Essie Obsession

I used to be one of those girls who loved having their nails painted but never actually could do it themselves. So I used to pay twenty dollars at a salon every time i got my nails done. Which was quite a lot! But this year I have found Essie nail polish, and it's been a game changer. I haven't gotten my nails done in months! The formula is just incomparable to the other drugstore brands. Its creamy and super opaque. That black shade literally needed one coat to be completely opaque. The brush is probably what sold me on it though. Its a slightly wider flatter brush so it makes covering the entire nail extremely easy! And lastly, the colour range- ohh the colour range. I love looking at the Essie displays in my local Priceline. Its literally a rainbow and I love it. My favourite shades from the line are; Sand Tropez (the perfect nude), ChinChilly (the perfect taupe), Mint Candy Apple (the perfect minty blue), and liquorice (the perfect black).

Now lets talk about the real game changer here- the Fast Dry Top Coat. It really does what it says. Not only does it not chip for up to 5 days, it dries completely in under 5 minutes. (to the point where I can wash my hands and lather in hand cream. I know. Crazy stuff) The main reason I never used to enjoy painting my own nails was because of how long it took to dry- I am not the most patient of people so i'd always end up smudging it or denting it. This top coat however has completely changed that! I now paint my nails probably once or twice a week! 

My Dry Skin Saviour

With this intense change of weather my skin has been freaking out. More than my usual sensitive skin dramas! I've had dry skin patches, chapped lips and sore eyes. One thing that has actually helped my skin is this overnight mask by Origins. 

The way this works is you apply it at night before bed, almost like a moisturiser and leave it on overnight. Its a very thick creamy consistency that smells so delicious! When it's on you can feel the hydration and moisture sinking in immediately. At $34 it isn't the cheapest option, but I think it's worth it to invest in products that stay on your skin longer (moisturisers, serums, oils, toners etc). 

Have you tried any great hydrating masks? 

Aesop Skincare

Aesop is a brand I have only recently begun trying out. It is definitely one of the most luxurious skincare brands out there so I've never really been able to justify spending a hundred dollars on a face cream. Last Christmas however I was lucky enough to receive a gift of Aesop skincare pieces and I thought it might be a good idea to see whether it really is worth the hype and the money.
Lets talk packaging first, Aesop seriously get it right when it comes to not only packaging but the design of their stores to the bag that the products come in. Everything is well thought out and as a design student I definitely appreciate that. Theres something quite luxurious about holding a glass bottle. Practically- It's not ideal for travelling but its pretty and that's usually enough for me when it comes to packaging. *Insert heart eyed-emojis here*

The Fabulous Face cleanser is extremely gentle on the skin, it begins as a gel consistency but once mixed with water turns into a gentle foamy texture. Because of its gel consistency it's not the best at removing waterproof mascara, however it works beautifully as a second cleanser and doesn't irritate my dry sensitive skin like most foam cleansers do.

The toner is beautiful with vitamin B and Tea Tree, it is once again a gentle formula. Doesn't irritate my skin at all and leaves it feeling fresh and awake. I like using this in the mornings. A great alternative to this is the Lush Tea Tree toner water.

The Camellia Nut Facial Hydrating Cream (worlds longest name for a cream) is something I truthfully didn't love straight away. Since Christmas is in the middle of summer in Australia, I found this cream too heavy to wear during the day as it left my skin feeling quite greasy- which is not something you want before you apply makeup. Recently however, as it has gotten much cooler in Sydney and as my skin begins to require some extra TLC it has been the perfect match. Again, super gentle on the skin yet so incredibly hydrating and sinks into the skin effortlessly.

The hand sanitiser is probably the one I am not really blown away by. Don't get me wrong it totally works as a hand sanitiser and is compact and cute etc etc. But I just expected a non-alcohol formula for something nearly 3 times the price of regular hand sanitiser. It definitely smells a lot less like alcohol, and much more like the resurrection hand wash/cream that Aesop is renowned for, but sure enough in the ingredients list is alcohol- which just isn't that great for your skin!

Have you tried anything from Aesop? 

5 Things | The Instagram Edit

      @saraeshu

     @ohroanna

   @krystal.brooke

     @efflorescences

     @tullcarson

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It's been a while since I last wrote up a round up of my favourite instagrams, and recently I have been seriously obsessed with a few. You may notice there's a theme running through these images... I seem to be obsessed with white, clean instagram pages. I just think they look really simple, minimal and beautiful really! These are 5 accounts that I have truly been swooning over and constantly re-checking for new updates. Actually, recently I have clicked the option to be notified whenever they post (a new and fabulous instagram feature) so I never miss a new beautiful post! I also tried to include some accounts that didn't have thousands of followers because I think there are so many accounts out there that are beautiful and deserve way more attention than they get. Hope you enjoy scrolling through these beautiful accounts!

Choosing High End Foundations

When it comes to high end foundations, the price tag can seem quite ridiculous. $90 for a foundation?? Is it made of gold?! Most of the times though, these price tags are pretty justified. The formulas of higher end foundations can tend to be of higher quality and made with better-for-your-skin ingredients. That said however, I think its definitely important to do your research before splashing out!

I have recently been on the hunt for the perfect foundation and to do so I have begun a little collection of samples from different brands of various different foundations- all of which, I have read great reviews on. Obtaining said samples is actually pretty easy, most department store counters will happily colour match you and then give you a reasonable sized sample. These samples have about 2-3 uses depending on how heavy handed you are with your application. I think it's a great way of trying out an expensive foundation for free before you spend your hard earned money on it. Its important to make sure the formula is right for you. For me this means its long-lasting, doesn't look cakey, has a medium coverage and blends nicely.

So far I'm pretty impressed with the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation but I will keep you up to date with my findings in a future post!

Which are your favourite high end foundations? 

Rimmel Provocalips | Review

When it comes to a bold lip- I need it to be long lasting because I struggle to keep anything on my lips in general. I am also not someone who wears bold colours very often, in fact I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've ever ventured into the scary world of bold lips but recently, i've been trying to change that. Be a little bold with my bold lip per say!

So when I read the reviews of this Rimmel Provocalips I was instantly excited! Here's how it works; you apply the coloured side first, wait for it to dry and then apply the top coat which gives it shine and locks the colour into place. Imma get really real here- I didn't get to the second step of this lip recipe. The coloured formula itself is soooooooooooooo long lasting it's ridiculous. I used cleansing water, waterproof makeup remover, oil cleanser and olive oil to try to remove this bad boy and nothing worked. In the end I had to scrub my lips with Lush lip scrub till they were raw, red and painful. And that's without the top coat!

In my opinion, it's not worth the effort that it takes to take it off. Yes its super long lasting, but there are other long lasting formulas out there- without the hassle!

The Thailand Adventure | Chiang Mai

One of my biggest regrets from Thailand was not using my camera enough. Ideally I would have taken it everywhere and had hundreds of photos to show you, but for some reason I didn't. I know. I suck. So I thought I'd share with you the photos that I did take! The first four photos are from Doi Suthep, a temple in Chiang Mai at the top of a 300 step staircase. Chiang Mai was a great experience for us, we spent nearly every night at the infamous night markets as they were conveniently located right outside our hotel. The other highlight from Chiang Mai and possibly the whole trip was our Flight of the Gibbons experience. A zip lining tour through the jungle, the longest line spanning 800m. It was such an incredible experience I'd recommend this to anyone visiting Chiang Mai!