How much do Australian retailers really want our money??...

Talking about the economic state of the country isn’t something that I normally make a point of discussing in my blog, but something has really been plaguing on my mind.

For the past few years, I’ve noticed the press always seem to be bagging on about the negative state of the Australian Retail Sector (I guess sector is the right word). This obviously has a big link to the overall state of the economy. We’ve seen retailers try to do whatever that can to get us to buy, whether it’s discounts, sales, loyalty rewards, you name it they’ve tried it. We also saw the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd give us a delightful $900 to try to get us to spend spend spend!

There is one thing they haven’t thought of, maybe they should “correct” the price of so many items sold in Australia Retail Chains. Anyone who has left the island of Australia will know how much everything costs here. You can buy the same products/brands in the US or the UK for about half the price. Why would I pay $150 for my Nude moisturizer at Mecca Cosmetica when I can get it for $70 from the UK? It doesn’t make sense.  And with so many brands’ websites shipping internationally and websites like HopShopGo starting up the options are limitless (and lets not forget the beloved family member who travels overseas and asks “is there anything you want?”).

Whether it’s make-up, jeans or shoes, everywhere else in the world seems to be selling it cheaper; and I’m not buying the ‘quality’ isn’t as good because it is (I know I’ve bought it).

There are a lot of people who say, “we need to support the Australian economy” and “we have to support the Australian retail business”, but I say why don’t the retailers support us, the consumers? Why shouldn’t we be able to afford what they are selling? I for one would love to support the Australia retailers, and I will as soon as they pull their finger out and realize that now the Australian dollar is stronger the prices of our products really need to change.

Personally I don’t think people are going to start spending big even if they have the cash to do so; and with all the alternative options why would they. I really think if the retailers want things to change, this country needs to make some changes on product prices stat!

Oh and just to prove my point, I spent my $900 from the government on shoes…when I was on holidays in Europe. Thank you Kevin Rudd, my irregular choice shoes (which you can’t even buy here) and I thank you.

Nat xoxo

NARS The Multiple

I’m sure most of you have heard of the make-up brand NARS before, and if you haven’t they are defiantly worth checking out because they have some amazing products!

I’ve tried a few of their products in the past, either borrowing from a friend or at the counter in-store, but I’ve yet to buy any of their products. Well until now!

I’ve wanted to buy NARS’ The Multiple for a while now because I’ve heard they are amazing products. For those of you who don’t know, The Multiple is a bit of an everything product; you can use it as a cream blush, bronzer, highlighter, eye color, so it has heaps of uses. They also come in a huge range of colors, which is fab.

The only problem I had was finding a color. As fate would have it, Mecca Cosmetica have this special limited edition mini multiple pack where you get 3 mini sized Multiples. How awesome it that!

How cute is the packaging!

I also LOVE the size of the Multiples, not only are they really cute but they are the perfect travel size. It’s really such a great way to try the Multiple products.

From Left to Right: Luxor, Orgasm and Malibu

From Left to Right: Luxor, Orgasm and Malibu

The colors that it came in are Luxor, Orgasm and Malibu.

Luxor is the perfect color for a highligher. I have been using it on the high points of my cheeks and it looks great.

Orgasm would have to be one of the most popular NARS shades for cheeks. They have the color in a few different types of blush as well as the Multiple. I can really see why it’s such a popular product; it’s a great pink shade. It looks lovely and fresh without being too over-powering. Because my skin is so light, I really have to be careful with too much color or I can look a little bit silly and clown-like.

Malibu is a great bronzer. At first I thought it was going to be too dark for me, but the texture allows you to play with it a bit, which is great. So I have been wearing it quite a bit as well.

I really love the texture of the Multiple; they are creamy but gild on your skin really well. I also like that you can build up the color really nicely and they also went on over my powder. Perfection!

So all in all I would have to say this was a great purchase and a great introduction to my very first NARS purchase. Needless to say it won’t be long before I buy some more of their great products.

If you haven’t used NARS before I highly recommend you go out and treat yourself to this little pack, you really can’t go wrong!

Nat xoxo