Life Isn't Necessarily What We Imagined It As, Hey?

Today is a bit more of a personal post that I just felt writing after the last week or two. It's a bit out of the norm for me to write something like this but I figure life is about getting out of your comfort zone so why not?

Photo credit: Pop Sugar

Favourite Haircare Products

I've always had an ongoing battle with my hair whether it's split or dry ends or I'm simply just bored with it. Today I'd write up a little post to share with you all my favourite haircare products. Let's keep in mind that I'm a lot more into makeup than hair so it's only a little list but a list none the less.

Top Tips For Luscious Lips

If you're anything like me, you'll be in a constant battle with your lips to make them look nice whether you're wearing nothing on them, a little bit of lip balm or a bright, matte lipstick. Over the years I've figured out some easy ways to ensure you're lips are soft, supple and ready for anything.

MAC Lipstick Collection

Walking into a MAC store is like heaven to me but it also kills me. How many options can a girl have to choose from?! It's pretty overwhelming and 90% of the time, I get so confused and just walk out. Today I thought I would show you which lipsticks I have managed to make a decision and add to my collection over time. I've only got a little collection of 6 but I'm sure it's going to grow to a whole lot more over time.

Monthly Favourites | October 2015

So I've been quite MIA on here but after buying a backdrop for photos and my boyfriend purchasing a new camera, I'm feeling a little more inspired and am wanting to get back into the swing of blogging. To get back into it all I thought I'd start with my October favourites. These are the products I've been absolutely loving over the past month or two!

Beauty Things I Suck At

In the beauty world, there are some things I've found I'm quite good at and others which can be a complete disaster. We all can't be good at everything, right? So here's what I'm not so good at...

How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes

Asking around, I have been so shocked to find that quite a few people don't realise the importance of washing your makeup brushes! Not only do they look a million times better when they're clean but it also stops the build up of bacteria which can lead to break outs on your face. Depending on the number of brushes you own, it can be a time consuming process but so worth it (especially for the satisfying feeling you get when it's all done!). So today I'm going to tell you what I use and how I get my brushes all clean.

Lipsticks for Spring

Spring is in the air! Finally! As I'm writing this post, Melbourne is having one of their first perfect Spring days of the year. It's so beautiful outside so I thought I would whip out my current favourite lipsticks for Spring. Knowing me, I'll be buying a few more lipsticks that sit with the Spring theme in the next coming months but here are some picks I thought I would share with you.

Monthly Favourites | August 2015

The end of August already? You know what that means, right? SPRING! Finally! Here's to pretty spring scenery and warmer weather. I am so excited. 
So as it's the end of another month, I'm here to talk about my favourites for the last couple of months. 

Katy Perry Royal Revolution

Priceline recently had another one of their crazy sales and this time it was 50% off all perfume. So of course I had to go pick something up. I absolutely love Marc Jacob's perfumes but this time I thought I would mix it up so I went with Katy Perry's Royal Revolution. As it was all half price, I grabbed the 100mL bottle for $35 which I thought was an amazing price.

Stila Eyes Are The Window Eyeshadow Palette

I was recently gifted the Stila Eyes Are The Window Palette in Soul from the lovely ladies at my previous store as a farewell present. I was so blown away with their generosity (as well as how well they know me!). I haven't been able to get enough of this palette since receiving it. It has such a beautiful selection of colours as well as the famous Kitten shade.

Products I've Repurchased

As a beauty addict, I'm always up for trying something. Whether it be a new formula, a new colour or a completely new product, I'm totally there. Today I thought I would stick to what I know and show you the products that I have loved so much that I've had to repurchase them. I mean after all, they do say to stick with what you know, hey?

Beauty Wishlist | July 2015

There's always a few things on my wishlist and I seem to be constantly adding more and more onto it. I'm going to blame all the frequent new releases! Today I thought I would share with you the products I'm lusting after at this very moment. 

Simple Sunday MOTD

For me, Sundays are usually spent shopping, getting brunch and catching up with friends. During the week, I enjoy experimenting with all of my makeup and you can usually catch me doing something different everyday but on the weekends I like to keep it simple unless I'm heading out at night. This is my current go to makeup look for Sundays (because on Monday, I'll probably be wearing no makeup at all!).

Monthly Favourites | June 2015

About a month ago, I made the decision to do a favourites post once every two months so here I am today with my favourites for the month of June. I figure having a favourites posts up every month is some serious overkill especially when I tend to stick to the same products a lot of the time. So without further ado, let's get straight into it!

Maybelline Rebel Bloom Lipsticks

Yet another new makeup release that is going to send me broke. Why do I have such an expensive hobby? Honestly, I ask myself this every day but either way I just can't help myself. Especially when one of my favourite brands at Priceline releases a new collection! As well as the new Rebel Bloom lipstick collection, they've also released a new mascara, foundation, eyeshadows, eyeliner, and the list goes on. So if you find yourself anywhere near a Priceline, make sure to check it all out.

Combatting with Clearasil

I've been a consumer of Clearasil products since I was just a little teenager, using their cleansers and moisturisers to clear up whatever puberty was throwing at my skin (which, luckily for me, wasn't much!). Either way, they've never done any wrong by me so today I thought I would show you a couple of great products that you might like to add to your skin care routine.

Benefit Roller Lash

Today I am here with a little review of a mascara I recently picked up. After seeing so many reviews across the blogging world and YouTube, I just had to pick it up! It's Benefit's most recently released mascara, Roller Lash.

The Battle Of The Maybelline Eyeliners

Maybelline is definitely one of the favourites at the drugstore. Their variety of products and colours is forever being updated. I'm always hearing people rave about all their products, not just a specific range. Today I thought I would talk a little about three of their eyeliners in my collection. 

Jessup 15pc Makeup Brush Set

The things you can find on eBay hey? I stumbled across this 15pc set of makeup brushes one day on eBay and recently made the choice to go ahead and buy them. I bought them for around $21 including postage for the whole set and they arrived within 2 weeks. I think these brushes are perfect for those starting out as you really do get everything you'd need. 

Happy Birthday Life, Love and Lipstick!

Hello lovely people! Yesterday marked one year since I posted my first post on this blog so I just wanted to post something short to commemorate it!

Photo credit: Paperblog

When I first started this blog, I was so nervous of what people thought and would say about it but after a few months I started getting quite a of feedback and questions regarding my content. Having friends and family come to me for advice on makeup and skincare or even just having them tell me that they read my blog (even my 22 year old brother!) is such a confidence booster and I can't tell you how much I really appreciate. 

This blog is my little hobby on the side and I'm absolutely loving it and can't wait to see what's to come! I'm so proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something that I love. 

What would you like to see from Life, Love and Lipstick in the future? Let me know in the comments below!

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette vs Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette

Some would say that you don't need both Chocolate Bar Palettes from Too Faced. I disagree. I couldn't help myself but to pick up the second one, the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette. I mean honestly, how could I deny myself more chocolatey-smelling eye shadow goodness?

Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream

After using this twice daily for about a month, I thought I would post a quick review on this product. It's worked wonders for me and if you're in the market for a new eye cream and unsure which one to get, this is definitely one to consider. It's the Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream and I picked mine up from Mecca for $39. The little tub contains 15ml of product and I can see it lasting quite a while considering you only use the tiniest amount each time.

Current Favourite Makeup Brushes

The trick to ensure your makeup is applied flawlessly is to have the right tools. Good quality makeup can only do so much so having some great brushes can really help the finished look. So today I'm going to show you five of my favourite brushes that I like to use when applying my makeup.

Is It Time To Throw Out Any Of Your Makeup?

Recently I became victim to an expired mascara and let me tell you know, it was not a pretty sight. I had always been quite ignorant towards makeup expiry dates thinking that it'd never effect me and that continuing to use a product just that little bit longer was okay. Oh how wrong I was. So in reference to this, today's post is about the expiration of makeup and when it is the right time to throw things out.

Photo credit: Perfume Expert

Monthly Favourites | April 2015

And once again, we're moving onto another month of the year. We're closing in on the middle of the year and we're all left wondering the same old question, where is the year going? So again, I'm here with a monthly favourites post including beauty products and miscellaneous things. 

Skincare Routine

A current skincare routine is one of my most requested posts on Life, Love and Lipstick. Im lucky to have been blessed with such good skin and I'm so appreciate of it. I only ever have to deal with the occasional pimple which doesn't stick around long at all but I think having some sort of skincare routine in place keeps it like that.

Make Your Cheeks Glow With Nars

After being gifted a few Nars products for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I have found the perfect lit from within look featuring three of their most talked about products. These include their bronzer in Laguna, blush in Orgasm and highlighter in Albatross (Nars really have a knack for naming shades!). Without any further ado, let's get into it.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

For those of us in Australia, Mother's Day is creeping up on us. Finding the perfect gift to thank one of most important people in our lives for all that they do is one of the hardest things. I thought I would come up with a little list of a few good presents for those of you stuck for ideas.

Photo credit: Heart Kids Victoria & Tasmania

Top Tips To Lift Your Mood

Sometimes things get you down and that's okay. It may be work, a particular person, something that happened or you may just find yourself wanting to curl up in bed and avoid the world. I thought I'd throw out my top tips to lift your mood and get you ready to take on the world again.

Happy Birthday To Me!

It's that time of year again. I'm another year older and hopefully another year wiser. It was my 24th birthday on Sunday the 12th of April and to say that  got spoilt is well and truly an understatement. I was so grateful for all the love and presents I received. I thought I would show you all the makeup I was given (everyone who knows me knows that makeup is the way to my heart). 

Wedding Guest Makeup Picks

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited along to my cousin's wedding which was held at a beautiful winery in the South of Victoria. The weather was perfect for March and the scenery was breathtaking. I thought I would share with you my top makeup picks for the day that I couldn't go without.

Top Autumn/Winter Lip Picks

With Autumn being well and truly here in Melbourne, I thought I would share you with my top picks for Autumn/Winter lips. I love a bold lip any time of year so I thought I would show you what I love to wear in the cooler months.

Totem by Cirque Du Soleil

Anyone who knows me well knows that it has been a dream of mine since childhood to see a Cirque Du Soleil show. I'm lucky enough to have an amazing boyfriend who bought tickets for us to see their latest performance, Totem. In Melbourne it is being held at Flemington Racecourse but it's only here for one more week. They'll be leaving after the 29th of March. 

To sum it all up, I was absolutely blown away by every aspect of the whole show. The thought and creativity behind those costumes and makeup is unbelievable. The music was beautiful, the vibe was incredible and the talent of the performers was just out of this world.

I honestly can't speak highly enough of it. I was so overwhelmed when it all came to a close, realising that I'd finally had my dream come true (as cheesy as that sounds). Seeing this performance meant so much to me so if you love watching any kind of artistic performance I highly recommend you go see Cirque Du Soleil.

Did you see Cirque Du Soleil while they were in town? What did you think of it?

Australis Velourlips Matte Lip Creams

This is one range of products that I was so unsure about when I first purchased it. I tried it a few times and then left for them for quite a while, not really bothering with giving them more of a go. It wasn't until a couple of months ago when I was going through my collection that I came across them again and figured I may as well experiment a little more to figure out how to make them work for me!

Monthly Favourites - February

Where did February go? I honestly can't keep up with this year. Next thing you know, it'll be Christmas again. I swear the older you get the quicker time goes. It's ridiculous.

Today I thought I'd share a few of my favourites from the month of February. So enough rambling and let's get straight into it.

Nkd Scrub - Coffee

Today I'm going to rave about another product from the Nkd Body line by Brittney Lee Saunders. It's the Nkd Scrub in Coffee. I picked it up at the same time as the hair mask and I've been loving it as well! Coffee scrubs have become the big hit of 2014 and 2015 as well by the looks of it. This is the only one I've tried so far so I don't really have anything to compare it to but as you'll see I'm definitely okay with it.

Mecca Maxima Haul | February 2015

Today I thought I would share with you what I've picked up recently from Mecca Maxima. Everytime I step into that store, I just want to buy everything but I have to choose wisely otherwise my bank account would hate me. So without further ado, here are the two products I've recently purchased.

Current Favourite YouTube Channels

Today I thought we could chat about YouTube and the channels that I am regularly watching. These channels are all beauty channels as that's really all I watch on YouTube. Sometimes I might watch random vlogs or cat videos but my subscriptions are all about the beauty! So let's get straight into it.

Firstly, my number one favourite would have to be Shannon Harris from Shaanxo. There are so many reasons why I love her channel! She uploads three times a week, has a wide range of different videos and watching her just never gets old. She's so natural and down to earth and I really trust her opinion. She uses a great selection of drugstore and high end products and gives honest advice about everything. I would highly recommend subscribing to this lovely lady!

NKD Hair - Citrus

One thing about watching so many people on YouTube is that when they develop and produce their own products you can't help but to automatically put them on your wish list. Brittney Lee Saunders on YouTube has recently developed her own line of skin and hair care products. After hearing her endlessly talk up her products (I mean, who wouldn't get that excited about their own brand?), I just had to jump onto NKD body and pick up a couple of items. 

Australis AC ON TOUR Contouring and Highlighting Kit

It took forever to get my hands on this bad boy and after all that time I'm kind of sitting on the fence about this product. Some claim for it to be a dupe of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit yet some absolutely hate it. So when I finally got this into my possession, I was quite curious as to how I would find it.

Top Tips For A Healthy Relationship

I'm absolutely no relationship expert, marriage counsellor or even been in so many relationships that I'd have a lot of previous experience to draw from. In no way am I saying I have the perfect relationship or that it's any better than all the others out there but after hitting the three year mark in my relationship, I believe I've got at least some good advice to give. I mean, I must be doing something right, yes?

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat

This beautiful product was given to me as a gift at Christmas time andI do not remember a time that I have fallen more in love with a product's packaging. It's amazing simple gold packaging just sells the whole thing, you don't even need to LOOK inside! This one is definitely on the higher end of the price scale coming in at $46 at Mecca for 4.2g of product. 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Who loves to know that they've cleaned every last bit of makeup off their face? I know I do! I picked up the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water a few months ago and have found myself using it religiously ever since. It's known to be a drugstore dupe of the Bioderma Cleansing Water and with it being so much cheaper, how could I go past it?

I'll admit, I do use makeup wipes to get rid of the bulk of my makeup at the end of each day but ever since introducing this cleansing water into my nightly routine, I no longer feel guilty about what I'm leaving on my face. You'd think after giving your face a good cleanse with a makeup wipe, you'd be good to go, right? Absolutely not. The first time I used the cleansing water, I did my usual routine with a makeup wipe and then grabbed a few cotton pads to wipe down my face after. I put a generous amount of the cleansing water onto the pad and even after a few wipes, I got such a massive shock as to what was still on my face! From that day on, I HAD to include the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water into my routine.

It doesn't leave your face feeling sticky or like it's covered in residue and it seems to remove every last bit of makeup left on my face. It's gentle enough to remove eye makeup but unfortunately doesn't get ALL waterproof makeup off. I highly recommend this product to anyone wanting an easy way to remove their makeup. And for only $11.99 from Priceline, you really can't go wrong. 

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Before Christmas, I had never owned a box powder from Benefit and obviously didn't understand the hype yet. For Christmas I received the Hoola Bronzer and now I get it! I finally see what everyone is going on about. 

To start with, the packaging is really cute. It's just a little purple-ish coloured box with some bamboo and a lily orchid on the front. The box holds 8g of product as well. It comes with a mini contouring brush which I actually think is quite decent and use it on the regular with this particular product. 

This bronzer is the perfect shade for contouring and from what I've seen it's quite universal as well. It's a matte bronzer with quite a cool undertone so it doesn't look orange on the skin at all. 

The amazing thing about this product is how versatile it is. You can use it just to warm up your face, to contour or even as an eyeshadow! This is why it's so worth the expensive price tag.

Have you given this bronzer a go? What did you think about it?

Top 5 Lipsticks

Today I thought I would share my current top 5 lipsticks with you. Lipstick is my thing and I'm constantly wanting more even though I always seem to gravitate towards the same shade of pink!

#1 Face of Australia Lip Quench Lipstick in Peaches and Cream
I picked this up about a month ago and I have been absolutely loving it. It's the perfect shade for those days when I don't want to deal with the upkeep of a bright lipstick. It's beautifully moisturising and creamy on the lips. 

#2 MAC lipstick in Creme Cup
This is one of their Cremesheen formula lipsticks and it's a perfect everyday colour. It's just a lovely pink shade and the formula is super creamy and smooth on the lips. This was my first MAC lipstick and I've loved it since day one. I think this will be one of the first lipsticks I use up completely!

#3 Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Vivid Rose
This is one of those shades that I unintentionally gravitate towards. I have so many lipsticks in this shade but I can't get enough! Maybelline do really well with their lipsticks. The formulas are great, lasting power is great and colour selection is great as well. One of the best lipstick collections in the drugstore and this colour is just one of my collection.

#4 MAC lipstick in Show Orchid
This one I got for Christmas from my Mum and I've been reaching for it quite often since. It's a gorgeous pink with a blue undertone. It's one of their Amplified formulas and I am absolutely in love. It gives off such a nice sheen when first applied and the lasting power is amazing as well. You just can't go past MAC lipsticks.

#5 Lime Crime Velvetine in Red Velvet
This is my go to red lipstick. Lime Crime has done an incredible job with the Velvetines. They are a liquid lipstick that dries to a complete matte finish and does not budge. I wore this on the day of my dance concerts and it lasted the whole time up until I ate a mango (it lasted through all other food though!).