miss kitty charms

tutorial time: glitter and grit nails

2012-01-31T15:33:00.001+10:30

So freakin easy and looks awesome too. This is my nail of the week! Hit it for a text tut and more photos.

Start with a base coat to protect the nail and apply one coat of Butter London Pink Ribbon to even out the nail colour. Any kind of sheer pink will do, but this is my favourite (does anyone know where I can get it after the company pulled out of National Pharmacies though???)

Start applying Zoya Trixie from the tip of the nail and work your way down, applying like you're a 5 year old on crack. With any luck you should get little silver grungy scrapey bits instead of a nice fade. I like Trixie for this because it's pretty much just a ton of tiny silver glitter, so if you start running out of polish it doesn't look sheered out or anything.

Then with MAC Unconditionally Fabulous, sweep it over the top of the silver. Make sure you get it a bit past it too, make it look like it's fading out. Finish with a top coat and you're done! You can do this with whatever colours, glitters etc you want. xo

Vitamin Me- the most important vitamin of all!

2012-01-28T23:46:00.003+10:30

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is for Nuffnang and Tourism Queensland. This is NOT a paid advertorial, but a competition entry… but who can blame me for wanting the prize LOL. Lots of pretty pics though, beauty advice too!

I’m guessing that all of you readers, if not most, are beauty junkies like me. Therefore we all know that beauty-full vitamins are very important for your health and wellbeing! Take for example some better known vitamins… (time to put on my serious teacher glasses)

Vitamin D, found in sunshine! Produced by our own bodies, it helps with calcium reabsorption, which helps with strong bones and teeth! Also it helps with weight loss so just change your diet a little bit and stay in the sun a little longer and you may lose weight a lot easier and feel better about yourself when at the beach hahaha.

Don’t forget to stay sun safe though and slip slop slap. Sun is bright, put on your sunnies!

Vitamin A, which is found in milk, eggs and dark orange/green fruits and veg (such as carrots of course). It’s a helping hand to cell rejuvenation and your eyesight as well as being great for acne (why didn’t I know about this 5 years ago?)

You can also use your eggs as a ghetto beauty mask to tighten pores! Brush the whites all over your face, or just use your fingers, and let it tighten. While you’re waiting, Google some recipes for using up the egg yolk because that’s where all the good stuff is. Also you’ll get a lot of custard recipes I warn you in advance. Wash off the mask after 10 mins or so.

Vitamin C, where C is for collagen for skin plumping power! Everyone hails oranges and other citrus as the Vitamin C superfood but I much prefer strawberries. Much yummier! Sadly our strawberries have not grown yet so here's lemon and lime. The rest of my family, my dad and brother mainly, seem to like getting their C from chili padi. Why eat something that causes your mouth pain though??? By the way you can also get your daily dose from this link.
(Just kidding all you get is your daily dose of sad nostalgia if you are roughly my age.)

But even after all these natural vitamin boosts, I find I’m still feeling a little worn out and missing something. And that something is the most important vitamin of all… Vitamin ME!!! The ultimate feelgood vitamin, best attained by experiencing exciting adventures, soaking up some arts and culture, consuming delicious food and wine, or enjoying some beautiful scenery and wildlife… But where can we find it? How would I raise my levels of Vitamin Me?

We have to jet set out of Adelaide of course… right up to the Sunshine State, Queensland, the richest source of Vitamin Me! Of course by my logic you have to make sure you get your daily dosage, so VM levels are measured in something I will name Q… To find out why I’ve been feeling so blah, I started to analyse and the levels of Q in everything I’ve been doing.

Drinking sad goon-esque mojitos while responding to work emails- 5Q. -______-
Does nothing but leave you feeling very sad and lonely but scored some points because mojitos are my fave. Very busy too!

Drinking real mojitos (and other cocktails!) with my friends at somewhere like Picture Lounge Bar at Surfer’s Paradise- 150Q!!! Swanky right? I love classy décor like this! Get dressed up and everything for maximum girly. Bonus: also upping Vitamin C levels because of lime in drinks LOL

Staying at home with fan on full blast and sticking to unfortunately leather couch- 10Q (gained Q for couch being leather and feeling important, then lost some for gross leather stickiness in hot weather)

How about trade that in for luxury 5 star resort at Hervey Bay? Ideally staying isomewhere with a stunning ocean view with bath spas and gigantic comfy beds. Much nicer right? Surely this would raise you up 600Q, minimum! Power to your beauty sleep!

Repeatedly checking fridge throughout the day and lowering standards every time- 12Q maybe, because eventually something will be eaten. Maybe one day I will find out the frozen apricot chicken is better than I thought.

Compare that to meals made with fresh Queensland produce. I love food and I’m still reading food blogs at 2 am in the morning what the. Just thinking of fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables and tender beef makes me so hungry. I don’t eat seafood but I’m sure that Tom would be more than happy to indulge in my share (as repayment I will take all his beef thank you thank you) Nom nom nom 400Q thank you! Boosting vitamins A and C too!

Speaking of Tom, I decided to give him a quick call. I already thought of ways to up my Vitamin Me, but all this is no fun without him too. (Seeing Tom is already lots of Q, but we have to boost our levels together, right? We’re a package deal now hahaha)

What would he do for his intake of Vitamin Me?

Instead of going down to Glenelg like always (40Q because now it’s gotten boring… but scenery is ok)

Going UP to Airlie Beach and relaxing all day. Looking at the serene blue waters, drinking more cocktails and going for a refreshing swim is surely at least 700Q. Vitamin D levels also boosted because I’m sure there’s nothing like the Queensland sun!

Rather than driving around town ~~with the girl I love~~ in his car (25Q only, if we have no errands to run because there's nowhere we havent seen!)

…driving around in a dune buggy like the adrenaline junkie he is! Vrrrrrrrrrrm vr vrrrrrm 600Q for him (-100Q for me I’d be too scared!)

What have we gotten our Vitamin Me levels up to…?

Average day at home:

5 + 10 + 12 + 40 + 25 =

92Q.

Eh… we can do much better!

Soaking up the scenery, om nom nomming on delicious food and taking it easy (with the occasional adrenaline rush) on holiday in Queensland:

150 + 600 + 400 + 700 + 600 =

2450Q!!!

Maybe I should go shopping too. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of retail therapy, right?

We need to go on holiday! Help us, Nuffnang and Queensland! We’re daydreaming of all the things we could do with a $5000 holiday… Help us!
The only problem is that I wanna live the high life while my boy wants adventure… hopefully we can schedule out how to make us both delighted on this trip.

How would YOU boost your Vitamin Me?

oblig cny post

2012-01-23T21:31:00.003+10:30

happy dragon year everybody! xo YES YES ITS VERY LATE IN THE DAY LOL it takes like forever to upload vids on my shitternet.

bleaching hair adventure time with dariya palty mecha flash bleach sparkling blonde (review)

2012-01-22T19:50:00.001+10:30

First, a disclaimer. This is not a very helpful tutorial but it's not bad for a review but it has more pictures of my face than normal... also if the eyelashes look off or inconsistent in pics its because I cbf putting on mascara or falsies so all lashes are just photoshopped LOL. Also mega vanity post.
The picture at the top is actually my hair after I'd already bleached it once (still with the same Palty bleach in this post) and left it in for 1 hr. If you wanna see what my hair looked like before any bleaching at all just go back here.

Even though I left it on for that long it only took my hair from black to what the back of the box said it would be at 15 min u___u wtf fail. That's why I had to spend more money and buy yet more bleach.

This is what I was hoping for. The good thing about Palty is that it doesn't take very long to actually bleach the hair, first time I actually applied the bleach it only took 10 mins to see a noticeable colour change which I am very impressed about. The Fudge powder bleach I usually use needs to sit and process for about 3 hours to get the same colour Palty acheived in one (although colour change kind of stopped dead at 45 mins, I just kept it on in the hopes that it would do more).

Instructions are fairly self explanatory even though they are in Japanese. Pour powder into bottle of mysterious water and shake, then add the developer cream and shake again. I did this originally but found that I needed to use 2 packs to cover all of my hair since a lot of the product got stuck on the sides of the bottle, so this time I just dumped all the contecnts in a bowl and mixed em myself.

The consistency is quite thin though so if you're using a bowl like me you kind of have to get a bit creative in getting the bleach on your head. Pouring from the bowl is just stupid and messy and using a brushy comby thingy (that's the technical term) is near pointless because it all just runs off and nothing gets on your hair in the end. I found that the best way to go about things is to dip your gloved fingers in and quickly rub your hair and try not to drip bleach everywhere.

In the end you should get something like this. Whack on the included shower cap and leave for however long you want (I kept it on for an hour like last time) hey look no shopped lashes. The results?

Still not as bright pale blonde as I wanted...

...this is how I wanted it to turn out. These are the bits which were previously (professionally) bleached and have lightened quite a bit.

Also for your viewing enjoyment: my blue fail. Since I didn't have any toner to fix up the pre-bleached bits I decided to get all Macgyver on this and mixed some blue hair dye into conditioner. Well it GRABBED and now I have a patch of pastel blue hair. That's actually the colour I was going to turn it into after going blonde all over, but it looks so yuck next to almost orange blonde! Blue should be good though and at least I know it's possible now haha.

PS again: I like how it looks with a beige hat. Here's the one photo taken of blondie that wasn't from today Also wtf Jules and his face

jill stuart nail lacquer in #24 romantic gem review, swatches

2012-01-21T20:47:00.000+10:30

This is the most expensive nail polish I've bought. I admit I don't actually know how much it is because I bought many other things at the same time but the shop assistants were like "Oh that blush is $100" when i was asking about Jill Stuart cosmetics so nope nope nope not rich and can probably buy off internet for cheaper goodbye. But then I saw this, nail polish cannot be shipped from overseas because the mail carriers are super paranoid that it will explode/catch on fire/stab everyone wtf. But the point I was getting to is that Jill Stuart = ouch for my wallet *end story*

Okay just look at the pictures this nail polish is PERFECTION WHAT OMG AHHHHH soft warm medium pink jelly with such crazy multicolour opalescent sparkle (!!!!!!!)

SERIOUSLY LOOK OMG

Thankfully the formula and brush and bottle (more !!!) are well worth it. I wore it with top coat on one hand and without on the other and both hands fared the same after 5 days. Minor chipping and tip wear only, and the hand without topcoat was my right! Unfair advantage to my left right? If it did chip it was in such tiny chunks it didn't matter and not ridiculously huge like normal!

Sadly because it has quite a bit of glitter in it it's a bit of a pain to remove and the formula STICKS to the nail! I tried but failed in using my usual glitter removal method of just peeling off in the shower but it came off ok with remover.

Not quite perfect in 3 coats but looks heavenly at 4.

ok one last picture that can probably be used as a wallpaper. super big!

nutrimetics marble rouge in jupiter review, swatches

2012-01-20T22:39:00.002+10:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by Nutrimetics. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

Not gonna lie, after I dug this out of the goodie bag I stared, confused. What is it? It says rouge, but... so much shimmer. It's too similar to my skin tone, how can I make this work?

Jupiter is a shimmering marble of golds and bronzes, presented in two halves.

Although rouge generally tends to mean blush, I found this works better as a highlighter, dusted on top of cheekbones. As mentioned before... this is shimmery, especially the left side. And even though you all know I like my highlighters borderline metallic, the colour itself is too deep to highlight drastically.

Hmmm...

I found a use for it by dusting it first on the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, chin and forehead, then using what's left on the brush all over, a la Benefit One Hot Minute. That's the glowy ticket. It stayed on my cheeks for about 4 hours last I tested it, but I apply cheek colours while my foundation is still slightly tacky. It's pretty hot as an eyeshadow too...

Left side, right side, swirled together.

I also wore it on my eyes here (see if you can spot it on the lid amongst the smokey blacks)

tutorial time: what i wore to the dresden dolls

2012-01-14T22:10:00.001+10:30

Rowan creepin' in the background

I was thinking about doing this as a FOTD but nah. Especially since I got compliments all night woo woo I'm so proud~!
This is also kinda-sorta how to get your makeup to STAY ON because it all looked fine at the end of the day... that being one in the morning and I had this on and done by 10:30am A+ FOR LONGEVITY

tutorial get!

FACE: I started with moisturiser and a tiny dab of Inglot Under Makeup Base (great for absorbing oil, but hell for my skin if I use it for a week.) Foundation was a combination of Laura Mercier Creme Smooth and Illamasqua Rich Liquid applied all over with a MAC 130. For cheeks, I used Illamasqua Ambition blended from the hollows upward, Guerlain Parure de Nuit on the apple with Benefit Hoola to contour and Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether to highlight. Set with TonyMoly Pocket Bunny Moist Mist, pressed in with fingertips and a dusting of Guerlain Perles de Nuit for that airbrushed look

LIPS: Lip balm, a thin layer of Lime Crime Coquette to blank out lip colour, then Hello Kitty Violetta on top.

EYES: Prep with Lime Crime Candy Eyed Eyeshadow Helper and pack Sugarpill Tako all over from lashline to browbone. Using Sugarpill Poison Plum on an angle brush, draw a line along the socket/crease and wing the outer end upwards.

Lightly apply Sugarpill Dollipop from the cut upwards, blending into Tako, then repeat with Poison Plum, concentrating colour on the outer corner. Foil Sugarpill Lumi all over the lid (underneath the cut crease) with Inglot Duraline, then line with Stila Smudge Stick in Stingray and seal with MUFE Aqua Liner #14. (Ok, I admit I didn't foil Lumi in the close up pics, just dusted it on. Foiling was a last minute decision so I was doing my makeup while Tom was outside haha fail)

(I had to use eyelid glue on one eye because when I applied falsies the other turned into a double lid fml)

Wing Poison Plum from the outer third of lower lashline upwards to connect with the top wing, then apply Dollipop along the middle third of the lashline, roughly across the length or the iris and smudge straight downwards. Define eyebrows with Benefit Brow Zings, apply Illamasqua Debonair on the waterline (if you want, that is not going to last the whole day at all) and coat lashes liberally with Benefit They're Real! Full fake lashes on top and we're good to go. Lenses are Fynale Aurora Violet, now discontinued.. Finish whole face with a good layer of MUFE Mist + Fix and hairspray from spraying the fringe in place.

OOTD: Bolero by Tentacle Threads. Corset by Quirky Stylin. Purse by 6%DOKIDOKI. Bra, boots and suspender stockings from various brands in Myer.

And for gloating purposes hahahaha :/

dolly wink false eyelashes in no.2 sweet girly review, photos

2012-01-14T00:29:00.000+10:30

Okay, so. I love false eyelashes. I love Tsubasa Masuwaka's bambi lens series. Japanese gyaru makeup is pretty damn cool too. See where I'm going?
Yup, the inevitable foray into the famed DollyWink lash series. As a self proclaimed eBay-lash addict, $22.95 wasn't easy to hand over for 2 sets.

Was it worth it?
Kind of. Uh, actually no, not really. No. While the lash hairs themselves are really nice, fine and soft, the design is cute and the lash band is clear and flexible, there is one thing that majorly spoils these lashes.

It's not the lash band sticking out in pokey annoyingness on either end, which is a tiny potential dealbreaker because you have to go through the trouble of trimming both corners and not just the outer one. That, I can deal with becaise I have to do the same to my craptacular $1 lashes.

It is the stupid, fat globs of glue that sit on the band and ruin everything because they're stupid and unnecessary and they're high end eyelashes so why do they have such big blobs of glue??? This renders the lash band completely uneven and adds random hard bits which make them less comfortable to wear, not to mention causing stupid white blobs on the lashline when worn.

I coloured them in with liquid liner since I wore them to work, but still. This is how they look on. I wouldn't recommend them with puffy monolids as they're so long and droopy/heavy that they hooded over my whole eye haha! Hence the double eyelid sticker but if you have hooded monos it should be 100% fine if you still wanna have a crack at prying the glue off the lash band (which you can't, it's all hard and resiny.)

Come to think of it, Tsubasa herself has glue poo on her lower lashes in this official promo pic, so I really should have seen this coming.

The included lash glue (the only glue I want on my falsies) is pretty good though, I'll give them that.

happy new year!

2012-01-09T17:32:00.000+10:30

YIKES! Have I really not updated my blog since before Christmas? I'm the worst. :(
There is a little bit of an excuse though: stocktake sale, and I've been staying at Tom's house where I had no time to write (or anything to edit photos on/take photos with/take photos OF since my camera is huge and I have a desktop.)

Excuses excuses...

This year I'm going to try and update my YouTube channel a lot more, with more tutorials and maybe some vlogs. Maybe. Please let me know what you would like to see in the comments below n___n

I leave you with a picture of Bio Oil getting their customers early...

...and the one picture I took of my new year's makeup, which I'll probably to a tutorial on. Bad blogger not even taking good photos :/ but we had to pick people up!

More excuses lol. :/

lime crime lip noir lipstick collection review, swatches

2011-12-24T18:58:00.000+10:30

...Just so I can have every Lime Crime lipstick I own on the blog. I do not own New Yolk City or Mint to Be- didn't want to risk that one because No She Didn't is a DISASTER on my skin.

Please read the previous post for thoughts on the formulation.

My Styletto is from Sept 2010, when it was still part of the permanent collection (it has since been replaced with Coquette) and is a lot creamier than the other two. The fact that I've had it for a lot longer is also the reason it has a huge crevice dug into it, haha! For this reason I cannot guarantee that your new Styletto will be super SUPER duper creamy like mine.

Lip Noir includes:

Glamour 101, a browny, bricky maroon red.
Chinchilla, a greyed out medium purple. Not pale grey as expected, but greyish lavender purple.
Styletto, a creamy jet black.

Chinchilla, Glamour 101, Styletto. One swipe.

Lip swatches are done straight from the tube, hence the super bad application on Styletto hahaha *shame*

Chinchilla

Glamour101

Styletto

lime crime permanent lipstick collection review, swatches

2011-12-21T23:31:00.000+10:30

Very very very long overdue post lol. First time I wrote a review on a Lime Crime lipstick it was when I didn't even have a blogspot! If you want you can read on my tumblr here but the photos are all very bad and of course I am much better at blogging now. I think.

Please keep in mind that these are from progressive stages of LC's lipstick formulation. Most recent addition is Coquette!

The permanent 10 piece collection includes:

Coquette, a pale peachy pinky nude. Paler than Benefit Lady's Choice, my usual nude.
Countessa Fluorescent, a neon-bright cool toned pink. Very Nicki Minaj.
Cosmopop, a medium whitened orange. Not peach, this is light orange.
Great Pink Planet, a cool toned pastel pink. Seems similar to MAC Saint Germain.
Retrofuturist, a clean bright red. See it compared to other reds here.
Airborne Unicorn, a warm medium pinky purple.
Centrifuschia, a bright fuschia pink. Stains super heavily! But that's ok, it looks pretty much just like the lipstick when it does.
D'Lilac, a pale pastel lilac. This one is a tricky one to wear, but I managed to pull it off when coupled with insane bows and hair clips.
My Beautiful Rocket, bright medium orange. More yellowy and pumpkiny than shades such as MAC Morange.
No She Didn't, a neon tinged bubblegum blue. Looks great on pale skin (see Sherry in the About Me tab!)

I bought My Beautiful Rocket first, shortly followed by No She Didn't (which broke) and replaced by the company with Airborne Unicorn. Coquette arrived in my mailbox at the same time as the Carousel Glosses and the rest were bought at the same time as the eyeshadow collection (Sept 2010) to give you a sense of time. Earlier incarnations have been a little skippier and thicker than recent.

The formula, for me, has been consistently creamy and smooth with high pigment yield. Not one stroke opacity as formerly claimed, but about 3 will have your pout covered very well. Lipsticks are infused with a stain for prolonged wear and naturally, lighter shades will fade faster and stain lighter than deeper colours. Due to the heavy staining I can't judge the longevity of red/pink shades such as Centrifuschia, but Coquette lasts approximately 4 hours if I try really hard not to bite/lick/scratch my lips or eat.

I swatched the entire collection on the lips (obviously, haha) and none of the shades felt particularly heavy or drying. However the lighter shades like Cosmopop and D'Lilac seem to have a tendency to skip a bit, especially if applied over a thin layer of balm, but I am unsure if this problem has since been fixed since purchasing. Pastel colours are also a bit more fiddly to apply, but I find going slightly outside the lipline helps with that. A lip brush is highly recommended for more dramatic colours, personally I suck at going in straight from the tube. :(

Speaking of tubes, since the manufacturer has changed, so has the packaging itself, if only slightly. The holographic-ness of the unicorn has changed from a flakey flecky design, to smaller dots, to larger dots, The thing is, if you happen to have a lipstick that has two different designs on the top and bottom, you get a not so perfect fit...

Pictured: D'lilac (slight stress fractures around lid, fleck/small dot combo) and Chinchilla (BIG FREAKING CRACK, small/large dot combo)

Sadly the unicorn itself tends to go extinct too. After one day in my bag, starring Styletto...

Oh. :(

But now, the moment you've been waiting for... swatch time!

And in the same order...

Coquette

Countessa Fluorescent

Cosmopop

Great Pink Planet

Retrofuturist

Airborne Unicorn

Centrifuschia

D'Lilac

My Beautiful Rocket

No She Didn't

Staining. YOWZA

Apart from the occasional packaging woe and not being able to wear the lighter colours, I actually like these and continue to reach for them, especially when a long-lasting colour is needed... just so long as I don't mind scrubbing lips the next day. Cest la vie.

hello kitty matte & kiss lipstick in barcelona review, swatches

2011-12-18T18:18:00.000+10:30

Hello Kitty, we meet again... but this time Priceline was having that buy 2 products, get a plushie thing going on. I walked away with like 6 things (so worth it.)

Barcelona (or 08-01) is a slick medium warm coffee-ish tone... I honestly don't know how to describe browns like this, but that's what photos are for.

Barcelona has the same violet scent and itty bitty kitty container as already discussed here. It promises a semi-matte finish, which isnt quite right - next to Violetta it's definitely not as glossy, but on the lips it doesn't look flat matte enough for me to consider it so.

The opacity has upped though, giving colour to the lips in 2 easy coats and the formula is every bit as moisturising and comfortable as I would expect. Yay!

1 coat, 3 coats

Comparisons! All other shades from Benefit Cosmetics. Finders Keepers is the most similar, but more opaque and intense.

lime crime carousel gloss collection review, swatches

2011-12-15T22:58:00.002+10:30

I admit it. I'm a Lime Crime addict. :( *gives away all my money*
...Ok no! Bad idea! Give me my money back! I need that to buy food and pay for my internet- two types of blog fuel.

Makeup is the third fuel and today I bring you the Carousel Gloss collection, five gorgeous glimmering glitter lip glosses.

Carousel Gloss boasts semi-opaque coverage combined with bursts of nebulesque sparkle that comes alive in indoor lighting. Cruelty-free/vegan formula glides on smoothly on bare lips or over your favorite lipstick. Each gloss arrives in a sumptuous purple foil box resembling an antique merry-go-round — the ultimate gift (or indulgence) for those seeking a little luxury in their makeup bag.

-limecrimemakeup.com

The limited edition collection features their cutest packaging yet: twisty tubes designed to evoke the pole thingys impaling carousel animals, which I have no idea the actual name of... But it's pretty as pretty does. As usual, the box it came with is stuffed with coloured tissue paper, but this time around I also received a postcard of the Candy Apple image and a lavender glitter sticker, which I'll stick adjacent to my Sugarpill sticker.

The tops also have the Lime Crime unicorn engraved on the top, which I think is a nice touch.

...and happily, the applicator is my favourite kind. A stubby, dense brush, which paints on gloss with precision and allows for easy layering.

Colours include:

Kaleidoscope, a deep purple with blue shimmer.Being a darker colour with a semi-opaque formula, it has a tendency to look patchy and uneven if not layered.
Cherry on Top, a pink-red with coordinating shimmer. Gorgeously cute colour, but stains like mad like the red/pink LC lipsticks do.
Candy Apple, the star of the collection, a bold raspberry red with coordinating red glitter. The flecks in this are the largest of the lot for a more intense glitter (as opposed to shimmer, like the rest) and also has the same mad staining effect as Cherry on Top.
Golden Ticket, a coppery gold foil. I actually like the look of this on the lip, which surprised me. I usually hate yellow tones on as my skin is naturally quite yellow itself, but this is deep enough to work. This leaves zero stain (or a least, a barely perceptible one).
Loop de Loop, a navy blue with pink/red shimmer. Again, being a darker colour, it has a tendecy to look patchy in one layer. Also manages to stain a bit.

The formula itself is quite thick, clinging onto the lips well. It reminds me of the MAC Lipglass formula. As for just about all lip products I can't say anything about wear because I'm a constant habitual lip licker/biter- nothing stays on my lips short of a stain or super duper long wearing lipstick. :(
(ETA: I wore Cherry on Top to work where I'd be talking all day and it wore for 5 hours until the shine wore away, but there was residual colour and glitter. All gone when I ate lunch, but a stain was left.)

SWATCH PARTY! Lip swatches are done with a singular pull of product, no more. I have larger lips, so if youre lips are thinner one pull might be enough but I'd wear these with one pull per lip.

Kaleidoscope, Cherry on Top, Candy Apple, Golden Ticket, Loop de Loop

Kaleidoscope

Cherry on Top

Candy Apple

Golden Ticket

Loop de Loop

Ingredients

My arm after removing with a tissue. Check out that stain ooh qurl thats pink! Also don't mind the Candy Apple glitter everywhere haha

Apart from the occasional staining and they fact they're not actually a liquid lipstick, I like the glosses. Slick, shiny, glossy formula which clings well. Wish they were part of the permanent range! xo

PS: Lipsticks/Candy Eyed review to come.

the face shop styling twinkle dual liner review, swatches

2011-12-12T20:45:00.000+10:30

Let me tell you a useless story. A while ago, I wandered into The Face Shop and somehow wandered out with this little beauty. Then I lost it, went a month or two missing it, dealt with it, but now I have a new one and I'm going to blog about it this time before I lose it again.

Styling Twinkle Dual Liner is a silver glitter liquid liner with opalescent flecks/frosted white pencil liner duo.

The liquid liner unscrews as per normal, but the top of the liner handle clicks out to reveal a shimmery white twist-up pencil, strewn through with some larger silver chunks.

It's creamy and opaque, blending out easily with an average drydown time. Unfortunately since my eyes eat liner it doesn't have a lot of lasting power, but thankfully since it's a light colour smudging and fading isn't as obvious.

But the glittery liquid liner part is where it's at. I love this. I love it love it love it. It's already made appearances on my blog, being the star in the Glitterati tutorial and creeping into my everyday face. The sparkles and glimmers, especially the larger opalescent bits, get me every time. Every. Single. Time. Look at it on the black bits! LOOOOOOK ;_______; The brush itself is also wonderfully fine and firm.
Downside is that it's not waterproof, but I'll deal. Especially over a primer it stays just fine, provided there's no waterworks involved.

Swatches!

Go get one. Trust me. You need this.

illamasqua nail varnish in untold (mini) review, swatches

2011-12-12T18:46:00.001+10:30

There's really not a lot to say about glitter polish. Regardless of brand, if it's a glitter with a clear base, it'll have a moderately fast drying time and chip off in huge chunks at a time if you're not careful.

Untold by Illamasqua ticks both of those boxes. A scarlet red with evenly sized glitter bits and clear base, I swatched up to 3 coats but would probably go for a fourth because there's still visible gaps.
Sadly, I don't love Illamasqua's glitters like I love their regular polishes. Cest la vie.

illamasqua powder blusher in ambition review, swatches

2011-12-06T20:38:00.000+10:30

Firstly, my apologies for getting slower and slower at posting... as Christmas draws closer, working hours become longer and I become more and more exhausted. *sigh* retail. :/

Let's leave all work related worries aside for a second though and focus on Illamasqua's Powder Blusher in Ambition, a highly pigmented pink blusher with golden shimmer/sparkle.

There is a ton of pigment in this baby, which I love! Barely a swipe grabs enough product to get cheeks bright and gorgeous. Woo hoo!

Though it swatches a more medium warm pink on the skin, on my strong yellow undertones it tends to lean a little more peachy. The warmness is also really helped along by the gold sparkle/shimmer (you can see it lying on top of the blush itself in tiny little flakes in the pan photo). I wore this in my Boho Blue tutorial and during that run it lasted all night, coming off only when my face hit the pillow (it was a late night, okay).

Swatches with flash...

...and without...

...and on my face.

Love love love. Get me more please! I'll love you forever!

tutorial time: pink and purple pop

2011-11-29T19:50:00.002+10:30

I never have any idea what to call my tutorials/FOTDs, so if anyone is a super creative powerhouse and can think of 500 names for everything please shout out! Also my derp eye lol stop it lefty.
I wasn't originally going to post this because I thought it would have been too similar to my previous Super Bass post, but they turned out to be different enough anyway and that one was a FOTD, so here we are.

No video because I didn't have the time, boo! :( Hit it for text though!

FACE: Using a flat foundation brush, apply Illamasqua Rich Liquid all over a well moisturised face. With a fluffy blush brush, apply a very light layer of Benefit Sugarbomb along the cheekbone with MAC Sexpectations (Mega Metal eyeshadow) heavily towards the ear and as a contour. Use Too Faced Sweet Pink on the apple for a pink boost and a light dab of Estee Lauder Modern Mercury right in the centre of the cheek. Set lightly with Inglot Loose Powder and a good spritz of Anna Sui Moisturising Mist.

LIPS: Nothing but a touch of lip balm and MAC Like Venus Dazzleglass.

EYES: Get your brows did with Benefit Brow Zings, qurl! Then prep with Lime Crime Candy Eyed Eyeshadow Helper, over and under the eye. Pack Lime Crime Top Hattie under the brow for a ridiculously shiny highlight, then apply Sugarpill Tako all over the lid. Sugarpill Dollipop goes on the outer third, blending inwards with Aromaleigh Little Craving as a transition colour on the ball of the eye. Define softly around the socket with Too Faced Teddy Bear on a pencil brush.

Line the eyes with a black eyeliner and mixing Dollipop and Sugarpill Afterparty together, trace softly along the top of the liner to create an upwards gradient. With any luck, Afterparty should stick to the liner, creating a jewel tone. Blend up a little with Sugarpill Poison Plum for good measure too. On a thin hard angle brush, take a bit of Too Faced Cop a Teal and use it to wing upwards from the lower lash line, taking the colour in half way. Finish with mascara. You can leave it as is, if you want...

...but I added false lashes, which called for more drama especially along the lower lashline. Another coat of mascara, Guerlain Khol Me in Ivory on the waterline and also a thick swoop of Etude House Pudding Dia Shadow in Blue (really sparkly pastel blue, review to come) on the inner half of the lashline. Lenses are GEO Princess Mimi in Sesame Grey.

And there you have it! Cute, sweet coloured eyes. nom nom nom.

I looked back on the photos I took and it turns out that the derp eyes are from one lid doubling up and the other not, resulting in thicker looking liner. Sigh. #asiangirlproblems

illamasqua powdered metal in ether review, swatches

2011-11-23T21:46:00.003+10:30

Because I love a good highlighter. Duh! Wanting to look super Barbie plasticy I asked for the lightest, shimmeriest shade and was pointed in the direction of Ether, a pale yellow gold.

Illamasqua's Powdered Metal is a very, very fine powder filled with infinite glow.

That's right, glow, not sparkle. Even though it is very shimmery, I don't get a big ol' BLING! like I do from my Estee Lauder gelee, nor a soft dewiness usually found in a Benefit highlighter. I get glow... that kind of soft, lit from within luminescence that you get from a product so delicate and fine that it seems to have a translucent base. Very hard to describe... the only other place I've found that kind of glow is in the new Lime Criminal, even then I was lost for words to describe it. x____x

But in a nutshell, translucent base colour, high gold reflect. Kind of.I'm trying my best here, okay? It seems to disappear at certain angles, then BAM! Shimmer. Does that even make sense?!

Used wet, a lot more yellow comes out and of course, it is a LOT more metallic. I've yet to find a use for it since I don't like using very yellow things on my already yellow skin, but I have a feeling this would look great on the collarbone and general boob area.

I like to wear it dry, dusted first on the cheekbone then blended out to the rest of my face too. Gives a soft subtle glow that way.

PS you're gonna have to keep the included puff sandwiched in the top, otherwise WAY too much will come out the top and you'll be left with a mountain of powder on the sifter, every time.

polished london nail enamel in high street and union black crackle review, swatches

2011-11-16T12:00:00.013+10:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by Polished London. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

What?? I swear I hit publish on this when I finished writing but apparently not eh. :(

Guess who loves a good nail polish. You? Oh snap, me too!
When I got an email about Polished London's new runway inspired spring/summer collection, I had to get on board. I received High Street, a dark purple navy (yep, another purple... why do I do this to myself?) and Union Black, a crackle topcoat. The brand promises a hard wearing, superiorly glossed, quick drying one coater with a 4 free formulation, so how could I say no?

one, two, three, of course

One coater? Sad to say, but High Street is not that. Boo! However, it's got great coverage by two. The formula itself is touch dry within 5 minutes, but still remains dentable with another fingernail for roughly 3 hours. I've never encountered a formula like this before, but a quick dry topcoat helps to solve the problem. Gloss is great if you manage not to bash anything against your nails.

The real winner here for me is the longevity. I put it through a 5 day test, resuming my regular duties of typing a whole damn lot (also, washing the dishes in hot, soapy water.)

...Look at that! Index and middle finger are 2 coats, no topcoat, and ring is 3 coats with ORLY Sec'n'Dry. Wear is exactly the same and usually by day 2 without a top coat it's chips galore because I tend to scratch at everything/use my nails to open cans and pry stuff oven/drum on tables a lot, but all we have here is a little on on my index. Woo hoo! I think this is due to the fact that that the polish creates a thick, jelly-like film over the nail.

Union Black is your basic black crackle. It's every bit as opaque as a black should be but the size of the brush leads to less polish being picked up, which leads to a more splintered effect rather than big crackley bits which isn't a bad thing. Compare to OPI Turquoise Shatter, which has a much larger brush. Pictured on ring finger over ORLY Gumdrop. Wore over Chanel Peridot at work though (no top coat) and it has a tendency to fade off if in contact with perfume very often as I found that it turned into gradient effect on my middle/pointer fingers which mainl get hit when I am spraiyng perfume onto cards.

I do like Polished London and wholeheartedly recommend them, but only if you have a good fast dry top coat on hand.

australis paparazzi perfect high definition blush in screen siren review, swatches

2011-11-15T16:12:00.000+10:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by Australis. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

I don't know why it took me so long to write this review. I really don't since this is one of the blushes I grab when I don't know what to put on my cheeks. Niiiiiice!

Screen Siren is a mainly matte mixture of pink, plum and peach.

Australis has really delivered with the Paparazzi Perfect blushes. They have great pigmentation and give beautiful colour to the cheeks. Even though this is daker than what I'd normally wear. Come on, you know about my obsession with candy pink blush! Although appearing matte in the pan and in swatches, it does give a VERY soft glow when on the cheeks, zooming right in on the original swatch pictures confirmed there are some very tiny shimmer particles.

I'd found myself reaching for this again and again because of how easily it blends out. The texture is very soft, however this has also contributed to a looser texture and unfortunately some girls have had theirs crumble on them... fingers crossed for the best. I also can't say anything about it improving the look of my cheeks in photos or the hydration level, because I can't really detect a difference between this and a regular, non hydrating powder blush haha.

As with all multicoloured products, the end colour you get depends on which way you swirl the brush.

For the swatches, I just spiraled my way into the middle. Heavy/blended, swatched with fingers

And on my face. But one question remains: if they can make speckly designs like this last all the way through the pan, why is overspray still a thing? Riddle me that!

illamasqua kontrol lipstick review, swatches

2011-11-11T20:10:00.002+10:30

I don't know what it is with me with tons of purple on the blog lately. It may just be my constant unconscious torture of myself because my camera hates purple, leadig to tweaking every photo in photoshop, or the fact that there's too many pretty purple things being released, or maybe purple is trying to take over pink as my new favourite colour. I won't give in!

Kontrol is one of those purple things thart I will happily hold and wear and love the hell out of.

A deep blue based violet, Illamasqua has definitely brought something fun to the table. None of my other purples are as deep or cool as this. It has a cream finish, full coverage and a very very creamy texture to go with- it just glides effortlessly, especially compared to Atomic and Flare. Whatever they've done with the formula, it's excellent- all of the wear time with none of the tugging (and sometimes breakage) issues. ♥

There are two swatches because the first one skipped over wrist bits, I straightened my bones out and reswatched lol!

The only downsides I can think of with this lippie is the fact that your application needs to be flawless because it's such a bold colour. I suck at applying straight from the tube so forgive any brush strokes! It also has a tendency to stain a bit, warmer tones are still clinging on after I wipe the swatch from my arm.

It also kind of matches Faux Pas, one of the nail polishes from the Theatre of the Nameless collection too.

Purple purple purple purple.

urban decay pocket rocket in james review, swatches

2011-11-10T11:00:00.002+10:30

Because number one on the list of things for le boyfriend to get is a lip gloss with undressing men on the cap. Yippee! (o^_')b Okay, not really, because number one was the Too Faced palette. James, however, is pretty damn juicy.

One of the main features of the gloss is showing off your pure man eater potential. With a flick of the wrist, whatever man you chose will change his pose and lose his clothes. (Oh hey, sweet unintentional rhymes.No, seriously.) Additionally, the back is supposed to release pheromones when rubbed, which apparently doesn't work according to Tom not being able to tell a difference.

Bye bye clothing. What do the models partners/families/friends think though? There's one guy who had to pose with a baby. D: I don't really want to see this guys ridiculous bulge when I go to top up my (very pretty) lip gloss also I'm worried it will destroy Tom's self esteem but MOVING ON. Man eater potential = not realised.

I really like the applicator. The densely packed brush allows for precise application and applying as much gloss as you like, but I like one pull for a nice light layer. The packaging itself is also quite slim, streamlined and easy to store and tote around without creating big bumps in your pocket.

James is a semi sheer warm, orange tinged pink with blue reflect (ultraviolet glow according to the site) and buttered popcorn scent.I don't know where the Urban Decay people got creme brulee scent from, because it smells pretty much exactly like buttered popcorn Jelly Belly jellybeans to me. YUUUUM

Not to mention I love the formula. Clinging to lips almost like a film, it's non sticky but holds up very well to drinks. It gives a really nice, plump and highly glossy look too, minimising the appearance of lines. Enough colour to even out my lips too. Me likey!

fynale lens review: y17 in violet and blue

2011-11-09T12:00:00.001+10:30

I do wear other brands, I swear... it's just that there are already so many GEO reviews around! One of the series I was most excited for when Fynale relaunched is Y17, so you bet your bippity boppity boo that I decided to spoil myself with two pairs: blue and violet.

Fynale Y17 Violet inverted (left) and right side up

Fynale Y17 in Blue inverted (left) and right side up

The comfort level is still spot on however since they only have a diameter of 14mm, these lenses have a tendency to dry out a lot faster than the others. Another problem that I find with smaller lenses is that they have a tendency to lag a bit, haha! By that I mean if you look one way, the lens will kind of stay on one spot and have to slowly meander over to the iris again, which has a tendency to cloud vision (I also have this problem with my 14.5mm GEO Nudy lenses).

Blue

The design isn't my favourite as well- the promotional images feature beautiful 4 tone lenses, which is what they are- but the colour nuances tend to get a little lost on the eye itself, with only 2 tones clearly visible. The lenses also unnaturally stop at the pupil, which leads to a very fake look. Pigmentation however is A+, providing a very vibrant and vivid look. It's a bit confusing though because the blue ones are dominated with purple, whereas violet is dominated by orange. Whaaaaat?

Violet

These are not my favourite lenses from Fynale because of the size and design, but if you want a bright and popping look, perhaps for a specific cosplay, these will do nicely.

lipstick queen butterfly ball in float review, swatches

2011-11-08T13:39:00.000+10:30

After hearing Doe Deere rave about Poppy King, Lipstick Queen, I knew I had to check out the range when at Kit Cosmetics. I usually just dab a bit of Sugapill's Lumi on top if I want a brightening turquoise flash, but that doesn't quite work with nudes. Enter the Butterfly Ball.

Float leaves a very light, sheer caramel glaze on the lips with a very light blue reflect, looks a bit more like gloss than anything else but gives a nice amount of dimension. Lots sheerer than what I'd usually wear, but a nice my lips but better kind of shade and it feels light and hydrating on the lips. Unfortunately I can't really tell when it wears away due to the sheerness and the fact that the reflecty bits tend to get left behind, but what can you do?

1 coat, 3 coats

burger theory: om nom nom

2011-11-04T21:05:00.000+10:30

Because we all want what we can't have. Right now, in case you didn't read my previous post, I have puffy chipmunk cheeks due to getting my wisdom teeth out meaning my general mouth area is too swollen to safely chow down on a burger (not to mention sesame seeds are a poking hazard). To top of my sad tummy, their grill is on tomorrow morning and I just can't have nice things. But maybe you can.

I know, I know, this is a makeup blog. But it does say in the tagline: mainly makeup, sometimes not.

Operating wherever the hell they feel like out of the side of their beloved truck, Pearl, Burger Theory serves up what are, undoubtedly, my favourite burgers ever. This trek to the truck happened the morning of the flight to Sydney and I went alone. Not because I have no friends, but because of other people's education and university lectures and things like that. Damn all the people I asked for having various forms of schooling but that's okay because I got my burgers and you didn't, ner ner.

This time, they set up on Ebenezer Place (close to Colour Cosmetica, where I studied, and Chocolate Bean, home of my favourite summer drink: the chocolate icee, but more about that later.) Little triangular cardboard boxes are scattered around the square for us to sit on and the line grows longer and longer. I got there 3 minutes after opening and this is pretty much the standard line until they sell out. Mmm, popular! But hang on, how did they get the truck in there? Anyone who knows the space I'm talking about knows it's pretty much closed off... right? I'm so confused.

Technology has been upped a bit since my last visit. Gone are the days of the staff yelling your name from the truck window but now they have the little buzzy things a la Cibo.

But little buzzy things are not what we're here for. Unless otherwise specified, patties are cooked medium rare (luckily, that's how I like it) on a toasty bun. Going forward I think I'll ask for the buns untoasted as they seem to arrive pretty toasty and crispy, but then again I'm the kind of girl who'll eat bread while mashing it into little compacted cubes because bread is frickin delicious like that. Just know, it's pretty toasty.

Firstly I apologise for no full burger shots, but there's no such thing as tables in this corner and I can't hold one together with one hand. Not 100% in the mood to twist and turn these around in the wrapper for fear of everything falling out, also I tend to just dive in mouth first, so... uh, bad food blogger but here goes.

A #1 (left) will set you back $8 and features the traditional burger trimmings of lettuce, tomato and cheese as well as their truck sauce. Truck sauce adds a little tang, a little spice, it's really nice and I hope once they start selling fries they also sell little buckets of it for dipping. Nice, good classic burger, not too heavy, but of course it doesn't feel like you're doing your waistline a favour (but who cares? Not me. Just ask for extra veg and it'll even out in your mind.) I could eat three, I don't care if my stomach is full already these are just so damn good.

There's also the other option, the $10 #2 (not left). A heavier, saltier option, it's garnished with pancetta, onions and blue cheese sauce which seems to have gotten lost in the photo. This one feels a bit rich to me, a bit indulgent and quite creamy. Stay away if you're on a diet or if you're sensitive to salt coz this is pretty full of it. I wouldn't be able to eat one after the other, but one on its own is pretty damn tasty, if a little sinful.

They also sell black bean burritos if you're vegan (optional: add sour cream, now you're vegetarian) as well as soft baked cookies. I ordered a cookie but didn't get pics, but they're quite sweet but are generous with the chocolate chunks. Maybe I'll do another review when I'm not scarfing it down while throwing things I might possibly need for the weekend in my suitcase.

But all up! Burger Theory is a damn good feed. Rock up where the truck's out and order two #1's and you'll be happy. Of course, the location is subject to change. Follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook to find out where they'll be next.

tutorial time: boho blue

2011-11-02T22:00:00.001+10:30

Hello! Right now I have the puffiest cheeks in the world after getting my wisdom teeth out (why haven't humans just evolutioned them away/why don't animals have wisdom teeth??) so unfortunately I can't do a video tutorial for this look but hopefully a text tut is okay. I usually don't plan my makeup before going out but this is what I came up with while my boyfriend was telling me to hurry up~! btw I took these pics in the car so apologies for the oh so glamorous background.

Click through for a how to!

FACE: Prep with Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, applying Too Faced Shadow Insurance on problem areas (for me, under the eye and on pigmentation). Buff in Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation with the MAC 130 brush and top with Inglot Loose Powder to set. Illamasqua Ambition Powder Blusher is applied slightly in the hollows of the cheek, blending the colour softly upwards onto the apple. Add a tiny touch of Sugarpill Poison Plum riiight in the hollow to contour. Highlight along the cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose with Illamasqua Ether Powdered Metal. Finish with a good spritz of MAC Fix+.

LIPS: Line with Illamasqua Medium Pencil in Debonair, fill with Illamasqua lipstick in Kontrol and add shine with Benefit Ultra Shine in Dancing Queen. I ended up not liking it as much once I left the door and ended up putting a layer of Illamasqua Atomic on instead, but no pics of that... everything came off when I started drinking anyway!

EYES: Define brows as usual, then prime with a thin layer of Lime Crime Candy Eyed Eyeshadow Primer first off. Then apply Too Faced Cop a Teal on the outer corner, blending into Sugarpill Afterparty on the inner corner. Define crease and wing out with Too Faced Nice Ash, also drawing up at an angle from the inner corner to the arch of the brow, fading out as you go. Apply Sugarpill Lumi as a brow highlight over Too Faced In the Buff to add an ethereal sheen.

With Inglot Gel Liner in 77, draw a thickly winged cat eye, fading from the outer corner of the wing inwards (see image, kind of hard to explain!) and line the waterline. Redefine the top lashline with Benefit Magic Ink. Top lashes are no-brand from Malaysia while bottom lashes are The Face Shop iVi, cut in half. Voila!

illamasqua medium pencils in sophie and debonair review, swatches

2011-11-02T12:00:00.000+10:30

A tiny bit of backstory: If you haven't heard of SOPHIE yet, where have you been? The Sophie Lancaster Foundation aims to not only provide a lasting legacy to Sophie herself, but to put an end to hatred and prejudice, something which I wholeheartedly support. To show their support, Illamasqua donates a portion of the sales of each Medium Pencil in Sophie, a staple black, to the charity.

So when I was at the counter in Sydney I insisted on picking up two (because of how quickly I go through eyeliner) as well as a bright blue, Debonair. All the reviews I could find were glowing for the whole Medium Pencil range, so they had to be absolutely fab, right?

Sophie

Debonair

Both deliver rich pigmented colour in one smooth stroke. Meow!

I also trialed Debonair on the waterline. This is how it looked when freshly applied...

...and four and a half hours later! Check the EXIF data if you don't believe me. It has worn off a bit on the outer corner, but for the vibrancy is still holding on strong and didn't bleed downwards.

Unfortunately that's where the love affair ends, which is such a shame as I really wanted to love these pencils! :( Do I just have dud eyes or something? When I wore the pencils in Sydney, I attributed the smudge-fest to the humidity, but even 20 minutes after being on my hand... this happened.

Yup, clean imprints! I was photographing a whole lot that day and have a tendency to rest my hand on the bench to stabilise. These pencils never seem to dry down, moving all over the place when I rubbed my eye after a whole hour.

What a shame, because this is how rich they are on the lashline (didn't tightline, it's a trial day!)

...but then a mere 1hr and 40 mins later

This is how it looks at the 2 hour mark on a different day, fading and smudging down to the lower lashline :(

And even though Debonair lasted fantastically on the waterline, it hated my lower lashline. Is it just my skin?! Again, fading and migrating. I'm not impressed! I don't get it, why does it last on the waterline, where lasting power is usually most impressive, but not anywhere else?!

Thanks but no thanks Illamasqua. I'm going to donate straight to SOPHIE now instead of via pencil.

hello kitty shine & kiss lipstick in violetta review, swatches

2011-11-01T08:00:00.001+10:30

More kitty for this Kitty please! Along with the nail polish I swiped up one of the lipsticks. Violetta, or 07-01 if you want to be formal, is a beautiful semi-sheer pinkish violet with a matching scent.

(To be honest, the only way that I could tell this smelled like violets is because it's what a Guerlain lipstick smells like. Call me scent un-savvy but I prefer to think I like my violets to smell like Guerlain, my roses to smell like Lancome and my vanilla to smell like MAC. But why don't my apples smell like Hello Kitty? I expected apple or candy, if anything. But moving on.)

Hello Kitty Shine & Kiss lipsticks are fab. They glide on super smoothly and semi-sheerly, building up easily and wearing for approximately 4 hours before starting to go downhill. They feel moisturising too but as soon as the lippie started to wear off, my lips started to feel dry again, so maybe it locks the moisture in or something... *strokes chin*

As a side note, I noticed they are itty bitty~! Here it is next to a MAC lipstick. Not to worry though, the bullets are standard size with 3.5g of product.

Hello Kitty engraved on the cap!

Swatchy time! One coat, then three

muah. Edited for accuracy so apologies if my skin looks a little off, but my camera has a tough time with purples.

The only downside that I can see to these lipsticks is that the shiny pink casing is hard to photograph and the shade range isn't the biggest. But on all other points, thumbs up- and for drugstore prices, how can you go wrong?

hello kitty nail polish in violet salome review, swatches

2011-10-31T13:55:00.000+10:30

I couldn't resist. Ever since Ling blogged about the range landing in her local Priceline I had to go check it out! Sadly the free plushie offer wasn't on at my Priceline but there was a 25% off sale all cosmetics!

Violet Salome was the last remaining glitter polish and I had to make it mine! Unfortunately the amazing duochrome that you see in the bottle doesn't translate to the nail but it's still an amazing warm purple polish. Spreads evenly and flows great across the nail but I did get noticeable tip wear by day 2 with a top coat! For a polish so pretty though, I'll forgive you HK. The glitter is very fine, akin to OPI Catch Me in Your Net, creating a very strong shimmer rather than flat out bling. Love it!

Progressive swatches: 1 to 3 coats, no top coat.

welcome to tokyo hardcore

2011-10-31T11:43:00.000+10:30

As if you haven't heard enough about this little shop yet! Apologies for the not-very-many photos in advance. Since this is quite obviously biased because the owners are my friends, have a bit of a photolog instead! I am helping them out indeed.

As soon as I got in the store I was faced with someone with THE SAME 6%DOKIDOKI ROMPER! Fashion faux pas! We were both very happy with our comfortability though and I photoshopped a non fkattering face into a little cute one. Barely room to walk around, the store was filled with lolitas (who ended up using the dressing room to change into regular clothes since it turned out to be too hot to wear 500 layers of frill haha!)

Tokyo Hardcore stocks Angelic Pretty, Metamorphose temps de fille, Putumayo, SexPot Revenge, Black Peace Now, 6%DOKIDOKI, Innocent World, RITUALS by Kenzo-A and Takuya Angel flown in from their suppliers in Japan. Steaming services are also available for any of your goodies!

Vitae Clothing, Sucre Noir and Sparkle Peach are also in store if you want to add some locally made flair to your outfits too. How cute are the brain brooches?

They did all the renovations themselves, I'm so proud! ^__^ Behind that wall is the store room, I'm assuming, and the top floor is the studio. I wish I could take pics of it!

Look, Tokyo Hardcore got a gift! One of their pals brought in a customised mirror! Is this not the cutest happy freakout ever?

They wasted no time in proudly hanging it in the dressing room. Sleepy half blink Craig.

He's hyper awake now.

Also, my FOTD. Too Faced Nice Stems on the lid with In the Buff to highlight, Illamasqua Static on lower lashline and Medium Pencil in Debonair to line waterline. Top off with The Face Shop lashes in iVi (my fav!) and you have a very quick cutesy look. Unfortunately all over Nice Stems is a bit too mossy for my skin tone, blending in more than my beloved Absinthe. Boo! Too Faced Sweet Pink on cheeks, I can't remember which lippie but it was nude. I think it was Lime Crime Cosmopop, blotted.

I bought 2 more hair clips, a 6% ring and the Putumayo dress from the window! I felt bad for making them undress the mannequin just coz I wanted it in pink but it's so cute!

Tokyo Hardcore can be found at Shop 144 Adelaide Arcade, Adelaide SA 5000 (that's upstairs!).

illamasqua theatre of the nameless transformation with mikele @ myer sydney city (ps. also more random sydney photos)

2011-10-29T10:15:00.001+10:30

Girls promoting the new Freak fragrance

I just have the most imaginative titles, don't I? Of course!
When I was in Sydney, a visit to the Illamasqua counter was high on my agenda. $100 redeemable and a makeover too? Sold! Why not? This isn't going to be a huge in depth post because it was just me sitting there while magic happened, so have a few pics instead.

There I met Mikele Simone, who also happened to be counter manager (apparrently business manager too correct me if I'm wrong!) and an super awesome makeup artist too! I didn't get any pictures during the makeover because all Tom, Kate and Matt went down to the food court and did idk walking around and eating I don't know and left me in my makeuppy glory for like 2 hours or something.

Warning you, below the cut is a very Xiaxue-esque post with lots of pics of my face and not 100% relevant commentary!

Before: my regular face. Tom and I went to have breakfast in a cute little cafe/bookstore.

(another pic coz I thought it was cute and didn't know where else to put it. also more photoshopped)

Mikele setting up, me taking sneaky photo eheheh.

After!

Ok that was taken in the hotel room.

here's one on counter, we both have the same good angle LOL

I also met the other two MUAs working very briefly, Rhys and Adam. There was another girl who was leaving just as I arrived but barely caught a glimpse of her, idek if she even worked there haha! I wish I could have met Panda too, another monolidded beauty!They're all visible on the Illamasqua facebook, I'm not a creeper -___-

(from the Illamasqua Australia facebook page)
I couldnt find a pic of Rhys on the FB but you should all know his face from SYTYCD. I'm super bummed that I didn't get to take a pic of his hair on Sunday because it had the most awesome melange of blue in it but my camera ran out! *rage*

Working straight across from me as I was getting my face done was Rhys, doing what looked like the foundation of some awesome drag makeup (didnt stick around long enough to see the end result sadly)...

but the guy was wearing TOE SHOES.

AAAAAAUAUUGHUGGHHGHHH WHYYYYYYY

Honestly I don't know how you can get ready to go out and look hot wearing those no just no. :(

Anyway have more pics of the completed look... I didn't manage to get everything written down, opting for an email address to send my resume to instead, but here's what I got from memory.

Pure Pigments in Berber, Zeitgeist and Static on the eyes with false lashes in Weimar (which annoyingly enough, I took off and then LOST THEM IN THE HOTEL ROOM *seppuku*)

Skin Base #9 w Powder Foundation to set, Powder Blusher in Morale and Ambition, more Static to highlight...

Depravity Cream Pigment underneath Kontrol lipstick topped with a very light coat of Sheer Lipgloss in Violate with some sort of medium pencil to line.. I think it was Obscene.

...and more Static all along the collarbone, mixed with Beguile.

also my new outfit which I bought that day! I think its cute and sailory. :D

I hauled a lot of things so get ready for reviews galore!

xoxo

too faced sweet dreams palette review, photos, swatches

2011-10-20T19:03:00.000+10:30

Glitter, sparkles, butterflies, Rococo swirls and a swan-driven hot air balloon... I must be dreaming.
Fittingly, I'm writing this to the Amelie soundtrack as soft accordion lilts seems to fit perfectly with the Too Faced Sweet Dreams palette.

If you've been keeping up with my tweets, you'd know that my man just came back from the US of A, toting this palette of utter girliness with him at my request. Fifteen eyeshadows, two blushes, a bronzer, a highlighter and a full sized tube of the famed Shadow Insurance wrapped up in glitter and swirls? Come to me, my love! *claps hands excitedly*

Sadly there's not a lot of makeup porn happening as my usual background of a white A4 piece of paper just wasn't big enough and I can't be bothered constructing a lightbox in my bathroom all the time especially since it would probably get wet. So instead, tiles ahoy! hahaha. The palette is is constructed of thick layers of cardboard and flips open to reveal little pots of colourful goodness. Though it's a little hypocritical of me as a Benefit employee, I have to say I'm not 100% digging the cardboard at the frame is what's keeping the mirror propped up when it's open and now the design is lifting up in a thin layer. :( It's still sturdy though! Just a little peely around the edges. Sad face.

Hello! Look at the shameless girliness!

The eyeshadows are:

In the Buff, a sheer off-white. It's 2 layers strong in the photo but works well as a quick wash over the lidspace to even out, as a brow highlight or to blend out harsher edges. A bit stiffer than the rest of the shadows.
Peach Fuzz, a matte pale peach with golden microglitter. Like In the Buff, it's also quite sheer and works well as a wash, but not so much as a highlight due to the golden sparkle bits. It reminds me of Benefit Nudietude lip gloss, but in eyeshadow form.
Copper Peony, a warm, metallic copper. Beautiful! it practically foils itself, I'm in love.
Teddy Bear, a soft matte brown. Works well as a crease or contour colour. Seems quite neutral to me for a brown but it errs on the warmer side.
Lovey Dovey, a rich warm brown. Inglot 409 is ever so slightly cooler, but it's barely perceptible. I call dupe!
Satin Sheets appears ballet pink in the pan, but on skin it transforms and it's mainly the gold pearl that shows up. Though I'm disappointed in the lack of pink, the gold wins me over and all is forgiven. Even looks a little silvery in the right light (how??)
Cut the Cake, a light lilac with a slight pearl. Very soft, pastely and feminine. Lime Crime Twilight is much bluer.
Party Girl, a pearly red tinged purple. Fun and vibrant, also much warmer than Lime Crime Empress.
Nice Ash, a cool smoked grey with silvery shine. Beautifully deep and charcoaly. I originally thought Benefit Where There's Smoke... might be a dupe, but not so- WTS is a lot lighter and warmer.
Smoulder (or Smolder if we're going by the American palette listing) is a very deep blackened matte navy. Would work well as a liner.
Honeymoon, a cool gold with a chrome finish. I have no idea what to call it, it's almost antiqued, but bright enough not to be so. Very lightly tarnished? No clue... but pretty.
Label Whore, a warm brown with blue-green reflects. I've seen this shade before in Lime Crime Dragon Scales (MAC Blue Brown pigment is another option).
Nice Stems, a deeper limey green with yellow pearl. Predictably my favourite of the bunch, the mossier, deeper undertone makes it hard to match from my stash, with Lime Crime Lime Criminal, Sugarpill Absinthe and Aromaleigh Coney Island being too vividly green to call dupes. Next to the other three, it seems a little olive.
Cop a Teal, a dark blue base with strong teal shimmer lying on top. Looks like most of the colour comes from the pearl.
First Dance, a very dark matte purple. It comes off a little patchy in swatching but works fine with a brush, although a little fiddly. Very very dark eggplant.

I like how they're organised in rows of neutral, springy and bright! Forgive the whole palette picture but I did take individual pictures of each shadow. If you'd like me to upload those then leave a comment below because they're more accurate but I didn't want this post to be too image heavy but if you guys don't mind I'll do it! Unless noted above, the shadows were nice and smooth, easy to work with.

oooh swatchy, labeled for your convenience.

One more time, without flash and with a slightly not so good camera! LOL at how the swatches get closer and closer together as I realised I was running out of room

There's a little drawer that pulls out the bottom via a ribbon which houses a bronzer, a highlighter, two blushes and little face charts

Chocolate Soleil is a matte cocoa bronzer. It smells like cocoa powder omg how cute! It gives a very light natural dusting of tan. Benefit Hoola is more orange and more pigmented.
Candlelight Glow is a sheer golden highlight. I'd say the name is spot on for this product, it really does give a barely there, subtle glow as if by candlelight. Very soft and romantic. I havent got a dupe for this in my stash due to my penchant for stronger shimmer.
Cocoa Rose is a deepened, almost plummy rose matte blusher. A bit dark for my tastes personally but still very nice. Other blushes in my stash are too pink to dupe.
Sweet Pink is a cool-tinged candy pink with gold shimmer. Again, an easy favourite for me. Builds up easily and gives a very cute, sweet flush.

All powders glide on sheerly at first but build up very easily. One swipe swatches, but I find the colour is more intense with a brush... or that could be because foundation is still a little tackier than my hand, haha! I dont know

But in case you couldn't tell, I love love LOVE the Sweet Dreams palette! Great shadows, great face powders, full size Shadow Insurance (to come in a seperate review since it's available alone) for USD$52?! This could just be my Australian wage talking but oh baby oh baby so affordable and such good value! I have no idea how much it costs in AUD at Kit Cosmetics, but for $52, I'd buy, like, 50.

Okay maybe not that many, but I really really like it. Did I mention how girly it is?

fynale lens hello kitty in pink review

2011-10-17T21:08:00.000+10:30

DISCLAIMER: These lenses were provided by Fynale Lens as a competition prize. No review was expected and the reviews expressed are solely my own.

Inverted on left, right side up on the right

First off thank you to all who voted for me in the Fynale Lens FB competition, I came fifth scoring myself a pair of lenses, woo hooo! Big love and hugs to you all ♥ and what other lenses could I have gotten besides the HELLO KITTY lenses in PINK???

Come on, they're totally me! ^______^

The Hello Kitty lenses are limited edition so if you're after a pair you better hurry hurry! I know I was super cheeky getting these as a prize but still haha. As per my original Fynale review, these are super super thin and comfortable. I occasionally get them caving in on my finger though as I try to put them in due to the thinness and the amount of lens solution that happens to be on them. Boasting a 15mm diameter and a 42% water content they offer nice enlargement and mega comfort (I wore them for 8 hours, my usual trial period, with no dramas). I love them! Also, this is a slightly richer pink than my GEO pink lenses as seen here. As always click to embiggen pictures.

Without eye makeup

With eye makeup

(dont mind the double eyelid tape, my left eye was doubling up so I had to even it out -___-)

The kitty design isn't super apparent from normal viewing distance either so it doesn't look to weird. My coworker saw them in the vial and got so confused.
"I can't believe you sometimes Kitty. These are gonna look so weird on."
She was wrong.

No eye makeup on in this pic, I took the close ups on different days! >_<

Would I purchase from Fynale again? Well technically neither of the Fynale posts have involved my money so far... but I have another post coming up on their y17 lenses, which I did buy at full price! So yes I do recommend them. Love their lenses!

super quick video post: tokyo hardcore grand opening!

2011-10-16T16:04:00.001+10:30

Sorry I haven't been blogging a lot lately! I've been working like mad but I'm writing up a new Fynale review as well as trialing a Lady Gaga Marry the Night look, but in the meantime a quick video will have to do. All the deets are there if you press play (and read the video description)! Also if you have not subscribed yet please do for big hugs via the internet.

I'm also going to Sydney next weekend, leave me suggestions for things to do, places to eat, shops to shop at!

Like TOKYO HARDCORE on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/we.love.tokyo.hardcore

RSVP for the grand opening here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=283535508337569

much love,
Kitty

bobbi brown high shimmer lip gloss in hot review, swatches

2011-10-06T17:02:00.001+10:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by Bobbi Brown. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

Anyone who knows me knows I love pink, I love shiny things and I love glitter, which all translates to "I love a good, sparkly pink gloss". So when Sakura offered to trade her Hot gloss for whatever darker one I had, wooo! (The dark gloss was meant to go to Suki, I wonder how she likes it?)

Hot is a sheer strawberry pink with coordinating sparkle.

"Bobbi’s new lip gloss combines gorgeous, light-catching shimmer with lasting, non-sticky shine. Made with fine pearls and clear pigments, High Shimmer Lip Gloss stays color-true and gives lips beautiful, brilliant dimension. Plus it’s enriched with emollients and Vitamins C and E to moisturize, condition and protect lips, so they feel as good as they look. Whether you wear it on its own or on top of your favorite Lip Color, the new tapered applicator lets you apply it like a pro."

In reality, I found that Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss is a thicker, tacky gloss with a peppermint scent. The peppermint also lends a bit of tingle to the formula which I don't mind, but you might. I don't know, I'm not a mind reader! It ranks up there as one of the stickier glosses I've tried but personally I don't mind it as I can wear MAC Lipglasses without a problem. However, the fact that it's specifically said 'non sticky'... uh, points off! The packaging comes with a doe foot applicator which comes out with just enough product for a single application.

Three hours after initial application, the majority of the colour has worn off and there is no remaining shine. The glitter remains though and there is a bit of residual pink colour left. My lips are kind of the same colour!

Swatchyyyyy

On a side note, DUPE ALERT!. Benefit Back to the Fuschia Ultra Shine is a near perfect dupe, the only difference is the thinner texture.

Bobbi Brown on the left, Benefit on the right

Signing off! I can never think of a good way to end my posts but I'll say that I like the BB glosses, but they're not my fav because of the thickness! xoxo

face to face: garnier intensive 7 day hydrating lotion vs BOA hydrating body souffle

2011-10-03T22:13:00.001+10:30

DISCLAIMER: All products featured in the following posts have been provided by their respective companies for review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.

Oooops, I didn't write a blog post about this! I guess I was too busy grumbling over the fact that my computer seems to hate uploading because this video took 5 hours to upload. Five. Freaking. Hours.

But anyway, welcome to a potential new segment! Face to Face will be a sort of battle of the brands, placing 2 comparable beauty products in the ring and letting them battle it out. If you'd like to hear about this round, watch the video above and hit the jump for a text version!

GARNIER HYDRATING LOTION (NORMAL SKIN)

400 mL of lotion. This product is a lot thinner than it's competitor with a soft cucumber/aloe scent. Absorbs fairly quickly. Apparently hydration is still felt for 7 days after the last application but I noticed that my arms/legs would be dry again the morning after, however the back of the bottle and the website state that the trial was over a 5 week period. Feels a bit sticky after 3 applications.
Key ingredients include L Bifidus ("helps optimize skin's natural hydration reserve") and Aloe Vera Extracts ("renowned for it's nourishing and soothing properties").

BOA HYDRATING BODY SOUFFLE

225g of a thick, dense, yet fluffy cream. Has a slight woody, forest-y kind of scent (I think it's the sandalwood). Requires a little more rubbing to absorb but skin feels more hydrated than with the competitor. As above, I didn't notice that my arms/legs stayed fully quenched overnight.
Key ingredients include Banksia Flower Extract ("contains powerful vitamins, proteins, amino acids that bestow [a] myriad [of] benefits to the skin") and Sandalwood Oil "beneficial for dry and sensitive skin")

Both moisturisers seem to last roughly the same time on my limbs. 8 hours after application, my limbs had returned to their original state. I still have yet to test both of these over a longer, more continuous trial period.

The video also has Dolce by MOR hand cream in it, which I like rubbing all over my hands because it smells good. Will power has stopped me from just leaving my hands to dry out because I want my hands to smell like sorbet, always.

Should I go ahead with Face to Face? What other products would you like me to make a video on? Let me know in the comments below and please try to make them products you think I'd already had (or will be able to justify purchasing hahaha)

xoxo

SAX smoky denim eyeshadow quintette review, swatches

2011-09-25T15:00:00.000+09:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by SAX Cosmetics. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

A few days before my original SAX reviews were set to publish, I received an email from Sweaty Betty PR. Ooh, how exciting! They offered to send me the Sultry Eyes kit for review...

...which I didn't get. Instead, the Smoky Denim kit landed in my mailbox, but that'll do.

I'm very happy to report that this isn't the train wreck that the Media Darling palette is. Smoky Denim features a greyed out steely navy, cool frosted greyish taupe, matte black, pale pastel blue and icy semi-sheer white. The shades are actually quite nicely pigmented and a lot smoother to my pleasant surprise! Still not the best shadows I've ever worked with but again, a vast improvement.
For pics of the packaging, see the Media Darling post.

And, of course, swatches! One swipe, dry fingers, no primer and in the same order as described.

(PS: I still don't know where ROC is. )

estee lauder pure color illuminating powder gelee in modern mercury review, swatches

2011-09-18T19:53:00.000+09:30

What a ridiculously long title!!! Anyway meet Modern Mercury, a gorgeously glinting pinky peachy champagne highlighter. Actually, scratch that- it's more than just a highlighter, it's an eyeshadow too but I don't care so much about that part haha. It's also already wormed it's way to "stay in my life forever" status because it's just so pretty!

Ahem. let me compose myself.

Modern Mercury is a very, very finely milled, splendidly pigmented "tri-blend" of liquid, powder and gel. I can't feel the liquid or gel bit but I can tell you the powder is so, SO soft and yields colour in just one touch. One! *___* I've also been looking for a gorgeously pigmented highlight forever and this is it. I can stop looking (then start my search again once it runs out because it's limited edition ;___;)

I like my contour colours matte and my highlights seriously blingy and Estee Lauder has brought me something practically metallic! WOO HOOOOO
Can be used dry for a softer glow, which is what I usually like to do, or applied wet for a chrome finish. Get your hands on this. The only gripe I have is that the container is annoying to open sometimes but I am very willing to overlook that. I want to buy 50 but don't have the money. This is pure, luxurious glory... blingy... shiny...

Swatches!

Without flash... swatched with finger, the foamy thing that comes with it and blended softly

and with flash! SO SHINY <3 Also more accurate colour.

PS: I started using it a bit and it looks like the overlay or whatever is coming off, but it's not an overlay (there's no design to warrant one also I swatched the well used store tester and it's the same??)

new (liquid) hair!

2011-09-18T13:02:00.000+09:30

Before

When was the last time I said anything about my hair? Oh, that's right, when I went all Manic Panic Pink on it, and that wasn't very interesting because I've been pink before. The last actual cut I had was the heart monitor blip fringe by my usual stylist (Jimmy F from Colour Cosmetica) with an undercut, but that had been left to run wild for like 2 months...

Enter Liquid Hair. They sent out a tweet asking if anyone would like to be a hair model and in the name of education (and a style update) I jumped at the chance.

Also it has taken entirely too long to write this post.
So if you've seen my blue lip post/video you've seen my new hair already, but you haven't seen the journey! :3

I arrived at 10am with a head full of overgrown hair and was greeted by Shane, the apprentice, and Emma, who you've met before here. We took a while discussing what kind of cut would be best and what kind of colour. I was excited about the colour and was silently squealing at the chance to have bright hair again. n___n We eventually decided on an asymmetrical cut with a swoopy fringe, keeping the undercut but trimming it back in shape and a super short section on the side.

I haven't got any pictures of it post cut, but I have a picture of me in the heat-a-ma-bob with red-violet dye in my hair...

...and then the cut after that. Shane clipped my ear slightly and wouldn't stop apologising for like half an hour! I get it you're sorry, move on, haha! Also forgive my no-neckness, but what else can you do when you have the cape on? My face is also the same in like every photo hahaha

As for the brights, PINK AND PURPLE! Emma saw a Twitter conversation between Steph (aka Fake Jen aka Jeneara) and I, comparing pink and purple hair to Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony and was inspired like mad, throwing a bit of orange in the mix too. They used Elumen RV, VV and Pk after lightening the rest of my brown-black hair to a reddish violet.

Here is Steph and I having a hair party lol

And the result...?

I love it! It's short, fun, easy to style and the colours are still going fairly strong (writing this Sunday the 18th of Sept!)

Make a booking and find all their contact details here at their site!

we have a winner! benefit the porefessional

2011-09-12T11:59:00.001+09:30

Congrats Freya! You have 48 hours to respond to my email, otherwise it'll be drawn again.

Freya said:

In the morning I use Dermalogica Clay Cleanser, Toner and Active Moist, then I take one horrified look in the mirror and slap on foundation then I take a deep breath. I think that I would incorporate the Porefessional for sure because I am disgustingly obsessed with hating on my pores and I'm worried that if I don't stop moaning, "do my pores look huge in this light? AM I A MONSTER?" I will literally have NO friends left.

Missed out? Don't worry, there will be more giveaways in the future! Just keep an eye on my blog :)

tutorial time: blue ombre lip

2011-09-09T15:21:00.000+09:30

And this just about wraps up my ABC coverage! Except for the endless stream of reviews and swatches and things T___T haha! Here's the blue lip that I did on Jac, though you don't have to use a blue-purple gradient, nor these lipstick I'm using. If you did it with nudes, it'd look fab and contour the lips and make them look plump-a-riffic!

Hit it for more pics and a text tutorial if for some reason you're on dial up or something and have exceeded your downloads and have to not be on youtube or something :3

FACE: I just used Lancome Teint Miracle set with ZA Two Way Cake (23 as opposed to my usual 22, so its a but dark) with MAC Mega Metal eyeshadow in Sexpectations as a blush.

EYES: As said in the video, I wouldn't recommend these eyes with this lip, but I just wanted to try out MAC Surf USA haha! Pat Surf USA all over the lid, using a bit of Sugarpill Midori on the outer corner and Inglot pigment 32 in the socket to deepen. MUFE Aqua Liner #14 is applied in a thin cat eye on top, with Benefit Leggy as a brow highlight. On the lower lash line, a bit of Leggy (inner corner), Surf USA (middle), and the matte black from SAX Smoky Denim palette (outer corner). Coat lashes with Benefit Theyre Real! to finish.

LIPS: This is where it's at (for once!) Again, this can be done with any 3 lipsticks as long as you have a light, medium and dark shade. Apply Lime Crime No She Didn't to the centre of the lips. If you're using a pastel colour like me make sure you go slightly outside the lip line because otherwise you'll get a mad case of the chola lip- make sure none of your natural lip colour peeks around on the outside!

Load up a lip brush with your medium shade (in my case, Lime Crime D'Lilac) and kind of, uh, go around the colour...? This is more or less just an in between shade for blending purposes, but still make sure its nice and blended. Don't really swipe it around too much because since it's a light shade, you might pull the colour away and regular darker lip colour will come through and it'll look streaky, so pat pat pat.

Rinse (the brush) and repeat but with the darker colour (LC Airborne Unicorn for me) and in the corners of the mouth. Bring the dark tone slightly around the edges of the lip as well, to kind of keep the lip shape still visible and less like a blue mass of blob. Again, pat and blend.
Top with Sugarpill Lumi to seal and add extra shine! Or you can add gloss if you want, too. But I didn't want to. :)

Since I was just going to see Tom afterwards I wiped off the blue and replaced it with Benefit Jing a Ling. The eye looks alright aye!

SO what do you think- blue lips, yay or nay?

ciccone cosmetics voluptas, athena lipsticks, zeus lip gloss review, swatches

2011-09-06T12:46:00.000+09:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by Ciccone Cosmetics. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

...So the ABC coverage and reviews continue! Also found in the goodie bags was a little lipstick pouch from Ciccone Cosmetics, sealed with a hot pink kiss. From luck of the draw, I received Hera and Athena, but ended up swapping Hera for Sakura's Voluptas. The packaging is undeniably cute- pink and sparkly, also known as two things I love. It could have come with a free kitten though to tick all the boxes...

Let's start with this coz it's a short review, get it out of the way. Zeus is my favourite clear gloss. Not much of a competition, since I only have, like, three, but Ciccone's is glossy and non-sticky without being downright watery. And the hydration! It feels like a damn lip balm. uh son get some. Also, don't mind the foundation settling in the cracks of my lips lol but seriously, LOVE.

The lipsticks glide on beautifully and give lovely opaque coverage in about 2 swipes. I didn't find they hydrated my lips though I didn't find they dried them out either. I can't really comment on the staying power of these, but I can say that Voluptas is not boyfriend approved as it tends to transfer a bit!

Voluptas is described as a "scarlet rich red". Sexy! Swatched next to Inglot 176 and Lime Crime Retrofuturist, it is the darkest of the three, with an almost brown tone. On the lips, though, it's absolutely sizzling, still very bright. Creme finish. On a side note, every time I start to type it out I just write Voluptuous, as in the word and not the goddess.

Athena is a slighty pinked brown nude, described as a 'latte tone' by Ciccone. A darker MLBB shade. The closest dupe I could find in my stash is Benefit La La Land, but Athena isn't as pinked. I think Benefit Good To Go would be closer, but I don't own that one to cross check. Creme finish.

And of course, arm swatches. Voluptas, Athena, Zeus. One swipe- you can see its not completely opaque at this point, but about 80% there.

This is the pouch we got- how cute! With a thoughtful little mirror too. To wrap up, I like Ciccone lipsticks because if the rich colour and smooth application. Though the shade range is limited, it is diverse, so check them out and grab yourself a Zeus. Website here.

tutorial time: my regular day look

2011-09-03T18:47:00.001+09:30

Another video! I'm still trying to figure out how my editing should go like. >_< Wah!
Also, I was totally going to talk but it was disgusting and raspy due to pre-mentioned infection. By the way I know there's a ton of Benefit in there, but I wear this all the time to work when I can't be bothered thinking of something new. :P I AM ALSO HEAPS SORRY FOR THE INCONSISTENT LIGHTING I SUCK. But at least my wallpaper is a nicer background than my bathroom.

Jump the cut for products and photos!

FACE:
Lancome Teint Idole Ultra set with ZA Two Way Cake. Sweep Benefit Bella Bamba (shimmery watermelon pink) on the apple of the cheeks blending along the top of the cheekbone. Apply Benefit Hoola (matte cocoa brown) underneath to contour.

LIPS:
A bit of L'Occitane 95% Shea Butter to moisturise then Benefit Lady's Choice (light pinked nude) for a light hint of colour. Apply top and bottom even though I only showed me applying on my bottom lip lol

EYES:
Get your brows did with Benefit Brow Zings, then sweep Benefit RSVP (frosted champagne) all over the lid with a finger, concentrating colour on the lid and fading out towards the browbone. With a pencil brush, sweep Benefit Rich Beach (soft coffee brown) in the socket and a bit on the outer third. Apply Stila Smudge Stick in Stingray (rich creamy black) along the lashline and top with Benefit Magic Ink (jet black) adding a crisper line and sharper flick.

(The reason I layer is because if I go in with liquid liner on it's own, when tracing back over the line some of the pigment tends to come of because it's not dried. But if you add another liquid layer when it's dry it can become a thick layer of liner which tends to peel away, which is grosspants.)

Use whatever is left on the Magic Ink brush to create very light feathery bottom lashes. Coat lashes generously, top and bottom, with Benefit They're Real! (deep smudgeproof black). Apply falsies and gently press your real and fake lashes together with a lash curler. I use Shiseido's.

With The Face Shop glitter liner (fine sliver iridescent glitter in clear base) draw a thin line under the bottom lashes, concentrating the glitter on the inner corner. Draw a thin line on the top lid too, blending it out before it dries for a fine smattering of glitter. All done!

Lenses are GEO Xtra Forest Blue! n____n there is also hair in my face.

PS I am also very aware that my brows need a threading and the lash band on those lashes are super visible when my eyes are closed LOL

orly fowl play (swatch-a-riffic!)

2011-08-31T20:22:00.001+09:30

Because the colour is just so damn pretty. A rich, red-tones purple base with orange and blue flakies and silver microshimmer. It's a bit more obviously purple in real life and less, uh, black. Clearly it also works best with 3 coats~

L-R 1, 2, 3 coats. Click to embiggen!

Side note: I'm feeling a bit crap and ugh at the moment. I was supposed to get my wisdom teeth out today but instead they discovered I had an unusually high pulse and a fever as well so all of my mouth is intact now and the doc said I had either the flu or some form of throat infection. *recovery time*

Also, I've extended the closing date of my Porefessional giveaway since only like 3 people entered haha!

SAX sheer colour lipstick in #35 sheer plum review, swatches

2011-08-24T20:05:00.001+09:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by SAX. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

Okay, so the palette from yesterday from the same brand wasn't great. But this is. No, seriously, I'm not trying to say sorry to the brand for writing a sucky review, the lipstick is actually good.

"A creamy lipstick formula that delivers a sheer tint of colour to the lips. Enriched with natural candelilla and beeswax, this deep moisturising and conditioning texture creates the most natural looking lips."

SAX's Sheer Plum actually delivers delicious semi-sheer colour- a light hint in one stroke, but easily buildable. I like to wear 2 layers on my bottom lip and one on the top because for some reason my top lip is darker and it causes me many hours of emotional turmoil when sheer, unbuildable lip colours are involved. Not really, but I don't like unbuildable colours in any case.

Also the case is pretty cool! Click the silver side in, a bit of the casing comes out, and pull. Tada! Lippie.

In addition to nice colour, it also stays on for a good 3 or 4 hours and moisturises well- doesn't give me that "lipstick skin" either (you know when your lips start peeling from the inside out? no?).

Pick up a SAX lipstick? I'd say yes and yes again. These truly are lovely.

SAX media darling eyeshadow quintette review, swatches

2011-08-24T20:02:00.001+09:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by SAX. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

The ABC reviews keep rolling out! Today I present the SAX Media Darling eyeshadow quint (how cute is "media darling"?). Comprised of a mix of warm and cool, deep and pastel, SAX brings us a very eclectic range to work with.

"A seductive palette of five rich, versatile eyeshadow colours allow you to create a multitude of makeup looks from the simplest, tot he most sophisticated.

Infused with jojoba oil, Vitamin E and Aloe, this light smooth texture is easy to apply, offering incomparable staying power and a silky fine finish."

I'm not 100% sure what kind of look they were going for in this palette. O___o I tried to blend all the colours together in an eye look but, uh, it just didn't go..? Also comes with 2 little applicators, a sponge tip and an angled brush, but as is the norm with included doodads, full size brushes are infinitely better.

The shadows don't have names so I took it upon myself to give them some numbers instead.

is a neutral taupe with silver shimmer/very fine glitter. When used with a brush on the lid, the bits don't show up. As I got further and further into the pan its started to swatch better.
is a khaki olive green with golden sheen. I found this one swatched the best first off.
is a matte deep purple. It has a touch of warmth.
is a pale peach-pink. On the skin I can't detect much colour payoff at all, mainly just a white sheen.
is a matte cool blue lavender. It's pretty sheer.

1 and 2 are the most pigmented and perform the best and unfortunately, it seemed to go downhill as the numbers went on.

In numerical order L-R, of course.And as always, click to embiggen.

Swatch time! I always swatch once over, with fingers, on bare skin. No layering here, ever, and if a product doesn't friggin show up, I'm not going to try and make it do so... *frustration building*

When applied on the lid with a brush, sans primer, results were a bit... underwhelming. Evidence!

Keep in mind that this was the most pigmented in the palette. I used a firm, dense pencil brush. Also without anything underneath I think it was gone around the 3 or 4 hour mark but I can barely see the shadow in the first place?!

However, when prepped with a fresh layer of primer (I used UDPP) the shadows seemed to take on a whole new life. Whaaaaaat?

Same shadow! Same brush! Same amount! WAY MORE COLOUR! Also, provided the primer you're using is fabboo the staying power will be fab too. Angels are singing, can you hear?? So prime to your heart's content because it's absolute key with these shadows. Here, have a comparison swatch with the darkest shade.

Heaps better, huh?

So without a primer... yeah, they suck a bit. Maybe a little more than a bit since the pigmentation, application and staying power makes up the majority of an eyeshadow, but as long as you get a base on your lids there is hope.

PS:
No seriously... what is it? The only thing I can think of is "Republic of China"...?

tutorial time: red and smokey!

2011-08-23T20:44:00.000+09:30

I have ventured some more into the wide world of Youtube! In a massive bout of fail though I forgot to take photos of the completed look -_____-;; booooo! Also, because my eye decided to change shape I ended up having to make up the other eye as I went along instead of having it all nicely planned out, but I hope it still turned out ok. Tell me if you like the addition of video tutorials or if you'd rather I get myself some editing skills and dispose of some awkwardness too!

Also Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to fill in awkward silences.

What other tuts would you like to see? My next one will be the blue-purple ombre lip I also did at the ABC to make up for lack of part 2 of ABC coverage. ^___^

xoxo
Kitty

face of australia photo finish foundation review, swatches

2011-08-17T22:33:00.001+09:30

DISCLAIMER: Products were provided for review by Face of Australia. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

We live in a digital age. At least, that's what my makeup teacher told me, and it's true, we do. Otherwise the majority of people in first world would not have mobile phones, or Facebook, or you would not be reading this blog right? So our makeup has to step up and translate better on camera because with super good quality photos, everyone can see gross things like flakes or creasing or pimples if you do not cover and blend correctly!

Because of this, Face of Australia arms us with their (limited edition) Photo Finish creme to powder foundation. Does it work?

Firstly I want to say that this is my first experience with Face of Australia products as I missed the ABBM meet where they sponsored a huge goody bag so if you want more on their products go read the other girls blogs ok? Big long sentence.

Also that the casing is super cute! The scribbly lacy flowery design is so adorbz and each shade has a diff colour on the outside.

FOA claims:
• High quality creme to powder formula blends smoothly and gives a poreless, matte finish
• Long wearing, breathable coverage
• Suits all skin types
• Will not cake or sink into lines

It has nothing like "LOOKS FLAWLESS/AWESOME ON CAMERA" or anything like that wtf? Why is it called Photo Finish then? Ok moving on stop being a picky Kitty. It comes in four shades. I received Ivory, Honey and Tan for review. The missing shade is Beige which slots between Ivory and Honey. I think its my shade. :/ Also some other girls got all 4 shades and contents of out bags all came down to chance so not FOA's fault!

Sorry Ivory has a slight dent in it, I pulled it out going WAAAH SO LIGHT at the dinner and swatched it to make sure it would match -___- ''

The texture is quite a thick cream which feels almost whipped when touched. It comes with a sponge but I tend to really hate sponges for applying cream and liquid products because it all absorbs and then a very sheer layer ends up on your face and like 95% in the sponge, how wasteful! >.<
I find it works best with my go to for cream products- the MAC 130 which is a small, densely packed synthetic duofibre brush. Then it gives nice coverage~ very full, almost like concealer then! Even covered all my hyperpigmentation!

I wore Ivory for a whole day without a base and I have to say I was impressed with the staying power as it didn't show any signs of creasing or slipping and sliding. Granted I did put my regular ZA powder over the top but that is to colour correct because none of the shades were right for me! (see swatches) But since the ZA powder does not stay on my face with nothing underneath I don't know haha. Will conducts another test on my next day off.

In a nutshell I like these. Stay on well and give good coverage, but only if you use the right application method. Will post another nutshell video in a bit. n___n

Swatches!!

Ivory is there ok just look harder haha. Or click to enlarge like with all my photos!

Also I would take full face photos but the shades are either too light or too dark. :| Sorry! Maybe I will take a pic of my cheek only?

ETA oops forgot the ingredients list

adelaide beauty conference!! part one

2011-08-16T21:06:00.001+09:30

Hello! So if you haven't heard the buzz via Twitter, the Adelaide Beauty Conference has just hit town! And by just I mean last Saturday. Today I bring you part one- Dermalogica and Cloud Nine demos! I wish i could have part 2 up at the same time, but it would only be made of one part then also I have to wait for Jimmy America to finish editing the photos because I couldn't take any. You'll see why later~. Also I apologise for the fact that it's mainly Cloud Nine photos but the majority of my Dermologica ones turned out overexposed as well as me ACCIDENTALLY DELETING MY NOTES :/

Before the cut I would like to extend some super thanks to Liquid Hair for having us, Celeste from Becoming Beautiful for organising it and Violet Le Beaux and Jimmy America for flying in to show us pretty nails and capture cute moments respectively! And of course a big thank you to our lovely sponsors too :)

Time for a bajillion photos! HIT IT! Ok maybe not if you have gone over your internet limit.

First, some scenery. Liquid Hair had little crystals sprinkled around everywhere on the shelves so cute!

And of course the goodie bags that Celeste so painstakingly put together. But we're not allowed to grab those yet!

Dun dun dun... who's this...

Hi guys!It's Celeste, Violet and Jimmy! Or James?

(Can I just take a line to say how adorable Violet is?? look her face is so perfectly doll like wtf and her eyes so big!)

Monnie of Cupcake Treats spoiled us with gorgeous chocolate and red velvet cupcakes (I only ate red velvet as I'm a red velvet fiend)...

...and macarons! THESE WERE AWESOME

SERIOUSLY LOOK! Perfect. I want 50 please. This one time Daddy brought back macarons but they were weird and had this gigantic air pocket in each biscuity bit which made the whole thing hard and crackery. :( But I'm not a food blogger I will shut up now ok

Ok I lied one more food photo. Steph aka Fake Jen nomming. I hope she doesnt find this too herp derpy but I can remove it if she wants.

Commence blogging!!! We split up into two groups and took to different sides of the room.

First demo that I saw was the Dermalogica targeted eye treatment. This is meant to brighten up the eye area and will have you in and out in 20 mins, pop in during your lunch break or whatever. SO quick!

Of course we were given a bit of a feel of each of the products however due to limited time and space the majority of my photos came out a bit flash heavy! Anyway, here's a blob of the Daily Microfoliant. It has super soft rice bran beads to gently exfoliate, polypeptides to boost collagen and soy proteins to fight free radical damage. I'm sorry this is the only thing I can provide a good explanation and photo of, but I accidentally hit back on my phone when I was taking notes and everything I had written before was gone FML not even kidding ask the other girls

A lot of the stuff we were shown was from the Age Smart line. Don't wanna look wrinkly right? And of course take care of your eyes because they show the first signs of aging! >.<

March on over to the other side of the salon where Emma gave us a demo of Cloud Nine tools! First up... The O...

Check it out! This futuristic little pod heats up rollers in 6 seconds only!

When your rollers are nice and hot, the O beep beeps at you and the little dot turns red. They stay warm for like 15 minutes. And its really quite warm!! Also a little tip we learnt: the higher you lift your hair when putting the roller in the more volume you get at the roots, perfect for sexy bouncy hair

Twirly twirly...

Bouncy hair!

But there's also The Wand... look at that crazy cone thingy stick haha. Curls hair in only 3 sec, so hot! Also comes with a little glove to protect from burning so considerate right?? But only covers your thumb + forefinger so bad luck for the rest of your hand -___-"

or you can be badass and just not use it, you go workplace safety LOL

oooh!

Another way to curl your hair is with a straightening iron. The tiny little travel iron is so cute and $90 (mine was $9! but imagine the damage its doing to my hair :/) one of us lucky bloggers will be receiving one of these thanks to Cloud Nine n____n so generous!

Twist and puuuull...

Cute curls!

(photo via Jen's twitpic!)

Also I put my hand up when asked if there were any questions... How do I style my hair? I havent done a hair post since my super quick 'hey I dyed my hair pink' post, but it's cut like a heart monitor blip in the front and short underneath with the very top layer mid-length and swishy. Hard to style! So this is me getting a Liquid Hair makeover- I couldnt see what was happening but it felt like a lot of curling and a lot of Kevin Murphy's Powder Puff. Ohohoho Chekhov's Gun from the beginning of the post lololol.

Also it's not the first time the stuff has been in my hair- whenever I get it cut at Colour Cosmetica, it inevitably finds its way into the styling. Powder Puff is great for that teased volume without pulling, tugging or damaging the hair! I'm a big lover of Kevin Murphy products, just FYI I can't live without Luxury Wash (thogh I preferred the old version better :/)

OK stop rambling I am a makeup blogger not hair.

This is how it looks like (again from Jen's twitpic). Also a sneak peek at part 2 featuring Sherry!

Ok abrupt ending and just warning you all photos from part 2 will not be taken by me I was busy teaching lol! Super fun times to be had right??

[CLOSED] giveaway time! benefit the porefessional

2011-08-14T19:44:00.002+09:30

So the Adelaide Beauty Conference was an absolute blast! :D Proper blog post on it later, but the bigest of thank yous to Celeste of Becoming Beautiful for throwing it all together, we all cannot send enough thanks and gratitude her way!
Before starting off the coverage of the ABC, I thought I might get things rolling with a giveaway. You see, Benefit Cosmetics was one of the sponsors so we all found Porefessionals in our bags! However since I already own this, have done a review on it and work for the company, I felt like it's only right to give mine away :)
Jump cut for how to enter!

Winner will receive one full size of The Porefessional! This super silky, oil free balm glides on to cover pores and fine lines while softening skin's texture. Translucent finish for all skin types and it's also the top seller since it's come out (even beating Benetint!) RRP AUD$53!

This giveaway is open internationally as well so hop to it *makes heart with hands*

SO how do you enter?
ONE ENTRY for leaving me a comment with your face routine. Bonus points (aka one extra entry) if you tell me how you'd intergrate the Porefessional!
ONE ENTRY for each social network you share this on~! so twitter/facebook/tumblr etc etc etc away!
But hurry, it closes on the 10th September!

Go for it kittens! <333

PS: Girls who were at the ABC, you can't enter! You already have one you greedypantses. :P

quick post: please like!

2011-08-10T20:25:00.000+09:30

Hey! Do you have facebook? I thought you might. Wanna win free lenses? Well I do, for you!
CLICK HERE to get straight to my photo and click LIKE please! Whoever has the most likes by 30th Sept gets FIVE PAIRS OF FYNALE LENSES! You can enter too, but if I win 2 or more pairs, one of the pairs will be going to you guys :) because I need to do something grateful for all 102 of you (via google friend connect n___n)
While you're there, vote for my girl Steph aka Jeneara tooooooo (she's here) but clearly I am the only one so far that's happy about having lenses lololololol PLEASE GO I LOVE YOU <3

tutorial time: barbie eye

2011-08-09T14:32:00.000+09:30

Hello! About time I had another tutorial huh? Tom had his formal last Saturday so of course I glammed myself up. Hit the jump for a super cute Barbie inspired, but not very formal/classy look. Lashes, a pop of bright colour and stripper heels is how I roll.
GO GO GO
FACE: Start with whatever tickles your fancy- I tend to do skin first, even when doing a bolder eye. Hourglass Veil Primer, Guerlain Parure Aqua mixed with MUFE HD set with ZA Two Way cake did the trick for me. A bit of Benefit Hoola to contour, Sugarpill Dollipop lightly on the cheeks topped with Benefit Bella Bamba and Estee Lauder shimmer powder (from a GWP set) as a highlight. Glowing!

LIPS: Prep with Maybelline Babylips balm and one coat of Viva Glam Gaga 1. I don't wear bold lips when I know there's gonna be food. :P

EYES: Of course, define the brows! Benefit Brow Zings is still my go to. Start off the lids with a good primer, then sweep a little Benefit RSVP Creaseless Cream all over up to the socket. Apply a very soft wash of Sugarpill Afterparty on the lid and using just a tiiiiny dab of Hourglass Prism (black side) draw out a crease above the blue and blend softly upwards. Apply Benefit Rich Beach over the black and blend upwards and add a touch of Benefit Dandy Brandy on the outer corners to deepen
.

Sugarpill Tako is used as a highlight, concentrating the colour underneath the brow and blending down, then dusted with Lime Crime Cupcake Thief. Lime Crime Troubadour was then applied over Afterparty to give a tealer pop. Line heavily with Inglot 77 gel liner, top lid only!

Line the waterline with Guerlain Khol Me in Ivory (now dc'd) and top with Tako again. Draw a thin line of black Prism again under the white to create a base for a lash band. A little bit of glitter drawn lightly under the lower lash line and dabbed in the crease adds a bit of sparkle, and of course finish with fluttery lashes on top and bottom. I like The Face Shop Twinkle Dual Liner for my glittery goodness.
I used The Face Shop lashes in iVi on the top lid and XLN cut in half for the bottom. Apply mascara on the innermost lashes where the falsies don't quite reach and we're good to go! Circle lenses are optional- I'm wearing GEO Nudy Pink.

Done! Also remember to check out my previous blog post, aka a blog sale! woop woop xoxo
Leave a comment! Give me feedback (please?)

FYNALE LENS review! gara violet and hime+ blue

2011-07-26T15:28:00.001+09:30

DISCLAIMER: Lenses and contact cases were provided for review by Fynale. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and the views expressed are solely my own.

Woo hoo! Coloured contact lenses are one of my new loves- add instant awesome to your look with minimal effort, coz everyone looks at your huge eyeballs instead of the simple cbf makeup surrounding it. What, gyaru makeup is usually simple, so it's true and I'm allowed to say that T^T.

I received the Hime + in Blue and Gara in Violet (AUD$28 per pair) to test run. Hit the jump- it's an image heavy post!All images can be embiggened by clicking.
Or if you're thinking tl;dr I'm starting to make videos which sum up everything in like a minute. Click here! for that.

They come in the most adorable little vials. Look!! SO dreamy! ^w^

Fynale boast a higher water content than most other lenses, being 42% water. (For reference, GEO lenses are 38% water). This makes the lenses more comfortable by letting more oxygen reach your eye, however since I don't notice lenses drying out at all (?!) I didn't really care a lot haha! I wore the lenses from 10:15 to 6:45 (one day each). However the lenses are definitely thinner, meaning when I blinked it's not as noticeable and I can't feel anything on my eye. Because of the thinness they are a little harder to remove though.

Hime+ Blue

Gara Violet

As usual, lift up the lid at the little arrow to open ...and try not to curve at all...

FFFFFFUUUUU. >.< This is where you break out the scissors, pliers, tweezers, whatever. I managed to open the rest of the vials just fine though n___n

Both in the little lens cases, also provided by Fynale. You can see how there's a lot of clear space in the Hime + design, especially compared to Gara. The black designs and clear spaces contributed to why they didn't really work out on my dark black eyes, which I was disappointed by especially since the promo pic looked like this :(

Camwhore time!!! Lots of pics ahead but they're all relevant. Also sorry about inconsistent lighting in natural light photos I can't control the sun :(

NO LENSES

HIME+ BLUE

(the colour mainly shows when over the whites and not the iris)

GARA VIOLET

All in all I do like the Fynale lenses, though I prefer Gara over Hime+. They are comfortable and give nice colour (depending on design) as well as enlarging a nice amount. I will be wearing these again and ordering more in the future :) Available from Fynale Lens Australia and Fynale Lens (Malaysia)

turquoise shatter by opi swatches

2011-07-20T22:16:00.001+09:30

Hello! I'm so sorry I've been inexplicably missing for so long, things have been swamped at Benefit- Sarah left on holiday a while back and I've been working 6 day weeks more often than not! >_< just ask Neena and Michelle who stopped in randomly (hi guys, thanks for keeping me company!).

Spoilt myself with the new Turquoise Shatter the other day, well, just because! I don't get a lot of time off nowadays and can't blog very well because a lack of natural light makes poophouse photos so this is my consolation. I took about 30 pics for this one swatch and had to colour correct it in the end haha!

Look at that sad pinky nail- is that not the most pathetic crackle you've ever seen? :( one split right down the middle wtf. Also the blue glitter on the ring finger is OPI Last Friday Night, which looks good on EVERYTHING. I bought another bottle because it's limited edition and I never want to be without it.

And to keep this a little makeuppy, a FOTD from my friend Nick's naughty-cal party.Hit the jump if you want to see my face x___x

Newfound love for contact lenses, they save my life when I can't be bothered with my work makeup because everyone just looks at my eyeballs haha!

Also featuring my camera, which is a pain in the behind to have to lift with one hand when taking pictures of myself! Heavy bastard :/

tokyo hardcore!!!

2011-06-18T09:42:00.002+09:30

Adelaide fans of Japanese goth/loli clothing, be prepared! Tokyo Hardcore is about to hit town, Well, theyll hit town in August, but WHO CARES THAT'S SOON
If you're super sick of having to buy all your awesomesauce body coverings online and waiting for shipping, my friend Saccharine (also referred to as Suz on here!) and her fiance Neko are opening Adelaide's very first store of it's kind, woo hoo! It will stock current season items imported directly from top Japanese brands thus compiling everything in one place for your shopping convenience and inspiration. I will shop all day.

Like this. Although not while rapping. And I'll be asian.

Suz and Neko are flying out THIS WEEKEND to gather inspiration and meet with brand representatives so get ready! in the meantime, like their page here to get fresh info and show your support :D

a question about blogs, ads and credibility

2011-06-14T20:01:00.000+09:30

Hello!
You can probably tell from the title that this post is about... well, what it says in the title. I have been tossing and turning around the idea of signing up with blog advertising company Nuffnang. Personally, advertisements aren't a bother if they are:

Clearly a sponsored advertisement
Unique and not stiffly scripted
Honest and relevant to the blogger/author's interests
Only posted if the blogger/author truly believes in the product

But that's just on other blogs. I have no problems reading Xiaxue's blog because her ads are ADORABLE and always have a disclaimer on the top. But what about mine? What about my readership? It all would probably encourange me to blog more often, but how about my credibility?

That's where you come in. Leave your comments on this below. Yes or no to ads? I'm unsure and still swaying. Would you read my blog? Do you read other blogs with ads? Please let me know, or take the poll on the right for anon! xoxoxo

fotd: pink wig, thick ass, give em whiplash

2011-06-13T17:40:00.000+09:30

Woah, it's been a while since I've written a post! Sarah from Benefit has just gone on holiday leaving me to cover all her shifts if that explains my absence a little better and since today is a public holiday, I actually have time to do a little bit of a write up!

My latest FOTD comes from an 18th that I went to- the ULTIMATE DRESS UP PARTY. Come as anything you want! Nicki Minaj seemed to be the easy choice and something I hadn't done before and the makeup was simple enough to slap together post-work, et voila. Also, it's a lot more practical than the gigantic Elmo head...

The girl in that suit is the same girl who cut the toes off her socks to paint her toenails while her feet were cold.

Needless to say, it didn't work out.

Makeup inspired by the teal liner/gold glitter look in Moment 4 Life, but I didn't get a chance to take close up photos. I liked the look though and will probably do it again as a tutorial, with a few adjustments.

Kiss kiss! Side note, Cha Cha Tint by Benefit launches on Saturday the 18th of June! Join Trisha and I on counter, also PrincessNeena and CommanderInChic will be there (yay!). I met those lovely ladies first, and many others, during the first #ABBM. You can find a list of other Adelaidian beauty bloggers here at the ringleader's site- thanks Celeste for putting it all together! xo

100TH POST YO also, MUFE aqua liner #14 review, photos, swatches

2011-05-26T20:18:00.000+09:30

Some how I've managed to blabber for 100 posts full of stuff, though at least 10 of those are short text only posts I'm sure, haha! To celebrate, um... look, new things! I'll do something cool for, like, 150 posts or something. Leave suggestions of things you'd like to see for then (videos? giveaways? my cat's face as a wallpaper?)

Anyway, on the the kind of anticlimatic post: Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner!

As has been previously pointed out over at Temptalia there's a new formula of liner popping up in a lot of brands. A long wearing, waterproof, sweatproof formula which glides slickly and 'rolls' off the skin (I previously put the Illamasqua version to the test with Glister). The formula's nice. I dig it and as long as brands are putting out different colours I'm a okay with this.

MUFE #14 is a black with multicoloured sparkle, a little sheerer than what I'd expect from the brand. The swatches show a heavy swatch, whatever's left on the brush after that, then a lighter swatch after going back for more product (ie taking off the excess around the rim of the tube). You can see it doesn't lay on the opacity as expected- I don't know about you but I definitely don't just take the applicator out of the tube and just go for it, you know? That said, it is nice and I like to layer this over Stila's Smudge Stick in Stingray. Yum.

Comparing the applicators, the MUFE one is a lot shorter, precise and seems to be made out of a denser foam. I found the Illamasqua applicator started to go a bit fuzzy with more use, something I haven't experienced with the MUFE. Generally I tend to prefer brush applicators (Benefit Magic Ink applicator is my favourite) but this is a nice alternative.The handles are exactly the same length though.

On another note, Laura Mercier just released a ltd ed liner called Gold Thread, which I swatched next to MAC Superslick in Pure Show during a shift. Fiona (who was working at LM at the time) was not happy and proceeded to compare the two liners, which were identical in packaging, formula, applicator and colour. Her boss got a very annoyed call along the lines of 'how am I supposed to sell this limited edition eyeliner when there's an identical one available permanently for less??' Hoo boy. :/

2 layers, on eye

I'm going to think to myself that this a special post, seeing as I nabbed a liner before they were meant to go on sale. They're not on the Media Makeup site yet (as far as I know, the only Australian MUFE stockist) so uh, hooray for being the first person to purchase one! Leave me your thoughts on the twin liner debacle... xo K

big(ish) shu uemura post! reviews/swatches of smoothing fluid foundation, single eyeshadow, painting liner and lipstick

2011-05-25T14:56:00.001+09:30

Aloha kittens! Thought it was about time to start the big coverage of what I hauled when in Malaysia and first off, my first purchases. I went wandering around in the Sunway Pyramid on the first day with a too-full wallet and emerged with five new pretties in tow... uh oh.

Blob! Thicker than a regular liquid, but not quite a creme.

I tend to head straight for the base products when testing out a brand and as a result... Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation. SU promises a "Smooth and refined texture with control. Just the right amount of coverage allows skin to look flawless, yet natural." Usually I do prefer a full coverage foundation but my skin's been drying out because of winter, so moisturising becomes a big priority. This wears nicely and I usually don't bother with a primer unless I know I'll be out for 10 hours or more and gives nice buildable coverage. The SA recommended a shade lighter (seriously, what is it with Asians wanting to look whiter :| plz stop) which is what I wound up with, but it does oxidise a little and I wear a full coverage powder anyway so it's not too bad. Wearing it every day as my winter foundation!

COLOUR! I love colour. Come to me, eyeshadows!

I ended up with IR purple 795, which is a lovely blackened red-plum. Texture is silky but pigmentation isn't the best I've ever encountered, but it IS nice. Shu eyeshadows wouldn't be my first pick, but worth a look if there's a colour you like.

Gel liners are nice too n____n I heard good things about the Shu Painting Liners so proceeded to pick up ME black/noir, which is a soft black with silver sparkle. It doesn't give a line as intense as my Inglot liner does but it glides smoothly on the skin with a synthetic brush. Going over the line twice has a tendency to remove the colour though, leaving the silver behind. Good, but hasn't knocked my favourite Inglot liner from the top!

Swatchy swatchy! IR purple 795 and ME black/noir, swatched with fingers and brush respectively

Just to round things off I picked up a lipstick too. This is one of the Ltd Ed sakura lipsticks in the pink casing (super cute!) in PK 339, which is a sheer soft pastel pink. The Shu site lists it as "bright pastel pink- cool undertone" but I get a warmer, almost peachy vibe from it. It glides on nicely and doesn't feel uncomfortable, giving nice soft MLBB colour, though not as opaque as I'd usually like. This is nice though, for everyday :) it also has a VERY fine silver shimmer.

Swatched, both are just one swipe of the same lipstick, not sure why I did it twice!

Aaaand lips. See, soft and sheer!

The cleansing oil removes makeup super well and takes it all off but sometimes I feel like it's too much for my oily skin! it doesn't leave a gross filmy feeling on my skin though and does what it's supposed to do. I tend to use this as an eye makeup remover :p

Also, NO, I did NOT buy any lashes... why would I do that when I got 10 prs for about AUD$3 and I only use then like 4 or 5x anyway! haha. Also I already have the lash curler (they were selling a bedazzled one why would you buy that you can zhng yourself for so much less) and I much prefer the Shiseido one. Cest la vie, Shu really isn't at the top of my beauty books haha. They may not be my favourite, but what do you think of this Japanese beauty brand?

hourglass visionaire duo in prism review, photos, swatches

2011-05-23T18:32:00.002+09:30

I'm a big Temptalia fan. No secret. And every time I see an A rating or higher it's infinity excitement! So ever since she posted about the Hourglass duos, I've made a mental note to check them out and the City Cross Mecca Cosmetica finally got their Hourglass section built up n____n Huzzah!

But... neutrals. Soft colours seemed to take up the majority of the line, which I was mucho sad about... Until the dark, sparkly side of Prism caught my eye.

Love at first sight and swatch! . Both sides glide on buttery smooth, blending and wearing effortlessly even without a primer. Also, the packaging is pretty damn cool and swively and I have to admit I used the brush when on the go/doing my makeup at the bus stop.

Honestly, though lovely, I couldn't give two flips about the misty blue side of the duo (I have an inkling that Benefit Like What You Sea? might be a good dupe though). That hot, super pigmented, silky black with the silver sparkle is WHERE ITS AT! I use it every day to set my eyeliner. If you can drop the $55 AUD (I think that's how much it was... from memory//ETS: its AUD$58, thanks blushfully!) for some eyeshadow, this is it. You won't regret it. Your wallet might be hurting. But you and your makeup brushes won't be.

No base, dry fingers, one swipe.

Worth the $58? Yes, no or maybe so?

fotd: super bass inspired

2011-05-10T23:57:00.000+09:30

This one is for the boys with the boomin system... Predictably, I love Nicki Minaj's bright, candy poppin' style and when the video for Super Bass dropped I just about lost it with excitement (it's my favourite song of hers!)

How can you not love the adorable silver/gold/aqua/purple combo with a bright pink lip she sported?! I love it like 50x more than that yellow/pink combination with her Pink Friday lippie haha.

I tried to recreate the look but that's no easy feat with monolids! Instead I took inspiration from the colour and placement, adding more purple under the lashline... Looked fine until I added the falsies and the lash band was apparently a bit too stiff for my lids and turned them to double lids u____u or hooded monolids YOU DECIDE! Anyway the sudden change in eye shape made the look turn into a weird rectangle on the ends, ugh! Still pretty though once blended.

FACE: Shu Uemura smoothing fluid foundation, Anna Sui Spot Concealer, Za Two Way Powder Foundation, Benefit Sheer Cream Blusher in ooh... on cheeks, Estee Lauder bronzer to contour

EYES: UDPP, Lime Crime Mirror Mirror (inner 2/3), Nymph (ball), Empress (outer corner, lower lashline and 'crease') Aromaleigh Aqua Nightmare (outer corner), Sugarpill Poison Plum ('crease'), Benefit Nice Melons (ltd ed spring collection, above colour) Passion Pearl (ltd ed from Glowla palette, brow highlight), Kose (some light pink peach glittery shade, I lost it! :/, inner lower lashline) Inglot 77 matte liner, false lashes, Majolica Majorca Frame Plus mascara. +Simvue coloured contacts.

LIPS: Guerlain 166 Shalimar Rouge Automatique, richly layered.

Love love! Also, I need your help... should I go as Nicki or Singaporean blogger Xiaxue to a costume party? Nicki is more recognisable, but XX would be a lot easier to pull together and look more convincing!

xo K

ZA true white instant brightener + emulsion review, photos, swatches

2011-05-09T00:15:00.002+09:30

I snagged these little samples as a TOA from Watson's when I was in Malaysia coz I bought like 6 of their 2-way foundation haha (review on that later)! Anyway, these two products claim to brighten and whiten skin, one instantly, one... not so much, haha! I'm not a big fan of whitening products, but I thought why not put these to the test?

I had no idea what the True White Instant Brightener did until I hit Google because the description on the back is entirely in Chinese and I can't read it haha fail asian

Look, so helpful

But apparently "Upon application, it instantly corrects dull skin and creates a beautiful pearly finish on the skin!"
Okay. Sounds pretty good and I have no problem with radiance! Also apparently it's being hailed as a next generation BB cream so umm yeah. Lets see how it goes!

Oh crap this stuff is LIQUIDY! I snipped off a tiny bit of the corner with the intention of just putting a tiny bit on my hand to swatch but it all just came flowing out, I was not expecting that!! In addition to being watery as a BB cream isn't, it also has a pinkish tinge. It does add a definite brightening effect but doesn't seem to cover any blemishes, instead just reflects light the hell away. Nice to have, if your skin's already pretty good, but I'd give it a pass! It does give a nice noticeable pearly glow though.

Before/after with absolutely no makeup. Check out my intense acne scars, fml. And once you put something on the internet you can't take it back I'm probably going to regret this oh god why

Swatcharama! You can see the differences better along the top of the photo

I was more interested in the bigger bottle though... the True White Plus Emulsion! The helpfully in English back states "Radiance + Clarity x Whitening Effect. A lightweight whitening emulsion formulated with the exclusive Za Prism Enhancing System to help promote skin's brightness and clarity, while targeting dark spots and acne marks."
ACNE MARKS! I have tons of those! Come to me, my love! :o

The emulsion itself (just a regular liquid-gel texture) sinks into the skin quite quickly and since starting the trial I have noticed slight lightening of my scars woo hoooo! If I remember, I'll post an after photo but I'm currently battling a monster zit on the side of my nose and I don't know if it's the product's fault or not. Doubtful though, since I mainly use it on the cheeks and they're just fine.

But really, I don't know what to do about Za now, since it's not available in Australia. But if you're in a part of the world where you can get your hands on these, have a quick little looksie and then buy me a full size of the emulsion ;D

illamasqua flare, atomic lipstick review, photos, swatches

2011-05-04T21:39:00.001+09:30

Finally! The penultimate post in my Toxic Nature coverage, with an unbroken Flare. For those not in the know, this arrived the first time around... But now the show can go on! Rich, pigmented colour for days! The lippies in the Toxic Nature are Atomic, an intense fuschia with blue sheen and Flare, a retina-burning neon orange. So bright and so beautiful! Atomic is one of my new favourite pinks.

The matte finish lends itself to a drier formula, which tends to tug at the lips and be a bit harder to apply. However, it also clings on quite well through a long day which is a plus! Personally I recommend wearing this in conjunction with a lip balm to make it a little more comfortable.

Atomic, Flare

Atomic

Flare

//side note: my skin tone is VERY yellow on the surface, for more accurate neon-ness for Flare, check temptalia! also, all products were provided by Illamasqua as part of the Win Your Wishlist competition.

guerlain rouge automatique 166 shalimar review, photos, swatches

2011-05-04T11:43:00.001+09:30

Since at the Benefit counter I work at is also half a Guerlain counter, it has its benefits. Knowing about the Rouge Automatiques the day they launched is probably the best thing to ever happen to me. The day after they hit the counter I picked up Shalimar, a bright blue-pink. Say hello to my new favourite lipstick... ever.

The main selling point of these lipsticks is the handy dandy you-only-need-one-hand lipstick case, in which you pull down a little tab and the lippie slides up from its square container. Convenience! And pretty! But I'm not completely sold on this, since it makes it harder to judge how much lipstick should be poking out the top (what if its too much and I break it? ahh!) and I also find it a little harder to apply since there's more bulk around the actual bullet- the corners of the case sometimes bump against my lip and I end up having to hold it at a weird angle. I do like it a lot better than the more expensive Rouge G casing though, which is way bulky!

I'm more than willing to look past the square case though, because the formula is absolutely BANGIN'. The Rouge Automatiques aren't an opaque lipstick, gliding on semi-sheerly but generally giving enough coverage to even out my lips (my top lip is darker than my bottom lip for some reason wtf.) I've tried a few of these on various shifts and they're all gorgeous. They glide on super slick and effortless, wear forever through meals and drinks, aren't clingy and definitely live up to their 'second skin' claim. I love these so much. Get some money. Buy them! These are AMAZING! I want 500.

One layer, with flash

ETA: About 3 or 4 layers, natural light (lipstick in real life is slightly lighter)

AUD$55 from Guerlain counters. Purchased for AUD$46.75, with my own money.

technical difficulties...ish

2011-05-03T22:49:00.000+09:30

So I submitted my Pentax Optio H90 for repairs seeing as it suddenly developed crazy black dots and stipes for no apparent reason on the screen wtf so no HD videos or anything just yet (although I looked at the video quality its not exactly as HD as the box claimed). Warranty better cover that!!

On another note, that means instead of a haul video I will be doing a series of haul posts broken down by brand and nail swatches for the Toxic Nature collection (minus Gamma) and Etude House will be up once I get a nail wheel coz I got my nails all glittery and diseased when I was in Penang haha!

By Oscar Bling Nails! Such a fitting name. I told them I like pink, glitter and candy and they could go crazy. The 3D stuff eventually got stained by hair dye and I had them replaced at Shisi in Adelaide.

Guerlain Rouge Automatique review is coming tomorrow though & they are my new favourite lipstick why do they have to be $55 fml. Look, so nice!!

Also now I pretty much have a set roster now, so I have designated Monday to be swatch/photo day so blog posting is sure to be more regular now right?? Right! And maybe when I get my camera back video tutorials because my new camera doesnt annoyingly click when focusing n____n

And so I leave you with this: a Benefit counter in Malaysia which I had a field day in, look at all those lipsticks and eyeshadows and lipglosses and Lust Dusters, makes the Aus range look mad pathetic since we just phased out almost all the silky finish lipsticks, creaseless creams and all the single velvet shadows WTF!!

So jealous man.

THE ANSWERS...

2011-04-27T12:00:00.011+09:30

Click to embiggen!

I'm not in my house at the moment! But this post is scheduled to go off at 12 noon Adelaide time, meaning the contest is officially OVER. And in the greatest bout of fail my blog has seen, as of 10:30pm on the 26th, I've received zero entries. Sucks for you, apparently none of you get free stuff! Where's your makeup knowledge? :P
But maybe I'll check my gmail later when I get back from everything that is life. Maybe one of you has won some form of something you don't have to pay for idek. Or maybe I'll compile ALL ZE PRIZES into a grand prize for something that requires a lot more effort... I don't even know. But here you go.

tutorial time: glitterati

2011-04-26T13:36:00.000+09:30

Um I wrote this before I left for holiday this is awkward why didn't it post properly

---

So I stopped by The Face Shop when I was on break yesterday. Then proceeded to spend $26 of my money on a glitter liner lol why I need that money to spend overseas what am I doing look at your life look at your choices

But hey, I get to wear pretty sparklies today because of that, and what better time to bust out new glittery, sparkly things then at a party? Super thanks to Anita from TFS for talking to me for half an hour about makeup and showing me this piece of amazingness haha! so good. Anyway,this look is a lot better in real life because glitter is... well, glitter, so it's obviously not quite so super reflective in photos, but hope you enjoy this part smoky part sparkly face!

FACE: Some sort of Laura Mercier thick cream foundation one of the counter girls gave me a trial size of, Benefit Hello Flawless! to set, Benefit Honk if You're... powder blush (discontinued, try any dark purple) to contour, Inglot 28 for colour and Benefit Get Even 01 to highlight. Keep it matte!

LIPS: Benefit La La Land with Benefit Nice Melons (eyeshadow) patted on top.

EYES: Today my brows are Lime Crime Abracadabra and Illamasqua Mould, set with Ardell Brow Gel. Prep and prime your lids, above and below, then thickly pack a matte black from the lashline halfway up to the socket. Wing it up just a tiny bit and very lightly smoke out the top. Then go in with The Face Shop Twinkle Dual Liner (or any other glitter liner of your choice) and thickly draw a line on top of the black, layering it as many times as you want. I did 3 coats for good glittery measure. Line one coat under the wing as well.

Then, with a thin brush, dip into a dark matte brown and lightly shade over the glitter, blending upwards but keeping the majority of the colour at the liner. Blend out with a softer brown and apply a light matte face powder along the browbone and blend down. I did this through trial and error, so just experiment with what works for you and your skin tone. I used a selection of Inglot eyeshadows and brow colours.

Using the pencil side of the liner, line the waterline and/or lower lashline, shading underneath the eye with the same brown tones. Re-line the eye, apply falsies, curl, mascara, done!

WTF DARK PHOTO WHY.

SO I'M BACK

2011-04-26T09:39:00.000+09:30

and I'm angrier than JPMetz in her BAD WEEK MAKEUP TUTORIAL because Malaysia Airlines left my damn luggage in KL or something because they delayed my flight from Penang by like two hours so we had to practically run to the next damn flight which doesn't give them enough time to transfer my luggage with has a buttload of new expensive things in it so I can't have all my nice new things to put on my face and show you since this is a BEAUTY BLOG and it has to do with THINGS THAT MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD AND I DONT LOOK GOOD COZ MY BRUSHES ARE ALSO IN MY LUGGAGE other than that the trip was pretty good up until this point

anyway that giant black stripe on my new camera has also turned into a LARGE CIRCLE for some reason and I've only had it for ten damn days and my warranty card and receipt is still in MY SUITCASE

on another note nobody has entered my contest apparently nobody wants to work for free stuff ok i get to keep my money COOL!
or you can take that as an opportunity to easily win things

maybe i'll airbrush some pink blush so i can superficially be happy

i got purple contacts, they don't really show unless its bright.

Hello hello...

2011-04-20T14:49:00.001+09:30

Checking in from KLIA, waiting for the flight to penang and watching my boyfriend cheat at blackjack.
Going to get my hair and nails done super cute and awesome too n_____n also just a reminder- you can search for all hints to my contest by going to my twitter and searching for # twitterhint. Send me your best guesses, woooooooo!
Here's some craptastic phone pictures from the trip, including my new broken camera wtf

Hello blogosphere

2011-04-15T22:02:00.001+09:30

As you are all aware, of course i'm off on holiday. Since I don't have a laptop I can't update the blog with decent posts it's going to be temporarily on hold. Keep an eye on my twitter though for contest hints as I can update that via my android, and send through your entries! Good luck everyone, I can still check my emails and catch you on the flipside! xoxo

contest time! inglot, lime crime and sugarpill prizes to be won...

2011-04-14T18:18:00.003+09:30

As you guys know, I'm heading to Malaysia and Indonesia on Saturday- yippee! And with travel comes packing and with packing comes a little regulation pouch of creams, aerosols, gels and liquids. This is my carry-on makeup pouch (the rest I'm taking in my proper luggage) and I thought hey... why not a proper contest? Read on...

There are FOUR PARTS to this contest:

ONE: Name everything visible in the pouch, excluding what's in the unmarked jar. Full product names, please! eg "Estee Lauder Take It Away Total Makeup Remover", not just "Estee Lauder Makeup Remover"! There, I just gave you an easy, legible product.
Prize is your choice of Inglot 541 AMC lip gloss (swatches here) or Inglot 77 gel liner, aka the best black liner I've ever found! I've used it so many times and mentioned it by name, but any time i mention any kind of matte black liner, this is it, no fail.

TWO: Name everything visible in the pouch, excluding the jar, down to the shade name. See that pencil? What is it? See, this is where it starts to get tricky with Poladroid effects. Never fear though, here's a hint: I've used and worn all the colours on the blog before! Do some snooping!
Prizes are one Lime Crime lipstick and one Lime Crime Magic Dust in your choice of colours! See all my posts using Lime Crime here.

THREE: Name ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in the pouch! Shade names, yes... but the hard part is the invisible stuff. There are two less-than-visible products in the pouch, as well as what's in the jar. One of these is a well used and loved product and the other one has only been mentioned fleetingly on the blog twice. As for the jar...? Take your best guesses!
Prize is super good: I'll throw in the Sugarpill SweetHeart palette, my favourite palette of all time, and a Sugarpill Chromalust of your choice! Click to see all my Sugarpill posts.

FOUR: Promote! Post about this contest on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr... anything! Get one entry for each time you post about it. It cannot be purely a link, there must be some sort of description about the contest. eg
"I wanna win free stuff and so do you! go to @misskittycharms blog to see how you could win stuff from Inglot, Lime Crime & Sugarpill... http://bit.ly/gXB1LU" or reblog this if you're from tumblr for easy peasy entering!
You can enter once from each networking platform (ie no matter how many times you tweet, only one entry from Twitter!)
When you've done so, show me proof in the COMMENTS! One person from the comments will be randomly selected to win a bottle of Inglot S-Bond treatment aka my favourite nail strengther and base ever. My nails stayed this long with the stuff (recently had to trim them though, they started snagging when I started to run out :< )

CHOOSING WINNERS:
All those who have provided enough correct information to be eligible in each category will be randomly selected via random number generator. (For example, those who have correctly named EVERYTHING EVER in the pouch will be eligible for sections one, two AND three, while those who have only provided the names of visible items will only be eligible for category one). This is a game of skill and chance.
For the comment contest it is purely a game of chance.

THE IMPORTANT STUFF: RULES AND ENTERING...
1. Contest starts NOW, aka posting time, and runs to 12 noon on the 27th April Adelaide time (GMT +9:30) aka the day after I get back... And yes, it's international! All contestants are potentially eligible to win all four categories.
2. Options one, two and three are to be entered by email. Send me your answers, with CONTEST! in the subject line. You can enter once for each category and I will be accepting corrections- but only once! misskittycharms [at] gmail.com
3. Option four is to be entered through the comments. Provide one link for each pimping!
4. Bear in mind that since many of the prizes are dependent on your choices, allow time for me to place orders for prizes, receive them, mail them out from Australia etc. Alternatively, a gift certificate to Lime Crime and/or Sugarpill stores to the value of the prize can be provided.
5. As of the original posting, all prizes are to be bought with my money and have not been sponsored. This is subject to change, however, as I am currently emailing makeupnet.com.au but even if they cannot provide prizes, I will. If I do not receive a single correct entry for a certain category, prizes will be forfeited as I cann't think of a fair way to give it out.
6. Follow me on Twitter or keep an eye on the sidebar because I may sometimes tweet hints ;) #twitterhint
7. Good luck! If you have any questions, don't be afraid to tweet or email me at the above address

xoxo

galaxy nails, again

2011-04-13T15:00:00.009+09:30

I love galactic, shiny, glittery nails. I really do. Here is another post on them. And, of course, galactic sparkles are my total go to nail design for reasons I can't really fathom...

Zoya Trixie, OPI Catch Me In Your Net/Let Me Entertain You and China Glaze Fairy Dust are my best friends this week. Lay down a base coat, 2 coats of Trixie, sponge on some CMIYN and LMET with a sponge tip applicator in random nebulaic (is that a word?) splotches and finish with Fairy Dust stars and you got it. Super easy.

xoxo k

illamasqua glister precision ink review, swatches

2011-04-13T12:30:00.000+09:30

Ooh, baby, this stuff is amazing. Sets fast, waterproof and long wearing, what more could you want in a liner? Glister is an anti liner, a nude brown with opalescent glitter bits that reflect mainly pink. I LOVE this on the bottom lashline as a bit of a kick, and it draws on easily, survived the dry rub test, withstands running water and a long day. It removes quite easily as well, with Estee Lauder Take It Away cleaning it up nicely. I also found that under a hot shower, it tended to ball up and lift away when rubbed, so be careful when crying up a storm or anything, haha. With all glittery products, of course, it does tend to leave a bit of shimmer behind. I can't really think of a bad thing to say about this. I love it. Good for drawing little forest fairy swirlies too, haha!

on the eye

thin, thick, whatever's left over on the brush after a very thick swoop

I suck at packing...

2011-04-12T11:33:00.001+09:30

So I'm leaving for malaysia on saturday but have to be packed by tomorrow (working thursday, busy on friday!) and all I have is an extremely impractical velvety dress, a fitted shirt and a pair of extremely impractical pink glitter heels... No surprise that I don't know how to pack lightly, I always end up with a suitcase full of stuff I'll never need. Any travel veterans out there to give me a hand?? Also I plan to do an absolute ton of shopping... Shoot me your travel essentials xoxo

illamasqua cream pigment review, swatches

2011-04-11T13:19:00.009+09:30

I gotta admit, the first time I read or saw about this stuff I was a bit like this:

Illamasqua Cream Pigments boast an extremely rich, pigmented, water resistant formula. I received Mould (very deep grape purple), Emerge (peach), Dab (lilac), Delirium (medium rose taupe) and Hollow (toffee). Look, I figured out how to do the 'read more' thing! Hit it, kittens! less internet nommin

Hollow as (subtle) contour, Delirum as blush, Dab under brow, Mould as brow colour, Emerge under eyes/highlight, Atomic matte lipstick on lips

The formula is a very thick, balm-like texture that needs the right tools to bring out their best. In my experience they seem to work best with fingers or a densely packed flat synthetic brush to lay down the colour. I trialled them using Emerge + a fluffy brush under the eye and a blush brush + Delirum however neither of these methods deposited much pigment. Applying Hollow as a contour with the MAC 130, a small dense duofibre brush, seemed to work well though. The thickness of the product ensures it really grabs onto the skin and stays on practically forever on the skin when applied properly, surviving 30 seconds under warm, running water, several rubs with the heel of my hand and then a firm rub with a washcloth (see photos at bottom of post).

Cream Pigments are also chock full of colour so the pot will last you ages. I also like that the lid snaps on so you don't have to worry about screwing on the cap as tight as you can but I don't like how fiddly they are to remove, perhaps rubberized grips/strips added on the side of the cap would help? :s

Mould on top lashline, Delirum on bottom

Mould as a liner just didn't hold up, gliding along the lashline but not depositing rich pigment with my favourite liner brush (a thin angled taklon paintbrush haha). It showed almost immediate signs of fading on my lid, so I would advise monolidders to stay away from this as a liner! It help up well on the brow though so I guess it's just my eyeshape... Also I obviously can't really test for creasing haha so there goes that.

They also work well on the lips and feel comfortable on- more on that when I do a pastel lip post. ;)

ANYWAY! Onwards, to colour! Swatches & photos ahoy!

Mould

Hollow

Emerge

Delirium

Dab

Mould, Dab, Delirum (swatched once w finger/synthetic liner brush)

Delirium, Hollow, Emerge (swatched w finger/synthetic liner brush)

Mould, Dab, Delirium after wash

Delirium, Hollow, Emerge after wash

So, worth a haul? Let me know your thoughts! Personally I like them but I'm not absolutely head over heels, would have loved to see more 'out there' colours, almost all the ones in the collection are focused on colour correction or enhancement (eg contouring).

On another note, has anyone else seen Sucker Punch? I went to see it with my boy the other night and its pure eye and eargasm central. LOVE IT. Downloaded the soundtrack as soon as I got home hahaha

DISCLAIMER: I did not purchase these products, they were sent to me from the company as part of the Illamasqua Win Your Wishlist competition.

tutorial time: super easy wearable with a kick!

2011-04-08T15:06:00.004+09:30

Because I'm all like HELL NO to neutrals, but we gotta keep it socially acceptable sometimes :( But to add a little colour I added a but of sparkle and blue sheen! Also, the eye were done with pretty much one brush, sooo quick! Also for some weird reason my camera focused on my lips on the above picturebut idk my mouth looks good now

FACE: Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions, Benefit Hello Flawless! to set, Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment to lightly contour, Benefit Coralista for blush, some sort of idek Estee Lauder GWP highlight powder in Gold Pearl

LIPS: Blot on Illamasqua Atomic, line and contour with Estee Lauder DoubleWear Liner in Spice and top with clear lip balm to sheer out the colour. I just used a Lip Smacker. Keepin' it 90's, yo

EYES: Brows filled in as usual with Benefit Brow Zings and topped with Sugarpill Dollipop with Poison Plum in a very thin line under the bulk of the shape. Benefit It Stick and Benefit Get Even 01 underneath to highlight.

Prep and prime- you want a sticky base for this look coz we're using loose shadows. Using a very thin angled brush, pick up a bit of Lime Crime Dragon Scales and apply this on the outer two thirds of the lower lashline, winging it out sideways at the outer corner andslightly fading it downwards. With the same brush, apply Sugarpill Lumi thinly to the inner third and blend.

Apply Illamasqua Precision Ink in Glister thickly on the top lashline, extending it out again to meet with the Dragon Scales wing. Line a thin strip of Inglot Gel Liner in 77 very close to the lashline, winging between Glister and Dragon Scales and set with Lime Crime Medusa.
If you have more lidspace, do your black liner first then carefully trace Glister over the top, I experienced a bit of tugging when applying gel liner over the dried Precision Ink.

Finish with 2 heavy coats of mascara and you're done!

illamasqua stagnate nail varnish review, swatches

2011-04-07T23:12:00.004+09:30

I think it's time for a review after I've given it enough time for a trial run! Illamasqua's Stagnate is a warm, purplish brown taupe, lighter in the bottle than on the nail. The label suggests "two coats for intensity" but I found it looks best at three as most standard nail polishes do. The nail varnish survived the dishwashing test (full set of dinner dishes, warm soapy water, washed by hand), the full work day test (self explanatory) but didn't go quite so well in the shower test. OPI creme finish lacquers fail miserably at this- if I can peel the nail polish completely off my nail in a clean sheet while in hot humid conditions ie the shower, that's not so great especially for someone like me who picks at their polish when bored. But Stagnate held up pretty well, peeling off in small/medium chunks. What, it's a test applicable to me!

l-r 1,2,3 coats

I did not wear any base or top coat with this polish during testing/swatching. Tip wear isn't shabby at all and the colour is somehow so deliciously murky and disgusting, yet wearable. I love it. xx

freshly opened! mecca cosmetica gift bags

2011-04-06T18:51:00.002+09:30

So in case you haven't already heard, Mecca Cosmetica has finally hit in the easily accessible place of City Cross, Adelaide. Featuring brands like Stila, NARS, Kiehls, Philosophy (!!!), Chantecaille and more, I would definitely go dig your fingers into everything you can find there, the Stila smudge sticks and eyeshadows are worth 500 million swatches and the Philosophy shower gels smell DIVINE (can't wait till they get the whole line!)
It only opened up about one and a half weeks ago so not everything is set up and there's a few gaps in the tester units but have a little peeks around. I went last week and picked up a birthday gift for my friend and received this bag of goodies...

Perricone MD Cold Plasma, Dr Brandt pores no more vacuum cleaner, NUDE Cleansing Oil, MALIN+GOETZ detox face mask.

The pores no more has indeed been opened, I couldnt help but give it a go straight away. I dried quickly and washed off easily but I couldnt really see much of a difference between before and after (for reference, I have oily-normal skin, however prone to dryness as it heads towards winter). The NUDE cleansing oil isn't the greatest as an all over cleanser used the way it suggests but I adore it on a cotton bud as an eye makeup remover. Perricone MD Cold Plasma is the weirdest stuff. It claims to adjust to your skin's needs and fight your problem areas and I can swear its doing SOMETHING to fade my scarring/pigmentation, but oh god the smell. It smells like smoked salmon on your face! Granted, the smell does fade after a while but I'll let you know if I find it effective enough for a purchase at roughly $300 a jar...

Anyone else had a peek at Mecca? Or any other beauty gurus got any recommendations for me? xoxo K

woo hoo! the unboxing of: illamasqua toxic nature

2011-04-04T12:32:00.002+09:30

Finally! After some complications (the cream pigments weren't confirmed in the original email although i received email notifications for them then incorrect postage meant the parcel got sent back to Illamasqua HQ first time around) the Toxic Nature collection has finally arrived on my doorstep! :D so I present: the unboxing. Swatches and review to come when I have more of a chance to play around, it arrived literally half an hour ago! n____n

Also as you can see most of the nail varnishes (Bacterium, Purity and Radium) have not arrived though in the original email (see here) but I am chasing that up! xx

PS: Got a new phone which has better recording capabilities than my actual camera, woo hoo! No autofocus while recording though but more moving picture goodness to come on the blog n____n

fotd: playing with colour

2011-03-25T15:23:00.006+10:30

Girl's gotta find something to do during the day right! The usual dosages of Twitter and Tumblr weren't doing it for me today so I broke out ZE PRETTY COLOURS and started to throw it all on, yo. I'm just going to my boyfriend's house after and he doesn't care what my face looks like so might as well take pictures!

I love the bright blue waterline n____n might do that more often! Might also refine it a bit and play with the colour combo more, i like it but it's not making my heart cartwheel with joy or anything.

cheeks: benefit coralista (along cheekbone)/cheapo JAC eyeshadow in fushia (yes, it's spelt like that on the back and it drives me insane, on apples)
lips: inglot funny gloss 15
eyes: benefit lemon aid/sugarpill absinthe (lid)/sugarpill midori (outer 3rd)/sugarpill tako (highlight under brow) benefit hello flawless! honey (to blend)/sugarpill lumi (dusted all over)/sugarpill flamepoint (bottom lashline)/sugarpill afterparty mixed w inglot duraline (waterline)/clinique high lengths (top lashes)/benefit bad gal blue (bottom lashes)

Also an update on the whole Illamasqua dealio- apparently they didn't put the right amount of postage on my parcel so it got returned to them in the UK- sadface forever!! It has been sent back out to me today so hopefully next week reviews, swatches and looks will be up :D xoxo