Pinkribbons

My whereabouts

2011-12-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone

I want to firstly wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday season and hope 2012 will be a fantastic year for you.

For the time being I'm taking a break from blogging as life has thrown me a curve ball that I will need to overcome and my energy is focused on finding my own two feet. I'm not sure whether I will be back but hopefully I can gather myself and continue this side hobby of mine. You may have noticed that I have disappered from contributing to Twitter feed for the last couple of weeks but I still check in from time to time so maybe you can come say hi there.

I have met fantastic people from this blog and twitter and although I haven't met some of you, I consider you all as my friends.

Thank you for your understanding.

New purchases from Mimco

2011-12-03T22:21:00.001-08:00

Mimco designs shoes like nobody else and over the past few seasons I've found myself buying at least one pair of Mimco heels (and lemming probably over 2 or 3 other pairs!). One item which caught my eye from the latest collection - Wilderness Manifesto was the Dylan Platform Heel. These heels are the perfect chic utilitarian look with gold hardware. The shoe has a slight platform at the front with a fashionable gold hardware sturdy heel. Perfect for looking glam but without sacrificing comfort.

Before I ran out the door with my new shoe purchase, I also picked up these cute bow earrings and practically bought them for next to nothing thanks to my Mimco foundation membership.

I'll be rocking these purchases for this Christmas and New Year.

New handbag - Chanel Jumbo Flap

2011-11-29T01:42:00.001-08:00

Shopping is in my DNA, what can i say?! But I've never ever shopped for a handbag, ever. It's just that I've never found one to my liking. So when my knock-off Jimmy Choo handbag that my sister bought for me started to look a little worse for wear, I decided that it was time for a designer handbag.

I initially wanted a LV but after researching and drooling at various handbags on the internet, I decided that the Chanel Classic Flap handbag was for me.

Classic, elegant and always in style the Classic Flap comes in various styles, colour, leather finishes and hardware. I got the jumbo size, caviar leather with gold hardware.

And here it is....

The new design dustbag

The handbag is divine and even though the leather has a raised texture, it is incredibly smooth and soft to the touch. The handbag can be worn as a shoulder bag with double chain or pulled through as a single chain as a body-cross bag.

Chanel Classic Jumbo Flap with gold hardware and caviar leather

No more digging around for my keys and phone, the bag has neatly organised compartments, more than you would need on the inside and outside of the bag.

Main compartment

This bag was bought overseas and I received it as a gift. Chanel increases the price of this handbag every year and when I went to the newly opened Brisbane Chanel store the retail price at the moment is AUS$5,080.

Although I don't want to make buying designer handbags as a habit, I have my eye on Mulberry Bayswater.

My Westfield Prize

2011-11-27T14:55:00.001-08:00

They say winners are grinners and I was definitely grinning from ear to ear when I won the Westfield styling session plus $1000 gift card competition through Styling You.

My prize included 2 hours styling session with a Westfield Stylist and I was eager to find out what body shape I was and learn a few tips on dressing to suit my shape. I met with the lovely Christie Nicolaides and we quickly determined that my body shape was an hourglass. Westfield has a nifty online body shape calculator if you're curious to know what body shape you are.

Christie's top tips of hourglass body shapes are:

Belt it - focusing on enhancing the smallest part of your body shape which for hourglass is the waist. Another trick is to push jacket sleeves up to about waist height so the eyes is automatically drawn to the smallest part of the body.
It's either long or short don't try to do midi skirts which cuts you off mid calf and does nothing to flatter the figure. Clothes that finish at the ankle or above the knee elongates and gives balance.
Fitted clothing is best and by that I mean clothes that enhance the natural curves of the body and avoid teaming loose top and bottom clothes together.

So what have I bought with my $1000?

1. Undergarments from La Senza
2. Swing jacket from Portmans
3. Shorts and singlet from Dotti
4. Leopard print singlet from Tempt
5. Wittner heels
6. ASICS Gel Kayano shoes
7. Black skirt from Portmans (not shown because Dr T accidentally threw it away!)

All up I've spent just over $480 in total. That gives me still $520 of free shopping money to shop til I drop!

A big thank you to Westfield, Nuffnang and Styling You for this generous prize.

Orange crush

2011-11-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Orange coloured clothing and accessories are invading my wardrobe this spring. I simply can't get enough of the hue and here I share with you some of my favourite orange coloured items.

1.Saba Barb Tank top - I bought this top back in September for the ABBW weekend. I love pairing this with black pants for work or glam it up with a gold clutch for an evening look.

2. Tony Bianco cork platform heels - On my recent move I rediscovered these platform heels from a few years back. Cork heels always make a come back each summer and I will be giving these babies a workout this summer.

3. NARS Turks & Caicos Multiple Tint - Now that the weather is warming up more I'm reaching for my cream based makeup products. I fell in love with the product again wearing it recently, my only wish is that this is a permanent item in the NARS line.

4. Sparitual Revere - A recent acquisition to my growing nail polish collection, Revere is an orange shimmer with streaks of gold. I haven't tested this out yet but everytime I look at Revere I marvel at it's beauty.

My next orange item on my purchase list is Chanel June lacquer from the Spring collection. I'm also loving the cobalt blue colour making it's surge through the shops at the moment.

Chanel Vanites and Illusion D’Ombre Mirifique

2011-10-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

I've been after a good purple eyeshadow palette for some time now and after seeing a review on Cafe Makeup on Chanel Vanites quad, I knew I had to get my hands on the palette. Strawberrynet had a 10% off discount a couple of weeks ago and excitedly added Vanites to my cart.

Vanites is beautiful to look at in the pan with a mix of purple shades of deep eggplant purple, silver purple, a duochrome gold/purple and lilac. I had high expectations of the palette but was extremely disappointed with the lack of pigmentation. I suspect the colours would be more pigmented when applied over a primer.

Illusion D'Ombre are part of Chanel fall collection and I picked up Mirifique to use as an eyeliner. I love the silver glitter specked through Mirifique. You can see from the swatch below that Mirifique can be sheered out for a less intense look.

Here's me wearing Vanites and Mirifique, trying out both products for the first time.

My boots

2011-10-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

Although I like my makeup, I probably love my shoes even more. The last count I did I had over 60 pairs of shoes sitting in my wardrobe.

I'm no fashion guru but I think every girl needs a pair of great boots and here I show you three favourites from my extensive collection.

Everybody comments on my patent booties from Robert Robert, they can be worn during the day for a little wow factor and also comfortably take you into the evening with a great outfit. My brown slouch boots have been a staple for me this past winter, so comfortable and easy to wear I love the casual look of them. The Wayne Cooper lace-up booties are my favourite, I bought them when they were 50% off at Myer a couple of months back and love all the buckle and shoe lace detail on them and they have a killer heel too.

For now they will go back into their boxes but I'll get another chance to wear them when I head overseas next month.

ABBW & IMATS Purchase

2011-10-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended the inaugural Australian Beauty Blogger Weekend in Sydney which also coincided with the IMATS show. It was a great weekend and I am only just starting to recover (anybody else feel sluggish and uninspired being back in the office?).

I wasn't intending to make much of a purchase at IMATS, but I met up with Indigo Kir Royale and let me tell you, we should not be allowed to ever EVER go shopping together again!

Purchases from the ABBW weekend include:
5x Hakuhodo brushes
3x Sparitual nail polishes
Inglot Freedom system 5 pan palette
Illamasqua cream blush - Laid
Illamasqua foundation

Reviews on items will be up soon. So tell me, what purchases did you make from the ABBW weekend?

Lady Jane Hair Extensions

2011-10-02T04:06:00.000-07:00

Hair extensions are the rage these day and age. If you have fine hair it can be a great way to add volume to your hair instantly or length if you have trouble growing your hair. I consider myself somewhat of a hair extension expert seeing that I had them permanently for over 2 years but decided to give them up to for a variety of reasons.

Lady Jane recently launched their clip-in-hair extension line providing four different products to transform your look in seconds. I was kindly sent three of the products for review and today I will be reviewing two of the products.

The first thing I noticed was how soft and real the hair extensions felt. I followed the instructions on the back by firstly using a straightening iron to style the extensions to match my hair. I then sectioned and backcombed my hair to where I was going to place the hair extensions. The volume and length range comes with a one-piece hair extension. You can see in the below photos that they blended with my own natural hair.

Volume & Length 45cm

Next, I tried the length range which came with three hair extension pieces. Again, I followed the instructions on the back of the packet.

Length 45cm

I am highly impressed with these clip-in-extensions, they are fraction of the cost of permanent hair extensions at less than $50 per packet but give the same effect without the high maintenance. Highly recommend these products if you want to give yourself an instant new look.

Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for consideration.

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet - #33 La Distinguee

2011-09-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Spring has come and I've been after a softer lipstick in particular with beige undertones. I was flicking through the latest edition of Marie Claire Australia and saw the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet advertisement and was curious to know whether the range has hit the Australian counters yet. So yesterday whilst I was in the city, I quickly ducked into David Jones was thrilled to see the entire range on display.

Rouge Allure Velvet are described as luminous matte lip colour and in the range there are some classic reds, pinks and beige/browns. All the lipsticks have intense opaque colour payoff and the first thing I noticed was how all the lipstick glided onto the lips effortlessly with no tug or dry feeling, in fact it feels incredibly moisturising and light weight.

I was instantly drawn to La Distinguee #33 a soft beige peachy colour with tiny specks of silver glitter which is undetectable on the lips.

Other lines have released matt formula lipsticks in the past but I found that they look flat and drying on the lips. Rouge Allure Velvet contains mother-of-pearl pigments which provides a luminous glow giving it dimension.

Swatch of La Distinguee #33

And here is me wearing my new favourite lipstick....

I'm very tempted to get a red and vibrant pink from this range, will keep you posted.

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine - PK340

2011-08-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

This is a very special review of the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine PK340 lipstick that I purchased back in May. Why is this review so special you may ask? I was off with the fairies one day whilst going to work and left my handbag on the bus and this lipstick was stowed in my makeup bag. I thought I was a gonna, but someone must have had an eye out for me because I got my handbag back and all without anything stolen. Lucky huh? Ok so back to the review....

We saw lots of sheer glossy lipsticks launched back in the Spring/Summer collections and a lot of us were highly impressed with the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine formula. When I first swatched this lipstick I thought Chanel Rouge Coco Shines had nothing on the Shu Uemura formula. Shu Uemura describs the formula as watery dewy shine with rich colour payoff. PK340 is a soft sheer warm rosy pink with high glossiness to it. What I love about this lipstick is it's ability to make my lips look plumper and moisturised.

Overall, I love this lipstick when I want an understated colour and want to fake it that I'm just wearing a clear gloss. If you find that the Rouge Coco Shine formula wears off to fast than I don't think you would be a fan of the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine as it will wear off rather quickly.

Jemma Kidd In Vogue Perfect Blush

2011-07-04T03:57:00.000-07:00

Blushes are my favourite makeup items to buy. The last I counted I owned 26 blushes, mostly peachy/corally shades with a few pinks thrown in the mix. I have a few tawny blush shades but don't often reach for them because I find it can make my complexion look tired if I'm too heavy handed.

Enter Jemma Kidd In Vouge Perfect Blush, a mosaic tawny blush compact. What I love about this blush is that the mix of shades deliver a natural contour to my cheeks of light and shade.

Jemma Kidd In Vogue Blush

Swatches of Jemma Kidd In Vogue Blush

The formula is soft and blends into the skin beautifully, I also love the clear plastic packaging. Here is me wearing In Vogue Blush.

Jemma Kidd is available at Kit Cosmetics in Australia with the RRP$27.95.

*This product was kindly provided by Kit Cosmetics.

Smiley face with Illamasqua

2011-06-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

My time on the weekend for the last month has been taken up with inspecting property, usually that is the only time I have to sit down for my blog. We've been searching for a property on and off for the last year and have gone through every scenario possible, location, price, pros & cons, apartment/townhouse/house, building/renovating etc. We still haven't found anything and this week I took some time off to get some TLC for myself to forget about it for a while.

To be honest, I haven't been in the mood for makeup for a while, there's been days where I have gone out bare faced or did the minimum to make myself half presentable at work. Makeup lost it's lustre and magic for me until I swatched the Illamasqua bronzing duo and intense lipgloss in Mistress the other day. These two products definitely put a smile back on my face, the best makeup anybody could wear.

The brozning duo consists of a bronzer and highlighter in one neat compact. I'm not a huge fan of bronzers but the bronzer in the compact made me draw breath, it's the perfect combination of golden/brown + glow. HELLO SUMMER!! The highlighter shade is equally as gorgeous, a warm golden pearlescent shade that matches the brozner beautifully.

Mistress looked bright and intimidating in the tube and I didn't know whether I had the big attitude to pull this bright coral lipgloss off. I was truely surprised by the sheerness and the opaque coverage of Mistress. On me it pulls a little pink on my lips but I love this lipgloss.

I was so excited by these products that I had to test the products out and created this look using simple products from MAC, Benefit, BECCA, Giorgio Armani and Illamasqua. Here is a me wearing the bronzer duo and Mistress intense lipgloss.

I heart Illamasqua and have already got other products from the line on my wishlist. I think an Illamasqua haul is in the pipeline.

*Products courtesy of Illamasqua. All other products were bought by me*

FOTD - Pink on Pink

2011-05-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

Pink is a difficult colour to pull off on me. I always find myself reaching for my peachy/corally toned coloured blushes and lipstick. The other day before I went to work I decided to give some much needed attention to my Chanel Pink Explosion blush and Rouge Coco in Rose Comete. NARS Tzarine has also been sitting in my stash and haven't received much love even though it is one of my favourite NARS duo.

What I used:
Face of Australia Primer
Giorgio Armani Lumnious Silk foundation
Becca Compact Duo concealer
NARS Tzarine grey colour over the lid and peachy gold as my highlighter
Chanel Pink Explosion JC
Jemma Kidd Spotlight Intense Highlight Creme
Chanel Rouge Coco - Rose Comete
Benefit BADGal mascara

I never liked the Rose Comete as it is on the sheer side but as you can see in my photo if you do several heavy swatches it's a beautiful pink shade.

FOTD - Featuring Rouge Coco Shine Rebelle

2011-05-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

I like to rotate through my lipsticks on a day-to-day basis. The other day I was in the mood to give Rebelle another try.

Here's a quick snap of me before I headed off to work.

Products used:

Chanel Vitalumire Aqua - B20
MAC Patina
MAC Lord it up
Guerlain Rouge G Blush
Rouge Coco Shine Rebelle

I received many compliments about my lipstick from work colleagues. I'm still not sure about the lipstick what do you think?

JK Jemma Kidd Event Information

2011-05-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

JK Jemma Kidd’s International Makeup Artist, Korben, will be jetting into KIT stores this month for a series
of makeup one-on-ones and workshops to get your makeup sorted for the new season.

The JK Jemma Kidd Styling sessions is an exclusive workshop with Korben. You will learn how to recreate your own London Catwalk inspired look. To book your spot, call your nearest KIT store.

kit at Enex100, WA
Tuesday 3 May, 6:30-8:30pm
Book by phoning 08 9486 7610

kit at Myer Sydney, NSW
Wednesday 4 May, 6-8pm
Book by phoning 02 9238 9861

kit at Chapel Street, VIC
Tuesday 10 May, 6:30-8:30pm
Book by phoning 03 9827 5988

If you are wanting to play with JK Jemma Kidd's latest makeup collection than the New Season Makeup Workshop is for you. Korben and the KIT cosmetic team will update your makeup with a 30min makeup one-on-one workshop.

Korben will be available at the following locations:

kit at Myer Perth, WA
Tuesday 3 May, 12-4pm
Book by phoning 08 9265 5872

kit at Myer Melbourne, VIC
Friday 6 May, 12-8pm
Book by phoning 03 9661 1277

kit at Myer Chadstone, VIC
Saturday 7 May, 11-4pm
Book by phoning 03 9567 6448

kit at Doncaster, VIC
Sunday 8 May, 11-4pm
Book by phoning 03 9840 7624

kit at Myer Sydney, NSW
Tuesday 10 May 12-3pm
Book by phoning 02 9238 9861

kit at Myer Brisbane QLD
Wednesday 11 May 11-4pm
Book by phoning 07 3232 0168

Bookings are $45 and redeemable for product purchased at the event.

Rouge Coco Shine - Rebelle 63

2011-04-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

My final Rouge Coco Shine review - Rebelle #63. I haven't reviewed Rebelle until now because (wait for it...) I'm not gushing over how wonderful Rebelle is. It's a very pretty colour when swatched on my hand, I would describe it as orange/red.

I was surprised when I swatched Reblle on my hand at home, the colour looked flatter and not as glossy as my other Rouge Coco Shines. Rebelle also seem to tug a little and didn't seem to have that moisturising feel. I will say that Rebelle is a bit more pigmented than Monte Carlo and Unique.

Ah it is pretty, shame that I don't like it on my lips, hence no photo of me wearing Rebelle. I have my eye on other Rouge Coco Shines - Aventure, Fetiche, Elise, Deauville and Bonheur hopefully I will like these a lot more when I get around to buying them.

Thank you all for bearing with me, I know I haven't done regular posts the last month or been on twitter much. My work is giving me a lot of career satisfaction but that also means that I'm spent by the end of the work day. I will get myself organised over Easter and schedule post more often.

Hourglass Aura Cheek Stain - Petal

2011-03-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

I have a thing for peachy toned blushes. NARS Turks & Caicos and MAC Ripe Peach are my all time faves but I think the Hourglass Aura Cheek Stain in Petal will give them both a good run for their money. The Cheek Stains are part of the Hourglass Spring 11 collection and comes in 3 shades, Petal, Flush and Rouge.

I've read many favourable reviews of Hourglass cosmetics various products and I've played with a few products in the past but never bought anything from the line. That is until I swatched the Hourglass Aura Cheeck Stain in Petal one day during my lunch break. OMG,this has got to be the prettiest blush I've seen and it's prettiness instantly stole my heart.

The product is housed in a pen type mechanism with a sponge applicator and twist base. The directions on the packaging advises to twist the base 20+ times upon first use. I only twisted the product about 5 times and the product slowly oozed through the sponge applicator. The product is oil, fragrance and phthalate free and contains Vitamin E.

Petal is a gorgeous peachy pink with specks of gold glitter. The gold glitter is very subtle when blended out on the cheeks. The product can be worn subtlety or layered for a bit more pop. I'm very impressed with the texture and the wear time of this product.

A comparison swatch of MAC Ripe Peach, Hourglass Petal, NARS Turks & Caicos.

L - R: MAC Ripe Peach, Hourglass Petal, NARS Turks & Caicos

Hourglass Cheek Stains retails for $65 and is exclusively stocked Mecca Cosmetica in Australia. I'm very tempted to pick up the Flush coloured cheek stain as well as other Hourglass products. Have you tried Hourglass cosmetics?

Australis Lash TLC Mascara Review

2011-03-25T03:19:00.000-07:00

I want the works when it comes to mascaras, length; volume; definition; good brush; non-clumping formula, anything to give my lashes a boost! Most mascaras I've tried either gives me one or two of those things I'm looking for, so can you imagine my excitement when I found a mascara that fulfilled my wishlist?Australis Lash TLC mascara delivers it all, and more with it's caring formula to protect your lashes from damage.

To be honest I wasn't expecting anything from this mascara, but I knew this product was a winner with just one use. The first thing I noticed was that the product gave my lashes definition like no other mascara's I've tried. This was surprising given that the mascara brush is just your standard bristle type. The mascara held on to the curl extremely well whilst also giving my lashes amazing length and volume. What really impressed me was that I only needed two coats of mascara to get these great effects. The mascara can clump but really isn't all that bad compared to other mascaras.

This mascara is work friendly and day-time appropriate. I can't tell you whether the product delivers on the caring benefits but I can say the product has not caused any negative side effects, only positives. Overall two thumbs up for this product.

Disclaimer: This product was sent to be for consideration and has not altered the review of this product. This reivew is based on my honest opinion and I have not received a monetary or non-monetary benefit.

Rouge Coco Shine - Unique 51

2011-03-09T00:10:00.000-08:00

Did I tell you March was meant to be a 'no-buy' month for me? I was dead set on maintaining my resolution but it quickly fell apart when I spotted the new Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipstick the other day. I picked up 3 lipsticks from the range and reviewed Monte Carlo earlier this week.

I fell in love with Unique #51 when I swatched it in the store. Now, the MA told me this was in the pink family but the internet has described this shade as Sparkling Plum. When I got home and opened up Unique I wondered if I had made a mistake as the colour looked dark and intense. I considered taking it back but decided to swatch it anyway and luckily I did, because I lovelovelovelove this shade.

Rouge Coco Shine Unique #51

Swatch: Unique #51

The name Unique befit this lipstick. In the tube the lipstick looks to be a brown/plummy/red colour and reminds me of Rouge Coco Madamoiselle. They are very similar but I would say Madamoiselle leans more red and Unique almost looks to be a light pink when compared side by side.

Left: Madamoiselle; Right: Unique

Swatch Left - Madamoiselle; Right - Unqiue

Unique is a MLBB lipstick and I highly recommend it if you're after a safe office friendly option. Dare I say it, I like this more than Monte Carlo.

Rouge Coco Shine - Monte Carlo 62

2011-03-07T00:18:00.000-08:00

The highly anticipated Rouge Coco Shine has gripped the beauty blogsphere since the annoucement of a new Chanel lipstick range. When I heard about the new Coco Shine formula I was quietly rejoicing as I have found the Rouge Coco formula a bit drying on my lips. Chanel gave us a preview, or rather a tease when they exclusively released Boy for Valentines Day. Sadly for us in Australia we had to sit on our hands and wait it out.

Well the wait is over! I saw these today at David Jones, I didn't expect to see these until next week. There were a total of 20 shades and when I asked the MA whether there were some missing, she said that's the whole line. I've read there were 25 shades so I'm not sure whether there are US exclusive shades. I also haven't been to Myer so maybe there are some shades which are exclusive to the two retail giants in Australia.

Chanel has certainly kept this lipstick under wraps until now, I've hardly seen many swatches of the line. From what I have seen, there was one shade which I knew I wanted and that is Monte Carlo #62, described as strawberry red.

All the lipstick are super glossy due to the pearlescent finish as you can see from the above photo. Monte Carlo has finely milled silver-blue shimmer which does not transfer when applied to the lips.

The above photo is a heavy swatch of the lipstick. The formula is light and glides on nicely on my lips and is easily controllable for a light or heavy application. The lipstick has a lipbalm feel to it after application, by that I mean it feels like my lips is getting moisturised and protected by elements. And here's me wearing Monte Carlo.

The Rouge Coco Shine line is extensive covering Pinks, Coral/Red, Plum and Neutral shades. They are all so beautiful. You have been warned! A lot of the shades are similar but different enough to make them unique which makes the decision oh-so-very-hard. I also picked up two other shades which I will review over the coming days. What do you think of Monte Carlo?

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

2011-03-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

I often associate Clinique with skincare and often overlook the brand when it comes to makeup. I was flicking through the new David Jones's autumn beauty catalogue and saw that the brand has 6 different mascara in their line. Yes, 6 covering all different needs.

Clinique recently launched an additional mascara for bottom lashes. Putting mascara on my bottom lashes depends whether I can be bothered with that extra step in the morning. Not to mention that mascara wands really isn't all that practical to use on your bottom lashes. So I was curious when I heard about the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara.

The first thing that took me by surprise was the actual product size. It is tiny. I say it again, tiny! The brush is also extremely small. If you imagine your normal mascara wand, I would say it's only 1/3 the size.

The formula is smudge proof and I can atest to that as I have watery eyes and after wearing it for 8 hours it was still going strong, no flaking or smudges in sight. The wand does make application of mascara on the bottom lashes a cinch, getting the smallest and finest of lashes. I also use it on the inner corner of my top lashes that my normal mascara is too fat to reach.

I purchased this at David Jones for $28AUS. The product is great and I wonder why it's taken so long for company's to make a separate mascara. Would I repurchase this product? I might, I think it's nice to have in my collection and it'll be one of those products that you wish you have when you need it, so I'll see when i run out of the product. I also want to try the Clinique concealers, has anyone use any?

Illamasqua Toxic Nature Competition

2011-03-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

Want to win yourself some Illamasqua Toxic Nature products? Check out video below and head over to the Illamasqua website to be in the running.

I chose Bacterium, Dab, Mould, Atomic and Glistening. What products did you place on your waiting list?

Wonder Woman - Pink Power

2011-02-27T02:44:00.000-08:00

My beloved Candlelight MSF is one of my favourite products and when I heard MAC was releasing a new MSF with their latest Wonder Woman collection I watched out for it like a hawk since I missed out on the Stereo Rose MSF last year.

This was the only product I ended up purchasing although I was tempted by the Mighty Aphrodite blush and Spitfire lipstick. I actually don't think the packaging is all that bad, much better than Venemous Villian collection in my books.

MAC jumbo sized a few of the items in this collection, I have to admit the lipgloss and eyeliner looked totally impractical, not to mention rather silly. The MSF has also been jumbo sized, I've compared it to RP blush as a comparison. I actually don't mind the size of the product because the blush/bronzer/highlighter are separated.

These were extremely smooth, even the highlighter shade which looks gritty because of the glitter. I don't think the colours are all that unique but I'm still happy I made the purchase.

I haven't tried the product on my cheeks yet, I actually took this to the golf course whilst I watch Dr. T hit golf balls this morning, well a girl's got to keep herself occupied!! I believe the MSF will retail for $53AUS and available from tomorrow.

Giorgio Armani Shine Lipstick 8

2011-02-24T00:38:00.000-08:00

Venturing into wearing red lipstick territory can be quite daunting especially if you're a newbie like me, you see I always loved clothes and shoes but I never knew how to wear makeup up til about year and a half ago. I remember the day I discovered youtube and hollyannaeree, that's where my makeup obsession started for me.

Most of my lipsticks I would say are MLBB shades and I was getting a bit tired of the look. I wanted a red lipstick and without much searching I ended up with one, Giorgio Armani Shine Lipstick 8.

I love this lipstick - incredibly smooth, pigmented, long-lasting, unscented and moisturzing. Yes, it is that good. Every girls lipstick criteria is in this black little tube.

The plastic packaging is a bit on the cheap side but i like the silhouette. You can see from the swatch that the product looks moisturzing and is a true red. I will definitely be purchasing more GA lipsticks in the future. This could be my new HG lipstick formula.

Giorgio Armani is exclusive to David Jones and this lipstick retails for $47.50.

Back to MAC - Part 2

2011-02-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I did a post of the products I was taking Back-to-MAC. I didn't know what lipstick I wanted but I did a google and came across swatches of Bombshell. I instantly fell in love with the colour and couldn't wait til I got my hands on it.

Bombshell is a frost finish and I am incredibly surprised at the pigmentation. It's the perfect warm pink with micro-gold shimmer. I think this has got to be my favourite MAC lipstick of all time.

Splurge: Guerlain Rouge G Blush

2011-02-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

By now you would have all heard about Guerlain Rouge G Blush from their latest Spring 11 collection and it was one of the products I looked forward to the most. When it came out in the US I didn't jump straight away to make my purchase, why I do not know!

It is on the expensive side and I wondered to myself whether I would be willing to fork out $65US for a blush plus shipping to Australia. Anyway, I umm-ed and ahh-ed about it for a while and i went to the counter at DJ to take a look and did a swatch on my hand. I still walked away and told myself to think about it, but enough was enough when I dreamt about the blush. So I took myself back to DJ two days ago and made my purchase. $80 is how much this blush will set you back if you buy it in Australia. I thought this was a fair price considering that the Chanel Ombres Perlees eyeshadow is $100AUcompared to $65US.

Before I go on, you know this blush is a luxurious item just from it's packaging. It's weighty but not too heavy, fits nicely in your hand and houses both a brush and a mirror. It took me a second to work out that it has a magnetic closure, I'm so use to MAC or Chanel packaging where you have to push the bottom lever before pulling the top part of the case up.

Guerlain Rouge G Blush

As you can see there are four distinct shades varying from coral/pink, bright pink, rosy pink and light pink. All four shades are extremely pigmented and smooth.

L-R: From Top to Bottom of Guerlain Rouge G Blush

I also did a mini comparison of the Guerlain Blush to my BB Shimmer Brick in Nectar. You can see the BB Shimmer Brick is a lot more frosty whereas the Geuerlain Blush has micro-shimmer.

I tried to swatch the shimmer brick but it really was way too frosty for the camera to pick up the pigment. I would say the shimmer brick pulls off more red/coral and Guerlain is definately pink/coral when all shades are mixed.

Overall this blush is definitely a splurge for me, I normally throw away the box and even the velvet pouch Dior and Chanel products come with, but this one is getting stored away as is, complete with box and velvet pouch!

On my radar

2011-02-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is just a quick and fun post to tell you what new product launches I am eyeing at the moment.

1. Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil - I want New Lover and Baroque. The only thing I'm a bit uncertain of is having to sharpen these and the amount of product wastage.

2. Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Colour SPF 12 - I'm not a huge fan of Bobbi Brown but these lipstick seem like heaven. I think I will end up owning a couple of this new lipstick range. Check out the video below, I agree with Bobbi 100% that lipstick can change a woman's look in a flash.

3. Bobbi Brown Peony & Python palette - Another winner in my books from BB. I love purple eyeshaows but the right shade seems hard to come by. This palette seems to be neutral tone but the pop of lilac purple makes it a bit fun. I love the case too. I wonder if the shades in the palette are LE? I've been dying to see swatches of these on the net but haven't been able to locate any.

Back to MAC

2011-02-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

I'm running out of storage space for my makeup and decided to do a bit of a cleanout. I bundled all the MAC items I didn't want to do a Back to MAC. Here is what I'm returning

Back to MAC items

1. Azalea Blossom - It looks so pretty and I've tried to make this work but sadly it just doesn't suit me. Actually, I wonder how many people can truely pull off a purple blush? Hmmm... anyway the blush looks muddy on me and if I over apply it makes me look blue in the face. Not a good look.

2. Electric Fuchsia - From the same collection as Azalea Blossom, not the most flattering thing to put on my lips given that it's bright purple with blue glitter. I do love this lipglass on other people though.

3. Jazzed lipstick - Wayyyyy too pale for my skintone, I look all wrong wearing this. You can see I've hardly touched it.

4. Ravishing lipstick - Very similar to Jazzed but this is a bit brighter. I loved this lipstick when I first got it but I went to wear it for the first time in a long time and it just made me look orange.

5. Hug me lipstick - You can see I've actually used the heck out of the lipstick. I do like Hug Me but you can see from the pick that the bullet has come apart from the casing and it annoys the crap out of me everytime I go and use it. I should get myself a lip brush but I'm just too lazy :p

6. Rubenesque paint pot - Sorry folks, I'm not a fan of this colour (I know a lot of you are). On me I think the colour is too cool for my skintone. There's something to do with the multi-dimensional aspect of this colour that doesn't work for me. I know what it is... it pulls yellow on me. Again, I tried to make this colour work but i've tried everything and i give up!

7. Out to sea powerpoint eye pencil - I've had this eyeliner for probably over 5 years and it's just sat there and sat there. I don't think I'll ever use it.

8. Graphblack Technakohl eye liner kajal - This baby runs like mad I've actually used up most of it and I have a ton of black eyeliners in my collection.

L-R: Azalea Blossom, Jazzed, Ravishing, Hug Me, Out to Sea, Rubenesque

I haven't decided what lipstick I should pick when i Back to MAC, anybody got any suggestions? I was thinking Hue, Blink!, Impassioned.

Thank you Tara

2011-02-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

Late last year I won Tara's 50 follower giveaway. I've never tried Zoya nailpolishes or Pure Fiji products so I was thrilled to have won. Love the Zoya nailpolishes (the yellow was extremely bright) I wish they were more readily available in Australia.

All the prizes in the giveaway

Thank you Tara for your wonderful gift, I heart these products.

Swatches of Zoya nailpolishes

Acqua Di Gioia

2011-02-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hello blog, i've missed you! Yes, I have my power and internet connected now so i'm a very happy girl considering I would have sat here last week with just four walls and cold running water. I still don't have hot water or tv but hey this is a vast improvement in my books! So how are we?

I love perfume, i think at one stage i owned something like 30 bottles. These days my collection is a bit more modest and late last year I received the Acqua Di Gioia from Dr. T. I read somewhere Giorgio Armani wanted to create a perfume that reminded him of the Greek Islands, if anything I think he has succeed in creating a perfume that reminds the wearer of the ocean. Even Dr. T told me I smelled 'oceany and beachy' when I first tried it out in the shops.

Even though it's got a fair amount of floral notes - rose, peony and jasmine the mint in it creates the right balance to make it not smell musky or too sweet, perfect for summer days.The bottle is a perculiar shape but fits extremely well in the hand.

Quick update

2011-01-20T21:52:00.000-08:00

Hi ladies

I hope you are all doing well. Well what a start to 2011! This is just a quick update to let you all know that I'm safe after the QLD Flood. I still don't have power in my apartment and have gone to stay with my parents until power is restored in my apartment. I won't ramble too much about the flood but it was a very scary experience that I hope I won't have to face again.

I won't be blogging for a while as I don't have Internet access at my parents' place but will be back with a bang when I'm back in Brisbane.

In the meantime, please support the QLD Flood relieve by donating to the Premiere's Appeal. There's a bunch of beauty bloggers who have donated heaps of goodies for auction to raise money for the appeal. You can check this out at http://www.counterobsession.com/

Recap of 2010

2011-01-09T02:10:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year, I thought this was a good opportunity to do a recap of my top buys of 2010.

1. Nars Multiple Tint - I cannot rave enough about this product. It gives a lovely pop of colour to the skin without the greasy look.

2. MAC 130 & 131 Brushes - These brushes were released with the MAC To The Beach collection and everyone went nuts over the Marine Life highlight powder (I still haven't touched mine yet!). I use my 130 to buff in my foundation every morning and the 131 for cream products ie Nars Multiple Tint or MAC MSF.

3. Urban Decay Naked Palette - It wouldn't be a recap of 2010 without the Naked Palette would it! I've included it in my top buys because to me an eyeshadow palette should be about convenience with the ability to create multiple looks and the Naked Palette ticks both boxes for me.

4. Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle - Lipsticks made a big comeback last year with Chanel releasing a new formula in 30 shades. I own several Rouge Cocos but Mademoiselle is my favourite shade, every time I put this on my lips I always go 'wow' I love this colour.

5. MAC Ripe Beach Blush - This has been my go to blush in 2010, it compliments my skin tone so well and it looks gorgeous in the pan.

6. Eve Lom Cleanser - It's pricey but well worth the price. The cleanser is packed with essential oils and feels soothing on the skin and calms the senses.

What have been your tops buys for 2010?

Dior Five Gold Palette

2010-12-18T22:49:00.000-08:00

In addition to my recent Chanel purchases, I took advantage of the 20% off Sephora sale last month (was it last month or in Oct? Hasn't time flown this year?!) and purchased the Dior Five Golds Palette.

I read mixed reviews about this product, some loved it and some complained about pigmentation so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I don't know why it's called Five Golds when clearly there's only one golden shade, but this is one heck-of-a-palette and perfect for this time of the year.

Dior - Five Golds Palette

The palette includes a coppery-bronzy shade which I love because it doesn't have a strong red undertone; a beautiful deep golden brown and it's my favourite out of the palette; a very finely milled gold which isn't as heavily pigmented as the other two shades mentioned above but is just right as a highlighter especially and catches the light beautifully to give you a bit of a shimmer; then there's a black/grey shade with silver sparkle and the centre is a cool silver which again has a similar consistency to the gold shade in the palette.

Dior Five Gold Swatches - Clockwise to Centre

I can see myself wearing so many different looks with this palette, it's an absolute winner I'm so glad I didn't pass on it. It's an expensive palette and retails for $99AUS/$58US, but if you want a special palette that is gorgeous, great quality and not easily dupable then you must get your hands on this while you still can. I love it so much that I give it 10/10.

My recent purchases - (Part 1)

2010-12-15T01:48:00.000-08:00

Chanel has released a stunning holiday collection this year and I purchased four items from the collection. I have been on the hunt to add more pink items to my collection and as you can see, everything I purchased has a pink hue.

First up and my favourite part of the collection the Tweed Fuchsia blush. The pattern does remind me of the tweed fabric.

I also picked up the limited edition Rouge Coco in Magnolia and Glossimar in Pink Pulsion. Magnolia is a beautiful pink that is very wearable on warm skin tones. Pink Pulsion is actually quite sheer by itself and is definitely less dramatic on the lips then what it looks in the tube.

I also picked up the quad in the collection. The quad I probably could have skipped on as I think the colours are all dupable and I've read numerous posts about fall out. I have considered returning this product.

3 day detox with Urban Remedy

2010-12-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

I decided to try out a cleanse program called Urban Remedy after hearing about the cleanse from a few ladies I follow on Twitter. I'm pretty healthy and eat well, don't smoke or drink and hit the gym everyday to do pump/cycle/attack class so I didn't do the cleanse wishing to lose weight, but truly as a cleanse for my body.

The website is fantastic, there is an abundant of information to read about the program and facts to answer all your fears about not eating for 3 days. Ordering was simple and I received great customer service, Emma even texted me to make sure my delivery arrived, now that's personal service for you!

So onto the cleanse, I chose to do level 1 because I've never done a cleanse before. There are 6 different juices and it's simple, you drink the juices starting from 1 to 6, although you can sip 6 throughout the day. I found the juices to be yummy, I think I have to say my least favourite is actually everybody's favourite, juice 6 because I'm not a fan of dairy or cream.

How did I fare? Day 1 - was relatively easy, I didn't feel hungry but I felt by a bit light-headed by the late afternoon. I still did my spin class but took care not to put the resistance up too high. I had the best sleep that night. Day 2 - Woke up and felt lethargic and it stayed with me all day. Felt my skin looked a bit healthier when i looked at myself in the mirror and someone said I looked lovely when I arrived at the office. I did get a bit hungry once or twice during the day but it wasn't chronic, more that I missed all the different tastes you get with food. I managed to still do a PT session in the afternoon with heavy weights. Day 3 - Felt really energized and had great mental clarity. Went to the gym to do a balance class to stretch my muscles.

I have to admit, even though I didn't have starving hunger pains throughout the three days of my cleanse, I did miss not having food and thought that after the cleanse I would be stuffing everything possible into my mouth again. Boy was I wrong, I woke up on Sat not feeling hungry at all, I went out for breakfast with Dr. T and ordered poached egg on toast. I ate the one egg and I was done, could not fit anything else into me and I took a sip of coffee and the stuff tasted like dirt. I have managed to start eating a bit more and it's been five days after my cleanse. Coffee wise, I don't think I'll ever touch a drop of that stuff again.

I will do the cleanse again and taking it up to Level 2.

Have you done an Urban Remedy cleanse? What were your thoughts?

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

2010-11-23T03:38:00.000-08:00

Chanel has released a new foundation - Vitalumiere Aqua and there has been a lot of buzz about this new foundation. I received a free makeover at my local Chanel counter when I went to the recent Holiday launch and the makeup artist used the Vitalumiere Aqua as my foundation.

The first thing I noticed about the new foundation was the new bottle. Made of plastic and without a pump unlike other Chanel foundations, great to just throw into you bag when you're on the go. I also noticed the foundation isn't as heavily scented as other Chanel foundations, there is still a hint of a fragrance, which is lovely by the way but it's a more subtle.

To me the foundation is a mousse consistency, it definitely isn't runny like Nars Sheer Glow. It blended on the back of my hand like a dream. It is extremely lightweight, almost like a moisturizer and melted rather than sat on top of my skin which I feel most foundations do. Coverage wise it is very good, I would say medium. I have a slight birthmark on my face which is not noticeable to the naked eye to most people but it's something I notice and it was able to cover it up more than other normal medium foundations I own.

The foundation promises to provide skin a luminous and radiant look and I agree that it does just that. It's not in your face luminosity like LM tinted moisturizer - illuminating, I would say it's on par with foundations like Nars Sheer Glow. I prefer the radiant glow Vitalumiere Aqua gave to my skin over Nars Sheer Glow, I think this is because of how the foundation melted into my skin. Wear wise, it's very good, it lasted on me for a good 6 hours before it started looking tired on my skin.

I was so impressed by it that I almost bought the foundation with my Chanel Holiday haul but refrained myself. The only thing I'm not too impressed with is the price, it retails for $77 for 30mL and second, the foundation only comes in 4 shades in the luminous range and 3 shades in the matte range.

You can see that I've used every drop of my sample, I had the intentions of buying the foundation this afternoon for my review but the shoddy customer service I received at my local Chanel counter did not impress me.

I hope this review was helpful, it'll be interesting to read reviews from other bloggers.

Shopping my stash

2010-11-06T23:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA lately. I've been busy house hunting and haven't had much time to sit down to blog. Let me tell you that house hunting is not fun at all and is such an emotionally draining process.

I haven't bought much makeup lately either because 1) i haven't had the time to go to the shops and 2) i'm quite scared at the rate my collection is growing. So i've made a promise to myself to try and use what I have and think about whether I need more makeup before buying.

Shopping my own stash has been fun and I've fallen in love or rediscovered some old products. One of these being the Dior Misty Mauve palette I purchase a few months back. I would say that the shades are classic colours and will take you from day to night. The palette isn't a neccessity because I think it's very much dupable but it has definiately won me over with it's versatility, convinence and smoothness.

Dior Misty Mauve - pic taken when first purchased

My favourite MAC products

2010-10-12T00:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick most from me today about my favourite MAC products.

Warm Soul, Candlelight MSF, Satin Taupe & Powersurge

1. Warm Soul Mineralized Blush
I love this blush, I use to wear this religiously every single day. It gives a soft bronze rose glow to my cheeks, perfect for summer days.

2. By Candlelight MSF
Unfortunately, I shattered mine when I accidentally dropped it on the ground a few months back. I think I was in shock for like 5mins when it happened! I contemplated on throwing it, but it still works but it just looks a bit untidy. By Candlelight can be used as a highlighter or as a beautiful golden/pink blush with a soft shimmer glow. Unlike Petticoat which is way too frosty for my liking.

3. Satin Taupe
When I first purchased Satin Taupe, I hated it. But I think it's a colour that grows on you. I use this mainly when I'm in a rush or when I'm in 'can't be bothered mood'. You can also use this to create a beautiful smokey look, I usually pair it with Smut and Naked Lunch.

4. Powersurge eyeliner
This has long been a staple of mine. I prefer this some days over black eyeliner, it still gives definition to my eyes but it's not your typical brown/black that mostly everyone wears.

Urban Decay - Naked palette

2010-10-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

I finally got my hands on UD Naked palette. I had a huge lemming for it and I finally gave in and made the purchase on Ebay. This won't be an incredibly long post on it since I'm sure everyone of us have read about this like a gazilliion times!

Of all the shadows, I like Half Baked and Smog the best. The two matt shades are fantastic to use on the outer corner to create depth. What I'm probably more excited about is the double ended eyeliner that comes with the palette. They are incredibly smooth and don't tug at the eye.

UD isn't available in Australia but I would recommend you picking this up over Ebay if you can. I promise it won't disappoint and you will definitely get a lot of use out of it.

Chanel Extrait de Gloss - Exces

2010-10-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Red lipstick and red nailpolish reminds me of my mum. It's her signature look. I've never seen her wear any other colour on her lips or her nails. Red also happens to be my favourite colour too and I recently purchased the Exces - the new Chanel gloss.

I'm quite picky about my reds. It can't be too light or too dark and Exces is just right. The formula is a bit thicker than your normal lipgloss but it applies quite nicely and can be built up for a more intense look. These are super glossy and extremely pigmented and I would recommend to forgo wearing a red lipstick underneath.

As for the applicator, hmm... I'm not quite sure what to think of it, I like how it comes to a bit of a rounded point which allows precise application. What I don't like about the applicator is that it flattens and dips down to a dent in the middle.

Exces - Extrait de gloss

Wearing Exces

I spy Dior Haute Couleur

2010-09-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

I was out shopping for something for Dr. T today and I haphazardly wandered to the cosmetics area of the department store. Well, ok I'm lying, I wanted to see if the Lancome fall range had hit my local counter but got distracted when I saw the new Dior Haute Couleur line.

Cafemakeup has already featured a few of the lipsticks from this new range and I was wanting to make a purchase of Pink Cocotte - 551 but the counter didn't have that colour in stock for some reason. I thought it was a good chance to swatch a few different shades to test the formula and colours and thought you would like to see these too if you haven't had a chance to get to your local counter. I have to apologise in advance, I didn't get to swatch every shade and I didn't write down the name & corresponding no. But without further ado, here they are


Dior Haute Couleur (shade)


Dior Haute Couleur (sunlight)

The texture of these felt extremely smooth and moisturizing. You can definitely see the iridescence of the lipstick formula in the second photo. The Dior Haute Couleur line will have something to suit every season and everyone. I hope to bring you more swatches from the line soon.

Ellis Faas Lights

2010-09-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Ellis Faas makeup line is relatively new to the cosmetic world but they have already caused quite a stir with the oh-so-futuristic packaging design and quality of products. I recently received the Mecca Cosmetica catalog in the post and I gawked at the latest Ellis Faas Light products. The Light range are metallic eyeshadows and are available in 5 shades..


Ellis Faas Lights

Like all Ellis Faas products, these are liquid but dry upon application. I had a play with these products and ohmygoodness these are nothing like I've ever seen. The Lights are all permanent shades and they dry to a luminous metallic finish. The MA told me the reflective property in the Lights are derived from a special plant from the Amazon.

Bottom to Top: E304, E301, E302, E303, E305

E304 is a lilac
E301 is described as silver shimmer but to me it's more gold
E302 is a yellow gold
E303 is a bronze
E305 is a brown/green duochrome

I couldn't resist and bought E301 and E303. The MA told me these can either be layered on top of other eyeshadows or by itself blended out for a softer look or built up for intensity.

FOTD - Lunasol Geminate 04

2010-09-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

I think I've been too critical of my Lunasol palettes. After my initial thoughts, I decided the other morning to give them another crack. I used MAC Painterly paintpot as a base and now am in love!! Here's some photos I took before I went off to work that day, yes i wore blue eyeshadow to work!

Spring is in the air with Nars Multiple Tints

2010-08-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

What a glorious day! With the weather warming up these Nars Multiple Tints will definitely be getting some attention from me.

L: Turks & Caicos and R: Cadeques

After winter, all I want is colour and these are super bright, instant mood lifters. These will be great come those yucky humid days by giving just a pop of colour without the heaviness. I think my favourite is Turks & Caicos, I have a thing for orange/peach/coral, it really compliments and balance the yellowness in my skin. Have you tried these? What do you think?

Chanel Fall 2010

2010-08-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

Chanel's Fall 2010 collection is hard to resist. I would describe the collection as 'transitsional' because the colours are wearable for summer and autumn season. I could have easily bought the whole collection but the more sensible person in me talked myself out of a few products. I ended up coming home with these

Vert Khaki, Pink Explosion, Rose Dilemma

I love the textures of these. I was a bit worried about the formula of Pink Explosion but the colour is beautiful and looks amazing on my skin. Rose Dentelle (somehow forgot to include it in my photo) paired with Rose Dilemma makes a beautiful soft pink combo. Hats off to Chanel for making lipglosses that's non-sticky but still create a beautiful sheen to my lips.

Nars Fall 2010

2010-08-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sure us makeup lovers over the world have a few Nars duo eyeshadows in their collection. I recently added two to my mine - Tzarine & Rajasthan. I knew these duos would be beautiful when I first read about them prior to the collection release and was sold by the swatches on The Beauty Look Book.

Tzarine

Tzarine duo has a grey with gold glitter and peachy champagne colour. Perfect for effortless daytime neutral/smoky look.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan duo has a very dark green/blue with gold microglitter and a golden beige colour. I love the lighter shade in this duo as a all-over-lid colour. Although the darker shade looks great in the pan, I found it turned more dark navy/black when applied.

I originally thought these duos were odd combinations but what makes these odd, makes it just right. Love Nars and can't wait for the Holiday collection.

Radiate with Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer - illuminating

2010-08-15T03:12:00.000-07:00

I've been after a good tinted moisturizer for a few months now and thought it would be timely to purchase one seeing the weather is starting to warm up. A couple of years ago I purchased a Bobbi Brown tinted moistruizer but ended up throwing the stuff away because it looked and felt greasy. So this time around I wanted to test the Laura Mercier one given that it seems to be a much loved product by the beauty bloggers community. I also heard from Yaz Tucker over at Primped the illuminating version was excellent.

The description on packaging described the product as a light-infused lightweight formula and imparts a luminous radiance and a dewy finish to your complexion. And I can tell you that is exactly what the product delivers. It was difficult to capture the illuminating particles but on the left side is the product straight from the tube and above it I blended it into the back of my hand. I really love the finish it gives to my skin and it definitely brings a pick me up to my skin. I can see myself purchasing this product over and over again. Two big thumbs up to LM for this great product.

Product straight from the tube and blended into the back of my hand above it

MakeUpWithdrawal's UD Naked palette giveaway

2010-08-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

Everybody wants to get their hands on the Urban Decay Naked Palette and I have been lemming over this for a while now. Sadly, Urban Decay is not stocked in Australia but luckily, Makeupwithdrawal is giving away this sell out palette to a lucky winner. More details available on http://makeupwithdrawal.blogspot.com/2010/08/urban-decay-naked-palette-giveaway.html

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipgloss

2010-08-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

I walked passed the newsagent and noticed the September issue of the Australian Marie Claire came with with the newly formulated Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipgloss in Passion Fruit Shimmer as a GWP.

This is my first EL product, I've never been a huge fan of the line and have always viewed the brand targeted a more mature age group. But I couldn't resist grabbing the magazine and thought it was a good opportunity to try out the line.

Passion Fruit is a shimmer and is a bright pinky coral with a hint of gold shimmer. The first thing I noticed was the scent of the lipgloss which I can't quite get my nose on it. The scent was very noticeable at the beginning but wore off after about 10mins. I was quite surprised at how sheer the gloss actually is butI liked the effect it gave on my lips. I think it suits my skin tone quite nicely too. Overall I would be happy to try out some colours in the line.

Dear Tom Ford...

2010-07-15T02:54:00.000-07:00

Mark 1 August in your calendar girls cause Tom Ford Lipstick is coming to Australia!! I can't wait to play with these in person. Tom Ford lipsticks have received raved reviews from bloggers and will retail for $65. Considering most makeup items are double the price in Australia compard to the US, I think these are reasonably priced.I think I will most likely be picking up Pink Dusk and Blush Nude.

Will you be picking these up? Or have you picked these up?

Random makeup talk

2010-07-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

If you have read blogs lately, you've most likely have encountered words like Rose Dilemma, Chintz, Taupe Grise.... sound familiar? With every new post I read about Chanel's Fall 2010 collection, my list is growing. So, before I head to the counters when the release comes out in Australia, I thought I'd enlist your help. Tell me what should I save my money on and conversely what should I definitely purchase.

My Chanel List
- Pink Explosion JC (love the colour but worried about formula)
- Rose Dilemma and Coral Love Glossimers
- Chintz and Rose Dentelle Rouge Cocos
- Taupe Grise

Who else is looking forward to Nar's Fall Collection? So far I am really loving the Tzarine duo eyeshadow.

Japanese Cosmetics - Lunasol

2010-07-10T02:45:00.001-07:00

I recently purchased two Lunasol eyeshadow palettes. They arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to test Japanese cosmetics out. The two palettes I bought were from previous releases - Geminate 04 and Sheer Contrast Eyes 02. As you can see the palette comes with sponge tip applicators.

L - R: Sheer Contrast 02, Geminate 04

These shades look amazing as it is and I was surprised with the colour payoff when I swatched these on my arms. The shadows were butter smooth.

Arm Swatch - Sheer Contrast 02

Arm Swatch - Geminate 04

I gave the Geminate 04 palette a test run this morning. I'm not a fan of the sponge tip applicator so I first applied the bottom left light blue colour on with MAC 239 and there was a lot of glitter fallout all over my face. I then used the sponge tip applicator and there was less fallout but the pigmentation was extremely sheer. I tried to take photos but they didn't turn out (I'm still
learning). I haven't used the Sheer Eye Contrast palette yet, but I hope the colour payoff will be better.

I love the shades and shimmer of these palettes, something you don't see from mainstream brands like MAC or NARS. But I hope I will reach for these often rather than admiring how gorgeous these are. I would say if you were fair, you can pull off Japanese makeup because they are often on the sheerer side.

All about hair extensions

2010-07-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday wasn't a good hair day for me. I have uber fine straight long hair and nothing I do seems to work. Then I was flicking through a magazine on my lunch break and noticed ads for hair extensions. Hence this post. For someone whose had them for nearly two years, I think I know a few things or two about this topic. I'm not going to go into the different systems of hair extensions and the hair types, but more about the pros and cons.

I've tried blow-drying, teasing, top knots.. nah it just ends up looking flat and sad. Then I discovered hair extensions back in 2008/09. Off I went to my nearest salon and they provided me with all the info and the price too! I didn't commit to straight a way, but after researching thoroughly and having endless bad hair days, I rang the salon back, paid a deposit and booked an appointment to get them put in.

4 hours in a chair and 100 strands of Great Lengths hair extensions later, I walked out with long thick hair just like you see on those Victoria Secret models. It really changed the way I felt about myself, it gave me more confidence and I felt more feminine. Total strangers would tell me how much they love my hair and I had no qualms in telling them that it's hair extensions and they couldn't believe it.

I loved them so much that I've had them 4 times and spent thousands of dollars on them. If you maintain them well you can get up to I would say 5-6 months. Anything after that, the extension grows out and the bonding becomes apparent. I never imagined that I would stop getting them, so why have I?

They say that hair extensions don't damage your hair whatsoever but I beg to differ. When you have them removed, it removes a strands of your own hair with it. I really noticed the difference in the volume from the first set and second set of extensions I had put in. By the time I was due for my third set of hair extensions, I was a having second thoughts about them, but I just couldn't imagine what I would look like without them. So I was happy to keep on having hair extensions put in even though I knew that it was damaging my own hair.

You also have to be prepared to maintain your hair extensions, brushing twice a day strand-by-strand to avoid matting, plaiting your hair when you sleep and exercise and washing your hair so that your extensions don't get tangled. Now you might think that's not a lot of upkeep, but after a long day at work you just don't want to stay up another 30 min to brush your hair. I've paid the price for when I was lazy not brushing and just tying my hair up haphazardly when I do gym.

I've had my last set of hair extensions removed about 3 months ago and glad to say my own hair is starting to recover. There is still a little voice in my head that keeps wanting hair extensions but I've ruled them out for the next year or so until my special day.

If anybody is considering hair extensions, I would say it's definitely an investment in terms of money and time. I would never recommend getting them put in like I did one set after another, like they say, sometimes a break can be a good thing.

Welcome Eve Lom to Australia

2010-06-28T02:28:00.000-07:00

Eve Lom has officially hit Australian shores with Mecca Cosmetica stocking this English beauty. The most coveted product in in the range is the cleanser which is packed with essential oils. The cleanser has a oil palm consistency.

To get maximum results from this cleanser you will need to follow the instructions carefully. The key is letting steam activate the essential oils in the cleanser. and then using the muslin cloth to remove the product followed by using cold water to close the pores.

The product leaves a slight oil residue on my face when I tried it at my local Mecca Cosmetica. It wasn't awful, more like hydration until the oil gets soaked into the skin. When I put foundation on after cleansing my skin, I noticed a glow and radiance that I don't find normally from any product I use to prep my skin.

The only downside with the product I feel is the jar packaging and the lengthy process.

Chanel Genial

2010-06-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

I saw Lisa Eldridge wear it on one of her recent YT videos and there has been others who have showcased it on their YT channels as well. What lipstick am I talking about? Chanel LE Rouge Allure in Genial from their Summer 2010 collection.

Genial is a pink coral lipstick and the brightness makes it a beautiful colour. This is my first bright lipstick. I was a bit hesitant when I first tried it on but I'm so glad I splurged. My partner even mentioned how vibrant the colour and beautiful the colour Genial brings to my complexion when I wore it around the house one day.