NEW nars sheer glow in fiji

I recently decided to get my skin colour matched to a good quality, high end foundation. I've forever been using Rimmel's colour stay in Ivory which I thought was a pretty good match but I wanted something with a better, dewy formula. After hours researching the best high end foundations for sensitive to combination skin I decided on Nars Sheer Glow.

I am a HUGE Nars fan. The majority of my high end makeup is from Nars. Living in rural Australia, I purchase my makeup though the store Mecca Cosmetica's website. Unfortunately, one cannot colour match themselves properly online. So I made the 2 hour trip to the big city to one of Mecca's stores and popped myself down in a chair. A lovely lady helped me choose the perfect match. We swatched 4 shades and picked a shade a little warmer than my natural tone as it was early summer and I wanted it to transition well into my summer tan.

I ended up with Nars Sheer Glow in Fiji. It's sooooo beautiful. I can't get over how flawless my skin looks with it on. I apply it first with a foundation brush and then work it in with my fingers as my sales assistant at Mecca told me the foundation works well when worked in with your hands. It applies and blends extremely well and doesn't leave me looking cakey or, on the other end, too shiny. It's a lovely dewy finish that makes me look like I've just been sitting out in the sun like a model, not the sweaty, red faced girl I'd usually be. On particularly hot days where I know no amount of primer or finishing spray will set my makeup well enough, I will set it with a translucent finishing powder and it doesn't appear cakey.

Although it's only the first high end foundation I've tried, I'm completely sold and how my skin looks wearing it. I'll definitely be heading back to Mecca to be matched again in Winter! x

Kate Moss Lasting Finish #20

I need to go grocery shopping with my mum more often. She left me alone for a couple of minutes with the trolley in the beauty and hair aisle so she could run off and get something she forgot... she really shouldn't have done that.
I scoped the brands for a bargain and I came across this one. It was reduced from around $11 to $7 as it was the last of its colour. Score. Kate Moss' Lasting Finish lipstick in number 20 is an amazing bright fuchsia in a matte finish. It's also super hydrating which my lips need at the moment. They're currently like the Sahara Desert after spending 6 hours on an airplane. It's creamy and applies like a dream. It's possibly my new favourite bright lippy and will definitely be making an appearance on nights out! x

Bali Goodies

I recently travelled overseas to Indonesia where I spent 9 days in Bali. Bali is a frequent travel destination for plenty of Australians, it's cheap to travel to, not far, and a cheap place to shops as well as supplying its visitors with plenty of places and things to see. Unfortunately after 5 days I picked up the dreadful Bali belly, a food poisoning illness due to the lack of hygiene in the third world country. Besides my illness however, I loved my visit and could not recommend the country as a travel destination enough. The people are so friendly, they build their lives around tourism and depend on it to survive. They're all happy to help you and give you the best Balinese experience. There's a lot of stigma around the county due to some recent unfortunate events but I love the country and wish everyone could see how beautiful the people and places are.

While I was there I popped into Matahari's, a large supermarket place that stocks LOTS of makeup for cheap prices. Almost everything was half the price of what I would pay for if I bought them at home in Australia.

Just letting you know there are no filters on any pictures of swatches. I use natural lighting in the hopes you receive the most accurate colouring.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk - I've wanted this product for a while as a base for my eyeshadows. NYX was recently made available in Australia at Target but by the time I made my way to my local store, the collection had been raided and there were none left. I was so happy to pick this up. It works wonderfully as an eyeshadow base, it's perfect for a few shadows in my Lorac Pro Palette that I have trouble working with.

NYX Matte Cream in Monte Carlo - I saw this vampy red colour out of the corner of my eye as I went to purchase the eye pencil. It was love at first sight. I'm so excited for Winter to roll around so I can wear this. It's a beautiful colour and isn't drying which is surprising for me as I've found a lot of matte creams to be terribly drying.

Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait - To replace an old one I lost. It's a go to lip shade for me. If I'm not doing much or I have strong eyeshadow game on a particular day, I'll just swipe this on. My last tube was particularly sparkly, so it's nice to see this one is less sparkly.

Revlon ColourStay Ultimate Suede lipstick in Muse - Oh, my, god. I love this lipstick. It has the best staying power of any lipstick I've ever worn. I mentioned earlier I was ill, which occurred after an evening wearing this lipstick. After hours of being sick and wiping my mouth and drinking out of water bottles, this lipstick was still on my lips and looked amazing. I love the colour as well. I'm slowly becoming obsessed with bright lips.

Loreal Glam Shine Balmy Gloss in Passionfruit Perfect - I wasn't going to buy this. In fact I wasn't even a fan of the swatch. It was super glittery and sheer. But I loved the name and it was orange so I just had to have it. It's much different when applied to my lips, it's more on the red side than a bright orange. It's hydrating, but the staying power isn't great. Probably the least exciting product I bought on the trip.

I bought plenty of jewellery and clothes while on the trip too, so I may make a second post. xx