CONFESSIONS: of a Scrubaholic (Part 3)...

Time for another round of face scrubs ♥ They seem to last heaps longer than my body washes, so I'm not powering through them anywhere near as quickly. But I'm still hopelessly addicted to trying anything new in the skin brightening and cell sloughing department, and here's what's hot in my shower at the mo'...

Olay Fresh Effects Bead Me Up! Exfoliating Cleanser

This very gentle creamy white scrub has one of the most refreshing fragrances I've come across in my beauty product travels, and that's saying something. It has a whole bunch of unpronounceable names in the ingredients list, but doesn't smell even the slightest bit chemical - a bit florally, a bit fruity, and a whole heap of fresh and clean. The beads are superfine so I can't imagine this scrub causing any irritation - I have no idea what they're made of, but they're teeny tiny, pale blue and don't seem to soften very much as I lather up and massage away. Non-drying, this is gentle enough for me to use every day. At $14.99 it costs a little more than I'm used to, but it's worth it for a kind-to-my-skin scrub that smells so delicious ♥

Garnier Radiance Boosting Scrub - Wake Me Up!

In the world of fruit scrubs, this is a gem - smells like freshly squeezed oranges with a splash of grapefruit, and gently sloughs away the old surface cells that make my complexion appear dreary. This is paraben free, dermalogically tested, suitable for sensitive skin, and contains Moringa extract, an anti-oxidant and skin puririfer. I looked up this ingredient as I'd never heard of it before - native to the foothills of the Himalayas, the the seeds are rich in oleic acid. Apparently it's been used in oriental medicine for thousands of years, and is also known as The Miracle Tree - fascinating stuff hey? Although the recommendation is to use it only three times per week, I've scrubbed every day for a fortnight and not had a tinge of pinkness or tingling, and my skin feels super clean without being tight or dry. At just under $10, this is definitely a stayer ♥

Clearasil Daily Clear Superfruits Refreshing Scrub

I reviewed the Vitamins & Extracts Scrub in this range in Part 1, and this is another one that's on my list of keepers. It has the same "base" scent, but instead of Avocado and Pomegranate extracts, this one is even more delicious with its Raspberry and Cranberry ingredients. There's nothing like a fresh fruity fragrance to get me going in the morning! Pretty much the same consistency and exfoliator grain content, but the larger beads are pink instead of blue, and it's just as effective. Of the two I prefer this one because it smells just that bit nicer. It mixes up into a creamy lather, and I enjoy that it rinses cleanly away - I never seem to have any gritty bits stuck around my hairline, and it's gentle enough to use daily. I've said this before, but I'm still amazed that someone my age can use, love and get great results from a Clearasil product ♥

Puretopia Smooth & Renew Gentle Exfoliating Face Scrub

If memory serves me correctly, this was inside the Priceline Skincare goody bag back in June. I just about always partake of these offerings because they invariably contain products that I wouldn't normally buy, and this is a prime example. Never tried Puretopia anything before, and with my penchant for colour, I would have walked straight past this relatively dreary black and white tube on the shelf. Interestingly enough, I think this might just be my favourite scrub of all time - how about that? I'm crazy about it - love the fragrance (reminds me of suntan lotion on the beach), the thick consistency, the beads are fine but powerful (I believe they're made from silica), but most of all I'm staggered at how smooth and soft it leaves my skin, and yet it's not the slightest bit harsh. Just about every scrub smooths my complexion, but this one seems to work even better as far as a polishing effect is concerned. Add to that the fact that it's sulfate and paraben free, I think it's awesome value for $9.95 ♥

So what's your favourite scrub at the moment? Have you tried any of these gems?

In case you missed them, Part 1, Part 2...

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Red, Gold & Black...

This was today's Melbourne Cup Day eye look - a colour combination I've done many many times, but it always turns out slightly different. Of course it depends what you put where, and the product I use on my waterline tends to make a big difference...

I've changed the lighting for these early morning photos. I now have two globes - one cool and one warm white in an effort to get the most realistic and true representation of the colours I use. Because of the added brightness, everything seems a lot clearer camera-wise, or perhaps I should say "gorily graphic", which may not be such a good thing considering my age lol. But hey, I always prefer to tell it like it is, so here we go, warts and all ♥♥♥

My base was Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bold Gold, a rich metallic cream that has lots of pretty sparkles to enliven the flatness of matte pigments. Over that I applied Mirenesse Secret Weapon 24 hr Liner in Pure Gold along the top and lower lashlines - love this stuff, and once it dries, it's there for the whole day. The red is a blend of two matte shadows from the bhcosmetics Take Me To Brazil palette - one of them is pinky red, and the other is orangey red, but together they made just the shade I was after...

I pressed the black from the same palette into the crease, and went over the gold on the lower lid with MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner. On the waterline is ModelsPrefer Matte Black Kohl Pencil - out of all my crayons, this is the most long lasting in this damp area, and I don't experience even the slightest twinge of irritation. Brilliant, and I'll be buying it again.  My mascara is always Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Hydrofuge (waterproof). I'm going through another phase where I'm sticking to the same one because it never fails ♥

Regrettably, no time to take a pic of any other part of me, but as you can probably imagine, my outfit was black and red with gold jewellery, and I added a slightly subdued red lip using Rimmel 1000 Kisses Stay on Lip Contouring Pencil in Red Dynamite, Lacural Minerals lipstick in shade 980, and topped with Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss in Star Struck...

Did you do a special make up look for The Race That Stops a Nation?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: Urban Rituelle Geranium & Ginger Flower EDP...

This was one of the delights I picked up at the recent Urban Rituelle 15 Year Birthday sale - the master plan was to stash it away as one of my Mum's Christmas stocking-fillers, but I couldn't resist a quick spray, you know, just to make sure it was the perfect fragrance for her? - well that's my excuse anyway lol. The bad news (for my Mum) is that I was instantly taken with this ever so pretty scent, so it's now scored a place on my perfume shelf...

The bottle has an art deco look about it (especially the lid), and it contains a generous 100ml of palest green crisp, fresh and florally eau de parfum. On first spray, my nose picks up a fair whack of citrus content (grapefruit and orange) making it ultra-refreshing for a hot summer day. Once this fades a little, the sweetness of the flowers starts to emerge, but the blend never quite loses it's tang. Instead it settles into a beautiful mix of floral and fruit, with a tad more emphasis on the floral. In case you're wondering, I've read that ginger flower doesn't smell like ginger at all, but it contributes a spicy tingle to the carnation, white jasmine and muguet notes. The base is oak moss and amber - two of my faves, so it's no wonder it didn't make it past my bedroom shelf ha ha. It lasts around three hours on my skin, they are such pleasurably feminine hours, and it doesn't intrude beyond my personal space. In a word, I'd say this is "harmony"...

The good news (for my Mum) is that it's STILL on sale on the UR website for $15 (reduced from $29.95), so she's bound to find it under the tree anyway. The good news (for you!) is that next week starting Thursday 6th November, Urban Rituelle is having a massive 4-day Christmas warehouse sale, with up to 75% off end of season lines, seconds and discontinued ranges. I'm totally bummed that their headquarters are way to far away for me to take advantage of what I'm sure will be a whole host of bargains. But if you live anywhere near Caringbah, no doubt it'll be well worth dropping by - I've heard there's a $170 hamper up for grabs, and even some free gifts for early birds...

Here's the address in case you're in the area:

Unit 17, 59-63 Captain Cook Dr (enter via 75 Willarong Rd North), Caringbah, NSW

Do you have a favourite Urban Rituelle fragrance? 

Take care of you,

kats xxx

REVIEW: Maybelline Master Kajal Khol Liners...

If the truth be known. I'm pretty much plum loco about any eye makeup product whose name starts with "Maybelline Master...". The MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner is never EVER absent from my kit, and I always ALWAYS have spare in my drawer, so when I spotted the new Lapis Blue Master Kajal Khol Liner in a recent beautyheaven article, I made a beeline for the first available MNY stand, and bought both...

The presentation of these liners is spesh and had me all excited - they're funky looking, and they don't ever need sharpening so long as you stroke them on sideways. They're a creamy texture (apparently they contain "Oriental oils"), and the pigmentation is pretty good (especially the black). According to the MNY website they're especially designed for lining the waterline with no irritation, and I can vouch for that - can't feel a thing. However neither of them work for me in this area because with my watery eyes, I can't get the colour intense enough for my particularly bold taste, and within a few minutes it's all gone wishy washy. Mind you, this happens to me with all but a couple of eye crayons - I find gels far more lasting on the waterline...

If you use them as an eye liner, heed my warning - these are for smudgy smokey looks, so be careful if you apply them along your lower lashline. They smudge and smear something fierce, and unless you lock them down with a powder shadow, the colour will be half way down your face by lunchtime. Same goes for the top lid - you need to press a powder over the top, or they'll transfer and spread...

Here are a couple of swatches over the top of a bbcream - as you can see the black is indeed potent while the blue is not quite so intense, but it's a beautiful shade...

While I find they don't perform well as eye liners or waterliners, I love to use them as bases for my eyeshadows - they're ridiculously easy to apply, there's no brush to clean up or sharpener required, and the cap stays on well...

In summary, hardly the winning formulation I was hoping for, but I'm still delighted to have them in my collection. There's a sparkly gold in the range too, but it doesn't seem to be available in Australia as yet.

Have you tried the Maybelline Master Kajal Khol Liners yet? Do they work well for you?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Is it just me, or is the spelling of "khol" a bit strange? I always thought it was "kohl"...