Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Christmas wishes and a time out!

image from Dreamstime free

Hello lovelies. Things will be a bit quiet here this week as my husband and I are undertaking some home improvements before Christmas.... painting rooms and assembling new furniture... oh yeah my back is going to be sore lol.

I would have done a quick NOTD of China Glaze's Flying High but I already have paint all over it :(

Anyway I'll be back when I can but I just wanted to wish all of you (who celebrate Christmas) a Merry Christmas in case I am not back before December 25... It's only 4 more sleeps so have a great one!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

NOTD: China Glaze's Frosty

So this is the last of the colours I originally purchased from China Glaze's 'Tis the season 2010 Christmas Collection. Frosty made me feel a little 'bridal' when I put it on and to be honest on first impression I kind of regretted getting it. Then I noticed the micro fine shimmer and we became instant friends.

Even at 2 coats this is not opaque - as you can see in the photo - but I kind of like the finish. I have nothing else even remotely like frosty and it looks like a lot of people agreed that this is something special as it is sold out on Head2toe currently.


I really recommend looking around at the swatches of this colour - it is definitely shimmery but my camera and lack of sunlight haven't done it justice.

Now for all the boring stuff - this polish applied like a dream, pictured polish is 2 coats in natural outside light (no direct sunlight today).

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Long Time Coming...

When we first purchased our home, the husband and I had grand plans. Well recently we had one of our built in wardrobes replaced and it ended up being a heap of work because behind the existing built in was wallpaper and multiple layers of paint. I thought the easiest way to show you this one is through the pics from the old to the new....

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Finally! Ulta3 Nail Polish in Adelaide

Ever since I saw some gorgeous NOTDs on Lovely Gangster's blog using Ulta3 Nail Polish I have been searching random locations in Adelaide trying to buy some of my own and today I hit jackpot at Chemistworks Ingle Farm.

Ulta3 polishes come in a great range of colours and seem to be stocked at random chemists across the country. The bin I found today had a reasonable selection of colours (including glitters, top coats and the very trendy cocoa bean colour) and all for the low price of $2. I picked up 6 to try out - yes I know I have a problem - I purchased Sweet Violet, Waterlily, Elegant Mauve, Earth, Envy and Jelly Bean.

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary so we are heading off in a couple of hours to stay somewhere nice but when I get back home I'll be sure to do some tip swatches at least :)

EDIT: Can I also recommend looking at More Nail Polish as well. There are just heaps of Ulta3 swatches there.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday, December 10, 2010

NOTD: China Glaze's Mistletoe Kisses


This lovely polish is another gem from China Glaze's Christmas Collection for 2010. I have to say it again - China Glaze have totally outdone themseleves. So far I have tested 2 of the 3 I purchased and  they have both gone straight to the pool room!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

OMG...now this is a HAUL...

I think I mentioned previously that one of my makeup BFF's Steggers was headed to the US... and had kindly agreed to become a personal shopper for me and my enormous list of wants.
Well yesterday the lovely Steggers, Dee and I had a lunch where we all shared our latest hauls... and Steggers handed over all of my stuff as well. Now for the scary pics...

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Don't Blame Me: Wet and Wild Part 3

To view Part 1 click here
To view Part 2 click here

Wow... when I first started this I really didn't realise how much WnW I had....and the items in this post have only been purchased recently. If there are any major quality issues that emerge (highly unlikely given I haven't had any issues with this range so far) I'll be sure to edit this post.

Color Icon Eyeshadow (Price: $2.00)

Pictured above are Penny and Sugar.

For those who haven't read the previous posts, the Color Icon range is the newish bit of the wet n wild range. These shadows are soft and easily blendable. Both colours are well pigmented and have shimmer as you can see below...


Penny has been widely discussed as a dupe for Expensive Pink and you can check out a comparison on Dee's blog Miss Prissypants. I have both colours as well and have to say they are pretty damn close.

I'm pretty happy with the quality of thses so I'll probably check out more colours... like Nutty and Brulee. The colour range isn't big with only 7 colours and the quality might be questionable for the purple colour Kitten which Dee also owns. I would probably recommend NYX Singles over these as an eye shadow range... but they are also almost twice the price.


Mega Last Lip Color (Price: $3.00)

Colours shown are 903C Just Peachy and 900B Pink Suga'

Top is Pink Suga', Bottom is Just Peachy

I love a long wearing lip colour but often find the formulas very drying. These feel creamy and definitely last longer than the Silky Finish lipsticks. There are 18 colours in the range and according to the company these are "highly pigmented and long-lasting lipstick that delivers rich hues in semi-matte, crème finish in one stroke. Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color has a velvety texture that glides on smooth." I definitely agree these are very pigmented and they do look creamy once applied. Not a HG lip product but er hello they are only $3.

So FINALLY... I have come to the end of my wet n wild items...and it seems appropriate to recommend my must haves for the range (that I have tried so far). The eyeshadow trio in Walking on Eggshells is a must have for me as is the Mega Glo in Catwalk Pink. Apart from that I really think there is little to lose with experimenting :)

Don't Blame Me: Wet and Wild Part 2 (pic heavy)


This is the second part of my Wet n Wild Overview.... To view part one click here.

Color Icon Eye Shadow Trios (Price $3.00)




I have the Trio called Walking on Eggshells and it has to be one of my favourite eye shadow palettes. I mean look at the bottom colour alone in that swatch... I would pay anything for a colour as creamy and gorgeous as that. This is a fool proof neutral eye palette to match with the best on offer. I am often found wearing either this palette or colours from it being a lover of all things neutral. These palettes come in 6 different combinations with great looking greens and purples. If you try nothing else from this brand please please try this palette...

Monday, December 6, 2010

NOTD: China Glaze's Sugar Plums


 Recently I ordered a couple of polishes from China Glaze's Christmas Collection ('Tis the Season to be naughty & nice) - Mistletoe Kisses, Frosty and Sugar Plums. Sugar Plums is the first one I have tried and I love it!

Now normally this isn't my kind of colour being a dark polish but I have to say I have not been this impressed with a polish in quite some time. This is a gorgeous maroon/burgundy polish with the most fine rainbow shimmer particles in it. At a quick glance it is a stock standard pretty burgundy and on closer inspection it has hidden treasures. I have included a flash photo below to show you what I mean....

Can you see the shimmer.... OMG it is GORGEOUS. Not only that but this polish is opaque in 1 coat and dries in a flash. These pics have been taken on day four... so you know it's also reasonably chip resistant.

All pictures are shown with 2 coats and 1 coat of top coat (seche vite).

Clearly a lot of people have their eye on this colour as it is already gone from head2toe (as is Frosty)... but you can still get it from Nailsetc but I'd be quick if I were you.

EDIT: I think I enabled myself because right after posting this I went to Head2Toe and purchased a holiday pack with another 4 colours in it. lol

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Where is Jac?

Hello my darlings (in my best Pinkiecharm voice - does anyone else love her as much as I do???)

I have not given up blogging... I have too much to say about my makeup and not enough ears around me to listen for that lol. My hubby and I have been doing a bit of renovation work the last couple of weeks and that has left me too tired (and sore cos I am getting old) to blog. I'm not even going to mention how awful my hands look after sanding. SAD FACE. However I can't wait to share some pics with you once done.

Anyway I have a tonne of stuff coming that I want to post about- some Tartan Tale items I just had to get, a drugstore haul, my new essie and China Glaze Christmas collection nail polishes (I'll do a NOTD for sugar plums but run don't walk to get that colour), a review on a couple of moisturisers that I am lost without and I am currently road testing Opulash...

Anyway in the meantime I am trying to at least keep up with my reading of blogs and commenting when I can. Hope this post finds you happy and well.

And has anyone started Christmas shopping yet? GULP... I have not. Eeeek....!

Jac x

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

NOTD: China Glaze Yee-Haw!

I couldn't leave my last NOTD up there any longer. Truly it made me so sad as Color Club is one of my favourite nail brands. In any case I had another pretty one up my sleeve and a happier story as well.

Meet Yee-Haw! from China Glaze's Rodeo Diva Collection - and may I add this was a rippa of a collection as well. Yee-Haw! is a gorgeous metallic golden colour. I have seen this one described as 'peachy' but I don't get the pink although clearly this is not a straight metallic gold either.  I have included another photo to show the colour better -

 This is 2 coats, no top coat and in natural sunlight. This colour applies beautifully, lasts for days and dries quickly. I absolutely love the finish and cannot wait to have this on my nails again.

NOTD: Color Club Untamed Luxury


Oh I wanted to love this colour so much but it's a disaster. This is two coats and is not completely opaque. Three coats just makes it feel unbearably thick on my nails. The glitter is patchy and it chipped the Next DAY.

Maybe I got a bad bottle but this polish does not work for me AT ALL... I'm off now to go and sob quietly and mourn the loss of what I had hoped would be a HG polish.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

NOTD: China Glaze Rated Holographic


About the only thing I have had the energy to do while being grounded with this nasty infection is my nails... so expect a few NOTD posts to come this week... and they are also my favourite because my hands look ok even when my eyes are all bloodshot and my nose is red.... ewwwwww....lol

May I present China Glaze's Rated Holographic. This is a gorgeous polish...and one of my first from China Glaze. It has a very subtle pink holographic base that dries quickly. The finish is also completely smooth so if you don't want to use a top coat this wont catch on anything. This normally lasts between 3-4 days on my hands without chipping but even a slight chip would be very hard to see on this little baby.


This picture is taken in sunlight without any top coat.

Pretty Pretty.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Don't Blame Me: Wet and Wild Part 1 (pic heavy)


When I first started to really embrace my beauty obsession I went on the hunt for some YT gurus to tell me what was what. One of the first I found and ultimately my favourite is Emilynoel. Her videos are very well presented and I find her reviews to be extremely accurate. I have purchased on her recommendation several times finding that if she likes something then it is highly likely that I will like it as well.... such as the EOS Lip Balm, Milani Blushes and Wet n Wild.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

I'm Smitten - a LUSH review


I should start this by saying I have dry skin and I feel it makes my hands look much older than they are. So while I was in LUSH the other day madly smelling everything I could get my nose near, I decided to give one of their hand creams a go. I'm not sure why I picked Smitten.... apart from it's description...

Chamomile, beeswax and coconut oil all go into our fabulously popular marzipan-scented hand cream. All you need is a small dab of this unctuous lotion to completely nourish your hands.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Sigh... germs have taken hold


 Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posting but germs have invaded... and I think so far they are winning the war lol. I have a couple of posts I am working on so hopefully back up and running soon... until then think pretty thoughts...I'm crawling back into bed.

Don't you just love these pics as well? lol

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Don't Blame Me: Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes



I'd been eyeing off Sleek eyeshadow palettes since I saw the brand mentioned in a Pixiewoo video but I really wasn't tempted to purchase until I saw them in real life when Makeup BFF Dee let me put my paws all over hers. Well that was the end of it... within days I had made my own purchase of the sleek palettes. I ordered 3 palettes in Original, Storm and Sunset - although they look the same on top they are really well labelled on their bottom sides.


So let's have a look at each of these little lovelies....

Monday, November 1, 2010

October Favourites


I'm trying something a little different this month by listing my favourite items by category...

Foundation: MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation (NW20)
Powder: MAC MSF Natural (Medium)
Eyeshadow: All that Glitters - fab all over lid colour that isn't boring
Mascara: Lancome Hypnoise - brilliant for sensitive eyes and so light I forget I have it on!
Blush: Milani Blush in Luminous
Lipstick/Product: MAC lipstick in Politely Pink (Lustre)
Skincare: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Night Renewal Cream
Hair: LUSH Big Shampoo
Perfume: I kept reaching for Burberry Brit Sheer this month
Other: I got right back into LUSH this month and rediscovered an unopened bottle of Snow Fairy. This is a LE Christmas product from LUSH and is an OTT sweet shower gel that somehow is OTT sweet without being sickly.

BTW Snow Fairy is back in stores now...YAY!

What were your favourites of the month?

Friday, October 29, 2010

NOTD: Eyeko Lilac Nail Polish

Let me introduce you to Eyeko's Lilac Nail Polish. I got this polish as part of the Cult Classics collection... if you want to learn more about collection that check out this post

Now because I took this so late in the day the only place in the sun was in the backyard in front of our offensively yellow painted brick wall... previous owners please don't blame us...so this colour has been washed out a little... think slightly amped up but still the same shade.

This pic was taken after 2 coats without any top coat.How gorgeous does it look!

I am currently looking also getting more of these in the colours rain, coral and posh (although those kinds of shades usually do nothing for my skin tone).
If you are interested in Eyeko... get yours from here

Edit: This polish lasted 5 days, with no top coat and I only have minor chipping on the edge of my nails. I am so impressed!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

My Sassy Minerals Eye shadows

I am a big fan of mineral makeup with Sassy Minerals and Everyday Minerals being 2 of my favourite brands. However I am mindful that sometimes mineral eye shadows can be a little... well... boring. Well Sassy minerals turned that on it's head with their eye candies... have a look at these lovelies:

All pictures were taken without a primer in sunlight (yay Spring is here)

 From Left to Right: Legendary, Pixie Sprinkles, Fire Cracker, Deviant and Logical Choice


Monday, October 25, 2010

Eyeko Nail Polish - The Cult Classics and Vampira.

This week has been a bit up and down for me. Great because I got the job I worked hard to get (Go Team!), good because all my parcels came this week (oh except for my Essie order... next week hopefully) and then bad because I am stuck finishing a project that will never end and I am feeling my energy to get it done just drain away.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Uban Decay Ammo Palette Swatches

I mentioned finally getting my hands on an Ammo palette here but didn't have a chance to get swatches done at the same time. Well here they are for those who are interested...





EOS Lip balm: smooth sphere in honeysuckle honeydew

Image sourced from here

Let me start by saying I love a gimmick and when I saw a round lip balm in a honeysuckle honeydew scent, I knew I must have one for my very own. I ordered mine from ebay paying approximately $10USD including shipping.

And the verdict is... this is probably the best lip balm I have ever used. It is 95% Organic, very moisturising (it contains Shea butter and vitamin E) and the scent is amasing. The condition of my lips has vastly improved since I started using this - I use mine at night before going to bed - although given half a chance I would probably be found smearing this on my lips all day lol.

I really like the design as well although I'm not sure how much of the dome is lip product but I guess eventually I'll find out. The lid screws on tightly making it secure to carry in your bag. They come in honeysuckle honeydew, summer fruit, sweet mint, lemon drop and medicated tangerine flavours.

I must get my hands on more!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Look what fell into my letter box today....

um this came about a week ago but I forgot to post this update....my bad lol

Urban decay's Ammo Palette. Swatches and more to come later...




Extra extra... read all about it....

Priceline sale on all cosmetics.... 20% off all brands 27th and 28th October... stock up peeps!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Trial and Error: Another week (and a bit) with Wylde Ivy


If you read my previous post about Etsy store Wylde Ivy it would be pretty clear that I am a fan. A huge fan in fact and I think everyone needs to jump on board because these scents are lovely. So let's begin another week of samples shall we...

In the post...


It's been a good week for parcels at my house... I've had 3 sleek palettes arrive, my nail wheels (sadly I thought I needed these because I have so many polishes and finally today my Wylde Ivy order came containing my full size must haves, another 10 samples and the Halloween sample set. Oops.

Is it wrong that I also have a parcel notice saying there is another one waiting for me at the Post Office....my bad lol

What are you waiting on?

My favourite foundation combo


So right now I am loving my MAC Studio Sculpt SPF15 Foundation (NW20) with my Minseralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium. Alone they are ok but together they are bliss giving me a really healthy glow and colour.

I should also say I have spent most of my life asking if companies have anything paler than their lightest shades so not being the lightest in either the studio sculpt or MSF is quite freaky.

I don't hear a lot of love for studio sculpt foundation and I have no idea why... if you haven't tried it...at least consider it next time you are on the hunt for a new foundation. It has SPF and gives the skin a really nice healthy glow... I would say the the coverage is medium.

Have you tried this one before? What did you think?

Monday, October 18, 2010

NOTD: Color Club's Pucci-licious

I heart this polish. 

I discovered Color Club after pouring over swatches on Scrangie - my favourite nail polish blog. Before that I was sold on China Glaze. I find her reviews extremely honest and her pictures of colours very accurate so when she gave a rave to CC I decided to give them a go.

As for Pucci-licious this was released in CC's Poptastic Collection. I found it difficult to find swatches of this entire collection but decided to give it a go based on colour and name. And I love this formula it is perfect....it's easy enough to maneuver around around the nail without being runny, it's very forgiving and I think everyone should start with CC the first time they paint their nails.

This isn't quite a neon but it is a fierce purple all the same. This is a creme - not an ounce of shimmer here and it is soooooo not required to make this a hot colour. It is a blue based purple that I think is very flattering in tone and lasted without chipping despite me spending an afternoon assembling IKEA bookcases. This colour was opaque in 1 coat but this pic above is after two coats without any topcoat.

This company is pretty much a 10/10 for me. I get mine from here

A little polish haul

From left to right: Color club polishes in Pucci-licious, Tru Passion, 
Peppermint Twist, Untamed Luxury and essie Turquoise & Caicos

Recently I mentioned that I had a little nail polish haul and here it is. I wanted to try some brighter and lighter coloured polishes now that the weather is getting warmer again. Sorry for the dark pic above, I only recently found the right settings for my camera to take such close up shots. I'll post NOTD pics as I get around to using them.

Here is my NOTD in essie's Turquoise & Caicos

Sunday, October 17, 2010

MAC Venomous Villians

Let me start by saying I spent plenty... but I could have spent a FORTUNE. By now I think we have seen lots of pics of these products everywhere but I just had to share my couple of new pretties.

Let me present, from the Evil Queen section, Beauty Powder in Oh So Fair





And from Dr Facilier, a lipgelee in Resort Life.

 




From left to right: Resort Life and Oh so fair

Resort life has been on my must have list for a while and I love it! Oh so fair is gorgeous but I fear it may suffer from my "don't want to use it cos I can't replace it" illness where I deny myself use of my favourite things because I can't replace them. lol

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Trial and Error: A week with Wylde Ivy



I recently ordered a 10 sample pack from Etsy seller Wylde Ivy (I blame Stef of the Lip Print who reviewed a couple of their scents on her perfume blog Girl with the Curious Nose). Let me start by saying this is going to be a rave...yay..... because I love love love these scents and the lovely owner Ashlee has been an absolute delight.


Monday, October 11, 2010

NOTD: Essie Turquoise & Caicos


So yesterday it was sunny (as you can see) and my poor old CG polish had lasted a week so I went from Blue Island Iced Tea to my first (and only) Essie shade Turquoise & Caicos. 

This is truly an odd shade... I purchased it because all the swatches showed it was a blue-green... and I guess compared to something like the grass in the background... but honestly it's not. I spent the first couple of hours trying to work out if I actually liked it or not. I think I do... it's certainly unique.

In the past I have been put off Essie by stories of good and bad essie... and the price. I'll be honest if I can get a $2.99US bottle of china Glaze or a $2.75US bottle of color Club why would I pay $8US for Essie... well look at the colour. I had to try it right?

For reference this is 3 coats, and is still not 100% opaque. This quality and finish on the nail polish is absolutely fine... I wouldn't want it to be the first nail polish I've ever used but it was very workable. The brush was fine... no issues with me... but I did find the drying time a little longer than CG or CC.

I am undecided on this one.. let's see how resistant it is to chipping (I have a top coat on now as well).

BTW... I just ordered a set from Eyeko which has been on my mind for a while so when they come in I'll share..and I just had a small haul of Color Club which I will share pics of soon (this polish was part of that haul so don't get too excited lol).

Sunday, October 10, 2010

NOTD: China Glaze Blue Island Iced Tea


 This shade was  released with Bahama Blues Collection. For me this is the perfect blue - not too dark but not so light as to make it unflattering and with subtle sparkle to finish it off. This is with 3 coats and a top coat.

Unfortunately when I took took this shot it was light but not sunny so you'll have to take my word on the sparkle. I would also say this is not the easiest shade to apply as it is a little runny but it dries quickly to a smooth finish (and given the colour) all is forgiven.

Love it! I got mine for $2.99USD here.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Don't Blame me: MAC Mineralize SkinFinish

So the lovely Stef of The Lip Print shared some pics of her MAC Mineralize SkinFinish in the shade By Candlelight and I knew I must have one for my very own. Insert pretty photo now....



My DJ MAC lady Miska said this is a luminising blusher... but because I am so pale... and I don't fancy looking like I have been smacked on my cheeks... I can get away with this one on it's own. And now for a swatch shot...



Oh pretty!

At $46 AUD these are not cheap but oh this is such a lovely product and will last FOREVER.

How could I resist?

Although (insert SAD FACE) I could not spot it on the MAC Australia website now... so you may have to keep your eyes open for the next time this is available.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Some extra things I finished along the way on P10P

There were a number of items I completed which I ruled ineligible to be included in Project 10 Pan round 3. So here are some thoughts on these things as well...


John Frieda Collection Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner
Well this was my first experience with John Frieda things and I have to say I am not impressed. These cost me around $17 a bottle (stupidly I picked them up at a supermarket). I find volumising products will most commonly do 1 of 2 things to my fine hair - make it greasy with build up or make it dry. This product managed to do both... I had greasy roots and dry ends... not my most pretty look. I wont repurchase.


Klorane dry shampoo
Ah it's ok as far as dry shampoos go but I wouldn't want to use it if I had dark hair.Hmmm... how to best summarise... it's a perfectly functional dry shampoo so if you want to try one this is a nice place to start. I am pretty sure there is no smell which is good for a hair product if you ask me. I am interested to try Tressemme's one that has finally hit our shores.


Burberry Sheer Brit sample
LOVE LOVE LOVE...I purchased a full size... enough said.... a full review by me can be found here

Max Factor False Last Effect Mascara
 Love this stuff. It's the only one of the fat brush mascaras (think Lash Blast Brush) that didn't end up all over my lids. I remember the first time I wore this makeup BFF and Blogger Dee said she thought I had false lashes on when I was walking toward her from a distance. I'm not sure I'll purchase again because I am not sure I like this style of brush... but of it's kind this one stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Dermalogica Soothing Protection Spray
My review on this product can be found here