SPOTLIGHT: The Transforming Power of Make Up (Part 2)...

In September of 2014, I cast a whole heap of my insecurities aside, and posted some information and photos of how I use make up to transform myself each and every day, some days involving a lot more effort (and ingredients) than others - the article is here. Last year I started to take more of an interest in lip products, then took yet another giant leap as far as self-confidence is concerned, and decided to upload a photo of my lipstick choice every day on Instagram. Since then I've had some comments from a few gals asking things like why I extend my lippie beyond the outline of my lips, or suggesting I don't conceal my cupids bow. Well the harsh reality is that my lips have been ravaged by two things - time, and around 50 years of cold sore attacks. Combine those with the freckles I've had since I was a young 'un, plus some major pigmentation issues (hypo and hyper), and the result is that I don't have any real lip outline any more, and consequently no distinct cupids bow. There's a pretty ghastly pic below of my lips in all their natural glory gory, and I thought that showing how I "create" them every morning might give some hope to other gals who like me, sure ain't perfect, but with some inexpensive products and a bit of practice, it's possible to disguise those things we're not so happy about...

The above pic is without any makeup at all, but you probably guessed that ha ha. It's pretty clear why tinted lip balms or sheer make up products in general are of absolutely no use to me whatsoever - I need coverage, and I need it big time!

In this next pic, I've applied my foundation, and taken it almost completely over my lips. I've also reverse outlined my lips with a life-changing little crayon I spotted in Coles - CROP Natural Concealer Pencil in Light. It's SO good because it's a snap to work with, and hides just about anything... 

Next step is to set my makeup with Australis Ready Set Go Finishing Powder - this also softens the appearance of my pores and lines by mattifying the skin, and in general, fuzzing out my imperfections, including those on the edges of my lips. After that I outline my pucker with either a lip liner, or in the case below, the same lip pencil I used for the finished look - Maybelline COLORdrama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade Berry Much. This stage is always a work in progress, and I clean up as I go, sometimes adding more strokes of the concealer crayon, or removing stray bits of colour...

So here's the end result - not perfect by any stretch, a bit lop-sided to say the least, but I think you'll agree it's a million miles from where I started ♥ You'll notice that I softened the sharpness of the cupids bow I drew initially, and generally tidied up the whole outline. I tell you what, if they ever stop making cotton buds, I'm finished lol!

And here's the products I used...

This took me around 10 minutes to get my lips to a camera-ready stage, but if I'm not taking photos, I can do it in three ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Kat Von D Orange & Blue...

I've been having a little break from creating eye looks for almost three weeks, in fact tomorrow will be only the second day that I'll be putting on a proper full face of slap since I've been on holidays - unbelievable! Also taking the opportunity to give my lashes a chance to breathe without a five layer coating of waterproof mascara, and they're showing they're gratitude by not falling out quite so frequently ♥ But I have a few EOTDs stashed away for a rainy day post, like this one...

Used my favourite pan from the Kat Von D Monarch palette (burnt orange Wrath), and also one I love from the other KVD palette that I've had under wraps (and will review shortly) - Chrysalis. This gorgeous blue is called Entombed. Beats me how they come up with these names, but it's a beauty - deep navy shimmer with tiny bright blue sparkles in it. My base for both was essence white kajal, and my waterline is the fabulous Lazuli Blue Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil, which turned out to be a perfect match ♥

For my face I chose DB Cosmetics Longwear 24 Hour Foundation, Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Coral Sheen, and I added a little Hourglass Ambient powder in Luminous Bronze Light for a wee bit of a bronze glow. Lips were and old friend, Revlon Bronze Beauty...

Well I don't know quite what's happened to Summer here in Sydney - hopefully she'll come back this weekend so I can peel off my socks and go barefoot again!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

REVIEW: botanicES Natural Caffeine Skincare..

That sweetheart gal at A Bella Adventure recently did me the BIGGEST favour - she sent me this awesome sample pack of botanicES face and body products, and I've been blissing out ever since. The natural skincare market is expanding in leaps and bounds, but not every company has got it right - from the effectiveness of the formulas, to the absence of the usual chemical ingredients, and then all the way down to environmentally sustainable (and recyclable) packaging, I reckon botanicES has the leading edge. Add in no animal testing, and you have a superb range of skin goodies that are made in Australia, and from my albeit brief experience, has the makings of living up to its claims...

They've even got their sample packs spot on - easy to dispense tubes instead of the usual sachets (which drive me nuts), and there's sufficient product inside to allow a true experience, not just one or two applications, which tell me very little at all. While I haven't used any of the creams long enough to notice any improvement in my wrinkles, my skin LOOKS and FEELS firmer, beautifully soft and hydrated, and not a dry flaky spot in sight ♥

Just for the record, my hesitation with using "natural" or organic skin care has always been for two simple reasons:

1) I've not seen any noticeable improvements in a short period of time. I understand that changes in texture and elasticity can take a while, but I need to observe at least some sort of short-term benefit to lure me into purchasing or repurchasing a product...

2) Often natural products smell awful - fishy(?), or like stale oil, yucko! Hey - I'm a scentophile, and if I don't enjoy the application experience, then forget it...

Delighted to report that these botanicES products don't fit into either of these categories. In fact I'm in love with the fragrance - while it's very delicate and it doesn't smell at all like coffee, there's something earthy and nature-scentric about it. Difficult to describe, and there's that old cliche of "just like a walk through a spring garden after the rain", but in this case it's true! 

Face Creme

Spreads effortlessly so you don't need to use very much at all - absorbs very quickly, and there's an almost instantaneous firming effect, although by that I don't mean the skin feels at all tight. Suits my combination skin perfectly - seems to adjust automatically to my oily T and drier cheeks. Very soothing, and the perfect makeup base ♥...

Ingredients listed on their website: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate [and] Sorbitan Olivate, Caprylic [and] Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Stearic Acid, Kakadu Plum Extract, Xantham Gum, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Licorice Liquid Extract, Phenoxyethanol [and] Ethylhexylglycerin.

Eye Creme

I have huge bags under my eyes, and I've noticed a reduction in the bulges since I've been using it - yay! It's super concentrated, and dispensing via the tube, it's a challenge to not express too much. In fact I hold my finger over the hole, and then gently squeeze, and the smidgin that ends up on my finger tip is more than enough for the entire eye area (I expect this not to be a problem with the full size as it has a pump). I still have some of this left! ♥

Ingredients listed on their website: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Cetearyl Olivate [and] Sorbitan Olivate, Coco-Caprylate, Xantham Gum, Kakadu Plum Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Licorice Liquid Extract, Phenoxyethanol [and] Ethylhexylglycerin.

Body Creme

If you have problems hauling on your skinny jeans after moisturising your legs, then this is the body cream for you. Absorbs in seconds, and I mean completely. There's nothing left except soft, gently fragranced skin ♥ There was only enough in the sample for a couple of applications, but thankfully I can see that standard bottle is a generous 100ml...

Iingredients listed on their website: Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Glucoside [and] Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Caprylic [and] Capric Triglyceride, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Stearic Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Xantham Gum, Phenoxyethanol [and] Ethylhexylglycerin.

In summary I'm very VERY impressed, and ever so grateful to both botanicES and A Bella Adventure for the opportunity to try out this fabulous range ♥ You can count on me to do an update once I've placed an order, and used the products for a longer period of time...

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: MBA Cosmetics Pink Glitter...

If there's one thing I love, it's glittery eye looks - it's also something I find a considerable challenge to create (along with eyeliner on my top lid!). All that fiddling with glue and cleaning up fallout means it's reserved for special occasions only, so here's the look I put together for New Year's Eve 2015...

Turned out reasonably ok, although as most bloggers are painfully aware, it's exceptionally difficult to capture the mesmerising sparkle of glitter with the average camera. Still you can get an idea of how pretty it was in the both-eye pics below. I used MBA Cosmetics Pressed Glitter palette in the shade combo Fruit Punch. Gorgeous, GORGEOUS pinks and purples! 

I find this palette easier to work with than loose pots as the sparkles are compacted, and there's no risk of glitter flying around the room if I sneeze (it's happened before lol!). All the pans lift out and are interchangeable with any of the other palettes...

For my base I used MBA Cosmetics Glitz Fix, a special adhesive created specifically for the eyes, non-irritating, and holds the glitter particles in place for (in my experience) up to 6 hours. I started with the palest pink on the inner corner, then went for the magenta in the middle, and finished with the purple on the outside...

I blended pink from the Chi Chi OMFG palette over my eyeliner along the lower lashline, and lined my waterline with Eye of Horus Cosmetics Smokey Black Goddess Pencil. In the crease, I added a little purple also from the OMFG palette, just to set things off. In all honesty, I spent more time cleaning up this look than I did actually creating it, but that's part of the deal when working with glitter ♥...

And to finish off the whole extravaganza, I slicked some Chi Chi Creamy Matte Liquid Lipstick in Drama Queen onto my pout...

I just adore these pinky purple hues - they're so feminine and fun hey. There's lots more colours in the pressed glitter range too - there's a link to the site at the top of the page ♥...

Did you create a special look for NYE?

Take care of you,
kats xxx