Broke By Payday

How to spend a week's pay in one day...

20:25

Obviously this is a life lesson everyone needs to know. Because who doesn't want to spend the rest of the week eating leftovers and using coins found in the bottom of your handbag to fund your coffee dates?

Step 1: Visit Instagram, YouTube and Facebook makeup groups. Find pictures of other makeup obsessed hauls and purchases. Add everything they have that you don't to a wish list.
Step 2: Visit a few online stores. Add everything they sell that you don't own to your wish list.
Step 3: Go in store, buy everything on your wish list, see a few things that weren't on your wish list but you like the look of anyway and buy it all.

In all seriousness, I have been saving pretty hard (excluding every time Kylie Jenner decides to release some more lipsticks because I need to own them all. This isn't even about wanting them anymore) by transferring a set amount each week into a savings account designated for travel. So as you can imagine, my wish list has been growing each time I unlock my phone and see what everyone else has been buying and what all my favourite brands have been releasing. This week I decided to have a "week off" from saving and went crazy.

If you like haul's, this one is for you...

Firstly, I know how important skincare is, especially for someone like me who loves painting my face in as much makeup as I can fit. At the top of my list was a new moisturiser (because as much as I love the Kate Somerville one I've been using, I can't. afford to keep buying it whilst my skin has calmed down and isn't throwing a tantrum and demanding it!) and a new toner (because I like to try a different one each time until I find one that's going to make a huge difference to my life).

I love hitting up Mecca Maxima and Cosmetica for my skincare as they have a great range and the girls there are happy to give samples (perfect for trying before you buy!) and happy to give advice. So list in hand (or on my phone because it is 2016) I headed straight to Mecca, purchasing from the Mario Badescu collection as it has great reviews and is reasonably priced (compared to Kate Somerville it is a steal).

From Too Faced's new collection I needed (again it's more than just wanting) the Chocolate Bon Bons eyeshadow palette, and I'm sure I can't be the only person obsessed with the packaging and colours, oh and the fact that it smells like heaven - or it just smells like chocolate for those who don't appreciate a good thing. Because I not only want to fill my mouth with chocolate but also wear it on my lips, I also grabbed one of the new melted chocolate lipsticks in the shade Chocolate Cherries (Autumn come at me!).

If I needed the Too Faced purchases I more-than-needed (??) a new pencil eyeliner for my tightline (because apparently leaving the lid off of eyeliners dries them out completely). The night before my shopping adventure I was watching plenty of YouTube (rookie error for anyone who has their list 'finished') and whilst watching Michelle Crossan I decided that the Nars Kohl liner had to be added to my wish list.

I had tried a sample of the new Stila Aqua Glow Serum Foundation and thought it was beautiful and lasted amazing on my skin through my entire 8 hour shift working in fast food (would you like fries with that?). I don't think I'll ever have enough foundations in my collection - I love mixing them, changing what I wear every day, and trying out new ones. So the Stila foundation had been on my mind and in my heart since I had finished my sample. My collection required it. (Side note: I also tried the matching concealer and it creased like crazy so I highly recommend sampling the two if possible before you commit!).

Next stop was Sephora where I was looking for the Tarte Showstopper Clay Palette, but unfortunately they didn't have it in-store. In exchange for not buying the palette I was after, I grabbed and fell in love with the Tarte Tartlette in Bloom palette. The colours were all stunning, with amazing pigmentation and my swatches blended nicely on my hand. Once I was home I realised how very similar the Stila Eyes are the Window palette in Soul... but you can never have too much of a good thing, right?

If Shaaanxo loves it, I need it. Another unplanned, non-wish list item I purchased was the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara as my friend pointed it out and mentioned the name Shaaanxo, that was all the convincing I needed.

I lastly purchased a beauty blender as mine is on it's last legs. And I refuse to go one day without it. Surprisingly, this wasn't on my wish list either, but I saw they had some in store at Sephora (they are almost always sold out) and jumped at the opportunity.

I did have another item on my wish list to purchase from Sephora but when I swatched it in store I wasn't impressed. It was the new Tarte lip paint, and I was wanting Hangry or Frenemy, but they swatched in an uneven, patchy consistency on my hand and all round just didn't impress me. The lighter nude shades I swatched were far more creamy, soft and not patchy at all, with much nicer pigmentation... but if you know me, you know I own 100 'too many' nudes and didn't feel like I needed another just yet (I'm too busy enjoying the Kylie Cosmetics lipsticks!).

Before heading home with some money left in my bank account, I decided to visit a few clothes shops (which I don't do very often, I usually spend all my money on food or makeup!). I purchased a basic t-shirt and long sleeved top, as well as a bargain ($12.50) denim skirt from Target. After purchasing my second pair of boots for the year earlier in the week, as well as two smash box lipsticks (with personal engraving) and the Kmart copper mirror, I decided I was ready to call it a day and sit at home and wait for the new Kylie Cosmetics lip kit to be released (Kourt K you know you want to join the others in my collection!).

Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Chocolate Cherries

If you'd like to see any swatches, close up's, or anything else feel free to comment here, on my instagram or email me (brokebypayday@outlook.com) xxx

How to obtain the un-obtainable: The Kylie Cosmetics LipKit

23:05

The makeup world goes crazy each time Kylie Jenner announces a restock of her LipKits. And rightfully so (see my review here) as these babies are amazing.

I set alarms for the 4am three times before I was quick enough to even own a LipKit, and a few releases later, I now own all seven shades.

Although people aggressively attack Kylie Jenner's social media accounts, blaming her for never having any stock, Kylie Cosmetics has actually been releasing the LipKits almost weekly recently, and if you come to a restock prepared, you might be lucky to score yourself one.

My tips for success:

1. Know when the restocks are!
You could purchase Kylie's App as this is where she first announces any restocks. I don't (I used up my free week and couldn't justify paying monthly..)
Your other option is to follow on instagram an account which posts regular updates on the releases. I follow @nadiaidder. Others I follow include @trendmood1 (however this account posts PLENTY of updates on all brands and their stock and Kylie sometimes gets lost amongst it) and @kyliecosmeticsupdates. Chose whichever account you like best, follow them and turn on post notifications for the account. Super important, unless you're happy to check their page every hour/day to find out if there has been an announcement.

2. Make an account!
Before the release date, jump onto http://www.kyliecosmetics.com and make yourself an account. Once your name and email address have been typed in, your computer should automatically remember this information and it'll be quicker to pre-fill instead of type it all out. If your computer asks to save the password say yes! Create the account now (or after you're done reading) as you can't access the site on the day the LipKits are released as the site is closed to restock!

3. Pre-prepare.
If you're like me you never turn your laptop off... you just put it to sleep every night. This means my tabs, webpages, everything stay running and don't need to be refreshed when I open the lid. If this is you too, you can head to http://www.kyliecosmetics.com and click shop now and open individual tabs for each shade that you want to purchase. Leave them open until the launch. As you can't access the site on the day the LipKits are released because the site is closed to restock, you must do this before the day and you must not refresh until the exact time of the restock (if you refresh on the day of the restock but eg. 5 minutes early you'll be taken back to the front "coming soon" page!).

At the time of the restock all you need to do is refresh each tab, add the colours to cart and run to the checkout. Faster than Usain Bolt.

4. On the day..
Have a few alarms set for 10, 7 and 5 minutes before the release.This will give you time to set everything up ready to go (phone, laptop, card) and also helps me build up adrenaline (which helps me go faster when the LipKits go live). Open a word document, type out your card number (the longest one, not the CCV or expiry!) and COPY.

If you haven't pre-set up some tabs (step 3) you will need to have http://www.kyliecosmetics.com open on your computer and hit refresh the exact second that the release time is. CLICK SHOP. Sounds simple but some might just sit on the front page waiting for the LipKits to show up. My tip is to right-click and open all the colours you want in new tabs, as this saves time going back to the front SHOP page each time. Once they are all in tabs click add to cart on each tab, ON THE FINAL TAB once you have clicked ADD TO CART go to your shopping cart.

You need to be fast, as you're going through this there are thousands of LipKits being sold. Click everything as fast as your hands can go!! PASTE your credit card number, type your address as fast as you can! If you get your address wrong at all you can email the Customer Service team after you've purchased and let them know you need to change it (I'm speaking from experience here, my typing might be fast but it's not entirely accurate). If you get your credit card numbers wrong your transaction will fail and you will have to type it all again..

I'll say it one more time, you need to be fast. You haven't got them until you've hit the last thank you page, so until then do everything with speed!

5. Error pages
IF you get an error page REFRESH STRAIGHT AWAY. Not kidding, refresh it until you have the site working again. Don't wait 2 minutes to try again, the LipKits can sell out in this time.
I don't refresh the processing page (after all my details have been typed and its checking my credit card numbers) but some people apparently do. I don't and I own all the colours, apparently others have been successful in purchasing after refreshing the processing page. I don't recommend it, but it's up to you entirely!

6. Congratulations
If you're successful you'll see the "thank you" page with your order, order number and a map of where your LipKits will be delivered. You'll receive an email to the email you gave with a confirmation (don't expect this straight away) and then an email with shipping details (so you can track your new babies like a hawk). I generally receive mine in around a week to Melbourne, Australia.

Any other questions feel free to comment here, on my instagram or email me (brokebypayday@outlook.com). GOODLUCK xxx

beauty blogger

Regrets: Part 1

04:59

beauty

Kylie Jenner Lip Kits!

06:08

Tonight I had a Chicken Parma for dinner and Mary Jo K (the red shade) was still on my lips after I had demolished my parma, chips and salad (cause it's all about a balanced diet right?). If that's not impressive to you, I don't know what keeps you happy. Unfortunately, Mary Jo K did not survive my double cone ice-cream, but maybe that was a sign from elsewhere that I didn't need ice-cream....

I applied Mary Jo K lip liner and liquid lipstick at 1pm and it lasted until 12 midnight with only one reapplication following my ice-cream. It does make my lips feel dry, but what liquid lipstick can last all afternoon and night and not feel dry? (No seriously, if one exists let me know!) In saying that, I cleaned my lips with an oil cleanser and under the Kylie Cosmetics beauty they are still soft and not cracked at all.

There was no flaking, and for the first few hours of wear my lips felt velvety smooth. They weren't sticky, they don't transfer and they're honestly little jars of perfection.

The packaging is beautiful but still super cool at the same time. It is perfectly Kylie Jenner.

I purchased Mary Jo K (bet you didn't guess that from reading above..), Posie K and Dolce K. I was expecting Posie K to be my least favourite (as I don't wear many pink-y shades - I like true reds or nudey-browns) but it has turned out to be my absolute favourite lip colour ever - and swatches don't do it any justice, its far more beautiful in real life.

If you recognise the picture above of my swatches from the Kylie Cosmetics' instagram, the answer is: yes, it is my picture (some lame person decided to edit the crap out of it and claim it as their own, but whatever, I've moved on now).

People are complaining about the prices of the lip kits... Honestly if you compare the lip kit to a price of a MAC liquid lipstick + liner you'll realise the Kylie Cosmetics lip kit is cheaper (in Australia this is true, and ignoring shipping prices...)

So yes, you do need them. You need them all. I'm planning on buying the other 3 shades and hoping I will be able to get the new orange-red shade too. If you want them and think it is too hard, you just need to try as hard as you can and be persistent. I woke up every single drop at 3.50am for the drop which seems to always be at 4am in Victoria, Australia. I stayed up for an hour refreshing the website the first two times but was unsuccessful. On the next release Kylie made some MASSIVE hints on her instagram and twitter accounts. Look for these hints, know what time they release in your country and set you alarms, they're becoming easier to purchase since the release dates are more of a secret now. If you really want them (and I think they're worth it), you just need to be smart about the clues and set your alarms! Good luck xxx

beauty

Because everyone wants to Kontour like a Kardashian

22:02

There's a reason contouring is currently so popular, and although it is debatably largely due to the Kardashians, it is also huge amongst YouTubers and beauty gurus. The reason we love contouring is because it's easier to use makeup to slim our face rather than exercise 7 days a week and eat like a supermodel. I don't know about you but I love anything with carbs. Potatoes and the many ways they can be cooked are one of my favourite foods... and I'll be the first to admit my face (without any makeup at all) slightly resembles a potato in its natural form.

If you do a Google video search for "contour tutorial" you'll be greeted with about 4,160,000 results, so I probably don't need to provide you with a step by step tutorial (I'll let the pro's handle that).

What I can give you is my favourite contour kits, brushes and maybe a tip or two.

Contour shades top to bottom: Too Faced Cocoa Contour, Kat Von D Shade & Light, Marc Jacobs 40 Mirage Filter

My preference is to use powder contour. I do own the Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit but I found it was more hassle than it was worth. Although it was fairly easy to blend out with a beauty blender, the product itself was dry and required me to add a drop of facial oil to it before it was actually useable.

My favourite contour powder is the Kat Von D shade 'subconscious' from the palette, followed by the Marc Jacobs contour shade and Too Faced 'medium cocoa'.

For brushes I don't own too many but my favourite is the Zoeva 109 Luxe Face Paint brush followed by my Nars Kabuki Ita (which although is great, I don't find myself reaching for it that often) and my Real Techniques Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour brush (which I've only gotten recently - its beautifully soft and its much denser than my other contouring brushes so I'm still working it out!). I own the Bella brushes 24 set and the xoBeauty 12 piece set but neither of these sets contain any brushes that I love for contouring.

Lastly, some tips that you've probably heard before but that are important:

Find your cheekbone and apply your contour shade directly under it, running a line straight along from your ear to no further in than your pupil (although I prefer to end my contour in line with the outside corner of my eye - but it obviously changes depending on your face shape). If you get to your mouth, you're generally going to have made your face look round again.
BLEND upwards and until your arm hurts. Don't blend down as this just defeats the purpose. I recently had my makeup done by a makeup artist. I don't want to makeup shame anyone but this picture is the reason we blend.

Please ignore my pimples that she's also accentuated. My boyfriend took this photo to show me and let me know that I should have done my makeup myself.

Start light and blend and build up if you need to. You're not doing yourself any favours by going in heavy with too much product!

PS: If you love chocolate, just go in store and find the Too Faced Cocoa Contour palette to sniff.... whilst writing this blog I sat there and enjoyed mine!