Festive fingertips: Urban Decay - Hot Mess + Ziggy

Hello again,  I've been crazy busy lately so I'm lucky to have been able to sneak in two posts in the last two days.  This is just a quickie...

I finally had the opportunity to wear my new Urban Decay holiday polishes so I decided to try two at once!  Here I've applied the glass-flecked magenta pink Hot Mess as the main manicure shade with multicoloured glitter-bomb Ziggy on my ring finger as an accent.  This was the fun mani I sported to our pre-Christmas street party last weekend! 

Full sun

Outdoors shade

That's all for now.

Vita :)

Festive fingertips: OPI - I Love the Holidays! + Glitter top coat

This is my second officially festive mani and is courtesy of a HTF vintage OPI combination I've had in my stash for quite a few years.

I Love the Holidays! and ILTH! Glitter Top Coat are part of an old black label holiday set I bought way back in the early Noughties on the TV Shopping Network - good ol' TVSN!  I Love the Holidays is a shimmery coral pink with a slight duochrome which looks a bit retro when worn alone (stupido me didn't think to take any pics without top coat - Doh!!).  I added two coats of the matching glitter top coat, which consists of very fine warm pink glitter.  Sparkly like sugar, this manicure is sweet and nice for the holidays and a change from the usual holiday colour combinations...

Full sun

Outdoors shade - you can just see the duochrome in the bottle

I hope you have a great start to your week.  Less than two weeks of work for me then I'll have an extended break at home with my son.  Can't wait!

Until next time.

Vita :)

Haul post: From Vegas, Baby (and a swatchathon)!

Hello Lovelies

This post has been a while coming, as my Hubby's been back home from Las Vegas three weeks now.  Look at the major haul he brought back for me!

From my shopping list:  Wet n Wild eyeshadow palettes, YSL & MAC lipsticks, and Christian Dior Diorshow mascara.  

And as a surprise:   Urban Decay holiday collection nail polish & eyeliners and Sally Hansen crackle polishes!  Not a bad effort for a middle-aged male I've got to say.  You can understand why I married him! ;)

Now for a closer look and all the swatches of course.  Take a deep breath because this is gonna be pic heavy...

L - R:

YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks - 26 (Tender Peach), 2 (Sensual Silk)

MAC Cremesheen lipstick (Modesty)

MAC Amplified Creme lipstick (Blankety)

I was very much in a nude lip mood when I made up my list as aside from Tender Peach, all of the other lipsticks are variations of nude.  The Rouge Volupte range of lippies are a new luxe addition to my collection and I'm in love with the packaging.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to score MAC lippies at half the Australian price so that's why I chose two!

Swatched in daylight L - R:

Tender Peach, Sensual Silk, Modesty, Blankety

Wet n Wild Color Icon palette:

736 Petal Pusher

I chose this palette to feed my purple addiction!

I can see lots of possibilities with it, from sweet to smoky...

381B Sweet As Candy

I think this will be pretty for everyday wear.

380B Walking on Eggshells

I've seen this palette feature in lots of beauty bloggers' posts so it was a 'must have' for me.

Another great palette for everyday.

334 I'm Getting Sunburned

Not for the colour-shy this has the most amazing rich gold shade, complemented with pink and a dark chocolate brown accent shade.

It was the gold that sold me on this one.

Urban Decay Electric 24/7 Travel Size eye pencil set

Well, hello, this was a surprise purchase by my husband and he chose well.  These eyeliner pencils are so creamy and intensely pigmented and the colours are amazing!  They're supposed to be waterproof so I should be able to put that to the test when the weather down here really heats up...

Swatched in daylight L - R:

Perversion, Ransom, Woodstock, Radium, Junkie

Urban Decay Holiday Nail Kit

Another surprise purchase.  My Hubby knows me well!   6 new gorgeous nail colours for the holidays.

Swatches shown in full sun and shade in the same order as in the pack above:

L - R: Barlust, Mars, Wrecked, Ziggy, Gunmetal, Hot Mess

Sally Hansen Crackle overcoats

L - R:  Cherry Smash, Vintage Violet, Fuschia Shock

Not exactly a surprise because Hubby showed me these via Facebook although they weren't on my shopping list.  I've not swatched them here so I'll do a separate post on these.

Christian Dior Diorshow Mascara (Black) - see intro picture.

I love this luxe mascara so I added it to the shopping list.  I've done a previous brief review upon finishing a sample tube here .

I hope you enjoyed this post.  

If you have any of these products I'd love to hear what your impressions are!

Until next time.

Vita :)

Festive fingertips: OPI - Don't Toy With Me!

Because we're heading towards the holiday season I'm dragging out my beloved old limited edition holiday polishes!

The first holiday polish I'm posting is one of my absolute favourite reds of all time(!) and is from OPI's 2008 Holiday in Toyland collection.  Don't Toy With Me is an amazing glass-flecked deep ruby red.  It's like wearing crushed rubies on my fingertips as the sparkle is crazy in bright light.  The depth and complexity of this polish is fabulous.  Gorgeous for a party manicure!

It's so stunning and I don't think my pictures don't do it justice...

Full sun

Lamplight

Outdoors shade

That's all for now.

Vita :)

Twinkle, twinkle holo star: Aisai - 48

Hi everyone!

This is a quick post to show you another glitter layered mani.  Aisai 48 is a delicately pretty layering polish consisting of fine silver glitter with holographic silver stars suspended in a clear base.  I applied a single coat over Butter London's Yummy Mummy and used a toothpick to place the stars near the nail tips.  I think this would be a cute mani for the festive season:

Thanks for looking!

Vita :)

REVIEW: Products farewelled in November

Somehow I finished a mountain of products last month without really trying!  It's always satisfying to see that I do actually get to finish at least some of the things I buy.  Here's the lowdown on what I thought...

Skin care

73) The Body Shop Shiso Whitening Moisture Milk (50ml/1.69 fl.oz)
I used this daily as part of three step routine (cleanser, serum and moisturiser) in my ongoing battle with my sunspots.  Daily application of this Japanese formula moisturiser is supposed to result in "brighter, smoother, more porcelain-looking complexion..." Well, after three or so months I didn't see any deterioration in my existing pigmentation but couldn't see a huge improvement either, probably because the main cause of hyper-pigmentation is sun damage and this product doesn't contain any SPF.  What I did like was the light milky texture and how well it absorbed into my skin, leaving my skin feeling soft without being greasy.  In summary, a reasonable but not fantastic product.  It's not my HG moisturiser so I've moved on.


74) The Body Shop Shiso Whitening Serum (30ml/1.0 fl.oz)
My second bottle finished this year and I've now had the opportunity to use the full range for three months.  As with the Moisture Milk this was a reasonable but unremarkable product.  Mainly because I'm fickle and keen to try something else I won't be buying another of these in the near future. Click here for my original review.

75) Kosmea eighth natural wonder revitalising facial serum (10ml/0.33 fl.oz trial size)
I found this lurking in my samples stash so I tried it after finishing The Body Shop's serum.  Kosmea is an Australian company specialising in natural skin care.  Its products don't contain artificial colours, artificial fragrances, mineral oils, petrochemicals or animal ingredients and are not tested on animals.  The magic ingredient in this is hibiscus extract which is supposed to 'freeze' fine lines and wrinkles.  I can't say that I noticed any difference to my wrinkles (damn) but I really liked the organic rose hip oil scent and it did absorb really well.  Nice, and I love that it's natural and animal friendly but not special enough for me to purchase.  

Hand care

76) Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme (17g/.60 oz)
I really loved using this little tin of lemony goodness for softening my cuticles and it lasted absolutely ages, considering I used it a few times a day - probably because I found the lemon curd-like scent addictive!  This creme contains natural ingredients including sweet almond oil, lemon oil and cocoa butter.  My only peeve with this is it gets a bit difficult to get the last bits out of the tin with long(ish) nails.  I would definitely repurchase. 


77) Cutex Strengthening Nail Polish Remover (100ml)
I bought this for a few dollars at a drugstore/chemist when I was away on vacation and OPI was hard to find.  The strengthening formula includes protein and pro-Vitamin B5.  I found it removed nail polish just as effectively as my usual OPI although it's a bit more drying.  The scent was pleasant too and not too overpowering.  I would repurchase this as a budget alternative although, yes, I've gone back to my usual OPI moisturising remover.

78) OPI Drip Dry Drops (9ml/0.3 fl.oz.)
My third bottle finished up for the year.  Yes, I'm onto my fourth.  Click here for my original review.


79) OPI RapiDry Topcoat
My second bottle for the year and by adding lacquer thinner drops I managed to get about 90% of the product out of the bottle.  I've read other bloggers complaining how the formula on this becomes too thick to use when there's still about a third of the product left - with a few drops of thinner there's a lot less wastage.  Although I'm currently using Sally Hansen's Megashine I still stand by RapiDry as a great quality topcoat and I'll definitely repurchase.  See my original review here .

80) OPI Polish Remover (non-oily, moisturizing formula)
My eighth bottle for the year - no, I'm not drinking it.  I promise!!!


81) L'Occitane Vanilla Flower Hand Cream (30ml/1 oz.)
Gorgeously scented rich hand cream with the 20% Shea Butter content.  I'm a huge fan of L'Occitane products generally and their Shea Butter hand creams are my fave.  They're a bit expensive but a small tube lasts a while because of the super rich formula.  These hand creams are also great as an overnight treatment.  A definite repurchase for me.

Hair & body care

81) RPR Hold Me Gently hair mist (50ml/1.69 Fl.oz travel size)
Another vacation purchase.  My hair's very fine and straight so I spray this mist onto damp hair for soft (not crunchy) natural volume and lift.  It gives my hair a nice soft scent too.  I liked this enough to buy a full sized bottle.

82)  Palmer's Olive Butter Formula Concentrated Cream (30g/1.1 oz travel size)
I had this in my stash for a while and I finally tried it after my Palmer's Shea Butter Concentrated cream ran out a few months ago.  It's basically the same sort of product and is targeted at treating dry skin on hands, elbows, knees and feet but with certified organic extra virgin olive oil as the key ingredient.  It has the same rich formula and it also absorbs super quickly.  I prefer the scent of this to the shea butter cream so now I've bought this in the full size tube.

Cosmetics

83) MAC Amplified Creme lipstick (Cosmo)

I've posted about this lippy before and took it away with me on vacation (see here for vacation post and swatch).  It's a perfect deep nude which goes with any look.  I love the amplified lipstick formula and these are probably my favourite lipstick line from MAC because they have great intense pigmentation, last hours on my lips without needing touching up and don't bleed at all.

84) Christian Dior Single Eyeshadow (622 Sand Beige)

Long discontinued so I won't say too much.  It sat it my stash way too long before I 'discovered' it and realised it was the perfect golden taupe for me.  I loved wearing this as a colour wash all over the lid for a simple chic daytime look.  622 you will be sadly missed from my collection :(

85) Avon Perfect Wear Long Lasting Mascara (black)

Not perfect at all! I was underwhelmed by the performance of this mascara.  It was clumpy, difficult to get good coverage on my lashes and dried out very quickly in the tube.  It only cost $3AUD but I won't be buying this again.

86) Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara (Very Black)

I love this little drugstore mascara and it was my staple weekday lash product.  It separates and coats each individual lash for a defined, lengthened look.  It won't be your cup of tea if you're after fattened lashes but it gives you softly long lashes due to its glossy formula.  My only complaint is the moulded plastic bristles are a little sharp and I have given myself an accidental painful prod at the base of my lashes.

If you've hung on so far, thank you!

That's all for this month's empties.

Vita :)

 

What my nails wore to work: Butter London - Yummy Mummy

Another week and another Butter London.

This week I've been wearing Yummy Mummy which I received as a freebie with this month's Australian madison magazine.  Yummy Mummy is a neutral mushroom taupe with a very subtle pearl highlight.  It's another one of those easy 'no brainer' shades to wear when you really don't know what to wear.  A perfect all year round shade and perfect for work.  This polish has been particularly durable for some unknown reason - four days in and I've honestly got no tip wear - pretty good for a week at the office!

Full sun

Shade

There are two shades available to choose from with the December issue of madison.

Until next time.

Vita :)