I promised you all a makeup haul after I got back from Townsville. And oh boy, did I ever deliver on that promise. This might actually be the biggest vacation makeup haul I’ve ever done for the blog. The reasons being are twofold. One, 1/2 price cosmetics sale at Chemist Warehouse. Two, 1/2 price cosmetics sale at Priceline. Frankly, I couldn’t have timed this trip better. In any case, here are the products that you’ll probably see in my stash over the next year.
I was going to do this in product order. But alphabetical order scratches my brain better. So, let’s begin with Australis. I did place an Australis order before I left (yes, I have the new mascara), so this is on the smaller side. I had to get the updated AUSTRALIS FRESH & FLAWLESS FOUNDATION in CASHMERE. I have idea for a new series next year that this foundation will be a part of.
I also grabbed the AUSTRALIS DEWY & DARING ILLUMINATING FACE GLOW in CANDLELIGHT. This has been all over my feed as of late. And seeing as they were only $12, I grabbed the last two of the AUSTRALIS EYESHADOW PALETTES in HEATWAVE and STAY GROUNDED for my collection. Heatwave is warm red tones and Stay Grounded is more swampy browns and greens. And yes, I will be doing a swatch party for these palettes.
The Kind Collective was next on the list. And honestly, I would have bought more from them. But between the three Big W’s and four Priceline’s in Townsville that I managed to get to, all of their gondolas were heavily picked over. I did manage to snag two of the THE KIND COLLECTIVE CLOUD SKIN BLUSH POWDERS in SUMMER NIGHTS and SUNSET VIBES and two of the THE KIND COLLECTIVE HIGH ACHIEVER COMPLEXION TRIO’S in SUNKISSED SANDS and SWEETHEART. I know that their holiday collection has just launched. So, I might place a sneaky little order.
Mac was the sole high end brand that I ended up grabbing anything from (the Myer in Townsville has ditched their Dior counter since my last visit. I am sad). So, I used this as an opportunity to finally get the MAC STUDIO RADIANCE FOUNDATION in N32. This is the foundation that I thought I grabbed during the free lipstick day. But I made a whoopsie. At least I have it now.
I also noticed that they had a few of the BringBack Lipsticks still in stock. So I finally now own the MAC MATTE LIPSTICK in FLESHPOT. This was the other shade I wanted during the free lipstick day. But it was long sold out online back in July. Apparently some of the MAC counters got extra stock of the BringBacks recently. So it might be worth asking if there is a shade from the range that you want.
Because I spent over $100 at MAC, they were doing a free gift with purchase. I got a little black MAC pouch (not pictured), a mini of the MAC HYPER REAL SERUMIZER and the MAC HYPER REAL FRESH CLEANSER.
Maybelline time now. And this was the range where I actually showed the most amount of restraint. Maybelline has had a ton of new launches hit Australia recently. And I’m interested in all of them. But I limited myself to the ones that I have had requests for. First, the MAYBELLINE SUPERSTAY LUMI MATTE FOUNDATION in 115. I want to say that I saw ads for this while I was in Singapore. But I never ended up seeing it there. So I’m pretty happy to find it here.
My next pick up was the MAYBELLINE SUNKISSED LIQUID BLUSH in SIZZLE. I stuck to one because I’ve heard really mixed things about them. Also, the shades that Australia got are pretty mid. And because I couldn’t resist, I got another one of the MAYBELLINE SUPERSTAY TEDDY TINTS in KEEP IT COZY. I already know that I enjoy this formula. But I wanted a deeper shade.
NYX was one of the more well stocked options available to me. So I grabbed a few things from them. I picked up two more of the NYX FAT OIL SLICK CLICKS in CLICK CLOUT and IN A MOOD. I really enjoy this formula for something pigmented and glossy. Staying with the Fat Oil range, I grabbed another one of the NYX FAT OIL LIP DRIP’S in SUPERMODEL. Such a fun, bold pink.
Because I’ve been loving the one I already have, I picked up a NYX BUTTERMELT BLUSH in FEELING BUTTA. It’s a more rosy beige shade. Definitely up my alley. Finally, the Priceline in Stocklands still had some of the NYX X Beetlejuice collab. So I picked up one of the NYX SANDWORM SWIRL LIP GLOSS in PINK + GREEN.
Rimmel also had a ton of new launches hit Australia recently. Namely the RIMMEL KIND & FREE LASH LOADER MASCARA. I think this launched maybe a week before I left on vacation. And the last time I bought a new mascara from Rimmel while I was in Townsville, it was the Thrillseeker and it ended up becoming a top fiver for me. So, here’s hoping this is awesome too. Speaking of Thrillseeker, they have expanded into lip glosses. So, naturally, I had to get the RIMMEL THRILLSEEKER GLASSY GLOSS in PINK CANDY.
I couldn’t resist grabbing the new(ish) RIMMEL OH MY GLOSS LIP OIL in PINK FLUSH. I’m always hunting for a new lip oil and a few of my mates rate these pretty highly. Another friend recommendation was the RIMMEL KIND & FREE BROW WAX. I’m trying to get more into the laminated brow look and I’ve heard this was a goodie. Finally from Rimmel, I grabbed the RIMMEL WONDER’LAST SHADOW STICK in GALACTIC GREEN. I’m really into sparkly green shadows and this will make a great base shade.
Lastly, we have the One Of’s. Pretty self explanatory. I only grabbed one thing from that particular brand. The Priceline in Willows was the only one to have a full ELF gondola. So I immediately picked up the ELF SOFT GLAM SATIN FOUNDATION in 25 LIGHT NEUTRAL. This has been on my radar since it launched here but I wanted to get my shade matched. I also grabbed the L’OREAL TRUE MATCH FOUNDATION in 3.5W. This was originally intended for my mum. But it’s way too light for her. Luckily, I can wear this as a summer shade.
Bubble Skincare also had their big Aussie launch just before I arrived. And while I’m pretty set for skincare, I did want to try the much hyped BUBBLE LEVEL UP BALANCING MOISTURISER. Finally, I grabbed two mascaras to add to my 2025 stash. The MILANI HIGHLY RATED LASH EXTENSIONS MASCARA is one I’ve seen a lot of hype about. I’m not that well versed in Milani so I wanted to try it. And the ESSENCE LASH PRINCESS was actually the very last makeup product that I bought in Townsville. in 2025, I will finally review it.
Phew, now that was a haul! I think for obvious reasons I’ll be sitting out my annual Black Friday haul. Because your girl really needs to start focusing on Christmas shopping. As always, let me know what you want dedicated reviews for in the comments.
Cheers and love
Emily xo