Lorac Pro Palette

Bless my grandparents and their constant need to travel. They recently spent 6 months in the US on holidays and while they were there I got them to pick me up a little something. Makeup in Australia is INCREDIBLY pricey, and to ship American makeup to Australia can be even worse.

I took it upon myself to ask my grandparents to bring me back the Lorac Pro Palette rather than ship it here for an extra $20. For weeks and weeks I'd been reading about this palette. A lot of people were talking it up, some even saying it's better than my beloved Naked palette which I found hard to believe at first.

When I received the palette I wasn't overly impressed by the flimsy cardboard packaging. But when I swatched the shades I was swept away. I have a couple of "I'm so in love with you I can't bear to part ways with you" shades, and a couple of "I could probably live without you but I'd rather not" shades. Mauve, Pewter and Champagne are beautiful shades that I will probably have to repurchase when I hit pan, they're beautiful. I find that some of the lighter shades such as cream and light pink need a couple of layers as they're a little sheer but once they're built up they're just as beautiful as the other shades.

Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the primer that came with this palette. At first I was intrigued that it was white, but upon a couple of uses I decided to go back to my trusty Urban Decay primer.
The shadow formula itself is so buttery and smooth with almost zero fallout when I apply. I'm in love with the formula and wish every eye shadow in the world was this silky.

Overall this palette IS definitely worth buying and probably comes in equal next to my Naked palette. They both have shades I adore and both have amazing colour payoff. If you're looking to make your first palette purchase I'd definitely try the Lorac Pro first as I find that the shades vary a bit more and the formula is just amazing.

MAC Vegas Volt & Melba

For a few months now I've been absolutely lusting over MAC's Vegas Volt lipstick and while I was making the online purchase I decided to throw in a blush, Melba. These are my first MAC products and I couldn't be more happy.

Vegas Volt is an orange-coral colour that is so incredibly bright, I had to have it. I adore coral colours and when I swatched this earlier last year I knew that I'd eventually have to own it. It's an amplified creme finish and is super hydrating and creamy. It applied like a dream and has impressive staying power. I found I had to reapply once when wearing it on an all day outing.

Melba is described as a soft coral peach in a matte finish. I'm pretty sure there's some kind of link to Peach Melba here. I need just the lightest dusting of this blush for amazing colour pay-off. I am so impressed by MAC's blush formula, I'm so excited to purchase different shades.

Perfect Nars lip combo

I am a huge fan of Nars. Ever since I went and got my makeup done at MECCA for a ball I attended, where they used a majority of Nars products on my face. I loved my makeup that night and made the effort to go back and purchase the same blush and lacquer they used on me.

The lacquer was Chelsea Girl, a nude beige. After one application I wasn't so sure that it was the right product, until I realised that my artist had used a lip liner underneath. So I went to Myer purchase a lip liner only to realise I had no idea which colour would match best. In the end it was a toss up between Fantasia and Tonga. Tonga was more of a pink nude while Fantasia has a slightly orange tint to it, which would provide a more coloured lip.

I opted for Fantasia and fell in love with the combo, it was just like my ball makeup. I'm not a major nude lip fan, but this is my go to combo for when I want to rock one. I do find that after an hour or so my lips bleed a little, which is weird considering I'm using a liner. The bleeding makes the colours look a lot orange than they are, so in order to keep my lips looking awesome, I reapply the gloss and clean up my edges as much as possible.

Fantasia is my first lip liner so I'm eager to branch out and try different shades and different brands. I'm especially excited to try and rock a red lip/liner combo. Leave me your favourite lip stick and liner combos!

2013/2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This past year was one of goodbyes and new beginnings for me. I moved to Melbourne to start my dream course at my dream university. I moved onto college where I made so many new and amazing friends. I also managed to break out of my shell a little bit more and to open myself up to new experiences.
While it was full of amazing firsts, I experienced a couple of lows. I said my final goodbyes to some of the most amazing people in my life, including one of the best teacher's I've ever had the pleasure to know. I also had to go through a pretty annoying experience in hospital which resulted in surgery. My brother also moved away to join the army which is pretty amazing overall, but I really miss living with him and being able to see him whenever I want.

I'm ready for 2014. 14 is my lucky number, so I'm hoping this is my lucky year. I have a few resolutions I'd like to keep at, and then the typical "lose weight" "exercise more" resolutions I'm sure to drop within a week. I'll be moving back to uni so it could be hard to stick to these resolutions, but I'll try my hardest.

RESOLUTIONS:
1. Read more. I started a book in September and still haven't finished it. I'm horrified with myself. I absolutely love to read and am determined to make more time to read, it doesn't have to be books, magazines will suffice too.
2. Drink less. It sounds unrealistic, but to be honest I hate losing control and not feeling my absolute best. Binge drinking is one of the things that comes with moving to college, but I'm ready to switch the vodka for cola and cider for water.
3. Blog more. Self explanatory, I forget, I procrastinate, I ignore. I'm a horrible blogger!
4. Spend more time outside. Not exercising, although that would help, but you have no idea how much I love to stand on grass with no shoes or socks on. Being outside just makes me feel that little more relaxed and at peace.
5. Explore. Lucky last, I'm ready to explore and see more. I live in one of the best cities in the world and hardly know my way around. I'm ready to see the little alley ways and eat at little cafes in Melbourne. And take pictures of course!