Monday, December 28, 2015

GIVEAWAY: Fizzy Bath Bombs FTW!


2015 is nearly over, and I wanted to end the year with a Bang! A Fizz Bang to be exact. So I'm giving away this cute as heck Bath Fizzers pack to thank my readers for dropping by throughout the year. I love your comments and appreciate everyone who pops into Max The Unicorn to read my posts. I love you all!




THE PRIZE
~ Arome Ambiance Candied Fruits Bath Fizzers
~ Jardin Delice Bath Bon Bon
~ Strawberry Cupcake Bath Fizzers

It's easy to enter! Just follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget. Please note you must be an email subscriber to enter, but all the other tasks are optional, each getting you more entries and thus chances to win. After you subscribe, remember to click the link in your email to complete the subscription process, otherwise it doesn't count! I'm hoping to bring you more frequent Giveaways in 2016. Have fun and Good Luck!

This giveaway is open to Australian residents only
The winner will be notified via email and given 3 days to reply, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.
I'll announce the winner here on the blog and on Max The Unicorn Facebook page too.



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Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, December 26, 2015

The Limited Edition Christmas Bellabox!




Merry Christmas, guys! I hope you all had a fabulous day and were spoiled with pressies! This post is all about a Christmas present I won for myself :)

I don't have much experience with subscription boxes. I've never felt the desire to sign up, because I seem to be constantly swimming in samples, and have enough products around the house to use up, without having to pay each month for a box containing more! However, I have on the odd occasion won a box, including the special Limited Edition Christmas Bellabox recently. I have nothing to compare this to, so I don't know if it's good, bad or otherwise in the world of subscription boxes, but I'm pretty impressed with it. I feel like there's a lot of goodies in there, and they don't look at all cheap and/or nasty. Let's see what I got in the Limited Edition Christmas Bellabox.....




Contents
~ QVS Concealer Brush
~ Coastal Scents Dome Shadow Brush
~ Burts Bees Nourishing Facial Wash (29.5 ml)
~ BIODERMA Sensibio H2O (20ml)
~ Max Factor Masterpiece Max High Volume & Definition Mascara (full size)

~ ASPAR Rose & Shea Hand Cream (10ml)
~ Chapstick Night Repair Lip Treatment (7g)
~ Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter (full size)
~ UB Tint Stick in Siren (full size)
~ LAQA & CO Lip Lube in Bees Knees (full size)
~ LAQA & CO Cheeky Lip Pencil in Humble Brag (1g)








Upon checking the website today it seems the box is valued at $49.95, then Bellabox were selling them at 40% off, for $29.95 (they are no longer available). There was supposed to be a pack of 5 NIP+FAB SKIN Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads in my box, but I guess I missed out on those!  I'm excited to try the Bioderma, as it's a step up from my usual Garnier Micellar Water, and the Laqa & Co lip products look interesting, too. I'm also impressed that makeup-wise, I got four full-sized products. The box is lip product-heavy, but that's a plus in my book! I do love the cute spotty yellow box everything came in, so I'll keep that for storing shit in. Overall, I think this is an awesome box, and I'm happy to have won it! Speaking of competitions, stay tuned for a post towards the end of January, where I'll feature all the prizes I won this December!

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Disclaimer: This box was won by me and all thoughts in this post are my honest opinion. Please see my Disclosure page for further information.

What do you think of this box? Do they often miss an item out? Do you get your Bellabox on time every month? Do you normally get this many products, or is this a big box because it's a special Christmas one? I have so many questions! Help me out in the comments below.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics Haul!




Let's retrieve this post from the 'better late than never' pile, as we take a look at what I bought in the Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics Sale (that you may or may not remember at this point). I was going so well, with fairly regular posting, when BAM! the countdown to Christmas competitions hit. I won't go into detail, suffice to say there's about 5000* giveaways to enter each day, and it's taking over my life**. If you guys are interested I'll do a post in January showing all the prizes I won in December, because I'm not doing too badly! Let me know in the comments. Anyhoo, here's what I got, including free delivery, because I ordered online and it came to over $100 (not an accident).

  • Models Prefer Matte Nude Shadows Palette
  • Garnier BB Cream Combination To Oily Skin in Light/Claire
  • Maybelline Line Express Eyeliner in Ebony Black
  • Covergirl Brow & Eye Makers Brow Shaper in Midnight Brown
  • Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire
  • Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Candy Blue
  • Max Factor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Copper
  • Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose
  • Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet in Meteoric Matte
  • Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 32
  • Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipstick in Fuchsia Flash
  • Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Pop in Pink Shock
  • Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Berry Couture

Max Factor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Copper
Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet in Meteoric Matte
Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose
Max Factor Max Effect mini nail polishes; (left) Candy Blue, (right) Fantasy Fire
Models Prefer Matte Nude Shadows palette
(L-R): BabyLips Pink Shock, Rimmel Kate 32. Revlon Berry Couture, Vivids Fuchsia Flash


Quick Thoughts

~ The Garnier BB Cream for Combo-Oily Skin seems to mattify my skin too much and is a bit of a let-down for me. I might stick with the original version!

~ I haven't tried the Max Factor nail polish mini in Fantasy Fire yet, but am pretty excited to after looking at swatches and reading reviews where it's been described as duochrome, multi-tonal and holographic!

~ My Models Prefer palette came damaged, with the Chocolate shade broken, leaving the lighter shades covered in dark brown powder (I cleaned it up as best I could for the photo). Priceline were out of stock to replace it (apparently instore and online are two completely separate entities, I was told), so I was refunded the money for it.

~ I'm loving the creaminess and ease of application of the Max Factor Shimmer Eyeshadow! Ever since I started using Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Birthday Suit I have seriously fallen in love with cream eyeshadows!

~ So glad I got the Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush, it is freaking delightful!

~ I can't believe I completely forgot about the new Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Nude Collection and went with an original shade! Luckily though, number 32 is very flattering and I do love it.

~ The Baby Lips is super fun and feels great on but design flaw alert! Not being able to wind the product to below the tube top means I will eventually take a chunk out of it. The product just sits too high and you have to be careful every time you put the lid back on!

* may be a slight exaggeration
** this is completely accurate

I'm linking up to Fabulous And Fun Life Monday Makeup Madness Linky Party!

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Do you use any of these products? Any you're keen to try out?

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Get Festive with Lush This Christmas!


It's only a few weeks until Christmas! Have you started your shopping, or do you leave it until the last minute like me? Our Tree is going up this weekend, we went to our first ever Christmas Pageant recently and Mr. 8 is marking off the days on the calendar (I really should get him a proper Advent Calendar, lol). But more importantly, get excited because limited edition Lush Christmas products are now available! I was lucky enough to receive a box of Lush Christmas goodies* from the 2015 range, let's have a look inside.....





I was delighted to see that everything came wrapped in a It's Christmas Deer Knot Wrap, although my design, pictured above,  was slightly different from the one featured on the Lush website (more deer, less stocking). It's a lovely silky Greenspun fabric that was actually made from two recycled 500ml plastic bottles. These can be used as eco-friendly gift wrap, worn as a headband or knotted up to make a little carry bag!





Next up is Snow Fairy Shower Gel a cult Lush Christmas product. It's a super-sweet pink sparkly fairyfloss-scented gel that's just flat-out fun to use. The musky sweetness can be a bit much, but if you're into that, you'll enjoy Snow Fairy. My son loves using this in the shower and bath as he's a huge fan of the scent. His skin is always so soft afterwards! I've reviewed it before here.




I loved the Shoot For The Stars Bath Bomb! Running this little beauty under hot water provided a myriad of colours, as the water started off light blue, then pretty pink was released from the centre, turning the water dark blue, purple then a midnight blue/almost black hue! Then, when I got into the bath, I noticed a ton of tiny sparkly glitter particles! This was the most relaxing, mesmerizing and joyful bath I've ever had I reckon! It felt magical to be laying in practically black water containing so many shimmery glitter bits swirling around me, like stars in the night sky. I would highly recommend picking one up if you're a bath bomb lover!




So I'm not sure how much use I'll get out of the Fairy Dust Dusting Powder but let's talk about it anyway! This is a pale pink, glittery body dust that basically just makes you sparkle. I guess it would be great if you went to music festivals or nightclubs, but I don't. LOL. It produces a pretty silver shimmer that's eye-catching in the light, and the subtle scent is nice. Here's what Lush say about it:

"All you need is lustre, trust and a little Fairy Dust. Sprinkle this sweet, sparkling pink dust over skin to stay fresh for great big adventures. For dreams that take you past the second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning, you can use it to candy-coat bedsheets too."






I adore the deep red colour of Santa's Belly Shower Jelly and the addition of glitter and little stars make it extra festive! This wibbly-wobbly jelly is a dome of fun. Just try not to play with it (it's impossible, lol). Despite being wobbly, it's a firm mould that stays together when you cleanse with it, producing a thick pink lather that smells of apples! It contains vegan mulled wine, apple juice and star anise infusion. I've changed the way I use these Lush jellies; I used to break off a piece, but found that this wasted product as it often slipped to the floor. Now I use the whole thing to cleanse with, it's actually much easier and harder to drop! These are great value for money; my other one, the Whoosh jelly, is lasting me forever, and I've still barely made a dent in Santa's Belly.

My picks of the bunch are Santa's Belly Shower Jelly and Shoot For The Stars Bath Bomb. Such fun products!




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Disclaimer: All products were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.


Will you be picking up anything from Lush this month?

I'm linking up to the Fabulous And Fun Life Monday Makeup Madness Linky Party!

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

December Goals!


Left: Kikki K A5 Weekly Diary Sweet, Right: Typo Chase Adventure Premium Diary


Can you believe it's December!? I've done zero Christmas shopping so far, and will no doubt leave it until the last minute as usual. In terms of goals, results were not optimal, to say the least. I did do a massive clean-up around the house though, I just didn't get around to my desk or my makeup organiser. Despite this, most rooms are looking quite good now, and I'm feeling a lot more organised! Here's how I did with my November Goals...

  1. Publish at least 10 blog posts again ~ NO (8 is close though).
  2. Create a Beauty Spreadsheet listing staples with prices and dates ~ YES (well, I've started)
  3. Finally change to my married name! ~ NO (this will take a lot of preparation)
  4. Clean out and re-organise cutlery drawer ~ YES! So. Much. Better.
  5. Set up regular online grocery shopping and home delivery ~ NO
  6. First-time watch 7 movies ~ NO. I only first-time watched 4 (Horrible Bosses 2, Dumb And Dumber To, Spy, Skyfall)
  7. Clean out and re-organise makeup organiser ~ NO (but I did clean up the entire bedroom)
  8. Clear and clean my desk ~ NO (but the kitchen is 95% done now!)
  9. Be awesome (sorry, I wanted an easy one!) LOLOL ~ YES, obviously! (joking)
  10. Buy a 2016 Diary! ~ YES! One for my blog and one for everything else.

RESULT - 4/10 and a lot of excuses.

OK, so December will be mega-busy, with builders working on our house, presents to buy, a shit-ton of Christmas comps to enter each day plus blogging, so I'll be realistic and halve my Goals.


December Goals


  1. Eat healthier in general (except Christmas Day)
  2. Drink more water
  3. Clear and clean my desk (minimalism!)
  4. Don't get overwhelmed by comps and/or feel the need to enter every single Christmas Countdown competition! (compers will get this one)
  5. Clear and clean makeup organiser and toss unused/old products


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Are you achieving your goals? Link up your Goals posts in the comments below, I'd love to read them!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Top 7 Beauty Purchase Regrets!




I think we've all bought things that seemed like a good idea at the time, only for it to become abundantly clear later on that it was, in fact, a rather shit idea. Sometimes, I even know it's a shit idea at the time I'm buying it, but my brain is still egging me on, insisting I MUST HAVE IT. Make yourself a coffee, sit back, relax and enjoy the gloriously bad decisions I've made, with my Top 7 Beauty Purchases Regrets!



Looks good in the tube...

7. Australis Velourlips Matte Lip Cream in Hon-O-Loo-Loo
When Australis first released this collection of matte creams I was so excited. I think we all were! Don't get me wrong, some of the shades are lovely. Just not this one, on me. I swatched this on my arm in Priceline and it looked so pretty I immediately fell in love and knew it had to be mine. Of course I completely forgot my arm and my lips are two vastly different colours and just because the arm swatch looked good didn't mean this would translate to my face. Hon-o-loo-loo is way too light and impressively manages to make my lips disappear into my face whilst simultaneously making my teeth appear yellow. Sexy! Hey, at least it's a multi-tasker.




6. Ulta3 Nail Colour in Honolulu
OMG, Honolulu again! How freaky is that? OK, so as much as I love Ulta3 for its cheap as chips rainbow of nail polish colours, the fact still remains, this is yellow nail polish. I have never worn this and I probably never will. Why did I buy this? Do I not know myself at all? Was I having an identity crisis that day? Did I have a particular nail art idea in mind? Had I been watching too much Sesame Street (damn you, Big Bird!)? I mean it's not even a pale lemon or pastel yellow, for shit's sake. It's..... well, it's Honolulu, and it's hideous.



What an extravagant cock ring!
LOL

5. Giant Hair Donut
I don't even know what brand this is, or its proper name (probably because I ripped the packaging off in an excited frenzy to try out my new hair bun maker, lolol *cries*), but it's huge. And therein lies the problem. I do not have huge amounts of thick hair. My hair is fine, and so damn fine (hey, girlfriend!) that it's a massive struggle to wrap it around this bastard contraption ensuring it's all covered. I used this once, and I remember spending ages poofing my hair around this 'donut' until my ugly bun covered up all the stupid sponge. Then I took countless photos, ripped it out, threw it to the back of the cupboard and went to my room to sulk. LOL.



What a stunning bottle though!

4. Lolita Lempicka Eau De Parfum
Oh My God, the bottle is so cute! It's shaped like an apple and has gold accents and the spray button looks like an apple stem and I have to have it! And so I did. I ordered it online, without even smelling it first. I'm not joking. This is the power of gorgeous packaging/bottle design, people. I am not proud of this impulse purchase. Turns out the scent of Lolita Lempicka gives me a huge motherflipping headache, so I can't actually wear it. At least it looks pretty. High Fives all round!



Yeah right!
Put this on the front of your packet, Lip Rock!

3. Lip Rock Metallic Lip Foils
I won't lie, the idea of having metallic gold lips excited me. The 'Reduced To Clear, Was $5.50, Now $2.00' sticker did not raise any red flags whatsoever, instead cementing the decision to purchase in my head. This was happening, goddamnit! You'll be shocked to know, my lips looked nothing like the perfect, shiny gold plump kissers on the packet. These were a bitch to apply, came out uneven, didn't adhere to my lips properly and weren't even gold. I chose my blurriest photo then filtered the crap out of it before posting it to Instagram, that's how bad it looked. #truthbomb



Seems sensible
hahaha

2. Lime Crime Lipstick in No She Didn't
Yes, she fucking did! Hehe. And she regretted it almost immediately. Because it's blue lipstick. It's blue (like the nail polish was yellow); you just can't get around the fact. But more astonishing is knowing that that's the reason I wanted to buy this in the first place. I wanted blue lips! I'm an introvert, so it's not as if I'm ever wearing this outside the house. I have to work up the courage to wear Airborne Unicorn out, FFS. And no, I don't do the Zombie Walk or go to Fancy Dress parties ever. I have absolutely no use for this, besides slicking it on so my family can point at me and laugh.





1. BYS Eyeshadow in Limited Edition NEONS
Wow. Take a look at this thing! Soak up those fluorescent shades with your now-damaged vision. Marvel that the designer behind this palette had their super-fun novelty hues approved. What lovely, flattering, wearable colours, said noone ever. This jarringly hideous neon eye palette literally makes my eyeballs vomit. I can only imagine I was feeling nostalgic when I saw this, because I do love the '80s. More the movies and music than the makeup, but still. I like that BYS made this a Limited Edition, and yet I hope that I didn't get this thinking 'ooh, only available for a limited time, better grab one before they sell out!'. Because I'm pretty sure I'm the only idiot who actually bought one. Are you jealous?


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What's your biggest beauty purchase regret?

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Summer Essentials!



Summer is well and truly coming! Although if you live in Australia, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was already here. We've been having some scorchers lately, so obviously Spring is having an identity crisis. With real Summer only a week away, it's time to start thinking about the essential items you'll need. We all know the Aussie Summer is hardcore, so to be SunSmart we should Slip, Slop, Slap! Can you believe this campaign from the Cancer Council Australia first began in 1981? It's now been updated to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide:

  • Slip on a shirt
  • Slop on sunscreen
  • Slap on a hat
  • Seek shade or shelter
  • Slide on sunglasses

Whether you're a beach bum or not, Summer is the perfect excuse time to update the wardrobe and add a few new pieces. If you're looking for inspiration, check out the Boohoo Holiday Shop for funky options at affordable prices. Plus, it's a known fact that the onset of hot weather means buying pretty pink lip products and a rainbow of pastel-coloured nail polishes is completely justified! Because Summer. Speaking on Summer, check out my Summer Essentials below!




Caprice Printed Woven Shift Dress* from Boohoo
Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter
Dermalogica Ultra Sensitive Tint SPF 30
Physicians Formula Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Bronzer
Ulta3 Nail Colour in Party Shoes
Ulta3 Nail Colour in Mojito
Lanolips Banana Balm
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
Memoir Beaded Wrist Bracelet in Rose Gold from Mimco
Turquoise & Gold Ring from Lovisa
Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in Ingenue




Imogen Oversized Sunglasses* from Boohoo
Mossimo cap
Who Magazine
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Sugar Fix
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Pinky Promise
Jergens Natural Glow 3 Days To Glow Moisturizer
Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray
Chase Adventure Premium 2016 Diary from Typo
Models Prefer Moisture Lust Glossy Lip Tint in Best of Britain
Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayon in Macaron



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Disclaimer: *Caprice Shift Dress and *Imogen Sunglasses were provided for editorial consideration. This is a non-sponsored post and doesn't contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. For more information, see the Disclosure page.

What are your Summer Essentials?

Monday, November 23, 2015

Mani Monday: Rimmel Rita Ora Bestival Blue!



No wonder this blue mani brought on a serious case of deja vu! How similar is it to Essie Bikini So Teeny, which I blogged last month? Seems I have a thing for pastel blue. This polish is from the Rimmel 60 Seconds Super Shine Rita Ora collection, which is apparently '3-in-1 nail technology'; it includes a self-adapting base coat, polish and protective top coat all in the one formula. Hey, I just liked the colour and the pretty daisies on the bottle handle. This is two coats of Bestival Blue and one coat of Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 2X Volume Top Coat*.







There are eleven gorgeous shades in the Rita Ora collection, and you can click here to see nine of them in a beautiful swatch post on Mllelisaloves blog. The colours are just so pretty, I definitely want to add to my collection!

I'm linking up to Monday Makeup Madness at Fabulous And Fun Life!

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Disclaimer: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 2X Volume Top Coat was provided for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own. Please refer to the Disclosure page for further information.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: 2015 Credit Union Christmas Pageant!


Last Saturday, we took Mr 8 to his first ever Credit Union Christmas Pageant. He's never expressed a desire to go before, and he still didn't this year, but I wanted him to experience it at least once. We stayed at the Mantra Hindmarsh Square Friday and Saturday nights, the perfect location as it was right along the Pageant route. I looked out of our hotel window at 5:48am Saturday morning and there were already people filling up the front row! Hardcore! We got down there about 7:30am and still managed to score a good position. I thought waiting two hours for the festivities to begin would suck, but Zach loved drawing on the road with chalk (an annual tradition, apparently), there was a park to play in a few steps away and anytime we needed to do a wee, the hotel room was one minute away!


















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