SPOTLIGHT: Favourite January & February 2019 LOTD's...

Even I'M bored with the number of times I've mentioned I need to do a "catch-up" of my LOTD's, so here it is - a combo of January & February. There were actually quite a few that appeared in both months, so rather than repeat myself, I've culled the lot down to 20 faves, and am now officially up to date yay! ♥...

With so many pinks, mauves and purples, you'd think this was a spring edition. Actually, my only obvious concession ot the seasons is that I tend to keep my dark and broody shades for the cold weather, and there'll be plenty of that soon - yikes! Meanwhile, here we go with what's left of summer...

1. Maybelline Colorsensational - Bronze Metal. Not everyone is a fan of brown lipstick, but I love it now and then, especially when I'm wearing more natural coloured clothing, like creams, beiges, tans and even soft leafy greens. This is an oldie but a goodie, have had it for years but it hasn't deteriorated in the slightest...

2. Lip Monthly - 02. Adore this one - it's definitely orange, but kinda scorched so it's not overly bright. I'll be trotting this one out several times during autumn - it reminds me of maple leaves...

3. Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer - Sunstone. Another blast from the past - the sheer volume of my collection is the only reason why I haven't worn this in ages. Deliciously moisturising, and such a gorgeous colour...

4. Ulta3 Matte - Bitter Sweet. Reasonably comfortable for a matte, I've included it because it's such a pretty coral. Most of my other ones have a much higher pink content...

5. Maybelline Colorsensational - Rose Rush. Love this, the only coral red I have in my kit, and MNY has nailed this formula...

6. Ulta3 Ultra Matte Longwear Lip Cream - Wild Fire. Another one that's on the dry side but it's tolerable, and I'm prepared to put up with the slightly shrivelly effect as it's such a stunningly bright orange-red...

7. Jeffree Star Liquid Lipstick - Red Rum. Bless Jeffree - he knows what he's doing, this is a classic...

8. Rimmel The Only One - Best of the Best. Hard to beat this bold and sassy gem from Rimmel. Super moist, super red, super glossy...

9.  Maybelline ColorDrama Intense Velvet Lip  Crayon - Red Essential. My love for these crayons continues unabated - the perfect deep winter red...

10. Essence Lights of the Orient Matte Lipstick - Belly Dancing Queen. Very comfy for a matte, and it has enough pink in it to qualify as a berry...

11. W7 Matte Lipstick - In The Pink. Soft and feminine, this is girly all the way and doesn't dry my lips...

12. Nutrimetics Hydra Brilliance 50th Anniversary - Frosted Grape. You've seen this before and will again, countless times. So kind to my old pucker...

13. Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick - Liptember Mauve. Totally mauvalicious, sometimes I loathe Special Editions like this because I fall in love, and then I can't buy it again. Boo!...

14. Ulta3 Lipstick - Orchid. Another soft and pretty baby. Ulta3 lipsticks are amazing value - they have a tendency to be sheer, but I've worked my way through the whole range and found all the ones that are dense enough to cover my freckles, like this one...

15. Revlon Superlustrous - Fuchsia Fusion. What's a lipstick collection without a few fuchsias? If the truth be known, it's only recently I've gotten the hang of how to spell fuchsia ha ha. Well done Revlon, this is a darling...

16. Nutrimetics Hydra Brilliance - Magenta. Oh Barbie, this one's for you!...

17. Ulta3 Lipstick - Lilac Glow. More pink than lilac, but one of their finest, and highly recommended if you want something moist but not glossy, total coverage and excellent longevity... 

18. Avon Mark Lipstick - Berry Cute. One of the best magazine cover giveaways ever - adore this lippie, so creamy and moist...

19. Sash Cosmetics Luminous Lipstick - Gypsy Child. I call this shade mystic purple - just my little thing lol. I fear Sash Cosmetics has folded, and their Christmas giveaway was a loving way to say goodbye. Both their Facebook and Instagram pages are no more - so sad...

20. Sash Cosmetics Luminous Lipstick - Insomnia. This purple is heading into brown-land, but it's still purple in my beauty book, and another one that's ideal for the cooler months - a darn shame I can't get hold of any more from this brand as the formula is a winner...

Would love to know which ones you like ♥...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Favourite April LOTD's...

Unless I'm ill or on hols, I swatch at least 20 lip products every month, and it's SO hard to choose faves in each colour family when there are so many on the list, so I've decided to post a collage of LOTD's every month instead of quarterly - these are from the April assortment. Hope you enjoy seeing some of these shades and brands, and perhaps even be inspired to try something new ♥...

Of course, some of these may not be your cup of tea, but I wear just about every colour imaginable, so hopefully, there's something to suit all tastes, and so it's on with the deets...

1. I'm always hesitant to include lippies that are discontinued, but I just couldn't leave out this stunner from Milani - Chilled Brandy. It's beyond me why they canned this shade...
2. Love Burt's Bees lipsticks - they include so much goodness and the intensity of this Russet River is fabulous...
3. And what's an Autumn without Unicorn's Blood from Jeffree Star Cosmetics - one of the few matte liquids out there that I can wear all day with minimal lip withering...

4. Raved about the Covergirl Katy Kat Matte range HERE - this is Crimson Cat, an exceptionally comfortable stunner...

5. Another Covergirl winner is this one from their Colorlicious range, Succulent Cherry - love that its light and bright and full of cheer, and the shea butter content keeps my lips soft and supple from morning till night...

6. Ahh, Bourjois - their Rouge Edition Lipsticks sont magnifiques, this is Brun Boheme, another Autumn essential...

7. I'm really quite impressed with these MUD Full Colour Lip Lacquers - for the price (around $6) they're hard to beat, this is Vintage Pink...

8. An oldie but a goodie - Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate #48. One of the Nude collection, quite a deep mauve in the tube, but for some reason, it turns out mushroom on me lol, love it...

9. My only Shanghai Suzy lipstick (must do something about that) - Miss Georgina Pink Plum, plumtastic!...

10. Another of my Bourjois loves, Rouge Edition Velvet in Plum Plum Girl  - this is literally velvet in a tube, adore!...

11. So glad I revisited these Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid lippies - I have quite a few, crazy about the formula. This is Electric Pink, it's actually even brighter IRL...

12. And lucky last is one of my most recent acquisitions - Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink in Creator - I wasn't going to buy any of these, but I caved for this wowser purple. So glad I did - if you're after a long-wearing formula, this is the go...

Any faves here?

Take care of  you,

kats xxx

EOTD Catch Up!...

Was going through some of my old posts and realised I haven't done an EOTD upload since May last year! The simple fact is that time is my enemy, both from an ageing perspective, as well as how long it takes to make it all happen. I'm still way passionate about eye makeup (I can't imagine that EVER changing!), and invariably create a look up to 6 days a week, but the camera is becoming more unkind by the day, and adjusting my technique for closeups (like drawing on the crease or combing my fringe WAY down lol) to disguise the sagging, bagging and wrinkling sometimes just doesn't do the trick. I'm still putting some up on Instagram fairly regularly, but considering it was an EOTD that got me started on blogging, I figured some pics were well overdue here. I've also had a major change of hair colour (work in progress) and I'm tending towards cooler eyeshadow hues, so here's a few of the looks from the last few months, plus the full face makeup, clothing and accessories so you can see the whole effect ♥...

Morphe Brushes 35B palette, Eye of Horus Jewel Amethyst Goddess Pencil on the waterline

L'Oreal Infallible Lipstick - Eternal Rose

The Balm Matt Johnson & Matt Malloy, Natio Steel Grey Define Eye Pencil on the waterline

Cosmoholic Liquid Lipstick - Prudish Pink

BYS Peach Palette - Lavish & Peachy, Revlon Jade Colorstay Eyeliner on the waterline

 Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer - Sunstone

Chi Chi Cosmetics Oasis palette, Eye of Horus Teal Malachite Goddess Pencil on the waterline

Mirabelle Beauty Modern Matte Lipstick - Crimson

Morphe Brushes 35B palette, Eye of Horus Scarab Sapphire Goddess Pencil on the waterline

NYX Cosmic Metals Lip Cream - Fuchsia Fusion

Makeup Revolution Envy, Colourpop Coconut, Eye of Horus Teal Malachite Goddess Pencil on the waterline

Dirty Little Secret Lipstick - Sugar Daddy

MBA Cosmetics Navy & Babybaby, Natio Steel Grey Define Eye Pencil on the waterline

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick - Vintage Pink

Chi Chi Oasis palette - olive & lime, blend of Models Prefer Lime Tart Infinite Colour Eye Pencil & Eye of Horus Serpentine Sultry Goddess Pencil on the waterline

 JeffreeStar Velour Liquid Lipstick - Unicorn Blood

Colourpop Tink, bhcosmetics Wilde & Free palette - ice blue, Natio Steel Grey Define Eye Pencil on the waterline

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick - Fatal Red

Hope you enjoyed these looks - in all pics, I've lined my lower lashline with Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner, and mascara used was Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof, and L'Oreal False Lash Superstar XFiber. As always, I ignore the majority of recommendations for mature age makeup colours and techniques, and just do what I want!

Do any of these EOTDs appeal to you?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: 4th Quarter 2017 Fave LOTD's - Part 2...

It's pretty obvious that I love and wear a wide range of lipstick colours, and it's incredibly difficult for me to pick one all-time fave. But I might just stick my neck out and say that there's one on this page that hits the mark every time I slick it on, so let's get on with the big reveal lol ♥...

Categorising colours is a matter of personal interpretation, and it's clear from the names that brands give their lippies that not everyone sees the same thing! Often I'm torn between one classification and another, but I'll start with what I call plums, although there's only a couple...

This first one is a good example of "what colour do you call it?" In this photo, it's close to being a bricky red, but in reality it has too much pink in it to appear in Part 1 - it's a mini Matte Lipgloss from SAVVY by DB and it's called Flame. The middle one was another gift from my (darling!) beautyheaven Secret Santa - Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick by PUR Cosmetics in the shade Addiction. Fabulously pigmented and long-lasting. On the right is NYX Metallic Matte Liquid Suede in Pure Society. Crikey I fell hook line and sinker for this lippie store-swatch, that was until an hour after I applied it and it started flaking off. So saddening as it's the most gorgeous GORGEOUS colour, but the lip shrivelling formula sucks big time...

In case you hadn't noticed we're into the berries now, and this Rouge Laque Purpledelique by Bourjois is a star - lasts for ages, it has just the right amount of gloss, plus it's non-drying. The second pic is the same lippie, but with another layer added so you can see that this baby is also buildable to really bring out the berry. The third pic is (drum roll please)... "The One". Oh my gosh, have you ever seen a more brilliant pink? NYX Cosmic Metals Lip Cream in Fuchsia Fusion. I've mentioned before how much I love this whole range for intensity and comfort, and of all the colours, this is my favourite (yes even above the purples!). If you wear this, I can guarantee you will receive numerous compliments, and lots of gals will want to know what it is. Simply stunning! ♥...

You can probably tell I'm a big fan of bold and bright pinks - for me they're 100% smile-inducing, and this mini Matte Lipgloss in Flicker from SAVVY by DB is a hottie. In the middle is Pink Macaroon NYX Intense Butter Gloss - one that will always be in my kit, well as long as they keep making it. NYX glosses are the bomb. And on the right is another lovely pink, a warmer one this time, and yet another of the SAVVY by DB mini Matte Lipglosses - Fire. Can't get over how wonderful these are for $1! ♥...

For those wanting something a little less out-there, here is Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Amethyst Shimmer - another babe I've had for a while, and a regular throughout Spring. Such a flattering hue, and totally lip-friendly. I included the next one because it's such an unusual shade - it's by Trifle Cosmetics, and came in a Lip Monthly bag. Called Matte Decadence Multipurpose Matte Crayon for Lips & Cheeks. It's a little drying, but the colour is so unique. The last one is Lily Lake Natural Lipstick by Burt's Bees - beautifully moist formula, this could easily be classed as a nude, but alongside my others, it's definitely a pink ♥...

And for the purple lovers, we have a borderline pink/purple by BYS - Diamond Lipstick in Sparkle Baby. Would prefer something a little more hydrating, but the shade is ever so pretty. If you''re not sure if you're a purple gal, then this is a beaut introduction. In the centre is W7 Liptember Lipstick in Neon Purple - quite sheer, but a few extra slicks will give you this amazing colour pay-off. On the right is another NYX Intense Butter Gloss, this time in Berry Strudel. It looks a little blue around the edges, but that's because I used an eyeliner as my lipliner, and it was the closest one I had to the colour - I've since bought a matching one from NYX. Again, LOVE NYX glosses! ♥...

And now we get to the REAL purples. On the left is Colourpop Satin Lip in So Wavy. I'm a satin or gloss gal at heart - I find so many of the mattes to be too drying, and this one works exceptionally well. Centre stage is what I classify as the ultimate purple - only recently added some JeffreeStar lip products to my collection, thanks to a blog sale by Sarah from More Than Adored. This one is called I'm Royalty, and there was never a more appropriate name hey. One of the best matte lip products in the marketplace, and possibly the only one that I can wear comfortably all day long. And I'm finishing up with more JeffreeStar - this is a blend of Blue Velvet (100% blue, which I doubt I'll ever wear on its own) and Blow Pony (a pale pinky purple). I mixed the two to match my outfit, and they blend together amazingly well with no streaking ♥...

So that's it for 2017! Thanks for stopping by lovelies - anything here you fancy?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: 4th Quarter 2017 Fave LOTD's - Part 1...

Time to recap the LOTD's for the final three months of 2017! These are the nudes, oranges and reds - no browns this time around, it's just not a colour I usually wear in Spring/Summer, but no doubt I'll get back into it once the weather cools down a bit ♥...

As usual, there are some repeaters here - I have lots of lippies, but some I adore so much they deserve to get trotted out a little more frequently. So let's get started with the nudes...

First up is a soft beige from SAVVY by DB - Rich Coffee. Have had this one a while, but it's still moist and slick, and goes on nice and evenly. In the middle is one that keeps appearing on these pages, and will for a long time to come - NYX Cosmic Metals Lip Cream in Speed of Light. The Cosmic Metals are my favourite glossy metallic lip products of all time, fabulous formula, awesome colours, and the most comfortable to wear. LOVE! On the right is a surprise find from MUD - Full Colour Lip Lacquer in Vintage Pink. I'd be more inclined to name it Vintage Coral, but what do I know haha. Absolute bargain for $6 from Woolies ♥...

These next three are heading into pink territory, but I still classify them as nudes. On the left is a mini lipstick from SAVVY by DB - if I could find this in a full size I would, just love it, it's called Raspberry. The second one is another firm favourite - Covergirl Katy Kat Matte in Catore. Moist and not entirely matte, my kind of matte.  No. 3 is another one that's up near the top of my list - Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color in the shade Kisses - love this whole range actually ♥...

Such a challenge to find a pretty and intense orange that isn't patchy or streaky, but these are all winners in my book of this sunny colour. First one is by BOE Beauty, called Primped, and it's $2 from Big W - yessssss! Astounding formula, long lasting, amazing colour, what's not to love hey. The middle one is by Ulta3, called Sweet Passion. It's almost a metallic, and a rare and pure unadulterated orange. The third one is SO close to a red - it's one of the ModelsPrefer Artist Collection crayons - Carnation, and 3 for $5. You can count on me to let you know about lippie bargains! ♥...

Ooh ooh, we're getting into the REDS! Tip of the Day - if you're ever feeling blue, put on a red lipstick. It's a sure bet this colour will give me a boost and an instant dose of sass, not to mention a bucketload of don't-mess-with-me 'tude! On the left is a bricky red, but still a red, and great if you're not feeling quite so daring. This is Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Brun Boheme. Exquisite formula, I'm a late starter with Bourjois, but I'm making up for lost time lol. Centre stage is another Bourjois - from their Rouge Edition Aqua Laque range, Brun'croyable. Ooh la la! And on the right is SAVVY by DB Matte Lipgloss in the shade Glow. Came in a box of 10 for $10, what a $1 stunner ♥...

On the left is the same SAVVY by DB Matte Lipgloss in the shade Glow, but with a slightly pinker lipliner underneath - it's bold but sheer enough to be versatile so I can get away with a few subtle adjustments. In the middle is probably my ultimate red - JeffreeStar Velour Liquid Lipstick in Redrum. This fella sure knows how to make a lip product that's non-drying, long lasting and intensely pigmented, whoa! The last one in this row is something that came in one of my Lip Monthly bags - Appeal Cosmetics Ultra Shine Liquid Lipstick, and it's (very appropriately) called Vixen. Freaking awesome colour and super moist - unfortunately it bleeds severely, and I haven't found a way to stop that as yet...

This first glorious red was a gift from my beautyheaven Secret Santa, and I will be eternally grateful ♥ PUR Cosmetics Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick in Key Red. She couldn't have chosen anything more wonderful for moi hey ♥  Centre one is another $1 Matte Lipgloss from SAVVY by DB - this one is called Warmth. Has a wee bit of blue in it for those of you who go for cooler reds. And on the right is one more Lip Monthly winner - Seraphine Botanicals Long Lasting Velvet Lip/Cheek Crayon in Quince & Crimson. These are definitely worth investigating further - the formula is vegan, smooth as silk, and non-drying ♥...

Well looky here, another Matte Lipgloss from SAVVY by DB - Heat. You may have gathered I'm quite taken with these ridiculously cheap lippies. Piggy in the middle is an Ulta3 Lipstick in the shade Prom Night. I find Ulta3 lipsticks to be a bit hit and miss as far as density is concerned, but the ones I've mentioned here are perfect. Lucky last is Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Fuchsia Ecstasy. Crazy about this range too - has everything I could want in a liquid lipstick. I probably should have included this shade in the pinks (post up soon!), but I always have this dilemma with fuchsias - are they pinky reds, or reddish pinks?

Hope you've enjoyed this review -  Part 2 will be up later this week, and that'll be pinks, plums, berries and purples ♥...

Take care of you,

kats xxx