Australis Velourlips Matte Cream

Australis are an Australian makeup brand who up until recently, I wasn't a fan of. I wasn't a fan of their packaging, everything seemed very young and cheap. I know it's wrong to judge a book by it's cover, and I'm sorry! Last week I was browsing on the subReddit Makeup Addiction, when an Australian poster posted a before and after, in which she used these products. I fell in love with the colour. After a lot of sleuthing on the net, found out that these products were quickly gaining popularity throughout Australia, and even the rest of the world, with women asking us Aussies to ship them some tubes to try.

I made it my mission to find these products and make a purchase. I found success at Priceline where only one of NY-CEE (red) and RIO-D (orange) were in stock after other makeup addicts had raided the stash. At Priceline they were buy one, get one free, so I only payed $10 for two. Desperate for MAL-I-BOO (pink) and TOK-I-O (purple), I headed to Big W where they were only around $7 each, score! I decided not to purchase PAR-EE (nude) as I wasn't a fan of the colour once I swatched it.

These products are amazing, however they can be super drying. I suggest exfoliating your lips with a sugar lip scrub and then using a balm (I used a simple Nivea stick of balm) just before you apply so that you don't get cracked lips. The cream goes on super glossy but quickly, once spread, turns matte. It's a race to spread the product on, which can be hard so I suggest using a lip brush instead of the spongey applicator. The lasting power is crazy, although after a couple of hours the insides of your lips will start to fade away, but reapplication is simple. When I tried to wash mine off just last night I was amazed at how hard I had to rub to get the product off. My lips were still stained hours later.

TOK-I-O (purple) is my favourite purchase out of all four colours, it needs two applications to be super opaque but the colour pay off is amazing. If I were going out tonight for NYE this would be my go to party colour. I can't wait to wear them all out. I think they've taken over from lip butters as my go to product.

If you're not Australian and would like to try these products, be sure to drop me a line on twitter or email and we could maybe organise a product swap.
And to anyone reading this, have a happy and safe new years eve. Here in Australia, I'm staying in with my family eating left over Christmas chocolate and drinking wine. I'll see you all in the new year.

Benefit Primed For Lovin' Tin

I needed one product. I walked out for 4. It was a steal. All I was after was the Benefit Porefessional primer to combat my pesky pores and create flawless skin. As I approached the counter the Benefit sales lady told me she had a better deal for me. Pointing towards a Christmas decorated stand, a collection of different coloured boxes stood. She told me to grab the red one, Primed for Lovin'.

Inside, for only an extra $16, I received four full sized Benefit products for $69, rather than just one for $53. Score! (USA price - $42, UK price - £44.50) Inside was the Benefit Porefessional, High Beam highlighter, They're Real mascara and Sugarbomb lipgloss. I was so happy with my little steal as I've been wanting to try the mascara for ages and I'd never owned a highlighter before.

Each product is absolutely flawless, as per usual for Benefit. I adore the highlighter, I feel like a whole new world has been opened. I was pretentious towards the idea of highlighting before purchasing this box, I'm young, my skin is glowy enough. No! No it was not.
The mascara, which the saleslady applied for me to show me how to use is amazing. I couldn't believe my eyes. I usually thought I had small lashes, nothing worth raving over. After complimenting my "lovely long lashes" the sales lady shocked me even further by showing me the end result. My lashes were full, long and dramatic. I'd never liked my eyelashes more in my life than I did right then.

The product I first sought out the Benefit stand for, The Porefessional, is everything I hoped it would be. It's lightweight, blends flawlessly and gives me an amazing base to start my makeup. It minimises my pores and also attempts to smooth out fine lines (even those annoying ones under my eyes).
I've not tried the gloss as I'm not typically a gloss girl, but it's nice to have a little sample sized gloss to be able to throw into my bag to swipe on when needed. It's a lovely dark pink, it looks perfectly natural on and smells great.

So Benefit has done it again, this product is well worth the money. There are other boxes available, each containing a different combination of products. It's perfect as a holiday gift for any makeup lovers you know, or even just a cheeky gift for yourself.
Adios, x