Empties #1! Will I Repurchase?!

Hello friends! A new type of post for me, I've always enjoyed reading and watching other people's versions of these so I thought it would be a good to share my empty products and whether or not I will repurchase them!

1. Michael Todd - Citrus Cream Moisturizer - $29
I've had this for so long and had never finished it off until recently. I really enjoy Michael Todd as a brand and it was one of the first skincare brands I used when I went vegan! This was a good moisturizer, I used it along with the other set of products aimed at dry skin - I wouldn't rush out to buy another one as I've found ones I like a lot more but it's still nice!

2. Derma E - Evenly Radiant Toner - $15-$16
I loved this toner! It removed any left over make up after cleansing and cleaned my skin. It wasn't too harsh and didn't sting or irritate either. I definitely noticed a different when I would use it or not and it helped even out my skin tone. I think they've changed this product to a brightening one because I can't find it anywhere online now - hopefully it's the same because I am going to repurchase!

3. Josie Maran - Pure Argan Milk Intensive Hydrating Treatment - $56

This is suppose to really hydrate and renew even the driest skin, let's just pause and appreciate the packaging for a moment! Ahhh! I did like the product itself however I didn't love it and I didn't find it to have overwhelming results so I won't be repurchasing this because of the price tag!

4. CoverFx - Custom Cover Drops n10 - $44 or $49
I already have a back up of this! It's my favourite foundation at the moment, I use 2-3 drops and then mix in a drop of oil (recently a facial treatment oil from Sukin!) and it makes my skin super glowy and hydrated! I find adding the oil also helps it look a little lighter!

5. Delicious Skin - Clean Butter Cleanser - $28
I think everyone and their mother has heard me rave about products from Delicious Skin especially the cleanser, I use it every single day no matter what. I even have a second one that I leave at my boyfriend's house! I love how my skin feels and looks after I use this and I have already repurchased!

6. Too Faced - Better Than Sex Mascara $29 au
My holy grail mascara! (along with the Lily Lolo Natural Mascara) this makes my eyelashes so long, full and volumized. You can apply one coat or build it up to be more intensified! I don't have a bad word to say about this mascara and I, of course, have a back up too!

And that's it!

I hope you enjoyed reading these small little reviews on products and whether or not I would buy them again. I'll try to keep saving empty products to make #2!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Product Review: Sukin Micellar Cleansing Water!

Hello friends! A quick review today on the Sukin Micellar Cleansing Water, this is around $10 and can be found in your local priceline or other chemists - so super easy to find and affordable!

Same as your typical cleansing water, it's to help remove any make up and soothe your skin. I was super excited when this came out especially for days when I wear barely any make up and it's easily removed or even for days where I wear a full face as it can remove the initial make up before I go in with my cleanser from Delicious Skin! This is also great for mornings where I just want to quickly clean my face, I just apply a small amount on a cotton pad and I'm good to go!

It's very gentle on the skin, smells like most of the Sukin range (aka amazing!), it doesn't feel during or if my skin is stripped after using it and it's really great at removing make up. I've used it on eye make up and it hasn't stung my eyes either!  I don't recommend only using this if you've been wearing quite a bit of make up, even though it removes the majority of mine I feel I need a proper cleanser afterwards or before!

I definitely think this is worth checking out and trying out for yourself, especially with the price point and the size of the bottle, it'll last for ages. I doubt you'll be disappointed!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Restaurant Review: Suzy Spoons Vegetarian Butcher!

Hello friends! While my best friend was here from Melbourne, we decided to have a nice breakfast at Suzy Spoons - this isn't the first time I've eaten here nor the last! Suzy spoons is a vegetarian deli cafe that hand makes their own burger patties, sausages, schnitzels and other meat-less products that they sell to take home or to eat in store! They have a growing menu especially since moving to the store King Street from Enmore and it's great to see a business like this continue to expand! 

They offer an All Day breakfast as well as foods such as burgers, veggie ball subs, spaghetti bolognese or salads/sandwiches and treats that change daily. 

I had the home made waffles ($15.00) with poached fruit, maple syrup and ice cream (I've also had the other style with Spoon's "bacon", banana & ice cream which was delicious!) - let me start off the only negative I have of this which is entirely my fault and it's that I hate pear, haha. However that didn't stop me from eating around it and finishing off all of the waffles (so GOOD!) and the ice cream too which was a nice strawberry flavour.

Stevie got the Mushroom Breakfast ($17.00) with added hash browns and sausage on the side and it looked amazing! Everything looked fresh, smelt great and she said it was one of the best vegan breakfasts she's had. Suzy's sausages are so tasty!  The only thing we both don't rate are the hash browns (I paid for 2 extra with mine which is $8) and they are way too thick, more like a squished roast potato so that was the only let down!

 

I also couldn't help myself and ordered a Chilli Dog ($12) (my favourite from their menu) which comes with the Smoked Chilli sausage, sauteed onions (one of the best parts, the onions are freaking so amazing) baby spinach, notzarella cheese and a mix of their own mayo, dijon mustard and hot chilli sauce which is the best combo ever even if it ends up a mess all over my face. Hands down perfect!

And that's it!

Suzy Spoons is definitely one of my favourite places to eat in Sydney and they offer such a variety of different vegan foods that are unlike anything else around. I recommend checking them out if you're ever in Sydney/Newtown as they will not disappoint! You can check out their website or facebook!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Unboxing: Late Winter Vegan Beauty Box

Hello friends! I'm here with one of my new favourite things to recieve every month (technically every second month!) and it's the Vegan Box Beauty Edition! I actually got this in the mail on my birthday (August 6th) so it was even more exciting and explains the balloons in the background! This is the 3rd box I've purchased from them (you can read the other two unboxings here and here) and this might just be the best one so far.

Let's go through what's in this months box!

 Here's a product I already know I love! The Hurraw Lip Balm, ($6.50) I actually own this flavour/scent already so it's super nice to have a back up to take around with me!

Wild Healing Raw Bath Soak ($3.50) - This looks super intriguing! It says to add 2-3 spoonfuls into a hot bath and the combination of mineral salts and botanicals will help relax and detoxify your body. I'm so ready to test this out! It's such a large packet too!

 Yard Body Therapy Body Balm ($29.95) - First off, this smells amazing (I swear the whole box does!) and I cannot wait to try it. It's a lot harder than a typical all over body lotion/balm which I'm excited for because I don't like any sticky residue, a little will go a long way and it's suppose to nourish and hydrate the skin!

 

 

Sorbet In Your Face Solid Face Cleanser ($25.00) - This smells amazing as well but maybe a little too scented for the face, I haven't tested it out yet so hopefully it won't be overpowering. This has coconut oil, mandarin, sweet orange, cocoa butter, fresh raspberries and lots of sea salt to help cleanse any problem area skin. 

 Tula Natural Organic Kiwi & Argan Eye Serum ($18.00) - The all over face serum from this brand was in last months box so it's nice to have the eye serum too! A nice product to apply around the eye area is something I'm lacking in my skin care routine so I'm definitely keen to try this one out!

 Angelic Lily Nourishing Face Moisturizer ($6.00) - This is suppose to be super hydrating and non-greasy! I have never tried anything from this brand so it'll be nice to try out. The only thing I already dislike is that it smells like sunscreen.

 Lastly, the Inika Pure Primer which is full sized and $60.00! I couldn't believe it when I opened the box, this product alone was more expensive than the box itself. Definitely worth it, I haven't tried much from Inika!

And that's it!

There was so much this month and I definitely think I got my moneys worth, a good range of different products especially if you have received other boxes, you could have an entire skincare routine now as they have provided all different types of skincare products which is awesome. The Vegan Beauty Box is $49.95 and like I said, comes every two months filled with vegan, cruelty free, chemical free and palm-oil free products. It's always valued over $60 and with sample, travel sized or full sized products!

If you want to sign up for the next Beauty Box - you can check it out here! I'll be buying mine too! 

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Restaurant Review: Sadhana Kitchen!

After eying off Sadhana and their delicious looking food online, I finally got to try it for myself over the weekend! Sadhana is a vegan, gluten free and mostly raw cafe in Enmore, they make everything in-house and there's a big range to choose from, from breakfast foods, to lunch, desserts and cakes and also delicious juices!

As I'm a sucker for sweets, I decided on the Not-Ella crepes ($18.50) and I mean it when I say it was even better than it looks. It came with banana, berry compote, coconut yoghurt and on top was the not-ella spread and berry creme - it was also covered in chocolate fudge sauce! The crepes were nice and the right amount of chewy (I had read online that they were too hard to eat which was far from the truth!), all the fruit was fresh and the flavours all complimented each other so nicely. The only downfall of this was the Not-Ella spread as it was only the tiniest amount on top - I wanted more!

Andrew had the Lasagne (16.50) which was made with zucchini pasta, cashew cheese, basil pesto, walnut mince, spinach and tomato - this was a big meal and definitely worth the money! It was definitely meat(ish) tasting without being overwhelming and all the ingredients together worked so well! I only had a bite or two, he finished off the rest in record timing saying it was amazing!

I had the Daily Green smoothie and it was DELICIOUS, thick and cold and refreshing! He had the Yogi Frappe which was also super yummy and refreshing. Both were $9.50

And before leaving, I just couldn't help myself and had to try one of the CocoWhip Soft Serves (really, two desserts?!?) - I had the Salted Caramel Sundae ($13.00) with mixed cacao and coconut whip together, a caramel slice, cacao nibs, himalayan pink salt and their own caramel fudge sauce and I swear, this could have been my last meal and I would have been happy - I will go back just for this!

So it was definitely a pricey outing but I will 100% be going back for more, everything is prepared with love and it shows in their presentation, their food and even in their lovely staff! (Hi Annabelle!)

If you're into raw/vegan food or even if you're wanting to try out a new restaurant and just want something absolutely delicious - go check out Sadhana Kitchen, you'll probably find me eating more desserts!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

FOTD!

Today I thought I would quickly tell you what products I used for my makeup!

I applied the CoverFx Illuminating Primer first with clean finger tips, as I was letting that sink in, I used E.L.F's Eyebrow Kit in "light" to slightly fill in my eyebrows. Next was eyeshadow! For the crease and outer v, I used a mixture of matte brown shades from Paula's Choice The Nude Matte's palette and the beautiful shimmery shade on my inner kid is In The Spotlight by MakeupGeek. My foundation is the CoverFx Custom CoverDrops in N10 mixed with Atom's Moraccan Argan Oil and I used a tiny dust of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Etheral Light to set the foundation! On my cheeks is Milani's Baked Blush in Luminoso (I wear this almost every day!!!) and for highlight, of course, the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter in Moonstone. I finished with mascara which was the Better Than Sex from Too Faced and the Opaque Rouge Lipstick from Hourglass in the shade "Canvas Rouge"

And that's it! If you have any products you think I would enjoy definitely let me know!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Review: CoverFX Custom Cover Drops

Hello friends! A very long and overdue review is about these CoverFX Custom Cover Drops - I've been using them for a few months now and they've become an every day product for me, depending what I'm doing or what type of look I'm wanting, I use a few different products with these so I'll be sharing those too!

 

If you're new to this product, it's basically a pigment that you can mix with other products to create and customize your foundation and the coverage you want. It comes in so many different shades from light to dark with three different undertones (pink, neutral and golden.) You can mix this with moisturizers, primers or even other foundations that don't match you to make a better match.

I use the shade N10 because it's the lightest they offer and I find it matches better than any other foundation I use - I'm super, duper pale! 

It's suppose to be 1 drop equals to sheer coverage and up to 4 drops equals full coverage which I don't really like. as with the dropper I can't really tell how much I'm using or how much has come out but I work with it. I don't use this on it's own and although I've read others have, it definitely doesn't work for me especially with my dry skin so I'll share what I've been using it with!

I love this Coverall Cream Foundation by Wet 'N' Wild - it's super affordable and I love the finish I get with it however it's just a tad too dark for my skin so I mix a couple of drops in with this to change the shade or when I want a really full coverage look as it doesn't dry matte or ruin the finish of the original foundation! I think that's one of the best parts of the drops, you can basically make any of your foundation match you!

I picked up this Illuminating Primer from CoverFX at the same time I purchased the Cover Drops and I love it! It makes my skin look so glowy and healthy with zero shimmer. I don't mix the drops directly with this primer like I know you're suppose to - I apply them over the top of the primer as I find it works and lasts better that way on me! I use 1 drop and this if I'm wanting a fresh look for work!

A newer product I've been loving to mix in with the drops is this Atom - Moroccan Argan Oil that I recently received in my Vegan Beauty Box! These two used over the top of the Illuminating Primer is fresh/glowy skin heaven! You can use whatever type of oil you prefer, I've just been reaching for this for the past week and a half!

Similar to the other primer, I use this underneath the drops just like a regular foundation! I didn't enjoy this mixed together as it made my skin incredibly dry and flaky for some reason!
This would be perfect for those who want a matte finish!

And that's my opinion on the drops and the few products I use with them! The only negative I really have are, like I said, the dropper itself not disbursing the same amount of product each time and I would love even more shades! I still am testing this out as I try new products with it but using the oil or mixed with the Wet 'N' Wild foundation are my favourite ways so far!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Review: Osea Malibu - Sea Vitamin Boost

Hi friends! I'm going to start writing more individual product reviews and here's the first one: Osea Malibu -  Sea Mineral Boost. 

 

This is a refreshing spray that is to help hydrate and soothe dry skin, I've been using it after cleansing in the morning and evening as well as whenever my skin needs a nice mist! I've used it over my liquid foundation and powder products, which has helped lock them in and doesn't make them seperate!

It has a mix of Wild Gigartina Algae, Red Wine Extract and Pomengranate and has been working so well with my skin, it looks visibly smoother and more even and feels so nice to touch. It really gives a healthy glow like it describes and I noticed results straight away.

The only tiny con I have about this is the smell, when I first started using it, it was incredibly overpowering - I think it might be the mix of fruit and wine extract however the smell lasts about 10 seconds and it's gone! I don't even notice it now that I've been using it regularly.

This would be great if you have dry or sun damaged skin, want to even out your skin tone or just have a cooling mist throughout the day.

Osea is a brand I've seen a lot of on the internet and decided I wanted to try them out - they're a vegan skin and body care brand with a range of products suited for so manydifferent skin types and I'm keen to try even more!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Swatches: Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows

Hello lovely friends! I'm here with a few quick swatches of these eyeshadows that I am in love with! I've always been a massive fan of the regular Makeup Geek eyeshadows (swatch fest here!) and I have a few of their blushes too so after months and months of deciding whether I was going to get them - I finally did and I am so glad I did! These swatches don't even give them justice at all! 

Each eyeshadow is $10!

Whimiscal *NOT VEGAN*, this unfortunately was a wrong purchase by me! I didn't realize it had carmine in it until I started writing this post and double checked the list. The other non-vegan shades in the foiled eyeshadow range are - Center Stage,  Caitlin Rose, Daydreamer, High Wire, and Masquerade.

Starry Eyed - A light champagne shade - beautiful for every day wear.

Magic Act - A light gold that is still super wearable and pretty! 

In The Spot Light - A soft peachy pink - I LOOOOOVE this.

Grandstand - A medium rose gold, this is so soft and buttery and BEAUTIFUL.

Flamethrower - A bright warm copper - this is intense and I don't know if I'll ever be able to pull it off but I'm content with just staring at it.

Showtime - A rusty warm brown - incredible pigmentation.

As I said, these swatches don't even let you see the true colours or the beautiful shimmer of the foiled finish, they are so creamy and soft and incredibly pigmented. I've never had eyeshadows anything like this before so I can't wait to use them properly!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Unboxing: The Vegan Beauty Box - Winter Edition 2015

Hello friends! After trying and loving this subscription service, I couldn't wait for this season's beauty box! The Vegan Box comes with 5 to 8 beauty products that are either full size, travel size or samples for you to try out and this box looks like a winner already! Last time, I discovered two of my now absolute favourite products/brands so let's get into this one!

The first thing I saw was this Ghassoul Clay Mask from Atom ($4.00) - I am a sucker for a good mask especially one described to remove blackheads and minimize your pores - I haven't tried anything from this brand either before so I'm excited!

Another product from Atom is this super cute little guy! The Pure Moroccan Argan Oil ($25.00) - a multi-action, multi-purpose oil that can be used for hair, skin and nails. Yesterday, I used this straight away mixed in my foundation and I loved how glowy it made my skin!

A product that is perfect for the weather right now is this Pucker Up Lip Scrub by Perk ($15.00) - I have been getting extremely dry, flaky lips from the harsh wind and cold weather here at the moment so it's a great time to test this one out and hopefully love it! 

Sugar Venom EcoCosmetics Mineral Lip Gloss ($27.99) - another brand that I haven't seen before which makes me excited! This is chemical-free and palm oil free and would be great to use after the lip scrub! The lip gloss itself seems very pigmented and thick which is a plus!

Concrete Minerals Pro Matte Eyeshadow in "Bandit" ($13.00) - this is a brand I already know and enjoy so I'm glad to have another shade to add to my makeup collection!

This little baby is a perfume sample from ime in the scent "elegant" - which is described as q friendly and romantic blend of sweet florals with a touch of gentle spice and warm wood. I love finding new vegan perfume brands because I definitely struggle with that the most!

Tula Natural Organic Facial Serum ($12.00) - this has Evening Primrose, Rosehip and Apricot Kernel oil mixed together to help nourish your complexion and leave the skin glowing!

And that's all of them! This month I think it's all about keeping your skin and lips hydrated and smooth through the cold weather! I'm super excited about the majority of the products however I would have liked to see maybe a different type of mask as there was a clay mask in the previous box (although I absolutely love it and have purchased it for myself!) and something instead of the facial serum as we also got an oil but that's definitely down to personal preference!

This would be an amazing box for people that are building up their beauty collection or if you're like me, wanting to try out new things!

I'm so happy with The Vegan Box and I'll be repurchasing again, I'm going to try the food box as well this month!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Gerard Cosmetics Lip Gloss Swatches!

A short and sweet post about some of my favourite lip products - Gerard Cosmetic lip glosses! They are all vegan (the lipsticks unfortunately aren't), they all have great pigmentation and are applied with the doe-foot applicator! The packaging has a mirror and when opened there's a light to help you. They don't have a distinct smell and they're not sticky at all - more tacky!

Here are the 6 I own!

Nude - featured in my recent monthly favourites, I love this for work and paired with a neutral smokey eyeshadow look!

Coral Craze - I prefer to wear this over a lipstick - it looks nice with pinks or oranges!

Pink Tiara - a light baby pink - another one I wear over a lipstick!

Rose Hill - I love this! Easy to wear on it's own!

Summer Sun - This is a crazy bright orange, I like it over a nude lipstick so it's a little more toned down!

Candy Apple - Another favourite, I love this on it's own or paired with a lipstick for even greater colour pay off!

These are all beautiful with stunning packaging however they are a little expensive for what they are, I would definitely spend the money on the Nude, Rose Hill and Candy Apple but as I don't like the other shades on their own, I would pass on those if given a chance!

As always, thank you for reading! XO