Face It Nail Polish: PP409

I've been wearing a lot of cream polishes lately so it's time to mix it up with a bit of glitter!

 

Face It nail polish is from Korean brand The Face Shop. I love venturing in to their Melbourne Central store from time to time for skin care - in particular sheet masks -  and to "incidentally" check out their affordable nail polish as the range is largely made up of bright colours and some pretty glitter mixes.  PP409 is one of two Face It glitters I bought around a year ago and it's a medium-dense mix of round pink glitter with blue and purple micro-glitter in a clear base polish.  I applied two coats over my L'Oreal Flaming Lilac base then sealed it with a thick layer of top coat for a glassy finish.

 

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy this combination :)

 

Until next time.



March's farewelled products (and beauty diet update)

 

This month's not just about empties - there are also a few product fails in here I finally psyched myself up to let go.  Read on and you'll find out why...

Skin care

 

24) Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes With White Tea Extract (30 towelettes) - These pleasant smelling wipes promised to "...remove makeup, cleanse and tone in one easy step". They were sufficiently moist to do a thorough job and leave my skin feeling comfortable afterwards.  Besides White Tea Extract other botanical goodies include Aloe Leaf Juice and Cucumber Extract. I liked the snap seal on the package too. 

 

25) Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturiser SPF 15 (75ml) - I normally go for moisturisers with higher SPF but I got this as a magazine freebie a while ago so I was happy to use it.  The oil-free, soy enriched formula felt light on the skin and two pumps were enough to moisturise my face and neck so the bottle lasted a few months.  It did leave a bit of sheen on my combination skin though so I needed to mattify afterwards.

 

26) The Face Shop Collagen Essential Mask Sheet - I loved this lifting and moisturizing mask because it did as it promised as my skin felt softer and firmer afterwards.  I will be repurchasing this (and my other favourite Pearl Extract) from The Face Shop the next time I need to replenish my sheet mask supply.

 

Hand and body care

 

27) Natio Meditate Hand Wash Yoga Scent Khus Attar (240ml/8.1fl.oz) - I loved this moisturising hand wash but I used it up far too quickly and now I'm pretty sure it's been discontinued.  As you can infer from the yoga reference the Khus Attar scent was distinctly relaxing and I'm sadly deeply inhaling the remnants of the bottle now as I prepare to throw it away.

 

28) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120ml/4 fl.oz) - My third bottle for the year. 

 

29) MOR Grapefruit Body Butter - This little tub was part of a 3-pack I bought for a Christmas gift a couple of years ago but then naughtily decided to keep! The truth is I found something more appropriate for that person and then I put these away and forgot all about them! The grapefruit scent has the perfect mix of citrus zing and sugary sweetness and it absorbed beautifully into the skin.  The small tub (say around 50ml) didn't last very long at all unfortunately and this scent has been discontinued.

 

Cosmetics

 

I decided to get a bit more brutal on my beauty diet this month and following Anissa's very brave and sensible lead (Norlin has also made fantastic progress!), so in addition to accumulating the empties I'm taking a long hard look at some of the makeup items which shouldn't be taking up space in my drawers.  Let's start with the empties first:

 

30) Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment Concealer (20 Light) - Perhaps all the hype around this concealer set my expectations way too high because I was underwhelmed by it.  The coverage was too sheer for me, meaning I had to build it and sometimes even reapply it under my eyes later in the day.  I don't have anything against Maybelline concealers per se because I still swear by my old favourite Dream Lumi - I just won't be buying this one again because it doesn't stand up to my PANDA EYES!

31) Lancôme Hypnose Doll Eyes Waterproof Mascara (Black) - I was sad to let this mascara go and not just because it's limited edition.  Read my original mini review here.

32) Bloom Eye Base (3.5g/0.12oz) - I thought this was quite a good eye primer until I switched up products recently.  No matter as it's been discontinued anyway.

 

Culled...

 

Yup, I've finally taken the plunge and decided to get rid of a few products that didn't quite work for me.  At this point I'm deciding these won't count towards makeup empties and I won't use them as credit towards new products in my beauty diet - if they don't work they don't necessarily need to be replaced!

 

Styli-Style Timeless Lipstick (Beauty 1512) - I received this in a swap ages ago and unfortunately silvery matte beige lips are just not for me.  If this was glossy I could have used it as a topper and I suppose conversely I could have topped this lipstick with gloss but seriously I have too many lipsticks already to have to worry about making this one work!

 

L'Oreal Shine Caresse (Princess & Eve) - Ugh, I do feel bad about not loving these and I so wanted them to work for me. Another case of not being swayed by the hype perhaps - but for me they applied unevenly, felt weird on the lips and worse still, bled out in a tacky mess beyond the lip line. Out they go.

 

Essence Cherry Blossom Girl Lipstick Pencil (Cherry Cherry Girl) - Considering they are a budget brand Essence are usually surprisingly good quality so I was in a state of disbelief over the shocking performance of this pencil.  It applied way too thickly, virtually pilling into balls of colour on the lips.  Very hard to describe but trust me it was horrendous and unwearable.  The only positive was it didn't cost much.

 

Fragrance



33) Tom Ford Lys Fume EDP (1.5ml sample) - This is my second sample vial of Lys Fume so I don't need to say too much.   Top notes:  Italian mandarin, pink pepper, turmeric and nutmeg;  middle notes: white lily, ylang-ylang, Artemisia and rum;  base notes: Madagascar vanilla, labdanum, styrax and oak. 

 

Now that feels lighter!

 

January's farewelled products (and beauty diet update)

 

I was determined to get this post done before it got too close to March!  As I always promise I'm going to try and keep it brief because there are enough products to make this a lengthy tome already...

 

Skin care

 

1) The Face Shop Green Tea Sheet Mask - I'm back with those sheet masks this year although I must admit I've not been pampering myself too much lately.  This hydrating mask was a little on the sticky side and my skin felt tacky afterwards.  Not a favourite - I won't repurchase - but not huge loss at 3AUD.

2) The Face Shop Pearl Essential Mask Sheet - "for smooth and light absorption and intensive efficacy of pearl".  My Googling tells me pearl powder is used in skincare to improve the appearance and rejuvenate the skin. Fractionally more expensive at 5AUD but a better feeling mask and I would repurchase. 

3) Nivea Pure & Natural Facial Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes) - These new Nivea wipes are freshly scented and free from parabens, silicones, colourants, mineral oils and alcohol.  They left my skin feeling clean and refreshed and not dry or tight in any way afterwards.  I found these a nice summer choice because they are so fresh! 

 

 

4) Pond's Flawless White Deep Whitening Facial Foam (100g) - I've learned not to expect miracles from whitening products but it doesn't stop me from trying the variations out there.  Needless to say the whitening properties of this cleanser were nothing to rave about but aside from that it was a nice foaming cleanser.  The teeniest bit squeezed into the palm of my hand lathered up really well and it was gentle and non-drying.  If you don't care about the "whitening" aspect and enjoy a rich foaming cleanser then this is just fine for the in-shower cleanse.

 

5) Face of Australia Gentle Make-Up Remover (125ml/4.23 fl.oz) - I tried this as another variation of my favourite dual-phase, shake up makeup removers.  I found it just as effective as any on the market, and it didn't sting or irritate my eyes so I've repurchased.  For those of you who are interested this is another oil free, and paraben free product.

 

6) Avon Anew Reversalist Night Renewal Cream (50g) - I'm trying to be more religious about my nightly skincare routine so night creams are making more of a regular appearance.  I really enjoyed this night cream - it felt rich enough to be moisturising but not too rich so not suffocating or greasy. It has a lovely "expensive" scent too and elegantly packaged in its heavy glass jar this is a bit of a luxury product. 



 

Hand and body care

 

7)  Natio Wellness Hand Wash (240ml/8.1fl.oz) - This gentle chamomile, pomegranate and wheatgerm enriched hand wash is one of my favourites.  It doesn't irritate my eczema afflicted hands and the scent is soft and fruity without being cloyingly sweet.  The one problem is the pump bottle which can leak product at the neck of the bottle and get a bit messy - funnily enough I didn't notice this problem until someone else brought it to my attention and then of course it started to annoy me... Still, I do love the product itself and I'd decant it into a different bottle if it really drove me crazy!

 

8) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120ml/4 fl.oz) -  This is the strongest formula in the OPI remover line (suitable for gel removal) and I'm happy to continue using it this year.  At the moment I'm down to weekly manicures so it's not too drying and it removes my polish quickly.

 

9) Avon Foot Works Healthy Cracked Heel Relief Cream (100ml) - No I don't suffer from cracked heels but I believe regular use of this cream is the reason why.  I have a backup in use already.

 

Cosmetics

 

This is the most exciting part of the post for me because it's my beauty diet update and I'm out of the starting gate! Two makeup empties means I could go shopping if I wanted for my first luxe makeup item but I've got something specific in mind which doesn't release until March.

Logically I'll do these updates as part of my monthly empties to save boring you - more immediate updates are on Instagram if you want to know exactly when I'm finishing up things. Along for the ride are Anissa and Norlin so check out their blogs too to see how they're progressing! I know Anissa has a massive makeup destash underway and I'm impressed with her fearlessness!

 

10) Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl Mascara - I've raved about this mascara and I do love just how creamy and smooth it feels when I apply it - This mascara just glides on.  No clumps, just thick and soft lashes with this one. 

 

11) MAC Lip Glass (Zazoom) - I don't really know why I persisted with this gloss because it was the least practical, chunky-glitter filled concoction.  Never fear cos this was an old LE so it can't terrify any of you any more! It's DONE now and that's my two makeup empties for this month.

 

Until next time!

 

 

December's farewelled products (2013 edition)

So this is my final empties post for 2013.  To tell you the truth I'm a lot more excited about my 2014 beauty wishlist which I've also been working on so I'll try to keep the rambling to a minimum.  We'll see if I can reign it in!

 

Skin care 

 

139) Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (1 litre) - The third bottle of my favourite in-shower soap-free body cleanser used up this year. Just realised this should be included in my hand and body category where it usually lives but I've slipped up here. Whoops!

 

140) Dior Instant Gentle Exfoliant (75ml/2.6 oz) - This was one of my skincare splurges in 2013 and it was well enjoyed too!  This creamy white exfoliant is permeated with the scent of pure lily extract so it was a sensory pleasure while exfoliating.  I used this twice weekly in the shower and it did a thorough but gentle job.  I'd love to repurchase this - when my skincare stash dwindles just a little!

 

141) Milk Beauty Wipes (25 wipes) - After all this time I think I have finally met the HG of cleansing wipes! These are extra large, alcohol and paraben free, and are beaded on one side for exfoliation - let me tell you they did a fantastic job of declogging the bumpy little pores on my chin! Great resealable packaging and a lovely gentle baby powder scent too. 

 

142) The Face Shop Real Nature Mask (Aloe) - This sheet mask was refreshingly aloe-scented and lightly moisturising.  Not the most intensively moisturising I've tried but not a bad skin pick-me-up for $3AUD either! 

143) Eos Lip Balm (Honeysuckle Honeydew) - Yup I finished one of these little spheres! I found this 'flavour' very silky smooth (smoother than the medicated Tangerine I'm now using) and pretty darn addictive.  I'm usually a single swipe kind of gal when it comes to balms but with this I would just keep swiping and sweeping it over the lips - I think it was a combination of the spherical shape and the super smooth moisturising formula.  In any case these aren't expensive so I can swipe to my heart's content - besides I have four more flavours to try in my little collection! 

Hand and body care

144) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120 ml/4 Fl.oz) - Another bottle bites the dust! I've recently found out this formula is recommended for GelColor removal, hence OPI's  "superior performance" claim.

 

145) L'Occitane Ultra Rich Shower Cream (75ml/2.5fl.oz travel size) - I was pretty pleased to find this GWP lurking in my bathroom drawer because I love this for the ultimate creamy shower indulgence! I have raved about this previously - the only reason I don't repurchase all the time is the equally indulgent price for a product that gets washed away down the shower drain.

146) L'Occitane Dry Skin Foot Cream (10ml/0.3oz travel size) - I found this during the same purge of my bathroom drawers and put it to use immediately for an overnight foot treat.  It was fantastically rich and silky on application, not surprising given the 15% Shea butter content and scented with lavender which makes for slightly fresher scented tootsies! I plan on pricing this one for a future purchase.

147) Nivea Intensive Nourishing Hand Cream (75ml) -  This rich hand cream is targeted at dry hands with its Macadamia Nut and Vitamin formula.  I'm a fan of the classic Nivea cream scent so I loved inhaling it with every application.  Despite its claims of being quickly absorbed I did find it to be on the greasy side so I used it for my overnight hand cream. 

Cosmetics

148) Mirenesse Tight Liner Hydra Gel Eye Liner (Caviar Black) - I'm absolutely kicking myself that I didn't use this gel liner more often because it dried up on me and I really did love it. Oh well. See my original mini review here.

 

149) Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara (Black) - My everyday workhorse waterproof mascara and not bad for a budget product. See my mascara comparison post here for more about it.

150) Essence Glossy Lipbalm (Toffee Frappucino) - This lip gloss tube was on my hit list of products to use up in 2014 but I got there earlier.  These have been discontinued a while ago so I won't bother with an unnecessary review.

 



Fragrance

 

151) Dior - Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet EDT (1ml/.03fl.oz) - This didn't make a lasting impression on me - I can only remember the lightness of the fragrance.   From the Dior website: 
"Delicate and light, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet is a tender, floral bouquet. The Sicilian Orange Essence top note comes together with a tender floral heart, unveiling dominant notes of Peony and Damask Rose. As a finishing touch, white musk delicately envelops this springtime composition..."

 

So that's it for another month and another year's worth of empties! Now onwards with the new year and my plans to reduce my makeup collection just a little to make way for a little more luxury beauty this year as per my Beauty Diet.  Knowing that I have quite a few well used makeup items - and knowing that I finished 23 makeup items (including 1 tossed item) in 2013 - I'm pretty excited I'll succeed and can't wait to finish my first 2 items so that I can earn my first luxury makeup reward!

 

Next post:  My 2014 wishlist!

 

The baby shower manicure (aka Hello Kitty - Gun of Roses & The Face Shop - PK 107)

Being invited to a pink themed baby shower a few weeks ago (for one of my lovely Melbourne beauty blogger friends Ling from The Best Beauty Blog) it was certain that I'd go for a girly pink manicure!  By the way this is another Ling, not my YouTube buddy just so you don't congratulate the wrong girl...

 

I chose the musk candy pink cream Gun of Roses by Hello Kitty accented with some silver holo bar glitter courtesy of The Face Shop's PK 107. Two coats of base colour, topped with two coats of the glitter and - Voila! - one hyper feminine pink manicure to go with the pink theme.  Naturally I also went over the top with a hot pink blouse and hot pink lipstick.  Too much pink? No, I fitted right in with the rest of the 'pink ladies' at the afternoon tea!

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:


 

 

 

That's all for now!

The Face Shop: 17 Pearl Brown

It's been a few months since my rose gold makeup post and I finally got around to wearing another of my rose gold polishes.  As usual I'm wondering why I waited so long because I find rose gold to be a very flattering shade of gold for my skin tone.   Just another one of those really meaningful First World musings, huh?

This polish from Korean brand The Face Shop is simply labelled 17 Pearl Brown which is also a fairly accurate description.  Pearl Brown has a very strong satiny pearl finish which I think you either love or hate.  I used to really love pearly polishes when I was a teenager but then moved away from anything remotely pearly or frosty unless it was an edgy colour.  These days I guess I've softened towards pearl finishes again - well at least where it comes to rose gold as I found this a particularly pretty polish to wear.  If I must fault it, it's the tendency of a pearly polish like this to show up brush strokes, but it's only really obvious on one nail so more careful application would take care of that problem.  It's the usual two coats of colour on my nails here.

Sun

Shade

Until next time.

Revelling in rose gold...

Hello again!

I've long been a lover of yellow and white gold but in recent times (and under the influence of current trends of course) I've been gravitating to rose gold, not just for jewellery but also in nail polish and makeup. This means I became a bit obsessed and went on a little rose gold binge - particularly when it came to nail polish with all the recent rose gold releases! As it happens I already had a few rose gold makeup items in my collection so I've expanded on my original idea of a rose gold themed nail polish post to share the lot here...

Cheeks & Eyes...

theBalm Hot Mama! shadow/blush - I've had this multi-task product hidden away for months and only just started using it.  I haven't tried it on my eyes (I really should try that now that I've woken up to what the packaging was telling me!!) but I have done the blush thing.  This warm and rosy, almost peach shade is shot with golden shimmer which did scare me a little in the pan but it effectively translates to a warm luminous glow on my cheeks - love!

Maybelline Eyestudio quad (70 Copper Chic) - This quad offers a rose gold shimmer shadow as a lid shade (second from left in the palette above).  Depending on your colouring this application will either work for you or make you look a bit red-eyed and tired.  With my pale translucent eyelids and light coloured eyes I'm in that latter category BUT I've still been able to make this colour work by using it as a transition shade in crease. I'm heaving a sigh of relief here because I really wanted this shade to work for me somehow!

...& Lips...

Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift (44) - More rose with a gold shimmer than actual rose gold.  I received this opaque gloss as a free gift with a local weekly magazine.  As you see in the swatch below this lip colour is super glossy but pigmented enough to wear alone.

Models Prefer Lip Gloss Pencil (Perfectly Polished) - I've worn this pencil a lot as you can see from the stubby looking thing above.  It's a warmer, more coppery than my Velvet Lip Lift tube and the closest to a rose gold lip colour in my collection.  I have a few of these MP pencils and love them for their easy application, as they glide onto my lips for opaque shiny colour.



Swatched Left to Right:
Hot Mama!, Copper Chic, Velvet Lip Lift 44, Perfectly Polished

Nail colours

The Face Shop (17 - Pearl Brown) - Up until a few months ago this was the only true rose gold polish in my collection.  I've had it for quite a while too!

 Sportsgirl Nail It! (Rose Gold) & Face of Australia (Studio 54) - These two Australian glitter polishes released over the past few months happen to be dupes and I don't know how I didn't figure that out until I swatched them. If you have one of these then you definitely don't need the other.

OPI (Sprung) - Deep rose gold, coppery foil released in Mariah Carey's collection.  My favourite. The end.

Swatched Left to Right:
Rose Gold layered over Pearl Brown, Pearl Brown alone, Rose Gold, Studio 54, Sprung

Do you prefer rose gold, yellow gold,  white gold or do you love all three?

Until next time.

The Face Shop: GL112

Hello! Hello! Another busy week's just flown by!

This quick NOTD post features a lovely gem from Korean beauty brand The Face Shop.  I bought this a few years ago, stashed it in my helmer and dug it out when I was frantically looking for something "neutral" to wear.  Well my kind of neutral anyway!  This nondescriptly labelled GL112 is in fact a lovely sparkly rose gold foil.  Two coats of sparkly goodness are right here in these pictures:

Sun

Shade

That's it for now.

Vita :)

The Face Shop: Celestial Light Nail Color 03

Hello :)

I'm so glad I decided to do a full manicure of The Face Shop's Celestial Light 03 because now I can appreciate the stunning shimmer in the sun!  I used this colour as one of my Easter egg skittles (here) and a few of you singled it out in your comments, so this post is for you.  Without further ado this is two coats of sparkly yellow gold foil in all its glory.  Behold gilt fingertips...

Sun

Shade

This is the most vibrant gold polish in my collection without a doubt!

That's all for now.

Vita :)

The Face Shop: Celestial Light Nail Color 02

Happy Wednesday everyone :)

After playing with my Easter skittle mani last weekend I liked the two Face Shop foils enough to do full manicures of each.  I actually bought these nail polishes in Singapore a few years ago.  I was inspired by all the amazing mani's and pedi's I was seeing all around over there so I had to get me some sparkly, foil polish to join in with the fun. 

Before seeing your lovely comments on the yellow gold foil I'd decided to go with the pink foil shade 02 first.   02 is a mauve-toned pink foil so it's pretty without being too OTT.  This is two coats with top coat to add a bit of shine.

Sun

 

Shade

That's it for tonight!

Vita :)

NOTD: Easter egg skittles

My Easter manicure was inspired by a little bag of Easter eggs I received from my son :)  I simply chose four shades which I thought would closely match the gorgeous foil colours to create my own version of Easter egg skittles. 

 L - R:

Revlon (Lush Lime)

The Face Shop (Celestial Light Nail Color 02)

Sally Hansen (Blizzard Blue)

The Face Shop (Celestial Light Nail Color 03)

I was quite happy with the result.  Unfortunately our Easter Sunday has been a cloudy one.  On a random note the little milk chocolate eggs are yummy and it's hard to stop at one...

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Fluffy bunny hugs to all xoxo

Vita :)

EOTD: Pink

Here's a quick EOTD from last weekend.  The weather was beautiful and sunny so I did a light and feminine look using pink, plum and pearl.

For this look I used:

• Bloom Eye Base blended all over lid
• Revlon Tickled pink on lid and browbone
• Anna Sui Eye Color Accent (302 - pink) blended in crease
• The Face Shop Color Nuance (WH004 - pearl) in inner corner of lid
• L'oreal Subtle Berries Quad, (plum shade only) on outer upper & lower lash line
• Lancome Definicils mascara (Black)

Until my next post.

Vita :)