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!

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

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.

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!

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!

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?

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

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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

Project 10 Pan Round 3 Complete.

Well it took me a month to the day but Project 10 Pan Round 3 is complete -yay! I thought a nice way to send these items on their way would be to give a mini review so here we go....

Products I loved - September 2010

Obviously my list has been heavily impacted by completing Project 10 Pan this month and having to use products consistently to use them up but here are some items I used when I wasn't focused on that task...

Feeling the love for:

1. MAC Tech Foundation (yes again)
2. Milani Blush in Luminous
3. NYX Round Lipstick in Pumpkin Pie
4. Sassy Minerals Salt and Sand... perfect non-borning neutral eye colour
5. NAK surf spray

Any regrets:

No -yay!

NOTD: Color Club Wild At Heart

I know this is a blog but sometimes a picture speaks a thousand words....

Purple holographic nail polish. It's smooth to the touch and dries quickly. If you're in a rush this is opaque in 1 coat... Bliss!

Don't Blame Me..... Milani Blushes

One of the first TY people I really started to love was Emily from Beauty Broadcast. Apart from appearing to be an absolutely lovely person, what I also love about Emily is that she used almost exclusively drugstore products. Over the past year or two I've watched as she has purchased some more high end items but when I first started she was MY guru of the good and cheap drugstore products.

Every product I have tried on her recommendation is a winner (she'll feature in this series frequently)... if you are not watching her vids then where have you been.... and click on this link now!

One item I have seen her use and rave about is Milani's blush in Mai Tai so of course I had to get one... and I love it. Since then I have also added Luminous to my collection which is now my daily go to blush.

What's coming up....

 Just a quick post to say what I have planned in the near future...

1. Don't Blame Me review for Milani Blush
2. Round up of Project 10 Pan round 3
3. What I loved in September
4. Trial or Error review on my first 5 fragrances by Wyldeivy
5. Don't Blame Me review for MAC MSF in By Candlelight
6. Trial or Error review for Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto Heaven

 Hope you'll enjoy reading some if not all of these items as they get posted.

I'm off to enjoy some more of the last long weekend before Christmas :)

And now for some love...

After writing such a negative (and sadly honest) review last time I wanted to switch gears and write something positive instead. There is no more deserving  topic I can think of apart from a rave about good old fashioned customer service.

I have always worked in customer service industries and have no time for people who a) do not listen to customers and b) are more focused on their processes than what is best for the customer. So I guess that makes me hyper aware of how deficient some stores are in providing good customer service... anyway I'm in danger of rambling here so let's get on with it...