Bloggiversary Giveaway - Crop Mineral Cosmetics!...

As promised last week, here's Bloggiversary Giveaway #2 - a crop of Crop Naturally Derived & Dermatologically Tested Mineral Makeup items! I'm a regular user of their Concealer Pencil and Bronzer, and can vouch for the quality and consistency of their products. While the company is Australian owned, their range is made in Italy and sold in Coles, they don't test on our beloved furry friends, there's none of the usual chemicals in the ingredients list, and just about everything they make is enriched with Vitamins A & E. So if you've been meaning to try some of their range, this is your chance ♥...

RRP comes to around $110, and here's the details of what's up for grabs...

• Natural Mineral Pressed Highlighter - Aura
• Natural Mineral Eyeshadow Quad - Smokey
• Natural Mineral Loose Powder - Translucent
• Natural Mineral Pressed Bronzer - Solaire
• 2 in 1 Folding Mineral Kabuki Brush

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY!

Here's how to enter...

1. Leave a blog post comment on this page as to why you'd like to win this collection of yummy cosmetics
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 Kate W. as the winner.  

Congratulations gorgeous! 

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

Tuesday 26th September to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Kate has claimed her prize ♥

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Hope you'll join in the fun - best of luck lovelies!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Adding this post to Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party - come check it out any time after 6:30am Monday ♥...

SPOTLIGHT: August Empties!...

This post comes to you from a very happy blogger - the days are finally getting longer, the Antarctic winds are finding someone else's toes to freeze, and I've started poking around in the secondary wardrobe for some of the bargains I scored at the end of last Spring/Summer. I do so love buying at end of season sales, and then stashing things away so that I've something fresh and new to wear on day one. And today I changed my hair colour (yet again!), but enough of the Kats-Has-Got-Spring-Fever ravings, let's get on with last month's empties ♥...

Skin Doctors Relaxaderm Advance (30ml RRP $59.95)

From memory I bought this at Chemist Warehouse because it came with a free tube of Younger Hands (which is very good).  I've been using this instead of a serum - advertised as a wrinkle relaxer, it claims to reduce expression lines by 66% in 28 days, but I've not noticed much difference in my crevasses. To be honest I think I'm too far gone for anything like this to have an effect, but you don't know till you try! I've had mixed results from SD products in the past - some have been astoundingly good (like their Eyetuck), while others have been nice enough, but not all that (visibly) effective. I reckon this would be excellent for much younger gals who are starting to see some signs of ageing...

Repurchase?

No - my search for the Fountain of Youth will continue elsewhere...

Imperial Leather Japanese Spa - Jasmine & Green Tea Triple Moisturising Bodywash (1 litre RRP $8.99)

Another one of my gigantic bottle purchases, but unlike the Forbidden Fruit one, I'm still loving this fragrance. Surprising as it contains Jasmine, but it's beautifully balanced with the Green Tea, plus a wee bit of citrus, orange blossom and rose - a lovely fresh and slightly exotic scent that hits the spot all year round. I raved about it HERE, in fact I think it's the same bottle lol!...

Repurchase?

Definitely - at least this one is still available at Coles, but I'll wait till I've cleared some of the others in the cupboard ♥...

Garnier Skin Naturals Miracle Sleeping Cream (50ml RRP $19.95)

This came in my third Marie Claire Ageless Parcel, and won me over from the first application. It's just plain gorgeous - the fragrance alone is heavenly enough to put me in the perfect state for a peaceful slumber. The cream has an unusual texture - it's sort of springy to the touch (if that makes any sense). Not a gel nor a cream, but somewhere in between. Magnificently hydrating without being heavy, it absorbs in a flash, and I wake up with plump, refreshed and satin-soft skin, and no oily film. LOVE it! ♥...

Repurchase?

Already have another jar - I have SO many night creams to try, but I'll alternate them with this because it's so special ♥...

Mirenesse Liquid Silk Foundation (35g RRP $59.50)

Well whoopdedoo, I finished some makeup! I have to hand it to Mirenesse - they make fabulous foundation. Pricey (unless you're a VIP member), and their entire range of foundations only comes in 4 shades, but Vienna is the perfect match for me. This baby is matte, oil free and contains SPF15. It's not my HG (their Velvet Maxi Lift Supreme Antiageing Renovage is even better) but it's a close second. Not quite enough coverage to be perfect, but with a tinted cc cream underneath, the finish is superb. Detailed review HERE ♥...

Repurchase?

I'm in a bit of a quandry - I like the Velvet Maxi Lift a tad more but it's an extra $40, and I'm just now trying their new Smooth Nude CC Hydra Makeup Mousse which I'm absolutely loving, so... maybe not ♥...

Maybelline FITme Shine-Free Foundation Stick (9g RRP $15.95)

I always like to have a stick foundation in my kit, but I was disappointed with this. Super easy to apply and blend, but kind of disappears by lunchtime on my combo skin, and even though I didn't wear it every day, I used up the entire stick within a month. I didn't find it to be shine-free either ...

Repurchase?

No - MNY make so many other foundations that are heaps better...

Clairol Nice'nEasy - Natural Lightest Golden Brown (RRP $12.99)

My experimentation with a new hair colour continues - so now I'm moving away from the reds and getting into the golden stream, and this shade is a natural looking dark honeyish blonde (no way is it brown!). As mentioned in previous empties posts, this range suits me to a T because the colour never EVER becomes darker with re-application. I'm actually after something a wee bit deeper as my base, but the next one up is medium brown which I reckon will be too dark, so I might do my usual trick and mix them half and half ♥...

Repurchase?

Oui - there's several boxes under the bathroom sink ♥...

Lancôme Trésor in Love Eau de Parfum (30ml/50ml/75ml RRP $81/$114/$138)

SO sad when I finished this - it was only a miniature, but I sure fell under its spell, and I made it last for 4 years! I wrote a rave review about it on beautyheaven, and called it 100% romance. The original Trésor smells like rotting fruit on me, but this fruity-floral on a cedar base is nothing short of divine ♥...

Repurchase?

I'm putting all my gold coins in a jar so I can buy the big bottle - it's taking a while, but I'll get there ♥...

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector (10ml RRP $50)

I'm embarrassed to say that this eye cream was part of my beautyheaven Blogstar prize that arrived in January 2014, and it's been languishing in my drawer for two years! Mind you I don't have dark circles under my eyes (I have huge bags instead), which is why I wasn't in a hurry to try it. Nor can I report that it does in fact work. All I can say is that the cream is a fleshy colour, has a lovely texture, a groovy little dispenser nozzle, hydrates well, and leaves my skin baby soft...

Repurchase?

Negative - does nothing for my eye bags, and my squinty crows feet are the same depth...

CROP Gentle Cleansing Gel - Essential Oil Blend (125ml RRP $12)

Finishing this was probably my greatest achievement last month. I'm a huge fan of CROP products, but this cleanser would have to be the weirdest one I've ever tried. In its favour, it smells fantastic because of its essential oil content (eucalyptus, rosemary, lemongrass, cajeput & peppermint), and once I rinse out my face cloth, the water is decidedly murky and the colour of my foundation, so it's amazingly effective, but it feels way too peculiar on my skin. I'll try to explain. It's an oil. The directions say to work it into a light lather, but it's ridiculously sticky, and the only way I can get any kind of lather up is to wet my hands a little. So then it lathers a teeny bit and spreads a little more easily, but only for a few seconds, and then my hands get stuck to my skin again, and I have to add more water, and on it goes. By this stage, I'm dripping all over the sink, and well, it's all just too awkward...

Repurchase?

Shakes head from left to right - life's too short for tacky cleansers...

CROP Natural Mineral Pressed Bronzer - Solaire (10g RRP $24)

My HG bronzer - it's a quad with four shades ranging from light to dark, the lightest shade is a terrific highlighter with a slight shimmer. I've hit pan on the two deeper pigments, and halfway to the bottom on the other two, but I'm treating myself to a brand new one that doesn't look so cruddy. EXACTLY the right tone for my skin, riddled with goodness, minus all the bad stuff, and no animal testing ♥...

Repurchase?

Absolutely - it was 40% off at Coles this morning. Yay! ♥...

Did you get through many products last month?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. It's a done deal that I'm linking this to the always awesome Ingrid's Monday Madness Link Up Party ♥