Sephora Haul!!

Sephora Haul. Who would’ve thought that’s something I could do when I’m all the way here in little old New Zealand? Well thanks to Youshop, I can now shop at the most glorious place on earth – all from the comfort of my own home!

First is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, which is possibly the one item I was lusting over the most. Having never used the very popular Ambient powders before, I quickly realised that this would be the best way for me to try them out! Keep an eye out for a review, which is coming up soon.

Next is the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette which I have been trying to get my hands on for ages! I have the original Naked Palette which I use almost daily, and adore, so I’ve known ever since Naked 2 came out that I absolutely had to have it! A review and swatches are on the way.

Lastly I decided to chuck in this awesome Tarte – The Tarte of Giving gift pack. Remember how I’ve been wanting those Amazonian Clay 12 hour blushes? Well it not only contains one of those, but it also has little deluxe sample sizes of Pure Maracuja Oil and a LipSurgence skintuitive lip tint! I have already used the LipSurgence and blush and am very impressed, detailed review to come.

Wanna know what makes Sephora even more amazing? With every order, you get free samples! How many places do that in New Zealand? Zilch? Yeah, I thought so. 

Anyway, at the time they were giving away these awesome little sample bags – and I got to choose which one I wanted, so I chose the Festive Cheery Endurance sample bag.

Inside it contains:
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-aging 3.7ml, Ojon Color Sustain PRO Fade-Fighter 30ml, Anastacia Lash Genius Clear Waterproof Topcoat 3.2g, Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara 4ml, Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Celebutard  1.2g, Ren Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk 5ml and Smashbox Camera Ready CC Cream in Light/Medium 7ml.

It was also actually supposed to include a sample of Lancome Tresor Eau de Parfum – but perfumes are on Youshop’s forbidden list, so I’m assuming they confiscated it. But that’s ok, since I’d probably be allergic to it anyway, hahaha.

Overall, I am very impressed by Youshop’s service. It was expensive, but not actually as bad as I’d thought it might be – so that’s awesome. I will definitely be using them again in the future, I might even sign up for a UK address!

Thanks for viewing, don’t forget to check back for reviews of the above products!
oxo

Win an Antipodes Delight Hand & Body Cream!

Would you like to win an Antipodes Delight Hand and Body cream? 

To enter, simply head over to the Health 2000 Facebook page and post the bizarrest/strangest beauty tip you have heard on the post of the below image AND share it on your facebook page. 

The 5 bizarrest/strangest beauty tips will win an Antipodes Delight Hand and Body cream.
Winners will be announced on Friday the 22nd of November.

Make sure you head over to the Health 2000 Facebook page now to enter!

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

I've been nominated!

I am delighted to announce that I've been nominated for The Best Beauty Blog 2013 over on the Beauty Review website. Exciting!!

I would absolutely love it if you could vote for me! You can do so by clicking this link and voting for 'Makeupper' 

I am so honoured to be up against some of my favourite beauty bloggers, good luck to everyone!

Thanks for viewing and a huge thank you to everyone who has voted for me!
oxo

Review: Gillette Venus & Olay Sugarberry

The Venus & Olay^™ razor’s 5-blade technology exfoliates for surface skin renewal, while Sugarberry-scented Olay Moisture Bars help lock in skin’s moisture for less dryness.

I confess. In the colder months, I admit that I usually only bother shaving my legs once a week. Eek! I know that’s terrible, but in my defence I don’t really see the point in it when I’m wearing tights and pants all the time, right?

But with Summer just around the corner, I am back to keeping my legs in check! Sexy, smooth, summer legs is what I want and I’ve found a way to get it!

The Gillette Venus & Olay Sugarberry razor is unlike any I have used before. Each cartridge consists of 5 blades with Olay moisture bars, giving you not only a very close shave but it also locks in moisture making your legs feel beautifully soft and smooth.

The best thing though is the fact that those moisture bars are Sugarberry scented and smell absolutely divine! I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it, as I really wasn’t expecting it to smell this good.

Overall, I think that if razors are your preferred hair removal method – then you need to check this out! 

The price isn’t that bad either, it retails for $15.99 for the razor and $22.49 for the replacement cartridges. You can find them at all leading pharmacies and supermarkets.

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Review: By Nature Skincare - Part 2

By Nature was born out of a mission to create simple, honest, uncomplicated products that worked in harmony with our skin.

To meet our clean and natural philosophy they had to be free from harmful preservatives and parabens, infused with delectable naturally inspired fragrances, rich and hydrating yet gentle enough to use every day.

First up in Part 2 is the By Nature Firming Eye Serum RRP: $9.99

Infused with Organic Rosehip Oil, Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Argan oil & Aloe Vera. Crafted using the finest natural ingredients, this concentrated firming formulation will reduce the appearance of dark circles and leave the delicate skin around your eye area looking radiant and fresh. Use daily after cleansing to enjoy a natural radiance conditioned by nature.

I am at that age where I actually need an eye cream. But it’s also quite hard to find one that suits me. I can’t use anything too rich and heavy, or highly fragranced as my eyes are just far too sensitive and get irritated very easily.

Even though it is fragranced, it is the same light fragrance that every product in the range has, and the smell fades quite quickly. It is very concentrated so you don’t need to use much at all, and unlike the Clinique one I was using before this – it doesn’t just sit on the skin and take ages to absorb, this absorbs straight away! That makes it perfect to use underneath makeup, as it doesn’t leave your skin feeling tacky.

I’m not 100% sure if it lives up to it’s claim of reducing the appearance of dark circles or not, but it definitely does make my eye area feel fresh. Another one of my favourites from the range.

And lastly By Nature Bee Venom Face Crème RRP: $14.99

This rejuvenating face crème is enriched with purified bee venom to tighten, smooth and deeply moisturise the skin.

A unique combination of UMF Manuka Honey, Royal Jelly and Propolis nourishes, rejuvenates and promotes natural healing for a healthier and more youthful complexion.

I have had no experience with products containing bee venom before, and after using this I have to say that I am not a fan.

My skin is just too sensitive, and I had a bit of an allergic reaction I think. It caused my skin to sting and burn so much that I had to wash it off pretty much straight away. I have read that bee venom is supposed to do that, but I don’t think it was meant to be to that extent!

Needless to say, this was my least favourite of all the products I tried.

Overall, I am definitely impressed by the quality of this range and recommend you check it out for yourselves! It is available now at The Warehouse nationwide.

For more information on any of their products, be sure to visit the By Nature website.

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Review: By Nature Skincare - Part 1

By Nature was born out of a mission to create simple, honest, uncomplicated products that worked in harmony with our skin.

To meet our clean and natural philosophy they had to be free from harmful preservatives and parabens, infused with delectable naturally inspired fragrances, rich and hydrating yet gentle enough to use every day. 

As a society, we are often tricked into thinking that you have to spend the big bucks in order to get good quality products. I won’t lie to you, a lot of the time that’s actually true. But sometimes you find some real gems that don’t cost the Earth, and actually do what they’re supposed to!
This is one of those times.

About a month ago, I was lucky enough to receive 4 products from the By Nature face range. This actually came at the perfect time as I had just run out of my Olay moisturiser! Yay!
Since receiving them, I have been using them religiously and am happy to finally share my thoughts with you guys!

First up is the By Nature Hydrating Day Crème SPF 15 RRP: $9.99 NZD

Infused with Collagen and Vitamin E Created from New Zealand’s natural environment using the finest native resources, this smooth and hydrating day crème will leave your skin soft and nourished while protecting against damaging environmental conditions.

It is vital that my daily moisturiser contains an SPF, mainly because most of the foundations I use don’t have one. And since we all know that using an SPF is the ONLY way to prevent premature aging from sun damage… it’s a must have! 

After cleansing in the morning, I smooth this cream all over my face and neck and every time I am amazed at how rapidly it absorbs into the skin! SPF moisturisers quite often actually take longer to absorb because of the sunscreen in them, but that’s not the case with this. It also leaves my skin feeling really soft and hydrated.

My skin often gets very irritated by most products, but I find this to be really soothing which I think may be due to the Vitamin E and Manuka Honey in it. This is definitely one of my favourite products from the range.

Next is the By Nature Replenishing Night Crème RRP: $9.99 NZD

Infused with Organic Rosehip Oil, Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid & Aloe Vera. Created by using the finest pristine New Zealand resources, this replenishing night crème will help repair and rejuvenate your skin from the harsh environmental damages that is has faced throughout the day.

I’m gonna be honest here, I’m notorious for not using Night Creams. In the past I have tried them, and woken up with a greasy face – not cool! And they always make me break out.

With that in mind, I wasn’t really too keen to give this a go.  I really did expect to have the same results as I’ve always had in the past. However, I am happy to say that was not the case!
It really felt like it was deeply moisturising my skin, without me waking up to a greasy face. Instead I woke to soft, smooth skin with no breakouts! 

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!
Thanks for viewing!
oxo