Places I buy high-end cosmetics at high-street prices

I’ve got contact dermatitis so for me I need my makeup to be very gentile for skin. So far I’ve found only good quality mineral make up (such as The Body Shop’s Nude Mineral Range or anything produced by Glo-minerals) and some high-end brands (Such as Lancôme and Estée Lauder) are what my skin can tolerate.

The biggest problem with makeup for super sensitive skin is price and if, like me, you’re not bringing home the big bucks it can result in minimal/boring makeup unless you know the right places to look.

1. http://www.allcosmeticswholesale.com

This website is amazing; I first found it on the Vogue forums. So many people on the forums suggested it that I needed to give it a try.

What’s on offer?

A wide range of makeup brands including: YSL, MAC, Lancôme, Urban Decay, Smashbox, Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Benefit and so many more.

The prices on this website are so cheap because they are usually unboxed or discontinued. Stock changes frequently so it’s always good to keep an eye on the site for a bargain.

What’s the quality like?

As these are generally unboxed the bottles/jars may come slightly scratched, but the contents are unused and if they are spoiled (eg. dried out) they replaced the items quickly. Some of these items may be foreign so on occasion the packaging differs slightly from what is on offer in Australia or America (which does throw people).

How much can I expect to pay?

$15 for Lancôme eyeshadow pallets*
$4-9 Lancôme Juicy Tubes*
$30-50 MAC eyeshadow pallets*

$20 MAC mineral foundation*

What should I avoid?

READ THE PRODUCT DETAILS! This store also sells testers; they will always tell you if they are testers in the product details. Also try not to get carried away, it’s so easy to buy too much on this store.

Why would you recommend this store?

I got a discontinued YSL eyeshadow pallet for $10, they shipping was suuuuuper fast and well packaged.

2. http://au.strawberrynet.com

Everyone’s favorite online makeup store, Strawberrynet. I’ve got family and friends that swear by this site, and so do I.

What’s on offer?

A huge range of perfume, makeup, skincare and mens products from more brands that I can name. They offer discounts and free items for new customers.

What’s the quality like?

The same as what you can find in store, though without boxes.

How much can I expect to pay?

Anywhere between RRP and up to 80% off

What should I avoid?

There is talk on the Vogue forums that the MAC on this site may be fake, however other members have mentioned that the products are foreign versions so the packaging differs at times. I've never purchased MAC from this store, so I have no experience in this area.

Why would you recommend this store?

This is the only place that you can get Glo-Minerals discounted, fast and cheap shipping and items were well packaged!

3. Mount’s Pharmacy
135 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe, Melbourne
(03) 9497 4391

I was debating adding this one, but considering how much I’ve saved on Lancôme products at this store I couldn’t not add it to the list.

What’s on offer?
This store has Lancôme, YSL, Dior, Napoleon Perdis and a few other brands. However it’s their sale bins that are worth looking at, they’re frequent, dirt cheap and a gold-mine of limited edition products.

What’s the quality like?

Perfect and boxed.

How much can I expect to pay?

$5-30*, off the RRP when on sale.

What should I avoid?

Being distracted by their range of OPI nailpolish, Glasshouse candles or by the cupcake store in the same building.

Why would you recommend this store?
I got a limited edition eyeshadow that you can buy on eBay for around $60 for $25, Lancôme eyeshadow for $15 and my aunt brought Lancôme hydra zen for $40. And it helps that it’s upstairs from my place of work.

4. Cheaper products produced by the Estée Lauder Company.

Many people aren't aware of this, but Estée Lauder is an umbrella company that produces the products for other brands besides Estée Lauder. Some of these are cheaper for the same quality products.

Some of the brand products produced by Estée Lauder:

• Clinque
• Topshop cosmetics
• MAC
• Origins
• Bobbi Brown
• Smashbox
• Aveda

Personally I love Topshop cosmetics, they are just as pigmented and gentile as MAC and are only a fraction of the cost! I've heard that Clinque offer many of the Estee Lauder skincare products under a different name for less too. It's worth investigating as you may just find a substitute for your favorite brand under the Estée Lauder company at a lower cost even at retail pricing.

* approximate prices

2011

I turned 21, I was dumped, I was diagnosed with Coeliacs Disease, my car was broken into, I went overseas for the first time, I spent 2 weeks in Singapore, I started a Masters in Laboratory Medicine, I hated my new uni, I didn’t make a single friend at my new uni, I was heart broken, I was in lust and for the first part of it I was in love, I got part-time work, I had a stalker, I was no longer friends with my best friend and I followed through with the new years resolution that I had made for that year.

DIY: Tassel Earrings

Tassel earrings are pretty big right now, even Gwen Paltrow has been seen wearing them (and if you’ve read GOOP you know that woman has no clue what’s going on). So I thought I’d do a tutorial on how to make your own set.

Cost: ~$1.50-5 depending on materials selected

Time: 15-20 minutes

Materials:

-         Scissors

-         Earring hooks. These pictured are for non-pierced ears (as I don’t have mine done), they cost around 70c a pair and are harder to find than normal ones. Good craft stores or beading stores will have them and costume stores such as Diva stock them but you have to ask (they won’t have them on show). Hooks for pierced ears can be found at all craft stores and cost around 30c a pair.

-         Cotton in one or two colours. Metalic cotton can also be used, it’s usually about double the price of normal cotton and can be brought from craft and fabric stores.

Step one:

Wrap the cotton around a soda can until there is a thickness of the cotton about half of the desired thickness that your tassel will be. Some people use their hand to do this, I find wrapping around a can results in fewer tangles and even length cotton pieces after cutting the loop of cotton.

Step two:

Pull the cotton off the can, being careful to retain the shape. Tie a piece of matching cotton around the width of the loop; this will be the top of the tassel.

Step three:

Fold the loop in half where the cotton was tied in the previous step then tie a piece of the other coloured cotton around both sides of the loop as shown. Wrap this piece of cotton around until a band is formed then tie this off.

Step Four:

Cut the opposite end of the loop and give the tassel a quick brush with a comb or brush to detangle the treads.

Step Five:

Attach the earring finding to the tassel using the overhangings from step two. Then cut all extra treads and even up the bottom of the tassel.

Step Six:

Wear and be fabulous!

The Little Black Dress

It’s Christmas time again and we all are starring at our closets with no idea what to wear to all these Christmas parties. With all your money spent on presents and cocktails the best thing to do is accessorize the hell out of your staple items that you own so it looks like you’ve got a new outfit to every event.

I’m one of those people that love to wear black so I have at least 3 little back dresses in my closet and I try to mix things up so I don’t always look like I’m wearing the same thing to every event. I figured I’d crack open Polyvore and give you an idea of some of the ways you can ‘dress up’ a little black dress!

 For the purpose of this post I picked just a standard one off Polyvore.com, whatever you have already in your closet is a perfect substitute for this plain LBD.

Madina Sleeveless Skater Dress ($404.25AU)

This look is great for night event, or for anyone that loves to be the life of the party. Pair this look with some metalic eyeshadow, nude stockings to hide any imperfections on the legs and a black clutch with silver trimmings.

Topshop Swagger Block heel Platforms (£62)

Tasha crystal stretch bracelet ($50.51AU each)

If your style edges on the gothic or you just want to mix things up for the night, your LBD is perfect. Add some dramatic eyeshadow, dark stockings or fishnets and a chain-strapped bag to complete this look.

MAC lipstick in Dubonnet ($14.50US)

Warrior Eternal Blood Vial Test Tube Necklace ($16.95US)

Runway Wedge Boot ($771US)

Topshop Square Pyramid Ring (£10)

Adding gold to your LBD gives it a retro feel, while the sparkle heels of this look make it perfect for a night out. Keeping your makeup natural and jewellery to the minimum for this look keeps it from being too over the top.

Topshop Skinny Eyelet Belt (£28)

Limited Edition Armour Fan StudEarrings ($27.27US)

Lisas Satin Studded Heel Evening Pumps ($34.90US)

Melina SG Clutch ($28US)

My favorite thing about wearing a black dress is that it makes a perfect platform for wearing crazy colours and statement pieces. I would team this up with some black stockings in the winter or nude in the summer to keep my legs looking perfect and lots of black eyeliner.

Dinosaur Designs Feather Fan Chocker ($346AU)

Topshop Sultry High Platform Courts (£65)

Glint Pleated Frame Clutch ($71.56AU)

And there you have it, 4 ways you can dress up your LBD to take it from boring to fabulous!

Myers have the BEST shoe sales!

Today I bought another $20 pair of Wayne Cooper heeled boots from Myers. The RRP of these were $249! Wearing them out this Sunday, so excited!

Two-toned Lipstick!

Usually I’m very conservative with my fashion choices as I don’t really have the money to spend on single-season trends, but the new makeup trend to hit the runways (as seen at the Vivienne Westwood and Emanuel Ungaro’s latest shows) is two-toned lipstick and personally I love it!

Finally a trend where I already own everything I need to pull it off! Plus if I'm wearing my glasses my makeup won't look boring due to my frames hiding my eyes.

I played around and gave it a shot:

Top lip: Topshop Lipstick in Pillow Talk (Smoke and Mirrors collection)
Bottom lip: Laura Mercier in Romance (discontinued line)

Top lip: Savvy by DB in Mulberry (only available at Priceline stores)

Bottom lip: Topshop Lipstick in Pillow Talk (as I don't own any other light lipsticks lol)

Do:

• Have fun and experiment with this look!
• Use very pigmented, creamy colours that are unlikely to smudge.
• Use lipstain under any darker colours to make the colour last and stand out.
• Exfoliate dry lips before using any colour, I use Lip Scuff by The Body Shop. The colour tends to bleed into the cracks and soak into dry skin if you skip this step.

Don't:

• Use shiny or glossy colours, it makes the two-tone effect less obvious.
• Rub your lips together or you'll loose the effect.
• Wear over the top eye makeup with this look (none works best) and use minimal blush

Topshop Melbourne

Yesterday was the opening day of the first Australian Topshop in Melbourne. Today I visited the store in the hope that it was better than those that I saw in Singapore. The ones in Singapore were either much smaller or much larger than the Melbourne one and carried many of the same lines at the same price (taking the exchange rates into account).

The disappointing aspects of the store:

• The Topman section was very small when compared to all of those in Singapore, for me this isn't a problem but I can see many men visiting being underwhelmed by the hype as a result.
• There was no maternity section that I could see, again this isn't a problem for me, but why should the mum's to be miss out on this range?
• The Shoes! There was a big range, don't get me wrong but all the over-the-top styles and colours that were available in Singapore and online were not there, there was a huge selection of flats and boots (considering Australia is currently in Summer) but I didn't see all the stripper-heels that I loved in the Singapore stores.
• Like all other women's clothing stores there were huge lines for the change rooms.

Reasons to brave Chapel st. to visit the store:

• I found out from one of the makeup staff that ALL of the Topshop brand makeup is made from the people that make the MAC makeup. This means pigmented eyeshadows, long lasting everything and creamy, dreamy lipstick.
• All year round 10% discount to student card holders.
• No line for the checkouts!
• Melbourne-exclusive designs in the store that you can't get online or in other countries (the floral dress exclusive to Melbourne is TO DIE FOR!)
• A very good range from the UK topshop on offer, and when taking to account the exchange rate, not too much more expensive than the UK stores.
• The staff are wonderful. Seriously you guys, they are. The women helping at the makeup area was so friendly and helpful I wanted to give her a cookie and a pay-raise.

I didn't buy any clothes, for my current financial state I couldn't afford the dress that I liked, but not to worry, I'll be back next year with my birthday money :P
I bought some makeup though because the quality is so amazing and it is so insanely cheap for how good it is (and how it doesn't aggravate my contact dermatitis) I bought more than I planned to.

Lipstick in Moccasin. This isn't as dark as it looks on the lips, it leaves a light bronzed colour on the lips and looks amazing ($15AU).
Eyeshadow Quad in Smouldering. The dark purple in this quad needs to be seen in person to be believed, it has the most beautiful dark red shimmer to it I couldn't convince myself not to buy it ($19AU).
Single eyeshadow in Dirty Martini. This may look brown in the image, but it's a dark green/khaki colour that I was wanting in Singapore. The name alone was enough to draw me in, not to mention how amazing this will look with some gold eyeshadow mixed with it ($12AU).
Eyeliner brush and Eyeliner ink. I couldn't find an image of the eyeliner ink pot itself but according to the sales assistant it doesn't smudge and will stay on all day and all night (Brush: $8AU, Eyeliner ink: $15AU).

I think I'll be getting much of my makeup there in future, at the moment I swear by Lancome, but it's very pricy, if these items are up to the MAC standard I'll never have to pay $50 for an eyeshadow pot again!