Always leave time for duty free...

I've recently come back from the USA and I have plenty of goodies to share.

The first and last stop I always make on an overseas trip (to the great displeasure of my boyfriend) is the cosmetics section of duty free, and let me tell you, there were plenty of pickings this time around!

On the way out of Australia we went through Sydney airport. Immigration was unusually quiet (Sydney immigration is notorious for its long, slow queues) so we had plenty of time for duty free and gosh did I have fun playing.

I was quite fond of the Dior goodies so I picked some up. Dior is quite reasonably priced compared to some of the other brands at Sydney duty free and there were some limited edition products I knew I wanted to get.

I wasn't able to show much self restraint as you can see....

The best thing about duty free shopping is that you can pick up bits and pieces that are travel exclusives, I picked up this Dior Cannage travel palette which is only available at airports,

The colours in this palette are super pigmented and creamy, just like a regular Dior shadows. There is a decent amount of product in each pan, which is great value and the colours are perfect for travel as there are plenty of neutrals and 'suit all' shades. Its really a mixture of colours to create any kind of look, from a natural eye to a colourful smokey.

I had also been hunting for the limited edition Dior blonde bronzer, I had originally planned to get it while I was on holiday, but a few days before we left the Sephora website no longer had it in stock so when I saw it at duty free I grabbed it just incase and lucky I did because I couldn't find it anywhere afterwards.

Its such a gorgeous bronzer for paler skins, its not orange or muddy brown, its just a nice tan with a subtle hint of pink which makes you look freshly sunkissed. I desperately needed this after a couple of days in the LA sun because my foundation wasn't suiting me much anymore.

There have been a couple of Dior classic products that have been hyped up on YouTube that I couldn't pass on while I was there too.

Dior Amber Diamond highlighting powder is one of them,

I can't keep track of the amount of people who have called this 'the best highlighter' and they aren't wrong. The consistency is like silk and feels like a cream, but it has the longevity of a powder, I love highlighters and this one is a very welcome addition!

And to top it all off, of course I needed the Dior lip glow,

The lip glow is marketed as a colour changing balm, but its different from all the others on the market. I usually end up with a bright fuchsia lip when I use these kinds of products, but this gives a nice natural tint, livens up your lips, moisturises and adds just enough gloss. Perfect handbag product.

We flew out of LAX to get back to Australia and I have to say the duty free shopping there is pretty abysmal for such a major airport. Its one tiny little store with a smattering of cosmetics, a few fragrances and a couple of designer brands.

I ended up picking up some Chanel goodies to go with my 'Santa Monica tan' and I was [<--thiiiiis-->] close to getting a Burberry bag but passed because I've had my eye on an Alexander Wang for a while (look out for the post soon).

I love the Chanel rouge coco shine lipsticks and have a couple of shades but had never picked up 'Boy' for some unknown reason, until now,

I can see why so many people like it, its a quick and easy solution, a 'your lips but better' kind of colour. Love it, easy for on the run.

I also grabbed some face products as well, Chanel do some really amazing bases.

The Le Blanc De Chanel and Vitalumiere Aqua were my picks. The Blanc de Chanel is a great primer, smooth and illuminating without any glitter, it fills in pores and gets rid of any dry spots before foundation, it also increases the longevity of foundation, all while making your face seem that little bit brighter.

The Vitalumiere Aqua is also fast becoming my new favourite foundation. I'd used it before but the colour I was is now too pale, so I picked up the B20 to match my face again. Its nice and lightweight, gives a great coverage, makes your skin look so smooth but doesn't look (or feel) like a giant layer of sludge on your face.

Pretty happy with the duty free selection this time around!

Enjoy!

Cara xx

Off to the markets

This weekend in Sydney it was one of those rare winter days where the weather was BEAUTIFUL, low 20’s (Celsius) not too hot, not too cold. I was hanging out with my cousins and boyfriend for the weekend so we decided to partake in some Sydney fun.

One of my favourite activities in Sydney is catching the train to the city and heading to Paddy’s markets, followed by a trip on the Manly ferry for hotdogs and ice cream near the beach.

At Paddy’s there’s a small Asian beauty store, stocking pretty much everything, from face massagers to bb cream and skincare.

And of course I ‘needed’ something!

First off I got a new BB cream.

I have been using the skin 79 hot pink one for a while now and love it, but I could do with a bit more coverage on the odd occasion (dull skin days) so I picked up the oriental gold plus bb cream also by skin 79.

This one comes with a cheek tint as well as the cream and offers more coverage and lighter colour.

I also picked up some ‘my beauty diary’ sheet masks. Black pearl has got to be my favourite because it just seems to lift my skin so I restocked.

The others I ended up getting are Mixed Berry (yet to try, but I’ll let you know), Aloe Vera (super soothing), Apple Polyphenol (apparently really exfoliating and deep pore cleaning, again, yet to try). I also got a t-zone pore mask by Lepoze which you rub off rather than wash off.

After a look around the markets (which is code for only looking at the beauty stores) we headed over to Circular Quay for the ferry. The hotdogs you get at the onboard café are quite possibly the best snack food ever! They are the reason I like catching the ferry so much (which makes me guilty to say)… that and the view.

Great right?

One of the best parts of Manly is the fact it has one of my favourite ice cream shops…

Ben and Jerry’s!
Choc chip cookie dough is probably my favourite but New York super fudge has got to be a close second… My boyfriend introduced it to me this trip and I’ll curse him for it forever because of its sugary goodness!
With ice cream in hand we headed across the road to the beach…

Manly beach always looks so clean!

We spent a bit of time in Manly but my cousins kids were starting to get a bit tuckered out so we headed home… but not before taking a very posey outfit of the day photo for you, waiting at Circular Quay station, very classy!

Wearing a sparkly top from express, Dr Denim jeans, Windsor Smith boots, Dotti cardigan, Coach handbag and Tiffany’s jewellery… Very beach appropriate don’t you think?

All in all a pretty amazing day with amazing people…

I even had the obligatory nap on the train ride home.

Enjoy!

Cara xx

Something New

Three weeks ago I made the move up to Sydney for my University internship and it has been busy ever since. Needless to say I apologise for the lack of videos, but the only spare time I’ve had has been the 1 hour train ride between the house and work each morning (I'm pretty much dead by the ride home... admittedly I have caught the wrong train before), not exactly prime video filming time for a ‘sane’ person, but it is prime blogging time.

This past week my boy came to visit and gosh I've missed him. He’s one of those people who makes everyone happy, which is pretty awesome if you ask me haha!

Over the week he was here I had to work weekdays which was lame, to say the least, but he always knows how to cheer me up. I arrived home from work one day greeted by this...

I am one lucky girl!

And inside the bag I found this… Queue ridiculously happy photo booth pose photo.

Laura Mercier Almond and Coconut Milk hand crème and the Lip Silk.

When he was here last we had been walking through Myer in Sydney city and I informed him that everyone needs a bit of Laura in their life, Laura Mercier that is, as I tested one of her hand creams. I was just a little devastated to find it was out of stock when I went to purchase it.

Possibly the most thoughtful gift I've ever received!

The hand creme is almond and coconut milk and smells just like it. It has a nutty/coconut undertone but has the sweetness of almonds at the top. I love it! The consistency isn’t too thick or watery, so it doesn’t leave your hands greasy but a little still goes a long way.

The lip silk is possibly one of the best lip treatments I’ve tried, I’m fairly certain my boy is aware I’m on the hunt for some kind of miracle lip balm because I have some of the worst cracked flaky lips during winter! I still love my Sara Happ lip slip but I’m not too fond of the fact I have to dip my fingers in the pot. We are blessed this treatment comes in a squeeze tube!

So that is the first of many blog ramblings to come!

Enjoy!

Cara xx