SPOTLIGHT: 3rd Quarter 2016 Fave LOTD's, Reds...

What IS it about red lipstick that can turn your mood, and your day, around? Sure there are lots of brightly coloured lippies out there - hot pinks, fluoro oranges and even electric purples...but none of them brings the va va voom punch of a red pout hey. To think I didn't even START slicking on this hottie shade till I was in my 50's is almost beyond my comprehension, but if I can manage to cast my fears aside so late in life, well I reckon anything's possible as far as makeup is concerned. So here are some of my favourite fiery lip products - hopefully there's one here that'll tempt you to indulge, even if you haven't before ♥...

I usually save the best till last, but I'm breaking with tradition here and launching straight into my #1 pick - L'Oreal Bloody Mary, a precious gift from an equally precious pal. Have you ever seen a more rich and luscious red? Amazingly comfortable formula too, absolutely adore it ♥  The Ulta 3 Radiant was an unexpected surprise for $5.95 - in the past I've found the lip products from this brand to be either too sheer, or not  moist enough for my dry old lips, but this glossy babe is a winner - stunning pigment, non sticky and lasts well if you apply it over a matching liner...

Love this DB Cosmetics Deep Red for when I want a splash of colour that's not quite as loud as some others - there's a softness to this shade which makes it totally wearable. And the Kat Von D Adora was a gift from my darling friend Amy - it's disappointingly drying, but such a pretty shade, quite different to my other reds, and the only KVD lip product in my kit...

The Face of Australia Ruby Delight is another one that surprised me with the pigmentation quality and comfort - I simply must buy more of these lol! And the Rubi Shoes Ruby Red is one of my most frequently worn lipsticks. Sadly my local store has stopped stocking them, and I can't even find them at Cotton:On any more, so I guess they've been discontinued - boo!

And finally some deep broody wintery reds, which I've now put away till next Autumn - both beautiful shades although the formula is a wee bit drying, and let's face it, buda-pash is definitely not for the faint hearted. Whoa!  Ha ha...

Next round will be Berries & Purples followed by Oranges, and they'll be up very soon - blimey it's almost time for the last quarter faves!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD's: Kat Von D Blacks & Greys...

As much as I complain about the cold weather (I'm truly a Summer gal at heart) I do love playing around with greys and charcoals during the chilly season, and Kat Von D does the BEST shadows for smokey eye looks. In the pics below, I've used both the Chrysalis & Monarch palettes - the pigmentation is astounding and the powders are so easy to blend, even I don't have trouble getting rid of the join ha ha...

So this is Summerfly (gold) and Deadhead from the Monarch palette - can't believe she's discontinued this fabulous collection of Autumn shades! For the waterline, I used Eye Of Horus Serpentine Sultry Goddess Pencil - this is such an interesting deep olivey green, and perfect for when I don't want the starkness of black. I also used their Alchemy Gold Liquid Metals eye liner on the lower lashline...

Face was Mirenesse Velvet Maxi Lift foundation, Maybelline Master Highlighting Blush in Pink Rose, and lips were Rubi Shoes Ruby Red...

I am so in love with this mix of gold and grey - so very different, and I normally wouldn't put anything with grey except silver, but thankfully someone else figured out the combo was a winner, and now I'm in search of other grey/gold pieces...

For look number two, I switched to the Chrysalis palette, and chose Graphic Nature (shimmery charcoal) and Lunar Lights (silvery white). My base was essence White Kajal on the inner half, and Max Factor Charcoal Grey Kohl Pencil on the outside, as well as the waterline...

Even I'm amazed at my seemingly seamless blending, but I swear it's just SO EASY with these shadows...

Foundation was Maybelline Super Stay 24 hour, cheeks were Laura Geller Blush "N" Brighten in Berry, and lips were Chi Chi Viva La Diva Lady Bump...

And here's the jewellery - I'm crazy about black, white and silver together, it's so simple and yet so elegant...

For look #3, I cheated a bit because I was trying to match the leopardy top in the pic below. The fabric is a mix of black, grey and a sort of lichen green, so I used Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil in Emerald Tabular as a base underneath Chrysalis Black Milk (dove grey) and Lunar Lights...

And because the end result was a bit dreary, I added the same Emerald Tabular on my waterline...

Same Maybelline Super Stay foundation, cheeks were Savvy Cheek & Lip Colour in Cozy Coral with a dusting of pan #3 from the BYS Endless Summer Trio, and lips were Maybelline ColorDrama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Fab Orange, which is more like Fab Red...

Was looking for something to go with the pendant, and scored the bangle and earrings from Target for half price ♥ Not a perfect match, but it'll do...

What's your go-to palette for a smokey eye?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD's: bhcosmetics Olive Green...

Hallelujah it's Friday! I'm not jumping for joy just because it's the weekend (and I'm out of the office for two days!), but also for the fact that I get to spend (well hopefully) three nights with you my lovelies, catching up on my precious blogging ♥ And I'm starting this round with some looks in what's turning out to be my favourite colour this season - OLIVE GREEN. Lots of clobber available in the stores at the mo' in this shade, and I'm embracing it big time. Also thought these two EOTD's might be of interest as I used the same main shadow for both, but they turned out quite differently because of the accompaniments...

This first one is from back in February (which is why my hair is looking somewhat vibrant lol). My base was Eye of Horus Serpentine Sultry Goddess Pencil, and the shadow I used for both was bhcosmetics MM4 - love this one as it's matte, and that's always a bonus with my particular eye shape as it doesn't transfer onto my hoods. I added a light sweep of Kat Von D Summerfly (gold) from the Monarch palette (soon to be discontinued - boo) over the top for some glisten and gleam, and used Eye of Horus Bronze Amulet Goddess Pencil on the waterline...

And for the first time in over a year, I forgot to note down what foundation I was wearing (seniors moment), but my lipstick was Lol Bronze Age, and on my cheeks was Lacura Mosaic Baked Blush Bronzer in Beach Babe. Please pardon the awfully grainy pic - camera crisis..

And here's the jewellery I chose to go with the outfit...

Look No.2 was from yesterday, and I was much happier with the result. Started with Revlon Colorstay Eye Liner in the shade Jade - a long forgotten crayon, and one that's now been promoted to the "use these regularly" jar on my bench. The olive shadow went over that, and I darkened the outer corner with bhcosmetics MS14, a very pretty deep blue, also a matte...

Used the Revlon Jade liner on my waterline too, and what a lovely surprise - it lasted almost the whole day!

So here's where my hair colour is at the moment - nowhere near as colourful, and with some highlights. Still a work in progress though, may go a wee bit more intense, but I'm fairly close to being content (for the time being anyway ha ha). Foundation was Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr, cheeks were bhcosmetics Iris, and lips were Milani Cinnamon Spice...

And I couldn't WAIT to show off my fabulous new necklace from Lovisa - a bargain at their current sale, this was $34.99 but I only handed over $15. I'm totally besotted with their woven glass bead necklaces - last count I had six of them, in various colours of the rainbow, and I've had my eye on this stunning blue beauty for over a year. Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey...

Well that's it for now - wishing you all a truly relaxing and restorative weekend, and I'll be back with you soon ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Kat Von D Black Milk & Lunar Lights...

I love surprises, and nothing gives me greater pleasure than writing off something as bleah, only to fall in love with it later on. And that's what's happened with silvers & greys. I've hardly even worn these hues throughout my life - always considered them to be somewhat dull and dreary, and my beauty book always told me that silver was only meant for highlighting. But since lightening my hair, I've been having a play and re-testing all my combos, and these "colourless" shades are now appearing on my bench almost every week...

They're actually quite flattering, and like the colours of the rainbows, I'm discovering there are many variations, and these two from the Kat Von D Chrysalis palette are becoming firm favourites. For this look I stroked on essence White Kajal close to the lashline, and then patted down Lunar Lights, which is almost white, but it turns out quite silvery when it hits my skin. For the rest of the lid, I used Max Factor Kohl Pencil in the shade Charcoal Grey as the base, and then blended Black Milk (matte) over the top. Of course I had to add SOME colour somewhere, so Eye of Horus Emerald Tabula Goddess Pencil was what I chose for the waterline...

Foundation was DB Longwear 24 Hour, cheeks were Lacura Cream Blush in Soft Coral, and the I added a light dusting of Maybelline Master High-Light Blush in Pink Rose. It's the first time I've used this blush, and I'm crazy about both the colour and the slightly shimmery finish. I used Crop Natural Mineral Pressed Bronzer in Solaire for a hint of contouring, and my lips were David Jones Moisture Cream Lipstick in Terracotta...

And here's the jewellery I put together to complete the outfit...

I reckon terracotta and grey are a beaut team for Autumn, and I've no doubt you'll be seeing these two together a lot more often up here, in one form or another.,,

What's your feeling about silvers and greys - do you think they're boring?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW & EOTD: Kat Von D Chrysalis Palette...

The second of the Kat Von D Metamorphosis palettes - Chrysalis. This broody darling came to me from the same gorgeous gal pal as the Monarch one ♥ Yes I know, I'm spoilt - spoilt rotten!

Another magnificent selection of shades (mainly cool ones), and versatile mix of mattes, shimmers and sparkles. Same packed-with-goodness formula, and blending these buttery triple-milled pigments requires neither effort nor skill...

Awesome packaging - it's only cardboard, but solid as a rock, and there's a powerful magnet in the lid to keep it secure...

Swatches over a bbcream, a couple of finger swipes each...

The purple swatch above is quite bright and bold, but in the EOTD below, it looks (disappointingly) less intense. I've worked with this hue several times, and all I can say is it's a lighting thing, plus I used a different camera - in real life, the colour was much closer to the example above, and deliciously shimmery...

So this is Mezzanine and Entombed, and Jewel Amethyst Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil on the waterline...

And here's the whole look, with my new hairdo! It's more like a pixie cut, and much MUCH cooler for the summer...

For this EOTD, I used Entombed - it turned out a bit greener than the swatch because I patted it down over a base of Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil in Teal Malachite...

And also used the Teal Malachite on the waterline...

SO impressed with both these KVD palettes, and SO thrilled to have them in my kit. Needless to say I'll be experimenting heaps more with Chrysalis, especially once we're into the cooler months - can't wait to try those sensational silvers and greys ♥...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Kat Von D Orange & Blue...

I've been having a little break from creating eye looks for almost three weeks, in fact tomorrow will be only the second day that I'll be putting on a proper full face of slap since I've been on holidays - unbelievable! Also taking the opportunity to give my lashes a chance to breathe without a five layer coating of waterproof mascara, and they're showing they're gratitude by not falling out quite so frequently ♥ But I have a few EOTDs stashed away for a rainy day post, like this one...

Used my favourite pan from the Kat Von D Monarch palette (burnt orange Wrath), and also one I love from the other KVD palette that I've had under wraps (and will review shortly) - Chrysalis. This gorgeous blue is called Entombed. Beats me how they come up with these names, but it's a beauty - deep navy shimmer with tiny bright blue sparkles in it. My base for both was essence white kajal, and my waterline is the fabulous Lazuli Blue Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil, which turned out to be a perfect match ♥

For my face I chose DB Cosmetics Longwear 24 Hour Foundation, Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Coral Sheen, and I added a little Hourglass Ambient powder in Luminous Bronze Light for a wee bit of a bronze glow. Lips were and old friend, Revlon Bronze Beauty...

Well I don't know quite what's happened to Summer here in Sydney - hopefully she'll come back this weekend so I can peel off my socks and go barefoot again!

Take care of you,
kats xxx