REVIEW: Chi Chi "Meet The Girls" Tutti Frutti EDP...

Here's another of the fragrances in the Chi Chi "Meet the Girls" Fragrance Collection - Tutti Frutti. My friend Google tells me the name means "all fruits" in Italian, and I can verify that this little vial is jam packed with goodness knows how many. Honestly it's a total EXPLOSION of fruit salad - pineapple, mango, paw paw, apple, passionfruit to name a few. My sensory receptors are going into overdrive trying to identify what else is in there, but I can assure you the combination is absolutely fabulous!

Yes it's sweet, but fruity sweet not sugary sweet, and tangy like you wouldn't believe - a brilliant cocktail, although the initial riotous burst fades within a few minutes. But that's probably just as well - otherwise I'd be surrounded by salivators, and possibly flies too ha ha. The dry-down is just as delicious, just much much softer, so you won't have to worry about avoiding confined spaces. Sigh...what I wouldn't give for a bodywash that smelt like this...

Seriously though, if you're a fruity scentaholic, you MUST try this. Same two hour longevity as the others I've sampled so far, but while it's there, it leaves the other Chi Chi fruit fragrances back on the starting blocks ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx

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

Does anyone know what happened to October? Somehow it all but vanished under my nose, and I almost missed posting my EOTM September giveaway! I love holding these little events, but most times there can be only one winner (boo), sooooooo...this time there are three prizes, and therefore there'll be three winners!

Open to Australian residents only (because I can't post perfumes overseas), here is the loot in alphabetical order - all purchased by me, and all roughly the same value...

Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy - 30ml EDP. Box includes a pretty little blingy heart necklace ♥...

Chi Chi Meet The Girls Collection - Box contains 8 x 10ml EDP Spray Vials in various delicious flavours...

Lolita Lempicka - 30ml EDP...

The rules are pretty strict - one prize per winner, and you must choose the pack you'd like to win at the time of entry.  None of this "oh I'd like to win any of them" business lol...

To enter you have to nominate which of the September EOTD's is your favourite from the seven 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 winners, so please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions inside. Please note that leaving a comment, providing your email address inside the Rafflecopter, nominating which prize you'd like to win 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

Squee!  random.org has chosen the following gorgeous gals as the winners! 

Chi Chi Meet The Girls Fragrance Collection - Dianne C.

Edit: Dianne has claimed her prize

Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy - Candace N.

Edit: Candace has claimed her prize

Lolita Lempicka - Fay W.

Edit: Fay has claimed her prize

Congratulations lovelies ♥

Please respond to the emails I've sent you by 

midnight Thursday 12th November to claim your prizes :-)

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Best of luck to all who enter!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: DB Cosmetics Foundations - Age Revive & 24 Hour...

Golly, I'm way overdue posting the remainder of the foundation reviews from my recent "refresh", so here's a two-for-one read, and it includes (dare I say it) my new Holy Grail! Both are by DB (Designer Brands) Cosmetics, and both are excellent for my particular needs, but one of them literally ticks ALL the boxes in my ratings chart - woo hoo! Of course, the ratings are strictly personal as I'm a gal of advanced years with combination skin, and I have some major imperfections to cover, but who knows, one of these might just turn out to be ideal for you too ♥...

Both foundations are quite thick, and I found one pump more than enough to cover my whole face and blend it under my chin. They contain "Peptide infusion" for plumping and firming the skin, Vitamins C & E to assist with anti-ageing, Aloe Vera Extract to soften and smooth the skin, and SPF 15. What they don't contain is talc, bismuth or parabens. Neither of them have much fragrance, but what there is is pleasant and non-chemical, and not even a whiff of sunscreen content...

Age Revive Foundation - Firming, Flawless Coverage

I chose shade True Beige (655) which is a beaut match for my skintone. I haven't used it often enough to confirm whether it does in fact have any firming qualities or reduce the signs of ageing, but it sure does make my skin look great. It was only pipped at the post because it's a wee bit too dewy for my personal taste, but I reckon it would be ideal for gals with dry skin. In the pic below you can see what I'm dealing with on the left - some freckling which is heavier in parts, and pores that aren't as refined as I'd like. On the right is one layer of Age Revive Foundation, with no primer - stunning coverage, and of course the texture improves with a matte base, plus I can achieve the finish I'm after by using a mattifying powder over the top, but it doesn't quite last the 12 hour distance...

Still it's a beautiful formula - I think you'll agree that my pores are far less visible, my skin looks evenly toned, and yet it doesn't appear even the remotest bit mask-like. Age Revive Foundation is available in four shades, RRP is $14.99.

24 Hour Foundation - Longwear, Full Coverage

And here she is - my number 1! This is a full coverage foundation that's actually as light as a feather. I chose shade #650 - Nude Beige - an even better match for my skin. It has a smidgin more yellow in it, making it perfect for blending in my freckles, and it blends ever so beautifully...

I've not interfered with these pictures in any way whatsoever, just cropped them. How perfect is that finish on the right just over bare moisturised skin? Still lets my freckles show a teeny weeny bit, but that makes it look more natural as I've freckles all over the rest of my bod. Just the merest hint of sheen, but it's pretty much flawless. Once this foundation has set (30 seconds max), I swear it does not budge for the whole day, plus I've been wearing cream coloured scarves this winter, and there's not been even a hint of transfer...

According to their website there are four shades available, although I've only seen three at my local stockist. Here's what's on the back of the bottle - I can confirm that this is most definitely "make-up that goes the distance" ♥ 

I've saved the best news till last - this foundation retails for $12.99. Unbelievable! Until now I've not found such perfect coverage, finish, colour match and longevity in any makeup without forking out at least $65. Brilliant, and is it any wonder that I'm as happy as a clam ♥

DB Cosmetics foundations can be found at selected chemists, Price Attack, and their website. All products are vegan, not tested on animals, and if you're not happy with your online purchase, they'll give you your money back. How good is that?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness starts at 6:30am - you'll find some entertaining reads and excellent new blogs to follow ♥

CONFESSIONS: of a Bodywashaholic (Part 13) - Original Source...

Well there's one sure thing that excites me, and that's when a brand expands their range, and I was delighted to see these Original Source fruity selections at my local supermarket. I'd tried a few of their shower gels years ago - enjoyed the formulas, their availability and price, but wasn't all that keen on the fragrance choices. There are quite a few more, but these are the ones that grabbed me once I flipped the lid ♥ They are all vegan and contain 100% natural fragrances...

Blackcurrant & Moringa Oil

This particular Skin Quench formula contains natural oil beads suspended in the gel, and they work their magic boosting the moisturising power - my skin feels so soft and smooth after my shower, and I find I don't need any additional body lotion. Not overly sudsy, smells EXACTLY like ripe and juicy blackcurrants, and it's the prettiest berry colour. Loving this one, but being the fragrance fanatic that I am, I wish the scent was a whole lot stronger...

Pink Grapefruit

One of my all time favourite shower fragrances, so I couldn't go past this particular variety. Again, not quite enough scented oomph for my over-the-top tastes, but it's all natural and has a lovely zing to it. Despite not containing any moisturising oil beads, it doesn't make my skin feel parched or dry, just deliciously cleansed and fruitified...

Tropical Pineapple

Oh yum - this is my pick of the bunch, absolutely delish and ultra-refreshing. Whoever had the inspiration to create a shower gel that smells exactly like freshly cut pineapple deserves a round of applause - both revitalising and mouth-watering, this will be my numero uno for steamy hot days when I need to cool off, freshen up and boost my energy levels...

Watermelon & Jojoba Oil

Another from the Skin Quench range, this has the most subtle fragrance of the four. Most definitely genuine cooling melon (more like Rockmelon to me though), and delightful, but I can only just smell it. This would be terrific for folks who are scent-sensitive, but it just doesn't cut the mustard with me. A pity because it would be awesome for the Sydney Summer season when things get steamy...

In summary I'm loving these four varieties, but I'd love them even more if the fragrance intensity was doubled ♥

What's your favourite Original Source shower gel flavour?

Take care of you,

kats xxx 

REVIEW & EOTD's: NYX Color Mascaras...

As you know I was recently treated to a fabulous prize from the equally fabulous team at Bloggers United AU.  I'm telling absolute truthies when I say that this set of NYX Color Mascaras was what I was most excited to try out of the whole magnificent haul. I'm actually brand new to colour on my lashes, and I couldn't think of a better introduction than with these beautiful pastels ♥...

Warning: picture heavy post!

As you can see the presentation is super pretty - the product inside is almost an identical match to the colour of each tube, so you know what you're getting. The wands are thinly coiled, but pick up a good quantity of mascara. The formula is a bit stinky, but only if you put the applicator right under your nose - can't smell a thing when I'm using them as they were intended. There's no indication that they're waterproof, but I've not had one smudge or speck go astray, and the coating has always been 100% intact when taking off my eye makeup at the end of the day. Can't tell you if they hold the curl either because I've only used them over the top of my usual faithful black one - taking closeups as I do, my camera simply won't register that I have lashes AT ALL unless I load them up with something fairly fibrous and chunky. But that's enough of the babble, let's see these babies in action!

Pink Perfect

I'll admit I was a bit chicken in the beginning, so I only applied the colour to my lower lashes. And in order for them to be visible in the pics, I made sure I used a liner or shadow dark enough on the lashline for contrast. As you can see it's quite a different look for me - I'd like to say funky, but I'll just stick with different lol. The mascara shows up far more dramatically in real life, so you need to be careful with your application. In my case, especially with the first black coat because every imperfection in your technique is revealed!

For the EOTD lovers, the other components of this look were Chi Chi Hopelessly Devoted & Black is Black Waterproof Gel Eyeliner as a base, and hot pink and black shadows from the bhcosmetics Take Me To Brazil palette. Used the same Chi Chi liner on the waterline...

Perfect Pear

Perfect Pear is the most gorgeous bright lime, and from the pics below, you can see what I mean about taking care with your strokes - clumps everywhere! But I did this at 5:30am before work (like all my EOTDs) and there wasn't a second to spare for any cleanup. At least you can see how deliciously dramatic this particular shade is ♥

For this look I used the brightest green and purple from the City Color Intense Shine palette over bases of Models Prefer Lime Tart Infinite Colour Eye Pencil and Chi Chi Lo Cal Chocolate Waterproof Gel Eyeliner respectively. Lo Cal Chocolate also adorned my waterline...

Mint Julep

My personal fave, but then you know I adore tealy aqua shades ♥ The plan here was to use the Mint Julep as an extension of the colour I used on my waterline (Chi Chi Caribbean Queen liner), and it worked reasonably well, except for the sucky application...

The shadows used here were Sugarpill Midori and Sleek Ink over a base of BOE Beauty Eyeshadow Pencil in the shade Daydream...

Coral Reef

So after four goes (I'll explain the first one later), I was a little braver, and tried the Coral Reef on my top lashes. Whoa! Boy it sure does make my lashes stand out now doesn't it? - at least I can see the fruits of my Rapid Lash labours ha ha. Not entirely sure this was the best colour combo, but I was wearing coral and blue on the day, and you know me, I like to match...

The blue shadow is Sugarpill Velocity over a base of DB Cosmetics Deep Ocean Kohl, and the waterline is essence Longlasting Eye Pencil in the shade Cool Down (I labelled this incorrectly on my Instagram pic post - sorry Chi Chi & DB!)...

Forget Me Not

And here we are with lucky last, Forget Me Not. Except it was also the first one I tried, but I didn't apply anywhere near enough, and the mascara was barely visible in the photo, so this is my second attempt. I've winged and whined before about how my camera just won't play ball with anything purple, and this effort was no exception. This pretty lavender mascara showed up HEAPS more in real life (this is three coats), but c'est la vie...

This particular EOTD was an attempt to get into the spirit of Halloween - the orange is from the Chi Chi OMFG palette over essence white kajal, and the black is Sleek Ink over Chi Chi Black is Black Waterproof Gel Eyeliner, which I also added to my waterline...

To sum up, these NYX Color Mascaras are awesome and I had an absolute ball using them to create all these looks. Of course, this is just the beginning and you'll be seeing all of them (no doubt repeatedly) in future posts. A million thank you's again to Bloggers United AU (and NYX) for the opportunity to try something that I normally wouldn't dream of indulging in ♥♥♥

So tell me now, is coloured mascara your thing? Which look do you like the most?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Colourful Bling!...

Having just about exhausted Goldmark's stock of bling rings, I had to go further afield - struck gold (well gems at least lol) at Prouds where I found all these beauties, and all within my $50 limit. Took a bit of fossicking I can tell you, and several months of regular window shopping, scanning of their catalogues etc., but I'm thrilled to bits with what I found ♥

This "ruby" was most definitely the bargain of the bunch at $25. It's such a pretty pear shape, exceptionally feminine, and with the surrounding sparklers flashing so brilliantly, I'm chuffed to at last have something semi-real that I can wear with my red clobber...

Out of all my colourful bling rings, this would have to be my favourite - has every quality I want in a dress ring. Elegant styling, exquisite colour, not too flashy so that it looks fake, and fits my finger perfectly. I bought this at the same time as the ruby - it wasn't actually on special, but I fell instantly in love, and it just scraped in under budget (by 5 cents!). Absolutely adore this little honey ♥

And here's the closest thing to a Princess Di replica that I own - hard to believe but I've spent months trying to capture the stunning blue lights within the stone, and even this photo doesn't do it justice. I swear taking pictures of sparkly jewellery is 100 times more difficult than eye makeup or a flatlay! She's a beauty though. Oddly enough I went into Goldmark looking to see if they had anything blue - the ever so helpful shop assistant said she had nothing in stock, but directed me across the mall to Prouds as she'd seen one in the window. What a sweetheart ♥

Still a couple more to left in the vault to reveal, and I'm in the market for both a yellow and an orange stone ring to complete my rainbow bling collection - wish me luck!

Take care of  you,
kats xxx

REVIEW: Chi Chi Meet The Girls Fragrance Collection (2nd edition)...

Oh yay! I fell in love with the first set of these Chi Chi Meet The Girls mini spray perfumes late last year (review here) - had my fingers crossed they'd release another collection, and thankfully my wish has come true ♥ It's such an economical way to try out the range, as well as add some purse and travel-friendly sized bottles to your daily fragrance choices. Aren't they just so pretty? They're so new, I can't even see them listed on their website yet...

Some absolutely scrumptious sounding blends, and just in time for the warmer weather...

Pink Grapefruit

Strawberry & Violet

Tutti Frutti

Warm Vanilla Sugar

Vanilla Spice

Berries & Cream

Blueberry

Coconut & Lime

You can rest assured I'll be reviewing the whole lot over the coming weeks - I've only tried two so far (endeavouring to extend the pleasure, but even I am amazed at my self-restraint lol), so here we go with the first samplers...

Pink Grapefruit 

A sure bet for me - I adore the scent of Pink Grapefruit in just about anything. Chi Chi's take on it is a stunner - so fresh and zingy, this EDP is invigorating and lifts my spirits. Tantalisingly both sweet and sour, the crispness is really quite dazzling, and it's such a pretty colour. In a word, zesty! Just wish it lasted longer - absolute max is 2 hours on my skin, although that might improve on a hot day. Golly I hope it will be available in a large bottle soon - this 10ml spray will be gone WELL before Summer starts ♥

Strawberry & Violet

This was also a guaranteed winner, if for no other reason than it contains violet, one of my long time fragrance loves. On the other hand I was worried it would be too sweet - totally wasted concerns as it's just perfect, PERFECT! I'd call it an old fashioned perfume - I don't mean it's for old ladies, there's just something about it that conjures up a bygone era, when things were a whole lot less hectic, and a whole lot more personal. Shamelessly romantic and totally feminine, the emphasis is on the violet, but the strawberry content nudges it away from being pure floral. Similar staying power to the Pink Grapefruit, wearable all year round, and I would definitely buy it in a larger size. Absolutely love it ♥

I tell you what, if the other six are as good as these two, then I'll be floating on perfume Cloud 9 ♥ RRP is $25, and in case you're wondering, I'm sampling from top to bottom from the above list, so Tutti Frutti will be up next.

What's your favourite Chi Chi fragrance?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Looking for more blogs to follow? Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Linkup Party is the place to head for - pick of the crop posts from some very talented gals ♥

REVIEW: Ulta3 Lipsticks...

Another oops moment when I neglected to include these ulta3 lipsticks in my recent refresh - but that's the beauty of having your own blog, you can do whatever, and get away with it lol. So I'm correcting this grave mistake and present to you four of their finest, including two mattes. I spent a good 15 minutes in front of the stand at my local chemist, and I can assure you it was a quarter hour of swatching frenzy - I was such a mess afterwards, but it was worth it to find these gems...

I can also assure you that not all ulta3 lipsticks are created equal - some of them are decidedly wishy-washy, or way to sheer for my freckly pout, but I was thrilled to find this quartet of rich, creamy, delightfully pigmented and moisturising pucker perfectors...

This first one is Orchid - needs a wee bit of building, but it's such a flattering pink, soft and girly, and perfect for teaming with Spring pastel outfits...

Next we have Lilac Glow - a similar shade, but bolder, a tad more blue in it, and more dense coverage. My fave of the bunch, but then you know how I feel about bright pink ♥...

And then we have the mattes - these feel super comfortable, although they're not really matte, but I don't mind a bit as completely flat formulas really don't do my wrinkly lips any favours. This first one is a standout bright red with a few squirts of orange - it's called Deep Red Rose...

And finally, we have Bittersweet - another "matte" and a fabulous orange that's not too wild, but has enough oomph to make it interesting, plus (and this is a BIG plus), it's actually one of the least patchy oranges in my kit.. I have quite a few, but barely any of them give me a smooth even result. Must be whatever pigment ingredient that's used to create the shade, but apparently even MAC can't get orange to work all that well...

So I spent just under $16 for all four, and that's pretty good value for a great finish, reasonable staying power, classy packaging, and such lovely colours...

Have you tried any other ulta3 products? I'm quite impressed with these lipsticks, but I'm wondering if it's worth trying anything else from their range...

Take care of you,

kats xxx