Beauty recycle: dusting off a few old and new favourites

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On the regular

On the regular

On a typical day you'll catch me wearing a basic makeup look which I'm able to complete in less than five minutes.

On Saturday night I upped the ante by experimenting with a slightly smoky purple eye.

Recycle, reduce, reuse.

Recycle, reduce, reuse.

Shop my stash..

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To get the look above, pick a deep purple, a slightly brighter and lighter purple and a neutral colour to be used all over. Also make sure you grab your favourite liner, mascara and lippie.

  • Start by applying a neutral eyeshadow from your lash line and stop at your brow bone. Burberry's Trench, MAC's Shroom or Maybelline's Silken Taupe are your best bets.
  • Next grab an angled eyeshadow brush and focus on applying the deepest shade of purple at the outer corners of your eyes. Sweep and blend any excess colour along your crease and stop about half way in.
  • Then grab a stubby eyeshadow brush (MAC's 239 is quite simply the best) and pat the lighter shade of purple on the centre of your lid. Repeat the sweeping and blending method in your crease and stop just shy of the inner corners of your eyes. Want more colour? Line your lower lids too.
  • To illuminate the inner corners of your eyes, blend in a small amount of your base shade.
  • To finish line your upper lash line, paint those lashes and dab on a neutral gloss :)
The final look

The final look

When was the last time you shopped your own makeup stash?

A glimpse at the lips: Giorgio Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524

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Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524

Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524

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A gloss it is, but amped up -- even after the lip slick dies down after an hour or so, you're still left with a sheen without the tackiness. Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524 is a muted, translucent pink with purple and grey undertones. The inspiration behind Flash Lacquer stems from stained glass; personally, Flash Lacquer conjures up thoughts of ice -- a smooth sheet that won't allow you to fall through.

Pink 524

Pink 524

Wearing Pink 524

Wearing Pink 524

The doe foot applicator is generous with its application as it flexes around the curves of my lips; it also lays down enough product during the first pass. The few times I've worn Flash Lacquer I've noticed total wear time hovers somewhere between three and four hours -- not the best, but not the worst either.

Pink 524 would probably be the most universally flattering shade from this particular Armani lip range, because it is a near dupe of the colour of my lips and yours too (potentially). A "my lips, but better" scenario.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Giorgio Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524:

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  •  7 out of 10 bags – wish it stuck around (literally) for a little while longer.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

  • The Bronze All-Over palette sure is pretty.

Currently wearing...

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Essie's Topless & Barefoot and Hello Darling's Teenage Dream on my tips

Essie's Topless & Barefoot and Hello Darling's Teenage Dream on my tips

When neon and nude collide.

What do you think?

Winter edit: smooth sale-ing

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From left to right: Review Dress | SABA Shirt x 2 | Jo Mercer Heels

From left to right: Review Dress | SABA Shirt x 2 | Jo Mercer Heels

The sales are on in Australia, so I used this weekend to top up my waning wardrobe (I can blame that on the gym). I really only have a good excuse for the dress -- an upcoming formal dinner in two weeks time and then a friend's wedding in November. And the shirts? Well, it was hard passing on a really good deal :)

Shop my closet...

As for the shoes, I think I can fish out a pair from the bottom of my closet because I don't wear heels often enough in order to justify purchasing these.