VIDEO POST: Collective Haul (Bite Beauty, Dior, Hourglass, L'Oreal, MAC, Napoleon Perdis, YSL & more!)

It's been a while but Ling and I finally had the chance to record another video! 

 

This time we share all of the beauty booty we "accumulated" during October via gifts, free offers and obviously shopping.  Sit back and relax in front of your computer screen while we take you through and give some first impressions - mostly good but there was one notable disappointment...

 

Brands and products featured:
 

 Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick - Rose

Butter London Nail Lacquer - Scouse

Dior Vernis - 658

Face of Australia Carnivale Nail Enamel - Between the Flags

Face of Australia - Gentle Make-up Remover

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder - Dim Light

L'Oreal Color Riche nail polish - Atomic Purple, Neon Turquoise, Flashing Lilac

 MAC Ri Ri Hearts MAC Collection - Hibiscus Kiss Powder Blush, Ri Ri Woo matte lipstick

Milk - beauty wipes

Napoleon Perdis - Cream Blush, Lip Gloss, Lashes to Lashes Mascara 

Pati Dubroff Lip Balm Crayons - Bare Petal, Dark Orchid, Honeysuckle, Persimmon, Rosebloom

She lipstick - Afina

YSL Glossy Stain - 104

 

Until next time...

 

 

A bright pink lipstick swatch fest!



 You'll probably all know by now that I'm participating in and promoting Bright Pink Lipstick Day this Friday the 20th of September.  For colour obsessed me, half the fun was selecting (and swatching with Ling on YouTube) the perfect bright pink lipstick to wear and being typically indecisive I couldn't narrow it down to one so opted for five - allowing me to participate not just on Friday but for the entire week!  Well why not?  They're all so pretty to wear this time of year and somehow wearing bright pink puts me in a more fun state of mind.  After hedging for a while I think I may have just formed a new beauty addiction!

Just look at all of these lovely, BRIGHT pink lip colours all in a row.  Cheerful, yes? Definitely, I feel happy just looking at them! Statement colours? Absolutely! Far too pretty to ignore that's for sure...

The rundown from left to right:

• Revlon (Pink Hope) - The official lipstick shade for the Bright Pink Lipstick Day campaign and a really great universal choice at that.  It's a bright but grown up shade of watermelon so you don't have to forsake sophistication to wear bright pink. I think it would also work well with most skin tones. This formula is the traditionally well pigmented Super Lustrous and feels very comfortable on my lips.  I've worn it a few times already and it will definitely go on high rotation as it's work and play appropriate.

• Napoleon Perdis (Calypso) - This lipstick has been around in my collection for a little while now but I've only worn it a few times - the reason why is the crazy number of lipsticks in my collection and I guess also the recent neutral lip rut I was stuck in for a good few months.  This pink lipstick is more of a deep raspberry which sits somewhere between red and pink and yes it is vibrant but also a sophisticated shade.  The formula is velvety matte which also adds to the sophistication. 

• Maybelline (Vivid Rose) - Yesss!!! One of the Maybelline Vivid lipsticks was an obvious choice for a bright pink lip as that range is not for the colour shy!  Vivid Rose is another wonderfully traffic stopping pink which leans slightly to red.  This lipstick literally glides on weightlessly yet packs on the pigment.  I have to say you can apply and almost forget you're wearing this because it feels so light and comfortable.

• Models Prefer (Crowd Pleaser) - I've said before these ultra lip gloss pencils should be called gloss lipstick pencils because they're so pigmented and my newest addition is no different.  Crowd Pleaser is a blue toned, youthful shade of electric pink with a glossy sheen finish, something I tend to be a little wary of but I'm busting out of my comfort zone here! I still feel uncomfortable wearing this glossy pink to the office as I view it as much more a fun weekend shade.  All for a good cause right?

• Rimmel By Kate (20) -  Ooh yeah!  Another bright blue-based pink! Another shade which I found to be confronting but I've worn this a few times recently and it's happily surprisingly flattering.  The Lasting Finish formula is another favourite of mine too - ultra creamy, semi-matte, colour true.  

Swatched in the same order as above:
(If you're interested in lip swatches check this week's posts on my IG account)

What's your ideal bright pink lipstick?

Until next time

REVIEW: November's farewelled products

So this is my second last empties post for the year - without further ado let me get right into it!

Skin care

114) L'Oreal Youth Code Lumiere (aka 'Luminosity') Extraordinary Serum (30ml)
I've got back on the wagon with serums as I figure my middle-aged skin can do with all that extra penetrative skincare!  L'Oreal's serum was the first because it promises to correct my dreaded dark spots and I've been using this along with Luminosity Day Cream because, well, it can't hurt! What can I say about it??  The formula is loaded with Vitamin Cg and has a faintly citrus scent.  It absorbs instantly as you'd expect and did give my skin an instantly more luminous veneer as promised because of its light-reflecting formula.  As usual, even after using this for just over a month I can't really detect that this product has reduced my pigmentation but it hasn't got any worse either! Is that a win? I guess so.  Would I repurchase? Probably, because this is well priced at $35.95AUD for quality skincare - although I have a backlog of three other serums to get through first!

115) Coca-Cola Vanilla Lip Smacker (4.0g/0.14 oz)
I didn't know just how to categorize this so let's just go with skincare shall we? I bought this for a bit of fun and ended up using it as my nightly lip balm.  I actually liked this fun product very much - it did a really good job of moisturising my lips and the scent/'flavour' was more cinnamon than Vanilla Coke so I quite liked that too!

116) Bloom off, off and away cleansing wipes (24 wipes)
After around a year of trying out different facial wipes I'm feeling a bit like the connoisseur, lol!  As you can see I picked up this pack (and another) at the reduced price of $3.00 and to be honest I'm glad I didn't pay full price.  These wipes are probably the smallest wipes I've used and on several occasions I've found a second wipe necessary to cleanse my entire face.  What I did like was the gentle, alcohol-free formula and the pleasant cucumber scent.  Would I repurchase? Not at the full price, no.

Hand and body care

117) Sally Hansen Mega Shine Extended Wear Top Coat (12.7ml/0.43fl. oz)

This top coat is an old favourite of mine from my pre-blogger days when I didn't need my polish to dry in 60 seconds flat!  Sure, this isn't the fastest drying top coat, although it still is reasonably quick and touch-dry in a matter of minutes, but heck the shine is fantastic!  I still love it and will definitely repurchase.  The only thing which bugs me a little is the opaque bottle.  I've got no way of knowing exactly how much product is left in the bottle until it runs out - sometimes mid-manicure!

118) OPI Original Polish Remover ( 120ml/4fl.oz)

My tenth bottle for the year. 

119) Palmer's Skin Smoothing Lotion with Alpha/Beta Hydroxy & Shea butter (250ml - 8.5fl. oz)

I've raved about this body lotion many a time because of the genuine skin smoothing formula and this is my fourth emptied bottle this year.  

120) OPI RapiDry Top Coat (3.75ml - 1/8fl. oz)

I've always got full sized backups of this top coat on hand because it's quick drying and non-shrinking.  The mini bottles like this one do frustrate me though because there's about a quarter of the bottle wasted as the brush simply cannot reach that far.

121) MOR Marshmallow Hand Cream (50ml - 1.7 fl. oz)

This was my handbag hand cream and it's certainly attention-getting!  The scent is a rather strong and lingering musk candy which can be smelt metres away, so I discovered one day at work when one of my friends asked what I was wearing.  The cream itself is rather thick and reasonably moisturising but I found the scent just a little too distracting for me.

Cosmetics

122) Essence Glossy Lip Balm (Sparkling Cherry)

Cheap and cheerful, and a really pretty sheer cherry red on the lips.  Unfortunately these little cuties have been discontinued.

123) Wet 'n' Wild Lip Liner Pencil (666 Brandy Wine)

This little stub doesn't tell the full story (or does it?) but this pencil lasted me years and I loved it so much that I requested a backup.  See here for a swatch and a little more of my raving over this drugstore gem.

124) Napoleon Perdis Mascara/Lipgloss

I got this as a magazine freebie some time ago and this two-in-one was a hit and a miss in one.  The sheer icy pink lipgloss was surprisingly flattering and I loved it but the mascara was another story altogether - I hated it!  The mascara was clumpy and not water-resistant in the slightest - panda eyes anyone???  At least I didn't actually buy this.

125) L'Oreal Lumi Magique Touch of Light - Highlighting Pen (2 - Medium)

Unfortunately, this product was one of the makeup disappointments of the year for me - you can read all about it again here.

Fragrance

126) Tom Ford Violet Blonde EDP (1.5ml -.05fl.oz sample)

Complimentary samples, the the only way I can afford Tom Ford fragrances *sigh*.  When I first smelt this I thought it was a little too mature and bold for me but on a second, and third sniff I changed my mind - I like the unusually dramatic powdery floral scent.  This fragrance has top notes of "...violet leaf, Italian mandarin and pink pepper;  middle notes of Tuscan iris absolute, Tuscan orris butter, Sambac jasmine and sampaquita;  and base notes of musk, suede, cedar, vetiver and benzoin".  If only I could afford to buy one of TF's fragrances...

127) Narciso Rodriguez Essence Eau de Musc EDP (75ml)

I loved the softness of this fragrance and it was suitable for every day wear.  This has, "...dominant aromas of musk, with aromas of ylang-ylang, jasmine and orange blossom".  It's simply very pretty in my opinion and I would definitely repurchase.

That's it for another month!

Vita :)

Model lips for Spring! (Featuring Revlon, Napoleon Perdis & Rimmel)

You could never accuse me of ignoring a good model/celebrity beauty advertising campaign or makeup pictorial!  Case in point:  My latest lip colour purchases for Spring have all been directly under the influence of Kate Moss (Rimmel), Miranda Kerr (Napoleon Perdis) and Emma Stone (Revlon)...

L - R:

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Peach Parfait

Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipstick - Calypso

Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Lipstick - 20

I first saw these lip colours gracing the lovely lips of Emma, Miranda and Kate respectively in my glossy mags and each instantly became lemmings for me!

Peach Parfait - I didn't care about all the other lip butters.  I just wanted this one because it looked so lovely and natural on Emma Stone, okay?  I know these have been reviewed to death and I'm not going to go there other than to say lip butters are just fine if you want semi-sheer, shiny colour.  Anyway, this was all about the colour for me and I was not disappointed - this golden rose lip colour is my new weekend fave.

Calypso - Miranda Kerr graced the cover of Australian department store David Jones' Spring beauty book wearing this colour and it looked so bright and fresh, I was hooked!  It's a perfect red-pink hybrid and sings of Spring.  It also happens to be my first Napoleon Perdis lipstick - Shall let you know how it goes but the colour's bloody gorgeous!  There I go swearing for effect again...

20 - The iconic bad girl Kate was wearing this to launch the Spring line of her By Kate range for Rimmel.  I already know the heavily pigmented, creamy formula back to front so again it's all about the colour.  This is an uber bright, cool toned pink.  Another cool, hot pink if you know what I mean! I actually don't think I have the 'tude to carry this off in daylight but it's totally going to do it for me as an after dark pink.  Grrr...I know, humour me!

Swatched in same order as above:

 Sunlight indoors

Shade 

Who have you been under the influence of lately?

That's it for now.

Vita :)

EOTD: Gold with a violet lining...

Cripes, I really can't think of any punchy imaginative titles for these posts! Forgive me - I know why I'll never succeed in advertising.

Anyway, this was a ridiculously easy, slightly glam gilt-eyed look I wore not so long ago.  No tricky blending here.  It was a wash of sparkly coppery gold over the lid, a brow highlight, some colourful contrasting liner and I was good to go!  I don't know what was happening with my eyebrows - I have straight hair but my brows have a mind of their own here...

 

 What I used:

• Face of Australia primer (matte) blended over the lids
• L'Oreal Sepia Sparkle brushed all over lid up to crease
• MAC Shroom on browbone
• Urban Decay 24/7 liner (Ransom) on upper and lower lash lines (I can't get enough of this violet liner!)
• Napoleon - Whole Lotta Lash mascara (black) on upper lashes only

Too easy!

Vita :)

REVIEW: April's farewelled products

I was so focused on finishing Project 10 Pan I didn't really notice the rest of the empties piling up last month - it kind of happened while I wasn't looking.  Here are the 12 latest empties to add to the year's tally with my thoughts on them as usual!

Skin care

33) Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Daily Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30+ (30ml)

My favourite facial sunscreen and they went and discontinued it - well not exactly, as Neutrogena's launched Healthy Defence Daily Moisturiser in its place.  The oil-free formula is light on the skin and it sits well on top of my usual moisturiser.  I've purchased the new version and I'm currently working on a review I'll post soon.  Just letting you know in advance - I like it too!

34) L'Oreal Revitalift Rejuvenating Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes)

I'm so late to the cleansing wipe party.  These are the first cleansing wipes I've ever used!  One of my beauty resolutions at the start of the year was to be diligent with my nightly cleansing routine.  Knowing I'm lazy I've made good use of wipes now and I'm going to be trying out every different brand I can get my hands on until I've found the HG of wipes.  Right - well I loved these ones didn't I!!  They're targeted at middle-aged miss/ms/mrs' like me and are enriched with a creamy cleanser containing Vitamin C and an exfoliant.  One wipe cleansed my skin thoroughly and left it feeling moisturised enough to leave bare before bed.  And the scent!  Slightly perfumey but utterly lovely to my nose.  I liked the resealable flip top lid too.  At this point in time I'd say this has set the bar for wipes - definite repurchase.

35) Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Daily Gentle Cleanser (3.38oz/95g)

I wanted to like this gel cleanser but it just wasn't for me.  It felt like slippery goo on my face and took a lot of rinsing to remove.  I used this in the shower in the mornings because rinsing this in the basin in the evening was going to be waayyy too much effort for me.  I won't be buying this cleanser again and have switched to Yes to Blueberries which I prefer hands-down.

 

Hand and body care

36) OPI Polish Remover (non-oily, moisturizing formula 120ml - 4fl.oz)

My fourth bottle this year. Umm...

37) Manicare Nail Polish Remover (60ml travel size)

This little bottle of remover was hanging around from my last trip in January so I finished it to reduce some of my bathroom clutter.  The formula includes acetone with tea tree oil and vitamin E.   Probably a teeny bit less effective than my OPI remover but still a good substitute and a fraction of the cost.  I think this cost me less than $4AUD and I've since bought a full size bottle.

38) OPI RapiDry Top Coat (15ml)

One of my favourite top coats because of the quick dry time.  I use thinner drops to use this all the way down to the bottom and it continues to be as effective.  Another repurchase item.

39) Avojuice Skin Quenchers Berry Juicie (30ml/1 fl.oz travel size)

I'm working my way through my collection of these.  This berry fragrance funnily enough smells like like grape bubblegum to me!  One of these days I'll buy a full size bottle but I like these minis for the fun factor.

 

40) Natio Wellness Hand Cream SPF 15 (100ml/3.3fl oz)

One of my favourite hand creams and I think I've worked my way through at least 3 tubes over the last few years because I keep coming back to it.  Anything with SPF gets my love, and this cream penetrates quickly leaving my hands feeling soft and lightly scented with natural pomegranate extract.  If there's one criticism it's that I seem to go through this particular hand cream quite quickly!  A definite repurchase.

 

Cosmetics

41) MAC Select Sheer Pressed Powder (NC20)
I've been using this powder for years because it finishes my skin without giving me a made up look.  Click here for my original review.


42) MAC Cremesheen lipstick (Party Line)
Finishing this plum berry shade has left a gap in my lipstick wardrobe because it's the perfect autumn shade.   I'll counter this with the lipstick itself - for some reason MAC Cremesheens always break in the tube for me!  It's put me off buying these again - but I love the colour dammit so I'm feeling very conflicted!!!  Click here for a swatch of this and L'Oreal's Lasting Coral gloss.  Two lippies down, three to go to finish my lipstick ban...

43) L'Oreal Glam Shine 6hr Lip Gloss (Lasting Coral)
I'm so glad to see this one go.  Great colour, but a HORRIBLE formula. I couldn't possibly forget this was on my lips because of the sticky formula and it used to leave little lumps of colour on the inside of my lips. I don't know how I finished this really but I determinedly kept going as this was part of my gloss ban.  Only one more to go and my lipgloss ban's done!


44) Napoleon Perdis Whole Lotta Lash Mascara (Black)
I think this was a promotional release because I can't find it on the Napoleon website.  Shame, because I really liked this one and used it for way too long (read more than 6 months).  Great flexible brush and non clumping glossy formula.  I think I'll take this with me when I stalk the Napoleon Perdis counter!


That's it for another month of empties.

Vita :)

Napoleon Luxe Lipgloss Collection (self-gifting!)

It's always nice when I get spending money as a present.  It means I can go ahead and indulge myself a little without any tinge of guilt.  Of course for me that usually means indulging in cosmetics!

I'd spied Napoleon Perdis' limited Luxe Lipgloss Collection in the days leading up to Christmas and after some quick swatching in-store (very bad move because they were all gorgeous, classy shades weren't they!!) I was very tempted by the idea of trying five full-sized glosses for $55AUD, less than half the actual product price of $125AUD if I was to buy five individual NP glosses.  Well, I was strong and held out until after Christmas but when I saw the collection selling at 50% off at the Boxing Day sales - and I had Christmas gift money from my dear Dad in my wallet - that baby was mine!

So this is my little gift to myself:

Here's a little closer look at the tubes all lined up in the package.  As you can see there isn't a single Barbie shade in there and they cover the spectrum from deep plum to creamy nude.  Unfortunately the shades aren't labelled so I don't know if these are from Napoleon's core line or are limited edition.

Swatched in daylight in the same order as above:

According to the Napoleon Perdis website these luxe lip glosses are, "...packed with lip-loving ingredients like Green Tea and Pomegranate, ...and are... deliciously flavored with Lychee Extract..."  From my first impression these lip glosses feel weightlessly moisturising on my lips and provide a sheer colour with a high gloss patent finish.  I also love the lychee flavour and scent.

The Luxe Lipgloss Collection is currently retailing for $27.50AUD and is available from Napoleon stockists and their online store here while stocks last.

Did you indulge in any self-gifting this Christmas? 
What did you treat yourself to?

That's all for now.

Vita :)

Freebie alert for Australian readers: Napoleon Perdis mascara

I thought I'd share my latest freebie with you!

This month Australian InStyle magazine comes with a bonus Whole Lotta Lash mascara valued at $28AUD from Australian makeup guru Napoleon Perdis.  

I wore this mascara to work today and was impressed with its application and performance.  The brush is quite flexible and 'bendy' and the tiny moulded plastic bristles easily get to the root of the lashes to coat each individual lash.  I had beautifully defined lashes with no clumping and no flaking or smearing at the end of day.  

I've got to tell you I've actually had the pleasure of a makeover by Napoleon himself about 10 or so years ago in Myer's Melbourne store when he was establishing his brand.  I remember he taught me to "wriggle and roll" when applying mascara.  He was a larger than life persona even back then and very charming!  Naturally I walked out with some goodies after that session...LOL

If you're interested in trying out Whole Lotta Lash grab the August issue of Australian InStyle.

Until next time.

Vita :)

Autumn/Winter eyeshadows

As the weather gets colder I prefer to wear richer colours on my eyes such as shimmery golds, bronzes, khaki greens and warm browns.  Interestingly enough I was reading that these colours are also on the mark for this Northern summer! I delved into my makeup case to share my collection with you, along with some swatches of course:

L'Oreal

L-R:
Turquoise Shimmer
Sepia Sparkle
Cacao Mania

L'Oreal eyeshadows are reasonably good quality drugstore colours however they do have varying levels of pigment.  The star in this selection is Sepia Sparkle which is a gorgeous sparkly copper and looks great on its own or applied in the inner corners of my eyelids to lift deeper shades.

MAC

Clockwise from top & swatched L-R:
Soft Force (Veluxe Pearl)
Tempting (Lustre)
Wedge (Matte)
Vex (Frost)

Satin Taupe (Frost)

Sorry, I can't fault MAC eyeshadows.  They have intense pigment, a velvety texture, glide on, blend seamlessly and stay on all day without primer.  Looks like I've probably got most of the different finishes covered here.  I'm partial to a bit of shimmer, so that's why there's only one matte shade whch I use  for those lazy days when I just want a quick wash of colour on my lids.

Revlon
(Neutral Khakis)

This ColorStay 12  Hour eye shadow is very well pigmented and has great staying power (12 hours??).  The texture is not as fine as MAC but the colours still blend reasonably well and I really like this colour combo.  It looks quite dramatic on my eyes and works well with a nude lip.

Napoleon Perdis &

Essence

L-R:

Napoleon Perdis - Private Storm

Essence - Party All Night

The Napoleon eyeshadow is a lovely subtly soft taupey brown with very fine sparkles.  It has a silky texture and works well as a wash of colour all over the lids.  Essence's Party All Night is a gorgeously smooth metallic copper which I use as an accent shade in the eyelid crease.

I hope you enjoyed looking at these.  What eyeshadow shades do you like to wear for Autumn/Winter?

That's all for now.

Vita :)