#BLOGMAS: Christmas Party Make-Up & OOTD

It's that time of year - Christmas & New Year's Parties! I, for one, am not really a party girl. My friends and I are pretty much the stay at home in comfortable clothes & snuggle up to watch a movie type of people so I'm not too used to going out to party. However, we do attend family & work parties so I thought I'd show you what I wore to the work party Kalen dragged me to on the weekend.

The make up was pretty basic - the usual foundation, bronzer & blush. I wore a little shimmer on my eyes with the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze with some winged liner & mascara (oops, not pictured!). Then I topped it off with red lips to make it a little more festive & Christmas-y. And of course, my new favourite nail polish, Essie's Fifth Avenue to match my lips.

My dress is also one of my favourites - a really dark navy, almost black polka dot dress with red heels that tie in my lips & nails. I can't remember where I got them but I do know that my little purse is from Forever New. I got it for my Year 10 Formal/Prom so that was a long, long time ago but I absolutely adore it.

I don't like to be too over the top wearing revealing super shiny or super revealing dresses & like to keep it a little more 'elegant' with a touch of colour here & there. So what do you think? Are you a party person or a stay-at-home kinda person? Any plans for Christmas & the New Year? Be sure to let me know in the comments section down below! :-)

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

♡ #BLOGMAS 2014: Sephora Haul!!!

The day has finally come! I honestly can't believe it. What I can't believe even more is the fact that we waited in line for 2 hours in the scorching Aussie sun to get in. But boy was it worth it. I was a liiiiittle bit disappointed they didn't have a few things, but hey, we came back hands full, credit cards drained & hearts happy. Of course I went with Monica but it was sweet of Kalen & Jeremy to come with us. They went to get some boy stuff first but came back with cool drinks and stayed with us the entire time. It's the little things in life that just make you so happy, don't you think so?

The Sephora staff were also super nice. They handed out free gelato since it was so hot (unfortunately we missed out), but they gave almost everyone there these little gift bags. In it was the latest Cosmopolitan magazine, a sparkling water with a hint of lemon (soooo good!!) & Peanut Butter Flavoured TimTams. The little pink lips chocolate in the middle was from the cute Benefit boys at the door ;-) I just think that was such a sweet gesture on behalf of them.

Not to mention the opening 'ceremony' was so much fun. They had a countdown & played Shake It Off where the staff came out and danced. Then when it was finally time, there was confetti everywhere. It was so exciting, I've never been to anything like it. What was even more fun was that we made really nice friends in line as well.

And now... Ladies & Gentlemen... The goodies! I bought nearly everything on my Sephora Wishlist but was sad when I couldn't find some stuff. I really, really wanted the small Tarte Airbuki Brush but I don't think they had that, as well as the Tarte Lipstick & the Lavanilla deodorant. However, I got another Tarte brush that seems similar to the one I wanted & after reading a lot of positive comments about it, I'm feeling a lot better. And can I just say, the Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Mineral Foundation & Blush is amazing.

I was going back & forth between getting the Formula X System pack for $60 or not. I kept telling myself that considering you save $20 it wasn't that bad and that my nail polish will most definitely last longer with all of it. I tried it on as soon as I got home & am in loooove with the colour. So I definitely do not regret it :-) I got the shade Exclamation in case anyone's wondering.

When I was on the phone with my mom, she joked, "Get me a lipstick!". I actually wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but since Christmas is just around the corner & she's done such amazing things for me my whole life, in particular this year, I thought I'd splurge a little & bought her a Marc Jacobs lipstick in the shade Heartbroken. Let me just say, the entire Marc Jacobs collection is drool-worthy but unfortunately very expensive.

And finally, the Kat Von D Tattoo liner. Of course I had to try everything on this morning & I have to say, it just glides on. It's so much easier to apply than the Stila one but it's not as long-wearing. The Stila liner didn't budge once you put it on, but the Kat Von D one does rub off quite easily.

Depending on how you look at it, I either bought a lot, or not that much. I was kinda proud of myself that I didn't put too much in my basket, but once I got to the checkout... not-so-happy. I was so excited that they said they were going to match U.S. prices but was sad at how expensive it still was. Nonetheless, I'm sure such big hauls at Sephora won't happen too often so I thought, why the heck not?

I hope you all had a great day & are enjoying #Blogmas so far :-)

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

☃ Introducing... #BLOGMAS 2014! + Priceline Haul

I watch a lot of YouTube - mainly beauty videos & vlogs and I love Vlogmas videos (as well as hauls :P) so I thought maybe... I'd do #Blogmas? I tried to plan out 24-25 blog post ideas to post everyday but I was lacking creativity (and still am) so I thought I'd blog every other day. In other words, every even-numbered day there will be a blog post. They may not all be Christmas related and since Sephora's opening in AHHH 5 days, there will be hauls as well...like today's post. I hope you look forward to it because I definitely am & have put quite some effort into it :-)

And for a quick haul. Priceline is having a lot of sales. There's a 3 for 2 sale going on in the Essie range and so I got Lovie Dovie (darker pink), Spaghetti Strap (pale pink) & Splash of Grenadine (purplish shade). Lovie Dovie was a little more neon-y than I expected but the other 2 colours are ah-mazing! I love them so much. Spaghetti Strap in particular is a pale pink I've been wanting for a while now & have finally found it. I was also out of eye make-up remover & concealer so I just went out for a repurchase, but the Real Techniques Sponge is unbelievable. I run it under the tap & it gets bigger & softer. When I apply my Bourjois CC Cream with it, it leaves such a natural finish. I'm in love with it. I even got my mom one because she wanted a sponge as well so I'm hoping she likes it.

My skin hasn't been the greatest lately. I'm afraid, I might be a little allergic to Teddy. But I have been taking some medicine & it's getting a little better, but I'll keep you posted. My cousin recommended the brand La Roche-Posay and I went to check it out, splurged a little, and came back with no regrets to miracle products. It's only been one day & there's already a noticeable difference in my skin. It's a lot smoother & softer & it's never felt better. I will definitely keep you posted on that.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my somewhat short post & are excited for #Blogmas as well! See you in 2 days :-)

Love Always,

Anna Banana ♡

TIP TUESDAY: How I Wash My Make-Up Brushes

Hey guys! A super duper short post from me today. And it's about washing your make-up brushes. How often do you wash them? What do you use? When I first got into make-up, I had to do my research on a lot of things, including washing make-up brushes. There were a lot of methods but I chose a method that was simple, quick & effective.

First, I add some baby shampoo to a bowl of hot water. Then I get my least-used brushes and swirl them into the water to 'dissolve' the shampoo. Then I slowly add my other brushes, swirling them in. Finally, I add my make-up sponge. Hehe...please excuse how dirty it is... I really need a new one. Moving on. I soak all my brushes in there for a while & my sponge tends to float so I try to smother it to keep it down with my other brushes.

And that's it! Really simple, huh? It's just the drying time that takes a while so I do my make up before washing them. I usually leave it near a window with the sun beaming in. About 10-15 minutes later, I turn each brush around to dry the other side as well. If I'm bothered, I keep turning them ever 15 minutes or so. They do get dry by the night (if I wash them early in the morning), but to be safe, 24+ hours is usually the best.

As for how often, I try to wash them every Sunday morning but sometimes I get lazy. For you experts or non-experts-with-great-advice out there, do you think once a week is enough? Is my method even right? I would love any advice & any other products that are great.

Also, an update on the puppy situation. I've been meaning to post more but I've been a little busy planning for the puppy... My mom is insisting on getting me a puppy for my 21st birthday so it seems this is actually going to happen! I'm so nervous yet excited at the same time. I'm seriously in crazy dog lady mode at the moment & Kalen's getting really excited as well. We sort of feel like parents getting ready for a baby.....................

Too soon? Oh well, we both love kids.

Anywho, I'm planning on doing some posts about my whole getting-a-puppy-process so hopefully a lot more blog posts coming your way sooooooon (we're going to see a few Cavoodles next week :D)

So much for a short post. Until next time!

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

Make-up Spending Ban - "CHEATING"?!

I know what you're thinking. In fact I know the 2 things running through your head.

1. It's Tip Tuesday
2. Why is there a picture of makeup when you're on a makeup spending ban?

Well, 1, I had scheduled something but I didn't like it... Haha, yes I'm OCD like that. I want all my posts to be perfect & if I don't like some part of it, I can't bring myself to publish it. So I apologise. But I'm planning a 'How to organise your planner' post for next Tuesday so look forward to that! :D

And second, I was so lucky to have been gifted these by my relatives. My aunt works at an Estée Lauder factory so she often gives us freebies & even invitations to corporate stores at staff prices. My mom, Monica, her mom & I are all planning a girls' shopping day out and spending of the money will probably happen. Hard. Very hard. Oh well, Christmas is just around the corner so there's a good excuse right there.

Anyways, I just wanted to put some sort of post up today so here is what I got. I got a few mini Aveda products, Estée Lauder lipglosses & a gorgeous pink eyeshadow. Seriously, that packaging...drooooool.

These are gifts from my cousin who recently went overseas & brought me back these beauties! I've heard of the Missha brand but never tried anything from there. But that lipstick. The colour is a gorgeous pink without being over the top & is sheer without being too sheer. In short - it's perfect. And now the Pièce de résistance! Ladurée makeup?! Am I the only one that didn't know these existed?! It's amazing! Check out that blush! The blush container & blush is sold separately and they live adorably together in that little packaging! Ahh!! I'm swooning for days!

I tried them on & the 2 colours look so great together. Don't forget to let me know if you've tried any Missha or Ladurée cosmetics. I'd love to see what other things to try out :P

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

p.s. I may or may not have cracked. I went to the drugstore today just to get some pills when I was tempted by the Revlon Gel Envy Nail Polish. But I promise. No more!