EOTD & OOTD: Emerald, black and white...

I'm on a bit of a green binge at the moment - must be the Spring Effect! No doubt I'll snap out if it soon, meanwhile here's a bit of fun - you must know by now that I'm an absolute fiend when it comes to matching my eye makeup to my outfit, so here's a little collage of what I put together the other day ♥ Honestly it gives me so much pleasure to walk out the door all coordinated, and knowing I'm at least starting the day in one coherent piece helps me get through the stresses that always seem to come my way at the office...

This is precisely why I have to have such a wide variety of makeup in my kit - well that's my excuse anyway ha ha! Mind you I'm not always successful - I rarely ever show you the failures, but believe me, they happen...

And of course it doesn't just come together effortlessly - I spend a fair bit of time at night choosing what I'll wear the next day, selecting the jewellery, eye, lip and cheek colours, and laying them all out ready for the makeover that starts at 5am on working days. Weekends are vastly different - they're more like an open slather free-for-all (unless I have a special function to attend) and I throw everything together on the fly, and cross my fingers lol...

For this particular look, I started with a stripe of essence white kajal along the top lashline, and pressed Sugarpill Midori (emerald) over the top. On the back of the eyelid, I spread a layer of black Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Liner and set it with Noir from the Sleek V2 matte palette. Then I patted Sugarpill Tako (white) underneath the lower lashline and on the inner corner, and drew a fine line over the top with MNY Master Precise Liquid liner. On the waterline, I covered up my blotches with several layers of essence white kajal...

On my cheeks I used MUA blusher in Shade #6, and for lips, Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Mauve with Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss in Tease over the top...

What tricks do you use to help support you through a stressful day?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

One Year in the Blogosphere Giveaway #4

The last of my Bloggiversary giveaways ♥ This pack consists of a bhcosmetics Eyes On The '80s palette, an Australis Mineral Blush Brush, and an MUA  Matte Lipstick in an appropriately '80s shade of Lilac Belle...

The palette is shrink-wrap sealed, but I snaffled a picture of what's inside from the bhcosmetics website - from what I can tell by peeking through the lid, it's spot on colour-wise...

Here's what's on the back of the box...

The Australis Mineral Blush Brush was a freebie from somewhere or other, bristles are made from goat hair...

The MUA lipstick is sealed, but you can see the colour of my one in the photo on the right...

The Rafflecopter will decide the winner, so please make sure that you follow the entry instructions, and read the Terms and Conditions inside (Australian residents only). Please note that leaving a comment, providing your email address inside the Rafflecopter, AND following my blog one way or another from the many choices listed are MANDATORY for entry...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This giveaway is now closed

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Woo hoo! - random.org has chosen the beautiful Michelle H. as the winner.  

Congratulations gorgeous! 

Michelle please respond to the email I've sent you by 

Wednesday 8th October to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Michelle has claimed her prize ♥

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have fun gals and good luck!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

UPDATE: Mary Kay TimeWise Plus+™ Volu-Fill™ Wrinkle Corrector

It's now been almost 2 months since I started using this amazingly effective product (I began July 30), and given my first review was on 29th August, I thought it would be interesting to review the progress of the areas I've been targetting, for myself as well as for you ♥

The fabulous news is that I've continued to see obvious improvements in the deep creases, as well as some of the finer ones. Quite frankly I'm puzzled as to why this cream isn't HEADLINE NEWS in the beauty world? Mind you I can't seem to find very many reviews of it online, so maybe it's just that very few folk know about it, and that's why there's no fanfare. What I do know is that it works brilliantly for me, so let's get on with the pics...

These first two are from my original review - the one on the left taken at the end of March, and the one on the right snapped on 24th August, about three and a half weeks into the treatment...

And here's how my forehead looked yesterday - even smoother, more blurring of the edges of the creases between my brows, and definitely more youthful than before I started ♥

Photo taken 28/9/2014, bare skin

Moving right along, here's that nasty crease on the left side of my mouth (pictures taken at the end of March and 24/8/14, left to right). In the first photo you can also see a distinct horizontal line directly below the outside of my mouth (marked with a >)...

After my original review, I noticed that the vertical lines above my lip had improved remarkably, so I started applying the cream in a wider area around my whole mouth. Below, it's blatantly clear that this line has lost it's sharpness, and that's after only one month of twice daily applications - woo hoo! The deep vertical crease is also less noticeable - actually I reckon the texture of the whole area is evening out...

Photo taken 28/9/2014, bare skin

As mentioned in my previous review, every time I take these photos, I use the same camera, duplicate the same lighting conditions, and do my best to capture exactly the same angle. None of these pictures have been retouched - all I've done is crop them...

So, needless to say I will be continuing on with this magical cream - in fact I've just placed an order for another tube. Surprisingly, there's still some left in the one I received from beautyheaven, although it's looking a little worse for wear - but there's no way I thought it would last so long! 

In summary, I'm amazed at what this cream is doing for my ageing face, and after doing the sums, I've estimated that my wrinkles are being erased at a cost of $44 per month, or $11 per week. So do I still think this product is expensive? No way ha ha...

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: Versace Bright Crystal Absolu Eau de Parfum...

Allow me to introduce you to my new signature warmer weather scent - Versace Bright Crystal Absolu. I owe a couple of heartfelt thankyou's for the discovery of this numero uno - it all started when darling Gemma from Lady Sapphire Blog posted a preview of this new offering from Versace back in July. I was SO entranced by her delicious description - it sounded like something I would adore, so I set about getting my hands on a drop or two...

MyPerfumeSamples.com came to my rescue with a 1ml glass vial of the genuine article for $3.99. I've placed two orders with this firm now, and can't rave about them highly enough. They deliver exactly what you ask for, and despite being in the US, the parcel always arrives in perfect condition, and in a timely manner. I posted an in-depth article/rave review about their services back in August...

As soon as I popped the cap, I was in love - a done deal, and totally smitten with this fabulously fresh and feminine fragrance. The crispness of it makes my nose tingle with delight, and I can't help but break out into a beaming smile as soon as it hits my skin. This is the first Versace fragrance I've owned, and not having tried the original Bright Crystal I can't compare it, but from what I've read, it's almost the same. The biggest difference seems to be that this Absolu is more intense and lasts a whole lot longer, and I can vouch for the longevity - I only have to re-spritz twice in 14 hours to keep myself enveloped in a fruity floral cloud that makes me feel like I've just stepped out of a refreshing shower. There's nothing cloying about this perfume, nor is it heady or overly sweet - instead it simply bubbles over with pure joy and happiness..

In my opinion, Bright Crystal Absolu is a truly masterful blend of fruit and flowers - the first delight that hits the senses is yuzu, a tangy citrus fruit from China, often described as a cross between grapefruit and mandarin. There's also pomegranate and raspberry in the first tantalising rush, and then the whole mix is delicately softened with floral notes of lotus, peony and magnolia, all supported by a sensual base of acajou wood, amber and musk...

Now to what I thought would be the hard part - finding this gem at a reasonable price. My dear friend Google was kind enough to reveal some bargain suppliers, and I chose Feeling Sexy, a Melbourne based online seller of genuine perfumes. This massive 90ml bottle retails at David Jones for $140, but I only paid $81.95 from Feeling Sexy, and because I ordered a couple of other items (Travalos!), the shipping was free. Three days (3 days!) after ordering, this exquisite and stunning crystal pink bottle was mine ♥

Interestingly, it reminds me so much of my other summer fave, Arpege D'Eclat, but that one has lilac and wisteria notes blended with sicilian lemon leaves - still I guess it confirms that I'm a floral/fruit gal once the winter chill has gone...

What's your favourite fragrance to spritz once the weather warms up?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD & REVIEW: Sleek Arabian Nights Smoke & Shadows...

As promised, the first of no doubt many MANY eye looks I'll be creating using the fabulous Sleek I-Divine Arabian Nights Smoke & Shadows palette. This is a special one gals - the colours are exquisite, and if you scroll down, the swatches will have you dreaming up 1001 ways to get your hands on this treasure chest of jewels...

Personally, I'm finding it somewhat torturous each morning trying to decide which colours to use, and for once, I'm not necessarily matching my EOTD to my outfit - I'm just going with whatever hue I find the most irresistible at the time ♥

Naturally I'm drawn to the greens, so this look might be a wee bit boring for starters, but I promise you I'll be playing with ALL the pigments in the coming weeks - there's not a single one that doesn't have me completely entranced...

I laid down a base of essence white kajal (and will do so for every one one of these colours initially because I want to see their true beauty before I start interfering lol). On the inner corner I patted on the palest green - Sultan's Garden - and then moved onto the bolder hue - Hocus Pocus. This is a magnificent teal ♥ I smoked the outside edge with a tinge of bronzey Genie, and then went over the pale green with Gold Souk - a sheer sparkly stunner that will get lots of use. I lined the lower lashes with Mirenesse Secret Weapon 24HR Pure Gold Eye liner, softened it with Hocus Pocus, and finished with essence I Have a Green on the waterline...

And here are the swatches, three swipes of each over a BB Cream base. As you can see the only ones that aren't all that pigmented are the first two, the rest are amazing. Names are left to right...

Scherezade's Tale (shimmer), Gold Souk (shimmer sparkle), Aladdin's Lamp (shimmer sparkle), Sultan's Garden (shimmer sparkle), Hocus Pocus (shimmer sparkle), Sinbad's Seas (pearl)...

Genie (shimmer sparkle), Black Magic (black with blue sparkle), Stallion (pearl), Sorcerer (pearl sparkle), Valley of Diamonds (matte with gold sparkle) & 1001 Nights (pearl)...

They are all particularly buttery, smooth as silk, and when creating this EOTD, there was barely any fallout. Sigh...my phone camera just doesn't do them justice, so you'll just have to try them for yourselves...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

One Year in the Blogosphere Giveaway #3

For giveaway #3, thought I'd put up some jewellery for a change ♥ These are all brand new and purchased from Lovisa at their recent sale. The theme is one that's very dear to my heart - purple and silver. Both bracelets are elasticised so they're kind of one-size-fits-all, and the necklace is a gorgeous glass heart on a purple suede ribbon (approx 26cm drop).

I loved the pendant so much I bought one for myself ♥

As always the Rafflecopter will decide the winner, so please make sure that you follow the entry instructions, and read the Terms and Conditions inside (Australian residents only). Please note that leaving a comment, providing your email address inside the Rafflecopter, AND following my blog one way or another from the many choices listed are MANDATORY for entry...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This giveaway is now closed

Check back tonight to see who the lucky winner is!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yay - random.org has chosen the beautiful Mia H. as the winner.  

Congratulations gorgeous! 

Mia please respond to the email I've sent you by 

Wednesday 1st October to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Mia has claimed her prize ♥

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good luck to all who enter!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: Shu Uemura "S" Curler...

This post has been a long while in the making, mainly because it's taken me several weeks to get used to this new and innovative eyelash tool from Shu Uemura - the "S" Curler. I've been lusting after an SU curler for as long as I've been a member of beautyheaven (since 2008), but could never justify the cost ($29, or $40 for the gold plated version). But given my blog is mainly about my eye looks, I figured it actually was a well deserved investment, and searched DJ's online store for this much longed for device. I found it of course, but also spotted this new little fella, and hello, it was only $18! Thence ensued the torturous decision of "do I buy the one every gal raves about, or try my luck with this new fangled version?". In the end the blurb about how great it was for capturing even skimpy little lashes that might otherwise be missed (plus I admit, the lower price tag), I went for the new kid on the block...

Warning: picture heavy post!

So how is it different? Well below is a pic showing the "S" curler on the left, along with my faithful Manicare one in the middle, plus a cheapie from K-mart (I think)  on the right. As you can see it's quite a different concept, way smaller, and the angle is a BIG change...

Lol, these look like medieval torture implements!

This photo shows the size comparison more clearly...

And here I balanced all three on the end of my ironing board so you can see how the SU curler differs. I swear eyelash curlers are the hardest thing I've ever had to photograph since I started my blog!...

In the below pic I'm holding both the "S" curler and the Manicare one together (squeezed), so the angle change is blatantly obvious. Boy oh boy, it takes considerable technique adjustment, but it's well worth the effort for the dramatic difference in the results ♥

Now we get to the gory photos lol! As you know a standard eyelash curler covers the whole top lid, and curls all lashes in one go...

The "S" curler is what I'd call a precision tool - you have to use it probably three times moving it along in sections to do all the lashes, but it lets you curl every single lash, and it curls them like no other I've tried, AND the curl lasts all day ♥ You rest the white "stabilizer" pad on your lid, and then squeeze for a few seconds. The instructions on the box recommend to begin on the inner eye, and then repeat the process moving outward and upward. A noticeable improvement with this gadget is the teeny amount of time it takes to get the curl happening - with a standard curler, I usually squeeze and count to 15!

Below are some pictures of my attempts over the last 3 weeks - I used the same mascara in all of them. In this first photo, I curled my lashes with the Manicare curler. I'd had the SU one for about a week, but couldn't get it to work at all, and kept poking myself in the eye. I literally had to retrain my brain before I could get the hang of it because I kept trying to use it the same way as a standard curler...

31/8 My usual curler...

But, after leaving it my drawer for around 10 days, I decided to give it another shot - this was my first attempt, and I really couldn't see much difference...

7/9 SU - not quite...

However...the next day I was a whole lot more successful...

8/9 SU - better...

Two days later, I was jumping for joy as my lashes were starting to stand out in my EOTD pics (for a change!), and I was no longer struggling with the poke-in-the-eye thingy...

11/9 SU - yay!

And the day after that, I had similar success - so glad I persisted!

12/9 SU - another yay!

And almost a week later, I'm still seeing the same brilliant results, although now I need to improve my mascara application skills ha ha...

17/9  SU - think I've got the hang of it now...

So what's the verdict? For me the Shu Uemura "S" Curler is a fabulous invention - mind you I'll never know if the standard SU curler would have given me the same fantastic results, but for $18, I don't mind not knowing one itty bit. Also included in the box is a replacement black silicone rubber pad.

As I keep saying, it takes quite a bit of getting used to because of the vastly different shape and angle, but for me it's a winner ♥

Are you a Shu Uemura curler devotee?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: MUA Pretty Edgy Pinks...

Another look using the fabulous MUA LUXE Pretty Edgy palette - these pinks are almost ethereal, so delicate and with a beautiful sheen, and perfect if you're after something subtle, but special ♥

I used the second pink (Toile) in the below pic along the top lashline, and blended the first one (Bow) towards the back of the lid...

Along the lower lashes, I laid the matte pink from the bottom row (Sinful) over the top of MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner before it dried. Mattes really are the best shadows for underneath my eyes - they're much neater and tidier than shimmers, and don't accentuate my creases so much...

For the waterline, I chose NYX Eye Pencil in Seafoam Green - a very creamy formula in a gentle green that lasts for a good couple of hours, and doesn't sting one iota...

On my lips is one of the new L'Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Glosses in Molto Mauve - love, love love! I have three of these now, review coming soon...

Still haven't managed to get out of the winter clobber, but the woollens are being packed away this weekend... 

Have a brilliant weekend gals ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx