Turning Japanese, I really think so.

My beautiful friends Pennie and Mark recently returned from an epic little trip to Japan. Along with some incredible stories and wicked photos (all of which make me want to travel there so badly!), Pennie arrived home with some gorgeous gifts for me. Before they left I may have put in a cheeky request for some false eyelashes (I've heard great things about Japanese falsies), but my dear friend went above and beyond, bringing me back a couple of other little treats as well. I realise some of these can be found here in Melbourne, but I think it's novel and marvellous to be given something that's been handpicked from a quirky shop in Harajuku.

So, if you'd like to have a little sticky beak - scroll on baby!

Fluttery lashes, hair candy and Disney?! Oh yes.

A Lolita-esque hair clip.

This is completely my taste. Girly, and just a little bit vintage. Unfortunately, the alligator clip on the back broke during transit. Nothing a hot glue gun can't fix though. Perhaps one of my favourite things about this gift, is the slogan written on the top left hand corner of the backing card. "We will make you dressed up easily happily always". Japanese to English translations make me giggle!

Candy Collection False Eyelashes.

These falsies are such a brilliant purple. I have a feather necklace exactlly the same colour as this, which I think would match perfectly. For fear of looking like a drag queen (the bad kind) I'm nearly certain that I'll be trimming these before I wear them. I'm really excited to try these though. I think they'll be a bit of a lark to wear.

Annie False Eyelashes in Type 100 Lovely.

Lash Extreme Closeup!

How beautiful are these lashes? I may have squealed a bit when I saw these actually! I absolutely adore lashes that have a bit of a separated, spiky look to them (think Ardell Demi Pixies). So these immediately won me over for that reason. What visually sets these apart from the Demi Pixies though, is the extra lashes in the outer corner. This seems to soften the overall look and even adds a bit of a cat-eye effect. Better still, the pack contains TWO sets, as well as a tube of eyelash glue. Win win! I'll have to let you know how I go with these, but I can tell you from the get-go, I have high expectations.

The Little Mermaid phone charms from Disney Sea.

The Little Mermaid has always been my favourite Disney movie, so this last gift really made me smile. First things first, I love that this includes Sebastion, who is undoubdetly my favourite Disney character to quote. I also kind of dig that Ariel and Eric are wearing the outfits from the 'Kiss The Girl' scene (my favourite song from the film). While I don't use phone charms on my mobile (does anyone even do that anymore?) I keep a small collection of charms attatched to the wire on my guinea pigs' indoor cage. So these will be a lovely addition.

Bai Bai!

Op-Shop Treasures

Over the last couple of months I've had zero luck finding anything that I like (or that fits me) at my local op-shops. Heartbreaking - I know. Then the other day, after aimlessly wandering into a Salvos near my work, I miraculously ended up strolling out with a couple of cute finds. Success! The day after, just to see if I could continue to ride the op-shopping wave of lucky finds, I decided to have a browse around the newly renovated Salvos on Chapel St. More success! After two days and two shops I managed to come away with five new pieces for my wardrobe. Not bad for having only parted with 37 of my hard earned dollars. I didn't even have to suffer my usual 'spending money on myself when I'm supposed to be saving' guilt!

So first of all, here's a couple of photos of the wonderful Salvos on Chapel St. While a little pricey for an op-shop (as most Salvos are), it really is a lovely place to shop. It's huge, well stocked, well organised, and presented more like boutique than your usual run-of-the-mill charity shop. I'm definitely planning on making regular trips to this one.

Chapel St Salvos. How sweet is the little mirror?

More of Chapel St Salvos. See how lovely it's laid out?

And now onto the good stuff - the purchases! First up is this cute grey cardigan. The brand is Ladakh (which after a little research, I discovered is an Australian brand). I really love the bow detailing on this one. I think it makes an otherwise fairly plain article of clothing - something special. As you can see, one of the bows is coming undone on the left-hand pocket. Nothing a little DIY stitching can't fix though. I bought this for $8.

Next up is this super stretchy, super comfy racerback tank top. I was immediately drawn to the dusty bright colouring and Aztec print on this one. I think this will definitely be a staple for me in summer. Especially for festivals and concerts. It's so light and flowy and fun. This one set me back a measly $5.

This next piece is definitely my favourite. It's a high-waisted, cotton, Beetlejuice-esque number with a zipper running along the front. The waist is elasticised, so the zipper's just for show. Even though it's a little short, I really like how this one sits on me. The skirt has really cute kick-out to it. It makes me feel like a cartoon character! I can't wait to pair it with some bright stockings. I picked this one up for the slightly steeper price of $14.

Last but not least, I picked up a few basic cardi's. A girl can never have too many, in my opinion! Especially in winter. Plus they were only $5 each. How could I say no?!

While we're on the topic of low low prices, I swung by Dangerfield and took advantage of their 50% accessories sale. After spending perhaps a little too long roaming the store, I decided on two pairs of Onassis sunglasses. I actually don't own any over sized shades, so I thought these would be nice mix things up a little. Plus they were down from $24 to $6 a pair. Crazy! I was pretty smitten with the floral print (pictured below), but also liked the idea of picking up the classic, black, 'goes with anything' pair. So I did! You can't argue with a bargain.

Epic Hauling!

Hi chickpeas! Hope you're all hunky dorey. I thought I'd excitedly share with you the new bits and pieces I have made a home for over the past month or so. It seems like a lot all clumped together, but it's been a bit of a gradual haul. Because I've had some of these things for a little while now, I can actually review some of them as well as simply showing you. It's a helpful haul! Apologies in advance for the fact that this is a super duper photo-heavy post.

Ecoya Reed Diffuser in French Pear

I absolutely love this diffuser. I can't tell you how much. The scent is fresh and sweet, but not too overpowering. That being said, you can really smell it when you first step foot inside our apartment. Which is essentially what I was after when I bought this. I've even had friends comment on how lovely our house smells. To be honest, I've always been a scented candle girl. But I thought I'd give a diffuser a go because, unlike candles, the scent is released 24/7. Which is perfect for someone with (sometimes smelly) pets, like myself. Ecoya is a Melbourne brand too. So I'm all for that. It should be said that these aren't too cheap, at a whopping AUD $59.95. Luckily for me though, I managed to pick up this little baby on sale for AUD $40 from Urban Home Republic. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one full price though. The scent is amazing and they're supposed to last up to 6 months. Totally worth the money in my opinion.



Dove Earings from Lovisa

How sweet are these?! I couldn't resist picking up these little plastic dove studs from Lovisa at Chaddy. They came in an assorted pack of 3 with a pair of little gold hearts and a pair of plain cream faux pearls. Never one to miss a sale, I made the most of Lovisa's 'buy two get one free' deal and also bought some other studs too. But these are my favourite. They remind me of Paloma Faith's dove logo actually.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Edgy Emerald

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze

What would an Aussie girl's July haul post be without these little numbers?! Between the rave reviews by international beauty bloggers, the comparisons to MAC Paint Pots (which I love) and the fairly reasonable price tag of AUD $10, I couldn't help but find two of these in my shopping bag. I feel like Bad To The Bronze is a little too muddy to wear on it's own. Sadly, I think I'm too pale for it. It does, however, work quite nicely as a base for a natural eye look. I'm completely smitten with Edgy Emerald though. It seems to work on me as both a shadow, and a base. I wore it the other day with a frosty white eye shadow layered over the top, and it transformed it into a beautiful mint colour. Also, the resistance to creasing with these throughout the day is great. I would even go so far as to say that they're better than the MAC Paint Pots in that respect.

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

I picked up this setting powder from strawberrynet.com for AUD $43.50 ($20 or so cheaper than buying it retail in Aus). I'd heard so many great things about it, so I was interested to give it a go. Even though my skin's dry to normal - I always powder my face. I like the slightly mattifying effect it creates, and I feel like it's necessary to keep my eyebrow makeup in check. So spending a decent amount of money on a high-end powder, doesn't really phase me. After giving it a burl, I have to say, I really like it. It's lovely and fine, and doesn't look cakey in the slightest. Plus it gives quite a nice glow to the face, if that makes sense. I'm interested to see how it photographs.

Rimmel Lipstick in Birthday Suit & Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie

The Loveheart is Raspberry Pie & the Swirls are Birthday Suit

The Rimmel lippy is from the Lasting Finish collection, and is delightful peachy brown colour. I'm not entirely sure I can pull it off, but I was immediately drawn to it because it reminded me of a darker version of Rimmel's Airy Fairy. I'm a little infatuated with the latter shade, but sadly, I think it's been discontinued here in Aus. So this was my best Rimmel alternative. Also, I finally picked up a Lip Butter! The photo above does a really good job of describing how I feel about it too! Raspberry Pie is definitely one of, if not the only shade from the collection, that I felt I had to have. It's an amazingly vibrant pink/red with medium opacity and a lovely glossy finish. I wont go on about it too much, as I'm sure you're probably sick of hearing about the Lip Butters by now. But yes. I'm a fan of this one. Here 'tis in action. Forgive the somewhat cruddy iPhone quality.   

My Oh My...Raspberry Pie!

Pretty self-explanatory really...

I know this one's a bit of a boring one, but I needed a more moisturising/hydrating body wash now that winter's making my skin unhappy. Even though the smell of Lush's Dirty soap is AMAZING, it was drying out my skin like crazy (I definitely think it's a summer soap). So I decided to go with the trusty Palmers. I can usually rely on Palmers.

Maxfactor Nail Polish in Diva Coral

I saw a similar milky coral shade like this on a customer's nails at work the other day and fell in love with it. So when I saw this for around AUD $6 at Target the other week, I snapped it up in a heartbeat. I haven't tried it yet, but I have high hopes for this one. I suppose you can't really go wrong when you have Sally Hansen's Inst-Dri at your disposal! That top coat makes even the most mediocre polishes lovely.

Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask by Lush

This was actually a repurchase, because I loved this mask so much. I trotted into Lush intending to give another fresh face mask a try, but ended up coming away with this one again. Oops! Well, what can I say? It's great. Sure, it may make me look as though I've just stepped out of a swamp - but it works wonders for my skin. It cleanses, softens, refreshes and even exfoliates (when massaged into the skin before rinsing). As it's recommended for normal to oily skin, I find that I need to apply a moisturiser afterwards. But that's no big deal. I do that after applying a facial mask of any kind. Also, the strong, nutty smell may not be for everyone. Although I quite like it. Like all of Lush's fresh face masks, this was AUD $15.95. Not too bad for a product that will give you roughly four uses.

Lush Buffy Bar & Skin Drink Facial Moisturiser

Still on the topic of Lush, I picked up the exfoliating Buffy body butter for AUD $15.95. It was actually a bit of a last minute purchase (when I was buying the Love Lettuce). I'll probably do a proper review on this one, so I wont say too much about it other than I'm very happy my frivolous spending payed off this time around! The sample of the moisturiser on the right was thrown in by one of Lush's lovely staff. Why are they so damn nice in there?! He recommended it to me when I mentioned that my skin was suffering from the dreaded winter dryness. After giving the Skin Drink a try, I can definitely see where it gets the name. My skin soaks this stuff up like a thirsty sponge! That being said, I wouldn't use this in the day. It's probably a bit too oily for wearing under makeup (plus I like the idea of having SPF in my daytime moisturiser). I can see myself picking this up next time I'm in Lush though. It seems like a really good option for winter.

Almay Clear Complexion Concealer

I bought this concealer purely for shaping my eyebrows. It's a medium to full coverage concealer with a doefoot applicator. I love my Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer for my under-eye circles, but it just wasn't enough coverage for the redness I have across my brows. As it's supposed to aid spots by removing the oil from them, I find that this is a little too drying for me. I'll use it up, but I'll probably try something else after this one. Any suggestions?   

Mary Kay Travel Roll-Up Bag

The compartments are as large as the space between my thumb and my forefinger

Roll up! Roll up!

This was something I'd had my eye on ever since I saw it in Nikki Phillipi's YouTube video on what she packs for travel (I'm a sucker for those sorts of videos). I've seen different variations of these hanging, roll-up, travel bags before, but nothing compares to this one. First of all, it can hold a lot. A definite plus for someone who struggles when it comes to cutting back on toiletries for travel! Secondly, it's an organisational lover's dream. It's got four separate zip-up, clear, plastic pockets which are attached with Velcro and can be removed if need be. I think this is such a great idea because you can simply detach a pocket of say, shower essentials, and take it with you to the the bathroom, rather than having to juggle all the items you need. Perfect for staying in hotels or hostels where the bathroom's outside of the room. The fact that it hangs is also a huge plus for me. And when you need to carry the whole thing around with you, it rolls up and holds it's rectangular shape with some strong Velcro, and has a little handle on the top. Also, let's not forget the fact that it's preeeettttyyyy! Pink satin? I'm on board! I'm sure I'll probably do a little post about how I use this when I pack for my trip later this year. So stay tuned!! For anyone interested in picking this up, I got it from Ebay for AUD $31, including postage and handling, from rapid_deals7711.

Bellabox Just Made My Day

There are few things that can brighten my day after an extremely busy, stressful work shift. One of these things is an exceptionally wonderful loot from the lovely girls at Bellabox. I arrived home to these little gems today, and I was suitably impressed. Wouldn't you be?!

Hopefully you can appreciate that I'm managing to hold all of these in one hand whilst holding the camera with my other hand! Such skill ;)

The June box contains:

• Nak Diamond Hair Polish: A smoothing creme that can be used on dry hair as a heat protectant and very light-hold styling product.
• Pure Fuji Body Butter: A frangipani scented body butter containing milk proteins and nut extracts.
• Facial Fresh Cloth Facial Treatment Mask: A cloth mask recommended for weekly use. Claims to replenish and protect dehydrated, tight or dry skin.
• Benefit Professional Pro Balm: A translucent, oil-free primer.
• Kiss Dress Nails: Press-on nail art. This particular one is zebra print with rhinestones.
• Fan Di Fendi Fragrance: A small sample of the new Fendi perfume, containing notes of pear, tangerine, blackcurrant, tangerine, leather and patchouli.
• Olea Olive Leaf Drops: 4 cold-fighting lozenges with olive leaf extract and Manuka honey. 

I feel like this box has a really nice mix of products. Excitingly, I haven't tried anything in it before -which is why I love these beauty subscription boxes so much. They give you the opportunity to try and test new or little-known products without committing to forking over the doe for the full size version.

I'm looking forward to trying out the Kiss Dress Nails. I've been eyeing off the Sally Hansen range of nail press-ons for a while now; and this looks very similar. Not sure how I feel about wearing rhinestones on all my fingers, but I think it could look really wild on an accent nail or two. The Nak hair creme certainly wont go astray either. I go through hair products as quickly as milk! Plus I really loved the Nak Hair Oil in April's Bellabox, so I have high hopes for this one.

If I hadn't recently bought an Inglot primer (which I love) I would have definitely been more thrilled by the cute little Benefit one. The packaging alone is enough to win me over! Frothy, retro, super-girly packaging gets me every time! I think I may save this 7.5ml tube for travelling though. What a terrible reviewer I am! So much of my sample-sized stuff has ended up in a makeup case under my bathroom sink - awaiting that faithful day in October when it boards a plane. Hopefully a couple of products from this month's box can make it into my June Favourites though!

If you're interested in giving them a burl, here's the site for Bellabox. After sampling three lovely boxes, they've definitely got my tick of approval. Plus they're based in Melbourne, which means very prompt postage for my fellow Melbournians!

xx.

My Chaddy Haul!

I spent the day yesterday shopping up a storm at Chaddy with my Mum.  I had some vouchers and money I'd accumulated over Christmas and my birthday so I wanted to pick up some bits and pieces I had been eyeing off (and also a few exciting random purchases). I often try to avoid this particular shopping centre because it's colossal and houses so many brilliant cosmetics, skincare and fashion stores. For this reason it tends to wreak havoc on my purse! But gift money justifies a visit right? Anyway, on the off chance you might be interested I thought I'd share with you what I carted home with me.

Beauty by Vitalcare Mirror. $33 from Priceline.

For ages I've been doing my makeup in a poorly lit lounge room using a small mirror tentatively placed on an upturned tissue box. Not exactly an ideal setup. This solves everything. Good lighting AND a stand! Another bonus is that it's battery operated. So it's perfect for moving it to wherever you need it to go.

Beyonce Pulse Eau De Parfum 50ml. $49 from Perfume Connection.

I'd been lusting after this perfume since December but couldn't justify buying it for myself. When I saw it on sale I simply couldn't resist! Especially considering my perfume collection currently consists of three perfumes I no longer wear, one bottle I do and one roller ball bottle of Couture Couture by Juicy Couture. For anyone who hasn't smelt this it's fruity and floral. Like a gummy bear sitting on an orchid. Now there's a mental picture for you!

Revlon Nutricolor Creme in 600 Fire Red. $25 from Lattouf International.

I'd heard a lot of good things about this colour depositing treatment by Revlon. Beauty blogger All Dolled Up had mentioned it in a video saying that it does wonders for maintaining coloured hair. So I thought I'd give it a go. One tube is 100ml and they also have 250ml pump bottles, but they're fazing them out I believe. It replaces a conditioner and is said to last you four washes. This doesn't sound like much considering the price; however I only wash my hair once a week, so this will last me the month. 

Dragon's Egg Bath Ballistic. $6 from Lush.

I thought I'd treat myself to this little baby after the wonderment that was Lush's green bubbleroon. This is from Lush's standard bath bomb range. It smells fresh and zesty like lemon sherbet. Yummo! Plus apparently it has gold glitter in the middle!

Chi Chi Viva La Diva Lipsticks in Centrefold (left) and Drop Dead Gorgeous (right). $19 each from Myer. $28.50 for two with Myer's current offer of buy one Chi Chi product, get the second half price.

I've been head-over-heels for Chi Chi lipsticks of late. They're pretty comparable to Mac in terms of quality but a little bit cheaper. They're also a product of Australia which is hunky dorey. 

Centrefold

 I'd been on a mission to find this one since I'd swatched it in Target and Gloss, but it had been out of stock in both! As you can see, it's a nude. I never thought I'd see the day that I would purchase a nude lippie, but I was quite fond of this one. I think it'd be perfect for a bit of a 60's look when I want to go heavy on the eye makeup. Also, rather than being a straight matte finish, this one is a creamy matte. So it's a lot more comfortable to wear.

Drop Dead Gorgeous

I actually owned this one way back in the day when Chi Chi were packaging their lipsticks in cardboard tubes (what a terrible idea!). I absolutely loved the shade but had to throw it out because the tube was getting too manky for words. So when I discovered that Chi Chi were still making this shade I had to pick it up. I find this shade really warms my face up and does wonders for accentuating rose coloured blush. It's a matte finish though so it can be a little drying. Nothing a lip balm can't fix though. Ahhh. I love it.

Trina & Co Cosmetics Bag. $11 on sale at Target.

I needed a new bag to house my ever-growing collection of makeup. Plus using a pencil case for my brushes just wasn't cutting it! Then I stumbled across this little gem. It feels like a bit of a nod to Tiffany & Co which certainly wins points for me. The lining is navy and white polka dots and as you can see it has two sections. So I can now use one side for my brushes and the other side for my makeup. Success!

Travalo Excel Atomiser. $18 from Perfume Connection.

I can't exactly remember which blogger introduced me to this nifty product (I think it was A Sprinkle of Glitter), but I saw this at the counter of Perfume Connection and immediately snapped it up. If you haven't seen or heard about the Travalo before, it's basically a little handbag-friendly-sized perfume carrier. You just have to take the cap off one of your full sized perfumes, place the tube thingy in the end of the Travalo and keep pressing down until you can see that it's full. The see-through indicator on the side makes it easy. What a great idea! It's also small enough that you can chuck it in your carry-on luggage when travelling. They're available in lots of different colours too so that you can differentiate your fragrances. Or you can just marvel at how pretty they all are!

Over and out buddies!