Let me make you shiver with ANTICI.....

.....PATION!

You guessed it, the new Rocky Horror Picture Show Collection has been released and it's had everyone doing the Time Warp in an attempt to speed up the clock and have these beauties in their hands!

Today, a mysterious black box arrived at my doorstep. I had never ordered from the Mac website before, so I wasn't used to the usual packaging.

Once opening, I realised it was in fact from Mac and I WAS extremely excited to jump right in!

First of all, I just wanted to sum up my experience with the website... last time I tried to purchase from them online, it was for The Simpsons collection (I have another post coming out about that, so I'll explain my issues there haha) and after complications, I missed out. Anyway, I had been refreshing the page for several days waiting for it to come online so I wouldn't miss out on this collection and was so afraid that because I had to go through the signing up process everything would sell out. BUT THANK GOD I'M A SPEEDY TYPER!! I also received free shipping, so I was extremely happy this time haha.

I kept tossing up between a few products, but eventually settled on these three. I was going to buy the blush, another lipstick and a gold glitter pot, but I decided I probably wouldn't ever wear them and I'd purely be buying them for the packaging (don't we all? haha). I had waited for this collection for months! Once they announced it, I knew I had to have it. I used to love Rocky Horror Picture Show and occasionally break it out around this time of year and sing along to all the classics! This package arrived JUST in time for Halloween and I'm so excited to try out these products to spice up my costume ;P I may just post it on here!

Let's start with the lipsticks, because I know that's why you're all here!

Oblivion Amplified Lipstick

The whole reason I wanted this collection was for this lipstick right here! Oblivion is such a lovely deep raspberry colour with a slight sparkle to it, which I love! I had a maybelline lipstick a long time ago which was very similar to this, but they discontinued it and I was so upset because it was literally my go-to red lip, but now I have found a suitable replacement :) It's an Amplified formula, so it's super creamy and feels so luxurious on the lips!

Strange Journey Matte Lipstick

I wasn't sure if I was going to pick up this lipstick, but I added it to my basket last minute. Strange Journey is a vibrant brick-red and quite yellow based. I've never owned a red lipstick quite like this, and so I figured it would be a great introduction to my collection. This is also my first Matte lipstick from Mac, so it's a world of firsts today! I was surprised at how creamy it was, despite being matte. Every other matte lipstick I've tried/owned have been super drying and make my lips look like they're starving for hydration! So I'm very happy with my spontaneous purchase and can't wait to break it in!

Left: Strange Journey
Right: Oblivion

As you can see, they're quite similar colours, but they each give off a different effect... so that justified me buying them both :P

This next product I may have bought purely for the packaging... but I mean, how could you not?! Some people have been complaining that the packaging lately for Mac Limited Collections have been quite cheap looking, but these are the first collection pieces I've owned and I only really started collecting them when the Alluring Aquatic range came out, so so far I don't really have any issues with it even though I don't have a lot to compare it too.

Bone Beige/Emphasize Sculpt and Shape Powder

I obviously had to pick up the highlighting/contouring duo compact! This is the first one I've ever owned (in general) and think it's a great colour combo that would work on all skin types. The colours are Bone Beige/Emphasize and I'm not entirely sure if you can buy these separately as part of the permanent collection or if they're exclusive to the RHPS line. Either way, if you're looking for a great duo compact, I suggest running down to Mac and picking this up before it sells out!

Top: Bone Beige
Bottom: Emphasize

The highlighter is such a nice light sheen with not too much shine, so it comes off very natural. I built it up quite a bit here so you could see it on camera, but depending on what you're going for, I think being a bit heavy handed with this could work really well! The bronzing powder is completely different to anything I've used before. It's quite a light brown, but it doesn't have that overly orange tint that some powders can give. It's very matte, which is great for a more natural look and the colour itself is very buildable so you can make it quite dramatic if need be (and let's be honest, I will be going quite dramatic for Halloween!). Overall, I think I'll get a lot of use out of this and I can see myself possibly using this over my Laguna Bronzer and Albatross Highlighter :O SHOCK OF THE YEAR! Will it take over my HG's?? I'll keep you posted!

What I love most about the packaging, is that inside the boxes you have black and white illustrations of the whole cast which I think is a really nice touch!
Overall, I'm pretty happy with what I bought from the collection. I feel these are all very wearable for everyday life and I'll get my money's worth (if I can bear to use them up!!). The collection hits selected Australian stores on the 20th of October, so if I'm lucky and wake up super early, I might check it out and see if I want to pick up anything else (if anything is left!).

I hope you enjoyed this little unboxing/mini review of the Rocky Horror Picture Show collection! I'm going to post a similar one about The Simpsons Collection and my experience with purchasing the items, so stay tuned for that one! If you liked this, be sure to follow me for more!

Peace and Love,

Hannah Kate <3 xoxo

Jamie's "Hot Spot" Italian- Birthday Dinner

If you're a foodie and live in Adelaide, you'll know that we have been graced with some amazing new restaurants, pop-up bars and food carts to add to our "festival vibe" that seems to be very popular with tourists and locals alike.
One of the more popular restaurants to reach our shores is the famous "Jamie's Italian". Located in the heart of the city, on King William Street, it's become a very trendy hot spot which requires a booking a month in advance for dinner parties or fancier dates. But because I have super savvy friend who wanted to treat me for my birthday, we simply walked in at 5pm without a booking! Talk about feeling like a VIP! Haha

I'm so fancy, you already know!

We started off browsing through the very elaborate and fancy menu, all the while I was amazed with the very New York Jewish Deli vibe that was going on. There are very rustic tables and chairs for dining, as well as 'meat bar' where guests can sit and taste a variety of different cured meats that hang from the rails above them. The kitchen is in clear view towards the back with all the chefs looking calm and collected as they create dishes from scratch. The architecture of the building itself was amazingly ornate and still in perfectly restored condition.
Eating out is sometimes an issue for me as I have a few food allergies, but a lot of the time I just put up with it to be able to enjoy myself while I'm out haha.
We started off with an Italian bread selection which came with a variety of different breads baked fresh daily and served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. I love me some fresh bread, and despite my digestive system's aversion to gluten, I had no issues eating any of the selections and enjoyed it thoroughly! Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of this as I was starving and it looked far too good to pause for snaps haha. But the great thing about this starter is that for every one sold, the restaurant donates $1 to Jamie's Ministry of Food campaign! And of course, we had to get some cocktails! Your home girl looooves herself some Mojito's!

Not my photo, but damn son! Could it get any better?

After a very hard decision, I settled on a pasta dish for my main! I'm usually not a fan of restaurant pasta dishes as they are usually covered in a very thick tomato based sauce and the pasta itself is very heavy and leaves me feeling bloated and quite sick (again, gluten allergies are a pain!). But this Lamb and Ricotta Tortellini was so light and fluffy that by the time I finished, I felt like I could have eaten more! I think the pasta itself being freshly made on site definitely helps and makes it easier to digest without all the added additives that you get from the processed store bought pasta. The tortellini parcels were stuffed with lamb, ricotta, mint, lemon, and bread crumbs. The sauce was so delicate and light that I almost wish I had a tiny bit more (which is rare for me considering I avoid most tomato based pastas as a majority of them are drowning in the thick gluginess!). It was so beautifully presented and I would definitely order it again! There were so many different textures and flavours melding together that my palette was excited with every bite.
My friend ordered the Baked King Salmon, and while I'm not usually big on salmon steaks, it looked very tasty. Her only complaint was that it wasn't quite filling enough, so maybe if it came with another side or was on a bed of mashed vegetables it would have been 5 stars instead of 4 haha.

Little baby pockets of goodness. Yes please!

Once we had filled our bellies with our very gourmet dinners, we lamented on whether we should get a dessert to share.. I mean... when in Rome, right? (Well... Jamie's Italian haha.)
We were tossing up between the Lemon Meringue Pie and the Epic Chocolate Brownie, and we had a very "why not get both?" moment... so we did!

I'm sorry, but can you say "heaven"?!

Being an avid lover of anything that contains the words "brownie" and "dessert" I had very high standards for this first dessert... and they were blown way out of the water! I felt like I had jumped into a pool of chocolatey heaven and I never wanted to leave. It was so rich and yet wasn't too overpowering. The outside had the perfect crunch and the inside was so gooey and moist that every bite was mouth watering. It was covered in a chocolate fudge-like sauce, amaretto ice-cream and caramelised popcorn which just added to the whole experience happening in my mouth!

What diet...?

 Now, I love lemon meringue pie as much as the next person, and this dish did not disappoint. The lemon pie itself had that lemony zest to it you'd expect, but it was super light and creamy so it wasn't like you were being hit in the face with a citrus-y burst and overload of sugar (which is common for most of the LMP's I've sampled in my lifetime haha... look me, sounding like some sort of food connoisseur!). The meringue was more of a cream, yet was still light and fluffy and sooo decadent, and was topped off with sprinkles of pistachio brittle. I thought this was such a great take on the classic LMP, but I do have to agree with my friend and thought that there was a whole lot of meringue for not a lot of lemon pie! But then again, we did technically have two desserts, so maybe if this was the only one you chose it wouldn't feel too much for you and would be perfectly balanced.

And now for something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!
The moment we walked in, my friend told me I HAD to see the bathrooms before we left and explained that it's very different to anything I would have seen before. My father is a plumber (as was his father before him) and so bathrooms are a pretty big part of my life haha so I'm always a huge fan of unique bathrooms and judge a place accordingly, especially in restaurants or venues (if you've ever visited Boho Bar, you'll know it's the perfect selfie destination and beautifully decked out in a unique way... that's my jam right there! haha). So after we finished our meal and paid (I'd just like to mention that our waitress was super helpful, friendly and nice and probably gave us the best service I think I've experienced in a long time!), we ventured down the winding staircase into...

Take a walk inside my time machine. Jess makes a sneaky appearance.

That's right, the old bank vaults! They had turned this historic site into a restaurant and kept the original vaults as bathroom cubicles. The cream bars separated each area in a very unique way and the "powder room" still contained an original vault for decoration.

To jail with you, Missy! Arrested for being over-indulgent and yet not gaining a pound.

All the mirrors and faucets were very vintage looking and it felt like we were being transported to a different era.

But first... let me take a selfie!

Of course this made for a perfect selfie photo-op. Because, I mean... why not?

I had such an amazing birthday overall, surrounded by my family and friends and was so overly spoilt this year! I honestly didn't expect to receive anything or to be so surrounded by love and support for turning 23 and feeling like an old woman! haha
I posted my birthday "haul" on my instagram, but I may do a brief post on here as well, despite being a month late... but that's how we do here on Beauty and the Chic :P
I'd also like to thank my friend immensely for sharing such a great experience with me and for forever being there for me and pushing me to try new things hahah
I think what's the funniest part, though, is that just a few days earlier Kim and Kanye were wining and dining in the same room, and there I was feeling like a fab 23 year old with my bestie by my side enjoying some great food for just over $50 and yet being more well-liked by the waitress than the rich and famous ;P goes to show that fame isn't everything... always treat your servers like your best friends and you'll get amazing service :)
And remember, ladies and gentlemen... Tip your waitresses ;)

------------------------------------------
That's all for me for this post! I hope you enjoyed something a bit different for today's post! As I've said before, this is also a lifestyle blog so from time-to-time I might talk about different gems I discover throughout Adelaide. I recently reached 400 followers on instagram (which may not seem like a lot to some people, but I was literally so ecstatic that I threw a private party of one in my bedroom haha) and it was the push I needed to get back into blogging for cereal this time. I think once I reach 500 followers I may do a mini giveaway to coincide with my YouTube channel to give me yet another motivational push to actually edit and upload the videos I've filmed. So if you haven't already, head on over to instagram or YouTube and follow me if you'd like to see more :) I'm @hannahkate04 everywhere, so easy enough to find :P

Hope to see you all in the next post, and thank you for 400 insta-followers!!!

Peace and love,
Hannah Kate <3 xoxo
------------------------------------------

Sexy & Vampy, Oh My!

Ok, so I'm going to tell you a little story about my absence..
The iPhone I had was apparently one of the ones that was fitted with a faulty battery, and twice it had decided to reset itself and delete absolutely everything and hadn't backed up to iCloud properly, so that meant I lost all my photos and all my blog notes :( and I was pretty upset about this, so kinda stopped blogging. Stupid excuse, I know haha but now I finally have a brand new iPhone5 after I figured out what was wrong with the old one! So I'm going to try and do at least one post a month with new things I've been trying out and possibly even a few recreated looks :) so stay tuned!

NOW ON TO MORE FABULOUS THINGS!
My idol and inspiration for everything that is life will always be Kimbra. She recently released her new album The Golden Echo (which you should all check out ;P) and in the lead up to the release, she had a few photoshoots done for different magazines. I absolutely fell in love with one look in particular shown in 1AM Magazine.

Kimbra in 1AM Magazine

I loved the dark vampy lips mixed with the lightness of the blue-green eyeliner, both of which compliment her complexion very well and balance each other perfectly. As Kimbra would say, it's a perfectly juxtaposed composition.
So of course, I immediately saved the photos to my phone and went out the next day to hunt down a perfect match.

I'm fairly certain the colour she's actually wearing is Wicked from the Lime Crime Velvetines line, but I think I came pretty close to a dupe.. though not a cheap one.

My hunt purchases

After picking up my free clutch from the Benefit Real Liner launch, I headed over to the Mac counter and went on a swatching frenzy! A lot of people on Instagram suggested Diva, but it seemed too red on it's own, but I found if I matched it with Nightmoth Liner it gave it that deep browny-red I was looking for.

Diva Lipstick and Nightmoth Liner from MAC

 Once I brought these new cosmetic children home, I couldn't wait to play with them. Diva is such a deep, vampy red on it's own and is quite creamy considering it's a matte lipstick. Nightmoth on the other hand is almost a chocolate brown with a hint of red and it took me a while to apply it nicely!

Top: Nightmoth Liner
Bottom: Diva Lipstick

And so I found pairing them together was the perfect marriage for this look. And although Nightmoth isn't a colour I would usually gravitate towards, I could always wear it under other red lipsticks to darker the look for the colder months, so no money wasted there!

Nightmoth and Diva swatched together

Lip Trial

My lips look quite purple in this lighting, but it was actually a lot deeper and brown-er in real life. So it's not a perfect match, but it will definitely work when I decide to recreate this look (I'm thinking of filming it for a YouTube video and taking photos as I go and possibly wearing it for my birthday "outing" next weekend!)

But basically, I wanted this to be a homage to my favourite artist in the only way I know how. Complimenting art with art :)

I hope you enjoyed this comeback post and please let me know if there are any other looks you want me to create. I'm starting to get more adventurous with my makeup lately!
Until next time,

Hannah Kate xoxo

☆What's In The Box: DAY TEN☆

So, I feel like most of my posts lately have just been filled with apologies haha, but no more excuses! I'm GOING to finish this series before Christmas Day!! I've just been super busy with Christmas shopping and wrapping and organising a million things! I made my friends little Christmas ornaments again this year, and they took A LOT longer than I thought they would! I need to remember that I get super frustrated when it comes to crafts... hahah. I'll make a separate post after Christmas on how I made them for some fun DIY gift ideas (Christmas may be over, but hey! There's always next year! Or it can be a super thoughtful gift for Valentines Day or a birthday or something :D)
ANYWAY! So I have about 3 more still to make, but I'm going to finish them after Christmas because I won't be seeing those friends until New Years :) so now I have time to finally get these posts up in time -hopefully. SO HERE WE GO!!

This product is something I already own, but backups are ALWAYS welcome, purely because it's so amazing and quite expensive to stock up on!

DAY TEN
On the tenth day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

The Porefessional Pore Minimizer :)

 I feel like this is a product that has been talked about over and over in the beauty world. It's often used a primer to minimize the appearance of pores before applying foundation. This retails for $30 online (around $50 or so at counters) for the full size tube. But you can also purchase the deluxe sample size to test it out. Most love this product, but some have said it doesn't work for their skin type. So it's always great that these kinds of products are offered in sample sizes so you can decide for yourself. I have a full size tube, as well as another sample that came in one of the Benefit boxes I bought in the states, and I'm really happy I have another backup because I can't get enough of POREfessional!

I have quite oily skin, so I feel like this product both combats my oil problem and minimizes my pores giving me a flawless and almost matte look before I apply my foundation. I mainly apply this to my t-zone and cheeks (that's where I have the most problems) and it helps my makeup to stay PUT. Without it, I definitely notice my makeup disappearing in those areas much faster.

It's a very neutral skin colour, that blends in with your natural colour. It feels quite creamy but dries to almost a powder-y finish. It's hard to explain, but it doesn't feel greasy or waxy on your face like some products. As I've said before, smells are important.. and this smells very herbal-y. Almost like green tea. It reminds me of the 'It's Potent' eye cream that I showed in an early post, so maybe they use the same ingredients.

This is a great product to pick up if you're new to makeup and want to try using a primer, or if you're just looking for a new one! But as I said before, if you're wary of how it will react with your skin, there are usually samples available over the counter :)

I hope you enjoyed today's post and I shall see you in the next one :)
<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day NINE☆

Welcome back to yet another What's In The Box post!
Today is Day Nine, and I have to report that I am still surprisingly pleased with each day, providing yet another product I've been wanting to test out! I'll be sad when this series ends, because I've just been super excited every single time I open a new box :D

DAY NINE
On the ninth day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

"That Gal" Brightening Face Primer :)

"That Gal" is apparently an amazing product that so many beauty gurus love! Because it's a 'face brightening' primer, it not only primes your face for makeup application, it also adds a healthy glow that illuminates from within your skin and shines through your makeup!

This product retails for about $29 online (so it would probably be in the $40 range at counters in Australia) and usually comes in completely different packaging. There is a twist bottom that distributes the primer through an almost sieve-like applicator which you can either apply straight to the face, or use your fingers to pat into the skin.

This product has a very creamy consistency, and is very smooth to apply. With a salmon-y colour, this is great for hiding dark circles especially (which is most likely what I'll use it for haha). As you can see, a little goes a long way! The photos really don't do this product justice. From just that small amount of primer, my whole hand was glowing and my skin looked amazing when the light hit it. It was like I was a shiny disco ball, but without an epic proportion of glitter! Like a disco ball had a love child with the sunshine's happiness, and it was all "hey world! I look fabulous! And now I'm going to make your face look fabulous!"
And as you've probably figured out by now, smells are very important to me when it comes to beauty products! That Gal smells like grape, which takes me back to my childhood when every single thing I ate or drank had to be grape flavoured. I don't really care for the flavour that much now I'm in adulthood, but the smell is very reminiscent of when I was a child, so it's not disliked :P

I'm definitely going to start using this more often, especially since Summer has officially hit us all smack bang in the face in the land down under! With the extreme heat, I need all the priming I can get hahah. I want to look glowy without it looking like I'm super greasy, which is a must when all the matte products come out to play to erase that natural oily shine! The great thing about this primer, is you can wear it on it's own -if you have clear skin or are super confident.. unlike me- so for those who go bare faced, this is like that 'pregnancy glow' harnessed into a little tube!
What I'm really trying to say, is that even if you don't wear makeup 24/7, you can use this product to feel sassy and fabulous while also being free of everything else :) win win!

I hope you enjoyed today's post, and I shall see you in the next one :D
<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day EIGHT☆

Welcome back everyone!
Today is Day Eight, and contains possibly one of my favourite products so far!
I won't bore you with a lengthy intro about how excited I am, so I'll just get into it ;P

DAY EIGHT
On the eighth day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Highbeam Highlighting Cream :)

This little baby has been on my Benefit wishlist for some time now! A few months ago, I bought what was supposed to be a dupe by Australis, and was pretty disappointed by both the colour and the application. But I wasn't sure I was willing to pay the 40 or so dollars it would cost for the full size highbeam over the counter. So at least by having a little sample, I can judge whether the price tag is worth it and possibly purchase the full size later on :)

I was so happy with the packaging for this little baby highbeam! Again, props to Benefit for their amazing production of samples. With the tiny little brush inside -that reminds me of a lip gloss brush- it makes application simple and easy. You just dab a few dots on the highest points of your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose (for contouring) and on your cupids bow and blend with your ring finger for a dewy glow. This is such a beautiful and illuminating highlighter, it makes it seem like you've had the best week in your life and your inner happiness glow is just beaming out your pores from within! I think I'm most excited to transition this highlighter into my everyday makeup over everything else I've received! With the warmer months slowly but surely approaching, having cream products is both essential for keeping your skin moisturized and it also has a longer staying power than a lot of powder products (at least on my skin it seems to!).

The product itself is very creamy and is on the pinky side, which is great for people with lighter skin tones. So I'm hoping it matches well with my yellow undertones (despite my skin looking red in the photo haha). For those who have darker skin tones, sunbeam is a great golden highlighter to really bring out the radiance in a tan or natural colour :) but highbeam I guess can be used more for a natural "light reflective" highlighting. It really depends on what you prefer :)
I for one am excited to try this out and incorporate it into my end look!

I hope you enjoyed Day Eight and I shall see you in my next post :)
<3 Hannah Kate

☆What's In The Box: Day SEVEN☆

Hello everyone!!
I'm so terribly sorry for missing the past few days, I've just been suuuuper busy organising things for Christmas and getting gifts together etc.. you know how it is! This is the CRAAAZY season! Hahah
But as I've said before, I'm trying not to pressure myself to get a post up every single day, coz I obviously have other commitments during the week and the posts won't be as good if they're rushed. But this will still be my December series and upload all before Christmas :) SO DON'T FRET!! :D

And anyway, on to today's window.
Again, this is a product that I was quite curious about and interested in trying out.. but was a tad disappointed in. And it wasn't the quality of the product that left me in shambles... but the damn smell! I wish my nose wasn't so sensitive, otherwise I could completely enjoy this product :(

DAY SEVEN
On the seventh day leading up to Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in A-Lister :)

At first, I was surprised to find yet another lip gloss in the calendar, but hopeful it would be better than the Dandelion gloss. But after one sniff, I knew this would go in the "stocking stuffer" pile. It had that same orange-esque smell that makes me feel queasy, which is super disappointing considering how cute the packaging is!

Again, this is a very wearable colour, and the sample packaging makes it really easy to just chuck in your purse on the way out without taking up too much room, yet still serving the purpose of a quick and simple application. There's nothing worse than a sample lip gloss in a tiny pot that you have to jam your fingers into to get a small amount of product out!

A-Lister is a pretty peachy-pink colour that is very similar to Dandelion, but possibly a few shades lighter. Dandelion was quite a sheer lip gloss with a hint of colour and sheen, whereas A-Lister is creamy and more pigmented yet still a wearable every day gloss.
I'm really disappointed I won't be able to wear this, but again, it will make someone else very happy this Christmas :) and if you don't mind the smell, then I think this would be a great gloss to add to any collection :)

I hope you enjoyed Day Seven, and I shall see you in the next post :)
<3 Hannah Kate