an in-depth review of any of them. So when I recently became transfixed by the latest Too Faced Cosmetics liquid foundation, I decided I would give it a go!

 

Having done a lot of research on the Born This Way foundation, watching first impressions video's and reading other reviews, I was still unsure what I would think of it when I finally saw it in store. 

 

My recent visit to Brisbane gave me the perfect opportunity to sample it at Mecca Maxima, Westfield Chermside. 

 

After getting to the store, I beelined to the product display where I was quickly offered assistance from one of Mecca's lovely makeup artists. She helped to colour match the product, deciding on the 'Vanilla' shade. Having seen the variety of shades available and upon seeing the shade in the bottle I couldn't help but think this was maybe just too light, and I expressed that I felt maybe the 'Nude' shade was more appropriate for my shade. Sensing my apprehension, the assistant offered me a sample in the darker shade. 

 

I decided to trust the professional and bought the lighter shade in a full size, with the back up plan in mind that I could always buy the darker shade if need be and blend the two colours together. 

The Product: 

 

"This oil-free foundation masterfully diffuses the line between makeup & skin. Coverage so undetectable and skin so naturally radiant,  they'll think you were 'Born This Way'" 

Image & Quote: https://www.toofaced.com/bornthisway/

The Packaging: 

 

This is my first purchase from the much lusted after brand Too Faced Cosmetics and from the moment I saw the display I could tell I was getting something special. The elegant gold writing, the frosted glass bottle and the cute, luxe pink box it came encased in all made my heart swoon. 

Formula & Application:

 

As I pumped a small amount of product onto the back of my hand my initial fears about the shade came flooding back to me, "Oh my gosh, it's so light!" However I could also instantly tell that the formula was not greasy and I could tell this stuff would be no joke as far as coverage was concerned!

 

For my initial application I started with a flat foundation brush, however this product is thick and I found I needed to go over some spots around my nose and mouth with a damp beauty blender just to make sure it sat and settled nicely on my skin. I resolved to try using a kabuki style/buffing brush the second time around and found this allowed me to apply it much nicer and more evenly! 

 

The formula is easy to build for more serious coverage and does not set too quickly so it is very workable for many different skin types. 

Coverage & Finish:

 

After a few uses of this product I can happily say that one layer of foundation provided plenty of coverage. It was enough to hide problem areas on my skin such as discolouration and general blotchiness (thanks winter!).

On one occasion, I layered a little more product under my eyes instead of using concealer and was very surprised to find it provided all the coverage my little old dark circles needed! 

 

I was extremely impressed by the finish and how the product didn't settle into any creases or  lines, on my face. Although as I have very open, visible pores (despite the use of "pore erasers" & fillers) and even the lovely formula of this foundation couldn't hide them. This is a little disappointing but that's just my skin I guess! 

I've been wearing this foundation every day now for about a week now, some days to work and some days off. I'm happy to say it wears really well, I didn't have any oil issues when worn on its own or set with my usual powder, even during an 8-9 hour work day and for a fairly oily skinned gal like myself which is a big plus! 

  

After all the uncertainty, the 'Vanilla' shade has worked out perfectly for me and I'm so happy about this! :) I intend to try out the sample in 'Nude' leading into summer and warmer and may pick up a full size in this darker shade when I have a bit more of a tanned glow happening! 

 

Final Thoughts:

 

I'm so happy that I decided to invest in this product. Having only owned if for a short time I can already say that I consider it to be a beautiful and luxe part of my makeup collection. This being my first purchase from Too Faced, it was a fantastic and memorable introduction to be brand and now I can't wait to try more of their products! 

Thank you so much for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts on this product and post in the comments below. 

I would love to know what shade you wear of you have picked up this beautiful foundation & how do you find the colour matches to your skin tone?

LLx