LOTD: LacurApocalips...

The other day, one of my darling followers (Arty Girl) reminded me about Rimmel Apocalips Solstice, a gorgeous lip lacquer that I've been neglecting of late. Which is kinda strange because I think the colour is quite heavenly, but I believe it's just because of the quantity of lip products I have in my drawer (what a problem to have!), and I have a tendency to go through phases of wearing the same things over and over again before I remember to cycle through some of the other beauties...

So bless you Arty for jogging my memory! This really is such a special shade, soft and nudey, and I was in the mood for something more natural looking today. The packaging is modern, different, and reminds me of a crystal, and any product that leaves behind a wee bit of stain when it wears off is a bonus for my pasty pout. While I do love this non-sticky yet glossy formula, I don't find these lacquers moist or dense enough to wear alone, and invariably apply a hydrating lipstick underneath, or something else over the top...

And as is so often the case, one re-discovery leads to another - in the same drawer, I spotted a Lacura Minerals Lip Gloss that I picked up in Aldi months ago for less than $5. It doesn't have a name, but it's a beautifully delicate beigy-pink with a very faint powdery fragrance, and an ideal partner for the Solstice. I'm actually quite taken with this Minerals range from Lacura - I wear the bronzer every day (about to run out!), and I have the blush too, but it annoys the hell out of me that I haven't seen any of these on the Aldi shelves ever since :-(

That beef aside, the packaging is super cute, compact, the formula is moisture rich and glossy, and although the applicator is relatively small, it still loads up enough product to not bug me. It even plumps up my lips a little...

I reckon these two look just as pretty together on my bench as they do on my lips!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Autumn Green and Gold...

Have you ever been through Priceline withdrawal? I tell you it's one of the worst things imaginable for a beauty product fanatic like me. I moved house nine months ago, secure in the certain knowledge there was a store within 10 minutes of my new abode...only to discover (after moving in) that it had closed down - gaaaahhhhh! The nearest one is 45 minutes away, and in the opposite direction to where I normally shop. And yes I know they have an online store, but it's not the same blissful experience as being on the spot to rummage through throw-out bins, swatch samples, and take advantage of unpublished bargains...

So then a couple of weeks ago, an opportunity arose to return to my old neighbourhood, and joy of joys, I had 25 minutes to spend in my favourite Priceline. As soon as I walked in, I was "in the zone", working my way up and down the aisles, running my beauty-starved fingers and bargain-focussed eyes over the familiar stands. Armed with a basket, I turned a corner and spotted..."the bin" - chock full of these cute little Maybelline single eyeshadows, marked down to...$1.50!

Because of my limited time (and four more aisles to explore), I only grabbed three of these little gems, but what a gorgeous three they are. You'll be seeing the pink and the purple (OMG the purple is to die for!) in the not too distant future , but here's the green - it doesn't have a name, only a number, 741.

It's a beautifully creamy and surprisingly pigmented shimmer that's an almost perfect match for my eye colour, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect to add it to my collection with Autumn looming on the horizon...

I used FOA Budge Proof Eyeshadow in Poison Ivy as a base over most of the lid, and MNY Color Tattoo in Bold Gold on the inner corner, overlaid with a shimmery white/gold shadow from the MUA Blue Babe palette. In the crease is matte forest green from the NYX Bohemian Chic palette, and I lined the waterline with Mirenesse Face Gel Colour in Emerald...

These little baby pans would have to be one of the best value buys around. Of course I'm kicking myself for not snaffling one in every colour, although the others were not what I normally go for - creamy neutral shades, but there was one pale pink, and yet surprisingly, not one blue...

Still I'm thrilled with what I scored, and my basket was filled with an assortment of cant-buy-them-anywhere-else products by the time I hit the checkout. I've no doubt my "fix" won't placate me for long, and having been reminded what a delight Priceline is, I'm already planning to make the 45 minute journey to my local - but I'll make sure I have at least an hour set aside to explore my favourite playground :-)

Take care of you,
kats xxx

REVIEW: SAX Rich Lip Colour Lipstick...

I discovered this luscious lipstick via beautyheaven's beautorium early last year, and it's only just worn down to the stump now. But I love the colour and creamy moisturising formula so much, I bought another one last week - this is #28, the prettiest coral pink in my collection :-)

Coral is one of the colours I'm most comfortable in, and I reckon it's a particularly flattering shade for us more mature gals, although I think it would suit just about anyone, and any skin tone - nowhere near as dangerous (or daring) as a red, magenta or orange, this hue is cheerful and bright enough to make a distinct impression without hollering "check out my lips!". I often wear it with black and white or grey outfits that would otherwise be a bit flat, but it works beautifully with cream, deep blues or muted greens as well...

I have several coral lippies in my kit - while the others have more orange content, I find this pinky one is an almost perfect match for quite a few of my department store tops, and it's moist enough to blend a little swipe onto my cheeks for that matching glow I love so well lol...

OK so my gorgeous coral aside, there are six other colours in the range, and they are all chock full of anti-ageing and nourishing ingredients - like calendula oil, evening primrose oil, jojoba oil, Vitamin E and silk powder, plus they are paraben free...

I'm really impressed with SAX's presentation too - the sassy casing is a glossy black which doesn't seem to dull even after floating around in my makeup bag for 12 months. Looks heaps more ritzy and expensive than $14.95, and the lid has a nifty click-to-open feature - you press the silver base, and it pops out so you can slide off the cap, and it locks firmly into place when you're done. I usually reapply every couple of hours, but I talk a lot and drink endless cups of tea, so you gals will probably get longer wear out of it.

Truly this lipstick beats the pants of products twice the price, and it scores a 5-star rating on beautyheaven - my review of it is here...

Have you tried any of the SAX makeup range?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

COME PLAY WITH ME: Mad About Mattes...

My darling friend IndieAna has come up with a blog innovation called "Come Play With Me" - the idea is for bloggers to create a "themed" post every couple of weeks, using the marvelous talents they have in whatever beauty arena is their speciality. So not being a backward-in-coming-forward kind of gal, I'm going to start the ball rolling with this post - the theme is "Mad About Mattes", and I certainly am crazy about them :-) Matte eye shadows are terrific for an older gal like me because they downplay (rather than emphasise) all the wrinkles and crinkles on my lids, and the pigments stay put and don't transfer onto my puffy hoods. So here we go with a matte orange and black EOTD...

I started with MNY Color Tattoo in Fierce and Tangy as a base - it fits in with the theme because unlike some of the other shimmery creams in the range, this one has a reasonably flat finish. On the inner corner I applied matte orange from the Chi Chi Goes To Rio palette pictured below on the left, and in the centre I added matte red from the bhcometics Take Me To Brazil palette (below right).

Then I smoked the outer corner with the matte black from the same bhcometics palette, and took it underneath the eye as well...

And for a contrast, I lined the waterline with essence white kajal - not entirely matte, but close enough lol...

I just love the idea of a theme for blog posts, and I do so hope some of you clever and creative bloggers will join me in playing with IndieAna - the more the merrier I say ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx

Edit: Hailey has joined in and you simply must check out her stunning matte look!
...and darling Gemma Sapphire too - wait till you see how gorgeous she is!

EOTD: Jewel Up The Ocean (again!)...

I know I posted a look using this unbelievable essence pigment back in December, but I find it IMPOSSIBLE to resist this stunning eye shadow. Every morning she calls to me from her niche in the drawer...like one of those sirens you read about in Greek Mythology, the ones that lured the sailors to their deaths on the rocks with their songs, except this lady just wants to be ON SHOW all the time and whispers "pick me!" ha ha...

So I let her have her way, and laid her down over a base of the new essence Ticket to Paradise cream shadow in the shade Deep Sea Baby, yet another gorgeous ocean hue, and with a name like that, the perfect partner for the shadow...

This cream is so shimmery and sparkly - here's a fuzzy swatch of it on my freckly arm...

Honestly, these two were meant for each other - the cream brings out the intensity of the pigment even more than white or aquamarine, and the sparkle is to die for...

To make it a bit different from last time, I added some Urban Decay Zero in the crease, but lined the waterline with Mirenesse Blue Moon again because it's such a good match, and doesn't irritate my eyes one bit...

Incidentally this didn't fade at all, and I only had the tiniest bit of sparkle transfer to the lower part of my hoods throughout the day...

Have you tried any of the essence Metal Glam shadows yet?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: Compeed Cold Sore Patch...

This post is about a product that has literally changed my life - Compeed Cold Sore patches.

For as long as I can remember, I've experienced the discomfort (and embarrassment) of cold sores on or around my mouth and nose, up to four times per year. The outbreaks would last a minimum of 10 days, and the scarring/redness would hang around for at least another two weeks after that...

The good news is that if you've never had a cold sore, you probably never will. It's caused by a virus (related to smallpox) that you're either susceptible to or not. Triggers range from stress to injury to over exposure to the sun. When I did my Higher School Certificate (year 12), I fell asleep in the sun while studying, and that combined with the exam stress brought on such a vicious attack that my mouth was completely encircled by these ghastly (and highly infectious) blisters. My lips were so swollen I looked like one of those natives that inserts plates in their lips. Even my doctor was stunned when he saw me, and once everything had subsided, I was treated with a smallpox vaccination every month for 12 months, which worked a treat - I had no cold sores at all for several years, and when they eventually started occurring again, the most I ever had was two in one year...

I think the worst thing about these wretched blistery blights is that they are so hard to disguise - people used to look at me like I had the plague because eventually they would form a scab, and that took a while to heal. Treatment was via various creams and gels from the chemist - they helped a bit with the burning sensation, but the big breakthrough for us sufferers was the development of the Compeed Cold Sore Patch. I was super sceptical at first because they promised containment, protection, fast healing and a massive reduction in the duration of the attack. Well let me tell you folks, it's ALL true :-) I was staggered the first time I tried them - my cold store was done and dusted in 4 days, with barely any blisters and therefore no scab formation! Originally they came in a Day and Night variety, but now there seems to be one convenient kind to cover the whole 24 hours in a day :-)

So here's what they look like, and once stuck on, they are virtually invisible - they cover the cold sore entirely so there's no risk of contamination, and you can apply makeup or lipstick over the top...

Here are some pics from my last attack. The damn thing started coming up on a Wednesday while I was at work, so I applied the patch as soon as I arrived home. The next morning, I put on a fresh patch, and applied my lip liner, lipstick and gloss over the top. Of course you can see the swelling, but nobody at work even noticed. In the past when I've had a cold sore and gone to a meeting, I'd observe people's eyes straying to look at my lip when they were talking to me - I could tell some of them were feeling somewhat uncomfortable (read that as "grossed out" lol) with what they were seeing, but that doesn't happen any more now that I have my Compeed patches :-)

These photos were taken on the following morning, and it's obvious that the swelling has gone down considerably. I tell you these patches are so brilliant, you can barely tell they're there - I marked the outline with X's so you'd know where it is...

And here it is again with my lipstick over the top...

By Saturday morning, the cold sore was all but gone, and I didn't have to apply any more patches - woo hoo! It still amazes me how effective these are. The packs are $16.95 and contain 15 patches, all hygienically sealed in individual wrappers, and there's even a mirror inside the lid if you need to apply one and your miles away from a bathroom. You peel away the arrowed tabs, position the clear film directly over the cold sore, and lightly press it on. I find they don't usually survive through a meal, but they sure stay stuck on overnight, and the bonus is there's no messy (and contaminated) creams left on your pillow. There's also an enclosed leaflet with refreshingly clear instructions on how to apply the patches, and some facts about cold sores. I now keep a couple in my make up bag so I can start the treatment as soon as I feel that first warning tingle...

Honestly, whoever invented these things deserves a gold medal, and has my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude - thank you Compeed! You've changed my life ♥

Do you suffer from cold sores? Have you tried Compeed patches yet?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

LOTD: Strawberry Daiquiri...

I have a huge backlog of LOTD's to post, and decided to start my catch-up with this pretty pastel pink pucker polish :-) This is unusually delicate for me, but I love surprising myself from time to time and going with a nude or pale pink lip look - such a good reminder for me that lips don't necessarily have to be LOUD ha ha...

I  began with my favourite lip pencil, ASAP Pure Mineral, and this is shade ONE - it's my fave for numerous reasons, none more so than because it covers all my brown freckles, and creates the perfect base for whatever I add next...

This is Mirenesse French Kiss Lip Cocktail in the shade Daiquiri - doesn't last very long, but it's magnificently moisturising, and if you're a VIP Member, reasonably priced at around $23. The colour reminds me of creamed strawberries, and it's probably what I'd classify as "My Lips But Better"...

The gloss is Max Factor Silk Gloss in the shade Strawberry Frost. I don't think they make this particular range any more, and I honestly can't remember where I scored this (did you send it to me Cat?), but as you can see it's the perfect accompaniment to the Daiquiri lippy, hence the blog title...Strawberry Daiquiri :-) This is the only Max Factor gloss I've ever owned (or tried for that matter) but I love it - slick mirror finish, deliciously hydrating, does a remarkably good job of plumping out my lip wrinkles, and the doe's foot applicator is one of those big ones that picks up lots of product, actually the only kind I'll tolerate...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Pink, Purple, Blue & Aqua...

Well now after spending the first three days of this week playing around with the same eye shadow colour (and a relatively neutral one at that), I had this overwhelming desire to rock my world with some bold pigments, and here's what happened when I succumbed lol...

Not my wildest look by a long shot, but light years away from where I was on Tuesday. As a base I used one of my favorite gels - Face of Australia Budgeproof Gel Eyeliner in Pure Purple. This is such a gorgeous color and super sticky, so it's perfect for layering underneath either pressed or loose pigments as they adhere so well...

Over this went the pink, purple and blue from the bhcosmetics Take Me To Brazil palette (no I'm not being paid for all these ads lol)...

The aqua shade in the above pic went along the lower lashline, applied with a damp brush...

On the waterline I stroked on Mireness Face Gel in Aquamarine, possibly my favorite color to wear in this particular space, (closely followed by the deep blue Denim Jewel).  As you can see, my pot is exceptionally well loved and used :-) The sheen of these gels is particularly flattering here - somehow a matte waterline doesn't look right to me...

All up four different shades, and my colour cravings were temporarily satiated. I need to be more careful in future to not spend too long in neutral-land though - I managed to calm myself down reasonably quickly with this look, but the intensity of my colour addiction could quite easily have pushed me over the brink into the need for a full scale rainbow mid-week ha ha...

Do you ever find yourself craving something colourful?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Happy Valentine's Day!

to everyone who regards February 14th as significant, 

and is enjoying a loving and romantic day/night 

with someone who has a very special place in their hearts

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Take care of you, 

kats xxx