SPOTLIGHT: 2nd Quarter 2017 Fave LOTD's - Part 1...

Crikey another three months have rocketed by, and here we are in the second half of the year already! Hasn't been long since I posted the first quarter faves, but I'm not falling into that "oh I'll squeeze them in somewhere" trap again lol...

Ok so these are the browns, oranges, reds and corals/nudes - actually hardly any nudes because I so rarely wear them, although next quarter will see a few more than usual...

The first two above are the same lipstick - Maybelline Color Sensational Chocoholic from the Bold range - love these new intense lippies shades, and the formula is super comfortable. The second pic is the same lipstick but topped with my fave Cosmoholic gold lip gloss - this stuff can inject life into anything! Third one is Chocolate by OXX Cosmetics from Kmart. Not the most moisturising lipstick in my kit, but for $2 I had to try it, and I love this rich dairy milk hue...

Next we have Colourpop Ultra Metallic Lip in the shade DM - a gorgeous gorgeous copper and my camera just doesn't do it justice. Glides on like molten metal and really quite comfy. Next is a David Jones one I've had for a while - Moisture Cream Lipstick in Honey Gold. I dig it out every so often because it's quite a unique shade and the only one in my kit that goes with certain pieces of my wardrobe. Last one in this row is Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Mama - I find these very drying, but I simply adore the colour range, and this one has Autumn written all over it...

First on the left is a liquid lipstick by Laritzy called Lola - came in one of my LipMonthly bags, lovely bright colour, but like a lot of oranges, it has a tendency to go streaky unless I'm careful. Next one is a darling by SAVVY called Watermelon. Came in a pack of 8 minis that I bought late last year - totally bummed that I can't buy this shade in a full size. No. 3 is a Vegan Berry Tint by Seraphine Botanicals called Cherry Cream - another LipMonthly find, blew me away because I wasn't expecting a lip tint to have so much coverage, or such a creamy texture - love it!...

And here we are with my precious reds - first on the left is MUD Make-Up Design Lipstick in the shade Red Roulette, a steal from Woolworths for $5. Next is an old fave, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Fatal Red - holey cow it's just so red!  Actually I thought it was my reddest red until I discovered  the one on the right, Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Rebel Red - it doesn't get much brighter and bolder than this hot hot hot hue, and the formula is a dream come true for dry lips...

Moving onto the cherry reds, this first one is NYX Intense Butter Gloss in Cherry Custard. I think I've mentioned before that these glosses are my favourites of all time - so rich, so moisturising, so intense, so perfect. Next is another oldie but goodie - Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Red Essential. I've been neglecting these crayons which is a pity as they are a brilliant formula and the colors are all stunners. This last one is by Sugar - Matte as Hell Crayon Lipstick in Poison Ivy - definitely not for the faint hearted...

And lastly we have the less intense corals and one nude. First up is a lippie I've loved for years - SAX Rich Lip Colour Lipstick in Coral. Beautifully moist and I so appreciate the fact that it's a pink coral rather than an orange one. You can still buy SAX cosmetics from their website, or in a local pharmacy if you're lucky enough to find them stocked. The second glossy one is Australis Pout Paste Intense Lip Colour in Make Me Blush. I don't think they make these any more, but I only recently received this sealed one from a friend, and loving it so much I'm really annoyed that I didn't explore them when they were hot off the press - very creamy and of course, super glossy.  And finally the last one in this part - NYX Cosmic Metals Lip Cream in Speed of Light. Totally in love with these liquid lipsticks and I'm so pissed off that my local Priceline no longer stocks them - "if there's no slot for them in the stand, then they're dumped" is what the sales assistant told me. Boo and double boo Priceline!

Well lovelies that's a whole lot of lippies hey? Part 2 will be up lickety split, which will be the Plums, Berries, Pinks and Purples ♥...

Any of these take your fancy?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Linking to Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up - why not come on over after 6:30am...

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: Sleek Tree of Life Green...

Well I think you know by now I'm somewhat of a lover of green eye makeup - my irises are green, and contrary to the opinion of some beauty "experts", applying green eyeshadow on green eyes actually magnifies the colour, especially if you find one that's exactly the same shade. Well now, I reckon this Tree of Life from the Sleek Garden of Eden palette is my perfect match ♥

I've raved about this palette in numerous posts, and yep, this is another one ha ha! Tree of Life is 100% matte, and while I'll most definitely be using it "as is" throughout the cooler months, for this particular look I wanted it to have some light and shade, so I used essence kajal pencil in Feel The Mari-Time as my base. It's a fabulous tealy green with a metallic finish that gives the flat green pigment a teeny boost of shimmer and life... 

I applied the teal kajal quite thickly in the centre of my eyelids, which is why the middle section is a slightly different green than it is on either side - I often do this just so there's not a single solid colour all over the lid. On the waterline is essence kajal in Samba Green, also a metalllic, but pretty much a full-on gorgeous emerald...

And here's the whole emerald look - cheeks are the deepest shade from the bhcosmetics Iris Blush Duo (my favourite Autumn blush shade), lips are SAX Sheer Lip Colour Lipstick in shade #34 Sheer Nude, glossed over with Mirenesse Lip Lava Lip Lacquer...

And so I hereby declare this to be my ultimate and absolute favourite green - I just ADORE it, so much so it will be appearing in my EOTD posts fairly regularly, and you'll probably get tired of seeing it - but don't worry, I'll mix it up with some other hues so you don't get bored ♥

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 & EOTD: Avon Luxe Clutch Eyeshadow palette...

Here's another of the multitude of treats that angel Gemma from Lady Sapphire Blog sent to me a little while ago ♥ Who doesn't love surprises hey? Well this one was a triple-bunger - not only was I spun out by the fabulous pinky purple padded cover, I was thrilled to bits with the colour selection (both warm and cool shades, so something for everyone), and the quality of the pigmentation was totally unexpected. I've not owned an Avon eye shadow in my life, but after seeing how impressive these textures and hues are, I'm planning on investigating what else they have up for grabs...

Inside the lid is a full-size mirror, and it came with a double-ended applicator. Sorry but I don't ever bother with these pesky inclusions - I just toss them and use my own brushes, so I can't report whether this is any good. There are no mattes - most are creamy pearls, and five of them have tiny sparkles. The dark blue in the centre swatches as a whoa! black, but it has microscopic bright blue glitter particles which catch the light in certain angles, and make it appear navy...

Here are some two-finger swatches over a bb cream on my left leg - I've given up trying to swatch on my arm, I need another hand lol...

And this is the somewhat less than inspiring box it comes in - but who cares, it's what's inside that matters ♥

Here we go with the first EOTD I created using the aqua and the black. There'll be more of course :-)

Essence Sun Club BBC All Night Blue gel eyeliner was my base, I added a smidgin of Lancome silver on the inner corner, and finished with essence white kajal on the waterline (natch!)...

Very little fallout during the application process, the shadow stayed put all day, and was just as fresh and vibrant when I took it off 19 hours after these photos were taken - score! 

And...the whole face. Lips are SAX Coral with Maybelline Color Sensational Elixir gloss in Caramel Infused over the top, and cheeks are essence Blush Up in Heat Wave...

LOVE this palette (thank you again darling Gemma ♥), and I'm already inspired to put together some pretty partners, like the olive and the purple, the bronze and the caramel, the purple and the pink...mmm...

Have you ever tried any Avon eye shadows?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Sultry SAX...

Crikey the weeks are just flying by, and I didn't want to get to the end of March without creating at least one smokey eye :-) And because Summer is still making its presence felt, I added a touch of colour...

Most of the products I used were from the SAX Sultry Eyes kit - scored this in one of the first beautyheaven beautoriums almost 2 years ago, and it's still going strong. It's such a handy little kit, and although I only used the shadows from it, the whole thing is such great value (I think it's around $15), and brilliant for travelling...

The box is sturdy and has an elastic strap to keep it all neat and tidy. Inside is a mirror and easy to follow instructions on how to create a sultry eye look - the shadows are all marked 1 to 4 so you really can't go wrong. There's also a double-ended applicator, mascara and eyeliner, all nestled in their own little slots...

I used Maybelline Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt as a base (how did I ever live without this stuff?), and then applied shadows 2, 3 & 4 from the inner to outer corner. No. 4 is a brilliant silver will loads of metallic gleam, 3 is more of a shimmery medium grey, and 2 is an almost matte soft charcoal - they all blend superbly and last the whole day :-)

On the waterline, I patted down the olivey green from the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Liner stack - I use this quite a lot because it's such a pretty shade, and stays put for hours...

The only problem I have with SAX cosmetics is where to find them - they have a website, but I'm a looky-touchy gal and prefer to check out what I'm getting in person, and the only chemist in my vicinity that used to stock the range has decided to make room for something else - boo!

Their lipsticks are fantastic by the way - I showcased my favourite coral one just last month. Have you tried any SAX products? 

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