Massive Beauty Haul! - Mecca Maxima, Kiehls, Sephora

The stash pre-unpackaging!

The wait is finally over - I checked out Mecca Maxima's Urban Decay launch!

(Did not get first 100 freebies - devastated!!!)

Also took a trip to Kiehl's, and been saving my Sephora Sydney mini haul for this blog post.
Check out what I've picked up this month:

-The Line Up-

We were treated with free water, museli bars and reading material.
First 100 in the line got a makeup bag with deluxe samples - I was number 106! Cue frustration.
I ended up with 2 deluxe samples with purchase, though - Perversion mascara, and the usual eye primer that comes with Naked purchase.

 -The Haul-

I deliberated whether to get Naked or Naked 2 (already own Naked 3), but the colours in the original swayed me.
I feel like I will probably get Naked 2 at some point in time though (who could resist). Same deal with the Naked Basics range, I loved the matte shades in Naked Basics 2.

No swatches of the Naked palettes, as I'm sure there are a hundred on the internet somewhere.
I did swatch my lip products though (sneaky Too Faced purchase happened), photo below!

The original Urban Decay Naked Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick Sheer Streak

 This UD lipstick colour caught my attention and I could not say no! So. damn. pretty.
Texture reminds me of Maybelline Whisper range, or the Revlon Lip Butters but more durable. So, it does have that gloss factor to it.

Seems like a hydrating flush of colour - pretty keen to take it for a test run! Standard packaging, but I'm loving the signature UD purple.

Also picked up Too Faced Melted liquid lippy in Melted Velvet.
Have been wanting to try this for A G E S.

So many tempting colours, but I picked a Winter shade so I can play with it in coming months.

The squeezable, doe foot applicator could get messy, but I'll give it a go!

I'll keep you posted on the outcome of these two lip products, as I'm sure you're intrigued about the hype as much as I am.

Oh - got two lip liners on a whim as well. Nothing exciting, just for staple purposes - details in the swatch below:

L-R: UD Sheer Streak, Too Faced Melted Velvet, Rimmel Lip Liners in 004 Indian Pink & 049 Natural.

 -Kiehl's-

Wanted to try out two skincare products I cannot stop hearing about (Zoella, I'm looking at you)!

Midnight Recovery Eye gel, and Blemish Control Daily Skin-Clearing Treatment.

Sales woman also threw in samples of the Creme de Corps moisturizer, and Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleanser.

Again, will keep you posted on the outcome!

 

-Sephora, Sydney-

Obsessed with masks lately, picked up a Honey Mask from Sephora.

Got overwhelmed with the product range, panicked, and ended up picking up Sephora blush Pink Flush, and Sephora cheeks & lips Brilliant Jumbo 04 Vintage Pink.

Not really sure if I love them, but I'll see how they go haha!!!
Was super overwhelmed, and had a friend waiting so didn't take my usual time swatching, etc.
When in doubt, go for the subtle, neutral tones!

 

Did you check out the Urban Decay launch today?
Or got any favourites from Sephora Australia?

Let me know :)

J x

Mecca Maxima Gold Coast

Mecca Maxima opening week, Robina Town Centre, Gold Coast

It's not exactly Sephora, but it's a pretty good substitute until Sephora comes to Australia.

As a Mecca Beauty Loop club member from the former, smaller Mecca Cosmetica, I was treated to a free Nars blush during the Mecca Maxima grand opening week at Robina Town Centre on the Gold Coast.

I got myself a Soap & Glory Hand Food moisturizer (shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow) as well, because it smells amazing! Will definitely repurchase! Keen to try some more Soap & Glory products.

Inside this little bag of joy was a mini Nars in Deep Throat (yes, we all know the shock factor of Nars blushes). 

In case you can't imagine the adorable size of this sample product, I've sat it next to the standard sized Nars blush in the picture below. SO cute!!!

Normal Nars blush on the left, and the teeny tiny free sample on the right. Adorable!

A great handbag addition, and fortunately one of my favourite Nars blush colours. Super versatile and great for wear in all sesasons of the year. Pinker in pigmentation to its cousin Orgasm, and a little less shimmer for a more subdued look. Win win!

Thanks Mecca Maxima! You'll see me soon for sure.

J x

DIY Fix For Broken Makeup

There you are, going about your business and daily makeup routine, when you look down and see the dreaded....

You've hit pan!!! Noooooooo. Nearly time to head back to MAC and grab another of those bad boys. Seems simple right? Wrong. This happens a day later...

Cracked beyond repair - but fear not! Here's my tip and what I did to salvage my Select Sheer MAC Pressed Powder.

There are a few quick fixes floating around the internet on saving your broken makeup, so this isn't a new concept. Probably lucky for me since I wouldn't have continued using the powder and it seems such a waste since MAC products can become quite pricey. 

One tip suggested to melt the powder into a bit of alcohol and re-set it into the pan. I don't quite remember why I didn't try this, but I think I would be a bit skeptical on the quality of the product after re-setting and also adding a harsh alcohol to it (also probably couldn't be bothered to look for alcohol & wait the drying time). But if you have tried it and it worked well for you, I'd love to know so I can try it in future.

Personally, I decided to place the loose powder in an empty sandwich zip-lock bag, grab the end of my hair brush, and crush all the powder until it was very fine. It ends up looking like a mineral powder but slightly denser. Place all the powder into an empty container (I stole mine from my sister but I know you can purchase these at chemists or post offices in the travel section, if you're living in Australia. I'm sure you can get them at similar places worldwide, just ask your sales assistant).

And there you go! All better. I run a kabuki through the powder just because my powder brush is a bit too big to fit into the container, but I assume the kabuki can also distribute it better as it is now a loose powder. Just be sure to tap off any excess before applying to your face and you're good to go.

Hope this has helped some of you who are stumped at what to do with broken makeup, and remember it could apply to any broken powder, whether it be setting powder, eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, etc.

Below is the finished product :) 

J xx