Beauty

All women LOVE their beauty products....here's just a few I've come across

Ok SO I'm not the world's richest person, I can't afford the $700 per 100mL tub of 'I'll make you 20 years younger' overnight cream. Heck I can't even afford facials.

What I HAVE become good at is finding products that WORK. If they don't work, I ain't spending the little money that I do have. And you can't con me into a gimmick - if I don't NEED it and I'm not looking for it, there's no way you can talk me into buying it. Not when I've got my eye on killer heels instead.....

That aside, here are some of the products that I use, both makeup and skincare wise:

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation 

WHERE do I start with this stuff. At $68 a bottle it ain't cheap. But it is hands down the best foundation I've ever had. 

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, $68 Mecca Cosmetica

I don't wear it every day - it's WAY too heavy for that. It's my 'going-out' foundation - and I use it because it stays put during a night of dancing, drinking and sweating. The consistency of the liquid is such that you can put it on as thin or as thick as you want, and is very easy to work with in applying. It is wide-breadth so you only need a tiny little bit - I've had mine for over a year and only used half (yeah yeah, I know you're supposed to update every 12 months, but are YOU going to finance a yearly update of my makeup cabinet for me? Didn't think so) The 'Sheer Glow' tag is spot on, as there is definitely something in this that has a certain glow to it once you have it on. Comes off with no fuss with proper makeup remover too.

Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer

Totally NOT a necessity, however whilst we are on the topic of foundation I thought I'd share this great find with you - it retails for $74 but will last you a darn long time. 

Think about this- do you go and buy a new foundation every single time you get a spray tan? What if your tan is a different colour to last time and doesn't match that new foundation you bought to match the LAST one?

Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer, $74 Mecca Cosmetica

That's where this stuff comes in. As this is a bronzing gel (essentially a liquid) it is designed to be mixed with your normal foundation. Add this bronzer to the Sheer Glow foundation and you'll get a healthy, glowing finish! You simply adjust the amount of bronzer you add to the mix, to achieve your desired colour. Certainly beats having to buy 6 different colours of foundation.

BareMinerals SPF15 Foundation

This is my 'everyday' foundation. A mineral makeup, it is powder that you apply in layers to achieve the level of cover that you desire.

BareMinerals SPF15 Foundation, $34.95, Mecca Cosmetica

I originally bought this as I have acne-prone skin, and I'm white as a ghost which makes me look washed-out and basically sick all the time. My skin tone is a bit wierd and patchy so I was really just looking for something to even it out on a daily basis, but that also wouldn't clog my skin or look like I was wearing an inch of foundation on my face. Cue BareMinerals.

A pot of this lasts me about 6-8 months, which I think is pretty good value given how much I use it. It is not over-the-top expensive, and I'm pretty impressed that I liked the first mineral foundation product I tried.

Others have told me that they don't like it because it doesn't stay on - but you tell me how many foundations you've ever used that are still 100% perfect after 9 hours of wear? (Think about it - apply at 7am, 4pm is 9 hours later, that's a bloody long time!) So I do bring it with me to work and some days (not many) I will go to the effort of doing a quick once-over after I use my blotting papers to get rid of the oil.

MAC Lipstick

So the problem with MAC in Australia is that these lippies retail for $36AUD each. Bare in mind that the AUD is pretty much on par with the USD (0.94c today) so you're talking a matter of cents overall here. 

I was in the USA in March, walked into Nordstrom and bought TWO of these puppies for $33USD. Yes, you read that correctly. I got TWO lippies (not on sale, normal price) for the price we have to pay for ONE in Australia. There is no other makeup that I have found that has such a pathetic, unnecessary blatant rip-off of a markup. How unfortunate that I love the stuff!

MAC Lipstick in 'Girl About Town', $36AUD, MAC Australia
n.b. also sold at Myer & David Jones (in-store only)

Hands down, fave lippies EVER. Out of all those I have tried, they stay on the longest, they  have the best range of colours, they don't cake and I'm never EVER disappointed. Well, except for the ridiculous price. (n.b. there is also NO way we can order it online either,  every website I've seen 'doesn't ship this item internationally' or you get re-directed back to the Aussie MAC webpage- so don't waste your time trying!)