Small personal update: As some of you may know, I am currently unemployed and without income. So obviously makeup hasn't been anything I've been buying loads of either, seeing as I had no money.
Also, I've been overweight most of my life, and in 2011 I got a Gastric Band and in the past 6-9 months, it's only been a nuisance providing problems with eating, much discomfort and not working as it should. I initially lost a fair deal of weight, and due to stress (and major lack of self-control because it was possible for me to eat a lot) I put all that weight back on. After going to the hospital for a check-up in June, my surgeon and I decided to remove the band and instead he will perform a Gastric Bypass on me. The waiting list for this surgery is +-4 months, so hopefully towards the end of this year, I'll go under the knife!
August 6'th was my birthday (26, whoa...) and for the first time in like 6 years, I got to spend it with my mother! She and her lovely husband came down to visit me from Denmark. We had a wonderful time together and did tourist things in Amsterdam! And after this wonderful segway, on to the lovely presents I got/bought for birthday money!
I celebrated my birthday with my family on Sunday the 4'th, and besides the stuff you will see here, I also go two season/year cards to two different zoos! Perfect gift for me, as there are few things I love more than going to zoo and from this month on, I'll be babysitting my wonderful nephew at least once a week and he lives close to one of them.
First we'll have a look at the Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic fresh face mask. This is a calming/restoring face mask, for those days when you just feel that a (skin-) disaster is looming.
It's a clay mask with fresh blueberries in it. It's very relaxing to use, due to the scent of the blueberries. Normally relaxing scents makes me gag, as they tend to have either honey or lavender in them and I do NOT deal well with those scents. It leaves my skin feeling less irritated and very, very soft. (€11.65 , only available at Lush.)
Next up is the Tea Tree Water toner spray. This is a toner specialized for normal to oily skin, prone to breakouts and large pores.
I keep this in the fridge for a refreshing feeling in the morning. So far, I've been using it every morning and I do feel like it tightens up my pores and I've had no major breakouts/impurities since using it. I'm a fan! (€11.65 for the large bottle, only available at Lush.)
This fancy looking box is one my lovely sister-in-law brought, as she knows my insane love of bright nailpolish. This is the PUPA Crazy Crystals in 005.
The trick to this is applying an opaque layer of polish and while the polish is wet you dust the crystals over the wet polish, brush off the access with the wee brush and tadaaah! I will provide pictures of this at a later point, either on here or on Instagram. Gimme a follow @becca_kaya. As this was a gift, I have no real indication of price and I know that in Holland PUPA can be hard to come by. Some webshops carry it, some high end beauty stores and some beauty salons.
This pink beauty is from the new line of the lipsticks from The Body Shop: Colour Crush Lipsticks. It is a moisturizing, creamy lipstick.
The colour is 210 Sweetheart Pink. It is a light, bright medium pink. It contains a very light glitter/shimmer but that doesn't really show up on the lips. It wears very comfortably, but as all creamy lipsticks, it does need a lot of reapplying. It's a lovely colour for summer and definitely for spring next year! (€12.00 available at all The Body Shop stores and in their webshop.)
The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder. If you've been here before, you'll recognise this. Only this time I got it in the intensity 2, instead of 3.
I've had the 3 one for a while, and it was just too orange. (And kinda running out!) This one is a bit more neutral in colour and blends better with my fair skin to fake that tan!
If you're no newbie to cult beauty items, you'll know what this is and you might be as excited as I am! This is the Benefit Blush in Coralista. This is one of the most famous blushes out there and I've been wanting this for close to 4 years and it's FINALLY MINE! When should you splurge if not with your birthday present money?
The box is adorable, with beautiful animal print and a small mirror and brush inside. The brush isn't -terrible- and can be used in a pinch, but I prefer a duo-fiber brush. The colour is a beautiful coral (DUH!) shade with a gorgeous golden shimmer. ( €33 and available at all Benefit counters.)
Another cult favourite: MC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle. A beautiful neutral/champagne highlighter to compliment my growing highlighter collection.
Look at the shimmer... LOOK AT IT! AAAARGH! It's so beautiful. Obviously this is by no means a suble highlight, but none the less a great addition, seeing as it is neutral. Everything I have in my collection is either cool or golden and this is just... So perfect. I could keep ranting on about this beautiful product, but I'll let the pictures speak for me. Click them! (€28 and available at MAC Counters, MAC stores and the online MAC webshop)
Lastly I bought this wonderful camera back-pack with the money I'd gotten from my Grandmother. It's the Lowepro Orion DayPack 200. Goes perfect with my new Zoo cards!
The backpack part opens up to one large space, which can hold some bottles, food or whatever you wanna bring with you! The small netting on the back is a great place for your phone/keys/whatever you don't want to lose in the rest of the pack! The lower part zips open and comfortably holds your camera and at least 2 lenses plus extras. I am so happy with this purchase! (Got this for €45, on offer. Not been able to find it online for less than €55 anywhere else. Don't remember the store name either... Somewhere in Amsterdam!)
On the morning of my birthday my mother surprised me with beautiful diamond earstuds, that I unfortunately don't have a picture of, but I've been wearing them ever since!
What are things you've been wanting for a long while, but haven't been able to convince yourself to splurge on? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for reading!
XXX
