My Mission If I Choose To Accept It - Find The Perfect Self Tanner

Ok, here's the deal. I am 1/4 Irish and have the whitest skin in the world, almost bordering in being transparent. This genetic 'gift' of mine has meant that a tan has always been an unreacheable dream. Something I lust after whenever I see others with gorgeous glowing bronzed skin. Ten minutes in the sun for me without sun protection equals red sunburnt skin (plus a zillion more freckles). Awesome hey?

Well, I've now decided to properly start a search for a self tanner which works with my skintone, not against it. Previously I've half-heartedly tried self tanners here and there whenever they've been on special or I've just felt like trying (and failing) again. Now, I've made it my mission to find one that I can call my holy grail of self tanners.

My first product guinea pig is the Neutrogena Build-A-Tan Gradual Sunless Lotion.

I have had this sitting in my bathroom cupboard for quite a while as I bought some on a whim and never really bothered to use it properly. A couple of weeks ago I found it and decided to give it a proper go now the weather is getting warmer and have been applying it regularly ever since.

This tanner claims to give a hint of colour that builds a healthy glow with each application. It also claims to have a light, fresh scent and dries in 5 minutes.

This lotion is supposed to be applied as you would a daily moisturiser. For the first application I did it every night after my shower for about three days, then after that I've been just topping it up every second or third day and using a different moisturiser in between.

The verdict:
Unfortunately I don't like this product at all. I feel as if I've got jaundice as my skin seems to be an awful dark shade of yellow rather than what I would consider tanned.
On the plus side it's a nice, smooth consistency and very easy to apply without streaking, and being so light in tan colour it's almost impossible to go wrong with applying it and ending up with awful over-tanned areas which can happen very easily with some other tanning products. It's a lightweight white lotion which is surprisingly moisturing too once applied.
Another negative I have to report is the smell. The claims that it has a 'light, fresh scent' are not very valid with this lotion as far as my opinion goes. It's got a very heavy smell that I really dislike and it seems to permeate into everything such as my pj's, sheets, towels, etc. I can still smell it almost 24 hours later after applying and I find it very unpleasant. The smell actually makes me very self conscious when around other people and I've been applying extra moisturiser over the top after a couple of hours lately in an attempt to mask it. My husband has even commented on how strong it is when we go to bed!

So, I can now cross that one off my list as one that has failed and move on to the next. The quest continues.......

Does anyone have any suggestions for self-tanners I should try or ones I should particularly avoid? Is there anyone with transparent skin like me who has found the perfect product??  

Nails of the Week - Australis Nail Colour 'Knickers in a Knot'

This is such a bright summery colour and looks great with a lot of fake tan! I am even wearing this on my toes at the moment because I just love how bright it is!

It's a nice smooth polish to apply and gives good coverage in just one coat. It's got a real nice shine too which means you can skip applying a top coat if you wish.

My only gripe with this polish would be that it seemed to take a really long time to dry completely. I put on a base coat and two coats of the colour a good couple of hours before going to bed and I still managed to get some sheet impression on it in the morning when I woke up which was a bit disappointing.


(P.S. I never wear the same colour on my fingers and toes at the same time, I don't know why but it's just something that I've never been able to do. I've always liked to have them different colours so to wear this on both my fingers AND toes at once says how pretty it really is).

My latest 'Yay I've finished my exams for the year!' haul!

Hello everyone. Remember me?

Yeah, I'm the one who hasn't really been around much lately due to being stressed out of my eyeballs with studying for two CPA exams this semester that are now officially done and dusted. I will hopefully now be able to be around a lot more these days as I have all the time in the world to kill now when I'm not at work.

To celebrate this wonderful time of the year where I now get to experience 'free' time again (I've almost forgotten what that is) I decided to go and spoil myself with a little haul from Priceline due to them enticing me in with their 20% off all Cosmetics and Skincare sale.

Here is what I got:

1) Simple Soothing Facial Toner - I love this brand and don't think you can go wrong with anything in the whole range. This is a lovely toner that doesn't have that awfully strong alcohol feel to it that some other toners have.

2) Prestige Skin Loving Mineral Sunbaked Mineral Bronzing Powder in Pure Shimmer - I have never ever used a highlighter before (I can hear all the gasps of shock!) and thought this product looked so pretty so couldn't resist buying it. There will be many fun filled adventures to be had while I try to teach myself how to use this product now.

3) Artiste Professional Small Eyeshadow Brush - I finally retired all of my old brushes not that long ago and this was a nice cheap little brush which will be good for the makeup bag.

4) Nail Polishes (left to right) - Australis Nail Colour in Knickers in a Knot, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Colour in Sun Kissed and Green With Envy and Face of Australia Molten Metallics Nail Enamel in Verdigris.

5) Models Prefer Small Cosmetic Case - I needed a new one for my handbag as my old one had seen better days. I just couldn't resist the snake skin print.

Anyway, that was my little splurge today. I can't wait to try out my new goodies.

Hope everyone is well :-)

The First Ever Bellabox - October 2011

I was very excited to receive my first Bellabox yesterday as I'm finding that it's so fun to receive these little packages of the unknown in the mail and open them up to see what surprises they hold.

This is the third one of these monthly beauty boxes that I subscribe to and I was very impressed with how different the contents were to the others that I also get.

This is how the Bellabox arrived:

(My husband's exact words as he handed this to me were 'Not another bloody makeup box, are you having an affair with the postman or something?' Hehehe.....)

Once you opened the outside packaging inside was a cute little cardboard box with a lid:

And once this was opened it looked like this:

The contents were as follows:

* Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer (15ml) - Now I am probably the only girl on earth who hasn't tried this primer yet so I'm pretty chuffed to receive some so I can finally know what all the raving is about.

* A'kin Lavender, Geranium & Jojoba Hand & Nail Cream (30ml) - I have a bit of an obsession with hand and nail creams and have about 5 that are usually in use at once (one in my handbag, one in the loungeroom, one in the kitchen, one next to my bed and one at work) so this will add nicely to my collection.

* Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant (2 x 5gm sachets) - I have found that daily exfoliants are too harsh for my face to use on a daily basis no matter how 'gentle' they claim to be so I will be interested in seeing if this is another one of those that I can only use every second day or so.

* Savoir Faire Lipstick in 'Miss You' - This is a full size lipstick that comes in a gorgeous silver case (that actually doubles as a handy little mirror too!). It's a nice pale pink that I think will soon become a favourite colour of mine. It's also got a really yummy flavour that's kind of sweet and makes me keep wanting to lick my lips all the time (not sure if this is a good or a bad thing yet).

* One Skin System Daily Hydrate (10ml) - This product baffled me a little at first as at looks like a big syringe but now I've worked out how to get the cream out I can't wait to use it just for the novelty factor.

* Wine Wipes (1 wipe) - Apparently these are for those who get red wine stains on their teeth. Can't say I've ever experienced that problem (maybe that means I need to drink more!) but I'll be putting this in my handbag the next time we go out anyway just to give it a go.

As per the other two monthly beauty boxes you get a nice card that welcomes you and explains all of the products received as well as their usually RRP's.

Overall I'm pretty happy with this box and am surprised at the quality of what we received.

Did anyone else subscribe to Bellabox? Does anyone have an opinion on which is their favourite monthly beauty box supplier??

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector (BB Cream) Light & Medium

Well I was so excited a few weeks ago when I was informed that I'd been a lucky winner of two of the Garnier BB Creams from a competition run on Lilit's blog Makeup & Macaroons and I just couldn't wait for them to arrive in the mail.

I was fortunate enough to win both the Light and Medium shades (which came in a cute little Garnier canvas baggy I must add).

Here is a comparison between the two shades:

Left: Medium shade, Right: Light shade (as if that wasn't obvious to most of you anyway)

The Garnier Miracle Skin Perfectors claim to contain Vitamin C and Mineral Pigments and are supposed to:

* Even complexion
* Reduce sun spots and imperfections
* Boost healthy glow
* Give tinted 24hr hydration
* Protect with an SPF 15

I have now been using the Light shade for a couple of weeks and it is a really nice tinted moisturiser to use. My skin feels soft and non-greasy after applying and it gives quite good coverage over small imperfections. I like the fact that it contains an SPF as well as I'll admit I'm way too lazy to apply a regular sunscreen onto my face first before my regular moisturiser and on the odd occasion that I have done this my skin has felt so greasy and awful I always wished I'd not done it.

There are only two issues that I found I have with this cream. First up is the smell. I find it a little too overpowering for a face cream as it's very much like a floral perfume going onto your face which is a bit much for me to bear for every day use. I can be a little sensitive to smells sometimes though so this might just be a problem that is purely individual to me.

Secondly, I find it hard to blend in completely and sometimes and the cream can seem to just 'sit' on top of the skin and look a bit filmy unless blended in really well. Again, this might just be because my skin has a tendency to be a bit on the oily side sometimes and might not be an issue for anyone else.

I haven't tried the Medium shade on my face as yet as I think it will be way too dark for me to wear on it's own as I'm quite pale. I do think that it will be good to mix the Light and Medium together once summer hits though as that might make a better shade that I can wear.

Has anyone else tried these creams yet and formed an opinion on them?

October Lust Have It! Box

I'm a bit slow on posting the contents of the October Lust Have It! box this month as I've been doing nothing but studying for my two CPA exams next week and have basically had no life. Everyone probably knows what's in the box for this month but I had already taken the photos and thought I might as well write about it anyway.

Here's what this months box looked like once opened:

And here's what it all looked like when taken out of the box:



A breakdown of the contents is as follows:

* Lancome Genifique Youth Activator (2 x 5ml) - this is a serum which claims to reactivate your genes and stimulate the production of youth proteins. I think it's nice that we got given two of these samples rather than just one so that we can get a better picture of how it works because 5ml really isn't much to work with to see if you like a product or not.

* LimeLily Cosmetics Cream Blush in Gorgeous - This is a blush refill and I think you can buy the holders separately according to the YouTube video posted by Lust Have It! It would be good to get all 6 colours of this over time to have the set.

* Lush 'Honey I Washed the Kids' Soap - This is a toffee and honey scented soap. I love Lush products and was devastated when my local one closed down a few months ago so am really excited about getting this soap.

* Taut Collagen Orange Drink (50 ml) - I find this product a little weird and really don't get it. Supposedly you drink a bottle of this three to four times a week and it provides you with an easy and delicious natural source of concentrated bio-available collagen. It's also further enhanced with synergistic co-nutrients including Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide and vitamins such as B1, B2, B6, E and Beta-carotene. Not too sure on this one......

* Kerastase Resitance Range - 2 x Bain De Force Shampoo, 2 x Ciment Anti-Usure Reinforcing and Finishing Treatment and 2 x Ciment Thermique Heat Activated Reconstructor Milk sachets.

So, that's it for this months Lust Have It! box. I'm glad that there was a makeup product in this months box again. I actually wish it was a bit more evenly distributed between makeup and skincare/haircare in each box as I'm starting to get an overload on skincare/haircare samples.

I'm definitely keeping my subscription going though as I feel like a little kid at Christmas every month when my little goody boxes arrive in the post. My husband just shakes his head. He clearly doesn't understand..........

Something A Bit More Personal - Our Fur & Feathered Family

Today I am having a day off from being a human mum due to having huge amounts of studying to do (yeah, I'll get to it later!) so my husband's mum has the little man today to give me some free time.

Walking around our house which is now childless made me think about how even when I am alone in the house, I'm never truly alone due to all of our fur babies wandering around. Unfortunately due to bub coming along the fur kids haven't been getting the amount of attention they used to get when they were our only kids but I do my best to make them still feel special all in their own way.

Anyway, I have decided to show everyone our fur and feathered family and share with you their stories.

First up is the one I still consider my first born even after bub came along. Her name is Evie and she is a 6 1/2 year old tri-colour Beagle. She is my baby :-)

Evie is the only good thing I got out of wasting 8 years of my life with my ex. He bought her for me as a present one day when I was at work and so she could be company for our other male staffy. When we split I kept her and he kept our other dog. It felt horrible splitting them up but neither of us wanted to be left without a dog so that's how it ended up.
I still remember the first time I saw her. My ex had hidden her in our bedroom when I got home and she gave herself away by giving a little yap from behind the door and when I opened it, there she was in all her puppy cuteness sitting on top of the pillows on our bed looking so excited and happy. I fell instantly in love and she has been my best little buddy in the world ever since. I would swear on my life that she knows what I am thinking most of the time without me having to say a word. She was my rock in what I call the 'bad time' between my ex and I breaking up and before meeting my now husband.

Next to join the clan was Cleopatra. She is a 4 1/2 year old tortoiseshell who has a bit of a Jeckyll and Hyde personality which I just love. You never know what you're going to get with Cleo and it's always so fun:

Cleo came into my life when I was doing a bit of part time vet nursing. She was one of a litter from the Cat Protection Society that the vet I was working at was trying to get homes for and no-one wanted her because she had a horrible scar on her nose where she'd been in a fight with one of her litter mates. She ended being the last one left for about a week that still hadn't gotten a home and I just couldn't resist her cheeky face. I'd never had a cat as a pet before as my family were always dog people so I was very nervous taking her home and wondered what on earth I was going to do with her. My husband also was not a big fan of cats and pretty much told me I wasn't allowed to get her. Well, I knew my husband would come around as soon as he saw her and I knew Evie had a good temperament so after my shift one day I took her home with me. Evie fell in love with her straight away and even though my husband wasn't too impressed when he walked in to see this little kitten on my lap, he is now officially a cat person and loves her. I knew he'd come around :-)

The third instalment in our household was Peking the muscovy duck. Peking was left at the same vet where I got Cleo as she was bought for some kids by their grandmother and their mother didn't want them to keep her. She was the tiniest little yellow bundle of fluff when she was dumped and my husband had always had a bit of a love for ducks and geese so one day I thought 'how hard could a duck be to look after anyway?'. Well, after my shift finished one day I took this bundle of yellow fluff home and the look on my husbands face was priceless. He was like a kid who'd just gotten the best present he'll ever get in his life and they have been best friends ever since. Peking is now about 4 1/2 years old and is the ruler of our backyard. She also thinks she's a dog after being brought up alongside Evie and sometimes sits at the back door trying to get in:

The next fur kid to come into our life was Caesar. Caesar is a 3 year old domestic long hair who we think has traces of Ragdoll due to his tendency to be like a big boneless fluff monster sometimes. Caesar was the tiniest kitten who just grew and grew and grew to be now over 7kgs of pure cat! He was a surprise xmas present for me in December 2008 from my husband (the newly reformed cat hater) and was part of a litter I was helping to mind at another vet who were dumped with Cat Care. I helped desex the litter one day and went home raving about how gorgeous these kittens were (something I did quite regularly) and there was one in particular that I really loved and kept taking about. Well, the next day as a surprise my husband went and picked up the kitten he thought was the one I fell in love with and when I came home from work there was this tiny bundle of silver and white fur sitting in out lounge room. Unfortunately I had to inform my husband nicely that he wasn't actually the kitten I was raving about so he offerred to take him back and swap him. Hell no! Once an animal is in our house it's part of the family so there was no way this little fluff ball was going anywhere now. Anyway, I think Caesar's story is one of fate as he's the most gorgeous cat known to man and just loves to play with our dogs and our other cat Cleo and we couldn't imagine life without him. He also has a purr that you can hear three rooms away which to me is just the best sound on earth:

Lastly, the final addition (sa far) to our clan is Barney. Barney is a 3 year old tan and white Beagle who we adopted when he was 16 months old from Beagle Rescue. Poor Barney was dumped at Wagga pound for reasons unknown and when we saw photos of him on the Beagle Rescue site we fell in love and couldn't help but go and see if we could adopt him:

Barney, we very quickly realised, has a big discipline problem. He tends to ignore any form of training and just does his own thing. After almost two years of being ignored, we have now given up and just let Barney be Barney. He's got the most loving personality I've ever known in a dog and is best friends with out little bub. He's also got a bit of a man-crush on Caesar and we sometimes catch them grooming each other when no-one is looking. So cute! Unfortunately in January this year Barney was diagnosed with canine epilepsy which means he is on a miriad of tablets twice a day now for the rest of his life. Even though we have the epilepsy managed to a certain degree, he still has a cluster of seizures now and then throughout the month but this is just something that we all have to get used to living with. Other than the seizures, Barney can live a completely normal doggy life so long as we keep up his medication.

So there you have it. I apologise that this post ended up becoming a bit longer than I anticipated at first but as you can probably tell I am very passionate about our fur babies and just couldn't imagine our household being without any one of them. One day I will achieve the impossible and get them to all be in the one photo. I don't know how I will do it, but I'm determined to!

Does anyone else have favourite fur babies (or feathered) that are an integral part of their family??

October Beauty Box Has Arrived!

After the day I had at work yesterday it was nice to come home to a little present waiting for me in the form of the October Beauty Box.

Again it was a bright pink cardboard box and inside was another one of their signature black boxes with the pink bow with the description card telling you all about the products that were sent. Truthfully, I don't know how many of these black boxes I'm going to want hanging around the house soon. These boxes seem a little bit of a waste of packaging to me as they can only have so many uses, but the novelty of them is still nice.

Anyway, this is how the contents looked once I opened the box:

And then when taken out of the box:

This month I got the following:

* Biotherm Aquasource Moisturiser - Apparently this is an intense moisturiser for normal and combination skin. The only other Biotherm product I have used is the Softening Exfoliator for the body which I just love so it will be nice to try this moisturiser to see what another one of their products are like.

* John Frieda - Full Repair Full Body Shampoo & Conditioner - This claims to be a complete hair repair line with lightweight Inca Inchi oil that weightlessly repairs the look and feel of overworked hair. I'll be interested in trying this as I have very fine hair with no body at all so if this actually does what it claims I will hopefully notice.

* Shiseido Sheer Matifying Compact Foundation in Natural Fair Ivory - This is apparently a creamy-type foundation that provides optimal coverage and highly translucent sheen. It claims to help minimize the visibility of pores and subtly covers fine lines and imperfections. I was glad to get the Natural Fair Ivory in this product (not sure if there were different shades given to anyone else) as I am quite fair skinned and it is rare for me to get a foundation sample that I can actually use.

* Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days - This moisturiser claims to give intense hydration for 7 days. I'm not that excited about receiving these samples as I've been personally using this moisturiser for ages anyway so I might just keep these ones for use when we go away overnight or something as they are a good size to put in a toiletries bag.

* Calvin Klein Fragrance in CK One Shock for Her & Him - The description of this fragrance says it is edgy, sexy and impulsive. CK One Shock for Her is a sensual floriental fragrance and CK One Shock for Him is a bold oriental fragrance. I quite like the smell of the male one but am not too fussed on the female one yet. It may grow on me though.

So there you have it. I must admit I'm still not that impressed overall with the Beauty Box contents compared to the two Lust Have It boxes I've received so far. I think I might end up cancelling my subscription this month as I can see a point where I will start to experience a bit of 'Sample Overload' soon anyway if I continue with subscribing to both.

Beauty Box seem to have toned down their request for you to review the products this month too. I'm guessing the uproar that was caused last month with some members getting a bit offended at the thought that they 'had to' review was noted and they have changed their approach by saying it will 'help them better meet your individual needs' if you review.

Does anyone have any opinions on the products received with this month's box or did you maybe receive different products in yours??

A.S.A.P. Daily Facial Cleanser Review

I have been using this A.S.A.P. Daily Facial Cleanser for a little while now and I have found it a great product so far.

Here's what the product claims:

A rich, non-greasy formulation, gently and deeply cleanses the skin of makeup and grime without drying or irritating. Contains 12% Glycolic Complex buffered to pH5.5 to loosen and invisibly remove dead skin cells leaving your skin feeling refreshingly clean and smooth.

In a way this cleanser is kind of fun to use because it is super duper slippery to apply (I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but it kind of has the consistency of KY Jelly) and you really only need a very small amount because it seems to spread a very looooong way. I usually use an amount equivalent to 2 or 3 grains of rice (seriously!) and that is enough to cleanse my entire face and neck.

It foams really nice and rinses off without any yucky residue left on your skin which is something I love as I suffer from oily skin. My face always feels nice and clean after cleansing with this product rather than with some others that make me feel as if I need to clean my face again.

It's also non-drying which is great as I hate it when you cleanse your face and then feel like it's a race against time to get your moisturiser on before your skin cracks open which some other cleansers I've tried have felt like.

Overall it's a great everyday cleanser which thoroughly removes all traces of makeup and leaves the skin feeling clean and refreshed.

I've also just started to use the A.S.A.P. Daily Exfoliating Facial Scrub so once I have used it for long enough I will give you my opinion on that too.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

Michelle

My Favourite "Oh My God I'm So Late" Saviours

I'll admit it. I'm always late. BUT, I have a 'Get out of being late free' card as far as I'm concerned after having a new baby in March this year. No matter how organised I think I am, bub always has other ideas and yep, because of this, I'm always running late.

Because of this fact I have gotten into a bit of a makeup habit lately and have realised that there are a few basic products that I have been using practically every day because I know they are easy to apply, are good colours and get me out the door without making me even later than I usually already am.

These beauties are:

* A.S.A.P. Sheer Tint Moisturiser SPF15 - I have just realised that I left this out of the photo but if you want to see what it looks like I have reviewed it here. I am in love with this tinted moisturiser. It is so easy and quick to apply and it's just the best tinted colour I have come across as yet and gives a really nice even coverage.

* Australis Pressed Powder in Natural - Probably the best pressed powder I have ever tried and considering how cheap it was the best value too. It goes on so smooth and doesn't seem to crease in the fine lines of my face even after being on all day. I usually put this powder on top of the A.S.A.P. tinted moisturiser and that is usually enough to make my face look good to go.

* Clinique In-A-Rush Blush - I'm not sure if you can even still buy these but if you can I recommend getting one quick smart! This is the quickest and easiest and most convenient blush I have ever used. The blush is held in one end of the stick and the blush powder is pressed into the other end. You simply twist the end with the brush onto the powder to apply as little or as much colour as you want and then apply. So, so quick and easy.

* Bourjois Pump Up The Volume Mascara in Black - This is one of the best mascaras I have had in a while. It never goes clumpy or hard and makes my lashes look super duper long and thick. It's got a tilted brush so you can get right into the corners with ease. If I'm really in a rush a swipe of this on my top lashes is all I'll do to open up my eyes. Otherwise, two coats on the top and one on the bottom lashes will make my eyes really stand out.

* Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Super Shimmer in Lucky Penny - This is a great colour that looks pretty just on it's own because of the slight shimmer and it borders on being kind of a pinky brown. I usually just apply some of this all over the lid and am good to go. Being a neutral colour you don't have to be so cautious when applying it so when time is of the essence this is the eye shadow I always reach for.

* Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm - I love this lip balm and always apply it first before applying any other gloss or lipstick. It's got a nice cooling effect and when applied it makes my lips feel hydrated and smooth for hours.

* Maybeline Colour Sensational Creme Gloss in Sugared Honey - This is an awesome lip gloss and has become one of my staples. It's a really pretty shimmery pinky plum colour that just about matches everything. It also stays on really well and never makes my lips feel dry or sticky.

Well, that's it for my favourite quick and easy "Oh My God I'm So Late" fail safe products. With the help of these beauties I can usually have a pretty decent face on in under 5 minutes. With a small baby who's sometimes screaming the whole time I'm trying to get ready just for the sake of it, I've really become to appreciate items like this that can save me time and even my sanity!

Does anyone else have any other products that are their favourite time savers?

I am now my own boss......

Well it's official, I issued my first ever invoice under my new little business name yesterday and it felt so weird! I was extremely nervous filling it out and printing it off and handing it over. I was just waiting for the person I billed to look at it and laugh or criticise or something even though we'd already agreed on my fee beforehand!
I still have my normal job as an employee in an accounting firm two days a week and if this new business takes off I'll most likely let that go and just concentrate on working for myself and building up my little venture. I can't wait for all my hard work and effort to go to purely benefitting me instead of a rich boss. It's going to be so satisfying (as well as a little scary too!)
By the way, my new business for anyone interested is Beagle Bookkeeping Services and, as the name suggests, I'll be doing accounting and bookkeeping work, mainly on a pick-up and drop-off basis so I can do the work from home and not worry about child care for my little bub. It's going to be very weird being out of the pressure filled environment of professional accounting and auditing which is what I've done for the past 13 years but I think this little business will be a good venture to balance my work life with my new little family without the stress I get from my other job.
Who knows, once I finally manage to finish my CPA qualification I may decide to become a tax agent too which will mean a whole knew range of services I could offer. Baby steps though....... for now I am just getting enough satisfaction from looking at my first ever invoice and I can't wait to do some more!

I Just Love A Gift With Purchase!

Well I decided to browse through my local David Jones today in the hunt for a nice perfume for my mum for her birthday next week and I was very excited to see that it's Gift With Purchase time again for most of the cosmetic brands.
Poor hubby let out a huge moan once this discovery was made as he knew he was about to be dragged from counted to counter so I could compare every one and decide which gift took my fancy.
I ended up taking a liking to the Clinique one this time and thought that I nice bottle of their Aromatics Elixir would be a great gift for mum (and would therefore mean a great gift with purchase for me, hehehe).
This is what I got:

* Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser - 50ml
* Dramatically Different Mousturising Lotion - 30ml
* Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief - 15ml
* All About Eyes - 5ml
* Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Smoldering Plum
* High Impact Mascara in Black
* High Impact Lip Colour SPF 15 in Peach Pop
* Turnaround Body Smoothing Cream - 50ml
* Silver cosmetics bag

I've always wanted to try the Dramatically Different Moisturiser as I've heard many good things about it and I previously purchased one of their lip colours a while ago that I fell in love with so was very excited to get another one in this gift. This lip colour is a nice sheer peachy red which isn't too bright to wear on a daily basis - see below:

The blush is a nice sheer plum colour which is a bit different to the pink blush colours I normally go for so I'm interested to start experimenting with it and see what other colours look best while wearing it:

I must say that I really wish cosmetics companies would stop giving a cosmetics bag away every time they have a gift with purchase. I seriously have so many of them and they are always that bit too big to be practical for putting in your handbag to keep makeup in for touch ups during the day. It would be nicer if they gave away another small product or a scarf, or just something different. Seriously, how many cosmetics bags do they thing people need??

Anyway, that my little splurge for today. And the best thing is that both me and my mum come out of it a winner. Yay! (But we don't need to tell her that :-))