Beauty Empties #4

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Cherry)

A dry shampoo that every person and their dog is aware of. It's relatively inexpensive and smells amazing. I use it on second day hair, or for a boost when it's looking a little flat/oily. I haven't ever found there to be any powdery white build-up against my blonde hair when I use it, which is exactly what you want in a dry shampoo.

Repurchase? Nope. Contrary to Batiste hype, I much prefer V05's offering - Plump It Up.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (Light)

My ever favourite under eye brightener (rather than a concealer). It's easy to apply with it's doe foot applicator and creamy formula allows it to spread and blend beautifully, leaving a dewier finish. The 'light' shade instantly lights up the area under my eyes, making me look more awake. I don't feel as though the concealing power isn't all that great compared to others out there (ohai, Erase Paste), but it still does an alright job of hiding those blemishes and red spots.

 Repurchase? Always

AVON Blackhead Eliminating Daily Astringent
Though I do find alcohol-based astringents to be rather harsh on the skin, I've been using this lil' baby for years because it does THE BEST job of cleaning and refreshing the skin (when your cotton ball comes away brown and grimy, even after washing, you know it's clearing deep down in the pores) without leaving any residue behind. In regards to the 'blackhead eliminating' claims: I honestly don't see a difference when it comes to clearing those nasty things up, although it does get really deep down, so I suppose it's preventing any new ones from appearing - I certainly haven't had any new patches pop up.
Repurchase? Yes.

Neutrogena Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes

I always try my best to avoid face wipes, but I've always got a pack on my table on the rare occasion I'm feeling too lazy (read: drunk) to properly remove my makeup before bed. These are far more gentle than any other brand I've tried, and don't sting my eyes at all. Best of all, a tenderness I  usually get around my eyes when using wipes isn't present at all. They also do a surprisingly good job removing make-up - even mascara, which is always difficult for me to take off. The wipes do leave a slight residue behind, but it actually feels like a lotion - not greasy or sticky at all and absorbs quickly, leaving my skin unexpectedly soft and moisturised.

Repurchase? Yes, Sir.

Original Source Skin Quench Shower Gel (Blackcurrant & Moringa Oil)

The smell of this shower gel, guys. The. Smell. It's blackcurrant and smells like purple snake lollies and I can't deal. It contains good natural oil beads which kept my skin feeling soft and nourished. Plus there's the vegan aspect of all Original Source shower gels; Vegan = Christie's tick of approval. 

Repurchase? If I'm ever low in my endless supply of shower gels, yes.

Weleda Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream
I received this tube of goodness at the Bloggers United event I attended back in September (and rolled every last drop out of that mother). It's great at moisturising and restoring dry and rough skin and is so absorbed so very quickly without leaving any oily residue which is the main thing I look for in a hand cream. Containing many natural good-for-skin oils, it also works to improve and repair the skin as well as moisturise, and the pleasant orange-y citrus scent actually lingers on the hands for quite some time.
Repurchase? Not likely - I love my MOR Marshmallow too much to replace her.

Fruity Fresh Wash and Wear Body Wash

I got this for Christmas from Jesse's mum (you cutie), and I have no idea where she found it but I will find another (the lack of link here is really screwing with my OCD). I would describe the texture as more of a jelly than a gel - it's much thicker, meaning you do need to use slightly more than you normally would, but the lather it gives is quite amazing. And then there's the scent. Oh boy. It's like a tropical, sweet, peachy, embrace that I can't even describe.

Repurchase? If I can find it, then yes x100.

Vaseline Healthy Radiance Ultimate 10 Anti-Ageing Lotion

I have about 20 sample sized bottles of this stuff laying around, and it's a pretty rad formula, I'm not going to lie. I keep a bottle on my desk at work, a bottle at Jesse's house,  a bottle in my handbag and the rest are strewn all about my house for use pretty much at all times no matter where I am. Despite the 10-in-1 claim, I only really use it as a moisturiser, in which it does an amazing job, relieving dry, itchy and flaky skin, sinking in nicely without leaving sticky or greasy residue.

Repurchase? If I ever run out of bottles, yes.

Le Tan Coconut Oil (SPF 30+)

You can tell how long I've been holding on to some of these empties, eh? I used this almost every day on my lunch break in the sun (oh, Summer I miss you) for that gorgeous Summer tan. The formulation protects and hydrates the skin to help prevent peeling and dryness, leaving your skin smelling all coconut-y and delicious. It sinks in nicely IF you don't use too much. Honestly, you really only need a little bit.
Repurchase? For whenever miserable Perth will next see sunshine, yes.

Friday Finds.

Here are a few of my internet finds (and loves) from over the past week:

\\ Did somebody say pink lemonade jello shots?!  //
\\  I can and will make and eat all of the butternut pumpkin fritters.  //

\\  I wish so bad that it were Summer here so I could also eat all the tropical papaya boats.  //
\\  I don't mean to alarm you, but DIY FLAMINGO WALL LAMPS!  //

\\  Look at how pretty this hairstyle is! LOOK!  //
\\  Spicy mango margarita poptails. That's right, popsicle cocktails: poptails.  //


Happy Friday!

High-End Haulin'

Remember that time when I said I was working on building/buying a house real soon? Or the time when I said I'd stop spending money on anything that wasn't a necessity? Well surprise, surprise! I'm failing miserably on both counts because I've recently purchased enough high-end goodies to warrant an intervention. Soz Jesse. Soz bank balance. Soz life.

I was actually doing quite well with saving my moolah until I got sucked in to yet another Adorebeauty sale/get a gift card with your purchase so you can spend even more money next time. Effective marketing will be the bane of my bank account's existence but guess what?
I'm not even mad.

Here's what I've recently picked up:

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter

I mentioned this one in my favourites a month or so back and it's still sits at favourite primer/lifeblood status to this day. My baby here "blurs" and "filters" my complexion like a dream and creates such a gorgeously luminous base, which is never a bad thing. What I love the very most about it, though, is the fact that adding foundation, powder, bronzer, and all that other crap over the top doesn't entirely cover up that glow. All the while doing what any good primer should do: keeping my make-up in place all day. AND AND AND! It was on sale on Adorebeauty so I can 100% justify buying it (thank you very much, Jesse).

 Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

Also mentioned in the above favourites, I finally got myself the Chocolate Bar Palette that nobody cares about anymore since Sweet Peach was released. Always late to the party, Christie. I needed a neutral-toned palette in my life to even out the blacks that currently reign supreme in the eye shadow department of my life, and this is just that. It's incredibly versatile in that you get a good balance of both matte and shimmer shades and it's so easy to get a full look using this one palette alone. Every shade is so dang pigmented and so easy to blend with minimal fall-out - ka-ching. I think I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like the "chocolate" smell, but that's just personal taste, it's still pretty neat.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

I really didn't need this as I am 100% in love with MACs Skinfinish in Lightscapade, buuuutttt.. sale/gift card you feel me? Plus, it's been on my beauty wishlist since I discovered highlighting and I feel as though my life is now complete. I love the highly pigmented and finely milled formula minus the glitter fest. The shimmer particles aren't chunky and it captures the light beautifully without looking glittery or chalky, even up close - it just gives off a lit-from-within glow. I think a comparison post may be in order. 

Benefit The POREfessional Primer

As someone who rarely even bothers with a primer (I know, I know. Come at me beauty community), I sure have spent a lot on primers but with this one, a little goes a long way. It does what any good primer should do by keeping make-up in place for the good part of a day, and allows for my foundation to glide on smoothly. It's super silky and smooth feeling and even better, it doesn't turn oily or greasy on my combination skin (oily skin types may be better to steer away from this one, I'm afraid). My pores aren't huge as such, but I definitely do see a slight difference in their appearance after I've applied my make-up if I'm using this. You can't really complain about that.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Hoola is yet another product that I've had my eye on for the longest time. A particularly bad experience with glittery orange bronzer circa 2007 left me with a bad taste in my mouth whenever it came to bronzer, but I feel as though I've matured ever so slightly since the full-face of said glittery orange bronzer incident at the age of 12. I absolutely love the NOT AT ALL GLITTERY OR ORANGE colour! It's perfect for subtly contouring and adding dimension to the face for a natural tanned and defined look.

Benefit It's Potent! Eye Cream

An adorable sample pot was included in my order, and I can report I 100% love it. I'm yet to see any fading of the under eye circles in the limited times I've used it (with continued use perhaps I'll see results?) but I definitely do look instantly awakened and refreshed and there sure ain't nothing wrong with that.

The good new is, I've now officially got all the products I've lusted after since pretty much the time I discovered that lipsticks don't all come in pink sparkly value packs at Target (hey, MAC). I should therefor effectively be able to save my money for adulating. 

LOLJK beauty buys are endless - soz again, Jesse.

My Month on Instagram - May

If you've been following Christie's Take on Life for any amount of time, you'd surely know by now that I'm a major lover of Instagram! It's the perfect outlet for posting inspiration and little snippets of life, and seeing what my favourite bloggers and friends are up to.

There are so many times that my Instagram posts never make it to my blog, and that's a damn shame because I consider myself to be quite the photographer..

..Not really, but it's a shame nonetheless!

Instalife over the past month looked something like this:

Look at me attempting an artsy shot.

Kindly ignore the God-awful quality of this embarrassing attempt of a flatlay. I thought my camera was broken.. turns out I just hadn't charged it. Nailing blogging, guys. Nailing. Blogging.

I attended another workshop for my Diploma. I'm so grateful that I have a full-time job that allows me to take time off to pursue my dream career (which is in no way related to the current line of work that I am in).

I don't even care that this guy gets in the way when you try to drink, the displeasure in Jesse's face whenever I say "Mana-tee" (he loves my puns) makes it more than worth it.

THIS PIZZA, GUYS! This pizza is what has converted me from an avid pizza hater, to a 'pizza is okay'-er.

Check out Good Things in Mosman Park, Perthians. Do it. Do it now.

Deep fried vegetables are still vegetables. I'm all about the clean eating. Yup.

I love finding pretty new feeds to follow on Instagram; leave your account deets in the comments, or come find me: @christieee__x!

Friday Finds.

Here are a few of my internet finds (and loves) from over the past week:

\\  My finds are PIZZA CENTRAL this week starting with berry pizza my goodness.  //

\\  I think I've fallen in love with the idea of charred tomato and garlic butter mini pizzas.  //

\\  Now HERE'S a protein pancake recipe I'll enjoy.  //
\\  Can somebody please do this hairstyle on me every single day?  //
\\  I will try these sherbet water marble nails.  //
\\  Fathers Day isn't until September here, but LOOK AT THESE FOLDED T-SHIRT NAPKINS!  //


Happy Friday!

May Beauty Favourites.

I realise that we are currently over halfway through June (wut?!) which pretty much makes my May favourites irrelevant, but better late than never, right guys? Right?!

One: The Body Shop papaya range
I JUST DISCOVERED THESE HEAVENLY BABIES ON THURSDAY NIGHT AND I'M IN LOVE! Tropical scents are my jam, and these smell sosososososo good. We all know how I feel about The Body Shop's products (especially shower gels) so I won't bother repeating myself for the ten-zillionth time, just know that they're limited edition so go ahead and treat yo'self to some papaya goodness  like, yesterday. DO IT!

Two: Trilogy rosehip oil
I'm about 99.99% sure that this has appeared in my favourites  at least once before but it has honestly been a saviour over the past month or so. My skin gets super dry during the Winter months so adding 2-3 drops in to a thick facial moisturiser at night has really helped to nourish my tight, dry face without making me feel oily or clogged when I wake the next morning (which had always been a fear of mine when using oils). Plus there's all that anti-aging jazz that comes with rosehip.. you can't really lose here, guizeee.

Three: Maybelline big eyes eye shadow (in 'Luminous Brown')
I've been using this little compact for a while now. As someone who rarely bothers with eye shadow, such a shimmery, luminous formulation can be daunting but this manages to blend out and look pretty enough under even my uncoordinated hand. I tend to reach for dark, smoky colours (because black is life), so I've mostly used this compact for the centre colour which I've been using as inner corner highlight. The shadows themselves are super buttery - a dream to use, and highly pigmented. I love the subtle shimmer - I'm able to seem 'luminous' without having chunks of glitter splotched all over and around my eyes.

Four: Nude by Nature pressed mineral cover (in 'Light Medium')

I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I've been favouring this formulation over my usual Rimmel Stay Matte of late. It gives a softer, lighter coverage (I usually go for something a little more full in the coverage department) than Stay Matte does, but this is great for everyday use as it feels light on the skin and goes on smoothly. It evens out my skin tone so nicely and can easily be built up for fuller coverage without making you look cakey. I may be somewhat biased as this is an Aussie brand buuuuttt, you can't argue with the results.

Five: DKNY Be Delicious perfume

I've re-discovered my love of this apple-scented baby upon stumbling upon a bottle in my perpetually overflowing perfume stash. There's not too much to say about perfumes in general, but this has such a flirty, fresh and fruity Springtime scent that lasts for the longest time. I can't believe I forgot I had a bottle.

What are your current beauty favourites?

A Few LUSH Goodies // Bloggers United AU

I sit at my desk this Monday morning smelling absolutely divine (for reals, come and smell me) (please don't smell me) and feeling 100% content with life. If you've read even one of my ramblings posts on the ol' blogaroo in the past, chances are that you've seen that I've somehow managed to bring up and rave about LUSH in one way or another so when I attended Bloggers United AU's first birthday event at LUSH's new Perth store on Murray Street last weekend, I found myself in my own version of heaven for a couple of hours on a dreary Saturday night. 

The LUSH ladies were so generous with their time and so helpful with their divine wisdom. I learned a lot and discovered a few new goodies that I am eager to get my mitts on. Each and every one of us lucky girls got herself a LUSH goody bag and the chance to pick up a product of their choosing.. wait for it.. for free.

Here's what I got:

I was probably the most excited to see a pot of Let the Good Times Roll in my goody bag as it's a similar concept to my ever favourite Angels on Bare Skin. I love the smell and the popcorn pieces and I honestly cannot wait to try it out. I've also heard good things about The Great Barrier, which is a solid in-shower moisturising bar. I'm a huge fan of anything that's going to cut out the need to moisturise after I step out of the shower. Who has time for that? Not me, that's who. Also included was a tin of solid perfume which I had no idea existed until the fact. I received the scent 'Kerbside Violet', and it really surprised me how potent one tiny, minuscule dab of this is.

Choosing one product to take home was probably the hardest decision I have ever had to make.

I ended up umming and ahhing over about 38647592 different things, but ultimately ended up sticking to what I know and picking up a tub of Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub at the last second. I'd finished off my tub a month or so ago and it legitimately makes me feel as smooth as a baby dolphin, which can never be considered a bad thing. I also caved and purchased a stick of 'Damaged' Hot Oil Hair Treatment. I had read about the product just over a week prior to the event and the concept really intrigued me. Anything that is going to help Christie's poor, dead hair is always welcomed with open arms. Always.

It was so lovely to catch up with and meet a few new Perth blogging ladies and celebrate the first anniversary of the group that brought us all together.

Photo care of Annalee (who is adorbz, go see) of Colour Those Lips.

Once again, Thank you to Bloggers United and to LUSH for the night. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to attend.

Friday Finds.

Here are a few of my internet finds (And loves) from over the past week:

\\  DIY doughnut umbrella = Yes! Yes! Yes!  //

\\  My goodness! Birthday cake ice cream pops! Have you ever seen anything so glorious?!  //
\\  I don't mean to alarm you, but this is how to make your own pop rocks!  //
\\  I am 110% down to get this junk food manicure next time I get my nails done.  //
\\  I wish it wasn't -4551 degrees because I really want this layered coconut blueberry slushie.  //
\\  Is it bad that I need a tutorial for a messy bun? Yes? Well you can STFU because this one is gorgeous!  //


Happy Friday!

May Look Back and June Goals.

A look back at May's goals:

Save some moolah

"I may or may not have spent an unnecessarily large amount of money last month. This month, I'm going to cut out all online shopping completely and spend only on the essentials, only spending just that little bit extra on dates/dinners with Jesse."

Cross: I completely, utterly, 100% did not save my moolah. I bought clothes, I bought makeup, I bought movie tickets, I bought unnecessary food. Am I mad? Not really. Actually, not at all.

Complete the "Marketing" unit before the workshop

"I have one (long, daunting) assessment left in the Marketing unit before it's done with forever. Although I haven't even started, I hope to have in completed and submitted before I attend the next workshop on the 11th (one week, eek!)."

Tick: I'm quite proud of this achievement seeming as it's probably the hardest I've pushed myself to study in.. ever. I actually have managed to complete 2 and a half units since said workshop. Go, Christie.

Loose 1kg

"My weight has plateaued for the past 3 or so months (most definitely due to my crappy eating habits), and it's really draining all my motivation and drive. I know that if I can just loose 1kg this month, I'll gain back that drive."

Cross: I didn't gain weight? As a matter of fact, I lost 300g. Nailed it.

Schedule dental appointment

"Christie got a taste of what a root canal is like a few weeks back (FUN TIMES FOR ME), and they recommended that round two should be done in about two or so months. As much as I'd like to never return to that torture chair, I should book that appointment and get it over and done with."

Tick: I'm not even going to comment on this one that's how much I'm looking forward to it. -.-

Make time to see my friends

 "To say life has been hectic over the past couple of months would be a gross understatement. As a result, I've been a terrible friend and neglected those who mean most to me. I'd like to catch up with each of them in some way this month."
Tick: I managed to see literally every one of my friends over May, and have scheduled time to see most of the again real soon.

Goals for June:

"Spring" clean my whole wardrobe

Winter clean just doesn't have the same ring to it. My closet is literally overflowing. Literally. As in, my doors and drawers have recently reached a capacity in which they no longer close (100% due to the aforementioned failure to curb my spending). Let's just say that I'm a hoarder when it comes to clothing, but I'm determined to get those doors closed this month. The good Sammies are going to love me.

"Spring" clean my make-up stash

While I'm at it.. I'm usually annoyingly meticulous in the neatness of my make-up display, but due to my morning instagram habit causing me to run late every damn day (I will never regret my morning instagram fix), my once beautiful shelving has become a horrible mess that I am ashamed of. Time to trim the fat (possibly the worse saying ever) and re-organise my stash.

Build vs. buy - Make a final decision
Yup! Jesse and I are planning to take the next step and move out together. How exciting! If all goes to plan, we should be out and fending for ourselves either late this year or early 2017. I'm aware that this probably isn't the best "announcement". I really do love reading such posts, but this process really is stressful enough. Let's simplify things as much as we can, yeah? We've been weighing up the pros and cons of building vs. buying and by the end of this month, I'd really like to come to a decision about which one is the best route for us to take (We're leaning slightly more towards building at this stage. Advice is much appreciated. Plz halp).

Complete every single workout
I've gotten in to the habit of rushing my gym sessions and skipping parts of my routine over the past few months. I'm lazy, I'm tired, I'm hungry, I want to get home so I can have more Jesse time, excuse E, excuse F.. This month (and all other months), I'm not going to leave the gym until I have 100% finished my workout. No skipping bits or cutting pieces short.

Friday Finds.

Here are a few of my internet finds (and loves) from over the past week:

\\  I absolutely love how chic yet simple this half-up braided top knot is.  //
\\  Guys! Layered ice cream pops! My life is complete.  //
\\  I must try these DIY glitter roses!  //
\\  I love anything nautical! This nail art is no exception.  //
\\  I love the transformation of a plain old dresser to this modern-chic campaign dresser!  //
\\  This rosemary grapefruit sparkler makes me crave Springtime.  //


Happy Friday!