Omigosh, I finally get to share with you my little beauty haul I did whilst we were in Hong Kong. Let me tell you, it took a lot of will power not to go completely overboard at the beauty counters, however I was able to resist temptation and buy only what I had on my list to begin with. Pretty good eh?!
The newest items that I've not really worn much of in the past but in the last year or so I can't get enough of, and that's lipsticks. I was more of a lip balm girl as my lips usually got quite dry - especially being indoors all the time during the day for work, there just wasn't any point in wearing lipstick as it would look hideous on dry lips. 
However, over the course of the year my lips haven't been getting as dry because I'm constantly piling on the lip balm & moisturiser  at night - which has helped immensely during the day for wearing lipstick. Winning! 
So here's to welcoming fabulous new products!

First up, lipsticks. I can't remember how many You Tube videos I watched, and reviews I read trying to figure out which colours would suit me, how they looked on other people, and their staying power.
From left to right: 
- Rouge Coco, Paradis 39 
I first saw this used on a Lisa Eldridge You Tube tutorial for Chanel, and her finished look was perfection using this lipstick. It's a beautiful medium coral shade perfect for the spring/summer seasons. It's semi-opaque, but still gives a good amount of colour, and has a noticeable sheen and shimmer. This just brightens up the face immediately and it's definitely one of my absolute favourites.
- Rouge Coco, Chambon 31
Chambon is a wonderfully rich, vibrant, glowing red, with a glossy sheen. I wanted to find a red lipstick that wasn't too red, as being pale, I thought it may look a bit stark on me, so I was after something with more pink tones. I think I found it!
- Rouge Coco Shine, Aventure 57
A beautiful light pink shade, I would say this is a little bit more of a gloss than a lipstick, as the staying power isn't as good as I would expect it to be, however it's really good for a natural day to day look - especially those with a light complexion. 
- Christian Dior, Rouge Dior, Darling 567
I adore this shade. It's almost verging on a hot pink, but not quite there. It's a great tone to wear if you're not wearing red, and it adds an almost instant pop of colour once you apply it to your lips. It's very moisturising and very comfortable to wear, and it lasts for a good 2 hours without applying more and leaves a nice stain afterwards.

On my shopping list, I had already decided I needed a new blush. I was going to go with one a Chanel creme blush, however I couldn't find the colour I really wanted. It was out of stock everywhere! So that was a pain. 
So an alternative I spied was the Christian Dior Rosy Glow in Petal 001. It's a really light Barbie pink, and gives a nice rosy cheek. Although I've become accustomed to creme blushes in the past, using powder I find is a little difficult with judging the correct amount, so not to look too overdone. In all, I really like this blush, it suits my complexion and creates a more 'awake' and fresh look.

I have to say, this product, is my holy grail of products. The Chanel Hydro Base Lumiere is just waaaaaay too good. It's a primer and a moisturiser, so you can use it under makeup or just on its own. Since I got it in 2012, I've used nothing else but this primer and my skin is thanking me for it. It's quite light in texture when you're applying it with your hands, but as you rub it into your skin it sticks a little. You can see when you apply it, it gives this white sheer sheen to your face and evens out blemishes, and just makes you look more fresh. 
I love this product, and I'm really sorry to say it's only available in Asian countries. The Chanel's De La Blanc is the alternative available here, but I just don't feel it comes close to this product! Well worth the money. 

As we all know flying can be a complete bore, and sometimes we get looking at the InSky magazine with all these wonderful duty free items. I was browsing on our way over to HK, and I was debating on whether or not to get this YSL travel makeup kit. I spent the next two and a half weeks thinking about it, and I ended up buying it at the airport beauty kiosk before we departed for Australia. It comes with this really stylish black fold up case YSL logo on the front, containing three makeup brushes, eyeliner and a mascara. Once you open the makeup box, there's a choice of five eyeshadows, one blush, and four lipsticks. Each are very pretty, pigmented spring/summer shades. Perfect to look fresh when traveling.
I hope you enjoyed some of my beauty buys, I'd love to know what is your 'must have' in your makeup bag because I'm really loving all these wonderful products and I just can't decide! 

Read more »

NEUTRALS, NEUTRALS, NEUTRALS! For a girl with my complexion, there is no such thing as owning too many neutral palettes, especially when this one could be the best dupes for Urban Decay's 'Naked' eyeshadow palette which unfortunately for us Aussies - isn't available here. (Unless you want to pay $70+ on eBay for something that is probably fake! But I won't take my chances thanks!)
I saw this in Myer in my hometown a few weekends ago and I didn't fully catch on that it was very similar to Naked, though after doing some research when I got home - I got excited. It was lucky for me the weekend just passed, I was able to pick this little baby up for HALF price. Yup, $17. So I was pretty happy!
The colors are similar to the Naked palette, but not all are spot on. I've already done the research and the pigmentation of these are a little less than I see when people use the Naked palette, but they are still pretty. I'm not one for hugely pigmented eyeshadows, I find them messy, and I think for me being so pale, I'd rather stick with light, natural eyeshadows. 
It's a lovely little palette and I can't wait to try it all out, especially in 26 days when K & I go to Hong Kong again! 
So guys, what do you think of Chi Chi's nude palette? Do you find it to be one of the best dupes for Urban Decay's Naked Palette? Let me know in the comments below!

Read more »