SPOTLIGHT: Last Quarter 2016 Fave LOTD's - Corals, Mauves & Pinks...

Selecting my faves from these colour families was exceptionally difficult. Being the Spring season, I hammered these hues big time in October, November & December, and there were so many to choose from it was quite a challenge. But got there I did, so here we go with the Corals, Mauves & Pinks ♥...

Love me a good coral, and this NYX Life's a Beach is a super pretty one - slightly more pink than orange, and the formula is long wearing and reasonably comfortable. The Ibiza one has more pink content, but it's still a coral in my book. Just for the record, I prefer the formula of the Liquid Suedes to the Soft Mattes ♥...

And a couple of the orangey corals - I do so love how this shade is such a clever bridge between two colours. The L'Oreal Always Apricot is a delightfully creamy formula, and the Barry M one is slightly drier, but still up there with the comfort factor. Slightly less vibrant but equally lovely (pardon the grimace) ♥...

Well now I didn't wear too many mauves in the last three month period, but this Rimmel Vintage Pink is the closest I could get. I've included two iterations of this gorgeous lipstick - for the pic on the right, I used a deeper and pinker lip liner, whereas the first one was pretty much a perfect match (which is always my aim when doing these swatches). SO moisturising! ♥...

Moving onto the real pinks, I just had to include this W7 Red Tulip because it's so darn pretty, and the BarryM one is here because I adore the vibrancy of the extra blue content, and I've only just now really discovered this brand - excellent quality and value from BigW ♥...

Ok so I might just have to declare this Revlon Obsession as my numero uno ruby hot pink. Utterly divine! Mind you the Mirenesse Lip Bomb is a close second - a tad less blue content, but equally dazzling ♥...

And here are what I call the Spring pinks - loud, but with a certain softness that makes them wearable with just about anything, and by anyone. The Ulta 3 Lilac Glow has been a fave for over 12 months now, but I've no idea what possessed NYC to call this stunner on the right Funnel Delight - I mean really, what's the connection between glossy pink and funnels lol? The Intense Butter Gloss is my all time favourite NYX lip formula - talk about a lip quencher, not a snowball's chance in hell of your lips ever drying out with this enriching slicker ♥...

And last but not least, the shocking pinks - the W7 Sex Bomb is a Liptember special, and such an amazing deal for around $7 plus supporting women's mental health research, but the most unbeatable value of them all (and a regular candidate in my fave posts) is the boe beauty Shocking Matte Pink - absolutely stunning, and for only $2. $2!!!!!! ♥...

Next up will be the reds, so pop in again soon won't you ♥...

Take care of you,

kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: 3rd Quarter 2016 Fave LOTD's, Corals, Mauves & Pinks...

More of my faves from July to September - Corals, Mauves & Pinks, so flattering to just about any colouring, so long as you find the right one! Of the three, I admit corals are the trickiest, depending on whether they have more pink or orange content, but the rewards are great if you have the time and inclination to experiment. Mauves and pinks are far less challenging, and they're just so perfect for Spring when I start digging through my wardrobe for some pretty pastels ♥...

These two are relatively new in my collection - the NYX Liquid Suedes are reasonably comfortable and long lasting, though I prefer the formula of the Maybelline Vivid Matte range (review HERE). This colour though is absolutely gorgeous. The Rimmel Peachy Beachy is another one I'm particularly keen on as it has more depth without being too bright ♥...

I find these Australis Velour Lips Creams very drying, but I put up with the sensation as the colours are just so pretty, they apply evenly, and can be reapplied without looking flaky or scruffy. The MNY Colordrama pencils continue to be high on my love-list - the comfort and performance are hard to beat for the price. I actually use this as a liner for my other coral lipsticks as I can't seem to find a coral lip pencil that blends in as well ♥...

The Revlon Balm is another new love - I don't think I have a mauve that's as divine as this. Deliciously moisturising too and the hue just suits my skin tone perfectly. The MBA Lovespell has a slight frosting, and that makes it just that little bit different ♥...

Raspberry Ripple is almost what I call a Barbie pink - super pretty, and goes with quite a few of my new warmer weather wardrobe acquisitions. I'm not one to go for frosty finishes usually, but combined with this hue, it's a total winner. The City Color Berry is a one-of-a-kind shade in my collection - hard to believe as I have SO many pink lipsticks, but this has a unique freshness and juicy quality that makes it a standout ♥...

Adore the vibrancy of this LA Girl paint - surprisingly easy to create an even finish, and it doesn't bleed. I've included the L'Oreal Eternal Rose because it's another one that's kind of on its own in my kit - the blue content makes it wearable with even purple clobber ♥...

Is there one here that would suit you? Next up will be the ravishing REDS, so I hope you'll be back soon...

Take care of you,

kats xxx 

SPOTLIGHT: 2nd Quarter Fave LOTD's, Corals, Mauves & Pinks...

You know I never thought I'd say this but lipsticks and lip creams have taken hold of my makeup passion reigns! I still absolutely adore eye shadows and creating eye looks of course (that'll NEVER change), but I have a massive lip product collection now, and to be realistic, a pout is a helluva lot quicker to "do" and photograph in the wee hours. There's also the obvious problem that I'm getting old (am now officially classified as a Senior - gaaahhhhh!), and sadly the deterioration is more rapid than my skincare can restore. I for one don't want to look at pictures of wrinkly old eyes, and I REFUSE to use the "beauty" filter on my camera, so I'm just putting it out there that I've started shifting my makeup blog focus away from eyes to lips - I reckon they're going to hold up a bit longer than my peepers! Anyways, here we go with my favourite Coral, Mauve & Pink lip colours/products from the ones I slicked on last quarter...

CORALS

I'm lucky I can wear most corals, but like any hue, some are defnitely better than others. Hard to choose a #1 from this lot - I reckon it's a tie between the SAX Coral and the Revlon Hydrangea ♥

MAUVES

I don't own nearly enough mauve lippies - it's such a versatile shade range, soft and pretty and doesn't scream for attention. For me the Maybelline Matte Touch of Spice has the edge here ♥

PINKS

Ahhh pink - it's where my lippie love affair started ♥  SO many variations, but I have a particular penchant for blue pinks - from this set, my heart well and truly belongs to Ulta3 Orchid ♥

Hopefully there's one or two here that take your fancy, and would suit your complexion. Here's the link if you missed the Nudes, Bricks & Bronzes, next up will be...REDS!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: MBA Cosmetics Copper & Rumors...

Hard to believe, but amongst the considerable array of eye shadows in my collection, I don't have a coral. Kinda odd when you think about just how many palettes and pans there are out there, and yet to this day I haven't come across one in my travels. It's a colour I wear frequently - clothes, cheeks, lips, and thanks to Bloggers United AU, I now even have a coral mascara, but no coral eye shadow. Weird huh? I'll keep searching of course, but meanwhile, I have to manufacture one out of the pinks and oranges I already have, and the best result so far have come from blending two gorgeous shadows from MBA Cosmetics - Copper and Rumors...

They're from the Silk FX Pressed Shadow range - buttery, shimmery, magnificently pigmented, and they blend beautifully to make this (seemingly) elusive hue..

My base was essence white kajal, and all I did was press layers of each over the top - I wanted a more pinky coral, so I started and finished with Rumors, and kept blending till the shade was just right. Waterline got the Chi Chi Caribbean Queen Waterproof Eye Liner Gel treatment, and the crease and outer corner scored Sleek Noir...

My foundation was Mirenesse Liquid Silk, cheeks were Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Coral Sheen, and I added a dusting of the middle pan from the BYS Endless Summer Blush Trio. Lips were Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade In With Coral, and then topped that with Mirenesse Lust Me 3D Forever Gloss...

Do you ever mix and match your pigments to make the colour you're after?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Sleek Acid Coral and Teal...

Gadzooks! What do you do when you're caught up in the pre-Christmas rush, your internet connection is flakey on a good day, and you've a gazillion reviews of fabulous products to upload? You post yet another EOTD using your favourite palette ♥ 

And what do you do when you want to create a coral and teal look, and your favourite palette doesn't contain either of those colours? You reach for your Sleek Acid palette, and make it happen with a blending brush...

The beauty of knowing "what makes what" in the colour world is that you can create just about anything if you have some basic hues, and the Sleek Acid palette is a treasure trove of such gems. I started with a base of essence white kajal (Really? No!) and then laid down some gorgeous orange, and blended the pink over the top. I went over it a few times, alternating the colours, and voila - coral!

The far right blue in this palette isn't teal at all, but it does have some green in it. So by adding teal on my waterline (essence Sun Club BBC All Night Blue), and some Orbit from the Sleek V2 in the crease, I fooled the eye (and the camera) into thinking that the blue was in fact teal...

Then I blended and blended, and took the Orbit under the eye as well...

And here's the whole face - cheeks are essence "blush up" in Heat Wave, which when you blend the orange and pink together, you get (as mentioned earlier)...coral. Lips are SAX Coral (#28) with Mirenesse 3D Gloss in Lust Me over the top...

Apologies for the lack of promised reviews, but I'll make up for it once I go on hols at the end of the week - bring on Friday!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: SAX Rich Lip Colour Lipstick...

I discovered this luscious lipstick via beautyheaven's beautorium early last year, and it's only just worn down to the stump now. But I love the colour and creamy moisturising formula so much, I bought another one last week - this is #28, the prettiest coral pink in my collection :-)

Coral is one of the colours I'm most comfortable in, and I reckon it's a particularly flattering shade for us more mature gals, although I think it would suit just about anyone, and any skin tone - nowhere near as dangerous (or daring) as a red, magenta or orange, this hue is cheerful and bright enough to make a distinct impression without hollering "check out my lips!". I often wear it with black and white or grey outfits that would otherwise be a bit flat, but it works beautifully with cream, deep blues or muted greens as well...

I have several coral lippies in my kit - while the others have more orange content, I find this pinky one is an almost perfect match for quite a few of my department store tops, and it's moist enough to blend a little swipe onto my cheeks for that matching glow I love so well lol...

OK so my gorgeous coral aside, there are six other colours in the range, and they are all chock full of anti-ageing and nourishing ingredients - like calendula oil, evening primrose oil, jojoba oil, Vitamin E and silk powder, plus they are paraben free...

I'm really impressed with SAX's presentation too - the sassy casing is a glossy black which doesn't seem to dull even after floating around in my makeup bag for 12 months. Looks heaps more ritzy and expensive than $14.95, and the lid has a nifty click-to-open feature - you press the silver base, and it pops out so you can slide off the cap, and it locks firmly into place when you're done. I usually reapply every couple of hours, but I talk a lot and drink endless cups of tea, so you gals will probably get longer wear out of it.

Truly this lipstick beats the pants of products twice the price, and it scores a 5-star rating on beautyheaven - my review of it is here...

Have you tried any of the SAX makeup range?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Turquoise & Coral...

Not exactly a Christmas theme, but it's what I wore on the big day :-)  As with the majority of my looks, it was to match an outfit, which in turn was to match a stunning jewellery set my parents gave me for my recent birthday. The colours in the necklace, earrings and bracelet are actually teal, coral pink and dark blue, but in the photos, the teal looks more turquoise, so I'm tagging it turquoise & coral :-)

I used two bases - Mirenesse Mineral Face Gel Colour in Blue Moon on the inner half, and MNY Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk on the outer section. Over the top of the blue and along the lower lashline I applied essence Metal Glam in Jewel Up the Ocean (isn't this just the most stunning pigment?), and the coral pink was from the L.A.Colors Wildflowers palette.

For some extra oomph, I patted the Mirenesse Blue Moon gel onto the waterline...

And here's the jewellery, and the whole look.  For lips I used essence Lipliner in Honey Bun, SAX Rich Lip Colour Lipstick in Coral, and Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss in Lust Me. Cheeks are ModelCo Blush Cheek Powder in Peach Bellini :-)

Hope your Christmas Day was everything you hoped it would be ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx