Zoeva

I've finally succumbed to the beauty of these higher end make-up brushes. I was torn between Sigma and Zoeva, but I was intrigued by some of Zoeva's make-up products so I thought I'd give these ago. Plus, they're pretty good looking!

My old brushes - I have a couple of $5 ones from a chemist outlet, are alright. Not that good, just alright. The handles themselves are pretty crappy, but the brush is okay, except for some light shedding.

These Zoeva brushes though, they feel soooooo luxurious. Handles are HEAPS better quality (my old ones frequently separated from the brush part) and the brushes are super soft and dense.

So this is everything I ordered from beautybay (there were a few options for Zoeva products). I got a free Mario Badescu travel set with my order!

The verdict:

• The brushes are amazing.
• The eyeliner is also great - I use it more as a eye shadow by blending it out, and it lasts for a super long time. 
• The lipstick is better than any drugstore brand I have tried. (I have yet to try high-end lip products.) Formula wise, it's creamy, smooth and not too matte or not too glossy. The lid is magnetic too, a bit like the nars lipsticks.

I would highly recommend Zoeva! Their makeup products seem to be on point, as well as being affordable! I am keen to get my hands on the eyeshadow palettes too, they seem to be well worth the money.

♥

First Ever Proper Candle Purchases!

I always thought burning a candle was literally just burning money, but I enjoy the smell so much I can kind of see that a candle is more of an environment accessory - like aromatherapy. I've bought lots of super cheap candles before and now I can immediately tell the difference. Better brands like Glasshouse, Ecoya, Diptyque, Yankee etc are much more pricey but they do burn so much better.

Ecoya's caramelised fig smells divine, like a burnt caramel + nutty scent. If you think Glasshouse Tahaa vanilla is too sickly and sweet but you like the 'caramelised' food sort of smell, you might like this one. It doesn't smell overly like fig which I was a little bit disappointed by, but I still think it smells soooo good. Ecoya candles are almost always full price, as is Glasshouse, but oh my god I got it during a 1-day 40% off sale at Myer *glorious hallelujah music* It was down to $21 from $34.95.

My old manager who is a candle wiz told me that soy wax doesn't spread scent as well and burns faster.
However, I think the smell spreads just fine, and I don't think it burns crazy fast or anything.

I've already used 1/4 of it, and as you can see it's burned very smoothly and there isn't some crater around the wick.

I tried so hard not to light this one until at least end of November... and I failed. It's a Christmas/Autumnal scent which Australia just never has because our Christmas is boiling hot. We don't get crispy red leaves and pudding and pies and mulled wine and beanie season this time of year.

But since I love love love spicy scents - this one basically smells like Christmas spices but a bit lighter, more fresh and fruity, like the woods. Even though it was $29.95 (again, I got it 40% off for $18), $4 less than the Ecoya in a similar size, it burns just as well and spreads the smell brilliantly!

It's a bit weird because these two I picked up are fruit-based scents (or so they are meant to be) and I normally like warmer, woodier or even cakey scents. They don't smell exactly like the description, but they smell absolutely great anyway! I'm going to try save most of the Aromatherapy one until closer to Xmas!

♥

Make-up Organisation

So this is the very small "desk" I mentioned in my previous post - it does a pretty good job as a make-up table. I pretty much brought all of this stuff from Brisbane, except the 2 acrylic organisers which I bought online for $10 (catchoftheday) and the acrylic jewellery organiser which I bought from kikki.K (it's actually originally a stationary set).

My little set up - I spend about 15 minutes sitting on this most days.

It's not exactly that neat, but I don't have enough space to store this stuff or I use most of these everyday.

My kikki.K homeware to hold some of my tools!

I usually pick one of these two before bedtime for some extra relaxation.

Trying out this Elemis face wash - maybe with my Clarisonic. I like it on its own though!

Stocked up on my fav Burt's Bees cleanser I've been using for years. I purchased the cleansing oil for $10 because
I ran out of my Dr. Lewinns one, I have yet to try it. Hopefully it does the job, it's so much more affordable!

These acrylic organisers are so handy. It fits most of my basic stuff.
I have day products on the left and lippies on the right.

Daniel Sandler blush obviously not a lippy..

Light foundation, contour, concealer, blush, face powder and a tiny eyeliner brush.
I only really use the concealer one everyday because I just my brushes in my cups most of the time.

My purchases in August when I went to the Estee Lauder corporate shop before I moved down.

I originally got the Mac foundation for my mum - it was too pale for her so I tried it. 5/10.
It clings onto dry patches and is probably a a heavier coverage to what I usually prefer.
This estee lauder powder is a fab dupe for Hourglass luminous light!!! (It's shimmery, just not in the photo.)

Night-time skin/general skincare I don't use in the shower. Nothing much different really. Toner, serum, moisturiser.
I use the La Roche-Posay when my skin is congested, and my Moreish one when I'm drier than normal.
The second Burt's Bees hydrating lip balm is honestly the best I've used - better than any pawpaw product.

Random stuff like hair bits, unused make-up, jewellery cloths.

Dental stuff/refills for random things.

My watch collection. I know, I'm out of control.

Finally got my hands on this much larger glass case from kikki.K. Look how pretty *u*

All my powders/palettes I use almost everyday. 

Hair brushes and things in my old acrylic holder.

Stocked up on more Antipodes serum because my Apostle one is almost out!
Myer had an AWESOME 40% off sale so I felt more adventurous and got this one I've never seen before.
I usually use the H20 one or the Apostle. 

Stuff I use infrequently/extra stocked up items.

I rarely paint my nails - I find it kind of stressful and it chips so quickly because I'm rough at work/I peel it off...

I stocked up on my powder from the EL corporate store (I'm almost finished with my current one) and I still have yet
to try this philosphy set I got from David Jones ages ago - I got SUCH a good deal in it.
It was around $25, for a full-size day cream and small night cream. I have NO idea why. 

♥

Making My New Room into a Home

This post is to basically show how I "made" my room once the previous tenant moved out. I've worked on it for 2 months or so now, since I can't exactly buy everything in one go. (Gotta have your finances in check amiright?)

Everything I got was basically a combination of finding the cheapest but NICEST option. Most of these thing are from IKEA and the cheap options from them as well, but I picked specific colours and designs to make it look a bit fancier and invested more in things like bedsheets.

I also have a thing about using other people's things, so living in a furnished and shared place is sort of a nightmare for me. Not to mention my germaphobic tendencies as well. The room was left with the bed, a small desk, 2 small white shelves, a grubby, old, rusty chair, a short side table and an ancient chest of drawers with world's SMALLEST drawers in them... I put them in the closet with all the other unwanted things as storage.

Before

Not judging. Not judging. Okay I'm judging.

After

I think bedsheets are most important to make your room feel like yours, so I make sure to pick one I like on the material (100% cotton) a decent thread count and of course, the design. I ended up getting these Rebecca Judd ones from Adairs as soon as they went on sale from $189 to $89. I know, still pricey for a quilt cover, but I invest where I spend most of my time. Haha!

Copper lamp from Kmart ($40 or $50?), Sweet Dreams pillowcase from Adairs ($10),
Euro pillowcase from Myer ($15), bunch of pillows from IKEA each $7 or so.

I think these bedsheets are literally me in linen form - basic, relatively neutral with a slight touch of girly,
and super quirky on the inside.
(It bugs me a bit that the shade of the white on the inside isn't the same as the outside!) 

The dressing table in the background is the crappy old table that was used as a desk by the previous tenant.

I honestly got such an awesome deal on this square clock from Target - one of the hands was bent, but it was 100% fixable and I pretty much got it for less than half the price. I actually fancied it up a bit with a coppery-bronze sharpie and coloured the hands in as well as marking some of the hours. Because let's face it, this clock is 90% aesthetics and 10% functionality without the extra touch up.

Turns out this clock makes a really loud ticking noise (I expected better from Target, considering it wasn't one of Target's cheapo home-brand clocks). So I just hang it up and use my other smaller clock.

$10 rack from IKEA because anything longer than 60cm just drapes on the bottom of my super weird wardrobe.

Got nicer hangers just for this rack, most of the wardrobe ones are just wire/slip-free ones.

I got 4x small fluffy faux fur rugs from IKEA/Kmart (they were all the same price - $19).
I originally only wanted 2 but it didn't work out because I needed an actual rug.
The little stool to sit on was the cheapest stool I could find, from IKEA of course.
I just got the little white cushion pad to make it look decent - also a super cheap option from IKEA.

Laundry basket - $12 from Kmart, and I got some basic fabric to line it from IKEA for less than $4.

The reason why I needed a rug - I was literally allergic to the owner's one.
It must have been soooo old and housing millions of dustmites ewwwwwww.
Rugs also soften the noise in the room + prevents the bed frame damaging the floor  (hence why I had to get a new one).
 This one is actually a throw from Myer, $50 or so. RUGS ARE EXPENSIVE! WHY?!

A standing mirror, something I definitely am used to having. $40 from Kmart!
(Target has a slightly smaller and skinnier option for $30.)

Chair from IKEA, altogether $50 or so. Throw from Bed Bath N' Table for $20.
It actually doubles up as a blanket for naps and cushion/padding for the chair.

Using a bookshelf as a shoe rack because I wouldn't need to buy one! It honestly looks okay too which is a bonus.

All the shoes I brought with me (and again when I came from a short stay in Brisbane).

I brought my clock with me on my second journey back because the Target one was just so damn loud.
This Karlsson one I got as a gift doesn't 'tick' which is great. And of course some kikki.K furnishings!
The quote cards come in handy because I have have multiple of them vs buying one in a frame. (Bang for your buck!)

I have yet to put a plant in this cute little pot. I haven't found reasonably priced succulents yet :(

Le table - with summa that kikki.k stuff I already own (the frame is actually $6 from IKEA because it works out
cheaper that way) and the magazine holders/storage are from IKEA ($3 for a pack). I have to agree, kikki.K ones
look much nicer but even with a discount it's a bit too much. They all do the same thing anyway!

Journals, notebooks, magazines, a bit of staionary.

This TWG tea pack I got for my birthday has a super handy use :) Tech organiser!

I bought this mug AGES ago from kikki.K and glad I kept it, so I don't have to splash out on as much kitchen/cutlery stuff.

I was set on getting this desk from IKEA - it was the cheapest option but also in my opinion just as nice as all the other
expensive ones. It's not on the website or anything because it's new - I saw it in store and thought YEAH OKAY THAT ONE.

And that's the weird slanty wall of the room, which I think is kinda cute but also annoying. At least I'm short, so it doesn't both me much!

So this was one hell of a long post. It's quite difficult to good lighting in my room because of those 2 weird windows on the wall, but I was happy with them all! 

I'm still working on my dressing table/make-up station (it looks like it got bombed) so I might do a post once I clean it up a bit.

♥