Recapping the year - 2013

Can you believe that the year is almost over? Is it just me, or are the years going faster and faster the older you get? Well,  I won't dwell on that and instead I'll do a quick recap of my year 2013. Here are 13 random things that I posted about in 2013.

1. I started the year 6 months post partum and trying to lose the baby weight. Link to post HERE.  

2. And told you why I, a bright lipstick lover, hardly ever wore bright lippies anymore. Yes, my little boy had something to do with it! Link HERE. 

3. I showed you my quick beauty tip to looking more awake. Link HERE.

4. I did a post on how I fill in my sparse eyebrows. Link HERE.

5. Then asked you to guess which look cost me $100 and which cost $300. HERE. 

6. I went back to work after having a baby, and trying to see how this whole work/life balance thing would work. Link HERE. 

7. I gave you the lowdown on different mascara wand types, and what effect each has on your lashes. Link HERE.

8. Then I did some nail art and show you how in this tutorial. Link HERE. 

9. I shared my recipe for low fat tiramisu, and yes, it is full on deliciousness! Link HERE.

10. I caved and I bought MAC RiRi Woo. Link HERE. 

11. My son turned 1 year old. Link HERE.

12. We took a family holiday to Europe. Link HERE.

13. And finally, I shared my everyday contouring routine. Link HERE.

So there you have it, that was my year 2013 according to the blog. I'm looking forward to a fantastic 2014, especially all the new milestones that my son (who is almost 18months now!) will be reaching. Here's hoping that your year was a good one, and that next year will be even better!

Happy New Year everyone!

Femme Boulevard: NYE Makeup

Hi ladies, with the end of year being just 3 days away we decided for this month's Femme Boulevard we would do a New Years Eve look. This year for NYE we're having a small get together at our place, so I'll be keeping my look sparkly but not over the top. If there ever is a time to wear sparkly makeup, it's NYE don't you think?

Here's the look that I'll be doing, a glittery smokey eye with glossy lips.

Products used

Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood Collection

Before I start my blog post I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a Very Merry Christmas! I wish you all the best for this joyous time and beyond! I can't believe Christmas is here TOMORROW, and the thing I'm most looking forward to is seeing my 17 month old son's face when he opens his presents in the morning. He's getting toys, clothes and more toys and that's just from the hubby and I. He's going to be one spoilt little monkey tomorrow but I wouldn't have it any other way. What are you looking forward to tomorrow? 

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Would you believe I've never tried Bobbi Brown makeup? Shocking, I know! Their gel eyeliners are legendary (and have also been on my shopping list for a while now) and their complexion products have a reputation as being some of the best in the industry. Well I now finally have the chance to trial some of their products when I received a lovely surprise package containing 3 items from the Old Hollywood Collection which is available at Bobbi Brown counters now.

They just ooze glam and sophistication, don't you think?

How to wear purple lipstick no matter your skintone

A lot of people I know are too scared to wear purple on their lips. They're worried they might look sick, or worse, like a corpse. And some of their worries are justified as purple is a cool shade and if you're not careful it can drain your face of colour. Me however, I love purple lipsticks! Since Pantone has announced Radiant Orchid as the colour of 2014, I've teamed up with 2 other purple loving ladies to give you our top tips on how to get away with purple lipsticks whether you're fair, medium or dark complexioned. 

My beauty confessions

I read a lot of beauty blogs, I read a lot of beauty magazines, and look I even have a beauty blog of my own so it goes without saying that there are certain things that I know I shouldn't do when it comes to taking care of my hair, skin and nails... but... I still do it. So what beauty sins do I commit? Plenty! 

Here are my confessions.

Palette Crazy (SPONSORED)

I think you have all figured out by now  how crazy I am about a good eyeshadow palette. I once travelled to 6 cities in 3 countries to try to track down the original UD Naked Palette in Sephora (read all about it HERE). I have quite a few palettes and most get a good rotation, with my Lorac Pro and Laura Mercier Luxe Wardrobe being my latest favourites. But do you think owning so many palettes is enough to curb my appetite? Nope! Not at all. Here are the latest palettes I'm lusting after. I think if there was a Sephora in Australia I'd go broke! Although considering the palettes I want are all around the $50AUD mark I guess it won't break the bank.

(PS: You'll see my list is missing the Naked 3 - that's because so far it's not doing it for me so I'm unsure if I'll even get it).

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills She Wears It Well palette 

2. Lorac Pro To Go Eye and Cheek Palette

3. Kat Von D True Romance Palette

4. Tarte Amazonian Clay Eye and Cheek Palette

5. Sephora Collection It Palette in Smokey

All these are palettes that are available in Sephora, and currently the only way you can get them if you're in Australia is through Tarazz. In case you haven't heard, apparently Sephora has banned purchases being sent to parcel forwarding addresses (read about it HERE), however as Tarazz is not a parcel forwarding address this does not affect them. In fact the Sephora website itself points back to Tarazz for Australian purchases.

Personally I've never used a parcel forwarding service as it's seemed too cumbersome, I have however made a couple of purchases via Tarazz and been extremely happy with both the service and speed of delivery. Their shipping fees are on the pricey side, but they are comparable to parcel forwarding services plus they give us access to brands not available in Australia, such as Tarte, Anastasia Beverly Hills and Lorac, so I can't really complain. Please note that not all Sephora brands are available through Tarazz, e.g. NARS and Urban Decay, but that's due to a licensing matter.


Competition Alert!!!
Did I mention Tarazz is also currently having a 12 days of Christmas giveaway where you can win different beauty prizes every day? Head on over HERE and enter!

What are your current favourite palettes? Have you shopped via Tarazz before?

*This post is sponsored by Tarazz

Ding Dong, Avon calling

When I got my first proper grown up job I used to work with a girl who did Avon on the side. Each month she'd come around with the latest Avon catalogue and we'd sit around the lunchroom and write our orders down. Then a fortnight later my little Avon haul (not that I called it a haul back then, I wasn't into this whole beauty blogging lingo back then!) would arrive. I mainly ordered lipsticks. Surprise, surprise. Then when I moved on from that work place I lost touch with my Avon lady and never actually found another one so no more Avon for me... until I was sent a generous package by them.

The products that I gravitated towards were of course the lipsticks. Yeah yeah, I'm predictable, I know! The 2 colours I'm showing you today are my absolute favourite of the Ultra Color range which contains a total of 18 shades (which you can see HERE). They're both very creamy, very pigmented and while their lasting power isn't exactly the best they feel so great on that you won't mind reapplying.

L/R: Very Violet and Hibiscus

5 Looks With The Lorac Pro Palette

The Lorac Pro Palette would have to be one of my favourite eyeshadow palettes. While the shades are fairly natural you have enough selection of colours and finishes to create a variety of looks. Here are 5 ways that I wear it, of course for the creative ones out there there are a multitude of looks you can come up with.

Laura Mercier Luxe Colour Wardrobe - my early Christmas present

When the husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas I didn't hesitate in saying I wanted the Laura Mercier Luxe Colour Wardobe. I'm a s*cker for a good palette, and this one looked perfect! Unfortunately it was initially sold out but luckily they got more stock in so the husband snapped it up for me from David Jones. Yay. And because he knows I couldn't wait until Christmas, he let me have it now. Thank you honey!

So is it as perfect a palette as I thought it was? Oooh you bet it is! I am absolutely IN. LOVE. WITH. IT. It's a dual decker palette that contains 8 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 bronzer/shimmer powder, 3 cake eyeliners, 1 pencil eyeliner and 3 brushes which are actually useable. Plus it comes in an elegant brown case. So lush.

Rediscovering an old favourite - Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

A few years ago the only mascara I used to use was Max Factor False Lash Effect in Black. It was (and still is) quite perfect for me - adds lots of volume, lengthens, curls and doesn't flake off. But then when I started blogging I also started trying lots of different mascaras and just forgot about this. Also truth be told, at $25AUD this is at the higher end of the "drugstore" mascaras so whenever I needed a new one I went for Maybelline or CoverGirl which were around $10 cheaper. But a few weeks ago when Priceline had their 40% off all cosmetics sale I thought I'd revisit my old favourite.

And?

And it's still great! The thick wand and plastic bristles still give lots of volume, still adds lovely length and doesn't make my lashes crunchy. The the only thing I don't like about it is that it needs to be "aged". What do I mean by that? This mascara is slightly too watery when you first use it, so normally when I buy it I open the tube, use it a couple of times then leave it for a week or so. During that "ageing" time it gets thicker and coats my lashes much better than when new.

Wearing 2 coats of Max Factor False Lash Effect in Black

So will I repurchase? Yes of course, but only when on sale. Because I can't guarantee that next time I need a mascara ones in the $10-15 price point won't grab me first.

Have you tried this mascara? Thoughts?

Radiant Orchid: Pantone's Colour for 2014

If you follow me on Instagram (@lilitsblog) then you probably saw how excited I was about Pantone announcing the colour of 2014 as Radiant Orchid. Pantone describes Radiant Orchid as having pink, purple and fuchsia undertones. Those are gorgeous shades so expect to see more shades like that creeping into the beauty and fashion world next year.

If you've ever browsed my archives then chances are you've noticed I love pinks, purples and fuchsias! In fact I did a "face of the day" post using purple tones just a few days ago. Over the next few days I'll go through my makeup stash and do a round up post of all things "Radiant Orchid", but in the meantime here are some radiant orchid things for inspiration.

The pictures starting from top left are:

• Image of orchids via HERE
• Lancome Rouge In Love lipstick in Violette Coquette
• Illamasqua nail varnish in Velocity
• Make Up For Ever blush in Lavender 9
• MAC Cremesheen Glass in Japanese Spring
• Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Violet
• Image of Mila Kunis via HERE

PS: If you'd like to know how Pantone selects the colours of the year you can visit their website HERE.

Do you like this colour that Pantone has chosen for 2014?

Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick Worn 2 Ways

When it comes to getting ready in a hurry you can't beat the convenience of crayon eyeshadows. This particular one from Laura Mercier, called Caviar Stick, is a favourite in the beauty world and having had a chance to try it out* I can see why! Besides the choice of gorgeous colours it comes in, it's easy to apply, you don't need brushes and can easily blend with your fingertips. But best of all, it's super super long lasting. I tend to stay away from creamy eyeshadows because I have semi-hooded lids and they tend to crease on me, but this one has no creasing whatsoever.

The colour I have is Sugar Frost, which is from the mini Caviar Eye Stick collection ($45 for 4 shades from David Jones) which I wear 2 ways.