For my last beauty post of the year (I'll be taking a little break over Christmas and NY, more details on Sunday), I thought it would be oh so appropriate to share some other products from the extensive and gorgeous M.A.C. Nutcracker Sweet Collection. I recently reviewed the Nude Mini Lipstick Kit here, which my Dad bought back from the US with him, but a surprise parcel arrived last week filled with these products from the range.

As you may have noticed on my blog, my Instagram, my Facebook, my Twitter, my Snapchat, I am a little Colourpop obsessed. I have a real love for the brand ever since they launched and they are probably one of the fastest growing beauty brands with a following that would rival those that have been around for years and years. The past few months they have been offering free international shipping for orders over $50 and have been launching all kinds of amazing products so I have been ordering a lot! This haul is the combination of two orders (don't judge me), but as a help to you all, I have got swatches and my thoughts on the items I have bought recently.

Christmas is creeping up so quickly, I mean this time next week it will be Boxing Day! So with that in mind, I thought I would share this great set from Simply Essential that would make a good gift for any makeup lover because one can never have enough makeup brushes (especially if they are rose gold!)

2016 may have not been a good year overall for the world, but a very small positive that came from it was that Mecca Maxima opened it's very first store in New Zealand, made even more special as it is in my hometown of Christchurch! They also launched all the new brands and products on the Mecca Beauty website, along with the huge selection of Christmas gifting, and beautiful gift wrapping. I ordered the day they launched all the Christmas gift sets and Urban Decay, Too Faced etc on to the website and went a little overboard with the beauty shopping. I was also down in CHCH for work in November and managed to get through the crowds and do some shopping in the actual store. Here is my large and excessive haul from Mecca Maxima.

A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to be one of the first in NZ to try out the brand M.A.C Technique Masterclasses and experience their newly launched app to go along with it. The event I went to was held at Westfield St Lukes in Auckland, where they had a very sleek black and glass box set up, with makeup stations and a stage where the demo was done. Although I do know a fair bit about makeup application, there is always something new to be learnt, especially from one of the top M.A.C MUA's Kiekie Stanners who ran the class. Along with the app launch, we were also able to test out some brand new products that have launched which I can't wait to tell you about.

*Sponsored post collaboration with Shipito. Compensation was given for this post and towards using the service All thoughts and experiences my own.

I am an avid lover of online shopping; there is so much more range, and the prices generally work out a bit cheaper depending on the exchange rate. Don't get me wrong, I buy from stores here in NZ a lot, but for things that are hard to get here, or a lot cheaper overseas, I'll go online. The difficulty comes when they either don't ship to NZ at all (or your chosen country), have restrictions on what can be shipped, charge huge shipping prices, or don't accept NZ cards. This is where Shipito* comes into play. They reached out to me and asked if I wanted to try out their service and let you all know how I found it. I used the site exactly as a normal customer would, and here is how it all went.

I have an eyeshadow addiction. For some people, it might be lipsticks, or blushes (although I do own a lot in both categories), but I can't go past a good eyeshadow, and if it's in palette form, well that is even better! Eyeshadow palettes are amazing, single shadows do have their merits as well, but for a good selection of shades all wrapped up nicely in one palette is always going to win in my eyes. Max Factor has recently launched the Masterpiece Nude Palette Contouring Eye Shadows, in 2 shade ranges, which just cater to my neutral eyeshadow obsession.

There's nothing quite like The Body Shop bringing out their Christmas scents and products to really get you in the mood for the festive season. This year sees the introduction of some new (and delicious) smells and also the chance to personalise your very own body butter.

December is well underway already; the Christmas tree is up, All I Want For Christmas is playing in every single shop you walk into, and the advent calendars are being opened (follow my Instagram stories to see The Body Shop, ASOS Beauty Calendar + the Tanya Burr Cosmetics ones being opened daily!) But let's just take it back to November so I can share with you all of the products that I found myself reaching for loads and absolutely loving.  

Can you believe this is going to be my second to last Empties of the year? As with most month's I always think I'm not going to end up having many products, but am surprised when I empty the bag to find a whole load more. There's a good mix this month of skincare, haircare and makeup.

With Christmas well and truly on the way (I even put my Christmas tree up already... is that too early?), I thought it would be the perfect time to share this haul I recently ordered from Feelunique. There are loads of gift guides on blogs and YouTube but I thought I would just focus on a few products here and there that I think would make great gifts for beauty lovers, or simply if you want to treat yourself. 

Each year the M.A.C Christmas/Holiday collections just get better and better, and also bigger. The 2016 Nutcracker Sweet collection is absolutely stunning with so many products available, including singles and a large array of gift sets, all packaged in the pink/purple/gold theme. One of the sets they have is the adorable Lipstick Kits containing 4 popular lipstick shades.

ColourPop is not being kind to my bank account lately with all of the amazing deals, discounts and collabs that have been released this past month. A couple months back, they had a $5 international shipping offer which I could not turn down as usually the shipping, based on weight, can get really pricey when sending to NZ. As I write this they also have a free international shipping promo with no minimum spend, so you know I got amongst that! I hadn't done an order in a while so I went a little crazy and got loads of beautiful products to try out. Here's the rundown on what I got.

Luxury brands don't get much better than YSL. It is timeless, chic and classic, with a gorgeous array of makeup and skincare products, as well as perfumes that look and feel luxurious and expensive. I have always admired from afar, almost too scared to try the products at department store counters, but a couple of years ago I bought my first YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick, and fell in love with the brand. Although I don't own much from the brand I always enjoy seeing the new releases; lucky enough I was actually sent the Touche Éclat Le Teint Foundation* and Y Foundation Brush* to try out, so here are my thoughts on these products.

Let's face it; we are all basic bitches who love a bit of rose gold. Obviously, all brands of home decor, technology, and now makeup are jumping on that trend and banking on our obsession with it when it comes to purchasing. Well, My Beauty Store has a whole host of rose gold themed goodies from their selections of brands and I am obsessed.

With Summer well on its way, it is finally time to bring out those brighter lipsticks and lighter foundations and change up the routine from Winter. I generally stick to similar products throughout the year, but I always like going for a lighter base (I generally end up sweating it off anyway) and cast aside the dark berry lipsticks for something more on the nude side. My blushes get pinker and of course, I whip out a lot of highlighters! Collection has some great products that are not only affordable but will boost your makeup collection to get you set for the warmer months ahead.

Despite being a beauty fanatic, I have never had a wax. Never. Not at a salon, nor at home. I mean, I've had my brows waxed but that's about it. I think the problem is that I have this stigma that it is going to hurt like hell and then I'm just going to end up rashy, but really I just needed to get over that and give it a go. Marzena, a brand that makes at home waxing and hair removal products from New Zealand contacted me asking if I wanted to give a couple of their newly formulated products a test. Finally, it was the chance to ditch my fears and give at home waxing a proper try. Let me tell you the story of my first waxing experience and how I found it.

I own a lot of makeup brushes, anyone would say I have far too many for one face and I would agree, but I just can't help buying and trying new ones. There is one brand I am always faithful too and that is Real Techniques developed by Youtube/beauty powerhouses Sam + Nic Chapman. I have a lot of their sets and single brushes, and recently bought some of their stunning and totally luxe Bold Metals (see them here). I was in the need of a new Miracle Complexion Sponge, and came across this; the Ultimate Base Set.

Firstly, sorry that this post is 8 days later than it technically should have been - being away from home for 3 weeks and a crazy hectic work schedule outside of blogging meant sadly my blog hasn't been getting the love it deserves. Luckily I had some posts ready to go, and you all probably didn't notice at all! Anyway, I'm playing catch up now, so here are all my empty products that I finished throughout the month of October.

When it comes to nail care products I generally only stick to the heavy hitters of essie, OPI and ORLY, but I am always interested in branching out and trying new brands. Simply Essential is based in NZ and Australia, and initially started out with beauty tools, but have since branched out into a beautiful range of makeup brushes (see them here), and now a whole line up of nail care products.

The Body Shop are so well known for their body and skincare ranges, but I feel their makeup offerings are overlooked. The Honey Bronzer is one of my favourite bronzers to use (I recently hit pan on it), and the new Lighting Drops for your foundation are great to have to get the most out of your foundation year round. There really are some stand out products, and the brand new Down To Earth Eyeshadow Palettes* are set to be stand outs as well.

Well, who can really believe a month is over again? I swear, I only just did my Most Loved for September, now it's time for October one already... crazy! This month was a little tricky to whittle down some products as I have been trying lots of new things and not really using one thing solidly, but there have been some standouts. 

Oh, I do love a matte lip product - they are definitely my favourite sort of formula to use and wear as really who wants to faff over reapplying their lipstick throughout the day. Clinique has jumped on the matte lip trend and have brought out the Pop Lip Color + Primer* in a matte formula. and added the new Pop Liquid Mattes*.

I have been a Body Shop lover for years now, as you may well know if you have been following my blog for a while. The Tea Tree and Seaweed range are my go-to's, but I've also used many products from other ranges, all of which are amazing. They recently expanded one of their more expensive lines; the Drops of Youth range with a couple of new additions and also introduced the Drops of Light range. I've been using these products for quite a while as I wanted to give them a proper testing (I have even finished one of the creams!)

Highlighting, strobing and glow are a massive focus in the beauty industry these days - gone are the overly matte and powdery faces, instead there is a focus on embracing your natural skin, and enhancing it to make your skin look brighter, healthier and with that natural glow (and no, I'm not referring to Suzanne Paul's products from the 90s). Estée Lauder has recently released the Genuine Glow collection, a capsule range of five products only available exclusively from Farmers, and man, are they gorgeous!

I feel like a rather bad beauty blogger that I had never used a single Kiehl's product, before I was kindly sent these two to try. It's a brand I've been familiar with for a while as many girls in the UK rave about their range; my Mum is also a fan (especially of the Midnight Recovery Concentrate). I thought I'd do a little review of these two products as I've been using them for months now and I think I've got a good grasp on how my skin responds to them.

Although I buy a lot of big branded makeup, I do like trying out smaller companies and brands i.e. 'indie' makeup. My friend, and amazing blogger Lani (see her blog here) buys and uses some amazing looking products from indie makeup brands that I need to try out. And this is where Beauty School Dropout (or BSD Cosmetics) comes into it - my first foray into indie makeup. They are an NZ owned brand, who manufacture the products in Australia that have only recently launched selling single pan shadows.

You know when it's almost Summer time when The Body Shop releases their summer range. This year it takes the form of the deliciously scent Piñita Colada* range, that smells so good you could almost drink it (although I'm sure it does not taste that great!)

Welcome to the world of Charlotte Tilbury, Cass. Yes, this is my very first Charlotte Tilbury product and it certainly will not be my last. I have lusted over her range since it launched; Charlotte seems like the most amazing and inspiring woman, and you just have to look at this amazing makeup line she has created just to realise how dedicated she is to the beauty industry. I was very kindly sent one of the latest Hot Lips K.I.S.S.I.N.G (that is really hard to type quickly!) Lipsticks* which were inspired and made with some of the most well-known women of the moment, such as Nicole Kidman, Kate Bosworth, Miranda Kerr, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, and of course, Kim Kardashian-West. 

It's hard to keep up with all the new beauty brands launching, almost every day I come across a brand I have never heard of before - one of them being PONi Cosmetics. PONi is an Australian brand a small range of cosmetics, including brows, eye products, lashes, and the one contouring kit. All the range is cruelty-free so I was looking forward to trying out some of their products, thanks to ry.com.au who are stockists.

Over the past few months, I received 3 various Lust Have It! Subscription boxes* but as time has just gone away from me completely I haven't had the chance to blog about them. I've decided to lump them all together in one big post sharing the July and August Women's Beauty Boxes and the Fashion + Beauty Box Winter edition. This will also be the very last post that I will have on Lust Have It as they will no longer be sending me them to feature as they are changing up their marketing strategy (just gotta keep it real here!)

Every single month, I am always left surprised by how many products I finish up. Last month I seemed to finish an excessive amount of things all at once! It also was helped along by the fact that I had a big clean out and I've included some products that had to go in the bin (a bit of old makeup!) So prepare for a longish post, or skip to certain products to see what I thought of them.

September has been and gone in the blink of an eye (how is it already the 5th of Oct?!), so it's time for some monthly Most Loved - a look at products I found myself really enjoying during September.

Almost every beauty brand is bringing out some form of a contour kit - I feel like over the past 6 months it has exploded in the beauty market and I just can't keep up! In Maybelline's latest drop of releases, they brought out their offering of a contour palette - the Master Contour by Face Studio*.

There's a brand new affordable brand in town that I've been trialling over the past month or so, and I had to share it with you all. Bronx Colors has recently launched into NZ and the brand gets its inspiration from NYC (no surprises there with the name), but the products are designed in Germany, with their head offices based in Switzerland which I found really intriguing. I was lucky enough to be sent a whole load of their range to try so here are my thoughts on the range, and FYI everything is under $20!

I've gotta apologise as I should have got this post up sooner, but sometimes life just gets in the way, ya know? Anyway, I thought it was better late than never because this limited edition M.A.C Good Luck Trolls Collection* is just too cute to not share. I have a feeling it's not in stores anymore (I could be wrong though) but if you can track it down (might be a case of ordering from the USA), you definitely should! Despite that, I'll still give you a rundown of the products and what I think of them.

This was one of the new Maybelline releases that I was waiting to arrive in NZ and now they are finally here! I went to an amazing launch a couple months back (which honestly only feels like last week), where we had a peek at all the new products and got the most generous goodie bag. I did an overview post of the new releases (see it here) and only touched on these briefly as I wanted to do a whole blog post about the new Color Sensational Vivid Liquid Matte Lipsticks*, and here it is!

If you were to ask me what brand of makeup brushes would I recommend, my answer will always be Real Techniques. There are so many makeup brushes out there, of course, M.A.C brushes are amazing, and those higher end makeup counters do some amazing brushes, but honestly I just don't have the moolah to drop $70 on a single brush. For quality and affordability, Real Techniques nail it with a great range, innovative brushes and unique designs. They recently bought out the Bold Metals range, which is more luxurious and expensive, and absolutely stunning.

I had been wanting to try out these brushes since their release and luckily nabbed this set on iHerb (where I buy all my Real Techniques from as it's the cheapest), which was dramatically reduced for the day to $35.00. So are they worth the hype?

Lipstick lovers unite, the limited life M.A.C Blue Nectar Collection released last month in NZ is full with a large array of lipstick and plushglass, with some really interesting shades. I'm not quite sure where the 'blue nectar' thing comes from, but the imagery for the collection is stunning, and to be fair, I always love a good M.A.C collection!

I'm sure that most of you would be familiar with beauty subscription boxes, but have you seen a period one?! I had heard about them from overseas bloggers but never thought of there being an NZ offering until Blaine Box contacted me asking if I wanted to try out one of their monthly period subscription boxes*. I think it is such an amazing idea, I mean we have to buy tampons and pads each month, so why not have it arrive with a few extra goodies thrown in with them to make that time of the month a bit more bearable.

I always get so excited when Maybelline do a massive new product drop. Last month saw the launch of this stash of new products and the introduction of the new slogan and initiative by Maybelline: Make It Happen. Gone are the 'Maybe She's Born With It' days (although it will still be so iconic), now they welcome the new tagline that better represents the modern woman, what we represent, how we represent ourselves and just how badass we all are and can be. I am totally on board with it, and you can read a little bit more about this in a post I did last month (see it here).  

I know I posted a haul on Monday, but I've been playing catch up and of course, in this time, I have spent a few dollars on some new nail polishes. I have some from my fave brand, essie, as well as some of the Sinful Colors x Kylie Jenner collab, and a couple others thrown in the mix too.

A couple of months ago I had a real 'feeling spendy' moment, not helped by the fact that I received an email from M.A.C in the US saying they were having 15% off everything on the site. Well you know I had to get amongst that! I've ordered a fair amount from M.A.C., because let's be real here, the prices are SO much better than buying in NZ. I use YouShop to get it to me and have had no issues with it whatsoever. The shipping was NZD $22 for all the items, which I think is pretty good considering! Now let's get into all the makeup bits as I got quite a bit...

As always the end of a month means it's time to talk empty products. These weren't all used up in a one month period but have been getting a lot of use over the past couple of months. I also did a bit of a thorough clean out of my makeup drawers, so have included a few of those items - a post about my clean up will be up soon, though! So into the empty product reviews.

Can you honestly believe that it is the end of August? I have heard people starting to talk about Christmas already and it is slightly freaking me out, slash slightly exciting me! August was a busy ol' month for me, if you want to catch up on what I've been up to, I wrote a little post about it last week - read it here. I originally thought that I wasn't going to have many loved products this month but when I looked through, there were some standouts, so here they are.

I am sure by now you will gather I am an essie nail polish fan girl. I have so many bottles, and all of the shades they bring out I always end up loving. From the white topped, simplistic bottle, to the finishes and shades, essie is easily my favourite nail polish brand. As they do with each season, essie have brought out their Winter Collection in recent weeks, with a stunning line up of shades.

I don't quite know where to begin with this post... firstly, I guess I have to apologise. I have been completely MIA from my blog for a few weeks now. The odd post has gone live whenever I had a moment to even think about blogging, but lately, things have been hectic! So where on earth have I been and what's been the haps?

The brand that started out making lip balm have certainly grown over the years and have added a new range of lipsticks to their now extensive product range. Burt's Bees is a classic brand, you'd definitely call it a household name. I'm not sure whether many of you know but they now offer a whole skincare line up, as well as baby and body products. It was only a matter of time before they got into more natural makeup products. 

There's nothing quite like luxury products - for me, they are so indulgent and an absolute treat. The majority of my collection is from more affordable brands, but I am lucky enough to have a little stash of gorgeous high-end makeup. This Lancôme Hypnose Star Eyes 5 Color Palette* is a brand new addition to my makeup collection and it is the first ever Lancome makeup product I have tried.