EOTD: Makeup Revolution Give Them Nightmares Dusty Pink & Olive...

Last look using the Makeup Revolution Give Them Nightmares palette. I've given this box of shadows quite a workout these last few months, and I can assure you it no longer bears any resemblance to the crisp clean pic below! But it's time to put it one row back in the drawer so some of my brighter collections can take the spotlight - I won't retire it completely of course as some of those lighter purple and teal shades will still work beautifully with my change in wardrobe...

So I used the same Who's There? as the previous EOTD, but it's quite a different hue over an essence White Kajal base - turns out a very pretty and soft dusty pink! I paired this with The Hunger on the outer third and underneath, and added matte Elm Street in the crease...

Black on the waterline is something I was never game enough to try in my youth, but I'm embracing it now big time - this is Chi Chi Black is Black Waterproof Gel Eye Liner...

On my face is Lancome Teint Visionnaire Foundation, cheeks are Lacura Mineral Cream Blush in Soft Coral with a light dusting of the reddest blush from the bhcosmetics Glamorous palette. Lips are DB Cosmetics Longwear Lipstick in Perfect Plum, and I added a wee bit of Mirenesse 3D Gloss in Star Struck ♥

Well sayonara Winter - it's been great to rug up all snug and warm in boots, woolly scarves and gloves, but the time has come to hand over the baton to Spring! See you next year...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Give Them Nightmares Brown and Purple...

Second last dark and broody EOTD of the season, and if I want dark and broody, there is only one go-to palette in my kit - Makeup Revolution Give Them Nightmares, one of my greatest finds this season. Buttery shimmers, creamy semis and velvety mattes - all in the one palette and all shades designed to complement each other ♥...

I used Who's There? (top left) on the inner two thirds, and Lawless (middle left) on the remainder. Who's There? has more red in it than my camera picks up, but I also pulled it back a notch from that more vibrant end of the spectrum by laying it down over a base of Chi Chi Lo Cal Chocolate Waterproof Gel Eye Liner...

That same liner went on the waterline as well - I'm a bit mad at Chi Chi for releasing such a brilliant set of liners for a crazy low price, and then taking them off the market! These last the longest on my watery eyes than any other liner in my collection, and once they're down to an unsharpenable stub, I'll be back where I started - on a hunt for a long lasting waterproof gel crayons in a wide range of colours. Come on Chi Chi, these are winners - how about bringing them back hey? Just putting it out there...

For some additional definition, I added a swipe of Boo in the crease - this is the main area I use these mattes.They really do help give my eyes the illusion of more depth, and I find the shimmery bits are less likely to transfer to my hoods if I apply a strip of matte shadow along the upper edge...

One more day left of Winter, and one more EOTD to upload for the month - I'll be back with you tomorrow night ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Mirenesse Liquid Silk Foundation...

I have to hand it to Mirenesse - they do make beautiful foundations ♥ Looking back over the many many years I've been wearing a tinted face-base, my favourite of all the brands I've ever tried would without a doubt be their Velvet Maxi-Lift. When I bought it last it was around $90(!), but with the new VIP deal I can pick it up for $44.75, which makes it affordable - hooray!. This Liquid Silk variety is a close second, not quite the same immaculate finish and coverage, but then it is considerably cheaper at $29.75 (VIP price)...

All Mirenesse foundations come in four shades - Vanilla (lightest), Vienna (my PERFECT match), Mocha and Bronze. Out of my list, colour is probably my most important criteria when choosing a foundation - I can work around coverage and finish, but if the shade is wrong, forget it. I have fair skin, but I also have golden brown freckles scattered all over - if I match a foundation to the lightest part of my complexion, I look dreadful, like a ghost. On the other hand if I match it to my freckles, I look like Malibu Barbie! So the trick is to find something in between, something that blends the two extremes together...

In the before photo on the left, you can see what I'm talking about - lots of pigmented patches that when I was younger everyone said were "cute", but now that I'm almost a senior citizen, they're more commonly referred to as age spots :-( But as you can see, this foundation does a wonderful job of disguising the discolourations, while maintaining a natural look and finish. For this pic I applied the foundation with my fingers, without a primer, and no setting product...

The container is made of light but sturdy plastic that has the look and feel of glass, and the cap and base have a cross-hatch pattern, which makes for quite a glamorous presentation. The pump works well and the amount dispensed is easily adjustable with different finger pressures. The label states it is matte, oil-free, and with SPF 15, and on my skin, the finish is semi-matte. Coverage is medium, it lasts well, doesn't crease or cake, there's minimal transfer and barely any fragrance...

In summary, it's a lovely, lightweight foundation that looks fresh and natural. I always use a primer underneath any foundation and set it with a translucent powder - following this process, I find Mirenesse Liquid Silk requires very little in the way of touch-ups throughout the day, just a wee bit of shine on my oily T-zone around midday, but that's all sorted with a dusting of mattifying powder...

Nice one Mirenesse, although I probably won't repurchase it now that the new VIP price structure is in place - I'd rather spend a bit more on my fave, the magnificent Velvet Maxi-Lift Supreme ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Whatever you do don't miss Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Linkup Party - starts at 6:30am every Monday morning ♥

EOTD: bhcosmetics Take Me To Brazil Greens...

Sneaking in another EOTD before August flies out the window - not that I mind because it's been one of the most hectic months in my working life, and I'll be glad to say farewell to a whole heap of stress and pressure, and gidday to what I hope will be a far calmer (and more blogpost-friendly) September ♥

This particular day turned out to be crazy as all get-out, and my serene green colour scheme worked overtime to keep me from losing the plot. Thank goodness for bhcosmetics and their Take Me To Brazil Palette!

I must have had an intuition about how challenging the day was going to be because I employed all my tricks to create this intensely emerald look, starting with a base of Face of Australia Budgeproof Eyeshadow in Poison Ivy - it's a luscious cream that shadows adhere to exceptionally well. Over that went a blend of the two greens above, with the matte black along the lower lashline, and in the crease. My waterline thankfully stayed well coated for most of the day with Chi Chi Black is Black Waterproof Gel Eyeliner...

On my visage was Mirenesse Liquid Silk Foundation, cheeks were the middle pan from the BYS Coral Me In Blush Trio, and lips were the stunning Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer in Smokey Quartz (this pic was taken before the you-know-what hit the fan ha ha)...

I literally fell into bed that night, but not before religiously removing all my slap - I was so tired I can't even remember doing it, but fortunately my automatic pilot was still functioning ♥ I managed to get the office chaos sorted out late in the evening, and the day wasn't a complete write-off as I came home to find a delivery of cosmetic goodies on the doorstep, which was an instant pick-me-up - sigh...what would I do without colour and makeup ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: L'Oreal All Night Blue & Sassy Marshmallow...

Was inspired to put together these two blues by L'Oreal - both of them were gifts from the endless giver of pretty things, my darling friend Hissycat Krissy ♥ The All Night Blue arrived in the post almost three years ago, and the Sassy Marshmallow one just a few months back. Despite being separated at birth, I reckon they were destined to pair up eventually...

The All Night Blue is magnificently deep and mysterious, but I pressed it down over essence white kajal to lighten and brighten it's intensity, and then blended the Marshmallow from the inner corner to open up my eyes, and give my lashes something to contrast against. As a rule, I wouldn't normally buy an eyeshadow as pale as this, but thankfully Cat is a far wiser woman than me ♥ Waterline is Chi Chi Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Dream Lover...

Foundation is (once again) Mirenesse Airbrush Mineral Soft Focus Emulsion Pact, cheeks are Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Make a Mauve plus essence Pinky Flow Blush Up, and lips are MBA Cosmetics Cranberry lipstick with Mirenesse Tease 3D Forever Gloss topping to soften things down...

I'm aware that some gals avoid blue eyeshadow like the plague, I think mainly due to it's overuse during 70's - I sure did, for decades, but I adore it now, and especially at this time of year, with Spring looming on the horizon ♥

What about you - how do you feel about blue eye makeup?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

REVIEW: Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquers...

These exquisite new Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquers weren't part of my recent lipstick refresh (which is ongoing by the way ha ha!), but they're just so stunning, I had to review them lickety-split while they're hot out of the oven, PLUS they're on special in various locations at the moment, and I didn't want any of you lovelies to miss out on the amazing deals, so here we go...

Left to right: Smokey Quartz, Citrine, Fire Opal, Carnelian, Garnet

I discovered these on a fancy-wancy new stand at Target only last weekend, fell madly in love, and bought three of them at full price ($23.95) without even blinking - that's how much I love them! Then my gorgeous friend at LOVETHATLIPPIE BLOG mentioned in one of her haul posts (bless you babe) that they were available at BigW, two for $30, so I hotfooted it to my local mall, but got sidetracked at Chemist Warehouse along the way where I found them also on special for $14.99 each, and picked up two more...

They are absolute gems, have a jewel on the top of the cap, and in fact they're all named after semi-precious stones - I can understand why. The colours are crystal clear, the pigmentation is sensational, the applicator is a soft and flexible brush that makes creating a crisp line as easy as pie, the formula is thick and rich without being sticky, and some shades are straight gloss while others have a shimmery sparkly finish. What more could a girl want in a lip lacquer? Rest assured I'm currently re-working my budget so I can pick up a whole lot more while they're discounted...

So let's get on with the swatches on my wonky old lips lol...

I'm not a big wearer of brown toned lip products, but I'm besotted with this Smokey Quartz hue - it has just enough pink in it to warm it up and not be boring, and dare I say it, I think this is my fave of the bunch (well so far) ♥...

Next is Citrine - holey guacemole is this a vibrant orange or what? This shade has the most shimmer of the five in my kit - it's almost iridescent! The juiciest fruitiest orange gloss I've ever come across...

And here we have Fire Opal, a brilliant orangey red - crikey it's so hot it's almost sizzling. Pure fresh clear colour - yowzah!

This is Carnelian, and the one that first caught my eye on the stand. I couldn't believe my eyes when I swatched it in the store - so berry ripe and luscious, and like the other deeper hues, it leaves a generous stain...

And lucky last is Garnet - a divinely flattering pink that's just in time for just-around-the-corner Spring. Soooooo pretty...

Oh dear, after writing up this post I'm KICKING myself for not buying more - there are 15 in the range (including beautiful nudes). What's more, Revlon have also released a set of Ultra HD lipsticks - I haven't indulged as yet because I'm already somewhat over-stocked with lippies (due to aforementioned refresh), but I have no doubt whatsoever I'll weaken lol...

So there you have it my dears - Revlon are onto a winner here. These lip lacquers are absolutely Ultra HD and Ultra-Sensational, and most definitely get the kats WOW stamp of approval ♥

What's your favourite shade from the ones pictured above?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Be sure and check out Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Linkup Party #20 when it goes live ♥...

EOTD: Chi Chi Orange & bhcosmetics Apricot & Purple...

Gee, wish I had time to blog during the week instead of churning it all out in a weekend rush ♥ Still, a Friday/Saturday/Sunday schedule is a million times better than none at all (perish the thought!), so I'm thankful I can squeeze in a few posts once I get my job out of the way. But being way WAY behind with my EOTD uploads, I'll probably have to do several in a row, so hope you don't bet bored lol...

Had a bit of an orange-fest this week. It all started with my purchase of one of the new fabulous Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquers in Citrine - the most stunningly bright orange gloss, which I'm wearing in the photo below. I'll be reviewing three of them (hopefully) tomorrow night (they're SENSATIONAL by the way!) Plus I just happened to score a silky top in the same vibrant hue last weekend, so it was only natural that I'd put them together ASAP, and do an eye look to match ♥

I reached for my trusty essence white kajal as my base, then patted down the brightest orange from the Chi Chi OMFG palette over the inner two thirds. On the outer corner and underneath I stroked the deepest purple from the bhcosmetics Wild At Heart palette, and then dusted the palest apricot from the same palette over the orange to give it a more silky shimmery texture to match my top. For the waterline I opted for a contrast, and realised I hadn't combined orange and purple for yonks, so on went Chi Chi Beauty School Drop Out...

My foundation was Mirenesse Airbrush Mineral Soft Focus Emulsion Pact in the shade Vienna - I'm most fortunate that this shade is a PERFECT match for my skin tone ♥ For my cheeks I started with Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Coral Sheen, and then dusted the first pan from the BYS Coral Me In palette over the top. I lined my lips with Fab Orange Maybelline COLORdrama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil, and heavily coated them with the luscious Revlon lacquer... 

Gosh I'd forgotten how much I love orange anything - such a cheerful juicy hue that helped get me through yet another challenging week ♥ Hope yours wasn't too stressful, and that your weekend is a beauty...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTM: "Your Favourite July EOTD" Giveaway...

Gosh I've just realised I'm only a couple of weeks away from celebrating the 2nd birthday of my little blog! This last year has flown by even faster than the first, and I'm still on cloud nine that my crazy little online corner of the world could bring so many rewards - I truly treasure the friendships I've made since I began blogging, and I'm in awe of the powerful bond that a shared passion for beauty and colour can create. So without further ado, I thought I'd start the celebrations early with a DOUBLE giveaway...

There are two packs up for grabs this month - one for all the pink lovers out there, and a mostly red one for those gals who go for sassier hues ♥  Each prize pack is valued at approximately $50, the giveaway is open Internationally, and here are the deets...

Pack #1 - Pinks

• Chi Chi Glamorous Eye Shadow Collection palette - PRETTY
• Lacura Minerals Cream Blush (Pink Rose)
• Lacura Barely There Lip Gloss (Nude)
• BOE Professional Signature Lip Trio (Perfectly Pink), containing 3D Diamond Finish Lipstick (Princess), Big Kiss Lip Gloss (Glimmer) & Colour Pro Lip Pencil (Sienna)
• BOE Beauty Matte Lipstick (Shocking Matte Pink)

Pack #2 - Reds

• Chi Chi Glamorous Eye Shadow Collection palette - SUNKISSED
• Lacura Minerals Cream Blush (Soft Coral)
• Lacura Volume Lip Lacquer (Red Carpet)
• BOE Professional Signature Lip Trio - Picture Perfect Red, containing Colour Last Lipstick (Scarlette), Big Kiss Lip Gloss (Manhattan) & Colour Pro Lip Pencil (Sienna)
• BOE Beauty Matte Lipstick (Primped Matte) 

Now past experience has taught me that I have to be pretty strict with the rules, so you MUST nominate which pack you'd like to win. Anyone who says "either one" or similar will NOT be included in the draw.

You also have to choose which of the July EOTD's is your favourite from the eight pictured below, let me know in the comments section why you like it the most, then follow the Rafflecopter entry instructions below. Please note: If you don't leave a comment, you will NOT be included in the draw.

The Rafflecopter will decide the winner, so please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions inside. 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

Yay - random.org has chosen two beautiful winners! 

Prize Pack #1 - Pinks - Charu S.
Prize Pack #2 - Reds - Ritcha R.

Congratulations lovelies!

Please respond to the emails I've sent you by 

Midnight Friday 28th August to claim your prizes :-)

Edit: Charu has claimed her prize ♥

Edit: Ritcha has also claimed her prize ♥

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Best of luck to all who enter!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Don't forget to check out Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party - it's all happening HERE!

EOTD: ColourPop Dare...

EOTD number 2 using ColourPop Dare - I'm an absolute goner for this magical shadow, totally besotted, hook, line and sinker. It doesn't seem to matter what base I use, it always looks stunning, and it always turns out slightly different. Previous look is here - it's so glittery and sparkly, and yet it's not messy and doesn't seem to transfer to my hoods, plus it's multi-dimensional, pink in the pot, but turns out purple and blue on my skin. All this for $5 US!

My base was Maybelline Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt, in the crease is Sleek matte Thunder, and on the waterline I used Models Prefer matte black kohl...

For my face I used Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid-Touch foundation in Sandy Beige, cheeks were Maybelline Master Glaze Blush stick in Make A Mauve, and lips were Makeup Revolution lipstick in Enchant topped with Maybelline ColorElixir Gloss in Vision in Violet...

Is there one particular eye shadow colour/pan that you just simply adore?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Foundation Collection Refresh...

Oh boy - I had so much fun doing my lipstick refresh that I couldn't resist repeating the same process with my foundations ♥ I haven't dallied much at all in this market as I've been quite content with my Lancome Teint Visionnaire. But I'm also aware that foundation technology is improving all the time, and at $65 a pop, my HG makes quite a dent in my wallet. So I wondered if there were any clever companies out there that could match my beloved face-base for far less bikkies. Below is a collage of the brands and products I chose for my research exercise, and that I've put to the test over the last few months...

Unlike the lipstick refresh (which at this stage seemingly has no limit lol), I restricted my test group to nine products, primarily because as I went along, I discovered that most of these work either well or brilliantly for me, and I figured I'll never get to finish up any more than this quantity before their use by dates (as it is I reckon I'll be pushing it to get through them in time!). I also didn't go with samples because in reality those little sachets annoy the hell out of me - they're fiddly and messy, and there's never enough in them for more than one application, two if you're lucky. All up I forked out just under $150 for the lot - mind you some of these were at awesome on-sale prices, and the Mirenesse compact came in a VIP kit (which is sort of free)...

So here are the foundations as they are pictured above (left to right in each row):

Mirenesse Liquid Silk - Vienna (RRP $59.50 VIP $29.75)

Designer Brands (DB) Age Revive - True Beige (RRP $14.99)

Nude by nature Liquid Mineral - Light/Medium (RRP $39.95)

Designer Brands (DB) Longwear - Nude Beige (RRP $12.99)

Mirenesse Airbrush Mineral Soft Focus (RRP $64.50 VIP $32.25)

Maybelline FIT Me! Matte+Poreless - Natural Beige (RRP $18.95)

Rimmel Lasting Finish with Comfort Serum - Soft Beige (RRP $17.95)

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous - Soft Honey (RRP $16.95)

Maybelline DreamWonder Fluid-Touch - Sandy Beige (RRP $21.95)

And just for the record, my criteria for foundation is always:

• colour match - I'm a light/medium with warm undertones, if the shade is wrong, forget the rest...
• medium to full coverage - I have spider veins, enlarged pores and freckles (which are turning into age spots - boo!)...
• finish - I have normal skin but a very oily T-zone, so I need something reasonably mattifying that doesn't look like I'm wearing a mask...
• no caking or creasing - I'm old and I have wrinkles, nuff said ♥...
• longevity - my job is VERY demanding so there's little time for touch-ups...
• no transfer - especially at this time of year when I'm wearing scarves and high-necks...
• availability - my preference is for something I can pick up easily at the supermarket, or at least somewhere nearby where there are testers...
• price - my absolute limit is $65, anything above that would need to give me a face-lift as well!

I'll be reviewing all of these over the coming weeks, and very much looking forward to sharing my experiences with you ♥

Are any of these your favourites? What are the most important factors for you when choosing foundation?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Mermaid Teal...

I'm sure any eye makeup fanatic gets excited when they score a new palette - I certainly do, but I'm also thrilled when I rediscover an old love, and then combine it with some new treasures, and this is precisely what happened today ♥  I had a major hankering for a mermaidesque theme, having been inspired by my most recent (weekend) purchase, Australis Cray for Colour Eyeshadow Stick  in the shade Fields of Dreams...

It's a stunning wind up chubby pencil in a shimmery oceanic blue-green, and when I swatched it on the back of my hand, I had to use my most powerful waterproof eye makeup remover to take it off - score! So I used this as my base, and then dug through my drawers for something to lay down over the top, something that wouldn't smother its heavenly gleam, but rather enhance the whole effect. Voila! Revlon Diamond Lust in Neptune Star, the most fabulous glimmery sparkly powder that I've sadly hit pan on (in the middle) because I've had it for so long...

Well this was an inspired pairing if I do say so my self ♥ Neither of them overpowered the other - instead they worked together to bring out their best. I then added a sweep of MUA Cosmetics Platinum on the inner corner, Sleek Orbit in the crease and underneath, and lined the waterline with Chi Chi Cosmetics Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Caribbean Queen...

I just adore teal - it's one of my all time favourite hues for eyes, hard to beat, and always makes me think of Summers by the Sea...

Have you rediscovered a new makeup love recently?

Take care of you,
kats xxx