REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Lacura Minerals Lipstick...

You may have noticed I've been going a bit Lacura Loco lately - I'm gradually discovering some top class beauty products in amongst the Aldi chaos, and everything I've tried from the Minerals range is brilliant! So here are the lipsticks. I bought one of their regular lippies to try and wasn't all that impressed (unless you hold the tube the right way, the lipstick gets pushed down when you apply it), but these ones are gems - and only $4.99. The hard part is trying to find them...

Only four colours available, but every shades is gorgeous, and there's bound to be one that suits all complexions. They're deliciously rich and moisturising, and there's plenty of pigment even though they're a little sheerer than I'm used to - still you can see below that they cover my freckly lips just fine...

   Soft Rose                                     Nougat Shimmer   

Like the lip glosses in this range, they're dermatologically tested, suitable for sensitive skin, and are boxed and sealed in cellophane so they can't be tampered with. The glossy black case is cute, the curvey shape feels comfy in my hands, and the lid closes securely.They have a delicate florally fragrance, and a faint florally taste...

   Ruby Red                                            Rosewood      

I recently stocked up, and given my blog's 1st birthday is only 15 days away (woo hoo!), I thought I'd share some more love by giving away the whole set :-)

As usual, the Rafflecopter will decide the winner, so please make sure that you follow the entry instructions, and read the Terms and Conditions inside (Australian residents only). Please note that leaving a comment, providing your email address inside the Rafflecopter, AND following my blog one way or another from the many choices listed are MANDATORY for entry...

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This giveaway is now closed

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yay - random.org has chosen the beautiful Fay W. as the winner.  

Congratulations gorgeous! 

Fay please respond to the email I've sent you by 

Thursday 4th September to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Fay W. has claimed her prize ♥

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And if you haven't entered my MUA LUXE Pretty Edgy Palette giveaway, here's the link - only 3 days left!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: DB Terracotta and essence I Have A Green...

Hey the sun came out today - miracles do happen hey? Thought I'd celebrate the appearance of those glorious rays by posting another Winter-into-Spring EOTD. And being orange and green (a fave combo of a darling gal pal), this one's especially for Fawn ♥

This terracotta-ish shadow is truly a blast from the past - came in one of the first multi-palettes I ever bought, by DB, and from memory it was around $14 plucked from the depths of a discount chemist throw-out bin. The beauty of it is that there's two pans in this colour - one matte and one shimmery, so I can blend the two together without losing any vibrancy or dimension. Interestingly I applied it over the top of Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk, which is quite a deep brownish red - gave the orange a slight pinky tinge, which is what I was after to match my outfit...

On the waterline is essence I Have a Green Longlasting Eye Pencil - one of the most brilliant crayons in my kit (around $2 I think). Just adore the colour (matches my eyes pretty well) and I can get a good 4 or 5 hours wear out of it before my watery eyes wash away the colour on the outer half...

The lipstick is a mis-labelled MUA one (says "Bare", but the second "Bare" I ordered is a nude) - still it's a pretty corally pink, and I topped it with a Napoleon Perdis freebie gloss that toned in well. Cheeks are essence Heat Wave - LOVE this blush!

In the crease and on the outer corner, I added charcoal from the MUA LUXE Pretty Edgy palette - a magically pigmented matte that blends so easily. Speaking of which, I'm giving away this palette - have you entered yet? Only five days left!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: Schwarzkopf Brilliance Intense Permanent Hair Colour...

Well the next few months will be a bit of a Schwarzkopf-fest here on kats colourings :-) Sure I've scored a whole swag of freebies from their range lately (thanks to beautyheaven ♥), but I've actually been a fan (and regular user) of their hair colourants for many moons, and it's time to reveal what I use to maintain my flaming red tresses. My hair is actually snow white - has been for around a decade, and it's both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, whatever home dye shade I choose invariably turns out exactly how it looks on the box (something that never happened in my youth while my mane still had some pigment of its own). The downside is that I have stark white regrowth that needs to be touched up every two weeks - boo!...

Some gals might think this high frequency application is a tad obsessive, but it's a commitment I made to myself when I went red, and I'm sticking to the plan for as long as I have the energy. I don't have an obvious part, so when I'm due for a touch-up, it's not like there's a distinct visible line anywhere on my head. But when the wind blows, or anyone towers over me (which is easy as I'm petite) my secret is a secret no more. And yes gals, it's true that dyeing your hair red automatically means "high maintenance" - but in my particular case, ANY colour (other than white blonde) is high maintenance because of the regrowth contrast. In my opinion, white roots have a tendency to make us older gals look like our hair is thinning even if it isn't because the white blends in with our scalps - not a good look! By the way, I'm under no illusion that one day I'll simply throw in the towel and cease this fortnightly chore, but being so incredibly passionate about COLOUR, I reckon that day is a long long way off in the future. So until then, here's what I have in my arsenal to maintain my vibrant redhead status...

I use two glorious shades from the Schwarzkopf Brilliance range - #37 Hypnotic Red, and #43 Red Passion. Why two? Well the bright Hypnotic Red is simply too light for my "natural" roots - for this blanched region, I need a deeper shade with some brown in it because the rest of my hair has been absorbing colour for months, and the result on the new growth is a fire engine red stripe which looks plain silly. Red Passion however is deep enough to match the white bits to everything else. But...if I use Red Passion on my whole head, it turns out way too dark, so I have to fiddle a bit...

Simply put, I split the cream colourant and developer solution into half and half quantities, and colour the roots with #43 for around 30 minutes, and then slather #37 on the rest for another 5 minutes just to freshen it up. It's actually easier than it sounds - I keep an empty developer bottle, and pour half the liquid into it, along with roughly 50% of the tube. That way the two packs last me 4 weeks (two applications). As you can see in the pic below (taken just after I coloured on Saturday), I end up with a shade somewhere in between the two you can see on the boxes...

Sadly there aren't that many really bright red hair colourants available at the supermarket, but of the brands I've tried, these Schwarzkopf shades are the most flattering for my skin tone. Everything you need is in the pack - each box comes with a capsule of Diamond Gloss Serum that you crack open and squeeze into the mix to help maintain the shine, a tube of conditioner, and a pair of disposable gloves. I can guarantee you the formula gives 100% grey (white!) coverage, and the standard ammonia smell is only a bit whiffy when you first apply it... 

Combined with several other products from the Schwarzkopf hair care range (which I'll be reviewing in the months ahead), my hair stays shiny and manageable, look and feels healthy, and there's very little colour fade till the next treatment. Incidentally, Schwarzkopf is German, and literally translates as "Black Head", but in my case, it's very definitely red ♥

While I'm content with the current condition of my mop, I'm not so enthused about the quantity of  chemicals my hair and scalp are bathed in on a regular basis - oh how I wish companies that make less damaging dye products would bring out some vibrant reds. I've noticed a couple of overseas brands entering the market recently, but so far their potent rouges aren't available in Australia - hopefully that will change soon :-)

What home hair colourant do you use?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

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