MOR LYCHEE FLOWER EDT

I've actually had this perfume for a while now, and honestly, it's one of my absolute favourites. 

The first time I encountered it was at a friend's birthday and I went crazy over trying to find out what it was... and where I could get my hands on it ;) Amazingly enough, one of my amazing friends gifted it to me for my birthday that year hahaha.

In my opinion, this perfume is the queen of fresh and fruity scents. According to fragrantica.com, MOR's Lychee Flower contains notes of sparkling lychee blossom, fresh ferries, powdery floral notes and aromas of green wood. 

As for me, I could only smell passionfruit. I also read 'lychee flower' as passionfruit. Yeah, I was that deluded. But either way, it smells amazing and I absolutely recommend it if you're into fruity perfumes. The floral notes that fragrantica.com mentioned seem to linger underneath the fruity scents like a secondary scent.

If you feel as though Lychee Flower might be sickeningly sweet, it's not. There's a kind of sour-y tartness to the scent that brings the smell back down to earth. Just be careful not to drown yourself in it, a couple of sprays is more than enough! 

The sillage is pretty strong, the smell permeates the air around you for a while. Similarly, the longevity of the perfume is something to be admired, it lasts a pretty long time and the smell deepens and changes to a more green and floral scent over the course of the day.

Another thing to praise about this perfume is the packaging. I freaking love the packaging!! It's so pretty and elegant. Forget about the perfume, I could be sold on the packaging alone.

xx jess

ALPHA-H LIQUID GOLD

So, does this product live up to the all the hype surrounding it? A much loved product by many bloggers around the world, Alpha-H's Liquid Gold was the winner of Harper's Bazaar Beauty Hot 100 in 2013 as well as being featured in magazines such as VOGUE Australia, Harper's Bazaar, ELLE Australia and so on. 

Liquid Gold is a night treatment that claims to 'brighten and revitalise tired, ageing skin as well as radically improving the appearance of the complexion'. It can be used for acne-scarred, prematurely aging, sun damaged and mature skin,

Interestingly enough, there's only one step required for this 'overnight facial'. One swipe across the face and it works as a toner, exfoliator, serum and moisturiser - perfect for lazy girls who still want good skin.

And that's it. The forgoing of our usual moisturising step is due to the glycolic acid inside the
Liquid Gold. Glycolic acid lowers our skin's pH during the night so that our skin has to work extra hard to raise the pH level back up, allowing for a brighter and firmer face in the morning as it sheds off dead skin cells from the acid. Another thing it does is increase the level of production of hyaluronic acid in our skin - hyaluronic acid aids our skin in retaining moisture.

To use, grab a cotton wool pad and pour the liquid onto the pad and swipe across your face, neck and decollage, avoiding the eye and mouth area. 

There will be a slight tingling after application, so don't be too worried when there's a tightening sensation on your skin. 

It's a weird feeling, but totally worth it when you wake up the next morning and your face looks totally fresh and bright!

When my package came in the mail, I found a couple of freebies in the box:

- Firming Body Therapy (with caffeine and raspberry oil)

- Daily Essential Moisturiser (SPF 30+)

- Micro Cleanse (with glycolic acid and rice bran)

I look forward to trying them out and hopefully they're on par with the amazing Liquid Gold!

Alpha-H's Liquid Gold is a slightly unconventional product but the results are amazing and an absolute must for anyone and everyone, whether you have a dull complexion or are suffering from acne or even if you have perfectly fine skin. It's a great product!

xx jess

P.S. I swear I'll be better with posting so please just bear with me!

BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO

Why do I do this to myself? 

I need to get my priorities set straight.

It's literally 6 days before my first HSC paper and I decide to sit down and write a blog post...

So, back to the topic at hand. Dry shampoos aren't something that I use often (due to the fact that I wash my hair almost everyday), but since I was feeling super lazy and I hadn't washed my hair for a couple of days...
I thought I'd just try them out! 

Batiste is generally the go-to brand of dry shampoos (well, from what I've heard), and they claim to 'instantly refresh your hair between washes, leaving it feeling gorgeously clean with added body and texture'.

How it works:

- Shake the can vigorously 

- Hold the can around 30cm away from your hair

- Spray your roots lightly and with even coverage

- Use your fingertips to massage the product in

- Leave it for a few minutes, then brush the product out

The whole process took about maybe 10-15 minutes and it was an interesting experience. I can't say I like it better than actually washing my hair, but it's a great alternative if you're in a rush and need to spruce up.

Another thing I'm not so sure about are the little white residue bits I can see in my hair after using the dry shampoo. Maybe that's why you're supposed to brush your hair out afterwards. 

I feel like I should've picked up a different flavour (is it called flavour?) because 'Tropical' has a slightly overpowering coconut scent. The smell becomes quite nice once you've adapted to it, but at the beginning my nose was just starting to get a little irritated.

My hair looks quite volumised after using the product so that's awesome for those who look for products that give volume; it's a 2 in 1!

Overall, this product is pretty satisfactory - it does what it claims and it leaves your hair feeling much cleaner and less oiler than before. A great alternative for lazy days where you don't want to bother washing your hair. I just don't think that dry shampoos are something I'd use often. 

Batise has a wide range of 'flavours' such as:

- Original

- Cherry

- Wild

- Blush

- Fresh

- Tropical

- Light & Blonde

- Medium & Brunette

- Dark & Deep Brown

The last three claim to add a hint of colour that enhances and blends with your own hair tone.

xx jess

OPI - DULCE DE LECHE

Dulce De Leche Swatch

I was out at the Glebe Markets and came across a small stall with things strewn all over a small table. There were multiple pairs of jeans, belts, unopened tubes of lip gloss and nail polish. 

Now, if it were just the typical Ulta or BYS nail polish I wouldn't bat an eye, but there were a couple of bottles of OPI's and even an Essie mini!

This was one of the OPI bottles I picked up (I also grabbed a really pretty silvery colour) and I swear, it was love at first sight! Even in the bottle, the pastel pink just seems so warm and welcoming.

Once I put it on, I don't know how, but I fell even more in love. 

'Dulce De Leche' is literally the nude lip equivalent for nails. It's not really noticeable when you just take a quick glance at your hand, so it's perfect for school (if you go to a pretty lax school like me where nail polish and jewelry is allowed if it isn't too obvious). 

However, it still adds a warmth to your nails and makes you feel cute and fuzzy inside!

xx jess

MINI TOPSHOP 'HAUL'

First of all, I've been so preoccupied with school and exams to even be thinking about posting... and to be honest, I'm actually in my exam block right now (shhh!). And so, after my terrible excuse of a maths paper, I was in desperate need of cheering up. 

What better than some retail therapy? I was eyeing some nail polishes at Topshop anyway.

Walking into the Topshop in the CBD, I made a beeline for the makeup and nail polish section. I have to say, they've hit the nail on the head with the packaging of their cosmetics. Their polishes are super super cute  (as emphasised the italics hehe) with the polka dots and the simple lettering on the bottle. 

While I was there, their gel liner brush also caught my eye and I grabbed one of them too. I actually wanted to grab two because it looked so nice but decided to trial this one out first.

L-R: Teal My Thunder, Velvet Underground

'Teal My Thunder' is a gorgeous teal colour and I am absolutely psyched for the opportunity to wear it out - I swatched it in store and fell in love immediately!

'Velvet Underground' is a really dark and muted purple. I honestly thought it was black when I first picked it up but then when I held it up to the light there were flickers of purple and I couldn't resist getting it too.

The gel liner brush is small and about 10 centimetres (I had to guess because for some reason, my desk was completely void of any rulers). Cute and a great size to just pop into your makeup bag or travelling kit. 

The colour of the brush is a bit more of a softer blue as compared to in the picture since I upped the brightness so that 'Velvet Underground' didn't look completely black.

What's your form of therapy? Pop a comment below!

xx jess

NIVEA DAILY ESSENTIALS EXTRA GENTLE EYE MAKE-UP REMOVER

As somebody who usually uses either eyeliner or mascara on a daily basis, a good eye makeup remover is essential. I grabbed this on a whim from the back of my makeup cupboard last night and using it reminded me of why it was at the back of my cupboard in the first place.

The packaging is pretty simplistic; a plastic bottle with a flip top cap. It's scent is reminiscent of baby wet wipes, or something baby related - a sort of neutral, clean smell. The consistency is essentially that of water, it isn't gloopy or anything.

Nivea claims that it "removes make-up and mascara with no greasy residue preventing irritation of the delicate eye area". Indeed, there's no greasy feeling after using it - however that's the silver lining of the thundercloud that is this product. It leaves the area around my eyes feeling tight and slightly irritated and the makeup removing properties are basically non-existent. 

To remove two coats of non waterproof mascara, it took me about two cotton pads and even then my eyelashes still had black residue on them when I cleansed my face afterwards.

I swatched two lines of Rimmel's Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil in Jet Black and used this product to remove the line on the right. Here are the results;

As you can see, there are still faint outlines from where I was rubbing at the eyeliner. Even after rubbing at it for about 5 minutes with plenty of product, the eyeliner did not completely go away.

In my opinion, this product is not worth buying, even if it's an affordable product at under $10.

What are your experiences with this product?

Available at Priceline here for $8.99

xx jess

SUKIN MOISTURISERS

Sukin is an Australian brand that aims to provide high quality and natural skincare products that are also affordable. I picked up their Sensitive Facial Moisturiser and their Moisture Restoring Night Cream.

Firstly - I have combination skin most of the time, and my skin tends to suffer from decongestion mainly around my cheek area.

L-R: Moisture Restoring Night Cream, Sensitive Facial Moisturiser

Sensitive Facial Moisturiser RRP $9.99 here

With shea butter and aloe vera with rose hip, sesame and jojoba oils, this moisturiser is gentle and soothing for the skin. The sensitive version has no smell, whereas the normal version (here) has a sort of citrusy-vanilla scent. Both the sensitive and normal formula have a lightweight consistency which lets the product just sink into your skin - leaving my face to feel softer and smoother almost immediately!

In terms of packaging, this comes in a plastic bottle with a pump which frankly is pretty irritating to travel with and sometimes dispenses too much product. Although, I heard that the normal formula has a flip top cap dispenser, so if you don't like the idea of a pump - well there's an alternative.

I love this product and how it moisturises my skin, and most people say that they don't experience any greasy feeling after application, but for me - maybe it's my combination skin, but after a couple of uses I noticed that it seemed to have left a bit of oily residue on my face. Almost like a sheen, it wasn't really noticeable unless you looked for it. So now, although it's advertised as a day cream (even though it doesn't contain SPF), I use it before bed and so far it's been great.

As well as being a good moisturiser, I've experienced no new breakouts or irritation after using this product. In fact, it seemed to almost calm them down. It's incredibly gentle and a great yet affordable choice.

Basically, Sukin claims that this product is au naturale and to be honest, they seem about right! With it having no parabens; an ingredient used in cosmetics that is known to disrupt hormone production, no mineral oils or EDTA; a preservative that enhances penetration - meaning it breaks down the skin's protective barrier and allows things to go straight into your bloodstream, this product seems almost too good to be true.

It's also:
- 100% vegan
- 100% carbon neutral
AND, the company doesn't test its products on animals! 

Moisture Restoring Night Cream RRP $19.99 here

On the other hand, this product has a thick creamy consistency which honestly scared me at first. But, despite my trepidation, I tried it anyway and I was surprised at how supple my skin felt the next morning. It contains rose hip, evening primrose and borage oils - ingredients which claim to promote elasticity as well as protect the skin's moisture barrier. 

As you spread the cream across your face, it seems to almost melt into your skin. Despite its thicker consistency, it spreads easily and has a texture that is sort of heavy whipped cream, if that makes sense? Like its regular facial moisturiser counterpart, it has a scent that seems like a mix between vanilla and citrus.

This product leaves my skin feeling hydrated and plump the next morning, just like it said it would. At about $20 a jar full of product where a little will go a long way - this is a definite steal!

This cream comes packaged in a glass jar, which is inconvenient and gives me a heart attack every time I bring it with me when travelling. However, it looks pretty and I can always put the cream in another plastic jar if I don't want to risk it, so no biggie.

Another thing I don't like about the packaging is that it's in a tub. Even if it looks pretty, unless you wash your hands whenever you dip your fingers into the pot or use a cotton bud to swipe out some product - that just screams unhygienic and bacteria production.

And as on all Sukin products, here's a list of what chemicals and preservatives they don't use in their products. 

Overall, these two products are both lovely skincare products that have made their nest in my weekly routine. Both are high quality products that are budget friendly and extremely worth it!

Do you enjoy using Sukin products? What's your favourite?

xx jess