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.

So a couple of months back Tamira of lipstickwithsomesunshine and myself decided to do a swap. If you're new to these parts, swaps typically involve the exchange of beauty products and whatever else you'd want to send really, for instance I also sent some stationery, candy and the current issue of Frankie magazine in my parcel. This is the second formal swap I've done and it's so much fun putting things together for someone else and then wrapping them up all pretty. Well Tamira's lovely parcel for me turned up last week, beautifully wrapped in brown paper and twine-none of which you are seeing because I got too excited and opened it all. Here's a look at the beauty loot she sent me but there was also candy (nom!) and stationery for me too, some of which you'll see over on Facebook. 

As with Anna's parcel, I'll do an update on the products I'm yet to try from this swap so keep an eye out for that..

Marc Jacobs Kiss Pop Lip Color Stick in Wham-Whenever I see this lip product's name I'm torn between saying "Wham bam thank you Ma'am" or starting to sing this little number. How gorgeous is that packaging too!? Marc has that aesthetically pleasing side of beauty down. I've worn this once and on the lips it's more of a coral rose. Beautiful in other words and I think it's going to be perfect going into Spring and Summer.

Jouer Moisturising Lip Gloss in Pink Glace-Tamira must be psychic or something because she clearly knows about my love for lip products. Jouer is another brand we can't get in New Zealand and I've always wanted to try their Moisture Tints. Anyway, this lipgloss is so pretty! I wore it on Saturday on its own and loved it, largely because it was not sticky or gloopy in the slightest. This shade would also look great over nude lipsticks or lipliner if you're that way inclined.

Hourglass 1.5mm Mechanical Gel Eyeliner-Oh Hourglass, you've done it again. This liner is said to be simple and mess-free. According to Tamira's blog, the fine tip means you can get in ridiculously close to the lashline and create flicks a lot easier. It looks a lot less awkward to hold than some other gel pen-liners as well. Maybe my days of cotton buds lining my rubbish bin are over.. 

L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara-Another L'Oreal mascara! *insert heart-eyed cat emojis*. I've not tried this before but I've only heard and read good things about it so I'm looking forward to giving it a go.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01-After seeing countless beauty bloggers, including Tamira singing this little beauty's praises I knew I had to have one in my possession. In person it's reminding me of the Mac Maleficent Lipglass without the shine, but I haven't actually worn it yet so will keep you updated.

LAVANILA Deodorant in Pure Vanilla-I have no idea why this has appealed to me but I've often seen it in Sephora hauls so obviously other beauty lovers are curious about this one too. What we have here is essentially a one hundred per cent natural, roll on deodorant. I'm not gonna lie it smells pretty darn good. I was scared it'd smell like hemp seeds or something. Moving on to something less awkward to write about....

Almay Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm in Apricot-This sounds intriguing and again, according to Tamira's blog (good old point of reference...), these are comparable to the Clarins Lip Perfecters. This colour looks so pretty too. 

*Have you tried any of these products before? Let me know what you thought of them!