Ah, shoes. Where do I even begin to count the ways I love shoes? I am on such a tight budget nowadays with all these different projects I am taking on, I can only swoon at them from afar.

So swoon I will, and I figure, why not share my obsession with like-minded people such as yourselves? ;)

So I present....my top picks from the latest Billini collection.


1. Galaxy in Citrus AUD 79.95
I am gaga over ankle straps - I think they add such a beautiful accent and definition to the legs and ankles, and I love medium-high heels with small toe-straps because then the focus is on the legs and not the shoes themselves. Citrus is my pick because it really highlights the skin, whether it be fair or tanned skin.

2. Glory in White AUD 79.95
For those who want to draw more attention to their shoes, and want a little bit of added height, then the Glory is perfect. It comes in 3 other colours - black, beige, and citrus.

3. Georgie in Emerald AUD 69.95
These shoes are much louder and much more in your face, but there is something really sexy about a high wedge heel, and the plus side of wearing wedge heels is that they offer more support, and are therefore less painful to wear :)

4. Luxe in Blood Orange AUD 59.95
I am all for simpler sandals, and I think the Luxe is my favourite pair of sandals from the collection. It is easy to wear, and isn't too complicated which makes it perfect and very in-trend.

5. Morgan in Black AUD 59.95
I just had to include another pair of flats in my list! I choose comfort any day over fashion, so flats are my go-to choice for footwear any day.

Overall, this collection is quite satisfactory. As the Australian Spring and Summer roll in, these shoes are perfect for the transitioning weather. I also like that the Galaxy and Glory are such great representations of the current style trend in shoes, though I think that there should have been styles added to their collection of flats and sandals that could have better reflected the latest shoe trends. Ankle straps are all the rage worldwide at the moment and I wanted to see more of that in their flats.
Price-wise, I think Billini have offered a collection that would suit most - I certainly found these prices reasonable enough.

What about you guys? Are you liking these styles, and will you be wearing any of these come the warmer weather? :)

Laura Mercier's Fall 2013 collection, Dark Spell, is made up of a number of absolutely beautiful products featuring dark colours, lots of shimmer, and beautiful nude lips to offset the eyes.

I was lucky enough to be able to play with the collection and produce a makeup tutorial for you guys, and the products make this look so simple and easy to achieve. Here is the video, I hope you enjoy it :)


Here are the products mentioned:

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - a quick solution to keep your makeup smooth and long-lasting. This makes my skin look radiant and well-moisturised, and when I use it, my foundation and concealer last for hours and hours on end with no need for touch ups.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Blush - Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturiser is a cult favourite, because it is lightweight but still pigmented enough for everyday use. It gives the skin a lovely glow, and comes in an oil-free version which is perfect for our humid climate.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow - this is my favourite waterproof brow product. I used this here because I wanted less-defined brows so the dark smoky eye could stand out. If you prefer darker, more defined brows then try a brow pencil or powder, because this one creates a softer brow look.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Smoke - this is a plain, intense black crayon eye pencil. I am in love with Laura Mercier's Caviar Sticks because they make the perfect makeup base, which is what I used it for here. They make these in a bunch of different colours, and because they are so long-lasting, they can also be used on their own for a different texture on the eyes.

Laura Mercier Baked Eye Colour in Mystical - a glittery black baked eyeshadow that is easy to blend and very soft and easy to blend despite its glittery look. Perfect if you like that lived-in smoky eye but don't want the creasing that comes with a cream eyeshadow or the Vaseline glossy eye.

Laura Mercier Baked Eye Colour in Magical - a gorgeous pearly white eyeshadow with some black threads running through it, made to look like the moon on a dark night, I'm assuming? It is a gorgeous, highly pearlescent white that is intensely pigmented. This would last an extremely long time!

Laura Mercier Kohl Liner Extreme in Black - this is a limited edition product, so get on it fast! It is made to look exactly like the kohl liners that you get in Middle Eastern souqs, and is a gorgeous, intense black eyeliner. I love that it is so easy to apply and smudge, and I what I didn't manage to test was how long it lasts on its own. I know that once you set it with a black eyeshadow powder though, it does not budge one bit!

Laura Mercier Satin Matte Eye Colour in Dark Spirit - when Laura Mercier says satin matte, she means satin matte! This is exactly how I would describe this smooth, black eyeshadow. It is buttery smooth and easy to apply and blend, and has minimal fall down in application. I used this to set the kohl liner and the result was an intense smoky black line that did not budge the entire day.

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in SC-2 - you are all probably no strangers to this product, because I have used and mentioned it so many times in my posts and videos. Still my HG concealer palette - I have yet to find a single concealer that beats the durability and coverage of this product!

Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch in #3 - this is my HG undereye concealer, matched in performance only by my Clinique Airbrush Concealer. This is very lightweight and you only need to dot a tiny bit of it for maximum coverage.

Laura Mercier Faux Lash - a mascara that gives you huge lashes. I did find it difficult to apply though, because the brush was so big and I couldn't get it into the inner and outer corners of my eyes to get at the smaller eyelash hairs there. It also doesn't create any curl, so be sure to curl your eyelashes with a good eyelash curler beforehand (Laura Mercier makes a great one) before applying this.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface - a true-pink blush that I used to add a little bit of colour to my face, because this look can wash out Asian complexions a little bit since it is so cool-toned, and most Asians have warm-toned skin.

Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Powder in Spellbound - this is limited edition guys, and it is the star product of the collection for me. It is gorgeously pressed and has a kind of gel-like texture that turns to powder upon application. It gives you an amazing golden glow, and though I thought it would be a little too warm and dark for my skin at first, it actually looked really good! The shimmers are extremely fine, so you look like you have a gorgeous golden glow instead of looking like you applied a chunky shimmer product onto your skin.

Laura Mercier Lipstick on Angelic - this has fast become one of my favourite nude lip products. It contains a tiny bit of pink to it and looks amazing on a lot of different skin tones because of its neutral beige undertone.

Laura Mercier Lip Plumping Gloss in Charmed - a gorgeous clear, slightly pinky gloss with golden shimmer shot through it. Great if you want a little bit of plumping action with minimal colour interference for your lipstick. Not a must, in my opinion, but a good option to have if you have thinner lips.

Sleek Contour Kit in Medium - I used this to add some warmth and dimension to the face, in my contours as well as in my eye sockets. This, together with the blush, tied the look together and made everything look seamless for my warmer Asian skin. Black, a cool-toned colour, can look harsh on warm skin tones so it's great to add products like this to soften the look overall.

And that was the makeup I used. I hope you found the tutorial and these mini reviews helpful. If you have any questions or requests, just send me a quick email or Facebook message! x

The Dark Spell Collection by Laura Mercier is out on counters now. Most products are limited edition so get in early to avoid missing out.

Happy Monday, everyone! I have finally managed to record the voice over (eep, my first ever!) for this video, and I'm so glad to have been able to upload it so quickly for you guys.

This tutorial features the Halo Satin Styler in a hair tutorial, to get the incredibly chic messy chignon that the gorgeous Alexa Chung wore at the 2013 Grammy Awards.

I hope you enjoy the video, and please leave a comment telling me if you liked the video! ♥



Products mentioned:

Halo Satin Styler
Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume
Macadamia Natural Oil Pre Styler (review here)
Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Spray Gel
Herbal Essences Hairspray

Check out some previous hair tutorials that I posted in collaboration with Herbal Essences! Here's a sock bun tutorial, and here is a more polished chignon tutorial.

Thank you for watching! x