Soap & Glory SUGAR CRUSH

Lemonade. That's what I though when I first gave 'sugar crush' a sniff. 

Soap & Glory are fabulously well known for deliciously sweet-smellling bath products. I have never had the privilege to try any of said products in the past, so when I ran out of my Victoria's Secret 'Pure Seduction' scent (which I LOVED by the way) I knew I had to give them a crack.

The Sugar Crush scent is described as a blend of lime, kiwi, vanilla and sweet-almond, and is considered a cult favourite. I bought both the body wash and butter hoping to be smelling like sprite all through the day.

Formulaically, these products are fantastic. The wash lathered beautifully and the butter sank right into my skin leaving it feeling richly moisturised, but non-greasy. And the scent did definitely last all day, so the staying power is strong.

Unfortunately, my quibble with these products lies within the scent itself. DISCLAIMER: scent is an incredibly personal preference and so really this probably wouldn't be an issue for anybody else. That being said, I found the sweetness of 'sugar crush' to be waaayyyyy too much. Now, I love a good, sweet scent, but having eau-de-lemonade lingering on me all day long made me feel physically sick and to be honest I'm scared to even re-try these products because of how ill I felt the first time I used them.

So, all in all, I wasn't over the moon with this purchase, however I do think that maybe it was just the wrong scent for me. Like I said, the formulations of the products themselves were outstanding. I just couldn't deal with the sweetness. So maybe next time I'll give another scent a go? I don't want to rule Soap & Glory out as a possible love just yet...

Any recommendations for great bath and body products? As you can tell, I need some new ones:P

~Risa~

Hourglass Ambient lighting- Luminous Light

On my restricted budget, I've allowed myself one major beauty purchase each month, and this month I took a hop, skip and a jump onto the Hourglass Ambient Lighting bandwagon.

Beautiful. Isn't it?

I purchased the shade 'luminous light' from Mecca Cosmetica, purely on a whim (alliteration gets me every time:P). To paraphrase from the website description, the Ambient Lighting Powders are quite simply meant to be setting powders which imitate the effects of certain types of lighting. They claim to 'Brighten the skin's appearance and conceal imperfections, pores and wrinkles', and they retail for a whopping $59. 

Luckily for me, I'm only a youngin' and I don't have many pores'n wrinkles to be hiding. I do have imperfections a'plenty however and was kinda excited to see how this would work on my skin.

First things first: THIS IS NOT A SETTING POWDER

'Luminous light' has insubordinate amounts of glitter and frankly if used as an all-over-the-face setting powder, it will transform you into a disco ball. If you like that look, go for it, if not, stick to highlighter-esque usage. 

A simple swatch

And a slightly-more-blended-in swatch

Now I know what you're thinking. From the above photos, it doesn't really seem to be super glittery. BUT that is because these photos were taken in natural lighting. So I suppose on a warm sunny day this may work as a subtle, slightly glowy all over dusting of goodness, but in my bathroom mirror, all I see is the sheen of sunlight-exposed vampiric skin. Serious Cullen flashbacks.

Personally, I do like to use this as a eyebrow/cheekbone highlight, and I find that on these parts of the face the 'luminous lighting' aspect can really be a helpful boost to your skin's appearance, but applying this on blemished or 'imperfect' areas to me seems entirely counterproductive, because it just kinda draws them into focus.

All in all, I can't say that I'm ecstatic about this purchase, but it definitely does add a lovely radiance to the high-points of my face. I think maybe I went for the wrong shade in this range, but to be terribly honest I can't see myself shelling out another $59 for one of these babies:P

Have you tried any of the ambient lighting powders? If so, which ones, and would you recommend them?

Let me know xx

~Risa~

Blue Jean Baby

After moving to Melbourne, I've found a million-and-one new ways to (unwisely) dispense my money, but the biggest purchases I made were at a vintage stall in Melbourne Central called 'Grandma Funk' (instagram: @grandmafunk_).

The item that drew me into the store was this gorgeous pair of vintage Doc Martens. At the time, I didn't own a single pair of Docs, (a statement which frankly shocked my helpful shop assistant), and I thought these would be a perfect way to venture experiment into the world of grunge fashion.

After being successfully convinced to part with $250, I was directed to this lovely specimen.

Having survived the first few weeks of autumn with the thinnest of duster coats, it didn't take much for me to be swayed into the idea of being swathed in heavy, warm, vintage Levi's denim. Plus it looked super cool with the Docs :P

All up, this little trip cost me $350, which to be honest is more than unhealthy considering the state of my bank account (I am crying internally), but I've definitely gotten good use out of the denim jacket at least in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, I'm not sure whether the Docs were a justified purchase. I haven't really worn them out yet, and I'm struggling to find the right pieces to wear them with.

Here's a sneaky post I made on my instagram (@risa_marie_) the day I bought them:P

What unnecessary splurges have you made recently? (Surely I'm not the only one:P)

~Risa~

THE YOUTOOBS

Hey!

I hope that you're having a wonderful Monday, wherever you may be:)

This is just a little post to let you know that I've started a youtube channel to complement this blog:P

Here is my first video:

And here is a link to my channel should you wish to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1jSWGG5DF61Owaiw9UGUcg

Hit like/subscribe if you think you'd like what I have to offer, but if you don't, that's fine too:P

Enjoy,

~Risa~

The Importance of Journal-Keeping

So I keep a journal. It's a very embarrassing fact about myself which is often met with smirks and snickers. (At least in my head:P). Today I'm going to make a case for myself and other journal writers. The pros (and maybe cons) of journal-keeping. I would say 'having a diary' but that sounds very primary school does it not?

I kept a diary when I was younger and everything about it, including the 'bratz' doll emblazoned front cover and flimsy lock, is so utterly cringeworthy. But I liked having it. There aren't really too many earth-shattering secrets that one can have in grade 3, but it felt good to have an item which was 'for my eyes only', and I liked to pretend that, given the chance, people would die to glimpse into my secret world. Of course, all that 'secret world' really contained was a bunch of agonizingly childish complaints and various reflections on what was had for dinner, but what else can you expect from an 8 year old?

I like to think that the 'journal' (and I feel that the distinction between a diary and a journal is quite important) that I keep now is far more sophisticated than the aforementioned monstrosity, but to be honest, I'll probably look back in about 3 years and want to burn it. However, I did not regret writing into my journal when I was 8 and I think, no matter how cringeworthy, I will not regret my current journal-keeping tendencies.

And here is why.

Having a journal is therapeutic in so many ways. To be able to express your 'inner turmoil' without any filters or worries is a blessing. We all have irrational feelings about people and life in general. A journal is a safe output for those emotions; a way to say what's on our mind without being judged or being forced to acknowledge your shortsightedness on the matter. It's a way to drone on and on about the same problems or annoyances without annoying your friends.

Sleep is a thing which I often have trouble acquiring, and on those late nights, when your brain just will not shut up, a journal is your absolute best friend. Not kidding, I would say about 90% of the words in my journal have been written between 12am and 5am. when you get everything out of your mind and on to paper, your mind is cleared. You feel tired from having bared your soul. The indents in the back of the pages are proof of having accomplished a task. And you can sleep. (Or at least I can. I'm not promising a breakthrough cure for insomnia haha:P ).

Last year, being a very stressful final year of high-achool, I found myself feeling down a lot. My favourite way to pass the time during these mood swings was by sitting inside my wardrbe (Absolutely 100% accurate) blasting depressing music through my headphones and doodling random sketches and song lyrics in the pages at the back of my journal. It was a place to dream. Lists of all the places I would travel to, all the things I would do.

A use which I only recently discovered is self-reflection. At the end of 2014, I read back over my entries and was appalled with their negativity. Using what I saw in my midnight ramblings, I was able to construct goals for myself this year which have all been centered around the overarching theme of positivity. It's going pretty well so far:)

This is her. She is red and squishy with gold edged pages and a bookmark with an eiffel tower hanging off the end. If anyone is interested, I bought her from typo.

So maybe keeping a diary is only for loners or self-obsessed children (It certainly sounds that way from everything I've said). But I like it. Besides, what is a blog if not a public diary?

~Risa~