SPOTLIGHT: Favourite July 2018 LOTD's...

As promised, this is my LOTD catch-up post - just for the record, these collages are so interesting for me as I have zero conscious recollection of the lipsticks I've worn in previous months, and this collection is particularly revealing as there's only one true red - what on earth was I thinking? It's all a bit odd as I almost always wear at least one scarlet lippie in a week, but obviously NOT in July lol...

Oh and I have a special giveaway at the end, so please read on ♥...

1. I think this is my favourite plum of all-time - Max Factor Color Elixir Giant Pen Stick in Intense Plum. Oh Max baby, PLEASE bring this back! ♥

2. Here's one for the bargain hunters - boe professional Colour Last Lipstick in Primped - beautiful formula and it's a steal for only $8.95 at BigW ♥...

3. The Lone Red is essence Bring the Glam On Star Lipstick in shade 01. The bullet is creamy and lush, and in the shape of a star - so very cute, but in reality, not all that practical ♥...

4. This gorgeous bricky shade is Milani Cinnamon Spice - another one I hope one day they will bring back (why do I fall in love with discontinued lippies?) ♥...

5. Next is one of my favourite browns for Autumn/Winter, Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Bronze Metal - I do so love this range for comfort and value ♥...

6. And number 6 is Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Coffee Shimmer - not quite so daring as the previous one, but gorgeously earthy all the same ♥...

7. Next we have the find of the month, LipMonthly Lipstick, shade 02. Wowee, what an unusual colour - I'd describe it as burnt orange, and I absolutely adore it. I guess it was only a matter of time before LipMonthly released their own range, and if this is any indication, bring it on! ♥...

8. Ohh...the darling (and most expensive @ $46) of the bunch (thanks to beautyheaven) - Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Color in Watermelon. There are no words, just ♥♥♥♥♥♥...

9. And another gem from a LipMonthly bag - this is a matte, but a comfortable one, City Color Be Matte Lipstick in Melon ♥...

10. Yay, the pretty pinks, starting with Mirenesse French Kiss Lip Cocktail in Bijoux - this lippie is beautifully moist, wears well too ♥...

11. 2nd from Mirenesse - this is their unbelievably sensational Lip Bomb, shade #3. I have quite a few of these and MUST dig them out because they really are something special - the pigmentation is extraordinary ♥...

12. I need to buy another one of these - MBA Cosmetics Color Rich Lipstick in Mauvalicious. It's the most exquisite feminine girly frosted pink, n'est pas? ♥...

13. On the home stretch now, and into my precious PURPLES. On the left is Australis Colour Inject Moisturising Mineral Lipstick in Mash Up. Sadly no longer listed on their website...sob. They seem to have gone ballistic with their GIRLBOSS range, so it would appear the lippies are on the way out ♥...

14. Another from MBA Cosmetics, and so dear to my heart - Heliotrope ...sigh...♥

15. And lucky last is Colourpop Satin Lips in So Wavy - not crazy about the formula, but the colour speaks to me in the language of love ♥...

And now for the giveaway!

So I ordered some lipsticks from Nutrimetics when they were on special recently, and I have two to give away to whoever thinks they could use them...

• Hydra Brilliance - Amber, a soft peach
• Hydra Brilliance - Garnet, a soft red (swatch of my one is HERE)

And because this will be a very small and lightweight package (no extras!), this giveaway is open...

INTERNATIONALLY!!! 

Here's how to enter...

1. Leave a blog post comment on this page that answers the question inside the Rafflecopter (please note: if you don't leave a comment on this page, you won't be included in the draw!)
2. Leave your email address inside the Rafflecopter so I can contact you if you win
3. Follow my blog one way or another from the many choices listed
4. Only one entry per person, please read the T's & C's inside the Rafflecopter

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This giveaway is now closed  - check back later tonight to see who won!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Congratulations gorgeous! 

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

Saturday 29th September to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Meedee has claimed her prize

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Best of luck to all who enter!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: 2nd Quarter Fave LOTD's, Berries & Purples...

I make no secret of the fact that I'm not a Winter fan. There's no denying it does have some benefits though, like covering up all my bumps under layers of clothing, boots (LOVE boots!), and of course I get to (officially) indulge my passion for deeper hued lip products. Berries, plums and purples probably suit my skin tone best of all, and consequently I have absolutely no intention of restricting my adoration of these rich shades to the chilly season - some of these are just so darn gorgeous, I'll be wearing them all year round ♥ Below are just a few of the ones that have earned a forever place in my heart over the last three months...

The Max Factor Intense Plum has an almost metallic finish - I love it so much I already have two spares tucked away. And Chi Chi Lady Bump will always be in my kit ♥

The Maybelline Color Blur pencils are (in my opinion) one of the best lip products that MNY has ever released (rave review HERE) - SO easy to work with, super comfortable formula, the perfect (not completely) matte finish for me, and the stain lasts for ages. This is the only repeater from the first quarter lineup. Adore the Milani Chilled Brandy - I only discovered how brilliant Milani lipsticks are earlier this year. Lovely and moist, amazing pigment, and the packaging is classy ♥ 

These two a very similar, but sufficiently different to warrant their individual purchases right? I think I have almost the entire set of MNY Velvet Lip Pencils (yet another rave review HERE) - cheap as chips, and I also use them as a lip liner for other lipsticks. The BOE Primped has just a wee bit more pink, and of course I need every possible shade variation ♥ These lippies are absolute bargains, must buy some more lol ♥...

Ahh Revlon - I'm not even sure they make these shades any more. From memory I picked these up from a bargain table in Myer - unusual from this brand as they don't make too many purpley ones. Actually I've just checked their website, and Violet Frenzy is still listed - yay! ♥

Here's Revlon Seduction again - I included this extra LOTD to show you what happens when I use a brighter and more pink lip liner underneath. It's quite sheer and I find it needs some support or else it turns out a bit blotchy - maybe that's why it's been discontinued? The Australis Velourlips formula is a tad drying for my wrinkled lips, but I find it so easy to apply, it lasts well, and this particular shade is a stunner ♥

And last but not least are the MBA purples - all their lipsticks are beautifully bold and sassy, moist, long lasting, and I reckon they do purples better than anyone else ♥...

I can't possibly pick a #1 fave out of this selection - love 'em all for different reasons!

The final installment in this series (Oranges) will be up before the end of next week - regrettably only six. I tend to wear orange more in Spring and Summer, and I haven't added very many to my collection of late, mainly because none of the ones I tested were up to scratch finish-wise - does anyone else struggle to find orange lippies that apply evenly?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: First Quarter Fave LOTD's, Nudes, Bricks and Bronzes...

At the end of last year I uploaded pics of my favourite LOTD's of 2015. But I figured it would be of more use to you gals if I did a little summary every quarter - that way if you spot a colour you think you'd love or might suit, you can watch out for it to be on special. Also it's almost IMPOSSIBLE for me to narrow down the ones I adore out of a whole 12 month's worth, so these are my picks for the year so far, culled from 80 possibles lol! I wear a pretty wide range of hues and textures, so here's hoping these help you find your HG ♥ I've sort of grouped them into colour families so you can compare - some are very similar with only subtle differences in the shade, and there'll be a mix of mattes, creams, pearls, lipsticks, lip paints and crayons...

Crop Mineral Lipstick - Plum

DB Colour Kisses - Nude

BOE Professional Lipstick - Mousse

Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick - Coffee Craze

LOL Lipstick - Bronze Age

MBA Lip Paint - Chic Brick

DB Moisturising Lipstick - Bronze

L'Oreal ColorRiche Lipstick - Cristal Cappuccino

Revlon SuperLustrous Lipstick - Sandstorm

MBA Lip Paint - Another Brick in the Wall

Milani Lipstick - Cinammon Spice

Nude By Nature Mineral Lipstick - Sassy

You may have gathered I'm not all that big on nudes, preferring bolder hues - the first four are pretty much all-year-rounders for me, whereas the bottom eight are my go-to's for Autumn/Winter ♥

Any of these take your fancy?...

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!

REVIEW: BOE Beauty Lipsticks...

Another of the gems uncovered by my recent lipstick refresh - BOE Beauty and BOE Professional. These two ranges are available at BigW stores - the BOE Beauty lippies are $2, and the BOE Professional ones are $8.95. I must say that prior to my explorations, my minimum spend for a lipstick was $4.95 - I wasn't being a snob, I just couldn't imagine how any lip product could be even vaguely usable if it cost less than that. Well I'm SO GLAD I cast aside this personal limitation, read on to find out why...

I'll start with the Professional variety. These come in a solid case that looks and feels classy, with the product colour visible on the base. The formula is creamy, rich and smooth, deliciously hydrating, and my nose can't detect any fragrance. The pigmentation is excellent, coverage is also very good, and the colour doesn't bleed. They don't last beyond a meal, but they do leave behind a nice little bit of stain, and transfer to drinking utensils is average. The display stand is on a par with any other similarly priced product range, and there were testers in my local store...

This first one is called Aphrodite - a gorgeous soft pink that will leave your lips looking supremely kissable ♥...

And here is Mocha - a lovely warm brown/pink which I'm loving this Winter, it's such a flattering shade without being too deep or intense ♥...

These next two are from the Beauty range. Being a bargain style, all the products are jumbled into plastic display bins, so it takes a bit of doing to work out just what colours are available - for me it was a bit like a treasure hunt, which I don't mind as these ridiculously cheap lipsticks are well worth rummaging for. Of course the packaging isn't nearly so glamorous, but sturdy all the same, and still quite impressive for the price. I bought one of each kind - cream and matte, both have a very faint waxy fragrance. The cream kind is certainly creamy, nicely moisturising, but I have to say I had quite a bit of trouble trying to get the colour to apply evenly for the lip swatch photo. I'll be going back for more though as I believe these warrant further investigation...

This is Paige - a most heavenly peach which I'll be putting away for Spring, isn't it just so pretty?...

And, well, you know me lol, I've saved the best for last. This is Shocking Matte Pink - an astoundingly brilliant and beautiful hue, although as you can see, it isn't matte at all. But I don't give a hoot because...I applied this early in the morning, went shopping, had breakfast and a latte, and 3 hours later, it was still going strong - the only difference was the loss of the sheen, but the colour and coverage were still intact! UNBELIEVABLE for a $2 lipstick, plus my lips didn't feel the slightest bit dry ♥

In summary, I think these are a great find. The BOE Professional lipsticks are excellent value, and both the formula and presentation are first class...

But...the one that impressed me the most was the $2 matte in the BOE Beauty range. I swear I'm calling into BigW on my way home tomorrow night to see if there are any other "matte" shades in the bin!

P.S. I've listed this over at Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness link up party - well worth checking if you're looking for new blogs to follow ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx