CONFESSIONS: Of a Body Washaholic (Part 15)...

Well it doesn't seem to matter how many body washes I buy and try, somehow there's always more to be discovered - fortunately! However I think these two may have taken me to the last of the Original Source range - there are others of course (I wish I could find the Mango one), and sadly not all varieties are available in Australia (like Liquorice Scrub, Cherry & Jojoba Oil or Strawberry & Pink Peppercorn) but the remaining fragrances I've found on my treks to various local supermarkets just don't grab me when I give them the sniff test. Still I'm absolutely delighted I kept widening my search area, because these two are beauties ♥...

You'll find my review of the other four I put to the test here - at the time I declared the Tropical Pineapple as my fave, but it's been well and truly surpassed by the fabulous Lime. If you're a fan of  this particularly zesty citrus fruit, then I have one recommendation - buy the big bottle! I've used about two thirds of the 250ml, but I've already bought the larger size as I'm powering through it, up to four times a week now that summer has finally settled down in Sydney. This zingy concoction is my go-to for the hot days we've been having more or less consistently of late. The uplifting scent is incredibly cooling and refreshing, and I'm delighted that it's all natural, enriched with essential oils, and not tested on animals. Even the colour of it makes me smile, and sets me in a happy mood to start the day ♥...

The Vanilla & Raspberry was recommended to me by a friend - she got me by saying it smelled like strawberry Freddos (thank you sweetie!). I was a little concerned about the vanilla content as it's not normally a fragrance I go for in the shower, mainly because similarly with chocolate or cocoa scented products, I often don't feel all that fresh and clean afterwards. Anyways I liked the smell when I flipped the lid in Woolies, so it launched itself into my trolley. All I can say is WOW - I wasn't expecting to fall in love, but I'm totally under its spell! Creamy and comforting (yes it does remind me of berry Freddos hon), but my take on it is more like one of those delicious fluffy fruit trifles that come in a huge parfait glass that you wish was never going to end. I hope I can find this in the giant size too as I'm almost out. While I'm loving it this season, I reckon this might become my numero uno in the cooler months when I stash away the lime one, and my preference is for something more warming. According to their website, there's a handwash in this flavour too, although I've not seen it anywhere - boo!...

Both these shower creams are non-drying, use 100% natural fragrances, and are such great value for around $5, even more so when they're on special  - incidentally, Coles have them at the mo' for $2 ♥♥♥ 

Here's hoping my review has made your mouth water ha ha. What's your favourite Original Source body wash scent?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

REVIEW: Chi Chi "Meet The Girls" - Coconut & Lime...

Lucky last in the Chi Chi Meet The Girls (2) Fragrance collection, and another interesting one. I have to give kudos to whoever is coming up with these scent combinations - of course the possibilities are endless, but let's face it - some things go together, and some things don't, and I reckon the "nose" at Chi Chi is doing a pretty good job of formulating a whole bunch of fun and flirty fragrances that will appeal to what must be a massively wide audience...

Coconut & Lime

Ok so this little summery sweetheart sounded like a cocktail delight, and it sure is delish, but not quite as zingy as I'd hoped. I adore the smell of fresh cut limes, but not so crazy about coconut (which I LOVE to eat by the way), so I'm kinda in the middle with this one. Initially there's lots and LOTS of lime (yay!), but the zestiness fades pretty quickly, and the coconut starts to get the upper hand. There's a shift from being crisp and tangy and fruity to downright sugary sweet (probably best described as coconut fairy floss), which is still lovely, and especially appealing if you're a coconutophile. Being a fruit fragrance fan though, I'd just rather the lime content lasted a whole lot longer. After half an hour, the sugar floss content dissipates, and my nose picks up pure toasted coconut, and it stays that way for roughly another hour and a half. In short, if coconut is your thing, you'll be blissing out ♥

Well done Chi Chi! Fingers crossed there'll be more of these collections in the future. Of course I'm champing at the bit to see which ones from this latest set will be released in large bottles ♥ 

My faves from this set? Pink Grapefruit, Strawberry & Violet, and Warm Vanilla Sugar. Blueberry is up there too, but my heart well and truly belongs to Tutti Frutti - holey socks Batman, I would buy this by the bucket load!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: Urban Rituelle Fragrance Diffusers...

I'm relatively new to "natural" fragrance diffusers - I used to have one of those plugin types in every room in the house, until I read a few articles about the potentially toxic contents of some brands. So I ditched the electric supermarket variety, and started using fragrant candles. While I adore these for creating a relaxing atmosphere and specific mood, I really wanted something that would release a continuous fragrance even when I wasn't at home, and that didn't require monitoring. So I turned to a company that makes superb quality products infused with the gifts of nature, and that's also very dear to my heart - Urban Rituelle...

They currently have around 12 unique fragrances in their diffuser range, and I found it quite torturous trying to decide which one to choose for my first experience. In the end I went for Romance, an exquisite blend of Amber & Musk, two of my favourite scents of all time ♥ I included this as part of the voucher prize I won last December, and it was the perfect choice, not only because the scent is truly magical, but also because it teams so decoratively with my charcoal, grey & white bathroom decor (see pic below). I have this jar of delight sitting on the edge of the spa, and the warming and calming notes of musk, amber and a hint of jasmine gently permeate the whole room. I actually wish they'd release this particular blend in their perfume oil range (hint hint UR!) - I'd be the first to line up to buy it, boy oh boy it's ever so sensuous...

My second choice (during their recent sale) was something for my blogging headquarters, and I went for an enlivening fruity tang - Creativity, the most refreshing and zingy blend of Pink Grapefruit & Lime Zest. When I walk into the office, it's as if someone has just cut some of these citrus gems for a fruit salad - very stimulating, and it's no wonder they gave it the name they did. Not as subtle as the Amber & Musk, but not in the least bit overdone either - just perfect in fact, crisp and tantalising, and if I get too close, my mouth waters ha ha!

The UR fragrance diffusers are all handmade in Australia, they're a very generous 190ml size, non-flammable, and the reeds are made of natural fibre. Life expectancy is from 4-6 months depending on the room air flow, and how often you turn the reeds. I'm always wanting maximum output so I flip mine over twice a week - I SO look forward to this little ritual as I end up with some of the gorgeous smelling oil on my fingers, which is always a fragrant treat ♥. 

UR does not test on animals and all their product packaging is recyclable, although I still have these boxes on my shelf because they're way too pretty to throw away. RRP is $37.50, but they're forever having sales - I don't think I've ever paid full price for anything! What fragrance will I choose next? Gaaaahhhh! What a dilemma, with names like Euphoria (Guava & Lychee), Balance (Fresh Fig & Melon) and Country Garden (Pear & Vanilla), but I can feel Comfort calling me - Sandalwood & Tangerine, mmmmm...yes please ♥

What's your favourite fragrance for your home?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: bhcosmetics Lime and Blue...

I'm always fascinated by the transformation of eyeshadow hues when they go from pan to eyes, and then a blending brush steps in, which is why I often include a photo of the actual palette for comparison. Of course the base has a lot to do with affecting the end result, but in this case I used essence white kajal, thinking that the colours would stay quite true to the pan...

I started with the bhcosmetics bright lime green below on the inner third, added the relatively deep blue over the rest of the lid, and then blended where they met to make a green that isn't really lime at all, it's more like apple ha ha! The blue turned out a lot more vivid than I expected too (not that I'm complaining), and combined with the green, seemed to lose most of it's purple content...

In the crease and along the lower lashline I applied the forest green MM20 - such a pretty matte, and it helped to tie in these two shades that, according to tradition, aren't supposed to go together...

On the waterline I used one of my new essence kajal acquisitions - this one's called Beach Bum. It's a beaut bright blue, but as you can see, I need to practice with it a bit to get the intensity more even for the camera. It's a shiny metallic, and I find unless I'm meticulous with the layering, shimmery kajals on the waterline tend to look blotchy on film, although in the flesh they appear fine...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: bhcosmetics Wild & Free Lime...

So here are the pretty olivey limes from the bhcosmetics Wild & Free Baked Eye Shadow palette - once again, fabulous pigmentation, buttery smooth texture, blatantly and breezily blendable, and lasted the whole day through without transferring or creasing ♥

They're actually quite deceptive, especially the darker one, which looks more bronzey in the pan than it turns out on the skin.. I wanted the end result to be a tad greener than either of them swatched, so I used a base of bhcosmetics Waterproof Eye Pencil in Huntress...

Used the lighter shade on the inner third and underneath the lower lashes, and blended the deeper hue over the rest of the top lid. For an experiment, I used a completely different shade of green for the waterline - this is essence kajal in the colour Samba Green. It might sound strange but for whatever reason, I hadn't gotten around to buying any of the kajals in the range other than the white (weird huh?), but picked up four new colours on the weekend, so you'll be seeing them in the coming weeks. This particular green is quite a cool one, and has a beautiful slightly metallic finish, but none of the usual clumping or stinging I've experienced with other shimmery crayons. Not sure it was quite the right choice with the lime, but you don't know till you try hey...

For the crease, I chose bhcosmetics single shade MM4 - a matte pan that came in my 6 Color Eyeshadow Pro Palette, and another one I'd completely forgotten about. Cheeks are ModelCo Amaretto Sunset (one of my fave blushes for Autumn ♥) and lips are Revlon Sandstorm, topped with Maybelline Color Elixir gloss in Caramel Infused...

Will be doing heaps more looks from this awesome collection of hues, and will give these olivey-limes a shot over a white base so you can see them a wee bit more au naturel ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Sleek Acid White and Lime...

Gosh - this is turning out to be a Sleek Acid month of EOTD's! Who'd have thought I'd be using the same palette over and over again, I mean, every day? Unheard of for me, but that's how it's shaping up. The thing is the pigments are so fabulous, they lend themselves to just about any combo, and this little effort goes to show it doesn't have to be bright...

Over my essence white kajal base, I laid down a generous layer of the white from the palette - it gives an awesomely solid finish. Other whites I've tried end up being sheer or overly sparkly, but this matte shadow is marvelously dense, and yet it doesn't turn all cakey or chalky, even when you pack it on...

Over this I added the olive from the bottom row, starting with a generous layer from the outer edge, and blended it across to the inner corner so that it merged seamlessly into the white. I also used this in the crease for some definition, and it softened the MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner along the lower lashline...

Used warm colours on the rest of my face - lips are Maybelline Caramel Kiss with essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss in Pary Connection. Cheeks are ModelCo Amaretto Sunset...

And to finish off, I added green Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Liner along the waterline - this is starting to dry out a little, but hey, it's about three years old...

There'll be three more EOTD's using this palette before the end of the month - I might even keep going into January because there's just so many combinations I want to try. Lol pretty safe to say this is my ULTIMATE palette ♥

Do you have a palette that you use almost every day? Would love to know what it is...

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Sugarpill Acidberry, Afterparty & Poison Plum, for Nalini ♥...

I don't normally wear bright bold hues on a Monday, but I made an exception because it's the birthday of a treasured friend - Nalini from The Made Up Maiden. And as is my way, I wanted to create a lusciously colourful look especially for her, because that's what she is - vibrant, full of the joy of life, a beautiful soul, and a truly hot babe ♥ So this is for you, stunning lady...

I used two crayons for my base - Max Factor Wild Shadow Pencil in #10 (lime/gold) on the inner corner, and bhcosmetics Waterproof Eye Crayon in Sapphire over the rest of the top lid. Over this went (from left to right) Sugarpill Acidberry, Afterparty and Poison Plum. I also applied these three colours in the same sequence along the lower lashline...

And lined the waterline with Mirenesse Superlong Wear Gel Mineral Face Colour (phew, that's a mouthful!) in Blue Moon. For the crease I patted down Orbit from the SleekV2 Matte palette...

I kept the lips pretty tame with Lacura Minerals Lipstick in shade 940 (Soft Rose), and slicked some Lacura Minerals Lip Gloss in Rose over the top...

Many Happy Returns to you my darling - I hope the day was a special one for you and that you were spoilt to the max. You deserve nothing but wonderful things in your life ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Lime and Lavender...

Apart from my camera capturing the purple component of this look as blue (boo!), I think it's such a fresh and pretty combo for Spring..
.

For my base I used two kajal pencils by essence - SCREAM GREEN on the inner corner, and LOVE ME LAVENDER over the rest of the top lid. All essence crayons create fabulous foundations for any shadows - they're dense and creamy, the colour range is brilliant, and they cost less than a packet of chewing gum...

I'm making good use of this Max Factor Wild Shadow Pot in Untamed Green (thank you again darling Gemma!) - I adore the vibrancy of the shimmery lime, and it makes me smile from the moment I apply it to the time I take it off ♥ Over the lavender kajal, I pressed down the purple from the L'Oreal Color Rich Disco Smoking palette - yes, the shadow is most definitely purple! I've had this colour shift problem with all cameras I've owned, but I'm not about to start fiddling with the photos, so you'll just have to pretend it's purple lol...

On the outer corner and in the crease, I blended the mossy green from the NYX Bohemian Chic Matte palette, and added MNY single shadow #741 under the lower lashline. On the waterline is Green Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Liner... 

As you can see, my lashes are continuing to lengthen and gain some volume, so much so that they're starting to get tangled (woo hoo!), even the lower ones - this is thanks to one of the beauty world's miracle products, RapidLash. I've just about finished my first tube, and will post a RAVE REVIEW of this sensational stuff very soon...

Take care of  you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Lemon and Lime...

A case of the dreary drizzles here in Sydney today, so what better way to brighten the boredom than with a juicy lemon & lime eye look :-)

So I started by laying down a base of MNY Bold Gold Color Tattoo - I've been giving this deliciously creamy and sparkly gel quite a workout since it arrived, and am kicking myself for not buying it when this range first came out. This particular one is brilliantly versatile, and will give a soft glistening lift to just about anything applied over the top :-)

Next I automatically reached for my bhcosmetics Take Me To Brazil palette, but the yellows were all too yellow, so I cracked open the 120 box and found a pretty pastel lemon I hadn't tried before, plus the two greens below...

I'm always fascinated to watch youtube vids of how gals apply their shadows, and in what sequence - I've decided that it doesn't matter too much which way you go about it, so long as it works for you, but I always start with the inner corner, press the shadows on, and then blend backwards from the outside in...

Just about every eye look I create is an experiment, and looking at these two greens in the palette, I wasn't 100% sure they would work together - I classify the deeper green shade as coolish because it contains some blue, and the brighter one is certainly leaning towards the warm side of the spectrum with a fair amount of yellow in it. As a rule I don't usually mix cool & warm tones together, but I'll be playing around with this concept in the future as I suspect the combination will work just fine if I stick to the same shade family. All up I was pleasantly surprised with the result...

I used the cool green along the lower lashline instead of the lime because it's pretty close to my natural eye colour, and then added essence white kajal on the waterline...

I love how colour can change my mood - some shades are definitely calming, but I always find green to be refreshing and energising. Do you find colours affect you in different ways?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Party Pastels...

No doubt because my beautyheaven blogstar article had way too many pictures (!), the looks below ended up on the bh cutting room floor, but I'm including them here because, well, it's the height of the party season, plus they were a big part of my experimentation with pastels rather than bold shades, and it would be a pity for them to not see the light of day....

Peaches 'N' Cream...

Gee I reckon this is such a gorgeous shade for summer :-) essence White Kajal as a base, followed by off-white (I call it oyster) from the DB Bold palette along the top lashline, and shimmery orange (I call it terracotta) from the same palette over the rest of the top lid and underneath…

Lime 'N' Lilac...

These two colours were made for each other. This is essence White Kajal as a base, lilac from the L.A.Colors Venus Baked Eyeshadow palette, and lime green pearl (shade 5) from Makeup Academy…

And just to complete the set here's the one that was published, and judging by the comments, seemed to be a fave :-)

Pink 'N' Teal...

Take care of you,

kats xxx