My Birthday Beauty Haul

I remember my twenty-first as if it was yesterday (and that's saying something because there was a lot of Absinthe consumed that night), so the fact that my twenty-second birthday has already come and gone has really spun me out.

Don't get me wrong, I love birthdays, and that doesn't just apply to my own (although, I am admittedly one of those narcissistic ass-hats who would rather celebrate her birthday over Christmas). I just find everything about a birthday so fun and exciting, no matter who may be celebrating it.

I mean, birthdays are a great excuse to treat yo'self, and that is something I definitely do not do enough - this was honestly the first lot of make-up I have purchased in the longest time. I was already spoilt by my loved ones as it was this year, receiving most items on my wishlist as well as some exciting surprise bits but today, I've chosen not to include any presents I was gifted, purely out of personal preference (although I've basically spammed instagram with that shit anyways). No, today I just wanted to talk you through the beauty additions I obtained myself with the gift vouchers and money I received:

Mecca

My first stop was obviously going to be Mecca. I had received a gift voucher from my mum and poor old Jesse didn't know what he was getting himself in to when he volunteered to spend up to a certain amount on whatever I wanted from the store after I'd used up the voucher as his present to me. I ended up with about $300 worth of products - Hello Beauty Loop Level 1.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in 'Diffused Heat'
I absolutely love this blush! The quality is amazing! The powder itself is very finely milled - I love how smooth and silky it feels, while still remaining incredibly pigmented. The shade compliments my skin tone and blue eyes beautifully and is perfect for daytime wear. It's super easy to work with: easy to blend and hard to overdo, and the finish is just lovely! It's less flat and chalky than a regular blush due to the luminescent powder, giving off a beautifully soft, gentle glow without being sparkly, all the while being incredibly long-lasting.

Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray

As someone who has never bothered with a make-up setting spray, I've been meaning to try this stuff for so long now, and I already love it so much! Perfect for my drier/combination skin, leaving a somewhat dewy and fresh look to my complexion - even on the problem areas around my mouth and nose where foundation normally flakes off due to dry patches. It just makes my makeup look perfect and keeps it looking just applied all day long and it's refreshing, too without feeling sticky or tight. Plus this totally takes away that powdery/cakey look - yassss.

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

I originally set out to get Too Faced's Chocolate Bar Palette, but they were sold out (sigh), so I settled for this one instead. The shadows all have a velvety texture and rich colour - in my opinion, the grey scale is just perfect, meaning you are not limited to smoky looks, you can also achieve a natural daytime look if you so please. I like the mix of matte and shimmer and I appreciate that even of the shimmery shades, none of them are uber glittery. The staying power and bendability of the shadows in this particular palette are also fantastic, and I love the fact that the brush that comes with is a duel-ended one with a tapered brush and dome smudger, rather than ANOTHER shitty flat shadow brush.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless  Foundation

I received a sample of this a month or so back, and I absolutely knew I just had to have it. It applies well, lasts all day, and blends beautifully to a natural satin matte finish. The fact that I don't feel that I need to build on the one layer as thats quite heavy duty combined with the runny consistency and high pigmentation means a little goes a long way. It's apparently recommended for oily skin, but it works wonderfully on my combination skin, feeling weightless and soft to the touch while still providing medium to full coverage which is unusual for such a light formula. I was actually surprised by how well it covers my dark undereye circles. I honestly don't feel like I need a concealer. I also appreciate that this is the only NARS foundation that comes with a pump (to my knowledge. Correct me if I'm wrong).

Too Faced Melted Metal Lipstick in 'Metallic Peony'

I've been lusting over Melted Lipsticks for what seems like an eternity and I've finally got my hands on one. I honestly would have bought the entire shade range had it not been for the limit on my vouchers. After much swatching, I settled for Metallic Peony because the light-medium pink compliments my skin tone and blue eyes wonderfully, and the subtle mix of pink and gold micro-shimmer makes for a frosted, metallic sheen that is just perfect for Springtime wear. As any liquid lipstick, it's easy to apply once you get the hang of it. The formula glides of smoothly leaving a prefect coat of colour and the staying power is amazing for such a glossy lipstick.

LUSH

I somehow managed to contain myself at LUSH, and only picked up two items the were in no way essential, but that's what makes them such treats.

Bubblegum Lip Scrub
So, guys.. This. Tastes. Amazing, and I appreciate the fun, edible concept. It exfoliates my lips, sloughing away any dry flakes and the jojoba oil keeps them feeling soft and moisturised, making it the perfect product to prep my lips for lipstick application. Even simply following it up with a lip balm makes my lips feel incredibly soft and polished. The process of getting this out of the pot and onto my lips is quite messy, but the results are worth it in my opinion.

Lush Feeling Younger Skin Tint
Although this 20g pot costs a massive $18, it lasts a very long time as a little goes a long way. The consistency is quite thick and very creamy, but once blended out with warm fingers, it feels nice and light on the skin and not sticky at all. The colour is beautiful; a metallic white with pinky-gold shimmer. I've mixed it into my foundation for an all over glow and I've also applied after my foundation to the tops of the cheekbones and the bridge of my noseand it works wonderfully either way. Unfortunately, when used alone, it doesn't blend too well, and can really sink into your pores, but either under or over foundation looks wonderful.

MAC

My first ever trip to the MAC counter proved to be an overwhelming experience; Shopping online is all well and good, but actually stepping in to that plethora of shades and formulas.. It can weaken a girl's defences. I could have walked out with a zillion lipsticks that day. I deserve a pat on the back for limiting myself to three quality purchases.

Lipstick in 'Velvet Teddy'
My name's Christie, and I'm a sheep. I finally caved and got the cult favourite Velvet Teddy and I'm not even sorry. The dusty nude shade with rosy brown undertones is super flattering and a nice alternative to a nude. The formula is creamy, applying so smoothly and evenly, and it wears nicely (no feathering or smearing here) with great staying power. As it is a matte formula, it can make me feel a little dry but it's honestly the least drying lipstick I've worn compared to some other matte formulas.

Lip Pencil in 'Whirl'
I bought this to accompany my tube of Velvet Teddy and I must say, the gorgeous rosy-mauve of the pencil works beautifully with the browny-nude of the lipstick! It also looks wonderful paired with my other nude and pink toned lipsticks - I've even used it alone on top of chap stick. It just seems to work any way you wear it. The pencil itself is generous with pigment it glides on so easily, providing a great base and giving a nice matte touch to the lips.

Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Lightscapade'

This highlight isn't as intense as The Balm's Loumanizer and I think that's what I love it so much. A little bit goes a long way, and I feel it looks more natural than most highlighters when applied to the tops of my cheek bones and as a brow highlight. Other than being mesmerizing to look at, the powder is velvet soft with a high frost metallic finish, minus the dreaded chunky glitter and applies evenly with day-long staying power.

Priceline

My Priceline haul was somewhat boring - just a couple of skincare products I required, but I thought I may as well use that $5 Sister Club birthday voucher.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
I finally ran out of all seven sample tubes of this stuff that I'd accumulated and thought to my self "self, you love these samples so much, you go ahead and buy the full sized pot". And that I did. This clever formula continuously releases moisture throughout the day without going too far and leaving  my skin looking oily and blegh. The gel has such a light, non-sticky texture and my skin's been slurping it right up. My dry patches have been getting the nourishment they need and my skin looks nothing but supple when I wear it under my foundation. The scent, I really don't mind - it actually reminds me of jellybeans, but it's not reacted negatively with my sensitive skin at all.

QV Gentle Cleanser
As you've probably read 4,000 times on the blog, I've been tirelessly searching for a cleanser that works for me. I bought this after a recommendation from a few of my blogger pals as it's formulated for sensitive or dry skin. The texture is luxuriously milky and smooth - at first, it honestly seems like you're putting your moisturiser on. It's creamy and ever so gentle, still managing to break through makeup and grit, leaving my skin feeling fresh and more supple than any cleanser I've tired, I guess due to the vitamin E. Because it is so gentle, I can use it to remove my eye makeup, but I'm also not sure how deeply its cleansing my face so I still perform a deep cleanse once a week. Whatever the case, it seems to work wonderfully, leaving my face feeling soft and fresh, and less dry than ever.


I was more than spoilt by those around me, and am truly grateful for all the happy birthdays and well wishes from my readers. Here's to another year on.