Best Dupe for Bioderma: Byphasse Micellaire Water

Honestly the best dupe I have found for the Bioderma Micellaire Water. This is the Byphasse Micellaire Water and it is amazing! I actually find this is gentler on my skin than Bioderma because sometimes with Bioderma, even when I use the one for sensitive skin, it still stings a little and this literally just felt so good and my skin also didn't feel tight afterwards. 

The best part of this micellar water is that it is literally a fraction of the price. I got it from Chemist Warehouse for $4.99 for 500mL, now if that's not a bargain, I don't know what is! So, get on it ladies! Let me know what you all think if you can get your hands on it!

Bobbi Brown EXTRA Balm Rinse Review

Bobbi Brown EXTRA Balm Rinse 200mL AU$90

As you all know, I cleanse like a maniac... like... for reals. I double/triple cleanse every night and it's something that I've come to really enjoy and find very relaxing after a long, hard, day at work. First step of my cleansing routine is taking off my make up and I believe that it is this step that helps keep skin clear. It is unbelievably important to take every last trace of make up off before you go to sleep but at the same time, make sure that you're not stripping your skin's moisture. This is the exact reason why I love cleansing oils and balms. I find that they take off every last bit of make up off my face (even the dreaded Inglot Gel Liner!) and I find that my skin feels so plump and hydrated after. Before I bought this baby, I used the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and that was my one and only cleansing oil. Lately though, I have had some issues with  my skin feeling tight after I use it so off I go to find something that's a bit more hydrating and a bit thicker in texture. I used my sister's Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm and surprisingly loved it which lead me the Bobbi Brown EXTRA Balm Rise. 

What it claims:

"This conditioning cleanser removes all traces of makeup and impurities quickly and completely. Leaves skin with a smooth, cushiony finish, and feeling instantly refreshed. Use daily for dry skin, or as a nighttime treatment when skin needs more hydration. Dermatologist-tested."

Pros:

Huge tub - 200ml 

Very hydrating 

Leaves my skin feeling so plump

Takes off all my waterproof makeup 

Feels really luxurious

Great packaging

Cons:

Heavy pot which isn't travel friendly

VERY thick in texture - a little bit hard to melt in my hand

The scent - this product smells very citrusy and it's not my favourite scent 

Can be a little bit too rich if you don't have dry skin 

Will need to use a muslin cloth or towel to wash it off with

Overall thought: I do like this product.... Would I repurchase? Hmm... probably not but maybe the mre I use it, the more I'll fall in love with it. It is a great product and I definitely feel like I got my money's worth with this huge tub and at the moment, I am still very on the fence with this product. 7/10

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So this was my first attempt at using this product. You'll notice that after the first rinse, I still had a LOT of makeup left, which led me to using a warm, damp cloth to wipe off the second rinse and that totally did the trick! Please note that in the first rinse, I did NOT try to take off my lipstick hence why it was still perfectly intact. 

Before:

After 1st go of this balm:

After 2nd go, this time using the warm, damp, cloth:

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Grown Alchemist Anti Oxidant + Treatment Serum

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I am always lookout for a great facial serum or oil because my face seems to need that extra boost of hydration and treatment to keep it in tip top condition. Grown Alchemist is an all organic, all natural brand with a lots of great philosophies which you can read about here.

I was very lucky to have snapped this up while it was on sale for $15 when the normal RRP is $59.95 from Priceline and I'm very happy that I did! It's a great serum/oil, with great ingredients that don't irritate my skin and it has a great, light, texture which absorbs quickly into the skin. So far I have only used it for a couple of days and I can say that it has definitely made a great difference in terms of the hydration level on my Sahara Desert of a skin.

This product can be purchased at Priceline (like I did, but unfortunately I can't find a link), Myer or straight from the Grown Alchemist website which ships internationally as well.

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MooGoo 100% Certified Rosehip Oil Review

 

MooGoo 100% Certified Rosehip Oil 25ml $12.00

I decided to jump back on the bandwagon of Rosehip Oil recently and  decided on MooGoo because I have heard so many great things about it and it's also 100% certified organic. I have used Rosehip Oil before but I used the Sukin one and I wasn't too big of a fan of it and I think that's why I went for a long while without using Rosehip Oil. 

There are so many benefits of using Rosehip Oil on your skin such as:

*Having lots of essential fatty acids in it

*It helps regenerate skin cells because of the essential fatty acids

*Helps moisturize dry skin

*Aids in getting rid of scarring and also stretch marks'

*Helps prevent premature aging

*Natural source of antioxidants

 

 It was really important to me to find a good quality Rosehip Oil and since a few of my sister's friends use MooGoo on their children because of how natural and organic they are, I decided to give this one a go over any of the other brands. As you can see from the ingredients list, there's no chemicals, no preservatives, nothing bad, it's just pure Rosehip Oil. Trust me, I was hmm-ing and ahh-ing at the drugstore skincare aisel for like 20 minutes and drove my mom and my sister crazy just waiting for me.

 

Direction: The way that I use this is after I cleanse and tone my face, I put a pump all over my face and then follow with my moisturizer. I do use this mainly at night but sometimes if my skin feels a bit parched in the morning, I will use this in the morning as well. It doesn't affect the way that my makeup wears but if you have combination/oily skin, you may not want to use this during the day.

Pros:

• Highest grade Rosehip Oil
• Cold pressed
• Airtight and lightless bottle 
• Full of fatty acids and antioxidants
• Very moisturizing 
• 100% organic
• Very affordable
• Great for people with sensitive skin 
• Readily available and if you're not close to a stockist, you can buy it online

Cons:

• I did find that it left a bit of an oily film on my skin.

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Do any of you guys use Rosehip Oil or have tried the MooGoo skincare line? What do you guys think?

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My Skincare Routine

Firstly, I'll start off by saying that I have dry/combination skin with crazy, painful, ridiculous breakouts of deep, cystic pimples when it comes to that time of the month. My skin doesn't have any particular ingredients that it is sensitive or allergic to, except for one Laneige Skincare Line, which was the White Plus Renew (Blog post on my old blog can be found here). 

I've tried every skincare under the sun and the only one that I always come back to is my old faithful of Mario Badescu. It took me SO long to find something that suits my skin perfectly and to top it all off, it is super affordable! I'm not going to say that I have found perfect skincare routine but the base and the steps that I take, cleanses my skin perfectly. 

Cleansing:

My theory on cleansing is that you need to double cleanse, maybe even triple cleanse on days that I wear a tonne of makeup. 

Step 1:

Oil cleanse

Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula 450mL $96.00

I use an oil cleanser as my makeup remover and I'm not particularly picky about which oil cleanser I use, as long as it is oil based. I even used sweet almond oil for a god few months because I was just too lazy to go out and buy a proper oil cleanser. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with oil cleansing, you just pump out roughly 3 pumps into your hand and massage it well, all over the face. I mostly concentrate on my eye makeup and that's part of the reason why I love using oil cleanser, because nothing but oil cleanser can get rid of my Inglot Gel Liner. You then add a little bit of water to emulsify the oil and it turns into a milky texture which you massage in a bit more and then rinse off. At this point, if I can still see any residue on my eyes, I'll do another pump and just do my eye area again. I'll keep repeating this step until I know for sure that there is not a scrap of makeup left of my face.

Step 2:

Foaming/Normal Cleanser

Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser 200ml $49.00

Even though you can solely use the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil as a cleanser, I find that I need something else to actually cleanse my actual skin, to get deep down into the pores and get all the gunk out and frankly, I don't feel clean until I use a foaming face cleanser. I think that this step is just as important as taking off your makeup just because your face really does need that deep down cleansing or your pores will still be clogged.

This Aesop one that I'm using at the moment is pretty fabulous and totally reminds me of a spa session but my absolute favourite cleanser to use after I do my oil cleanse is the Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap. I must've repurchased that one 4-5 times which is totally unheard of for me!

Toner:

Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner 8oz $28.95

I know many people who skip this step and it was such a difficult step for me to keep in my routine because usually by the end of the night, I want to just get into bed and pass out but I really do enjoy it now. This particular toner is my favourite one because it has exfoliating properties in it by using Glycolic Acid and by using this everyday, I have found my skin to be softer and also less clogged. I'm pretty sure I haven't used another toner for a good 3 years because I adore this one so much!

Moisturizing:

Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream 1oz $31.95

Ahhh, my favourite step of all skincare, where would I be without you! I have tried all sorts of moisturizers, from drugstore up to very high end and I swear to you, nothing works as good as this one. If I stop using it even for a few days, my skin goes beserk and then I'll have to go back to this to calm it down. To be quite honest, any of the Mario Badescu moisturizers are amazing. I use this Seaweed Night Cream one at the moment because during spring, my skin got SO dry and SO flaky that nothing else soothed it. I do also use the Kera Moisturizer (when my skin is acting up and needs something to soothe it really well), Buttermilk Moisturizer (when my skin is relatively normal and doesn't need too much moisture) and my other favourite, the Hyaluronic Day Cream.

Eye Care:

Shu Uemura red:juvenus Instant Eye Fatigue Corrector 10mL $52.00

At the moment I am using the Shu Uemura red:juvenus Instant Eye Fatigue Corrector and to be honest, I don't love it, but I do need to put in something for my eye care. 

Sometimes I mix my own eye "cream", more like a mixture of oil, which I find to be amazing but I've just been a bit too lazy to make up a batch lately. Isn't it funny that sometimes it's the simplest, cheapest thing that works the best? Who knew that a homemade eye cream could be amazing!

Extras:

These are things that I don't do everyday but more so every other day or whenever I feel like my skin needs it. These extras rarely change, the brands might, but I will always do a regular face mask (once a week), regular exfoliating (once a week) and regular pore strips (once a week).

Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque 60mL $39.00

I am seriously in love with this face masque. Just like the Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser, it just smells really botanical and natural and it really does the job of deep cleansing. I use it once a week or sometimes more often, depending on how I'm feeling and how clogged my skin feels but it makes your face baby's bottom soft and really does pull out all the nasty gunk that's sitting in your pores. 

Mario Badescu Whitening Mask 2oz $28.95

I have very very stubborn pigmentation from my pimples/acne which I totally hate but Mario Badescu can do me no wrong, I swear. No whitening products has ever worked on me except for this one. I have found this mask to have made a significant difference to the pigmentation on my skin and I haven't even finished my first tub! May I also say this thing smells DIVINE, it smells like... grapes!

Cure Natural Aqua Gel 250g 

 Since I do use the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner, I haven't felt the need to exfoliate as much as I use to but whenever I have the urge or I feel like I can feel the dead skin just sitting there, chillin', on my face, this is what I turn to to get my face back into tip top shape. The only thing that I don't like about this is the scent, it smells like the alcohol in hand sanitizer and that's all you smell as you stand there exfoliating.

The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Black Head Charcoal Pore Strip 

I used to use the Biore Charcoal Strips and I honestly though that was the shizz until I tried this bad boy out. I've even gotten my husband onto using this and what comes out is absolutely amazing. I am one of those freaks who LOVE seeing what comes out of my pores and I get ridiculously happy when I see lots of little bumps on the strip but this baby will get the most stubborn black heads out. Just a warning though, this is not for the faint of heart or possibly people with sensitive skin because it is quite strong. 

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I hope you all enjoyed reading about my skincare!

What's your favourite step in your skincare routine?

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January Beauty & Skincare Favourites!

This month I was totally obsessed with my skin so all I wanted to do was perfect my skin or on the days I didn't have perfect skin, I wanted products that would fake the look of perfect skin. So without further ado, my first ever favourites post! Make sure you stick around until the end of the post for my secret to faking perfect skin! 

 1. Mario Badescu - Seaweed Night Cream - Now I know this says night cream... but I do use this day and night and my skin has never been better. For those of you who are not familiar with my previous blog, I should be the ambassador for Mario Badescu, that's how obsessed I am with the line. I have converted SO many of my friends and family to this skincare line and they all love it!

I have been using Mario Badescu consistently for about 2-3 years now and so, just like every other skincare fiend out there, I started getting bored with my routine and I started dabbling with Aesop skincare. I first bought the Parsley Seed Masque and I do truly love that but I also got the cleanser and the moisturizer, and although there was nothing particularly wrong with the products, my skin just didn't look as good as it did when I was using Mario Badescu. So after a month or so with my Aesop moisturizer, I parted ways with it and bought my usual Mario Badescu cream.  

 2. Benefit - Rockateur Blush Box - I got this as a Christmas present from a dear friend last year and I have just been using it non stop on myself and also on my clients as well. It is just the most perfect balance of peach, pink, mauve and bronzey tones that makes is such a universal colour. The colour payoff isn't too pigmented also which I think is actually a good thing on a blush because that makes it more difficult for you to overdo it with the blush (One of my absolute pet peeves!).

 3. Sunday Riley - Liquid Light #110W - If you have quite an even skin tone or want something that is quite light to wear, you will love this foundation. It is definitely best for people with drier skin, just because I find that it is quite moisturizing and gives a beautiful dewy effect to the skin. I've been using this non stop this month and I find that it gives me just enough coverage for a day to day foundation. 

 4. bareMinerals - Original Golden Fair - I was always skeptical to try mineral foundations just because as mentioned above, I do have a drier skin type so I've always thought that buffing a mineral foundation on myself would just create a hot mess. In comes, Jaclyn Hill from Youtube, now she has dry skin as well and she mentioned on one of her favourites that she likes to set her T-Zone with this baby and I have noticed her skin looking GORGEOUS lately so obviously I ran to the nearest Mecca Cosmetica and got this little miracle worker. 

This powder is so fine and has the most gorgeous finish, due to the micro light reflectors and sets my makeup beautifully as well as giving me that extra bit of coverage if I so wish to. 

 5. NARS - Radiant Creamy Concealer Chantilly - As you can see from the photo, this concealer is WAYYY too light for my skin tone but I really was close to that colour in winter believe it or not! Although I can't really use this on blemishes anymore, I do use it to highlight my under eye area when I go out at night and as the name suggest, it's just SO creamy and I also find this concealer to be really pigmented. Time for me to get one in my current colour! 

 6. Too Faced - Pink Leopard Bronzer - I got this product actually about a year or so ago and never touched it until last month. Yeah... I know! It was definitely one of those impulse purchases after watching Sam from Pixiwoo use this on her cheeks and looking absolutely gorgeous after doing so. Silly me, didn't check whether or not it was a matte bronzer or not and just decided to grab it, and when I got home I was a bit floored because I really don't like any bronzers with any type of shine or shimmer to it. 

After deciding that it was time for me to just get adventurous and try this thing because it was sitting in my makeup bag looking all forlorn and lonely, I found out I loved it! Somehow, the sheen that this product gives makes the bronzer look more natural which is how this little baby made it into my daily summer makeup routine. 

7. Sparmax Mini Air Compressor + SP-35 Air Gun - This is my pride and joy right here! And my secret to beautiful, glowing skin in a matter of seconds. I know not everyone will have this hunk of a machine at home (Side note, mini my butt! This this is definitely not mini and definitely not light! My shoulder hurt and I've broken many bags from carrying this thing!) but there are more and more companies now that produce cheaper airbrushing system and I just think that I save so much time airbrushing my foundation rather than fiddling about with my BeautyBlender sponges. 

On the days that I want more coverage than what my Sunday Riley Liquid Light can offer, I use my aibrush. I know what most of you will think, this nut case uses airbrushing as a day to day kind of thing? Are you serious? And my answer to that is, oh yes! This nut case is! I find that it takes me less than 45 seconds to get my whole face done with this thing, and since I am very impatient when it comes to putting makeup on myself, this is definitely my secret weapon to beautiful skin every day! 

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So, what are your favourite beauty and skincare products this month?

Bienvenue!

Hello world! My name is Phoebe and I am a 25 year old, full time Makeup Artist from Perth, Australia. 

I made this blog because... well... I genuinely enjoy blogging and frankly, reading previous posts can be quite hilarious and cringeworthy! (e.g: Reading my first ever post on my previous blog just last night... Awkward and red face alert!)

You can expect posts on this blog about... you guessed it! EATing, my LIFE and my LOVEs (from my addiction with makeup, skincare, reviews, fashion, tips and tricks, travels and whatever random hobby I stumble across along the way). I'm not blogging because I think that my life is perfect and I want to show it off but because I feel that I am at a point in my life where all the exciting things will be happening whether it be with my career or personally and I want to share it with everyone. 

So sit back, relax and I hope you all enjoy going through this journey called life with me! 

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