Empties! March 2016

Hey there! I'm getting rid of more empty stuff and sharing my thoughts as per usual...

Skin care

Jurlique Purely White Skin Brightening Cleanser (80g/2.8 oz) - I bought this tube Duty-Free on my way to Singapore last year because I'd forgotten to pack a cleanser so decided to splash out on a luxe one. This foaming cleanser did feel quite velvety and luxurious but I didn't notice any significant brightening effect and Jurlique is off my purchase list these days.

SODA & Co Lip Balm (Orange Splash)* CF - These little balm pots are so much fun and I liked the orange/cocoa scent of this one.  I have a cocoa pot to get through and I'll consider getting some more in future once I dwindle my backlog a bit.  The formula is lightweight and melts upon touch with the fingertips so it's like applying melted butter to the lips.

Hand and body care

Bath & BodyWorks Maui Shea & Vitamin E Shower Gel (88ml/3 fl.oz) - These B & BW products were another old vacation purchase tucked away for a rainy day which finally came as I work through my stash of non CF products.  The shower gel lasted quite a while as I didn't need to use much to get a healthy soft lather and I enjoyed the summery floral scent.

Bath & BodyWorks Maui Shea & Vitamin E Body Lotion (88ml/3 fl.oz) - This was a nice consistency for a body lotion as it was easy to rub in yet substantial enough to provide lasting moisture for my skin.

Avon Nail Experts Rose Cuticle Balm (11.5g/0.406 oz) - This cuticle balm has been long discontinued so I won't go on about it.  It did the trick and smelt like - guess what? - roses!

Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy (25g/0.9 oz) -  I enjoyed the summery marine scent of this rich hand cream.

Hair care 

Moroccanoil Clarify Clarifying Shampoo (250ml/8.5 fl.oz) CF - Damn I love this shampoo! Not just because it deep cleanses buildup from my hair but because the scent is AMAZING! Have Moroccanoil thought to bring out a fragrance because if they haven't they need to! I will definitely buy this again.

Cosmetics

My progressive tally in my 2016 Makeup Use Up is increasing oh so slowly:

8) Max Factor Masterpiece Glamour Extensions 3-in-1 Volumising Mascara (Black)* - Damn I wish this was a CF product because this has been my favourite mascara in recent times. It volumized and defined my lashes and the reverse cone-shaped brush was perfect for getting right down to the base of the lashes for separation and creating a fan-like effect. Sad. So sad.

9) Tom Ford Concealing Pen (02 Light Medium) - This was so expensive for such a meh product.  Would not repurchase even if I could. 

10) Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick (110 Pink Gossip) - This bright pink matte lippy is now discontinued.

I'm done and dusted for another month!

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Glamming it up 1940's style...

Now for something slightly different!

I recently revisited the past for my husband's milestone birthday party. My man is a big fan of the classic 1940's movie "Casablanca", the one that spawned a thousand take-offs of the line, "Here's looking at you kid..." so it was no surprise that he wanted a Casablanca/1940's themed party. Confession time:  I'd never been to a costume party before - let alone hosted one - so I had to do my research.  I created a 40's fashion and beauty board in Pinterest, bought reference books, and watched movies (we all watched "Casablanca" of course!) all for the sake of authenticity - and because it's pretty exciting to glam up like a 1940's femme fatale too! Those movie heroines from that bygone era had glamour in spades so I had a lot to live up to...


Hair

My hairdresser originally had visions of doing those gravity defying 1940's victory rolls on my hair until I showed him photos of something a little softer and more in keeping with the evening look I was after. The result was an equally authentic, but more me, '40's pin curl style which I loved and made me feel very feminine and glamorous.  Pin curls are a first for me too and my hairdresser used a curling iron, then pinning the curls to cool and set before fixing in place with some strategically placed hair pins and lots of hairspray. Somehow it still looked quite touchable and soft and now I wish I was able to replicate it myself.  At least I have some photos from him as a memento.

Makeup

The makeup look was all about a matte face, defined brow and matte red lip to keep it reasonably accurate for the era.  Sounds simple although it still took 10 products to make it happen - I'm pretty sure that women back in that time got by with a lot less products than me!

My base was pretty simple as I wanted something to last through the evening and look matte so I used Revlon Colorstay Makeup (Natural Beige) set with a good dusting of Revlon Photoready Powder (020 Light/Medium) and this got me through the night with no touch ups.  1940's cheeks were simply rouged to add some life to them so I used the brightest shade from my Visee (RD-2) powder blush quad for that pop of colour - no contouring or highlighting necessary in those days.

 I kept my eye shadow pretty simple too so after an application of Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (which I wear every single day to lock my eye shadow in place) I turned to Urban Decay's Naked Basics palette for some subtle matte light and shade:  W.O.S on the lids, Naked 2 in the crease and Foxy on the brow bone. I lined my upper lashes only with a pencil because I still suck at liquid liner (ugh!), and used Estee Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Liner (01 Blackened Black) and coated my lashes with several coats of my favourite drugstore mascara Max Factor Masterpiece Glamour Extensions 3-in-1 Volumising Mascara (Black).  I filled in my brows with Ardell Mechanical Brow Pencil (Blonde) - love it because it's so easy to use! - and went over them with a quick brush of ModelCo More Brows (Light/Medium) to keep them in place.

Lastly the matte red lips:  I chose Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick (Beso) and didn't need to reapply all night.


Other bits and pieces...

A final touch of understated glamour was added with some rhinestone stud earrings and a bejewelled hair slide.  A spritz of Chanel's Coco Noir EDP and a final spritz of L'Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray (just to be sure) and I was ready to party!


And the happy couple at the end of the night...

It was so enjoyable getting dressed up - I must think of how I want to celebrate my 50th birthday next year! Yes...it's true...

Until next time!

Max Factor: Fantasy Fire

Ah Fantasy Fire, with a name like that you expect something special, something that looks like a magical flame...

I have to you tell it's true.  The initials FF could equally stand for Freaking Fabulous when it comes to this nail polish and I was very grateful it was gifted to me!  I layered two coats of FF over a deep purple creme base (OPI's Pamploma Purple) and was amazed at how my manicure came to life in the sunlight with its ethereally intense sparkle.  It was a little tricky to photograph though and the true beauty of this polish is best seen in real life - then you get the full sense of the multichrome shimmer.  In sunlight the orange shimmer - the fire - really dominates.  Get ready for a swag of pictures!

Sun

Shade

Thanks again Emma!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Vita :)

A gift, a prize, and a freebie...

 This post is simply about some beauty items I've been lucky enough to receive lately with no spending required.  I've had a bit to be grateful for this month...

The Gift:

Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish - Fantasy Fire

The lovely Emma of emmabovarybeauty gave me this precious little polish as a thank you gift but I'm taking the opportunity to say thank you right back Emma!  Fantasy Fire has appeared on many blogs because of its incredible flash of colour - in various light the sparkles change from red to gold to green to blue! You can see the rainbow multi-chrome in the bottle and now I've tried it I can tell you it doesn't disappoint on the nails. As a matter of fact I'm wearing it right now and yes, the NOTD post will be coming soon!   I just hope the pictures do it justice.

The Prize:

theBalm Overshadow mineral eyeshadow - Work is Overrated

I put in a spur of the moment entry on a Twitter comp run by theBalm Australia and the next day I found I'd won! Isn't that the best feeling - reminds me of when I put a dollar in a poker/slot machine and it spewed out $100 (a random act with a great result and I knew to walk away)!  Anyway back on to the topic of makeup I don't have a heap of products from theBalm nor do I have a heap of mineral eyeshadow pots so I was happy to win this one to try.  Work is Overrated is described as a "shimmering pink champagne" and looks very bright and light, very Marilyn Monroe to me.  This eyeshadow can be applied wet or dry and the shade's also suitable to use as a cheekbone highlight.  I'm a fan of pale shimmery shades both as highlights and washes of colour so I know I'll get a lot of wear out of this.  A quick wash over the lid, a slick of eyeliner and mascara and I'll be done!


The Freebie:
 Kit lip Glaze - The Shop Shade

The freebie is courtesy of a current promotion with the November issue of Australian Shop Til You Drop magazine and Kit cosmetics.  Kit and Shop magazine have collaborated to produce a lip glaze shade called appropriately "The Shop Shade" which actually translates as a hot raspberry red.  The lip glazes are a recent addition to the Kit line so I was keen to try one.  The finish is very pigmented, with a glassy shine and non-sticky.  I'm loving the colour too!


The Swatches:
Left to Right - The Shop Shade, Work is Overrated, Fantasy Fire

Sun

Shade

Australian readers interested in the Kit Lip Glaze offer can check out details here.

That's it for now.

Vita :)

Max Factor Max Effect mini nail polish: Bronze

This post is brought to you from the comfort of my snuggly-buggly bed!  It's cold, wet and miserable tonight so I've taken myself upstairs to write this in the warmest location of my house...

I remember when these tiny 4.5ml/5g polish bottles from Max Factor were first released in Australia they were selling at the ridiculous price of around $10AUD.  Obviously someone's seen sense since then and they now sell at a more reasonable $5.95 making them much more appealing.  Right - that little observation's out of the way!

The polish I chose to try first is called Bronze - I think!?  I can't find a label anywhere on the bottle so I had to do a little 'net research to match the name to the polish and I'm about as sure as I can be without being the full 100%.  This is a really nice and quite wearable golden glass flecked coppery bronze.  It was a little sheer on application and I've got some VNL happening after two coats but I'm still reasonably happy with the finish.  It really comes into its own under bright light so I've included some lamplit pix in the absence of any sun around here at the moment...

Outdoors natural daylight

Lamplight

 

Have you tried Max Factor's Max Effect mini's?

That's it for tonight.

Vita :)