Personalised Nutella!

When me and my boyfriend travelled to London earlier this year I rushed to Selfridges in search of the personalised Nutella jars I'd seen floating about online. Needless to say, I came home empty handed and broken hearted.....okay a slight over exaggeration but I WAS disappointed.

You can then imagine my excitement when I found out that Myer has collaborated with Nutella to do the same thing here in Australia! *dreams do come true*

So yes friends, this is an entire post dedicated to telling you this good news. 

'Cause every body loves Nutella

(If you don't like Nutella I don't trust you) 

It also makes a pretty sweet Christmas present and it's only $12.95 to do 🙃

A winning combination

It seems as if the moment that calendar flipped to the 1st of June my face just sensed it and had a mini freak out on me! 

.....Okay I might be over exaggerating here because it's more like 2 weeks that my skin has been suffering from what I suspect to be a mix of the cold weather, the air con, being sick and a bit of upcoming exam stress. 

Essentially my face has decided that it wants to break out- but it also wants to be annoyingly dry (y'know, the kind of dry that putting foundation over just makes your skin flake) which is just not what I like. I've been using this pair in conjunction with each other every few nights to try and battle it out and it's been working quite well! 

The Lush Mask of Magnaminty is one of my all time favourite face masks for when my skin is breaking out. I just don't know what it is about this but it seems to minimise any spots on my face and make my skin a little more glowy! Just a lot less aggravated looking in general. I love the way the peppermint makes my skin feel cool while it's on, so I absolutely love using this when I'm soaking in the bath. Mint is one of my favourite things in food and drinks so it's not a surprise I love it on my face too. 

The Origins Drink Up- Intensive mask is great at giving my skin some extra hydration when I need it, and I feel like using it after a face mask for pimples is best as generally the pimple fighting products tend to dry your skin out even just a little. When your skin is already dry believe me, you tend to notice the littlest of extra dryness very quickly. I use this product just like it instructs and leave it on overnight and let it work it's magic. I normally rinse it off in the morning and put my normal moisturiser on after and go about my day.

Is your skin battling this cold weather too? Let me know what your favourite hydrating products are down below!

Peanut Butter+Choc oats!

I pretty much have oats for breakfast every single morning, come 6:45am and there I am cooking some oats over the stovetop. I make myself wholegrain quick cook oats every morning because they are a good way for me to start the day with some protein (keeps your full longer!!) fiber and other vitamins. I also just love the taste :P

Last night whilst a little bored waiting for my best friend to come over and watch the newest episode of Australia's next top model I decided to do a little experiment....one that turned out delicious, with added protein and vitamins and I just had to share it with you!

Let's get started!

What you'll need:

1/2 cup of oats-I always have mine scooped so I get a little bit more hehe
Almond milk-enough to cover the oats and a little more. You can use water, soy or regular milk here.
1.5 TBSP PB2- You could use regular peanut butter, but would have to melt it first to stir it in fully!
1 TBSP Cacao powder

Optional: 1 TSP Honey
Handful of raspberries

This is a really easy thing to throw together and basically all I did was put my oats into a bowl, add almond milk until the oats are covered well and stir together so they're all soaked. I then took my PB2 and Cacao powder and stirred that all in so that it was all evenly distributed. Then I placed some glad wrap over my bowl and put it in the fridge over night!

Cacao powder can be quite bitter sometimes so I added some honey on top to sweeten it up, you could use anything you like for sweetener here; brown sugar, agave nectar etc
I also added some raspberries on top as a little yummy treat.

Because it was a cold morning today I also microwaved it for 1 minute and it was a delicious winter breakfast! Left cold and it would be perfect for a hot day!

Let me know if you try this recipe out, it's super simple and good for you too!

Shanghai Suzy Lipsticks

I recently ordered 4 lipsticks from Australian brand Shanghai Suzy. I was intrigued by the brand as I'd seen it pop up on my social media a few times. The colours always looked decent online and I mean, of course I'm going to look into Australian brands! The lipsticks are $12.95 each or you can grab a deal like I did of buy 3 get 1 free!

I chose the first 3 colours based on what I thought I'd get the most wear out of and the 4th (the nude shade) because I struggle to find a nude to suit my fair complexion. I'm so far very impressed by this shade due to it's slight pink undertone, it seems to work nicely with my colouring. The 3 bright colours are all matte formulas and the nude is a 'nourish' formula.

The matte colours are just matte enough that they last a long time and appear matte to the eye, however not so matte that your lips are going to feel like they're peeling off after a days wear. The nourish formula is quite balmy feeling and does actually feel nourishing! Imagine that! All the colours are very pigmented and only require one or two coats!

[L-R] Miss Mia, Miss Christina, Miss Bree, Miss Leah

Overall I'm super impressed by these lipsticks and if you're after good quality lipticks without paying a small fortune I would highly recommend giving these a go! I ordered mine off the shanghai suzy website however there are more and more stockists popping up carrying the range. I'm really looking forward to the winter collection which I believe is released in April!

October Favourites

October is normally my favourite month of the year, it starts warming up, it's my birthday (yay!!) but with October this year also came a whirlwind of uni work and actual work. I'm still pretty sad that October is over for another year but (once I've finished my exams) I'll be happy to start enjoying the warmer weather that November brings. 

So as we say hello to November, here are my favourite products from the month of October!

Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette

This was an item that I was a little hesitant to spend the money on as I was placing my order, however I'm glad that I did. It's a beautiful palette for the cheeks as we come into the warmer months as all 3 colours give such a beautiful fresh glow to the face. All 3 colours in the palette are very wearable, and I definitely think this is one that can still be used right through the year.

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie in 'Hypnotist'

Every time I put this on my lips I immediately felt like a mermaid. That's enough to be in my favourites right there! This transforms into a beautiful peach colour on the lips and makes them seem full and plump with an almost metallic sheen. It really shows it's beauty out in the sun which is perfect for summer!

MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance

On days where my skin has felt dull this has transformed my face to looking bright and full of life-which leading up to exams seems like a near impossible task. This looks really glittery when it's swatched but with foundation on top the glitter disappears and turns to radiant instead. This is also really nice just to add a bit of dimension under a matte foundation.

Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in '13'

I've been using this on my eyes as either an eyeshadow base, or just all over the lid on its own. Used either way it's a beautiful product! It doesn't crease on my lids, and really helps eyeshadow colours pop. It's a gorgeous champagne colour that is very much shimmery but not at all glittery. It almost gives a wet look effect if worn on its own and I for one LOVE that look.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in 'Chantilly'

I hunted this product down in Mecca Cosmetica as they seem (?) to have discontinued stocking this colour! Being a pale girl, it's very hard to find products to match my skin tone let alone ones that I actually like. This is great for concealing blemishes as it is very creamy and hydrating or as I've been using it recently with a fake tan on, as an under eye highlighter. Again, because it is so hydrating it works really well under the eye.

The Body Shop 'Brazil Nut' Cream Body Scrub

Oh my gosh. Can I just start by saying that this is one of the yummiest smelling products I have ever used. I've gone through this really quickly and that's just because I have been using it to smell it as often as possible. The Body Shop is a brand that has really been creeping their way into my cupboards recently and I'm certainly not fighting it. I bought this scrub as I've been venturing into the world of fake tanning and needed something to keep it from looking patchy. It's a really nice scrub that removes every bit of dead skin there, and due to the product being a 'cream' scrub is also nice and moisturising.

Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam in 'Dark'

I'm very new to the world of fake tanning as I do really like my pale skin! I just felt like changing it up a bit and thought it would be nice to be able to try some foundations that until now haven't matched my skin. The colour that this gives is amazing considering how pale I am to begin with. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't turn me orange or look anything other than natural on me. I've been getting compliments on my tan every time I've had it on. It doesn't really have a bad smell like a lot of fake tans do, and I haven't had any problems with it applying streaky or going patchy. I've been applying it with the Bondi Sands tanning mit which makes it really easy to glide the product on.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my monthly favourites for the month of October were and let me know in the comments below if you've tried or like any of these products too :)

Josie Maran at Mecca Cosmetica!

Josie Maran is one of those brands I have been itching to try, but of course like many other brands is almost impossible to get in Australia. Well, was almost impossible to get. Josie Maran is one of Mecca Cosmetica's newest brands to launch so of course I had to get my hands on some of it the moment it came out!

If you're not familiar with Josie Maran products, the majority of the range is made with 100% fair trade, organic argan oil with the rest of the range all still being eco friendly. Mecca does carry a decent size of the range in store and I was very tempted to go all out and pick up 5 or 6 products! I was however on a mini holiday at the time of purchasing these so I had to refrain from spending all my money at once.....
I had to stick to a small(ish) budget so I grabbed the Argan Cleansing Oil as I'd run out of my previous makeup remover the night before (how convenient), and I couldn't leave without the signature 100% Pure Argan Oil. I wasn't sure how moisturising this would be so I played it safe and went with the 'light' formula.

I'm going to have to admit that when I first started using this oil I wasn't impressed. It was a lot thicker in consistency to the cleansing oil I was used to and so it felt like it was almost hard to rub around on my face. That was until I realised that you're meant to shake it slightly before using it *facepalm*. All the problems in Gaby's life were now solved (I wish!).... but really, this made it a lot easier to use and more familiar to me as well. If you've never used a cleansing oil before you simply rub the oil all over your dry face full of makeup before wetting your hands and then rubbing your wet hands back all over your face! This emulsifies the product and gets rid of all that mascara you just had smeared down to your chin. Then rinse off. A super simple and easy way to remove every last bit of makeup on your face. I like to follow this with a gentle face wash but that's really up to you!

Now this Argan Oil is quite the little miracle worker! As it doesn't have any nasties added into it you can essentially use it wherever you'd like... On your face, in your hair, on dry patches of skin or even as a cuticle treatment. I've been using it on my face every night before bed and running whatever is left on my hands through my hair. My skin was super dry when I first started using this after travelling on 2 planes in a matter of days and I really think this helped get my skin hydrated a lot quicker than normal. It is as it says, a fairly lightweight oil and so soaks into your skin relatively quick and works on moisturising straight away. I've been using both these products for close to 2 weeks now and I'm not sure if it's a coincidence and I really don't wanna jinx my skin.....but my skin is honestly looking the best it has in as long as I can remember. My skin is looking smooth, evened out and hydrated.

Overall I'm really stoked with these products and am excited to try more. I might test out one of the non-lightweight Argan Oils to see the difference between the two next.

Have any of you tried the Josie Maran range? Did you love it as much as me or were you unimpressed?! Let me know in the comments below!

Products I regret buying

I just want to start this post by pointing out that I'm not saying these are necessarily bad products, just that they didn't work for me. My skin and the things I like are going to probably be different to yours!

Lush 9 to 5 Orchid Oil Cleansing Lotion.
I did try this cleansing lotion quite some time ago and maybe I wasn't using it correctly but it broke me out almost instantly. Not a fan of things that break me out. It does get a +1 for doing a fantastic job at actually removing my makeup, but I'll stick to either the Body Shop cleansing oil or the Josie Maran one I've recently started using.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+.
I'm pretty sure I picked this up when my skin was suuuuper dry about 6 months ago. I was after a saviour and that's not what I found! The reason why I didn't enjoy this product was that it just seemed to sit on the surface of my skin and leaving a film rather than actually soaking in and moisturising it. So for that I regret purchasing this. I would however consider trying the one for normal skin or the gel, as maybe this just wasn't suited to my skin type!

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads.
I bought these on the recommendation of many a beauty youtuber but I was pretty disappointed as I literally noticed no difference after using them. I stopped using them after close to 2 weeks of just no results, so maybe I didn't use them long enough? Either way I regret spending my money on them.

Benefit the Porefessional Agent Zero Shine.
Now this last one was clearly just a stupid mistake on my behalf....and that is just that I honestly never use translucent powder. I admit, I got sucked into the hype and the fantastic marketing efforts of Benefit. For what it is and what it's meant to do however, the product is good. Unfortunately just not something I use.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know down below a product you regret buying and why!