MONTHLY FAVOURITES // June 2015

Hey guys,

It's that time of the month again! I honestly love writing these - as I've probably stated before - because it's my chance to get down to the nitty gritty and really decide which products I have really been turning to this month. This month it's a little different. As I haven't done a favourites since January at the very least, this is a compliation of products that I have seriously been OBSESSED with since April/May, as well as June. Some you may have already seen in previous posts, or will feature in those upcoming, so I won't go into too much depth.

Read on to see which products made the cut this month!

1. MAC Prep & Prime Natural Radiance Primer in Radiant Yellow // $65

Three words - HOLY GRAIL PRIMER. Yes, you heard that correctly. Lawd almighty, this primer is everything. Its a gel based primer, and is yellow to correcr uneven tones in the skin as well as to hydrate and provide a base for your foundation to hold on to. Oh my goodness, this is like glue. My foundation literally goes nowhere when this is on my face. Not only does it provide that base, it also really hydrates and keeps my skin feeling absolutely lovely. You can also get this in a pink shade, rather than yellow, to brighten up the face, but I really like the yellow as it starts correcting any breakouts or redness in my skin. I paid a pretty penny for this, but I would pay it all over again. Honestly.

2. BareMinerals Complexion Rescue // $38 & Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation // $74

I've already written all about these - you knew they would be in here! I'll say it, these are major all time favourites, especially for my winter skin. The combination of both of these makes my skin look photo filtered without being caked or over the top. I'm just honestly in love with this combo - here's the post where I detail how I use them and why - and I'm going to be devastated when I run out because I won't be buying more for a long time... I'll be doing a seperate review on each as well for you when I get the chance, so be on the lookout for those!

3. MAC Studio Fix Powder // $49

Yep. I'm using powder. I always swore that I wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't use powder, because my skin is dry and honestly every powder I have used made me look even drier and my skin ever cakier. Until I met the MAC Studio Fix Powder - this sh*t is bananas! I use this to mainly set my nose and chin, as those are the places that foundations wears off really easily for me, and the lightly press a dusting over the rest of my face. It does have colour to it, which i like for my nose and chin as it provides the extra coverage when the foundation does decide that it's had enough of my face that day. Plus, its amazing for touch ups. Another repurchaseable item fo' shizzle, and I recommend the heck out of it!

4. Too Faced Dark Chocolate Soliel Bronzer // $44

This is new to Mecca, but I've honestly wanted it in my hot little hands since i saw Jaclyn Hill (typical) talk about it in one of her favourites videos in the recent months! I've owned it since the beginning of June and I love it - the colour is perfect, the blendability is perfect, the smell is perfect - ugh, I'm in love. I also have the Milk Chocolate Soliel (also adore it), but unfortunately I can only pull that off as a bronzer when I am quite pale. I definitely recommend giving this at the very least a swatch in Mecca, and taking it home with you if you love it. You're definitely getting good quality at a great price, in my humble opinion!

5. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask // $34

Another product I talked about here - this stuff is literally saving my skin. I use it three times a week, and it is honestly holding my breakouts at bay and helping my skin rejuvenate in between uses. I could honestly see a major difference in two uses, and it doesn't disappoint every time I use it. If you have dry skin, and are really after a product that smells INCREDIBLE and will really smooth and give your skin a radiant glow, I highly recommend this mask!

6. MAC Lipstick in Honeylove // $36

Ugh, yes, I'm a MAC whore, I admit it. But this lipstick is amazing - I love love love it, and it's no joke when I say that it's been my go to 99% of the time since I purchased it at the beginning of May. This lipstick is almost like Myth and Velvet Teddy had a little nude baby. It's gorgeous pinky brown beige nude, which makes the perfect shade when mixed with Whirl Lip Liner. If you're after a nude lipstick at MAC that isn't too nude, nor too pink or brown I would definitely try this one out!

7. Adult Colouring Books // $10-11

I'd seen these literally everywhere online, and when I found these in my local Target I decided to pick them up. Between work and uni, it's safe to say I was feeling just a tad stressed out, so in my spare time I started to colour in pages to try and feel a little more relaxed. Well, these definitely helped for sure, just to take my mind off everything else I had going on and it was also a lot of fun! I'd definitely recommend these if you are after something to do thats fun and creative, and that also helps out your mind at ease!

And that's it for this month's favourites! What are some of the products you've been turning to during June?

Until next time...

xxxx 

in between blogging, you can find me here!

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review & swatches: savvy high shine & matte lip lacquers

Hey guys!

If you're in Australia, you would hopefully know about the brand Savvy that is available in Priceline. It is a super affordable brand, and although I can't speak for all of their products, their lip products are the bomb dot com. They have recently released new lip lacquers in both a shiny and matte formula, which I suppose are a cheaper alternative for the Australis Velourlips and the Chi Chi Creamy Liquid Lipsticks. Given that are only $7.99, I thought why not pick some up?

These come in about five colours each - a nude, pink, red, purple and mauve. I wasn't drawn in by all the colours though, especially the nude, as it was really quite dark and beige coloured. I ended up picking up two of the high shine formula and one matte shade.

I haven't worn these for very long, so unfortunately I can't give you guys an idea of wear time. However, when I swatch them on my arm and lips, they are super opaque and creamy.

I haven't worn these for very long, so unfortunately I can't give you guys an idea of wear time. However, when I swatch them on my arm and lips, they are super opaque and creamy. The high shine colours stay a little tacky, but stay beautifully creamy and glossy for as long as I wore them. The matte didn't ever dry completely matte, but then again I didn't wear it for as long as the high shine. The high shine colours are the definite stand outs for me!

Honestly, for $7.99 we have to be real - these are probably not going to be as good as those that are more expensive. In seeing that though, I haven't experienced any problems! I'm definitely loving the idea behind them, especially as there are so many more expensive versions now on the market (ahem, Too Faced Melted Lipsticks, I am looking at you) and these are definitely better than spending $25-30 for a lip lacquer.

I have swatches below for you guys to take a look! They are a little shoddy - sorry about that!

High Shine Lip Lacquer in On Set

Ultra Matte Lip Lacquer in Hollywood Baby

High Shine Lip Lacquer in Walk of Fame

All of these swatches are with one swipe! You can see how pigmented and creamy these are. Considering their price, I will take any cons about this product. The fact that are just so beautifully glossy and gorgeous, I can deal with any shoddy wear time. I'll just whip it out and reapply!

I can't find these on the Priceline website for some reason, which may mean they are limited edition or that no one has updated the Priceline website. They are relatively new, having been released about 2-3 weeks ago, so if they are limited edition, head to your local Priceline and swatch some for yourselves!

That's it for today's post loves! Also, there were only two blog posts this week - I had a huge week and didn't have the time to write as I normally would. Everything will return back to normal next week!

One more thing, remember that you only have two more days left to enter mine and Tarlie's giveaway! Click the link at the end of this post to find out more information.

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

check out my bh cosmetics forever nude palette giveaway!

haul: priceline 40% off cosmetics!

Hey guys!

I have never done a haul post on my blog before. Can you believe that? I usually buy a lot of makeup, but it's always spread out over a period of time, so I don't even think to combine it all together. Luckily for me, but unlucky for my bank account, Priceline decided to hold one of their 40% off cosmetic sales! For non-Australians, Priceline is basically the main mecca for drugstore cosmetics here. They sell all the main drugstore cosmetic and skincare brands, and 3-4 times a year, they will hold a 40% off cosmetics and 40% off skincare. I'll let you imagine how crazy all the beauty junkies go when these sales come on.

I didn't go crazy (well, my definition of crazy), mostly because I am waiting on packages from online shopping, and (just my luck) my phones LED screen decided to break the day before, forcing me spend over $200 to replace it. But, luckily there wasn't too much on my list in the first place as I tend to shop on impulse anyway. But, I did get a good deal of things that I had wanted to try for a while!

In this post, I'm going to basically go through all the things I brought and give my thoughts on them! Obviously, these were brought this week so I haven't had time to try all of the products to give a detailed review. This will just be a quick first impression of each product.

The first thing I made a beeline for were these Revlon Photoready Skinlights. I heard that these used to be a popular item, but were discontinued in 2006 and then re-released under this name late last year. I have always been super intrigued by them because I love my skin to be all glowing and dewy, and that's what these are designed for. But they retail for $29.95AU, and I can't justify paying that price when I have similar things from e.l.f. that basically do the same thing and cost $3AU. But the 40% sale got them down to $17.95AU, so I brought 100 Bare Light and 200 Pink Light. I have used Bare Light once to mix with my foundation, and loved the effect it had. High hopes for these babies!

Swatches (l-r) - 100 Bare Light & 200 Pink Light

The next thing on my list was this Innoxa Skin Perfecting Bronzing BB Cream. I have never actually tried anything from the brand, and after seeing Lauren Curtis post a photo of it on her Instagram saying she uses it when she tans, I was curious. I am someone who is quite sceptical of Westernised BB creams and generally sticks to those from Korean brands, but I was intrigued by the bronzing effect this is supposed to have. This normally retails for $24.95AU, and the sale brought it down to $14.95AU (wooo!). I got this in the lighter shade, but I can't actually find a shade name on the tube. When swatching this, I am a little worried that it may be too dark. Also, it is super sparkly, really glittery which I can see is good for those who want to look radiant and glowing, but this may even be a little much for me. But, I'll give it a go and let you know my thoughts.

Swatch of the Innoxa Skin Perfecting Bronzing BB Cream

Swatch blended out. The colour is darker in person, and the sparkles aren't translating to the photo either.

I was super excited to buy this! Having had a love affair with Bourjois face products over the last month, this was on my immediate list to buy even before I knew about the sale. I initially went in first to by the 123 Perfect CC Cream, and went back the next day for the 123 Perfect CC Eye Cream. These are initially $25AU and $22AU respectively, but I paid $15AU for the CC cream and around $12AU for the CC eye cream. I got the shade 32 Light Beige in the CC cream, and have used it once. I really like it so far, its super moisturizing and I find it does cancel out my redness and overall discolouration on my face. I haven't had a chance to use the CC Eye Cream, but I brought it in the shade Ivory. I think this is supposed to be a colour correcting concealer rather than an eye cream, so the name is a little misleading. But besides that, I am excited to try it out!

Top photo - Swatches (l-r) Bourjois CC Cream & Bourjois CC Eye Cream

Bottom photo - Swatches blended out

I've been after these babies for a while, scouring New York drugstores to find them but I was unsuccessful. Also, did you know Australia only has eight of the colour selection available to the US market? Because I didn't... Grrr. But, I did manage to get my hands on the only colour I really wanted, the L'Oreal Colour Infallible Pressed Pigment in Hour Glass Beige. This colour is so beautiful! It's a champagne beige highlight colour, and I can imagine it to be really good for the inner corner, maybe even for the high points of the cheekbones. When I swatched it, it went on like butter which is so different to other pigments I have owned in the past. Definitely have to get a shipping service to ship the other colours to me, I'm in love. This retails for $19.95AU, and I got it for $11.95AU.

Swatch of the L'Oreal Infallible Pressed Pigment in Hourglass Beige

I have a confession to make: I am in an exclusive relationship with Essie nail polishes. Essie is pretty much one of the only brands of nail polish I will wear on my nails, I adore every single colour and I'm on my way to having all the colours available. But, these retail for about $20AU in Myer, and $16.95AU in Priceline. These usually leads me to making a big order on eBay for the colours I want, but not this time. With the sale, these polishes came down to $10.15AU, which isn't unreasonable. I got Big Spender (left), which is a pink-purple shade with no shimmer, and I meant to get Angora Cardi, but only realised this morning that it is actually Bahama Mama (right), which looks to be a berry red type colour. 

The last things I purchased were some Model's Prefer brushes. I have actually never brought anything by this brand, but I was on the lookout for new brushes and these were the only ones included in the 40% off sale. Usually, these retail for $12-19AU, and I paid about $8-9AU for each of these. The brushes I got (from bottom up) are the Airbrush Contour Brush, Airbrush Concealer Brush, Crease Brush and the Flat Eyeliner brush.

And that's it for today's haul! Was there anything you saw that you would like a more in depth review on? Also, would you like me to do more haul posts?

Until next time...

xxxx