Archives for February 2014

Erin Condren Personalised Life Planner

February 23, 2014

Okay so it’s February (actually the END of February) but so what? Better late than never right? I actually got this baby a couple of weeks ago (so technically the middle of February), and… Oh. My. Gosh. I absolutely love it.

Erin’s Condren’s Life Planners are great for just being really really organised. It’s got monthly planners, calendars, weekly spreads, to-do-lists, goals, notes, important contacts, numbers and addresses, a folder (for keeping receipts etc in), colourful stickers to highlight birthday and special events, a clear zip lock pocket with gift labels and to keep what ever else you want in it… and… it’s personalised!! See that name on the front of that pretty turquoise gold stamped cover? That’s me!

Not only is the front personalised with your name, but it comes with a few personalised gift labels too (handy if you forget to buy a card with your gift one day)!

You receive colourful stickers that say ‘Birthday’, ‘Concert’, ‘Vacation’ etc to mark it out in your planner and you also receive some blank ones to fill in yourself. I actually added my own personalised stickers for my own ‘special’ events (there is an option to add this to your order during checkout). My stickers say ‘Deadline’ (for when I need to know my work deadlines), ‘Bill Due’, ‘Mortgage Due’, ‘Post Blog’ and ‘Pay Day’. Yep! This planner will be used for organising my week according to my magazine work, blogging on my website, upcoming expenses and what meals I plan. I can also write my to-do-list for the week and ideas that come into my head in the notes section. Everything rolled into one! And that’s what I love about this planner! Seeing as I wanted to be more organised and dedicated with blogging and ideas, I wanted to give myself a blogging schedule, but I didn’t want to carry around another diary with me. Enter Erin Condren Life Planner!

I keep a sticky note pad in the clear pocket as well as some stickers to mark and decorate the week. It looks so pretty when it’s all filled in!

If you guys want to order yours just go to the Erin Condren website here. She offers international shipping too. Mine didn’t take very long at all (within 2 weeks? That’s good shipping to Australia)! P.S. The packaging is divine.

Let me know what you guys think, and if you already use the Life Planner, how much you like yours.

Makeup for: Every Day

February 16, 2014

Wanna know what makeup I use every day? Here it is!

Foundation: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Skin Perfecting Makeup in #40 Beige. – $64.95
My favourite every day foundation. The fluid texture goes on smooth and it blends so naturally into the skin. It doesn’t feel cakey or that you have a tonne of makeup on. It’s also SPF+15. Shake first before applying. I apply this with the Experts Face Brush by Real Techniques but you could just apply with fingers.

Concealer: Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer in 40 Soft Beige – $14.95
Use the wand to conceal under your eyes. Then blend in with the same foundation brush or use fingers. Brightens up the eye area while also concealing dark circles.

Powder: Nars Pressed Powder in Desert – $39.95
This stuff lasts for ages. Trying to use it all up before trying another powder but I still like it. It’s finely milled leaving a smooth texture to your face and is also great for touching up during the day. I actually use the Blush Brush by Real Techniques to apply all over the face.

Bronzer: The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 04 Deep Matte – $28.95
Newly discovered and a new favourite! I love everything about this bronzer – the packaging, the shape, the mirror, the look, the colour – it’s a great bronzer. It’s not shimmery or orange – it just leaves a really nice bronze colour to the cheeks. I got the darker shade because I tend to get a bit darker during summer and I can always blend it out. I use MAC’s 168 Large Angled Contour Brush to apply on the hollows of the cheeks.

Highlight: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle – $47
Lovely frosting finish onto the top parts of your cheeks. I use the Perfected Setting Brush by Real Techniques to apply.

Eye Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion – $33 (approx)
My lids tend to get a bit oily and shiny during the day so I love how this potion makes them look smooth and matte. I just use my finger to apply all over the lid and use a bit just under the eye for any smudging from my eyeliner.

Eyeshadows and Eyebrows: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
I use the colour ‘Faint’ to fill in my eyebrows using MAC’s 208 Angled Brow Brush. It’s the perfect shade for my eyebrows. Sometimes I’ll use ‘Naked 2’ all over my lids and ‘Venus’ as a brow highlight.

Eyeliner: Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal eyeliner in 001 Black – $9.95
My favourite eyeliner because it’s smooth, easy to apply, and waterproof. This means that it doesn’t smudge or fall down my face at the end of the day – which most other liners do to me! Line in the waterline and along the top lash line. Smudge in using the Angled Brow Brush.

Mascara: Maybelline Mega Plush Volum’ Express Mascara in Blackest Black – $19.95
A few coats of this and your lashes will look lengthened and voluminous. It doesn’t make your lashes heavy or clumpy, it makes them look fluttery. Make sure to use the tip of the wand to get all of your outer and inner lashes – it really makes a difference.

Bottom Lash Mascara: Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara – $28
Since my very first time using this over a year ago, I don’t use anything else on my bottom lashes. I have very short bottom lashes so this mascara really defines those hairs and it also doesn’t smear. The wand is a small baby brush which really helps!

Lips: Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color (SPF 16) in Berry Crush – $3.95
I usually just use a balm with a bit of colour for every day because my lips are doing so much throughout the day (eating, talking, eating, drinking and more eating) – I like to keep it moisturized. On the odd occasion I will use a lip product with colour, but that tends to go everywhere when I’m doing all that eating.

I hope you enjoyed my run down of what makeup I use on a daily basis! Might do more looks later on – like going on dates, travel, Valentine’s etc! If you have any other suggestions please comment below!

Cheeky Valentine’s Day Cards

February 10, 2014

Two blog posts within a week? I’m already on a roll! But I had to post these up before Valentine’s Day even though it’s a bit late… well better late than never right?

For a different spin on things I’ve really been wanting to work on a collection of ‘cheeky’ cards. I think they’re different and a lot more entertaining than your normal greeting cards. And I’ve had a lot of fun brainstorming saucy ideas!

Download, print, cut, and write a personal note on the back. Give it to your partner and it’ll sure make them laugh! These cards fit inside a C6 Envelope.

There are two designs in this PDF. I really hope you enjoy them! And see? I’ve started painting again! It really was so much fun doing these and I’m so happy with how they turned out. Might even consider doing a print run on these in the future and selling them in my Etsy store! That would be so cool!

To download the cards, click the link below.

1. At home printer and cardstock
2. Scissors, guillotine or paper trimmer
3. C6 Envelope

Things I’ve Recently Bought

February 9, 2014

You guys would’ve been so proud of me! I haven’t gone on a beauty shopping trip for aaages and this is actually pretty controlled of me! I also had a list, and only got items on the list. I mean, there were a lot of temptations, like the ENTIRE Kiehls counter – but I mentally stopped myself. (Suggestions on the best Kiehls products please comment below!)

From MAC, I picked up the Shadow Pigment in Naked. I don’t have that much experience using pigments but the colour is really pretty! It blends right into your natural skin colour but leaves this really nice shimmer on the lids.

I visited the Benefit counter and bought their Speed Brow. I’ve been really into doing my brows lately – shaping, tweezing, filling… the whole shebang! Sometimes, I can go out with just mascara and my brows done, and I’ll be a happy camper. Every day I’ve been filling them in with powder but don’t have anything to set them with.

I got the TheBalm’s Mary-Lou Manizer from DJs which is a really REALLY R.E.A.L.L.Y pretty highlighter. I’ve been using it on the tops of my cheeks but also in the inner corners of my eyes. I think it would make a nice eyeshadow colour too. TheBalm is a brand I want to get to know more of… intimately! Every single time I visit that tower of cosmetics I am just SO tempted to get more. And their prices aren’t half bad either – but most of the time, they’re always really low on stock! Their Nude ‘Tude Eye Shadow Palette is on my wishlist!

From Priceline, I went to the Almay section and picked up their Intense i-color Smoky-i Kit for Brown Eyes. The Almay brand is quite clever because they section their products according to your eye colour. They say purple eye shades go well for brown eyed beauties (like myself). This trio comes with a lid colour, crease colour and a highlight colour.

Last but certainly not least, I got a couple of Origins products. Origins is a brand that’s been on my radar for a while. I’ve been desperately wanting to try their stuff but didn’t know what to start with. Their Ginzing Eye Cream and Drink Up Overnight Mask are two of the most talked about products in the online beauty community – and for good reason too! I have been absolutely loving it so far and will probably do a full review later on. I definitely have my eye out for more!