Friday Fun Finds

Hello beautiful ladies,

I have been doing a series on Instagram every Friday where I write a  mini review on an amazing product that costs under $20. These products are not only affordable but they are so good, they can compete in my makeup collection with higher end brands. I will always state the RRP but I will also state how much I paid. I rarely pay full price for items available at a chemist/drugstore because they constantly have specials.  I have had a lot of positive feedback about this series so I thought I’d publish the ones I do in a blog post once every 6 weeks. I’d love to know your thoughts about this series.

• RIMMEL Insta Flawless Skin Tint
• RRP – $13.95 but I bought it with 40% off at Priceline for $8.37

I have been using this skin tint every other day when I don’t wear makeup. To me, its similar to a BB cream except not as thick as some. I didn’t use a BB cream often before I bought this but I use this quite a bit now, just around the house even.  It does have a SPF 15 in it but I still use a sunscreen underneath.

This tint evens out my skin enough that I can go out in confidence (I still don’t go out with absolutely nothing on). It does hydrate my skin but not for 24 hours as claimed. I’ve been practically living at the beach this summer and this is my must have to take me from the beach to the cafes.

The only con about this product is that it comes in two shades – light/medium and medium/dark. If you are quite pale, this product isn’t going to work at all and if you have a darker than medium skin tone, I feel it wouldn’t work either. I’d like to see more of a colour selection but apart from that, this product is worth buying again.

• LUSH Angels On Bare Skin Facial Cleanser
• RRP – $17.50 from au.lush.com

I have used so many cleansers in the past, and not one of them has completely satisfied my. They generally either dry my skin out too much by stripping all my natural oils or just didn’t clean it well enough if I chose a moisturising cleanser. Please note, I use a cleansing oil at night to remove all traces of makeup and then a cleanser afterwards.

So, when I saw this cleanser pop up on Instagram, and the price was reasonable, I thought I’d give it a go. I ordered online and the postage was 2 days but there are stores in major cities.

This cleanser is a little messy to use – I dispatched a pea sized chunk with a spatula into the palm of my hand, mixed it with a little water to form a paste and then spread it between my hands to use on my face. It has lavender flowers through the mixture, which smell divine and ground almond that gently exfoliates. My skin felt clean, and moisturised without a feeling I needed to moisturise immediately afterwards. It also helped reduce my redness a little.

I have never rated a cleanser as high as this one and for under $20, I’ll be buying this consistently. Please also note that there is a 3 month use by date on this product as its made with fresh ingredients.

• ESSENCE The Velvets Eyeshadow Singles in Coral Me Maybe… and Mr Mocca-bean
• RRP – $4.10 each but I bought them at 40% off at Priceline for $2.46 each.

I have been doubtful about Essence because of the price – it is just so low that I couldn’t believe the products would actually be any good. However, with Priceline having a huge makeup sale, I decided it doesn’t matter if I never use these again because I paid under $5 for them.

Imagine my genuine surprise when I tested them out, swirling my brush around quite a bit and the pigment of the coral shade was way too dark. I certainly didn’t need to fill my brush like no tomorrow to get pigment. I will admit the brown wasn’t quite as pigmented but it achieved the smokiness I was after.

I used these in a quick I-have-to-go-out look with minimal makeup but because my eyes were quite smoky, I looked ‘done’. Now, don’t expect these to compete with ABH or Too Faced but my Revlon Photoready Palette doesn’t blend as well as these for a fraction of the price.

• BRITE ORGANIX Mango Hair Mask for Dry Hair
• RRP – $9.99 but I bought it with 50% off at Priceline for $4.99

First of all, I want to say, I have the most unruly hair ever. It is fine in texture (flyaways) but heaps of it (lots of flyaways); its supposed to be curly but after years of straightening, its more of a wavy frizz; it goes into a frizz ball when it thinks of water and its drier than a desert during a drought. It is a nightmare to tame or style in summer because of the humidity so generally its up….all the time.

I have been using DeLorenzo products and been very happy with them, though the treatment is a little too heavy for my hair. They have been the only products that seem to tame my hair and keep it in good condition. I used the DeLorenzo hair cleanser and then used this mask, left it on for 15mins while I did a face mask, then washed it out. OMG, my hair has never been that soft, shiny and healthy looking without a leave in product.

I haven’t used my DeLorenzo treatment since I bought this because its a much heavier formula which tends to weigh my hair down. This one is in between your normal conditioner and a heavy treatment. Plus, a heavy treatment always takes for-ev-er to wash out properly.

I definitely recommend these hair treatments above all drugstore treatments (I’ve tried them all and probably have half full bottles of them floating around.)

• AUSTRALIS BFF’s Blush in Text and Tag
• RRP – $13.95 but I bought it with 50% off on http://www.australiscosmetics.com.au for $6.97

I’ve always found Australis a bit hit and miss, much like Rimmel to be honest, but in the last two years, I’ve been noticing that Australis has really upped its game. They have been releasing a lot of first on the market drugstore items (their contour palettes were the first  in Australia and so were their shade adjusting drops).

This blush duo has one shimmering dusty pink which I love and a matte warm brown. The idea is that they can be used together or separately. They do blend very nicely together for a more satin finish but I use them separately as a blush and bronzer.

The pigment isn’t overly strong so you do have to build the colour a little if you’re after dramatic but for a natural (as in quick 10 minute natural, not it takes an hour to look this natural), I love this product. I do love shimmer and that’s why I use them separately but if you want to tone that down, use them together for a toned downed glow.

I have used this blush set the most in the past month, and for me, that means its worth it.

• MAYBELLINE Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation
• RRP – $19.95 but I bought my second bottle with 50% off at The Chemist Warehouse for $9.97

You may be a bit confused if you’ve read my previous post about my search for a foundation with the inclusion of this one. This is my favourite drugstore day to day medium coverage foundation. I use this the most because its not expensive, it works so well for me and stays on for 4-6 hours in the summer (longer in winter).

I use the matte & poreless formula even though I’m dry/combination and its marketed to normal to oily skin because I prefer a matte finish. Please note that my skin is only mildly dry on my cheeks due to my skincare routine. If you do have dry to very dry skin, I would recommend the Fit Me Dewy & Smooth formula.

This foundation goes on well with a blender or a brush (I prefer a brush but that’s just me) and gives me a medium coverage. It doesn’t last all day in the summer so if I’m out for a few hours, this is my go-to but if I plan to be out all day, its not going to be on my face when I get home. That’s where I want a higher end, longer wearing foundation.

There are two things about this foundation that bothers me and they are  1. It has 6 shades in the range so in all likelihood, you’ll be reaching for shade adjusting drops for your perfect skin shade and 2. There is no pump on the bottle so its quite easy to pour too much out. Having said that though, both Nars and Estee Lauder don’t have pumps (you can buy one for Nars but they were out of stock when I bought mine). Apart from those two whinges, this a reliable, inexpensive foundation that I can’t recommend highly enough (please decide which formula works best for you though or you’ll hate it).

If you have made it this far, thank you so much. I hope those reviews aren’t too long and you enjoy my Friday Fun Find series. I’d love to know your thoughts.

Until next time,

Nyobie