Im a bit of a brand snob when it comes to lipstick. I have no idea why - but Im totally willing to spend $30+ on one lipstick from a brand that I love, rather than grabbing a number of lipsticks for a cheaper price, from brands I haven't really tried. I guess I just like sticking to what I know and really don't want to regret it later on.



Anywho, I decided I would try out something different and I did just that. I grabbed 6 Wet n Wild lipsticks from Crush Cosmetics. It came to a total of $30, which is pretty much the price of 1 MAC lippy.



l-r: bare it all, spiked with rum, cinnamon spice, in the flesh, cherry bomb, pinkerbell





l-r: bare it all, in the flesh, spiked with rum, cinnamon spice, cherry bomb

Surely enough I have ended up loving all of these Wet n Wild lippys and am quite impressed! This was my first time trying Wet N Wild lippys, so I stuck to nude/earthy/deep tones, but of course I had to grab a bright pink.

Some of them resembled a few MAC shades I have, which you can see below.



Mac Sin + Wet N Wild Cherry Bomb





Mac Velvet Teddy + Wet N Wild Bare It All





Mac Diva + Wet N Wild Cinnamon Spice





These are great dupes if you're wanting a similar shade for less than half the price! I really couldn't get over how pretty these shades were, for only $5 each! The formula is creamy, they are easy to put on and as long as lip liner is applied first, these last relatively well.

I don't have many complaints, other than the packaging. It does feel kinda 'cheap' and every time I take the lid off I end up scraping the sides as the lids seem to stick so hard. But I must say, for $5 - can I realllllly complain?

xx

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

I made this yummy salad especially for Christmas last year, but since moving my blog around I was yet to repost it, till now :)

This salad is not only delicioussss but its so pretty to look at! The colours are amazing. You can eat this warm or cold, either way it tastes good AND if you can save some - its even better the next day as all the flavours have infused together.

The one tip I have for salad is: DONT skimp out on the pomegranate or the pine nuts. The pomegranate totally makes this - when you bite into it, its like a burst of flavour, its amazing.

INGREDIENTS

225g red quinoa

350ml water

25g chopped parsley

25g chopped mint

Seeds of one pomegranate

75g toasted pine nuts (toast in a dry frying pan with no oil until lightly browned. Keep them moving or they will burn.)

1 carrot, grated

1 cooked beetroot, diced (optional)

Dressing:

50ml EVOO

Juice of one lemon

1 tsp honey

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold running water for 2-3 minutes.

Put the quinoa in a saucepan with the water and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to low and cook until the grain is tender and the water has evaporated (about 10-12 minutes). Set aside.

To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

To serve, add the remaining ingredients to the warm quinoa and pour over the dressing. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Hope you enjoy!


xx

Review: Ms Soho 5 day Beautytox

My skin has been absolute crap lately. I have to admit I've been so lazy and haven't been washing/cleansing/toning my face as often as I should. That mixed with makeup almost everyday, mixed with 'that time of the month' has caused my skin to breakout quite badly (sorry for tmi, but hey thats life).

I felt like I desperately needed to 'clean' my skin. Like really clean it. Like wear no makeup for a week, scrub my face with pummus, do a two week juice cleanse and go raw or something.

But we all know thats not gonna happen lol (sadly).

Instead, I tried Ms Sohos beautytox. What the hell is that? Its a detox made up of 5 different face masks to help clean and nourish the skin. At first I thought it was a big fat have, so what do I do? Buy it anyway of course! In my defence I blame instagram for supplying me with beautiful pictures - forcing me to try it....lol.

Day 1: Aloe Vera // Calms and soothes skin, fades redness and blemishes and begins to activate and regenerate cells.

This is the mask where I felt the most impressed. It truly felt like the mask was pumping water through my face haha. I suffer from very dry skin, so I looooved this - it was just extremely refreshing and hydrating. After removing the mask my skin felt SO soft - like Evas butt! Just smooth and soft and yummy.

Day 2: Grape // Powerfully nourishes skin to reduce fine lines, restores firmness and promotes anti-ageing.


This too felt very hydrating and refreshing. Not as much as so as the aloe mask but I noticed my skin felt like it was tightening up while the mask was on. Not sure if I was just being inpatient? but the 30 minutes or so felt like it was dragging on this time round. But I must say, I'm all for anything anti-ageing!


Day 3: Blackberry // Extracts grime and dirt from the skin to thoroughly detox your pores whilst balancing oils.


I found this mask left my face feeling quite dry which was different to the 'hydrated and refreshed' feeling I got from earlier masks. It did make my skin feel really bare. By bare I mean it felt like all my little pimples were wiped out and my complexion wasn't so rosy red here and there - rather a balanced colour.


Day 4: Fig // Softens the harshness of skin in order to help brighten and shine the complexion.


After the drying feeling from the previous mask, this one felt so refreshing and moisturising. The excess...'stuff' felt so cooling on my skin.


Day 5: Green Olive // Replenishes moisture into the skin to hydrate and refresh whilst supplying and reserving collagen.


The final mask! Felt very soft, soothing and hydrating. Quite similar to the previous mask. My skin felt hydrated, clean, refreshed and soft once completed. I noticed a big change in my complexion! The fragrance of these masks is subtle, not overpowering in any way.


All up I would give this 7/10 - the price is great and I enjoyed the results.


FYI - There is really no way to look cute in these masks. Be prepared for either fits of laughter or screams of fright from those who live with you LOL.


Available here: Ms Soho


The eye brightener is definitely on my list to try next!


xx


*Please note that I did not wear any makeup for these five days (omg what the heck lol!). Some photos via Ms Soho Instagram & The VR Verdict.