November Lovers and Leavers

Alright! I've done enough of this lazing around sipping pina coladas business (jk I'm straight edge and water is always my drink of choice) and not enough productivity I feel so it's time to get back into things. November was a pretty momentous month for HG discoveries and I have to share them with you!

I finally whipped out the camera to take photos of my own, the last post contained a collage in a stocking which took a ridiculously long time to edit so I'm never doing that again :)

 LOVE ME

Moxie pads - HG

Look how cute the packaging is! These are solely responsible for a more pleasant menstruation period period with their pinkness and bows even though I'm not into cutesy things, I will forever love and support this brand because of their 'Pads for Pads' initiative.

What is this you ask?

Mia Klitsas, the driven, forward-thinking cool chick (#lifegoals) in charge of the Moxie brand explains in more depth if you'd like:

Not only is she easing the burden of periods by ensuring our pads and tampons stop flying around in our bags, but she's enriching the lives of those young women whose periods no longer stop them from going to school and receiving an education! Double win, I urge you to support Moxie.


Mario Badescu Drying Lotion - HG

This saved me so many times this month. There was this one pimple residing on my eyebrow since forever-til death do us part, but then I remembered I had this and it helped me get rid of it without mess over two nights. Good stuff, I even like the funky smell of it now. I do worry that I'll drop a cotton tip in there as it gets harder to reach the pink calamine layer.


Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer - HG

I changed my mind about wanting the NARS eyelid primer because this one has fulfilled all my requests. At only $7US or $12.95AUS on eBay here, it's nothing short of incredible because it enhances eye shadow pigmentation as well as prolongs their wear. My eye shadow clung on for 12 hours through crazy dancing and tears a few days ago at formal and I forgot I had the issue of oily eyelids. A+++, highly recommend!


MOMMA (mineral makeup)  

There are no stand-outs in this sample pack (contour powder, silicon finishing powder + 2 variations of foundation) because they're all amazing! I will have a post up shortly on this affordable, Australian brand.


Awesome UNSW Silicon Wallet - HG

This silicon wallet is magic. It fits the essentials (money, licence, transport card) perfectly. It also prevents my phone from tipping over the edge as it always does. And finally there's no sticky residue left over when it's time to peel off. Love love love.



ELF Lip Exfoliator

Using this feels like face-palming the concrete, it's really rough but also equally effective.
It's so much more convenient and cleaner to use than the traditional lip scrub, though I sometimes feel it's a waste of metal because I am powering through this and I just got it at the beginning of November (will probably last 2 months or 15 applications, whichever comes first).


Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Concealer in Light/Clair (11ml)

Shoulda cleaned that lid, mhm soak up that grime.

I don't hate my eye bags because they come out mostly when I smile but on days when I wanna look like a different person, I whip this out to lessen the severity of those dark circles.

It's creamy yet doesn't crease and lasts as long as I need it to (5-6 hrs). This imparts nice coverage and hence really does make me look more fresh-faced, this only came in two shades: light & medium (medium is quite dark, would suit ~ MAC NC/NW30 & above. The light shade highlights my blemishes so I really only use it to conceal under eye darkness on my NW25 skin (I've never been shade matched so it's my educated guess as I have cool-toned medium skin).


Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black/Brown

I would dye my hair a new shade every month if it weren't so damaging, I have black hair so I'd have to bleach it first and that's always bugged me. This month, I realised me sporting dark brows wouldn't hurt and I've been loving this shade in ma brows! This pencil isn't overly waxy yet creamy enough to achieve the desired colour. Don't stop making this Rimmel!


Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum in Ultra Black - HG
These pens rolled so much I had to chuck them into one photo.
This'll be any novice’s best friend in eyeliner application. Thick, thin, straight, flowery artwork, whatever you want on your eyes – this is incredibly easy to work with :) I haven’t noticed longer, thicker lashes but I really don’t mind because it's so freaking impressive as a long-wearing, waterproof eyeliner. I love doing wings on my eyes with the assistance of sticky-tape so I can be as sloppy as I like and it still turns out decently.

LEAVE ME

Montagne Jeunesse mask

Hard to look cute when it's burning so bad

They thought they'd save us the messy clay mask application but I'd much prefer that over this crappy cloth mask.
How does one relax with a tingly, stinky (like toilet cleaner), wet and oversized mud-dipped cloth on their face? It dried leaving a white clay film on your skin (cream 'stache above) that you had to wash off anyway. I was on the verge of tears from the pungent scent which stung my eyes (evident above) and it irritated my skin then broke me out. I just wanted nice skin.


EOS lip balms

My nostrils really appreciate the smell of these, albeit rather waxy and plastic-y in scent and texture. They did more sitting around than moisturising, my sister bought these at Costco and I'll use them up but won't repurchase and they plunge off my desk into darkness often because of their round shape. I don't even think they're that cute and every time I use them, I feel like I'm rubbing a nipple-less breast against my lips.

Twas a good month. How about you? I'm super nosey so let me in ;) Any lovers/leavers this month?

PS: Embarrassing update - my mum saw the plastic bottle of Coogee sea water beside my desk and threw it away. I'll have to hit up another beach soon hey?!

PPS: Knocked one thing off my wishlist - that NARS eye primer. Beautyheaven's beautorium event will give me the opportunity to knock off the Indeed Labs Microfoliant too - it's 700 points though and I was hoping to save up (only on 1,400 points) but I am a person of impulse and who knows how long I have left to live so I'm gonna order it! Looking forward to the freebies they throw in too :D

Have a wonderful week! Don't forget to maintain a positive attitude to help you continually conquer any curveballs thrown your way.

Good things are up ahead this month, and the next, and the next...perpetually.

What's in a wish - at 11:11 on 11/11

I don't believe that on the eleventh minute after every hour (because let's not forget timezones), if we wished hard enough, concentrated our brains hard enough on what we wanted, that it'll come true.

Or that if I blew until we went red on a dandelion seed head and all the seeds flew off, my wish will be granted.

But I wish on these things anyway. 

Because every new wish you add onto that list goes into the forefront of your brain and implants itself there, always guiding each action of yours towards it. In that way, wishes evolve into goals, if you wish hard enough - work hard enough, who's to say you can't achieve what you wished for? 

I do have a personal wishlist but to ease into things, I'll share my material wants which my personal goals ($$$) will help me buy. I decided to put it in a stocking because I love my socks, and in no way does it hint at what I expect this Christmas.

Starting from the bottom and working our way in a zigzag motion up we have:

1. NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base 

Sometimes it feels as if all my oil glands gather under one/two roofs and have a party under my eyelids leaving me in the aftermath of an oil spill problem to which nothing non-polar adheres, no matter how crease-proof the eyeshadow. I hear this primer by NARS should prevent such an event from occurring.

2. Revlon Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liner in Electric Blue

$25.95 for blue liquid to smack onto those eyelids, I could buy 3 kebabs with that much. Though rad blue eyeliner would last longer...and a fun wing would make me feel super cool as opposed to kebab breath.
(Thank you to the ever fabulous Kat from Kitsch Snitch for sharing this! She makes YouTube videos and provides a blog post for most videos too - talk about dedicated!)

3. Yonanas Dessert Maker

To whoever discovered blended frozen banana make wonderful ice-cream treats (yes-just frozen bananas on their own!), I tip my hat to you.
My mum buys boxes of fruit weekly which end up rotting so I'm glad we now have an excuse to freeze a box of bananas. Should I try blending frozen pawpaw and mangoes? They're the fruits my mum loves to buy in bulk. I'm gonna go bananas on my Yonanas yo! 

4. Lush Big Shampoo 

Big hair, mhm. There's lots of sea salt in it, which reminds me I still have 150mL of beach water from Coogee which I'm yet to turn into a sea salt texturising spray. Basically you filter out the sand, boil it to rid of the pathogens and pass it through microscopic membrane to kill the tough pathogens (jks we're not drinking it here) then add essential oil(s) of your own choosing to make it smell nice, spray into hair + crunch it a bit. Will it work? I will update you! 

5. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Wardrobe
Hello pretty thing! I hate using powder as it clings to dry patches but this doesn't look like any old boring powder y'know? It's supposed to be ultra flattering and leave you ultra-glowy, especially under different lights.

6. Indeed Labs Hydraluron
I know we need to be patient with our skin but people have said they see a noticeable difference in their skin after the first/second application of a product so where can I find those miracle workers? I've never experienced that except for with rose hip oil.

Damn you skin, what will knock you out of your inertia? 
The answer must be exercise because an object at rest (skin being crap) stays at rest (still crap) unless a force (exercise) acts upon it. Physics explains so much of our world and yet it was my least favourite science subject because I'm self-absorbed and like learning about human body functioning and about chemistry which helps with product knowledge, here are a couple of nail polish remover tips:

• Adding nail polish remover into old, gluggy nail polish is a death sentence.  Use nail polish thinners because that's what they're made for! 
• You should always keep the lid of your nail polish remover on because acetone evaporates very quickly.

Wow, weird tangents!

7. Indeed Labs Powdered Exfoliator 

I have a deluxe sized sample of the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and would like to see how this compares. Usually I don't feel like these make much difference to my skin but that's my commitment issues and not the product itself (I'll use that awesome Dermalogica one once a week despite it being a daily product), 
I promise to be more consistent and committed from now on because I have the most highly important responsibility of keeping my little corner of the internet alive with only genuine experiences of products.

So keep smiling every time you catch 11:11. Turn those wishes into ambitions.
(Bahahaha! You just read my rambly autobiography under the guise of a wishlist.)

What are you wishing for this fine day? Leave me a couple of products below, I'd love to check them out :)
Have you tried any of these products?

ALSO: let me know if my blog posts are too long, I probably won't cut them down but I'll add more paragraphs to create the illusion that I did.