EOTD: Purple and Silver...

To blend or not to blend? It's not usually a question for me - blending is what gives a look a flowing seamlessness that in most instances I regard as essential. But then there are times when I want the contrast between shades to really stand out, in which case I still blend, but stop at a point so that some degree of distinction remains between the two, and to add a bit more drama (who me?). And that's what happened here...

If ever there was match made in heaven, it's purple and silver - I just love that they don't compete or try and outdo each other, but instead work together to create a beautifully balanced harmony :-) My base was Mirenesse Mineral Face Color Gel in Virgin Violet over most the eye, and I built up the purple MNY mini (#533) over the top. On the inner corner, I applied bhcosmetics waterproof eye crayon in Frost, and also drew this along the top lashline for some added oomph, and to help my spindly lashes stand out a bit more. Over this went Lancôme Style Section - truly the best silver in my kit, and thankfully it came in a GWP freebie palette...

The Mirenesse Virgin Violet went on the waterline as well, and the MNY purple softened my MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner on the lower lashline...

And here's the whole purple and silver look...

If you love purple but this is a bit too bold for your style, check out the fabulous tips and deliciously subtle purple eye look created by the beautiful Gemma from Lady Sapphire Blog ♥ And if you're wondering what the matching mani looks like, here it is courtesy of that same super talented gal ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx

My 2nd Liebster Award!...

The lovely Avie from All Things Avie has nominated me for my second Liebster Award! Thanks my darling, and congrats on your award too - your blog is going from strength to strength every day ♥

Just for the record, here are the Liebster Award "rules":

1. You must link back to the person who nominated you
2. You must answer the 11 questions given to you by the nominee before you
3. You must pick 11 nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions
4. You cannot nominate the person who nominated you
5. You must let the people you nominate know they have been nominated

And here are my (hopefully interesting) answers to Avie's questions:

1.What is your favorite hobby?

Well now I'm torn between doing eye make up looks and blogging - actually both of them are daily necessities for me, so I'm not sure that either of them counts as a hobby hey? Prior to both of these, I used to love making bead jewellery...

2.How many pets do you have? If any post a pic.

I have two cats. One of them (Natasha) is very social, and a Lara Croft adventure queen - she can't bear being bored, so she gets up to all sorts of mischief. Her most recent escapade was slipping and falling from our second floor balcony ledge after failing to successfully complete a 180 degree turn! Had us in complete torment until we got the all-clear from the vet - nothing broken, just a bit battered and bruised. However at 12 years of age she's getting a bit long in the tooth to be executing such aerial acrobatics. The photo on the left was taken AFTER her adventure, so you can see she's fine, but still climbs the stairs a little gingerly. Is this the face of a cat that's learned her lesson? I think not...

The other feline family member is very private and shy (I'll whisper her name...Coco) - she absolutely LOATHES having her picture taken, and prefers to slink from room to room without being seen. If we have visitors, forget any kind of contact - it's as if she never existed. She's a dark chocolatey black bengal/siamese cross, and I took this photo a few years ago when she wasn't looking...

3.Name one make up pet peeve of yours.

When I spend 20 minutes creating an eye look, then when I go outside in the wind my eyes water like crazy, and by the time I get to work, half my meticulously applied shadow has transferred to my hoods - boo!

4.For your nails, do you like nail polish, natural, or salon? 

I go natural because I'm incredibly time poor - I ADORE nail polish and seeing the creativity of other gals, but I just have no time whatsoever to be re-doing manis when they get all chipped, so I just keep my nails au naturel and well groomed...

5.Are you reading any books? If so, what book?
Not right at the mo' - I have three patiently waiting on the shelf though...

6.What is your favorite song at the moment?
Currently revisiting some of my old loves - for now it's "Isn't It Time" by The Baby's. ..

7.What is your favorite movie?

Last time I answered this same question I said Stargate, but that was a bit unfair to the rest of the cinematographic gems that share my #1 spot, like...The Fifth Element, Signs, The Matrix, War Of The Worlds, Gattica, A.I., The Abyss, Blade Runner etc., and that's just the Sci Fi genre...

8.What do you eat the most of?

No one thing more than another really, I believe in as much variety as possible when it comes to food - I don't think anything is bad for you if you only eat it now and then, and even so called health foods can cause grief in your body if you have them every day...

9.Are you a collector or a regulator? 

These pics should probably answer the question...

10.Do you like sports? If so, what is your favorite?

I used to play tennis and snow ski, but these days I'm an armchair appreciator of the Pro tennis circuit and Olympian downhill racers. I was also a keen roller-blader in my youth (see pic below) but I gave that up last week (I'm joking of course)...

11.If you had to take one item and one item only to an island, what item would that be?

My Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - I can talk, I can blog, I can websurf, I can email, I can take photos. What else could I possibly need?

Thank you again for this fun nomination Avie ♥

Now I'm a bit stonkered here because like Gemma Sapphire, everyone I know who qualifies has already been nominated before, so here's a shout out to any <200 followers blogger out there who would like to join in the fun, and answer the following questions...

1. Are you a lover of precious stones? Which one appeals to you the most?
2. What colour are your eyes?
3. Is there a famous person in history you admire - why?
4. If you could be talented at anything instantly, what would you choose?

5. What's the earliest moment in your life you can remember?

6. What do you get complimented on most often?
7. What is the most unusual food you’ve ever eaten?
8. What creature/bird/insect do you identify with the most?
9. Do you have an all time favourite flower, and if so, what is it?
10.What does your dream house look like?
11. How did you come up with your blog title?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

LOTD: Nude Peach(?)...

Having been so fascinated by colour from an early age, my interpretation of most hues is pretty set. So I'm puzzled as to why I had so much difficulty putting a name to this LOTD shade. I mean it's not exactly peach or beige, nor is it apricot or even a coppery salmon. I found a color chart on the web, and the closest I could find to it was a hue called "Burning Sand", but somehow that didn't sound like something I'd want to put on my lips lol! Anyways it's a pretty colour (whatever it is)...

As a base I used Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip liner in Wild Clover...

Over that went one of my faves - Coral Colors Magnetic. I bought this shimmery frosty little number from a stand in a local chemist, and love how creamy and moisturising it is. I have a few from this brand and they are all beaut - and for around $8, they're excellent value...

And over the top went an oldie but a goodie - L'Oreal Studio Secrets Gloss Shine Lip Lacquer. I was bummed when L'Oreal discontinued the range, but thankfully this gloss tube is still viable, and I love the subtle gold shimmer...

So ladies I need some help here - what shade would YOU call this?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

CONFESSIONS: of a Body Washaholic (Part 2)...

Further to my ravings in Part 1, another characteristic of body washes that fuels my passion is the fact that my shower stall stays heaps cleaner for longer as there's very little soap scum build up. I still clean as regularly of course, but I find I don't have to rub and scrub nearly so hard, and the glass panels seem to stay free of that dull milky film that comes from using regular soap. And anything that reduces the effort I have to put into my household chores is a total bonus :-)

So let's get on with Part 2...

Palmolive Revitalising Peach Kernel Oil with Vitamin E Shower Gel

This delicately fragranced gel is a regular in my collection. It has the same moisturising beads suspended in the liquid as the pomegranate & mango one, as well as having the liquidy consistency. The smell is peachy but it also has a baby powderish element, just the thing when I have a hankering to envelop myself in something all soft and girly. I reckon the powdery scent component comes from the Rose Water, but all up, this is such a calming and comforting fragrance that's embracing and supportive, without being over powering. LOVE the colour too, it's just so pretty. Again this is 100% soap free, ph balanced and doesn't dry my skin in the slightest...

Palmolive Luscious Mango Body Butter

Are you a mango fan? If so you won't find a more realistic mango-scented body wash in the market. Unbelievably enriching, this thick custardy cleanser is a mangophile's dream come true. One whiff in the supermarket and I was helpless to resist. Although I generally associate fruit fragrances with summer, this is a definite staple for winter because of it's moisturising characteristics. I've written two positively glowing bh reviews of it already, here and here. Honestly this is so rich and hydrating, I don't have to use body lotion afterwards. It doesn't bubble much but rather turns into a delicious creamy lather that washes my bod clean while leaving my skin feeling satiny soft, and smelling like a mango daquiri! Possibly deserving of my all time favourite body wash tag ♥

St. Ives Energising Citrus Body Wash

Having exhausted the body wash varieties available in my supermarket(s), I ventured into Chemist Warehouse to see what they had on offer, and found this big fat fella. St. Ives scrubs have been high on my list of faves for many years, so what would one of their body washes be like? In a word, yummy :-) The consistency is thick and deliciously rich, and it's an inspired mix of lemon and tangerine, together with mint and eucalyptus - not your usual blend of scents for a body wash, but it totally works. Citrus is the dominant fragrance (to me it smells like grapefruit), and the lotion is the softest pastel green with a pearlised sheen. This formula contains no parabens or phthalates and it's not tested on animals. Highly recommended, and I'm going back to CH to see what other fragrances are in the range...

Dove Go Fresh Revive Pomegranate & Lemon Verbena Body Wash

Another find from Chemist Warehouse. Sure this is available in Coles & Woolworths, but not this smaller size, which as you know, is a bonus in my already overflowing shower where space is at a premium. I'd forgotten how refreshing this particular scent combo is, and hey, Dove body washes (with nutrium) are always so concentrated, lather well and leave my skin super soft. I actually prefer the nectarine version in the range, but this pomegranate & lemon verbena fragrance makes a nice change - it always gives me a lift, but by the time I finish the bottle, I'll probably be ready for something else..

Part 3 coming soon :-) Have you tried any of these, and if so, which one is your favourite?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

COME PLAY WITH ME: Bright & Bold...

Woohoo! The divine Miss H over at The Beauty in Life was the theme chooser for this round of IndieAna's Come Play With Me series - Hailey went for Bright & Bold, and what a show she turned on! An absolutely fabulous use of colour and creativity, and an inspiration to us all...

Bless you hon - Bright and Bold is SO incredibly dear to my heart, but it's also something I do almost every day, so I had to stir up a few hitherto inactive brain neurones to come up with something a bit different to my usual, and here's the result...

So Bright & Bold it is, but with a wee bit of softness too :-) Here's what I used - the shadows are all from the bhcosmetics Take Me To Brazil palette, all mattes, because using this much colour in one look can be somewhat overwhelming with a shimmery or sparkly finish...

Old faithful essence white kajal was my base in order to bring out the intensity of the hues. After laying down the orange, yellow & green in reasonably equal segments, I placed a dollop of the Dark Fuchsia Nabi lip liner in the centre of each colour, and pressed the hot pink from the same palette over the top to set it...

To stop the whole thing looking too clownish, I gently blended all the colours into each other, and then lined the crease with the aqua shade for some added definition...

On the waterline went Green PF Shimmer Strips Gel Liner...

As always when doing a multi-coloured creation, it's a challenge to get both eyes to match, so don't look too closely at the both eyes pics lol...

I had so much fun putting this look together - thanks Hailes for coming up with this brilliant theme! Gemma & Indie will be posting their creations any day now, and as always, would so love it if some more of you lovelies were to join in ♥

Hailey

Gemma

IndieAna

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Terracotta and Teal...

Here's another mix of warm and cool colours. Obviously some blends work better than others, but I'm finding that the orangey shades seem to lend themselves well to pairing with a cool hue (remember the apricot and grey one earlier this month?) So here we go with terracotta and teal...

I used MNY Color Tattoo in Fierce and Tangy as base - next time I'll use Pomegranate Punk or Bad to the Bronze. Although this turned out ok, I reckon the two shadows I applied over the top could have done with some deeper and pinkish support to match my top...

Over this (from inner to outer corner) I patted on the apricot from the MNY Bronze Hyperdiamonds palette, then terracotta from the DB Bold palette, and smoked the outer half with Urban Decay Zero...

I've done similar blends before but the difference this time was to add essence BBC All Night Blue (teal) on the waterline. On the lower lashline, I went over MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner with the bronze from the Hyperdiamonds palette...

And here's the whole terracotta-y face. Cheeks are Lacura Mineral Blush, lips are a combo of Rimmel 1000 Kisses liner in Wild Clover, Australis Colour Inject Limited Edition 2 (orange) & Lacura Mineral Lip Gloss (soft pink)...

The teal adds a nice bit of punch and stops the whole look being too bland (well in my eyes lol)...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: beautyheaven Beautorium haul!...

I recently participated in the beautyheaven beautorium event, where members of the site can swap the points they've earned for beauty products. I know most of you gals are beautyheaven members, but if you're not, here's what you're missing out on...

On the left is what I ordered, but on the right is what I actually received - so many extra goodies!

I've been lusting after the bhave Rescue Intense Repair Shampoo ever since I read about it on beautyheaven, but I haven't been able to find a stockist near me, so to score it for the cost of postage is complete and utter bliss. It retails for $43.95, and I'll be reviewing it here soon (I've only used it once so far, and am in love already ♥)...

As for the Kosmea Skin Clinic Rescue Balm, well I'm no stranger to this magical jar of healing ingredients, so that just had to go into my cart hey? This retails for $29.95, and my beautyheaven 5 star RAVE review of it is here.

So in case you haven't done the math thus far, I picked up two fabulous products worth $73.90 for the princely sum of $4.95 (subsidised) postage. But if that wasn't enough, those generous folk at beautyheaven threw in a whole bunch of freebies:

lapureté Okuru™ Mild Crème Facial Cleanser & Toner
lapureté Okuru™ Resurrection Night Crème
Vagisil Feminine Wash
Lady Jayne Digital Romance hair ties
Manicare glameyes miranda lashes

I was fortunate enough to win the entire lapureté skin care set from a beautyheaven comp a few months ago, and I'll be reviewing ALL these delicious products in the weeks ahead, so watch this space..

Ok then to sum up, a quick tally on my calculator and I reckon I received well over $100 worth of products for less than $5! beautyheaven thank you so much - you totally rock ♥♥♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx

LOTD: Radiant Orchid...

Good grief, I've just realised it's almost the end of the month, and I haven't posted one LOTD, quelle horreur! I don't know why but I keep forgetting about all the ones I've stashed away (almost every day). Will have to set myself a little reminder on my computer, because what's a beauty blog without a colourful lip or two hey?

So this is my first attempt at a Radiant Orchid lip - I'm actually really happy with it, and reckon it's a pretty good match. As always, I tend to make the particular shade I want using a combination of a lip crayon, lipstick and gloss, so here's what went into it...

I started with a Nabi lip liner in Dark Fuchsia...

And then added my favourite purple lipstick, L.A.Colors Grape Crush...

To tone it down, make it considerably less purple and a tad more pink, I applied Mirenesse Lip Lava over the top...

Whaddya reckon gals - close enough? 

Take care of you,
kats xxx

CONFESSIONS: of a Body Washaholic (Part 1)...

Yep time to fess up to another one of my addictions. Hard to believe that four years ago, I had ONE cake of soap on my shower shelf. These days I'm a total convert to luscious liquid latherers, and as a result, I have to have four of those hanging wire shelf units to hold all my bottles - methinks I may have to invest in more if my passion continues to blossom at the current rate, although I'll probably need another bathroom first...

There's only 12 bottles in this pic, simply because that's all I can fit in my bathroom at any one time! As you can see almost half of them are by Palmolive - I'm an avid fan of their washes and gels. They seem to know exactly what fragrances I adore, and out of the selection available at the supermarket, this is the brand that I buy over and over again. Actually now that I can see them all lined up, the majority of my body washes are fruit scented - I do find the freshness of fruity fragrances so invigorating, wakes me up and gets my day started just right...

I'll review all these individually, and as is my way I've grouped them by COLOUR (how odd hey?) so let's get on with the details...

Palmolive Invigorating Pomegranate & Mango Shower Gel

This shower gel is what got me started on my passionate body wash journey of discovery. It was the first one I fell utterly and completely in love with. At the time my bathroom had red accents, and I bought it mainly for the colour. But on first wash, I was a goner - this is just so unbelievably refreshing! The fruity fragrance combo is such a delight, and I'm fascinated by the little moisture beads that are suspended in the gel. I love that it's not too sudsy either ♥ Not in the least bit drying, I'm over the moon that it comes in such a giant bottle for around $8 - it's a problem child in my shower though because it's just SO heavy and bulky, but I decant the liquid into a small squirty container so that I've got room for all the others :-) Warning: It's quite runny so you'll need to be careful when dispensing onto a flannel or else you'll waste a fair bit. My beautyheaven review of it (from 2010!) is here...

Juliet (Aldi) Indulge Palm Milk & Pomegranate Exfoliating Body Wash

I spotted this at Aldi a few weeks ago, and for less than $3, thought I'd give it a shot. It's a nice thick consistency, bright berry red with some gentle grainy bits for sloughing the skin, and it's not too heavy on the sudsing side of things, but the fragrance is disappointing. I guess you get what you pay for, and I reckon it's supposed to be a dupe of the Lux one below, but the scent is kind of sugary sweet rather than fruity fresh. So although I'll probably use this up, I won't be buying it again...

Lux Tahitian Escape Pomegranate Seeds & Palm Milk Exfoliating Body Wash

This is another one I adore, and have purchased many times. You may have already guessed I'm a bit of a pomegranate passionista, and this one never fails to lift my spirits, or cleanse my bod in a revitalising way. The grainy bits in it are firm but sparse, so it's quite gentle and yet very effective for giving the skin surface a good exfoliation, while moisturising at the same time. The best of both worlds hey? This is 100% soap free and ph balanced, and if you're into tropical scents, you're guaranteed to love this. My beautyheaven review is here...

.

Lux Tropical Sunset Soft & Silky Mango & Grapefruit Oils Body Wash

Another beauty from Lux - this one takes me off to Hawaii every time I use it (not that I've ever been there, but you know what I mean). Mango is another scent that's close to my heart (or rather...my nose) in the shower department. This luscious liquid is non-drying and the fragrance has a real zing to it - more mango than grapefruit, but the balance of the two fruits is a masterful concoction. And although this strikes me as a summertime body wash, I'll continue to use it throughout the cooler months to keep me going with the promise of sunshine and warmth on the other side of winter...

Edit: Part 2 is up now too :-)

Are you a body wash/shower gel nut? What's your favourite shower time indulgence?

Take care of you,
kats xxx