Why, hello, I am back after a nearly two week hiatus from blogging. I'll tell you a little secret, that wasn't meant to happen but casting my mind back to right before I went on holiday, I was exhausted. The idea of putting up halfhearted content just so I could feel a personal sense of achievement didn't sit right so hence I was MIA. Never fear, I am back, for now. In case Instagram wasn't enough of a PSA for you, I've just got back from an eight day jaunt to Melbourne. It was magic and I had an amazing time. Naturally a little bit of beauty shopping happened although on the whole I was pretty disciplined in this department. Nonetheless, I thought I'd compile a post of what I grabbed for nosy types beauty enthusiasts. Side note: This is not a brag or 'look at all the things I got'. I knew about this trip for a while and saved accordingly so that I could have many a 'treat yo'self' moment. Read on if you want to know what ended up in my stuffed suitcase...

Lavinila Vanilla Grapefruit Deoderant-There's a couple of Sephora stores in Melbourne so I visited them, for myself and also to grab a couple of things for friends. It was often crazy busy in there so I didn't stay long, grabbing what I wanted and leaving speedily but I did spy Lavinila in the corner one day and got excited. A few years back Tamira sent me one of these and I loved it so I had to buy another one. Vanilla grapefruit smelt just divine and while this was by no means an essential, it's going to be a godsend come Summer when I'm one Sweaty Betty. TMI? Sorry...

Miu Miu Eau De Parfum Rollerball-Another thing Sephora is known for is their selection of rollerballs and minis (see below). While Sephora Australia perhaps doesn't have quite the extensive offering that is available in the US, it's still not half bad. The Miu Miu fragrance is one of my favourites to spritz in the department stores at the moment. Rollerballs aren't really a thing in NZ so I do try to grab one when the opportunity arises. Miu Miu is a largely inoffensive, fresh Summery fragrance. Go give it a spritz, y'know copy doesn't do fragrance any justice.

Ouai Texturising Spray-I can't find this online but this was one of the minis in Sephora. They also had mini bottles of the Ouai Wave Spray too among other things. Part texturiser, part dry-shampoo, this is designed to give your hair that lived in-loose waves vibe. Think Kendall Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, who Ouai founder Jen Atkin often tends to the tresses of. I can't wait to use this.

Revlon Sculpt and Highlight Kit in Light/Medium-When I was in Melbourne, Priceline had one of their notorious 40% off Cosmetics sales. It coincided with that international piece of baffling news last week and I'm not saying that caused a frenzy among us beauty loving women in Australia. It was however quite crowded and everyone was having a good rummage in the shelves. Anyway, this product which I think is only available in Aus and NZ was one of my finds. It was created in collaboration with Chloe Morello and is available in two colour options. The lightest surprisingly seemed to be more readily available. I swatched this and the shades seemed so buttery smooth with not too much fallout so I will be curious to see how this performs on my face.

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Sunscreen-This wasn't purchased in the Priceline sale but I'd planned to get it anyhow because I had heard that La Roche Posay sunscreens are great for combination-oily skin. That and they sit nicely under makeup. Priorities, right? Well this certainly delivers. In terms of texture, it reminds me of my Too Faced primer, but maybe just a touch more satin-like. It is not silicone feeling though and doesn't look greasy or heavy on the skin. If you're after a lightweight, high SPF, this one's SPF 50, then check this out.

Maybelline Hypersharp Wing Liquid Liner-One of my friends recommended this liner to me as a more affordable alternative to the Kat Von D tattoo liner that we all know and love. Annoyingly I don't think this one is available in NZ but if you're ever in Australia, be sure to grab one. It's obviously popular as there was a queue forming by this section of the Maybelline stand on 40% off day. I've not opened this yet but I will report back when I've been using it.

Too Faced Love Flush Blush in I Will Always Love You-Part of the appeal of these blushers has to be their Polly Pocket style packaging. That magnetic heart just gets a whole generation of nineties kids excited I am sure. These blushers also come in a range of beautiful colours so I had a tough time choosing one. In the end I settled for this peachy pink as most of my blush colours are more on the nude side of things. That and I know Anna and Fiona both have this shade and love it. 

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler-Back when I first started getting into watching and reading beauty blogs, about four years ago now, everybody had a pair of these. In fact I've come close to buying some a few times now and finally decided to do just that on this trip. I've used them once so far and can already see why they get so much fuss. They're so gentle and for me at least, only one or two goes with this gives me the desired look I want for my lashes. Well worth the investment.

Jo Malone Christmas Ornament, limited edition-I can't find this on any NZ sites so I'm wondering if it's sold out already. This was picked up in duty free here in Auckland and I had no idea there was a Jo Malone counter so I was excited. This contains a miniature of their Peony and Blush Suede Cologne (my fave) and also the Grapefruit Body Creme. It's absolutely beautiful and would make a gorgeous stocking stuffer for someone, or a luxe treat for one of the ladies in your life. 

The Repurchases, not pictured: So I also repurchased a couple of my favourite products when I was away; the Maybelline Age Rewind concealer which is my go-to for undereyes, Too Faced's Hangover Primer which is my all-time favourite primer and this shower gel from last month's favourites. I really need to add the full size to my Christmas list sometime soon.

June, the month where Winter arrives and I reluctantly retire my Summer wardrobe for another year. This month it's been all about the eyes with these four fabulous products being on high rotation. There's also a new base love, a perfume I can't get enough of and the book that I just can't stop reading..

Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade-Strong eyebrow game in a jar. This gel-mousse hybrid leaves things looking a lot more natural and a lot more polished. The product itself is seriously pigmented so a little goes a long way. Once this sets in place it stays put all day. It's amazing stuff. 

Mac Kohl Liner in Teddy-We all know about Anna and her enabling ways. I was actually helping a friend buy makeup when this fell into my hands after spying it in this post. Don't leave me unattended in Mac.. Teddy is a dark brown with a touch of copper to it. Think of it as the dolled-up sister of Coffee, also from Mac. I like to apply this close to the lashline and then smudge it out with a brush for a more lived in look. Again it stays put all day and its creaminess means it would work well as an eyeshadow base too. Love.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation-My experiences with foundation in the past have been dismal. Too orange, too dewy, too cakey. Then I met Perfection Lumiere Velvet, PLV for short. Combination and oily-skinned gals you will love this. Its matte-velvet finish counteracts redness and shine. It has buildable coverage and a shade range which is more in favour of paler complexions. It'll be a sad day if this ever gets discontinued. 

Beauty brands really up the ante and deliver the goods at this time of the year. You just have to take a wander through any department store's beauty hall to realise that. Here is my streamlined edit of all things beauty for Christmas this year from stocking stuffers to the more luxurious offerings. Enjoy!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette I'm sure you've seen this palette doing the rounds on lots of the beauty gift guides. I even wrote about it. While this is certainly a luxe present you get three powders that take care of setting makeup, highlighting and bronzing. Hourglass have also thrown in a mini sample of their veil primer for good measure. All the powders are incredibly subtle as well and leave you with a photoshop perfect complexion. This palette is getting harder to get hold of so if you want to purchase this for yourself or someone else then you'll have to be quick. 

Benefit It's A Love Fest Set The Benefit advent calendar sold out ridiculously fast but there are plenty of awesome gift sets on offer to keep everyone happy. This one contains a great combination of products including my favourite Benefit blush, Coralista. Sets like these are perfect if you're already a Benefit fan or even for a teen girl who's just getting into makeup. Not to mention that tin would look so adorable on display.

Lulu Guiness Glitter Lip Makeup Bag Like nail polish, most girls seem to appreciate a gorgeous makeup bag. This Lulu Guiness offering is sparkly, features rainbow glitter and a perfect pout on the outside. The perfect makeup bag in other words. This is something I'd be happy to see in my stocking..

Alexa for Eyeko Set One for the Alexa fans. If you already own Alexa's book then you should think about adding this Eyeko set to your list. It comes with a liner to perfect the cat flick and a mascara. I'd buy this for an eye makeup enthusiast, Alexa fan, or..myself.