Youtube haul/review/empties videos are eating my life and bank account.
So, I go on youtube to kill ten minutes while I'm waiting for my pasta to cook/my show to start/my facemask to work. I watch a haul/empties/review video by Elle Fowler, Tracey and Steph or WinterRose84 (don't know her real name). They talk about stuff they've loved, their description gets in my head, I begin to violently crave said product/item and the next thing I know I'm punching credit card numbers into Paypal or driving to Priceline to acquire stuff i never realised I couldn't live without. Then I try them and inevitably love them, so there's no deterrent to doing it again. These Youtube gurus are in my damn head.
Case in point. Yesterday I started watching an Eleventhgorgeous nail polish video. Now, I've always been a bath/body product junkie - I like the little makeup I have, but I've never gotten overly excited about the prospect of buying more, and the 29 nail polishes I've owned since the beginning of forever have languished unused in a drawer for months. All of a sudden I'm writing lists of colours I need, mentally budgeting to pay off extra on my credit card next pay to compensate for the extra I'm about to spend, and meticulously organising said 29 polishes to remind myself what's already there (it ended up being 28, an ancient bottle of Rossburn in black which was about 1/4 full had turned into sticky goop). I watched some WinterRose84 videos to add to the inspiration - that lovely lady is obsessed with nail polish to the point that she makes my bath/body product stash look pathetic, and as such, I adore her. It's always comforting to know that there are other obsessed people in the world, and it's especially nice when they're only a state away. And today I went into town with the thought of buying one or two new polishes (to make my stash up to a healthy 30 and grab a couple of new shades to liven up the collection), and instead came home with 14 new nail polishes, shampoo and conditioner, bb cream, a Dior lip balm and some awesome Dior perfume/skin care samples. Who does this?!?
The new stuff, however, is wonderful, and I'm not regretting a thing :) Nor do I regret any of the other products I've been tempted into buying from my youtube beauty queens, including but not limited to:
*Clean & Clear Fruit Infusions Hydrating Cleanser - the EG girls said it smells like a strawberry and pineapple smoothie for your face, and that it had been discontinued. It wasn't part of the Australian line at all, so to ebay I went, and I purchased, and I love. Have got a backup one on the way :)
*S Factor Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner - available in Australia but only in large, cumbersome, expensive bottles. Elle Fowler said it smells like a strawberry and cream Otter Pop, and so to ebay again. Awaiting in anticipation.
*Organix Cherry Blossom & Ginseng Shampoo/Coconut Cream Conditioner - WinterRose84 said the combination of these makes your hair smell like coconut ice. I'd been eyeing off this brand for a while, so that was the last little push I needed.
*Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream - every beauty blogger in the world had been raving about BB creams, and I had no idea wtf they were, but figured if they're that big a deal, I probably should't be without one. Grabbed the first one I saw in my shade, then googled it when I got home to find out wtf it is, and it sounds amazing and super-convenient in the extreme. I was right, I totally needed one.
*Glasshouse Montego Bay Lime & Coconut mini candle - the one Glasshouse scent that never intrigued me, my stepmother had it burning at her house. Smells delicious, and so I had to have. Burning it now, want to eat the room. Have also got plans for a full size one of these now, and a Sohum candle when I go to Melbourne next week.
*Nail polish, several tonnes of - including the O.P.I brand I've heard so much about (thanks girls!). Haven't used any yet, but all lovely shades. Particularly enamoured with my two new MAC shades, Coffee Break and Saint Germain.
*The Body Shop Chamomile Cleansing Butter/Chamomile Cleansing Oil - basically the same product in a different package, I couldn't decide which one I wanted so I got both and OMG everyone needs these in their lives. They smell like heaven and wildflowers and a spring breeze at the fields around Stonehenge and I want to exist WITHIN these products. They're also amazing on the skin, so soft, gentle and effective. No bloggers pushed me into that one, that stroke of brilliance was all me people!
*Orofluido - Elle Fowler talked me into putting this vanilla/amber scented hair care line on my ebay Watch list - haven't bought it yet, but i want the shampoo, conditioner and elixir.
*Victoria's Secret Body Scrubs - Elle raved about Pure Seduction and Midnight Dare, and all of a sudden I found myself wanting to try them ... then again, I can't really blame her for that, it doesn't take much to convince me to try a body scrub :)
*Herbal Essences Honey I'm Strong Shampoo & Conditioner - over the last few years I've considered this brand to be supermarket junk I used as a teenager because Mum would buy it for me, but I saw the ad for this and then for some reason images from it appeared in one of my dreams. Super weird, but too much of a sign sign from the universe for me NOT to buy some $6 haircare.
*The Body Shop Honeymania line - no bloggers on this one, just me, my love of honey, and my love of The Body Shop. Buying as soon as it's released. I need the shower gel, body scrub, body butter, bath melt, and lip balm.
*Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Hair Smoothie - one of the EG girls had it, it looked intruiging, it's on my shopping list.
*Natio Spa/Meditate products - I've been using Natio on and off for years, it's an Australian drugstore brand, and one of the few I actually trust, but I used some of these products at my stepmother's house and remembered why I loved them. Ordered.
*St Ives Green Tea Scrub - with all the other stuff I've been buying, I figured why not try out something I've been eyeing off for ages?
*Neutrogena Rainbath shower gel. No joke, I was in the queue at Priceline one day, saw a woman holding some, immediately wanted it. Purchased.
*Nivea Caramel Cream lip balm - some asshole facebook ad alerted me to it's existence, and with a name like that, how could I not?
*Christian Dior Creme De Rose lip balm - Elle again, though I have always wanted a rose lip balm, just never knew of a good one. So, me again, also.
*Philosophy shower gels - I always thought these seemed a bit cheap and tacky, but they were featured in so many "what's in my shower" videos (yes I watch those too, I love them, and no, I have no idea why), so I did some ebay research and was won over by some delicious sounding ones. Belgian Waffles Vanilla Birthday Cake (the Happy Birthday Beautiful version) and Brown Butter Cookie are all as nummy-nummy as they sound, so I'm holding high hopes for Double Rich Hot Cocoa, Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa and Cafe au Lait, which should all arrive this week. NOM.
*Lush Christmas/Halloween products - these will be released in a couple of weeks, Australia is getting them first! However, these barely count as seasonal Lush is a no-brainer, of course I'm going to get them.
*Natio Dark Circle Correcter - more of a necessity than anything really, not something to be wildly excited over. I frequently look like I've met Chris Brown, either due to lack of sleep, crappy genetics (thanks, Mum and Dad) or both.
*Macadamia Oil deep repair hair mask - possibly the only one I'm not completely enamoured with of all my new buys/wishlist items. That's not to say it's bad, it's just not the holy grail product for me that it is for some of the gurus. I guess I was expecting something a bit different, whereas this doesn't seem to be anything all that special - then again, that may not be a fair comparison because a lot of these super-repair hair products don't do a lot for me because my hair is already in pretty damn good shape from lack of straigtening/blowdrying/colouring/using tonnes of goopy styling crap everyday. So while I'm not doing cartwheels over this one, it's still pretty freaking awesome, nicely moisturising, and I'll happily use my two pots before moving on to something else.
*Countless hell-tonnes of new Bath & Body Works/The Body Shop. Too numerous to list, but loving everything :) No bloggers required, my own obsession did this little number nicely. The freebies in the forms of yummy scented pocketbacs didn't hurt either! Oh, but special mention to the Vermont Sugar Maple hand cream which has a scent that lasts all goddamn day and has me craving sugar cookies.
*Soap & Glory - this is one of those things where I'm a marketing department's dream, because I will buy this shit (and that Benefit Body Oil Mist which is on my wishlist) for the uber-cute packaging alone. Plus, it gave me a whole other brand to type in to Youtube and scour review/haul videos for :) One cleanser is on it's way to me, another has me as the sole bidder on ebay, and 7 or 8 other products are on the list of Shit Patch Must Buy In Melbourne Because She Is A Product Hoarding Freak. Peaches & Clean should be here tomorrow, bidding ends on Clean Mary soon, and the list includes ; Clean Girls, Whipped Clean, Flake Away, Glad Hair Day (shampoo and thick conditioner), Righteous Butter lotion, Glow Lotion and maybe one of their awesome shower loofahs because they are big and pink and look sparkly and this kitschy, retro brand is my new obsession and I may actually die without it. Seriously.
*Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Body Souffle - Damn you Elle, this looks amazing and I must have it despite the $65 price tag. Evil, evil, blogger guru woman.
I seriously have to stop this, but I also seriously love it. Sigh. Stuff is lovely.
Case in point. Yesterday I started watching an Eleventhgorgeous nail polish video. Now, I've always been a bath/body product junkie - I like the little makeup I have, but I've never gotten overly excited about the prospect of buying more, and the 29 nail polishes I've owned since the beginning of forever have languished unused in a drawer for months. All of a sudden I'm writing lists of colours I need, mentally budgeting to pay off extra on my credit card next pay to compensate for the extra I'm about to spend, and meticulously organising said 29 polishes to remind myself what's already there (it ended up being 28, an ancient bottle of Rossburn in black which was about 1/4 full had turned into sticky goop). I watched some WinterRose84 videos to add to the inspiration - that lovely lady is obsessed with nail polish to the point that she makes my bath/body product stash look pathetic, and as such, I adore her. It's always comforting to know that there are other obsessed people in the world, and it's especially nice when they're only a state away. And today I went into town with the thought of buying one or two new polishes (to make my stash up to a healthy 30 and grab a couple of new shades to liven up the collection), and instead came home with 14 new nail polishes, shampoo and conditioner, bb cream, a Dior lip balm and some awesome Dior perfume/skin care samples. Who does this?!?
The new stuff, however, is wonderful, and I'm not regretting a thing :) Nor do I regret any of the other products I've been tempted into buying from my youtube beauty queens, including but not limited to:
*Clean & Clear Fruit Infusions Hydrating Cleanser - the EG girls said it smells like a strawberry and pineapple smoothie for your face, and that it had been discontinued. It wasn't part of the Australian line at all, so to ebay I went, and I purchased, and I love. Have got a backup one on the way :)
*S Factor Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner - available in Australia but only in large, cumbersome, expensive bottles. Elle Fowler said it smells like a strawberry and cream Otter Pop, and so to ebay again. Awaiting in anticipation.
*Organix Cherry Blossom & Ginseng Shampoo/Coconut Cream Conditioner - WinterRose84 said the combination of these makes your hair smell like coconut ice. I'd been eyeing off this brand for a while, so that was the last little push I needed.
*Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream - every beauty blogger in the world had been raving about BB creams, and I had no idea wtf they were, but figured if they're that big a deal, I probably should't be without one. Grabbed the first one I saw in my shade, then googled it when I got home to find out wtf it is, and it sounds amazing and super-convenient in the extreme. I was right, I totally needed one.
*Glasshouse Montego Bay Lime & Coconut mini candle - the one Glasshouse scent that never intrigued me, my stepmother had it burning at her house. Smells delicious, and so I had to have. Burning it now, want to eat the room. Have also got plans for a full size one of these now, and a Sohum candle when I go to Melbourne next week.
*Nail polish, several tonnes of - including the O.P.I brand I've heard so much about (thanks girls!). Haven't used any yet, but all lovely shades. Particularly enamoured with my two new MAC shades, Coffee Break and Saint Germain.
*The Body Shop Chamomile Cleansing Butter/Chamomile Cleansing Oil - basically the same product in a different package, I couldn't decide which one I wanted so I got both and OMG everyone needs these in their lives. They smell like heaven and wildflowers and a spring breeze at the fields around Stonehenge and I want to exist WITHIN these products. They're also amazing on the skin, so soft, gentle and effective. No bloggers pushed me into that one, that stroke of brilliance was all me people!
*Orofluido - Elle Fowler talked me into putting this vanilla/amber scented hair care line on my ebay Watch list - haven't bought it yet, but i want the shampoo, conditioner and elixir.
*Victoria's Secret Body Scrubs - Elle raved about Pure Seduction and Midnight Dare, and all of a sudden I found myself wanting to try them ... then again, I can't really blame her for that, it doesn't take much to convince me to try a body scrub :)
*Herbal Essences Honey I'm Strong Shampoo & Conditioner - over the last few years I've considered this brand to be supermarket junk I used as a teenager because Mum would buy it for me, but I saw the ad for this and then for some reason images from it appeared in one of my dreams. Super weird, but too much of a sign sign from the universe for me NOT to buy some $6 haircare.
*The Body Shop Honeymania line - no bloggers on this one, just me, my love of honey, and my love of The Body Shop. Buying as soon as it's released. I need the shower gel, body scrub, body butter, bath melt, and lip balm.
*Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Hair Smoothie - one of the EG girls had it, it looked intruiging, it's on my shopping list.
*Natio Spa/Meditate products - I've been using Natio on and off for years, it's an Australian drugstore brand, and one of the few I actually trust, but I used some of these products at my stepmother's house and remembered why I loved them. Ordered.
*St Ives Green Tea Scrub - with all the other stuff I've been buying, I figured why not try out something I've been eyeing off for ages?
*Neutrogena Rainbath shower gel. No joke, I was in the queue at Priceline one day, saw a woman holding some, immediately wanted it. Purchased.
*Nivea Caramel Cream lip balm - some asshole facebook ad alerted me to it's existence, and with a name like that, how could I not?
*Christian Dior Creme De Rose lip balm - Elle again, though I have always wanted a rose lip balm, just never knew of a good one. So, me again, also.
*Philosophy shower gels - I always thought these seemed a bit cheap and tacky, but they were featured in so many "what's in my shower" videos (yes I watch those too, I love them, and no, I have no idea why), so I did some ebay research and was won over by some delicious sounding ones. Belgian Waffles Vanilla Birthday Cake (the Happy Birthday Beautiful version) and Brown Butter Cookie are all as nummy-nummy as they sound, so I'm holding high hopes for Double Rich Hot Cocoa, Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa and Cafe au Lait, which should all arrive this week. NOM.
*Lush Christmas/Halloween products - these will be released in a couple of weeks, Australia is getting them first! However, these barely count as seasonal Lush is a no-brainer, of course I'm going to get them.
*Natio Dark Circle Correcter - more of a necessity than anything really, not something to be wildly excited over. I frequently look like I've met Chris Brown, either due to lack of sleep, crappy genetics (thanks, Mum and Dad) or both.
*Macadamia Oil deep repair hair mask - possibly the only one I'm not completely enamoured with of all my new buys/wishlist items. That's not to say it's bad, it's just not the holy grail product for me that it is for some of the gurus. I guess I was expecting something a bit different, whereas this doesn't seem to be anything all that special - then again, that may not be a fair comparison because a lot of these super-repair hair products don't do a lot for me because my hair is already in pretty damn good shape from lack of straigtening/blowdrying/colouring/using tonnes of goopy styling crap everyday. So while I'm not doing cartwheels over this one, it's still pretty freaking awesome, nicely moisturising, and I'll happily use my two pots before moving on to something else.
*Countless hell-tonnes of new Bath & Body Works/The Body Shop. Too numerous to list, but loving everything :) No bloggers required, my own obsession did this little number nicely. The freebies in the forms of yummy scented pocketbacs didn't hurt either! Oh, but special mention to the Vermont Sugar Maple hand cream which has a scent that lasts all goddamn day and has me craving sugar cookies.
*Soap & Glory - this is one of those things where I'm a marketing department's dream, because I will buy this shit (and that Benefit Body Oil Mist which is on my wishlist) for the uber-cute packaging alone. Plus, it gave me a whole other brand to type in to Youtube and scour review/haul videos for :) One cleanser is on it's way to me, another has me as the sole bidder on ebay, and 7 or 8 other products are on the list of Shit Patch Must Buy In Melbourne Because She Is A Product Hoarding Freak. Peaches & Clean should be here tomorrow, bidding ends on Clean Mary soon, and the list includes ; Clean Girls, Whipped Clean, Flake Away, Glad Hair Day (shampoo and thick conditioner), Righteous Butter lotion, Glow Lotion and maybe one of their awesome shower loofahs because they are big and pink and look sparkly and this kitschy, retro brand is my new obsession and I may actually die without it. Seriously.
*Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Body Souffle - Damn you Elle, this looks amazing and I must have it despite the $65 price tag. Evil, evil, blogger guru woman.
I seriously have to stop this, but I also seriously love it. Sigh. Stuff is lovely.