My Boxing Day Wishlist

Ahh wishlists.  I'm sure this will change a lot but sometimes you just have to engage that consumerist side of yourself and lust after some earthly posessions.  I typically keep a Pinterest board for this as an easy way to visually compare the items themselves and their prices.  It's also a great way to suggest ideas to your family and friends about some gifts you want.  So without further ado and in no particular order here is my wishlist.

OPI Nail Polish in Tickle My France-y

Image from another blog here

I already have a mini in this shade and I really like it.  It's a beautiful neutral nude colour on me without looking like mannequin hands.  I'm about halfway done with the mini and I've started to conserve it because I love it so much!  I actually wore this to my formal so I associate a lot of good memories with it.

LUSH Brightside Bubble Bar

Image from another blog here

I smelt this in LUSH the other day and it's so good!  It's a very citrus-y scent and just smelling it made me so happy.  We have a massive tub that we never use and I feel like with year  coming up I'm going to need to destress during the year.

Beauty Blender

Image from Amazon here

Ah the ubiquitous pink sponge raved about by much of the online beauty community.  I've started wearing foundation more recently and I much prefer the dewier, sheerer finish given by a wet sponge. My friends gave me a dupe in a Secret Santa we did and I do like it but it's a tad firm and I really want to try the original.

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

Image from another blog here

I sneakily tried this on one of my vacations at my Aunt's house and I really liked it.  It was very moisturising and it's really cool how the oil emulsifies and washes clean (similar to my face oil I'm using at the moment).  The almond scent is probably my favourite scent at L'Occitane and there's just something so luxe about this product to me.  They also sell refills of this which is quite appealing to me.

3 in 1 Camera Lens Kit

Image from ebay seller here

I really want to get some of these for the ability to modify my phone camera on the go.  This kit contains a macro, wide angle and fish eye lens.  My photography teacher is definitely not one who looks down on phone photography, in fact it's a great way to capture images on the go.  I'd love to experiment with this (and it's pretty cheap to boot).

A Relaxed White Shirt

Image from Cotton On here

I really want a more relaxed white shirt though not specifically the one shown above.  All the white shirts I have are from school so none of them work well with jeans.  It's a wardrobe staple that I've been wanting for a couple of months so I know it's not slightly more than just a passing fad for me.  A relaxed fit is probably more relevant to my lifestyle as a student where I want to be as comfortable as possible while still being stylish.  Hopefully I'll be able to find a nice affordable one during the Boxing Day sales. 

So that about wraps up my wishlist for now.  For all of you out there, hope you had an awesome Christmas and have fun shopping some great deals over the next couple of days!

Merry Christmas Guys!!!

I hope you guys are having an awesome day with your loved ones.  Keep cool (if you're in Australia) and don't eat too much.  Stay safe and see you all again soon

Love Kay

A long time ago...!!!!

Hi everyone,

Spacebattles!

Big Laser Beams!!

Evil Mask Dudes!!!

What else can it be but Star Wars!!

So last night I went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it was fantastic!  I had originally planned to see it with friends but I couldn't refuse going with my parents when they offered to take me.  For those of you who haven't seen it I highly recommend it, though this is probably coming from a place of bias because I was full on obsessed with the Star Wars films from the ages of about 8-10.

Moving on from that though, here is a combined OOTD and FOTD to show what I'll typically wear when I'm going out casually but still want to look a bit more dressy.  Sorry I don't have photos of me actually wearing these things, I'm not sure I'm quite comfortable with that yet.

Brushes and Tools

From L-R, Up-Down

• Fake Beauty Blender
• Koji Eyelash Curler No. 71
• Coastal Scents Flat Buffer Brush
• EcoTools Tapered Blush Brush
• Coastal Scents Foundation Brush
• Coastal Scents Angled Blush Brush (didn't actually use this :/ )
• Coastal Scents Blending Brush
• Coastal Scents Domed Blender Brush
• Coastal Scents Large Shadow Brush
• Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush
• Coastal Scents Small Shadow Brush

Makeup

Eyes 
Lorac Skinny Palette in Nude - for today I first patted the matte cream shade over the lid with the large shadow brush then applied a mix of the two matte brown shades to my eye socket hole using the domed blender brush before blending and diffusing it out with the blender brush.  I then used the olivey bronze shade with the medium shadow brush over the lid, then used the small shadow brush to bring it under the eye slightly.

Maybelline Full 'n' Soft Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black - lashes were curled then a single layer of this was added to provide natural looking volume and to hold the curl.

Essence Eyebrow Designer in Black - used lightly on bald spots and on the tail to define the eyebrow.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude - used on the lower waterline to brighten eyes subtly.

Face
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53, Beige Claire - today I applied a single pump by dotting it evenly around the face then using the beauty blender dupe soaked in water then wrung out to blend it in. This gives a sheerer, more dewey looking finish to the skin.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 20, Sand - applied over blemishes then blended out with damp fake beauty blender.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Classic Beige - applied under the eyes straight from the doefoot applicator then slightly sheered out with the foundation brush before being blended in with fingers.

Essence All About Matt! Translucent Fixing Powder - applied all over the face to set using the flat buffer brush.

Savvy by DB Classic Blush in Cherry - Applied lightly to the apples of the cheeks with the EcoTools Tapered Blending Brush

Lips
NYX Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler - applied to the lips to give a low maintenance summery glow.

What I Wore:

Top - purchased from a Supre outlet store maybe a year and a half ago for $2.

Skirt - my mother's (and maybe grandmother's?) old skirt from when she was around my age.

Shoes - Sandler Black Glove in Envy.  Purchased last year from David Jones but is no longer available on the website.

Weekly Update, (14-20th Dec, 2015)

Hi how are you guys going this week?

I'm personally going really well.  Our choir CD got released during the week and I have a solo on the first song!  Very exciting to listen to.  All my choir concerts went well apart from one which was a complete washout (thanks torrential rain!). Despite that, we still got a crowd of about 1500 (though we normally get about 12 000) which was nice.  However, by this point I'm pretty much done with Christmas carols.

Which leads me to my next point.  Work hasn't put me on until next year which is good because it works with my Christmas plans and I haven't gone crazy from increased exposure to Christmas carols but is also bad because I don't have extra money for boxing day sales!  It's not like there's a lot I want to buy but I definitely do have a bit of a wishlist going on!  I definitely miss my friends at work, it's been a while since I've seen them.

Hung out with my friends a lot more this week.  I had a sleepover with some girlfriends and it's always nice to get together and eat ungodly amounts of junk food.  We watched Pitch Perfect 2 and I'm not really sure about it.  I hated the way in which the Columbian character was included.  She kinda existed just to make racist jokes about herself which were more cringey and uncomfortable to watch than anything else.  Maybe I hyped it up too much, I honestly expected it to be much better than it actually was.

I'm going to the circus tomorrow with my family which I'm really excited about.  It's been a couple of years and I've really been having fun just hanging out with my parents.  I'm honestly going to miss them so much if I move away from them next year.  I suppose at least I'll still be in the same country which'll make it much easier to visit and stay in touch.

I finally put up the tree yesterday (you know, less than a week out from Christmas).  We went for a silver and red theme this year and everything's so pretty.  I love Christmas so much, it's one of my favourite times of the year.  I've also been wrapping all the presents and let me tell you curling ribbon is probably my favourite invention of all time.  It's the best way to disguise my crappy wrapping.  Just make a big bow of curling ribbon and you're set really.

Also had a star wars marathon this week.  It was pretty good but we started with the prequels and I ended up falling asleep during Episode VI after which I had to leave so I still need to see the original trilogy.  I'm super excited to watch Force Awakens but I'll probably do it sometime after Christmas.

Started experimenting with some of the makeup I tend not to use as much and I quite liked it.  I realise now that I'm much more of a bold lip girl than a eyeshadow girl.  It's much easier to wear a bold lip and it always makes you look much more put together than you actually are.  I kinda want to get more but as I said last week I want to get more minimalist in my life approach so I'll probably just put it on a wishlist and revisit it later and see if I still want it.

Well, that concludes this week.  Merry Christmas all!  Have fun with your family and friends :)

Review: Chi Chi Glamorous Eye Palette in Nudes

Okay, let's get this out of the way first up.  This is obviously a dupe of Urban Decay's Naked I palette.  However, as I do not own the Naked palette, I will be reviewing the Chi Chi palette based on its own merits rather than as a comparison against the Urban Decay.  If you don't want to read the following more in-depth review, just skip down the bottom of the page to the VERDICT.

Chi Chi is an Australian company that is cruelty free.  There are three main ways you can get your hands on it; at Target, Myer or on the Chi Chi website.  The Glamorous Eye Palettes retail for $22.95 but you can often get it for cheaper if you wait for a sale at one of those stockists.  I've had this palette for about two years now (as evidenced by the dips in the pans) so I've had a lot of time to play around with it.

Value:  This palette contains 16g (or if you don't use metric 0.56 oz.).  Taking the RRP of this palette gives a price of $40.66 per ounce or $143.44 per 100 g. This is pretty good value for money.

Packaging: The palette has a plastic case with a clear top that allows you to see the shades inside. The clasp is secure but not impossible to open.  The shades do not come with names.  This palette came with a double ended sponge applicator which I have since thrown out.  The packaging isn't anything luxe but it is functional which is decent enough for the price.

Swatches: 

These were all done with a clean finger over bare skin in indirect sunlight.

For reference, I fit Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53 which puts me at approximately NC 25-30.

The shadows swatch decently well although some are far more pigmented and smooth than others.

From L-R: Shades 1, 2, 3, 4

Shade 1 is a shimmery cool toned whitish pink.  It is smooth in the pan and swatches well.  On my eye it is virtually indistinguishable from  Shade 2.

Shade 2 is a glittery cool toned light pink with silver glitter.  It's a tad grittier than some other shades in the palette most likely due to the glitter.  It is slightly more pink than Shade 1.

Shade 3 is a matte light medium brown. It applies smoothly.  There is not much difference between my skin and this shade so it makes for a good base.  Over eye primer it appears darker making it a good transition colour.

Shade 4 is a shimmery warm leaning light taupe.  It is smooth and makes for a good all over lid shade for me.

From L-R: Shades 5, 6, 7, 8

Shade 5 is a matte warm toned medium brown. It can be a bit gritty in the pan.  It works well as a crease colour for me.

Shade 6 is one of the highlights in the palette.  It is a shimmery warm toned gold with excellent pigmentation.  It is smooth but can kick up unnecessary dust so be sure to tap off the brush you use first.

Shade 7 is probably the most pigmented in the entire palette.  A shimmery medium dark brown it is smooth in the pan.  Similarly to Shade 6, it can kick up unnecessary dust in the pan.

Shade 8 is a shimmery dark green gray but as you can see from the swatch above it is one of the misses in the palette.  It is unpigmented and gritty in the pan.

From L-R: Shades 9, 10, 11, 12

Shade 9 is a shimmery medium brown mauve.  It is well pigmented and is among one of the best shades in this palette.

Shade 10 is a shimmery dark purple.  Applied on the eyes it doesn't come across as particularly purple, more just translating as something dark.  It doesn't have the best pigmentation although it is quite smooth.

Shade 11 is a shimmery dark grey.  It is one of the worst performing shadows in this palette. Although it appears darker than Shade 12 in the pan, it actually swatches lighter as you can see above.

Shade 12 is a shimmery cool blue leaning dark grey.  It applies well though it's not a colour I've actually ever used.

VERDICT:  This palette has pretty good value for money although its shades can be quite hit or miss though on the whole it has more hits than misses.  The packaging isn't anything special but it is perfectly function.  The shades themselves are quite dupable and many people will probably already have these shades in their collection.  I do recommend this palette as a way to experiment with more shades at a slightly lower price point.  However, I myself probably wouldn't repurchase it as I would rather spend more money to get a more consistent level of quality across the shades.

A (First!) Weekly Update, (7-13th Dec, 2015)

Hi, how's everyone going?  As I'm sure you're aware this is my very first post (if the title didn't give it away I'm sure the fact that it's the only post so far is more than enough to make you aware of this).

This weeks been pretty good, I just got back from a holiday overseas with family which as always is both relaxing and incredibly hectic.  New Zealand was lovely, and I'll be sure to post some of the photographs I took there soon.

I'm currently on school holidays so there's nothing on the assessment front currently.  I got my ATAR estimates as well and I'm honestly so pleased, as long as I'm consistent with what I've been doing I'm on track to get into any of the Uni courses I'm interested in.  I'm picking up double maths next year which means that I'm looking into doing some basic maths revision over these summer holidays.  My year 7-8 maths teacher was a lovely person but she wasn't the best teacher and my basic algebra skills have definitely suffered!  Anyone recommend any particular websites or textbooks to get me started? I've been currently starting (but honestly just procrastinating) on some of the websites listed here.

Choir's been pretty hectic.  Out of 7 days I've had (or will have) three rehearsals and three separate performances.  It's something I love though so it's no real hardship.  Last night at the outdoor performance I got bitten by mosquitoes three separate times on the one hand !  I think that's just excessive really.  I've got another performance this evening which I'm a little bit nervous about, it's in quite a public place where I might see people I know.  Oh well, time to work on some self confidence!

I think I'm going to cut down on makeup spending next year.  I just finished inventorying my collection yesterday in an Excel spreadsheet and it's a tad sobering.  There are other things that I want to save up for next year (a new car being the very first thing on that list, as soon as I do road ready that is) and it's a tad sad looking at how many things I wouldn't actually repurchase out of it all. Good news though, I'm working on reviewing every single item in my collection so as to give you all more information on what to spend your hard earned money on!

A book I requested at the library is now available so I'm really excited to collect it and start reading it. It's On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta and I'll be sure to review it later on for you guys. I've also started watching Suits and I'm honestly so excited.  I love the relationship between Harvey and Mike (though I'm a tad disappointed that four episodes in it's yet to pass the Bechdel test).

I need to go school supply shopping soon as well which is always exciting.  My plan for next year is to get super organised as I'll have much less time now I'm doing six fairly academic heavy subjects. On the other hand, I also want to make sure I'm not overbuying and wasting my money so I'll probably list out everything I need and search through the house first just in case.

That's about all I can think of for this week.  Lovely to meet you all and stay tuned for some more updates!