The Awesome Kate from Face attire blog post swap! she talks Australian drugstore brands

 Good evening/morning fellow beauty lovers! I'm very privileged today to be doing a post swap with the lovely instagrama, blogger and youtuber @jessicacookbirds !

We decided we needed to talk about the great Aussie brands that go unnoticed. You can find Jessica's post on FaceAttire here: Face attire

Firstly I'd like to introduce you to a brand named after our country... Australis!  

Australis has been around for a while at places like Priceline/Big W/Kmart etc.... Next to more famous brands like Revlon, Rimmel London and L'oreal Paris most beauty goers opt for the well-known ranges.

They really are missing out as Australis is an amazing CRUELTY FREE brand that is so much more affordable!

 Next up I'd like to mention a slightly higher ended Aussie brand called Latonas.

Latonas make everything from beauty to spfx, available online or instore. The staff are always extremely friendly and helpful. As a very pale lady I can really appreciate the custom blend foundations they offer. They currently have an end of financial year sale in store that is definitely worth checking out if your nearby! 

 I too like Jessica, am a huge fan of their contour palette.

Next up I'd like to mention a slightly higher ended Aussie brand called Latonas.

Latonas make everything from beauty to spfx, available online or instore. The staff are always extremely friendly and helpful. As a very pale lady I can really appreciate the custom blend foundations they offer. They currently have an end of financial year sale in store that is definitely worth checking out if your nearby! 

 My favourite Australis product (at the moment) would have to be their Velourlips. Their bright, pigmented and come in a vast variety of colours. Not to mention they are only $9.95AUD @ Priceline

Now back to the cheaper (and I mean CHEAP!) side of cosmetics we have Kmarts OXX beauty range..

I absolutely adore the new range and can't get enough for only $2 a piece.

I'll have to end it here (I could write a book on Aussie makeup brands!). I really hope you liked my article on Aussie brands and I hope it helpes them get recognized.  Thank you very much to Jessica for doing this post swap with me!

xox

Kate

thank you so much Kate for this awesome blog post swap! let us know in the comments what your thoughts are on Australian beauty products. 

Hugs Jess 

more soaps that I think are just as good as lush! lushalikes! lush dupes soaps

Hi guys I have another post because my soap collection is growing, I have a supermarket near by that stocks the most gorgeous soaps, they are mostly organic, natural and skin loving soaps, and most don't test on animals and are super cheap.

 I got the Thursday plantation tea tree soap, the Colavita soap which is infused with olive oil, the Red seal propolis and honey soap and the lemon myrtle soap. I used today the red seal propolis and honey and the lemon myrtle soap.

 They are all under $5 each, seriously cheap and good value, I cut these in half because they are large bars.

 The lemon Myrtle one is amazing! its scent literally fills up my bathroom not only my nostrils but has left me feeling fresh and revitalised. The propolis and honey one I not only used on my face and body but I used it on my hair and I cannot believe the results.

 It's left my face feeling soft and loved, because I am very lazy at moisturising, and having dry skin I know I should. It's left my hair shiny and frizz free! basically like a hair mask without the effort!

The lemon myrtle oneis the top one, with the scrubbie bits in it, they feel gentle enough on my skin but I am used to the harder scrubs.

The honey propolis one is my favourite so far!
let me know your lush dupes?
hugs Jess

are you in a nail polish funk? notd nail makeover

Hi guys I was in such a nail polish funk lately that I haven't done my nails in two months! for someone who actually adores nail polish, this was a very long time! my nails were in such a state and I was getting sick of looking at them so I took the plunge and went with a colour I'm pretty sure I haven't used before.

Yup this is the colour, green! and I love it! its such an opaque colour that I had no trouble applying.The brand is O.P.I but I'm unsure of the actual shades name.

I adore this colour! it applied very evenly and well, no dragging or phishing. 

my application wasn't perfect as I've been away from doing this for such a long time but I love the brush that this nail polish has, neither too big nor too small.

So over all I really like this nail polish, I actually think its very similar to the Essence nail polish, 

Have you used a colour like this? I think its perfect for us fair skinned girls, I'm very pale and it compliments my skintone well. 

What did you think of this nail of the day?

hugs Jess

How I wash and clean my make up brushes cruelty free beauty solution

Hi guys today I have a bit of a different post for you! I want to show you how I clean my make up brushes. I don't use nastmy chemicals, or pre bought specialists things and my product I used is dirt cheap and works every time, leaving no residue and my brushes feeling softer and cleaner than ever!

It's under $5 too!

As the product says its Herbon botanical soap,
The product 

What do I use? 
an organic soap that has no sulfates in it and no parabens or colours or anything unnatural in it that would be likely to damage the bristles. I mainly use synthetic brushes as I find them cheaper and easier to use in general. My favourite brush of all time is my Kabuki brush by nude by nature so that gets a lot of useage! I use that every time I apply foundation.

How often should I clean my brushes? I have to admit I am rather a lazy sod when coming to wash my brushes but I've given myself a promise to do it at least once a week. Our brushes do a lot of work so at a minimum you should do it once a fortnight.

How do I dry them? 
You can buy brush guards for this purpose but so far I've never had any trouble with keeping the bristles in shape with this process. I wash them, rub  them gently in a dry towel, then sit them up right in their container to dry overnight.

So that's what I do to wash and clean my brushes! I don't have top notch brushes but I do want to look after them so I get to keep them longer and not get any nasties on my face.

How do you wash your brushes?

Hugs Jess

an alternative pinup fashion shoot with girlfriend Brierly rockerbilly pinup garter belts and stockings kawaii pastelgoth

Hi guys I just wanted to pop in with a impromptu fashion shoot I had at school the other week with my girlfriend Brierly, she's what I call pastel goth with a bit of a pinup edge to her everyday look. She adores cats and is such a bubbly girl.

now we wonder why some girls dress in an alternative style, do they have issues? are they weird? this girl does it for herself, it gives her happiness and its part of her expression.

I adore this teeth necklace! its so cool!

I love her boots with the girly top and shorts. Garter and stockings from Femline in Melbourne Australia! 

 the leggings add a unique and more everyday look about it and I adore the pompoms!

let me know your thoughts on this type of fashion? 

hugs Jess

long weekend perfect one pan brunch or anytime of day food!

Hello lovelies today I am sharing with you another meal idea that is superb for the long weekend and for having an easy time with families and friends. This is also great if you go camping as it can be easily adapted. Its a winner in my family, is affordable, easy and very tasty for these cold winter nights! can also be eaten any time of the day also!

I call it my one pan fry up adapt the amount by adding or omitting
1 green capsicum
can of baked beans
8 sausages
2 rashers of bacon
6 leaves of silver beet
6 eggs
butter or oil
salt and pepper

Start by frying up the eggs sunny side up remove from pan onto plate and wait until later
Cook sausages in pan with butter or oil, add salt and pepper and then when cooked add chopped bacon and fry up.

Add baked beans to the mix, add silver beet, capsicum, and cook for approx 6 minutes. Add eggs on top and serve!

serves
4-6

Let me know if you are enjoying my cooking snippet! let me know if you try this and or will do so in the future.

Happy long weekend

Hugs Jess

nothing beats a home cooked meal that is perfect and warming for winter

The tastiest home cooked spaghetti you will ever need! cheap too
ingredients

fettuccine
2 tins of diced tomatoes
1 capsicum sliced
1 large mushroom or 5 button cup mushrooms sliced
beef stock cubes
mince beef 500g
1 onion
garlic
herbs of choice
half a cup of water
bacon diced

cook beef mince, bacon, onion, add mushrooms, garlic and capsicum, add stock cubes with half a cup of water. Simmer until thickened. Add herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
Cook pasta as per packet instructions. It can make 4-6 servings and is a true family favourite in our household. Better the next day too!

for winter nothing beats a home cooked meal made with love and good taste!