SPOTLIGHT: Summer Scents Part 3...

And finally, the colourless eau de toilettes :-) In case you missed them, Part 1 (purples) is here, and you'll find Part 2 (pinks) here :-)

Japanese Cherry Blossom by The Body Shop, eau de toilette

This has long been a fave eau de toilette. Sometimes I just want something that gives me a freshening flowery lift without making a statement, and this does the job perfectly. In fact I love the whole range and always have the shower gel and body lotion on my shelves. It's obviously a floral, but it's light and not at all sickly sweet like some "blossom" fragrances. I believe there's a bit of apple in the formula - I can't say I can detect it, but that particular ingredient is probably what tempers the sweetness to make it just the right mix :-)

Fleurs de Brignoles by L'Occitane, eau de toilette

The name translates as Plum Blossom - more sophisticated than cherry, this is a limited edition in a huge 100ml angular shaped (I think it's called a parallelogram) bottle that I managed to pick up for half price from a pharmacy. It's an inspired mix of floral & fruit with a soft powder finish, and just enough bitter almond to make it interesting. Can't imagine this scent upsetting anyone - on my skin it is light, feminine and alluring, and every sniff reminds me how wonderful it is to be a woman :-)

CK one by Calvin Klein, eau de toilette

This is the only outright green citrus in my collection, and also the only unisex fragrance that I actually enjoy. On super hot days, this is the one that cools me down. It's quite a contrast to the other girly ones on my shelf, and considering it's a toilette, really packs a punch if you overdo it. But the crispness just grabs me on days when the temperature soars, especially after physical exertion. I swear just looking at the frosted bottle makes me feel cooler ha ha. If you're looking for zesty and zingy, lemony & sporty, and don't mind something a bit fella-ish, then CK one will do it for you. I find this fragrance energising & envigorating, and definitely not romantic :-)

Well that wraps up my current warm weather fragrance faves - I'll be posting the other half of my collection around April. Of course they are far more intense than any of the ones I've showcased in this series, and they are far fewer in number, but all of them have a precious place in my heart (and nose), and I'm already looking forward to the seasonal switch.

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Christmas Red, Green & Gold...

These days Christmas can be any colour or combination of colours of the rainbow and I'm all in favour of that - the more the merrier I say, though I admit to being somewhat of a traditionalist. Red, green and shimmery gold will always be my favourite Christmas hues, and the ones that never fail to jingle my bells :-)

So here's another look, similar to one included in my recent Party Peepers article over at beautyheaven, but  (I think) sufficiently different to warrant it's own post - besides it's heaps more sparkly!...

So here's the list of ingredients I used for this concoction...

I started with a red base of Darling Girl Cosmetics Pyramid of Skulls Watercolor Paint Pot

Over that I patted down red from DB Glam Clutch palette, topped with MAC Glitter in Reflects Bronze

On the outer corners and under the lower lashes, I applied Fern from the SleekV2 Matte palette...

Of course I included all the usual suspects...

bhcosmetics black liquid liner for tightlining the top lid

MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner underneath the green shadow on the lower lashline

Essence white kajal on the waterline

MNY The Falsies waterproof mascara

And MUA matte beige on the hood...

I really like how the MAC glitter toned down the red to a more subtle hue, and overall I think this look is more wearable (so long as you're a colour-crazy gal like me lol) :-) 

Now that I'm on holidays (hooray!) I'm hoping to do some major catching up with my EOTD postings before we say a fond farewell to 2013, including the results of my experiments pairing apricot with three other colours, so stay tuned :-)

Take care of you,

kats xxx

LOTD: Mocha Chocolata YaYa...

Well now I even surprised myself with this lip colour :-) I've managed to try out just about every lip shade imaginable in my longish life, but somehow or other, hadn't gotten around to really giving chocolates and browny tones a whirl. I guess I thought they were a bit dreary for this vibrant colour-loving gal, but like so many other hues in the vast beauty world, I've now figured I probably just hadn't found the right shade. Not even sure if this is the "right" one, but it sure was fun experimenting :-)

To do this properly, I thought I'd better invest in a brown lipliner, and chose Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses in the shade Cappuccino. Nice texture, moist without being so soft that the tip gets squished out of shape before finishing the application, and a bargain price point ($8.50). Was a little alarmed at how it accentuated the wrinkles and creases in my lips, but I reckon that's just because it's dark - same thing happens on my hoods when I use deep toned shadows...

Next I applied Innoxa Couleurs D'ete Summer Matte Collection in the shade Chocolate. Yet another item that came to me from a friend (in case you're wondering I DO in fact BUY makeup products lol, it's just that my darling friends always seem to choose what's perfect for me, I'm such a spoilt and lucky gal ♥) A most interesting colour, and a fabulously pigmented and super softening lipstick. I'm not sure why they call it matte because it has quite a glossy sheen, but who cares - it lasts really well and doesn't dry out my lips...

To shift the shade into something slightly more wearable for me and to lift it closer to a summer-friendly hue, I applied Mirenesse 3D Forever Lip Gloss in Slip of Beige over the top. It didn't change the colour all that much, just gave it a bit of softness and a smidgen more warmth and light. Of all the Mirenesse lip glosses, this is my favourite formula, and never disappoints...

I'll be playing around some more with these shades as we move into Autumn - meanwhile, how do you feel about chocolatey lips? Do you have a favourite brown toned lip product?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Christmas Berry Ombre...

As you all know, EOTD's are an everyday thing for me - they're what I love to do, and a very important (and fun) part of my life. Nothing makes me more settled than to start my day doing something creative with colours and textures. As a rule, I'm reasonably happy with the majority of them, but every now and then I create one that gives me an even more satisfying sense of achievement than usual....

So I'm doing a bit of ra-ra trumpet blowing here ha ha - I LOVE this! Turned out way better than I thought it would, and the combination of red and white brings to mind Santa's suit, red nose (or is that Rudolf?) and white beard, so I'm including it in the Christmas collection :-)

At my age, I have to be verrrrry careful with deep pink and berry red eye shadows - if these colours end up anywhere outside my natural eye boundaries or even along the lower lashline, you'd swear I'd been bawling my eyes out for a week. As it is I spend quite a bit of time and effort covering up pinky patches in various places on my face (including my eye hoods), and so playing with these pigment tones is always a risk, unless I'm super careful with the placement.

How to create this look.. (what I used is in brackets)
Tight line the top lash line with a black waterproof eye liner
(bhcosmetics black liquid liner pen)
Apply a white crayon or gel on the inner half of the top lid as a base
(essence white kajal)
Apply a reddish crayon or gel on the outer half
(MNY Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk)
Press an off-white shimmery shadow onto the inner one third of the eye
(Pearly oyster white from the db Bold palette)
Add a medium pink to the middle third, and a deep berry shade on the outer section
(L.A.Colors Wildflowers palette pictured below)

As you can see I'm about to hit pan on the raspberry - gaaaaaah!

Tight line the lower lashline with a fine black eyeliner
(MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner)
Blend a browny red matte shadow over the top of the liner using a moist angled liner brush, and take it up and around the outer corner
(Maple from Sleek V2 Matte palette)
Apply mascara to top and bottom lashes
(MNY The Falsies waterproof)
Line the waterline with a white pencil
(essence white kajal)

Are you comfortable wearing berry shades? Do you think the ombre effect works as well for eyes as it does for nails?

Take care of you,
kats xxx