I'm back.....

Hey guys!

After a long hiatus (nearly 3 years!) I've decided to come back and join the blogging community. I've got some great ideas for this space and I am really excited to get back into it. I thought I would let you know what I've been doing with myself since I've been gone. Basically, I've been studying at uni which has taken up the majority of my time, as well as working casually. Apart from that, nothing major has happened (which sounds kind of sad haha).

I hope some of you are still following and willing to take this journey with me.

Lots of Love,

Sportsgirl Eye Palette

Hey Beauties,

Before I start this post I just want to mention bloglovin. Most of you know by now that GFC will be disappearing very soon! The best way to keep up to date with all the blogs you love is to transfer everything over to bloglovin. It's really easy and there's a step by step process on their website to show you exactly what to do. If you want to keep up to date with this blog then feel free to follow me via bloglovin by clicking here or on the follow button to the right. Anyway, onto the actual blog post.

I recently purchased a Sportsgirl Eye Palette which I am really impressed with,  so I thought I would share it with you beauties! I was actually surprised at how good these eye shadows are, especially considering the palette was only $9.95. I bought the Desert Haze palette which comes with 6 colours, ranging from a light cream colour to a dark shimmery grey. They are very pigmented and are very easy to work with. Sportsgirl also have a blue palette so I'll definitely go and get that one! I know the packaging isn't amazing but this really doesn't bother me. Love it!

 xoxoxo Em

Beauty Haul

Hey Beauties!

So I've got another haul for you all today :) YAY more stuff :P A place called Chemist Warehouse has a huge sale on at the moment - basically everything is 50% off. I know right, amazing. Admittedly, they don't have a huge range of products but they do sell Revlon, Rimmel, Maybelline and Sally Hansen which is good enough for me!

As I said, all cosmetics were 50% off, so I went a little bit insane at first, but calmed down and only picked things that I have been looking at and wanting for a while. So the first thing I picked up was a Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter. I've wanted one of these for a really long time! Basically since they first came out. The only problem I've encountered is the price of them (at least in Australia). The usually sell for $21.95 which I refuse to pay for this product. Sure it might be great but I know you can pick them up for like $10 in the US so I'm holding a grudge :P With the added discount, I was able to pick one up for $10.95 which I thought was much more acceptable and jumped at the chance of getting one. After much deliberation I chose the colour Cupcake. If you've read my past blogs you probably know that I tend to wear pink lip sticks the majority of the time. So this is the perfect colour. It's a baby pink with a slight shimmer to it. Love it! I should have picked up a couple more (I was looking at strawberry shortcake) at that price so I might be going back - I think the sale is on for another week or so.

The second item I picked up is quite similar to the first. It's a Revlon Kissable Lip Stain in the colour Cherish which is, again, a gorgeous light pink colour. I like that its a twisty end (you don't have to sharpen it) so it's easy to use when you run low! I've tested this out once (last night) and really liked the colour - but it did make my lips really dry! This doesn't worry me too much but next time I use it I will have to put some lip balm on first. Also, this is a stain, which means the colour stays on a really long time. About half way through the dinner I felt like there was nothing on my lips so I went to the bathroom to reapply. To my surprise the colour was still completely there!!

Next I bought a Rimmel eyeshadow. I think this is going to make the perfect smokey eye look. It has 5 colours in it and they are quite pigmented which is great. I haven't has a chance to try this out yet, but from the swatches I think its going to be really good.

I also picked up a Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer. I've heard some really great reviews about this product and I have been needing a new concealer for a while now. I'm not to sure about the brush on the end - I've never used any applicators like this before but i'm more than willing to give it a try :) Does anyone know if you are supposed to wash the brush on the end after each use? Or just put the lid on it for the next use. Let me know in the comment section below! I've used this once and it covered up the dark circles under my eyes really well (It's exam time so I haven't been getting as much sleep as I need).

Lastly I picked up some Sally Hansen nail polishes. I have yet to try any of the Gem Crush collection, so I was really excited when I saw these were 50% off. I decided to get Be-Jeweled (05) which is a purple and pink glitter polish. I haven't tried it out yet, but I've seen other people wearing it and loved it - so i'm sure I will as well. I also picked up two more of the Xtreme Wear nail colour range. Sun Kissed (150) which is a vibrant orange and Pacific Blue (420) which is a beautiful periwinkle blue colour. I think pacific blue might be my new favourite (if it applies the same colour) because it looks like such a wearable colour. We'll have to wait and see :P

So that's what I got. I feel like my makeup collection is rapidly increasing so maybe it's time to slow down a bit .... nah! :P

Hope you enjoyed this haul, if you have any of these products let me know what you think of them in the comment section below!

xoxoxo
Em

Models Prefer at Priceline: Haul

Hey Beauties! 

That's right, another haul within 3 weeks. Ahhh, my bank account hates me haha. Priceline released their winter catalogue a couple of weeks ago and I, of course, went to check out all the goodies on offer. There were a lot of great things on sale, but most were like 3 for 2 promotions - when really I didn't want 2 products! The only one that looked interesting was a promotion for the Models Prefer range at Priceline.

For those of you who don't know, Models Prefer is Priceline's own brand of beauty products (which is why they are always at the front of the cosmetics aisle!). I usually walk straight past this stand and onto Maybelline and Rimmel, but this time something caught my eye. They had an offer where if you spend over $20.00 you receive a free Models Prefer gift pack worth over $40.00. Now, being someone who has never used these products before, I thought this promotion was a great way to sample some of their products without having to pay for them all!

Models Prefer cosmetic products are all under $20.00 and all of their brushes and applicators are under $25.00 - so they are very reasonably priced. To spend over $20.00 I ended up buying a lipstick and a mineral eyeshadow duo.

The Moisture Lust Lipstick I bought is in the shade cupcake (035) which is a gorgeous pink. The swatch hasn't come up very well in the photo above (sorry!!) but you can check out all the colours on the Priceline website by clicking here. The formula of this lipstick is quite buttery and feels nice on the lips - more like a tinted balm perhaps. The colour comes out sheer but is definitely buildable without it settling into cracks on the lip which is always a plus. I've had this lipstick for about a week now and keep finding myself reaching for it because it's such an easy to use lipstick for everyday wear - in terms or colour and ease of application.

The eyeshadow duo was a last second addition. Like I said before, I had to spend over $20.00 to receive the gift pack so I was tossing up over a few different products. However, these eye shadow duo's caught my eye at the last second. The packaging is cute, the pigmentation is amazing and the colour range is great - so overall it's an amazing product for $9.95. Enough said!

In the free gift pack, there was another lipstick (different range), a bronzer, a nail polish and a lip gloss! Whenever I get free gift packs, I'm always worried that they're going to put all of the bad colours in that aren't selling very well. I was pleasantly surprised when I received a nude shimmer lip gloss, a beautiful pink lipstick and a dark purple nail polish - all things that I will use!

Bronzer is one of those products I never really buy. I have one or two lying around and use them occasionally, but most of the time I don't feel a real need to use it. I gave this one a go and it's really good - it applies smoothly and gives me that sun-kissed look. I do like it but can't really tell you if it's worth buying or not because, like I said, I don't use them often enough. 

This is a picture of the dark purple nail polish I received (not the colour on my nails! Just in the bottle :P). I haven't has the chance to use it yet, but look out for a new 'nails of the day' soon. I don't tend to wear darker colour on my finger nails as I tend to like bright colours, but I will definitely use this on my toes. I think it will make for a cute pedicure colour :)

The lipstick I received in the pack is a different collection from the first. The colour I received is called Fresh Faced which is a strawberry red colour. I do like the colour but the scent really gets to me - it smells like watermelon. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not but I really don't like it for some reason. Other than that it is a great products but the smell turns me off it!

This is probably my favourite product in the pack. A nude shimmer lipgloss! The formula is a little bit sticky! But nothing to worrisome. It applies smoothly and leaves a gorgeous shimmery lip colour.

This pack was definitely worth spending the $20.00 and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to test out some Models Prefer products. I think this is also great for people like me, who never really noticed this brand before, because it has showed me that these products are of high quality whilst remaining on the cheaper side. If you've never tried these products before, give them a go. They're on the cheaper side and really great quality - especially the eye shadow duo!

xoxoxo

Em

What's in my Bag? Part 2

So here it is! Part 2 of the What's in my bag post.

1. My phone. I currently have the iPhone 4 and I really like it. The battery lasts me at least a full day but I do tend to charge it every night. I haven't yet dropped it but it seems durable enough (I've had it for nearly a year and a half and have never dropped it! Seriously skilled). As long as it keeps working I don't think I'll be upgrading anytime soon.

2. My keys. I'm one of those people who have a million things on their keys! I've got my house key, car key, another key that I'm not entirely sure what it's for, and then just a bunch of random key rings I've picked up on my travels. And yes, that is the deathly hallows symbol from Harry Potter, well spotted.

3. Sunglasses. I've never owned an expensive pair of sunglasses because I get bored of them so quickly. I tend to just buy $20 or $30 pairs from shops such as Forever New, Sportsgirl, Dotti etc.. This pair I currently have is super scratched so I definitely need to pick up a new pair. Not entirely sure, but I think this pair is from Sportsgirl.

4. Lip balm. This is a must for me. If I don't have my lip balm on me when I need it I get really stressed. 

5. Concealer. Just in case any touch ups are needed throughout the day. I use Maybelline Fit Me Concealer at the moment. I've written a blog review on it if you want to go check it out. 

6. Eyeliner. Again, just incase I need to touchup the eyeliner on my waterline.

7. My purse. I have a Jimmy Choo purse that my Dad bought for me when he went on holiday somewhere (It slips my mind). It's starting to get a bit ratty though, I think I've probably had it for nearly three years so it might be time for an upgrade! 

8. Pencil Case. This is only in my bag when I'm going to uni for the day. Can't write notes without pens and highlighters!

9. A small packet of tissues. In Australia, we are heading in to the colder months of the year where I always tend to have a sniffly nose....Winter is coming (anyone get this reference?). 

10. Headphones. These are kind of just shoved in a side pocket for when I'm catching public transport or if I'm at uni studying and there is lots of noise around me - music helps me zone out and focus on what I'm studying.

11. Bottle of water. This is an absolute must. Seriously, you don't want to be around me if I'm thirsty and I don't have water! Therefore, I carry a bottle around everywhere! 

12. Gum/Mentos. Something to chew on when I get bored or hungry :P

13. Hair ties and bobby pins. Just for those situations when you need to tie up your hair. 

14. Camera: Sony FX-100. I always carry my camera around with me just incase inspiration strikes and I need to photograph something. It comes in handy a lot of the time! It's quite a small light camera which makes it easy to fit in my bag. 

15. Laptop (only if needed): MacBook Air 13". I only take this if I'm going in to uni for a couple of hours and I need it to take notes on. Otherwise I leave it out because it just makes my bag way to heavy. I'm thinking about investing in an iPad mini so I can carry that around instead. 

So that's it. It seems like a lot when I write it all out but they're all small things that don't weigh much or take up much room. Let me know if you liked this type of post! If you have made your own 'What's in my Bag' blog post then let me know in the comment section below and I will come and check it out :) Have a great day. 

xoxoxo

Em

Cleo getting in the way!

What's in my Bag? Part 1

So I thought I would mix it up a bit today from the usual beauty product reviews and show you all what is currently in my bag. I love reading blogs on this and watching peoples youtube videos - not entirely sure why but its a strange fascination. 

I recently bought a new bag and I'm super excited about it! Seriously, I have never 100% loved a bag before, but I fell for this one hard! It was one of those purchases that as soon as I saw it sitting there I had to have it - it was calling out to me :P It's from an Australian company called Forever New, I think they are expanding internationally so look out for them. They tend to have really girly, feminine clothing and their accessories are amaze! 

15" Laptop Bag

Simple but stunning

So here it is, the bag that I am head over heals in love with. Yes I know its huge. It's actually classified as a 15" laptop bag, so it has a soft middle pocket where I can carry my laptop. I think what drew me in is the fact that it has so many compartments. I'm a self proclaimed organisation freak - I have a serious problem when it comes to organisation. I really dislike bags where everything is just shoved in and then it takes an hour to find your keys or your phone. With this bag, I can have different groups of things in each section! 

My laptop fits in the middle zipped pocket

Where I keep my everyday things

Where I keep my uni things

I also love the shape of it. Being a uni student, I am always carrying around notebooks and textbooks which tend to bend easily. With this rectangular shape, nothing bends! Everything fits in easy and is super easy to find when needed. The quilted look on the outside is absolutely gorgeous and just adds to my love! I must admit, I've never owned a cream coloured bag. I always tend to go for blacks or really bright colours, so I am a bit nervous about getting it dirty. I took it to uni today and was guarding it with my life - maybe a tad dramatic but still true.

So what do I carry in this enormous bag?

You'll have to wait for Part 2 which will be posted in a couple of days!

xoxoxo

Em

Quilted print

Look at all those compartments!! :P I'm easily pleased

Liebster Award

Hey there Beauties!

Recently Hermione nominated me for a Liebster award which is really exciting! If you haven't heard of this award before, it's basically an award for up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. I'm so appreciative of receiving this acknowledgement because it shows people are actually seeing and liking this blog which means so much to me. So the rules are:

1. Each nominee should answer the 11 questions given by the tagger.

2. Choose 11 bloggers with under 200 followers to pass the award to and link them in your post.

3. Create 11 new questions for the chosen bloggers.

4. Go to their page and tell them about their nomination

5. No tag backs!

So lets get into the questions!

1. What's your middle name and do you like it?

My middle name is Rachael and I really like it. Sometimes I use it as well as my first name: Emily Rachael :)

2. F,Marry, Kill; Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas? 
Haha really? Ok, I would kill (or maybe just brutally harm) Kevin Jonas for making that stupid reality show with his wife, F Nick and marry Joe. No particular reason, just what I would do if I was ever in this likely situation.

3. Myspace or Bebo?

Myspace, although I haven't used either in years!

4. Would you rather live in England or Hawaii.?

ENGLAND!!! I'm very much a winter girl, I love to snuggle up in warm clothes and absolutely love when it's raining. I say this now but I would probably get sick of the weather after a couple of weeks!

5. You can only choose one for the rest of your life, Burger King or Mcdonalds?

I don't really eat fast food! We actually don't get Burger King in Australia so I would have to go for McDonalds.

6. Do you drive? And if so, how many attempts did it take to pass your test and how many minors did you receive, if no, are you learning/planning to learn?

Yes I drive. I managed to pass my test the first time which I wasn't expecting because I was soooo nervous. 

7. Rain or shine?

Rain, always rain!

8. School or College?

I think college (University in Australia). I just find I have a lot more freedom than I did whilst at school. I also think people are a lot more grown up at uni - kids at school can be really mean!

9. How many siblings do you have?

I have one older brother who is currently 23.

10. Can you play any instruments?

I played the flute and the violin whilst at school, but don't remember much of either which I kind of regret now, but at the time I really didn't enjoy learning them.

11. Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Ok, just to be clear I absolutely hate these movies! I think the books are amazing, but the movies were just horrible. If I had to choose a team from the books' descriptions, I would go for team Jacob. 

Ok so those are the answers to the questions Hermione gave me. 

The 10 questions I want to tag are:

1. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go?

2. What is the last movie that you saw at the cinema? Did you like it?

3. What's your favourite song at the moment?

4. Have you ever met any celebrities? Who? If not, who would you most want to meet?

5. What is your biggest fear?

6. What was the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?

7. What is your favourite beauty / skincare brand?

8. What is you favourite board game? Why?

9. Can you speak a second language? If not, what language would you most like to learn?

10. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?

11. What is the one thing you are most proud of?

So those are my 11 question that I tag to the following people:

1. Kate Squire at http://fantasticelements.blogspot.com

2. Crystal DivaLevy at http://nopainnobeauty.blogspot.ca/

3. Chloe Ridout at http://chloeridout.blogspot.com

4. Cait Scott at http://littlemrsbow.blogspot.com

5. Hayley at http://teapartybeauty.blogspot.com

6. Gemma Duncan at http://gemholio.blogspot.com

7. Amelia and Stephanie at http://abeautypiece.blogspot.com

8. Everything Beauty at http://www.ceverythingbeauty.com/

9. Hayley Shorney at http://madhattersnailparty.blogspot.co.uk/

10. Maddi Gale at http://dolcebeautyx.blogspot.com

11. Denzen C at http://aglimmerofme.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading, I hope it was interesting!

xoxoxo

Em