EOTM: "Your Favourite September EOTD" Giveaway!...

Phew just made it in before the end of the month - still in catch up mode after the Bloggiversary shenanagans, and my internet connection going AWOL for more weeks than I care to think about...

But enough with the boo kats, let's get on with the giveaway, which is a Summer Loving bag of goodies from Innoxa...

Innoxa Limited Edition nail polish in Tangerine

Innoxa Summer Matte Lipstick in Tangerine

InnoxaUltimate Lash Mascara in Black

Innoxa Tinted Moisturiser in Nude Beige (30ml)

All bundled up in this cute little stripey tote ♥ The RRP is $39.95, but according to the blurb, the contents are valued at $68.80. All items are plastic sealed except for the nail polish.

As always, you need to choose which of the September EOTD's is your favourite from the eight pictured below, and let me know in the comments section why you like it the most...

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...

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This giveaway is now closed

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Woo hoo! - random.org has chosen the beautiful Kristine S. as the winner.  

Congratulations gorgeous! 

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

Wednesday 12th November to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Kristine S. has claimed her prize ♥

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Best of luck to all who enter, and Happy Halloween!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: L.A. Colors Venus...

I'm way overdue for another purply pink EOTD. I couldn't decide whether to tag this as lilac, lavender, mauve or even orchid, so in the end it was much easier to NOT go with any of the usual pale purple shade names, and I went for wisteria, that glorious Spring flowering beauty who can be pink or purple, or any shade in between...

This is another of my "old" palettes that I downright adore, by L.A.Colors - how could I not with a name like Venus, and with so many gorgeous hues that work so beautifully together ♥ If you ever see this little baked darling, then she's well worth the investment (I paid $6.99)...

I struggled a bit to clean her up for this photo shoot, and in the process managed to snap the lid off, but she'll be fine safely tucked away in my drawer...

This is the first time I've used every one of the four pans in the one look, and I'm feeling such a duffer because they are all so complementary. I started with a base of essence white kajal, and then applied the palest lilac along the lashline. Next was the pink blended into the purply pink, and I finished with the boldest purple on the outer corner, and underneath the lower lashline. 

In the crease I added tealy blue Orbit from the Sleek V2 matte palette, and lined the waterline with essence kajal in Love Me Lavender... 

And here's the whole outfit, complete with my precious Lovisa heart pendant and matching earrings. Lips are Revlon Lavendare with Mirenesse 3D gloss in Tease over the top. Hmmm, time to crack open the fake tan tube I reckon...

I was shattered when I discovered that the only shop where I could buy L.A.Colors products was given a makeover, and now they don't stock it any more - bah humbug! But I guess there's always the website...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

REVIEW: Urban Rituelle Festive Candles...

Santa made an early delivery last week ♥ - this beautiful glossy white box arrived courtesy of the lovely Lauren from Urban Rituelle, and boy did it get me in the mood for Christmas...

Nestled inside were two delights from their Limited Edition Festive Favourites Collection - travel sized scented soy candles in the delectable fragrances of Warm Cinnamon & Cranberry, and Fresh Fig & Sugar Plum. Just reading the names had me salivating, and busting to open the pretty packaging to see if they lived up to my sensory expectations, and hopefully breathe in some Christmas cheer...

Well I sure wasn't disappointed! The presentation is stunning - classy and elegant, and I can just tell the candles have been poured with love ♥ The first one I opened was the Cinnamon & Cranberry - such a delicate fragrance, the perfect balance of fruit and spice. I spent a while taking photos, and the clock hands did a few more circuits before I could bring myself to light up this little gem. It's neither sweet nor sour, but somewhere in the middle, and if I had to describe it in one word, I'd say "calming", which makes it the perfect antidote for the merry mayhem of the silly season. Interestingly, the cinnamon becomes a lot more obvious when you extinguish the flame...

So then I opened the Fresh Fig & Sugar Plum, and that's when I fell - in love that is ha ha! This treasure is sweeter and fruitier, and I reckon I'll be ordering several of the 400 gm size so that I can savour her delights well into the new year. I find the FF&SP fragrance more sensually stirring, and my one word description would be  "appetising". This little darling actually makes my mouth water, and has me yearning to tuck into some mince pies and plum pudding. Of the two, this one has my heart - the scent becomes even more intensely fruity after blowing it out, and while I usually put the lid on my candles when they've been put to bed, I leave this one off till morning so I can enjoy the extra little boost...

In summary, both of these candles are a delight, and perfect partners. I experimented with burning them at the same time, and neither one dominates - in fact they enhance each other, and turn my office into a gourmand haven. I can't think of anything more wonderful than finding more of these under my tree on December 25th - I know some family members and friends who would feel the same, so that's a chunk of my shopping taken care of :-) Actually I placed an order during their recent sale (haul pics here), so my pressie stockpile is already well under way - looks like it will be an Urban Rituelle Christmas this year :-)

In case you're wondering, the small candles (45 gm - $17.95) burn for around 15 hours, and the full size ones (400 gm - $39.95) will last up to 80 - that's a measly 50 cents per hour to surround yourself in some sweetheart seasonal scents that will bring a smile to your face, and lift your spirits...

Thank you so very much Urban Rituelle for sending these to me for review, and the opportunity to immerse myself in some festive delights ahead of the big day - I'm completely entranced ♥

Well ladies, have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Urban Rituelle products contain no artificial colours, fragrances, sulphates or parabens, and are 100% cruelty free ♥

EOTD: MUA Pretty Edgy Antique Lace...

Another look using the MUA LUXE Pretty Edgy box of pinky hues - did I mention that I adore this palette? Hmm, I seem to remember that I have ha ha! I've never been so in love with a relatively neutral selection of shades, but hey, there's a first time for everything right?

There's just something amazingly uplifting about these colours and textures, super flattering for a gal my age, and so creamy and easy to work with...

Usually when I drag out the camera, I have to take around 35 shots to get three or four decent ones, but most of the ones I took on this day turned out ok - let's see, from memory I think had six hours of sleep instead of five...sigh...

I kept it pretty simple and used the first and last shadows in the top row - Antique (creamy white) along the top lashline, & Lace (deep rosy pink) on the rest of the lid and underneath. I smoked the outer corner with a smidgin of purply Wrath ...

Try as I might, I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about these colours that's flattering, but they do seem to give my eyes a touch of the "dreamys" - a quality that I certainly don't have naturally...

Base was essence white kajal, and on the waterline is essence I Have a Green. I'm jumping for joy because the RapidLash is really starting to kick in, giving me some long awaited (and much needed) length to my sparse little spikes - will do my best to review this miraculous stuff next week...

What's your favourite palette that ALWAYS works for you? 

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW & EOTD: Avon Luxe Clutch Eyeshadow palette...

Here's another of the multitude of treats that angel Gemma from Lady Sapphire Blog sent to me a little while ago ♥ Who doesn't love surprises hey? Well this one was a triple-bunger - not only was I spun out by the fabulous pinky purple padded cover, I was thrilled to bits with the colour selection (both warm and cool shades, so something for everyone), and the quality of the pigmentation was totally unexpected. I've not owned an Avon eye shadow in my life, but after seeing how impressive these textures and hues are, I'm planning on investigating what else they have up for grabs...

Inside the lid is a full-size mirror, and it came with a double-ended applicator. Sorry but I don't ever bother with these pesky inclusions - I just toss them and use my own brushes, so I can't report whether this is any good. There are no mattes - most are creamy pearls, and five of them have tiny sparkles. The dark blue in the centre swatches as a whoa! black, but it has microscopic bright blue glitter particles which catch the light in certain angles, and make it appear navy...

Here are some two-finger swatches over a bb cream on my left leg - I've given up trying to swatch on my arm, I need another hand lol...

And this is the somewhat less than inspiring box it comes in - but who cares, it's what's inside that matters ♥

Here we go with the first EOTD I created using the aqua and the black. There'll be more of course :-)

Essence Sun Club BBC All Night Blue gel eyeliner was my base, I added a smidgin of Lancome silver on the inner corner, and finished with essence white kajal on the waterline (natch!)...

Very little fallout during the application process, the shadow stayed put all day, and was just as fresh and vibrant when I took it off 19 hours after these photos were taken - score! 

And...the whole face. Lips are SAX Coral with Maybelline Color Sensational Elixir gloss in Caramel Infused over the top, and cheeks are essence Blush Up in Heat Wave...

LOVE this palette (thank you again darling Gemma ♥), and I'm already inspired to put together some pretty partners, like the olive and the purple, the bronze and the caramel, the purple and the pink...mmm...

Have you ever tried any Avon eye shadows?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Lime, Blue and Purple...

As promised, here's a couple of the shadows that I selected for my bhcosmetics 6 colour pro palette - the lime green (CS14) and the purple (CM08). Although I chose an amazingly pigmented blue as well when I made up the palette, it's quite a deep navy, and I felt it was too dark for this particular look. So instead, the blue I used here is another of the ones that were gifted to me by darling Gemma Sapphire - Max Factor Wild Shadow Pots in Sapphire Rage. Like the Untamed Green in this range, it's a stunning shade...

For brightly coloured shadows, most times I lay down a base of essence white kajal, but I thought I'd experiment with the NYX Wonder Pencil in Light - I stroked it across my entire top lid, and then patted it down with my finger to make sure it was even. It worked a treat to give the powders something to adhere to and kept them going all day long, and although it doesn't give the colours as much punch as the white, I quite like this softer, slightly more subtle look...

I then added the shadows one by one, and blended the "joins" with a soft clean fluffy brush. I also took the purple shadow underneath my lower lashes. I don't often mention it, but for just about every eye look I create, I tightline the top lashline with bhcosmetics Liquid Eyeliner (yet another bargain at USD3.50), and line my lower lashes with MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner - I simply can't live without either of these products! 

For the waterline, I used Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Liner...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

REVIEW: bhcosmetics 6 Color Eyeshadow Pro Palette...

I've been a tad naughty of late - I decided that while my eyeshadow collection is somewhat extensive (to say the least), some of the items were looking a wee bit tired, and it was time to freshen up the selection. I mean I had numerous palettes and pans in my kit that were over four years old, and what better time of year than Spring to have a clean out, and bring in some fresh blood. After all, I work darn hard all year, and creating eye looks is probably my main creative outlet, as well as being a therapeutic way to relieve some of the tensions that build up in a day, plus it's a relatively harmless past-time that also gives me the greatest of pleasures...

So now that I've proven beyond a doubt that my recent investments are completely justified (lol!), here's one of my new "therapy" kits. Whilst I've purchased a couple of ready-made palettes over the last few weeks (to be revealed), I thought it was time to put together a customised box of a few of my favourite hues, and bhcosmetics was my first port of call, with their versatile and extraordinarily inexpensive pro-palette builder... 

The above array of stunning pigments cost me US9.98 (plus postage) ♥ The empty box is fully magnetised, has a distortion-free mirror inside the lid (which shuts with a firm click), and the wells are cleverly designed with a curved cut-out so that it's super easy to remove the pans, or shift the sequence around. There's also a 15 pan box (US17.98), but I thought I'd be conservative to start with...

It's a easy as pie to put together from their website - you start by choosing the palette size, and then drag and drop whatever shades take your fancy from the huge array of colours and finishes. There are mattes, shimmers and metallics, with most categorised into warm and cool hues. The 6 palette is cute and petite and not much bigger than a powder compact, so it's beaut for travelling...

              

And below are the colours I chose, along with some pretty shonky swatches - I'm hopeless at swatching, so please bear that in mind :-( These are two finger swipes over the top of a bb cream...

The letters describe the finish e.g. CS = Cool Shimmer, MM = Metallic Matte, CM = Cool Matte etc. The colours on the website are reasonably accurate - if anything, they tend to be a bit bolder and brighter in real life. The only one that was a bit disappointing was the purple, but over the top of a white kajal base, it's beautiful ♥ I'll be posting an EOTD using a couple of these colours (including the purple) over the weekend...

All up, I'm thrilled to bits - I should have caught onto this customising caper many moons ago!

Have you ever indulged in a tailor-made eye shadow palette?

Take care of you,

kats

EOTD: Oceanic...

Here's another one of my Come Play With Me - Futuristic Love "duds". I guess it's not really a dud, because I think it's pretty enough to post - it was more of a technical failure on the part of my camera. It simply isn't sophisticated enough to pick up all the differences between the various blues and greens I used to create this look. On the other hand, a better quality camera would also accent all my crinkles and wrinkles, and then I'd have to retire from this EOTD blogging caper lol...

You can just make out a dark blue area in the middle of my top lid - there were others of course, but they don't show up, boo! Anyway it's sufficiently different from some of my other aquatic looks, so I'll stop dithering about with the excuses and show you what I used...

My base was Mirenesse Mineral Face Gel Colour in Emerald all over the top lid. Once again, the awesome bhcosmetics Take Me To Brazil palette was my source of sea colours. I patted them down in splodges to create a kind of mottled effect, and then blended the edges with a brush loaded with the white...

On the waterline is essence Sun Club gel liner in BBC All Night Blue...

And for a change, I didn't smudge the MNY Precise Liquid Liner on the lower lashline because I wanted a crisper finish...

I might have another go at this at some stage, and perhaps not blend it so well so that the distinctions between the shades are a lot clearer. I do so love marine colours ♥

Take care of  you,
kats xxx

EOTM: "Your Favourite August EOTD" Giveaway!...

As you may have noticed, ye olde EOTM giveaway kinda fell through the cracks last month due to all the goings on with my Bloggiversary celebrations. But when I started this little stint, I promised one every month, so here is the one for August - I'll put up September's giveaway later this month...

Another selection from Lovisa - the last selection of their fun jewellery seemed very popular, so this time there's a neutral sparkly silvery set which will go with anything and everything. The necklace is a round mesh chain (approx 250cm drop) with a crystal studded slider ball in the centre, and the earrings are an assortment of clear crystals...

As always, you need to choose which of the August EOTD's is your favourite from the eight pictured below, and let me know in the comments section why you like it the most...

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...

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This giveaway is now closed

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Woo hoo! - random.org has chosen the beautiful Fay W. as the winner.  

Congratulations gorgeous! 

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

Wednesday 22nd October to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Fay has claimed her prize ♥

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Good luck everyone ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx