July 2016 Favourites

So, I'm a few days late with getting my July favourites out but I had a few items this month that I really enjoyed using and just had to share (lets just forget that I haven't done a favourites post in around a year or so shall we!)

So this month I had a little mix of things that I kept going back to again and again. These were:

1) Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - It took me a really long time to get on the Micellar water bandwagon as I was convinced that it was a lot of hype over nothing. But, since I decided to take the plunge and buy some of this at Priceline a few weeks ago I can now see why it is so popular. This product takes off any makeup product it's put up against and does it with very minimal effort. It's non-irritating, even when used for stubborn eye makeup and has no annoying scent or oily residue. My skin feels refreshed and totally clean after use so I will definitely be repurchasing this when it runs out.

2) L'Oreal Infallible Makeup in Creamy Natural - This would have to be hands down my most favourite foundation of all time. I have had this bottle for what seems like forever and I put it aside now and then to use other newer foundations I buy, but then I always go back to it and wonder why I change. It goes on flawlessly using a brush or a beauty blender and stays put all day long. It doesn't sink into my fine lines and gives me great medium to full coverage without looking like I'm wearing a huge amount of makeup. I just love it!

3) Australis AC on Tour Contouring and Highlighting Kit - I was going to do a full review on this product but decided not to as I think it has been reviewed to death. This palette never leaves my makeup table and is my most reached for item at the moment. All of the highlighting powders are the perfect shade for my pale skin and the middle contouring shade is just great. These powders are so easy to blend out and seem to last for the whole work day. They also make good eyeshadows on those days when I'm in a rush and want a quick, neutral look. For the price this has to be one of the most economical palettes out there.

(Australis AC on Tour Contouring and Highlighting Kit)

4) Elizabeth Arden Lipstick in Rose Petal - I have been living in this lipstick this past month as it is the perfect everyday winter shade for me. It is a gorgeous medium, rose-pink shade that is so creamy to apply and it lasts for hours, even through eating and drinking. This formula doesn't sink into lip lines at all and it keeps my lips feeling moisturised and soft all day. I have always been a huge fan of Elizabeth Arden lipsticks and have a few of them in my collection. I don't think they get anywhere near enough attention in the beauty world.

(Elizabeth Arden lipstick in Rose Petal)

5) Sukin Purely Ageless Intensive Firming Serum - I received this is the last Priceline beauty bag and am going to be running back to my nearest store to get more as soon as it is finished. This serum feels just gorgeous on my skin and makes it seem so soft and supple when applied. I absolutely adore the smell as well which is kind of sweet but floral at the same time (I suck at describing scents!) It's not sticky at all and absorbs into my skin straight away so it doesn't feel too heavy when I apply my day or night cream afterwards. I will definitely be repurchasing this.

6) Rimmel Magnif'eyes Eye Shadow Stick and Liner in Back to Blacks and Queens of the Bronzed Age ** - These shadow/liner sticks have been on my eyes almost every day for the past month. They make a subtle daytime smoky eye possible in literally under 2 minutes. My favourite way to apply these is to do a thick swipe of the black shadow along my upper lash line followed by another thick swipe of the bronze shadow on top of the first line. I then quickly grab my eyeshadow brush and then blend, blend, blend upwards until my whole eyelid is covered and I have an unbelievably fast and long-wearing smoky eye. I then like to use the golden liner end to line my lower lashes and highlight the inner corner of my eye. The trick to these is to blend them very quickly as they set fairly fast and then don't budge for the entire day, even on my badly hooded eyes. They are amazing!  

(Rimmel Magnif'eyes Eye Shadow/Liner sticks in Queens of the Bronzed Age and Back to Blacks)

So that's it for my favourites this past month!


Have a great week!

Michelle xx

** Product received for consideration but my thoughts are purely my own.

Disappointment of the Month - Revlon PhotoReady Sculpting Blush Palette in Pink Rose

Well it's been quite a while since I have been disappointed enough in a product to write a post about it but I felt like I really needed to give my thoughts on this one.

I purchased this palette in the last Priceline sale as I own a lot of Revlon products and have never really hit on anything bad from them before, until now!

This palette looked great in-store. It contains a contour shade, a blush and a highlighter as well as a mini application brush and a built-in mirror in the lid.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you will know how much I love my all-in-one palettes so it is very hard for me to resist buying ones that catch my eye. Unfortunately I just can't find much that is positive to say about this one no matter how much I try.

The shades are all so very chalky and sheer and barely show up at all on my fair skin tone. They also contain a huge amount of shimmer so rather than seeing any colour on your skin you just see three different amounts of shimmer wherever it has been applied.

Also, one thing I really dislike is the fact that the powders seem to all get a bit of a hard seal on the top that makes it even harder to get any colour payoff unless you drag your brush over the top of them multiple times. 

I tried so hard to get a good photo of this product and it just wasn't happening. I had to swatch each shade no less than around 10 times just to get enough colour to show up in the below photos.

(Left to right - Contour shade, Blush shade, Highlighter shade - no flash)

(Left to right - Contour shade, Blush shade, Highlighter shade - with flash)

As I don't own any other products from this range, I'm guessing that Revlon's definition of PhotoReady means having no colour on your face whatsoever but lots and lots of shimmer!

Such a shame.....

Have you had any products disappoint you this month? I'd love to hear of any!

Have a great day.

Michelle xx

December Addiction - Mirenesse Crystal Colour Drops Hydrating Mineral Powders

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have great plans to bring in the New Year. Sorry I have been absent a bit lately but hubby has had the week off so we've had some much needed family time which meant blogging had to take a back seat unfortunately. He also rebuilt my laptop during the week (the benefit of living with a Network Engineer) to try and make it run better for me so hopefully I'll have no more issues for a while.

Anyway, today I just had to talk about a product that I have been using non-stop over the past month which is my Mirenesse Crystal Colour Drops Hydrating Mineral Powders.

This is a great multi-use palette which contains a contouring shade, a highlight shade and two blush shades.

It's a huge competitor to my beloved Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Contour Palette which I was obsessed with for a little while, but this one just manages to stay in front by having the extra blush shade.

These powders are lovely and soft and blend perfectly. They are extremely pigmented which means a light hand is needed, especially for the rosy shade and the contouring shade. I am in love with the peachy shade as it is the perfect shade of blush for my pale skintone when I'm after a natural look.

These also make great eyeshadows if you're in a hurry as they don't crease or disappear but last the entire day on the face.

I love multi use palettes like this because they just make life so much easier and are great for travelling.

This palette usually retails for $59.95 but Mirenesse is having a 35% off sale at the moment so you could score it for around $39 if you're quick.

Has anyone else tried this great product yet?

Michelle xx

Latest Love - Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Contour Palette

If there was one beauty product I was told I had to use for the rest of my life and never have any other substitute, I'd be over the moon if it was this one. This palette has probably been reviewed within an inch of its life but I felt like I just had to share my experience with it since I purchased it as a birthday present for myself in July this year.

I've seriously fallen deeply in love with this palette and have been wearing it practically every day lately.

The palette is made up of three beautiful shades that match my fair skin tone perfectly.

On the top is a highlighting shade that is so pretty and pearlescent which highlights with just the right amount of glow without making you feel like a disco ball.

The blush shade in the centre is like it was made for my fair skin. I literally feel as if I am glowing and my face always looks so awake when I use this blush. It's the perfect pink that goes with practically any look.

The bottom contour shade terrified me at first because I've never really been able to perfect contouring without looking like I have dirty brown streaks on my face, but this shade is so easy to blend and gives me some of the best cheekbones I have ever had without looking unnatural.


These powders are all very fine and silky and a little goes an extremely long way. They are highly pigmented so are great for fair skin tones when only a small amount is used and would also be fine for darker skin tones if you applied a little more powder to your brush to get a darker colour. They also blend like an absolute dream.

If you are after a great multi-purpose product I highly recommend picking this one up. It has also become a favourite product for me to take away as I know I have three products in one small package which leaves more room for other goodies to be packed instead!

Has anyone else tried this palette as well? Do you love it as much as I do?

Michelle xx