EOTD: Essence Jewel Up The Ocean and UD Fishnet...

What do you do when it's been dreary, wet and cold for three days in a row? Well you can count on me to whip up a COLOURFUL eye look and a cheeky grin to inject some cheer into Monday :-)

The sky has been so overcast around here, I just had to enlist the help of two of my favourite shadows - essence Jewel Up The Ocean, the most magnificent aqua teal, with a centre splash of UD Fishnet, a beautifully bold magenta, which when applied over the top of teal, turns into the prettiest of purples...

These two colours are a match made in heaven, and the deal was sealed with a few strokes of essence Sun Club Gel Eyeliner in BBC All Night Blue on the waterline...

On the outer corner and in the crease, it could be none other than Sleek Orbit from the V2 Matte palette...

With a dusting of mauvey blush and pink lips, I even managed to forget I had the beginnings of a big fat cold sore right under my nose - actually you can barely see it because it's hidden with one of those ingenious Compeed patches...

Armed with all this, I was determined to let nothing spoil my start of the week, and it worked ♥ What colours do you use to enliven your spirits when the weather is as dull as dishwater, and things aren't going quite your way beautywise?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: Schwarzkopf essence ULTIME Omega Repair...

I realised the other day that after almost a year of blogging, this will be my first hair care post! Hard to believe, but somehow I haven't gotten around to sharing some of the brilliant products I use to keep my red tresses in the best condition possible - and given I colour it every two weeks, believe me my mane needs all the help it can get. In the last few months I've been blessed with scoring a massive collection of Schwarzkopf products from those outrageously generous gals over at beautyheaven, and it's time to start the rave. It all began when I won this fabulous pack of goodies in a bh comp in June - my stars must have been aligned in the (beauty)heavens on that particular day, because here's what arrived...

Combined with a swag of loot from the recent Beauty Degustation Event, I have such a huge stash of Schwarkopf gems, I reckon I'll be posting hair product reviews every week until Christmas! Anyways enough about how lucky (and spoilt) I've been - I'd better get cracking and kick things off with these two heavenly hair healers...

Schwarzkopf essence ULTIME Omega Repair Shampoo...

Thank goodness someone out there is thinking of us gals who's shower shelves are fully loaded - due to my body wash addiction, I have literally only centimetres of space, but I sure can squeeze in these thoughtfully designed slimline bottles ♥ There's only 250ml of product, but trust me it's amazingly concentrated, and lasts the same time as the giant economy size of anything else. It has quite a striking scent - verging on "chemical" but has enough freshness to make the whole shampooing thingy a pleasure. I'm struggling to describe it - best to have a sniff for  yourself in the supermarket, but I guess it's kind of florally. Thick and pearly white, it lathers like a dream and leaves my hair feeling soft as silk, and with a mirror shine - quite a mean feat as my tresses have been recently highlighted, and the area around the crown was more like straw by the time I finished with it. This shampoo is on a par with products I've paid $30 for in hair salon, but it's only half that, and last week it was on special at Coles "2 for $20", so I stocked up. If you have dry damaged locks, then you won't be disappointed with the value, or how your hair looks and feels after only a few washes. My 5-star bh review is here. 

Schwarzkopf essence ULTIME Omega Repair Conditioner...

So onto the conditioner, which was an even bigger surprise. As I pointed out in my beautyheaven review, I haven't actually bought a bottle of conditioner for years, at least five. I always thought that the conditioner that came in home colouring kits was specifically formulated to work with the dye, and therefore my best bet. While I've been more than happy with the results (no doubt because I use Schwarzkopf Brilliance, but more on that another day), I'm delighted to report that this Ultime moisturiser takes my hair condition up another notch. I only leave it in for a minute (early morning timing is critical!) and my mane feels like I've done a deep nourishing treatment. Score! It has the same fragrance as the shampoo, and once again seems to be extra concentrated, so I only have to use a minimal amount. No lank greasies after a few days either, and because it counteracts the damage and dryness, I'm finding the colour isn't fading as fast. Love it!

And just because this is a hair post, here's a pic of my fringe - I'm pretty happy about this level of shine (no flash)...

Loving this range, and will continue to purchase it over and over again ♥ Have you tried it yet?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Berry and Blue...

Well Winter sure hit Sydney with an icy blast this week - we've been spoiled with a mild one up until now, but I'm sitting here with the heater on, candle burning, toes encased in fleecy uggs, and I stole one of my woolly windcheaters back from the cat's closet! Despite Spring glimmering on the horizon, there's still a few weeks of moody broody eye looks left on my agenda, and here's a combo I love if for no other reason than makes me feel all warm and toasty...

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk makes such a fabulous base for deep pinks and blues - it provides a rich depth to either of those particular spectrum hues, and any pigment seems to stick like glue, and last the whole day...

The pinky purple on the inner half is the one from the L'Oreal Disco Smoking palette - it doesn't have much dimension on its own, but the tattoo underneath gives it a wee bit of welcome shimmer. The deep blue is from an old fave - Maybelline Sapphire Hyper Diamonds palette...

In the crease and underneath I used Ink from the Sleek i-Divine V2 Matte palette, still holding its own after two years. And on the waterline I added bhcosmetics Waterpoof Eye Liner in Midnight..

And to lift the whole berry/blue outfit, I slicked on some L'Oreal Color Riche Intense lipstick in the stunning shade of Plum Passion, topped with essence XXXL Shine lipgloss in True Love...

Do you have a favourite Winter warming colour combo?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: MyPerfumeSamples.com...

Gosh I love "try before you buy" opportunities, and there's a great website where you can purchase top brand perfume samples for a very small outlay - MyPerfumeSamples. My darling friend IndieAna put me onto this US company - they decant genuine fragrances into sterile glass vials and small atomisers so that customers can actually wear a perfume to see how it performs on their skin before deciding whether to fork out the big buckaroos for a retail store bottle. I think it's a fabulous idea, and one I'll be taking advantage of on a regular basis...

They also sell retail samples in the original manufacturers packaging - like the ones they hand out at perfume counters or included in GWP's, but I haven't explored those yet. Oh and gift vouchers are available, from $25-$100 - this is going to well and truly eliminate some of my Christmas shopping headaches!

I recently placed my first order, and the parcel arrived safe and sound 10 days later. Apart from a whole range of individual scents, they do gift sets as well - collections of fragrances by perfume houses, seasonal mixes or categories (e.g. "White Florals", "Noir", "Top 5 Fragrances of 2013") that would make terrific pressies, and they all come prettily packaged. Not every fragrance manufacturer is listed, nor is every perfume available in each range (currently 423 in the women's section), but most of the big brands are there, along with some lesser known ones. They have weekly specials, and there's also a rewards program where you score points for every purchase you make - even more if you review the fragrance, or refer a friend. You can then redeem the points to reduce the cost of future purchases...

Prices vary depending on the brand, but the majority start from US $2-3. Sizes range from 1ml to 3ml vials, or 3ml and 5ml mini-atomisers, and they have men's colognes too. The glass vials arrive attached to cards with an identifying sticker, and are sealed inside cellophane bags - the atomisers have the label inked onto the glass, are also bagged in cellophane, and they're boxed and be-ribboned like the one above. Sweet!

So what did I order? 

Be Delicious Skin by DKNY 2ml vial

Oriens by Van Cleef & Arpels 2ml vial

Incanto Dream Golden Edition by Salvatore Ferragamo 1ml vial

Crystal Noir EdT by Versace 3ml atomiser

Velvet Orchid by Tom Ford 1ml vial

Violet Blonde by Tom Ford 1ml vial

All up I received six fragrances totalling 10ml for $33, including postage. Holey guacemole I'm thrilled to bits, and floating around in fragrance heaven! I've already made up a wishlist for my next order that includes Jo Malone Amber & Ginger Lily Intense and the new Versace Bright Crystal Absolu - expect to see a whole bunch of perfume review posts from me in the months ahead...

And if you're as heavily into anything to do with perfumes as I am, check out Gemma Sapphire's Fragrance Appreciation Week - I reckon it's going to be fabulous ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx