Clarisonic Mia Giveaway!

I am a very lucky blogger! James from RY.com.au offered to send me a Clarisonic Mia to giveaway to one of my Aussie followers! James sent this to me to help promote people buying Clarisonic products from Australian websites rather than overseas sites - I love this idea because if more people buy from Australian sites, then there will be more products available in Australia and more competitive prices!

I really encourage you to check out RY.com.au, RY stands for Recreate Yourself and they have hair products, skincare, makeup, nail products, perfumes and electronics! They stock some huge brands like GHD, Dermalogica, Benefit, OPI, Essie, Moroccan Oil, Alpha H... and of course Clarisonic! I am going to order a Benefit Porefessional and maybe some nail polishes very soon!

This giveaway is open for one month, is ONLY available to Australian followers aged 18 or over (sorry international followers!). Enter through the rafflecopter below


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Japan Haul

I am finally getting around to doing my Japan haul! I was in Japan for two weeks, and I was planning on buying a few Japanese makeup products while I was there, but to be honest Japanese stores can be a little hectic and confusing so I mainly just stuck to high end brands that were in department stores. Makeup in Japan isn't as cheap as the US, but it is definitely a lot cheaper than in Australia.

I also did a haul video, which I will instert at the end of this post.

The first things I picked up were from Shu Uemura, which is the only Japanese brand I bought. I bought the Skin Purifer Cleansing Oil in the 450ml bottle. I am coming to the end of the current Shu Uemura Fresh (pink bottle) Cleansing Oil that I am using at the moment, and I was really happy to buy this in Japan because it cost around $75, which is $30 cheaper than in Australia, and if I had to pay $105 to replace my current bottle then I probably would have put it off for quite some time. I decided to try the Purifier version instead of getting the Fresh one, because I initially bought the Fresh version (which is for oily blemish prone skin) because I was worried that my oily combination skin won't respond well to a heavier cleansing oil... now that I know that my skin is fine with it, I decided to go for the original Purifier version. A large bottle of this oil will last me around a year.

I also decided to pick up a Shu Uemura eyelash curler, as these are raved about by people like Lisa Eldridge. These cost $40 in Australia but this cost around $12-$13 in Japan. I haven't used this yet, but I will probably review it some time soon. The people at the Shu Uemura counter also threw in a little sample pack of four cleansing oils. It's actually quite fun sampling each different oil.

I picked up two Revlon mini nail polishes while the boyfriend was buying mouthwash at a pharmacy. These cost $7 each and I got the shades 430 Whimsical and 77 Heavenly. Both these shades are not available in Australia so I was excited to try them. I am currently wearing Whimsical and to be perfectly honest, I find that it is too sheer. I am wearing 4 layers of it and it's not super impressive. I will have to do reviews of these polishes soon.

MUFE Aqua Brow, BB Lilac Sparkle Eye Shadow, NARS Luster, Albatross and Mekong

While I was in Tokyo I saw a Make Up For Ever stand in a department store. I have never ever seen MUFE in any store so I was pretty happy swatching and trying each product. I ultimately only bought one thing, mainly because I didn't want to blow my budget in the first week of my holiday, but I ended up getting the Aqua Brow in the shade 25. This is a product that has been on my shopping list for ages because I love brow products and this is quite a unique product... and its also waterproof! I will definitely review this when I have worn it more. This cost $30.

Whenever I was in a department store and I saw a Bobbi Brown counter, I had to swatch the Lilac Sparkle Eye Shadow from the Spring Lilac Rose collection. This is not an eyeshadow that I would normally buy, but it was so pretty and I kept thinking about it after I left the store, so I ended up going back and getting it. It cost $32, but costs $44 in Australia.

Lastly I went to NARS with the intention of buying a blush. I had a short list of a few blushes but decided in store to get the Blush in Luster, mainly because I don't have any peachy blush shades in my collection. I also decided to get the Highlighting Blush in Albatross because I was looking up NARS reviews and a lot of people were saying that if you were to get one cheek product by NARS, it should be Albatross. Each of these cost $30, instead of $45 which is what they cost in Australia.

I wasn't planning on getting an eyeshadow, but while I was swatching the blushes, I was fell in love with the eye shadow in Mekong! It is so pigmented and beautiful and you can always use a warm shimmery brown in your collection! Eyeshadows normally cost $39 in Australia, but this cost $25 in Japan.

Here is my haul video!

So that's all the makeup I bought, I really wish I bought more NARS products since each product is only $1 more than what they charge in the US! Ah well, I will save up more money for next time I visit Japan!

May Bellabox 2013

I came home from Japan to my May Bellabox, and I was super excited to open it... I also filmed an opening video that you can watch here:

Anyway, if you aren't familiar with Bellabox, it is a monthly subscription box that costs $15 per month and you can sign up at the Bellabox website.

The theme for this months box is Beauty SOS... so I guess these are more of beauty essentials?

The box was pretty full this month, so full that the lid didn't even fit on the box properly! Below is the information card so you can see what was included and what the price of each item is.

Suigo Vital Nutrition Intensive Hair Repair Treatment - 100ml sample: I have tried the gold Ultimate Control version of this, and I really like it, so I was happy to see this sample in this months box. This sample is so huge that if you use this once a week, you will probably have enough to last you a good few months! This treatment is really thick and I use it when I am having a bath.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo and Effaclar Foaming Gel - 3ml and 15ml samples: I have been wanting to try the Effaclar Duo for months and months, so I am super happy to see these samples! These are designed to clear the skin, remove impurities, and clear up oil... this is perfect for me! This also comes with a 20% off discount code for Terry White Chemist, but sadly the Effaclar Duo has already sold out on that site! I can forsee myself buying the full versions of both of these products!

Nanoblur - 2ml sample: I have no idea what this is, but it claims to make you look 10 years younger in 40 seconds. According to the info card, this refracts light to make skin look perfect. I will have to try this and add in a review.

Jurlique Rose Hand Cream - 40ml sample: This is a great size sample, and it is going straight into my handbag. I love good quality hand creams, especially in the colder months. This is a pretty pricey hand cream, with the 125ml version retailing for $57... which means that this sample is worth over $18!

Bloom Lip Stain in the shade Wine - full size product: This is a felt tip marker type lip stains, but this one has a much firmer and smoother applicator - its really strange but really cool! I love stains, and I also love this particular colour... I just hope this doesn't dry out as fast as other felt tip stains. I am really looking forward to getting a lot of use out of this!

Bloom Lip Stain in Wine

Manicare Duo Mascara Brushes - full size: I have never bothered buying disposable mascara wands, but I will no doubt use them to brush out my eyebrows or to remove clumps from my lashes. This is a pretty handy addition to the box!

Overall I am very happy with this box, I think it suits my beauty needs really well! I will definitely use everything this month. Well done Bellabox!

If you are interested in joining, then check out the Bellabox website!

Japan photos

Hey guys! I have been a little absent with my posts since I am on holidays in Japan! I will no doubt get right back into blogging when I get home, but for now here are some Japan photos

Soap and Glory Flake Away Body Polish

I am a big fan of body scrubs, when I am having a bad day I really enjoy soaking in a bath with a hair mask and giving myself a good scrub. I have heard a lot about Soap and Glory scrubs, and there are a few available. I chose the Flake Away one, and I bought this from Kit Cosmetics for $16.95 for a large 300ml tub.

This is a body polish with shea butter, sweet almond oil, peach seed powder, sea salt and sugar and smells like the distinctive "original pink" Soap and Glory fragrance. The fragrance is really strong, so if you aren't a fan of perfumes, or a sensitive to perfumes, then don't use this! For everyone else, the scent is really devine! If you aren't familiar with the Soap and Glory fragrance, it is described by the Soap and Glory website as a modern, fresh, fruity and citrus scent that contains orange lead, lemon, peach, sweet strawberries, summer rose, gardenia blooms and jasmine. This scent is like a sweet/floral/soapy punch in the face... which I really enjoy!

The product itself is a thick scrub that contains a lot of salt crystals and some peach seed powder. When you rub this into your skin, the salt starts to dissolve and the shea butter and oils start to melt into your skin. This doesn't leave an oily residue on your skin, but it does leave your skin feeling quite moisturised. The scent also lingers a little, leaving your skin smelling really nice. Overall I really like this scrub, but I wish that it didn't dissolve so much because if you want a really thorough exfoliation, then you will need to use quite a lot of this.

You will love this if you love strong sweet scents and if you love a light scrub, but if you dislike the scent or you want a really strong scrub, then this may not be for you.

Have you tried this scrub or any other Soap and Glory scrubs?