He Said, She Said : The One About 4 Different Perfumes

There are 10 days till Christmas!

Has the panic kicked in yet?  Have you bought all your Christmas shopping?

If not, are you thinking of buying perfume for anyone?  Or are you wanting a new perfume for Christmas?

If yes, then you might find this perfume review somewhat useful...

I was lucky enough to receive 4 different perfumes in the mail throughout the year, but it's only been now that I have been able to handle perfumes as I was averse to a lot of scents earlier in the pregnancy.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to enlist the help of my husband to help me review these perfumes as everyone has different taste in scents...

Vera Wang Princess Revolution

They said :  This is for the confident, edgy and rebellious who has found the perfect balance of rock and romance.
He said :  Oh it's Vera Wang - isn't she a designer who makes wedding clothes?  { wedding dresses, duhhh! }  This is nice.  It's not overpowering.
She said :  Look, you can wear the crown as a ring as well as the band ring!!  The bottle design is also funky and edgy; very appealing to young girls.  It smells like watermelon and very fresh.  I do like it a lot!

CK One Gold

They said : The new aroma for her and for him, coming out mid-2016, is a modern interpretation of the iconic fragrance conveying the message: "Be brave. Stand out from the crowd. Everything you touch exudes gold. "
He said :  I liked the original CK One when I was younger...but this one is a maybe.  Maybe I would wear it?  Maybe not.
She said :  This is my favourite bottle design out of the 4.  Oh, it smells quite woody and sweet.  I think this would smell good on you.  Wear it!

Beyonce Heat Seduction

They said :  A sensual, intoxicating and irresistible fragrance of exotic fruits, hypnotic flowers and carnal amber and resins.
He said :  Beyonce has a perfume?!  This smells...oh...I don't like it.  It smells like...talcum powder.  It DOES smell like talcum powder.  Just no.
She said :  It smells like vanilla to me.  And I guess I won't be wearing it if I want to turn on the heat and seduce you since you don't like it at all!!

Chloe My Little Roses De Chloe

They said : Gentle and graceful, the fragrance tries to capture a walk down the Parisian rose gardens.
He said :  This smells like lychee!  This is my second favourite after Vera.
She said :  I LOVE THIS!!!  The bottle is super cuuuute!!!  It smells like roses, very feminine and classic - but not like a granny or overpoweringly floral.  This is my favourite.  I'm gonna wear this every day!!!

It was super fun doing this perfume review together and interesting to see how my husband reacted to different scents.

Have you tried any of these perfumes?  What do you think of them?  And what is your current fave scent?
Disclosure :  Thanks to Coty PR for sending these perfumes for review.

I Can Still See My Toes

Every pregnancy is different.

This time round nearing the end of my 3rd trimester, I can still see my toes!!!

Hence the need for a pretty pedi.

I'm a big fan of shellac pedicures because they last for ages, there's no chipping and it's pretty reasonable in terms of cost depending where you go.

This turquoise green Express Pedicure was done at Organique Wellness and Beauty Bar in Pran Central for $35.  { Well, it was actually $35.35 because there was a 1% card surcharge :P }

The first thing Bunty said to me when she got home that day was - "NEW COLOUR MUMMY!!!  I WANT!!!"

Seriously, toddlers notice E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!!!

As for the gorgeous gold snake print sandals adorning my feet, they are courtesy of Naturalizer from the Kids Business Bloggers Brunch Event I attended a couple of weeks ago.

Comfy yet stylish.

Perfect for this busy mama who is planning to drop a sprog very, very soon!

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All I need is less rain and more sunshine so I can show off my pretty feet!!!  D'you hear me Melbourne??!!!

My First ColourPop Haul & It Won't Be My Last!

I never used to be a fan of online shopping because I like having instant gratification from my retail therapy.

HOWEVER, that was until I turned into the size of 3 whales and waddling around shops didn't seem that enjoyable anymore. #preggolyf

Enter online retail therapy which has delayed gratification...but when your parcel arrives, it's like unboxing a present to yourself.

TOO.  MUCH.  FUN.

One of my online shopping hauls was from ColourPop cosmetics.  I ordered on a Saturday night and my parcel arrived 10 days later...  *squee*

SO QUICK!!!

FYI, I didn't buy ALL of those goodies...

Half of it belonged to my girlfriend, Minda...

But it looked really impressive though didn't it?

Anyway, here's what I bought, dear readers...

ColourPop Bangin' Brunette Brow Pencil

Say hello to my new HOLY GRAIL brow pencil!!  Yup, it's perfect.  Well, except for one thing...  Once you wind it up, you can't wind it down again.  GURRRR!!!

The colour is spot on now that my hair roots are showing through.  And the skinny tip is fantastic for emulating brow hairs.  I LOVE IT!!!

ColourPop Easy Peasy Sculpting Stix

I need help in the contouring department especially now that I have a big moon face thanks to pregnancy weight gain, so I thought I'd give this contour stick a go since it's supposed to be "Easy Peasy".

The colour looks very brown (see my swatch below) but once blended in, it suits my yellow Asian skin tone...but I still need to work on my non-existent contouring skillzzzzzzz

ColourPop Let's Play Lippie Stix

The packaging is uber cute.  This lippy is from their newest collab with Hello Kitty.  I may be 36 years old but I will love Hello Kitty foreverrrrrr!!!

The colour is a beautiful cranberry red with a hot pink micro shimmer - very festive and very apt for Christmas.  I wore it without prepping my lips beforehand with lip balm so it did feel slightly dry.  It's a very full-on colour and it lasts ages on the lips before fading into a pretty berry stain.

ColourPop Frick N Frack Ultra Satin Lip

This is one of their bestsellers so it went into the shopping cart.  The Ultra Satin Lip formula felt great on my lips - almost like I was not wearing anything.

Unfortunately, Frick N Frack is too brown for me.

Even my little toddler tried it on and asked for it to be removed straight away!  She likes her pinks and reds like her mama!

I have to layer a bright red over it to make it a semi-wearable shade for me.

ColourPop Cheerio Blush

I thought I made a boo boo buying this blush because it looked like a really strong bold cranberry pink shade which would make me look like a China doll...

But once applied on the cheeks, it suited my skin tone to a tee!  It just gives me a lovely healthy flush of colour on the cheeks.

This creme powder formula is AMAZING!

And I wish, I wish, I wish I bought some eyeshadows to try now.

ColourPop Swatches

From left to right, we have swatches of ColourPop Banging' Brunette Brow Pencil, Easy Peasy Sculpting Stix, Let's Play Lippie Stix, Frick N Frack Ultra Satin Lip and Cheerio Blush on my yellow Asian NC-30-ish skin tone.

Now I know why so many peeps rave about ColourPop cosmetics!  I am a convert!!!

Sadly, I'm now officially on a spending ban { because #maternityleave #anothermouthtofeed } but when I have saved up some moolah for makeup ( 48587 years later! ), I will definitely buy more stuff from ColourPop.

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Have you tried anything from ColourPop cosmetics yet?  What was your latest online shopping haul?

New Additions To The Real Techniques Range

A few weeks ago, I waddled along to a Real Techniques event where I met the Pixiwoo sisters #fangirlmoment where they introduced us to the 3 new { to us in Australia } additions to the Real Techniques range :-

• Miracle Sculpting Sponge RRP $15.99
• Ultimate Base Set RRP $45
• Miracle Mine Eraser Sponges RRP $16.99

Miracle Sculpting Sponge

This bright pink sponge has 6 surfaces and is designed for highlighting (using the small side) and contouring (using the large side).

For everyday busy women and mamas out there, who has time to highlight and contour in the mornings??  Definitely NOT me.

I did find the large flat side useful for applying and blending out blush though when I ran out of clean blusher brushes.

And I can see how this Miracle Sculpting Sponge would be useful for those women out there who have time and skills to highlight and contour.

Ultimate Base Set

So this set contains 3 goodies and one dud.

The 2 makeup brushes are great with super soft bristles.

The Expert Face Brush is great for applying and buffing liquid foundation.

The Deluxe Concealer Brush is obviously meant for using with concealer - but I actually like to use it to apply eyeshadow because the dense brush picks up a lot of pigment.

I'm already a major fan of the Miracle Complexion Sponge - which is the NUMBER ONE SELLING PRODUCT IN PRICELINE!!!

That's a photo of the duo pack of sponges** - I bought these when they were on sale as a backup.  I like to use this sponge in its damp state for applying liquid foundation or BB cream because it somehow makes my skin look more dewy than when I just use my fingers.  It's also great for blending in concealer under my eyes too.

As for the dud... it's the Exclusive Mirror To-Go Case...which I assumed would fit both brushes but it didn't....and I just don't see the point in it really.  Sorry!  >_<

Miracle Mini Eraser Sponge

This cute little purple sponge comes in a pack of two.  The sponge is dinky and used damp for blending away harsh lines and dry to sweep away makeup mistakes.

I like the idea of it but I have to admit that I didn't reach out for it as much as I thought I would as I am so accustomed to using my fingers / cotton bud / makeup wipe when I make a makeup boo.

Instead, I think these Miracle Mini Eraser Sponges are a perfect gift if you have little mini-me's who love to play with their mummy's makeup!

Clearly, my beauty blogging genes have passed onto Little Miss B!

Disclosure :  Thanks again to 360 PR for inviting me to the event and gifting me this goodie bag.
** I bought this duo pack of sponges, liked it and wanted to blog about it.  You can call me Disclosure Queen :P
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5 Antipodes Skincare Products You Should Try

3 things...

Firstly, I have totally neglected this blog but if you're still hanging around, thank you so much!

Secondly, I won't bore you with my excuses for being MIA in beauty blogging but just in case you're wondering (yes, Mum, I'm talking about YOU!), no I am not pregnant again.

And thirdly, I received a lovely Antipodes skincare package at the start of LAST year.  Took photos of it.  Tried all the products.  But forgot to blog about it...

...until now!

If you haven't heard of Antipodes before, you clearly don't browse the skincare aisles like I do in Priceline!  The skincare brand hails from New Zealand and I'm so glad I was introduced to their products.

1.  Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser

The first Antipodes product I tried was The Grapeseed Butter Cleanser because I was so intrigued by it.

Being a "butter cleanser", I was expecting a smooth butter-like balm but there are white bubble-y bits.

Anyway, it turns out that the white bubble-y bits are the exfoliating hibiscus flowers so everyone keep calm and exfoliate!

It also comes with a cute wee spatula.  Hi there!

You apply this onto dampened skin in circular motions and rinse off with a cloth.  The instructions recommend an organic cotton cloth, but the closest thing I could find resembling that in my house was an organic cotton nappy liner...ummm, no thanks, I'll stick to my non-organic face washer.

My skin feels nice and soft after I use it but if I don't apply serum or moisturiser shortly afterwards, it can feel a tad dry.

I also must mention that I wasn't too keen on the scent at first - it's a bit lavender-ish?? - but I got used to it after a while.

2.  Antipodes Divine Face Oil

I only used this a couple of times before my Mum stole it off me because she loves everything that contains rosehip oil.

Funnily enough, even though it is a face oil, I used it on my nails and cuticles and it really nourished them.

Side note :  My Mum used this on her face and gives this a big thumbs up!

3.  Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream

This is only a 15ml sample sized tube so I used it up in no time.  It smelt so yummy because it reminded me of vanilla ice cream.

But because it was only 15ml, I can't tell you much about the long term benefits of using this moisturiser.  My skin was happy for the short time this tube lasted.

4.  Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask

Definitely my favourite Antipodes skincare product from the package.

It contains manuka honey active 20+ and it just felt like a luscious treat for my forever dehydrated skin.

It's also good for clearing up blemishes which is why I like to apply it on my chest area.  Anyone else get chest zits???  So annoying!!!

5.  Antipodes Jubilation Ultra Nourishing Hand & Body Cream

If you love a nice big tube of hand and body cream, you will love this.

I'm the worst when it comes to moisturising my hands and body...I don't know why...maybe it's because I am lazy...?!!!  But yeah, this tube is gonna last me foreverrrrrr!


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So, what have you been up to this year?  Can you believe we're already flying towards March already?!!!  Have you tried Antipodes products before?  What should I try next?  #iasktoomanyquestions