1000 subscriber giveaway contest!

So I finally have reached 1000 subscribers on YouTube, and in honor of that, I've decided to do a giveaway thanking all of my lovely subscribers.

And for all of you right now, I've make a Spotify playlist for you lovely people (you must have spotify, but it's free if you don't yet): http://open.spotify.com/user/1215660939/playlist/1n1ORtNqWa8NTBXbmombJo

FOLLOW LINKS!

Makeup prize - follow this blog!

Photo/music prize -
FB: http://www.facebook.com/abbywilliamsonphoto
TUMBLR: http://abbywilliamsonphoto.tumblr.com/
Flickr (to choose a photo to print): http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/
And obviously this giveaway is international. Duh.

To listen to St Paul de Vence right now, to decide if you want it: http://stpauldevence.bandcamp.com/

I'm going to put all the names from each category in a hat, and just choose someone to win. No need to use random.org or any of those fancy websites. This way my winner video will be more entertaining.

And even if you don't want to enter this, please check out my photography in the links above. It would be very much appreciated. <3

Good luck guys!

Cheers!
~A~

January Birchbox goodies

I got my second Birchbox in the mail yesterday, and I thought I would show you here what I got.

First I'll explain. If you don't know what Birchbox is, it's a monthly subscription system where it's $10 for a box full of either full-size products or sample sizes, 4-5 products per month. My boyfriend Andy is incredibly adorable and bought me a yearly subscription for Christmas. I <3 him. Last month's box wasn't all that exciting, but this one made me happy.

I'll start with the least exciting - woohoo a Larabar. We can get those at Target. I feel like this - and the energy drink mix that came in last month's box - are kind of a cop out, seeing that they are pretty readily available in grocery stores. Whatever, I'll eat it.

This next one is a revitalizing night cream from Befine with cocoa and other wonderful ingredients in it. I'll probably give it a shot tomorrow night.

This nail polish is GORGEOUS. It is Zoya Megan, which is a lavender gray color, even though in this picture it isn't showing true to color. I'll paint my nails with this next, and to a NOTD, because it's SO PRETTY. I don't own any other Zoya nail polishes, so this is exciting. I probably would own Zoya nail polishes if you could buy them from more places. I've only ever seen them at Ulta, 45 minutes away. :(

This next one is a hypoallergenic brightening eye serum, which I'm excited to try, but will probably end up giving to my mom because it has anti-aging effects and we all have bags under our eyes. The packaging is pretty swanky, in a brown glass bottle and everything!

The last thing is another great fragrance sample. I love fragrance samples, because I only own two fragrances that I purchased. I like changing it up a bit, and usually the ones I get are fantastic. And heck, once I run out of my other fragrances and I like one of my samples a lot, I can just go get a full size!

They also included this sweet little card with explanations of the theme of the month, which was "clarity." On another sheet they included a list of "soul detoxes" having to do with sleep and the like, a good way to start out 2012. It's cute. I'll have to fill out the feedback on the website to cater my selections more to my needs, since I'm spending less this year as a whole!

Cheers!
A

Coming Soon to Etsy: Red and white heels

I found these perfect little vintage heels today at the Goodwill in Gig Harbor for $10. Not sure how much I am going to sell them for yet, but I'm sure I will figure out by tomorrow. They are size 7.5, and it was heartbreaking because they are so damn cute. They make me wish I had smaller feet. Darn me and my size 9!

I had my friend Andrea model them for me because her feet fit perfectly. I seem to have better luck selling shoes and accessories rather than clothes, which is fine because they take up less space, but I don't get nearly as much for the accessories as I do the clothes. I love Etsy, but I need to figure out how to make my page more visible. I'm following a couple of girls who started their store after me and have sold over 100 items, and I don't really think their stuff is any better than mine. I need to crack the code on this thing.

Speaking of which, you can visit my store right HERE today, and if you follow my blog, I'll give you a coupon code to use for one purchase. Come on, you know you want to! Don't you just love these heels? I wish I could keep them. Seriously bro.


Cheers!
A

New Favourite: Stila Eyeshadows

So I got this thing in the mail the other day.

I had been wanting to try out Stila eyeshadows for awhile, and when I saw this little palette go on sale at Sephora for $14 I had to pounce on the thing. I believe usually Stila eyeshadow singles are around this much, so I got three for the price of one! Now that's a deal.



This one is the "It Girl" Palette, which consists of Eve, the rosy nude on the left, Kitten, the shimmery champagne, and Americano the sparkly brown.

They are all so smooth and pigmented. Eve is a great matte crease color for those of us with pinker undertones. It's actually really similar to my Nars Douceur blush. Kitten is everything I wanted, as I have heard so much about it. It's a true champagne gold color, and it's gorgeous. Americano is a unique color with lots of sparkle (but not all the fallout!), one that I certainly did not have anything like it.

I love my Naked Palette, and I've debated getting the Naked2, but I looked at my collection after getting this - I don't need anymore eyeshadows right now. I have a good share of brights and now just enough neutrals. I'm not one of those people that needs 8 different midtone brown colors. I mean seriously people, they don't look that different. And how many damn taupe colors do you need?

Anyway, I am entirely pleased with my...third Stila purchase? I own a couple of liquid eyeliners from them, and once my primer runs out I will have to give their prime pots a shot.

I'll take pictures of swatches next time. I'm just getting used to this beauty blogging thing.

Cheers!
A

My First Ever Swap With Justkissmyfrog

I think it was back in September when my friend Kathy and I decided that we wanted to do a makeup swap, and boy was it a hoot. Kathy's blog is over on the side there, look to the left. But if you can't, you can click here.

We planned on swapping around Christmas, so we had time to collect things from our respective countries slowly rather than spending all the money at one time.

All but two of the products we swapped were drugstore products from the UK and the US. I sent her some NYX, Wet n Wild, Sonia Kashuk, Hard Candy, and Elf products. You can watch her video where she showed everyone what I got her right HERE.

But without further ado, this is what she sent me.



I cannot say enough how happy I was to get her package, because it was gorgeous and it was the perfect thing to come home to after an excruciatingly long plane ride. SO LONG.

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Mushroom

Oh my god this color. It's like taupe and grey and mauve all together. And it's sparkly! It's so multi-dimensional that I love just using it as an all-over lid color, and the packaging for these little dusts is splendid. I usually never use up pigments, but I can imagine using this baby up.

Dainty Doll Blusher in Money Talks

I cannot believe how perfect this blush is. I thought Nars Douceur was a perfect contour color, but I was SO WRONG. Rather than being a rosey brown like Douceur, Money Talks is a taupey pink.


Like, I wish more makeup brands could get the clue that not all of us are tan and have yellow undertones. Freaking bronzers and tinted moisturizers. Not that I don't love a good light and shimmery bronzer, but I wear those more as blush. I can't use a bronzer as contour, because of my pink fairness. And this is the answer to my prayers. Just Google this stuff and you will come upon some great reviews, including THIS ONE from Daisy.

So I will start taking more pictures of products and swatches for you. I just need to take them at good times of the day when I can use my natural window light. I'm still getting back into this timezone, and I seem to be doing everything productive at like... wait, what time is it? 2 a.m. This is my prime hour right now, when it's usually 11 p.m. Not that it's a good thing that my prime hour is 11 p.m. but whatever.

Cheers!
A

Nail of the Day: Her Royal Highness

I've seen people do these, and I figured since a few people were asking about my nail polish in my last video, I would do one too!

Before I went on vacation, I ordered three new Butter London nail polishes during their F&F sale. And I must say - Butter London is definitely my favourite high-end nail polish. The colours are opaque, they go on smoothly, and the packaging is so swanky. I now have four Butter London polishes: Come to Bed Red, Teddy Girl, Bluey, and this beautiful polish.

When I ordered this one, which is called "HRH," I was so confused as to what the title meant, but today like a dumbass I finally realized it.

HRH = HER ROYAL HIGHNESS.

Good job me.

Cheers!
A

Melbourne HAUL-iday

Haha, I am so clever.

Anyway, here is my Melbourne vacation haul. I went shopping a lot - including Cotton On, Factorie, TopShop, Vic Market, as well as a few vintage shops. Sure a lot of things were more expensive in Australia, but a lot of things were a lot cheaper. Boxing Day didn't hurt, either.

Vintage Compacts

This first one I found at an antique mall on Chapel Street, while scouring the huge place with my mom. I saw so many things that I wanted to take home with me - including some amazing vintage cameras, but they were all over $100, and I wasn't about to spend that much on an old camera that probably doesn't work. But when I saw this compact nestled away in a case, I had to take a look at it and lo and behold - it's a Girl Guide compact!

I have been a lifelong Girl Scout, and my mom actually found me an old Girl Scout handbook, and I love collecting things that are connected somehow.


This one I found at this vintage store in Prahran called Fat Helen's. This place had so many cute things, and the owner was just a doll. She loved us. And even better, a lot of the items in the store was consignment, including this compact. I didn't even realize that the Revlon powder was still in it, but when I opened to find this powdery explosion, I couldn't help but chuckle. I wonder how old this powder is?

Don't worry, it's not like I am going to use it. Ew.

Nerdery
Yes, I definitely did buy the Bloomsbury edition of HP1. These versions look so much nicer than the U.S. versions. I love the font, the artwork, and how the more condensed typography made the book itself smaller. As much as I love feeling like a badass with a giant book, they get heavy and they take up a lot of space. The Bloomsbury edition is just so much classier.

SO MUCH VANILLA.
My dad bought me this perfume at a shop right outside Vic Market, like the day before we left. They had so many lovely scents in this store, and somehow my mother's head didn't explode (she's real sensitive to smells). This fragrance is such a beautiful sweet vanilla, but not a sickly sweet. In the bottle it it quite strong and alcohol-y. The scent doesn't actually hit its full potential until the alcohol has completely dried off on your skin.

To see the rest of what I got in Melbourne, watch my video above.

Cheers, lovelies!
A