M.A.C and NYX are two of my favourite brands so it feels slightly wrong to pit them against each other and make them battle it out on the whole "superior concealer" title. I adore reading other high end vs. drugstore posts though, so I felt prompted to write one of my own.

The Products:
M.A.C - Studio Finish Concealer
NYX - Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer

The Price:
M.A.C - $32
NYX - $9.95

Mini review on each:

M.A.C: This studio finish concealer has been a staple in my makeup stash for a long time now. It has a high coverage yet applies smoothly due to its creamy consistency. It isn't a massive struggle to blend out either. I'd say it's particularly long wearing and...wait for it...it doesn't crease! It can also be used to prime the eyelids for your eye-makeup.

NYX: I only discovered this concealer a few months ago and i'd say i'm only moderately impressed with it. It's quite easy to apply, but not as easy as M.A.C's. Due to it not being so creamy it can sometimes be a struggle to blend out. It claims to be full coverage but i'd have to disagree - it's only a medium coverage. Sadly after a few hours of wearing this concealer I notice that it starts to crease quite badly. Usually I will use this product to conceal around my eyebrows (to get them looking more defined) or to outline my lips (to make my lipstick pop).

The winner:
M.A.C's Studio Finish Concealer! This concealer just wins on all fronts. Although it's a lot more expensive i'd say it's a worthy investment because the quality is a lot higher. The NYX concealer isn't a complete dud as I have found other uses for it (like outlining eyebrows and lips) but it just doesn't work for my under eyes or spots. So if you're in need of a good quality concealer i'd definitely recommend M.A.C's over NYX.

What a hoot potpourri is. Never thought i'd say that in my life, ever. Last night I hosted a Christmas dinner party at my house (how grown up I must sound!) and I thought it would be a nice touch to make the house smell like Christmas. Unfortunately, time got the better of me and I completely forgot to do this. But the day prior I had tested it out in anticipation for the dinner and it turned out a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Leading up to Christmas this is the best thing to quickly whip up to get you in that festive mood.

• 1 Orange cut up into squares
• A handful of cranberries (if you can get the legit ones GO FOR IT but I don't think we have those in Australia..so I settled for the dried ones which still worked a treat)
• 3 Cinnamon sticks
• 2 tsp of Cloves
• 2 tsp of Nutmeg

Steps

1. In a saucepan with boiling water add the orange, cranberries, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. 
2. Keep on a low heat and wait for your house to smell like christmas

I originally hadn't planned on posting this on my blog buut I decided "eh, why not!". A few weeks ago I snapchatted my sister a smokey eye make-up look and just yesterday she told me I should film how I do it. It honestly isn't my finest work of make-up (relying on the viewfinder is freaking hard!) but I thought the final outcome wasn't too shabby. Hope you all like it. I actually really enjoyed the whole process of editing a video so perhaps i'll do one again in the future??

Im gonna make this short and sweet. I bought the avobath bath bomb about three weeks ago and was saving it for the right moment. I was in the midst of studying, I needed a break, it started to rain...it was showtime.

Despite this bath bomb being called 'avobath' it smells of strong lemongrass (which is my favourite scent). Initially I wasn't drawn to this bathbomb..I mean it's just plain green which doesn't scream exciting. Once I had smelt the lemongrass I decided to give it a go. When it fizzes into the bath it's just a green colour and nothing fancy. You know what - I kinda like this bath bomb though. It's just relaxing and a good pick me-up. It claims to give softer skin and I guess it did?? But..nothing incredibly soft. The smell faded out once it had infused into the bath and once I had gotten out of the bath I couldn't smell it on my skin like I do with other lush bath bombs.

So my verdict is: I liked this bath bomb, it was relaxing, did smell good buuut I probably won't buy it again. My favourite bath bombs are the ones that keep their strong scent once infused and leave your skin feeling incredibly smooth (sex bomb, that ones my fave). But if you're in need of some relaxing then give this a go.

Kay so it's four days into November..but I couldn't miss the opportunity to do a post on my October favourites as I discovered/re-discovered many great products. Hope October was good for everyone! For me it was pretty great - I got to go see one of my favourite bands RUFUS play, went to my first bloggers event 'the doll connection' in Brisbane, went to the beach lots..so yeah was lovely :')

 1. M.A.C Mineralize Foundation in the shade NW20 - $49
For some reason I forgot about this foundation until one day I was sifting through my mums make-up stash and found this glorious thing. What I like about this foundation is that it has a natural glowy finish. It's easy to blend. Has a medium coverage. I don't have many negatives about this foundation except it can look a bit cakey if too much is applied, so one pump is the perfect amount.


2. M.A.C Studio Fix powder foundation in NW20 - $49
Okay, I just went to find out the proper title of this powder and discovered it's actually meant to be a foundation. Whaaaat. Well...basically..i've just been using this over my liquid foundation to set everything and mattify my t-zone. I found this was the perfect thing to bring on on-the-go cause it's so compact, easy to apply, and has a mirror.
3. Ardell natural false lashes in "110" - $10
Accidentally put these lashes in my 109 case so you can see my dodgy photoshop job oops. These are the first lashes i've ever felt confident wearing out. I have hooded eyes (ugh) so majority of false lashes look ridiculous on me. I love these lashes because they look so natural and fluttery. I'd recommend these for anyone with hooded eyes or who prefer a natural lash look.
4. Bobbi Brown long-wear cream shadow stick in 'Shadow' - $45
My lovely mum bought this for me a few years ago and I was obsessed with it. Somehow, I just forgot about it. But in October I rediscovered it and have been usually it regularly. It doesn't crease, is easy to blend and is matte. You can either wear it on it's own or add some eyeshadow over to create a divine smoky eye.
5. Eye of horus liquid define liner - $30
This was included in my 'goodie' bag I received from the blogger event I went to. Truthfully, I had never heard of this brand before. I really like this liner though! I'm fussy when it comes to liner and I like how this one doesn't budge. Once it's on, it's on. There's no fading or smudging. Only downer is if you totally mess up your liner it can be quite tricky to remove. But still, its fab.
6. Revlon colourstay eyebrow liner in 'dark brown' - $21.95
Wowzers I love this brow liner. After using my Yuva brow dust for years I decided to give another brow product a go. This glides on pretty easily and doesn't smudge. I'm guessing it's a dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills one? Oh and I also like how it has a lil brush at the other end.
7. V10Plus 'water based peeling' - $69
Another freebie from the blogger event, and another brand I had never heard of. I'm kinda amazed by this product though. The people from V10 asked us to give it a try. I applied the little blob and started rubbing it. At first I was like "oh, so this product dries when you apply it and starts to peel?" and they were like "no that's your dead skin!". Gosh, I was shocked and horrified at how much dead skin I had just on the back on my hand. I've since done it on my face and a ton comes off! So yeah this product is horrifying but also amazing as it gets rid of so much dead skin just by gently rubbing in the lil gel product.
Edit: holy crapola, just looked up the price of this product to add in and it's blooming $69!! Hm, I dunno if that's a little much?

Nothing says commitment like using up a product 'til its last ounce. I shamelessly have collected up these products for months. Shout out to those girls with the monthly 'empties' posts..I have no clue how you can gather so many things!

I like empties posts. I feel like I can trust a bloggers opinion a whole lot more if they've used up an entire product as opposed to using it for a few weeks. SO I shall go through all my empties and say whether i'd repurchase or not.

Already have repurchased this bad boy, numerous times. It smells amazing, can be worn all year round, and is really cheap too!

2. Dove: Go Fresh deodorant
Yeah, a lil random to add in but hey, it's a great deodorant!

3. Collection: Lasting Perfection concealer
You can tell this has been well loved by the fading of the writing. I've repurchased this multiple times and already have another two spare. It's just the perfect concealer, basically.

4. Clinique: Woppin Watermelon chubby stick
This is just my go-to lip product for those "OH MY GOSH I'M LATE I'M LATE" days. Definitely worth a repurchase.

Now I was obsessed with this foundation (hence the whole empty thing I've got going on) but now that i'm using other foundations i'm not 100% sure if i'll repurchase this right away. I do really like this..but for now i'm having fun trying out other foundations. This is a really great one for summer though..so maybe I might have to buy it again.

2. Benefit: Rollerlash
This was featured in my 5 favourite mascaras post and that's because it's blooming awesome. Might not repurchase right away but I probably will in the future.

3. Yuva: Brow Dust
I owned this brow dust for roughly 3 1/2 years and the only reason why it's empty is because I stupidly spilt it. Yes, i'm an idiot. This is not a very known product but it's amazing. If you're after a brow product that'll last for years (literally) than this is it. After using this as my only brow product for years I've ventured out to try other products..but I may end up buying this again cause it lasts so long. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

1. Lancome: Hynose Drama mascara
This was the first mascara that made me go "WOW MY LASHES CAN LOOK LIKE THAT?!". It still is an amazing mascara, don't get me wrong. Since i've discovered tons of other amazing mascaras I don't think i'll end up repurchasing this. I do slightly prefer ones like Rollerlash, Lash Sensational, Falsies..etc. So yeah, it's nice but i've got other ones I prefer.

2. Mac: Liquid liner
When I first got this I thought it was amazing - now that i've discovered soap & glory's liner I can't go back to Macs (oops so much unintentional rhyming). Not a bad product, but not ah-mazing y'know?

3. BYS: Liquid liner
I bought this forever ago...so it's all crusted up and unusable. It wasn't a shocking eyeliner but there are many i've bought since and have preferred.

For months I've been lusting over my 'Whirl' lipliner. So naturally, when I discovered that it was going to be introduced into a limited edition matte lipstick range I was ecstatic.

Whirl is described as a dirty rose shade - uniting both pink and brown together. As you would have seen in my MAC lipstick collection I tend to lean towards the pink/nude shades...so this lipstick was a little out there for me. But alas, I love it!

As whirl is a matte it's got such better staying power than the usual run-of-the-mill creamy lipsticks. I'd say it lasts up to 5 hours. I wore this to a market (that was just for food, honestly..heaven really is a place on earth) and after eating copious amounts of food it only faded in the centre. I reapplied it in the centre and I was good to go!

I'd also like to add that it isn't overly drying which is noice. For a matte lipstick it's a bit creamy so it glides on without tugging at the lips. I always apply the lipliner first so I can perfect my lip shape and then add the lipstick on top.

Overall I really am happy I purchased this lipstick. Despite already owning the lipliner it was a good decision buying the lipstick. Can't wait till autumn hits again and I can wear this day-to-day.

Holly xx

2. Benefit: Rollerlash ($40)

This really is not a post I wanted to post due to the sheer embarrassment about the whole...ahem..saga. The only reason I am posting this is so someone can learn from my mistakes.

Holly x

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation you  rock! Honestly this foundation has been so good to me in the last month. I've had many ungodly early mornings and this foundation makes me appear to have had a full nights sleep due to it's glowy brightening finish. I wrote a review of it here. 
Maybellines Lash Sensational was love at first swipe. Unlike Benefits 'Rollerlash' (which lash sensational is a dupe for, apparently) I liked this instantly. It gives feather like lashes with one coat, and the second coat builds it up to be big curled lashes. If you aren't wanting to splurge on the Rollerlash then try this mascara as I think it's just as good.
The Dior Lip Maximizer Lipgloss is my favourite lipgloss ever, and i'm not even a lipgloss kind of girl.  Whenever I think of lipgloss I just think of hair blowing in the wind and getting stuck on my lips (not very flattering eh?). But this isn't sticky! Hooray! My lips don't go huge when I apply this, but they do look a little more pouty.
Nothing beats my trusty Soap & Glory cat flick eyeliner but I do really like this Rimmel Scandaleyes liner. What I like about this one is that the tip is bendy so it makes it easier to drag across the lid in one fluid motion. I've just been reaching for this liner lots so I thought it was worth a mention.
Only got this Elf Flawless Concealer Brush a few weeks ago but it's great, 10/10 would recommend. It's cheap ($8) and does a great job at lightly blending the concealer in. Originally i'd use my Real Techniques flawless face brush but this works so much better cause it's smaller and can get into the nooks around the eye.
These Essence lipliners are the bomb diggity. Colours I have are: In the nude, cute pink, and soft berry. What I love about these is that they are super duper creamy and can be used all over the lips. They're also very pigmented which is noice. Best thing - they're only $2!!! I'm gonna go back and buy all the lipliners cause they're such a steal.

Non-beauty favourites

Music: 
The Weeknds new album "beauty behind the madness" is just A+. I've listened to it a few times now and it's just so addictive. Also Foals new album just arrived in the mail two days ago and i'm yet to give that a listen, can't wait though. ALSO Lana Del Reys album is going to be out soon which is very excited. Love myself some Lana.

Television: 
Started watching Breaking Bad (kinda late to the party) and i'm onto season 2. So far I like it!! I'm watching it with my friend which is nice but also kinda sucks cause that means I can't marathon the heck out of it when she's not here haha.