Orly: Life's a Peach

Life's a Peach is the last of my Orly mini collection polishes, and this one unfortunately disappointed me.

Don't get me wrong here, I like the colour and was really looking forward to wearing it - it was the formula that let me down this time.  On the positive side this is a summer-appropriate tangerine with just a hint of shimmer which would look its best with a (fake for me) tan.  Onto the negatives:  I had all sorts of problems applying this polish, which I don't understand as all my other Orly polishes glided on so smoothly.  This polish was a bit thick and gloopy and applied unevenly with bald patches even after three coats.  Luckily some top coat smoothed it out well enough to photograph, but then I went and smudged it badly an hour later so it didn't last long on my nails after that.  Oh well...

Full sun

 

Outdoors shade

That's all for now

Vita :)

Layering with Revlon Icicles

Hello again!

You know I don't think Revlon's Icicles has been swatched before - the only blog post I've been able to find was a rather stunning bottle shot taken by another Aussie nail polish blogger, Kaz at Pretty Random (here) as part of her extensive gallery of HTF Revlon polishes.  Icicles is a sheer glitter polish released as one of Revlon's Snowglobes collection from back in 2003 I think.  It's a gentle mix of blue iridescent glitter in a  sheer pink polish base which makes it look opalescent and very pretty.  I was lucky enough to snap this bottle up for around a meagre $4AUD in Cosmetics Plus whilst on holiday in Queensland late last year.

I applied two coats of Icicles over another Revlon polish, the hot Coral Me Wild.  Looking at my casual application here (darn glitter everywhere!) I'll need to do a reswatch to capture the true beauty but try and enjoy these pictures anyway as they give you some idea of the soft sparkle.

Full sun

Outdoors shade

I'm going to try this polish over a soft pastel shade next time I swatch it.

Until my next post

Vita :)

EOTD: New Year's Eve blues...

Hello!

I took some quick pics of my eye make-up before I flew out the door for a New Year's Eve BBQ party.  I decided to play up my eyes by accenting them with a deep inky blue...

For this look I used:

• Face of Australia primer (matte) blended over the lids
• L'Oreal - Blue Jean applied on outer third of lids
• MAC - Satellite Dreams on middle of lids
• Revlon - Tickled Pink (light pink frost) on inner corners and blended up to browbone
• MAC - Bordeauxline Powerpoint eye pencil on outer upper and lower lash lines 
• L'Oreal - Extra-Volume black waterproof mascara on upper lashes

Here are the eyeshadow colours I used and swatched in the same order:

 L-R:

Revlon Tickled Pink - (limited edition but easily dupable)

MAC - Satellite Dreams

L'Oreal - Blue Jean (intensely pigmented and tricky to blend)

Until next time.

Vita :)

Beauty resolutions for 2012???

Okay...

I've been thinking about my own resolutions list for 2012 for a while now, mostly because I know they will be directing me to buy less make-up.  2011 was a fantastically fun year, starting up this blog and connecting with lots of lovely, like-minded people.  I don't regret it at all!  The "side-effect" for want of a better term was the compulsive beauty buying that ensued.  Originally my blog was more focused on sharing my own nail polish collection, but as a beauty buff from way back, I love make-up and it was a case of "monkey see (on other blogs!), monkey buy"!  Ah well, let's start off with the easy resolutions before I get onto the painful ones!

1. Keep my eyebrows under control with more regular grooming
2. Master the use of blush and bronzer - remember they can be a pale gal's friends!
3. Always take off all my make-up at night - not just my eye make-up like I sometimes do...
4. Clean my make-up brushes regularly - I've bought some brush cleaner from MAC so that's a big hint to self!
5. Wear sunscreen - I'm in a dispute with my doctor over this because I've recently become Vitamin D deficient.  Heck, I'll just take the vitamin supplements and keep wearing the sunscreen thanks! 

Now the biggie....

Go on a 3 month/Project 10 Pan make-up ban!

[Source]

So I won't buy any make-up for 3 months or I've finished 10 make-up items, which ever takes me the longest time.  Of course I've set up some rules to make it less painful and thrown in a little reward system to keep me motivated.

• Have one last hurrah at the beauty counters just to ease me in - Done!  I've got two last haul posts coming up over the next week or so
• Do a clean out of beauty products that are cluttering up the place and won't be used - in progress and I'll do a post on this
• Set aside $5 for each successful week to go towards a luxe makeup item (or items) as a reward for completing the ban - this should motivate me to keep the ban going as long as possible.  I got this idea from The Dark Side of Beauty.
• Exception:  I may buy a make-up item during the ban only if I genuinely run out and do not have a back up - believe me this could happen if I run out of pressed powder over the next 3 months as I've only got a single MAC powder to use! 

But wait, there's more!  I know my nail polish collection is hopelessly out of control and I don't think I'll ever finish another bottle but I CAN do a little something about reducing my lipstick and gloss population this year.

• Finish 5 lipsticks or 5 lip glosses for every one I buy this year - now that's gonna be a toughie so there's one exception to this particular rule:  Back 2 MAC where I score a free lipstick after returning 6 empty packages

I'm off to check out which 10 products I think I'm going to finish over the next three months or so.  Wish me luck!

Have you ever imposed a make-up ban?  How long did it last?

Keep smiling!

Vita :)

Revlon: Coral Me Wild

Yay!  Summer finally decided to make an appearance down here in Melbourne this week with the first heatwave of the season. Time to bring out the big guns then...

Coral Me Wild is from Revlon's core line and is a stunningly bright coral creme.  It sits on the fence nicely between hot pink and orange, perhaps leaning a little more to the hot pink, watermelon-y side.  To me it's probably THE most perfect summer shade and yet another polish shade for me to publicly declare my love for.  I never tired of looking at this one on my fingers - all summer fun and classy at the same time - yep, perfect for me!  Beautifully even and glossy coverage in two coats too.

Forgive my less than perfect application here.  This is my left (non-swatch) hand because my pinky nail tore clean off on my right hand and I didn't want to nubbinise my nails this time:

Full sun

Shade

That's all for now. 

Vita :)

REVIEW: Products farewelled in December & the final 2011 tally!

Well, here's my final 2011 empties review post.  Now how close did I get to my goal of 100 empties for the year?

Skin care

87) Palmer's Daily Facial Lotion Lightweight Moisturiser SPF 15 (15ml/.5fl. oz sample size)
I'm a huge fan of Palmer's body lotions and potions but this sample tube is my first experience with their facial range.  This SPF lotion is quite rich and creamy in consistency and because it's the Palmer's signature cocoa butter formula, it has a subtle yummy cocoa scent.  It's also loaded with the following goodies:  shea butter, peptide complex, vitamin E, aloe vera, milk proteins and evening primrose.  It takes a few minutes to absorb  but provides a smooth base for makeup.  I would definitely buy a full size of this moisturiser and as a good beauty blogger I'd actually consider trying the rest of the range to do my 'research'.

88) Lucas' Papaw Ointment (25g)
I did one of my very first review posts on this fab little ointment back in February 2011 (click here).  At that time I wrote that a tube lasts me several months and this is the proof!  I honestly use a tiny dab of this every night as an overnight lip treatment and here we are 11 months later.  It's an all-in-one treatment and is great for treating dry cuticles, scratches, grazes and insect products.  A little wonder product, and a bedside table staple so this is a definite repurchase for me!

89) L'Oreal Gentle Make-up Remover for Eyes & Lips (125ml)
This was my 5th bottle finished this year. I've yet to find anything to beat the gentle but effective formula (click here for original review) but I've recently found a very similar product from Maybelline with less messy packaging.  Expect a full comparison review soon.

Hand & body care

90) Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion (354ml/12 fl. oz)
This was the second bottle I finished this year solely because I bought a twin-pack.  Aveeno's Daily Moisturising Lotion is the cotton underwear equivalent in body lotions IMO - functional and reliable but not sexy.  Great for scaly winter skin hidden under layers of clothes, but when my skin's exposed in summer I want something with a bit of fragrance. The other thing which annoyed me was the struggle to get the last bits of lotion out of the bottle, and I hate wastage.  I'm moving on to more interesting things for moisturising my body this summer.  See my original review here.

91) & 92) OPI Polish Remover (non-oily, moisturizing formula)
Well, Hello I've finished two bottles again this month, making 10 bottles for the year.  All my glitter mani's and regular summer pedi's will account for the increase.  Still my favourite I'm afraid.  If you haven't read my original review click here.

93) OPI Avojuice Skin Quenchers Berry Juicie (30ml/1 fl. oz travel size)
Moving on from my unscented Aveeno body lotion I found this little bottle of Avojuice in my stash.  This isn't particularly sexy either but it is fruity! I didn't smell like berries but rather like grape bubblegum, which was fun and funny.  Anyway this lotion has avocado oil as one of its key ingredients and it absorbed super quickly and really did a great job of moisturising my limbs.  I know OPI has a whole range of different 'flavours' so while I wouldn't choose this fragrance again I'd love to try some others such as coconut melon or peach because it makes my skin feel really soft without being greasy and is a fun summer option.

94) Cowshed Cow Pat moisturising hand cream (50ml/1.69 fl.oz travel size)
Cute and amusing name!  I didn't buy this hand cream but got it as a freebie with a UK magazine.  UK mags are the best for freebies but that's another story... I don't know anything about the Cowshed brand because it's UK based but from the Cowshed website, it's very earth-friendly,  using "100% natural, premium quality essential oils" and doesn't test on animals.  Very worthy, and the hand cream felt great on my hands, but the scent is so strong!  Cow pat contains grapefruit and coriander essential oils but according to my son my hands smelt like pesto!  Every time I put this on around my hubby and son it provoked a verbal reaction from them.  This one's a fail.

Cosmetics

95) NYX The Twin Cake powder (CP10 Sand Beige)
The packaging on this shamelessly declares, "This is the best powder I've ever used!!"  I bought this powder early 2011 as part of a bargain beauty challenge and I did fall a little in love with it because of the fine finish and because it's such versatile product.  I can brush it lightly over my skin for a soft sheer finish, use the dry sponge for medium, dewy coverage (my preferred way of wearing it) or use a wet sponge for full foundation-like coverage.  All this for $22AUD.  A definite repurchase.

96) L'oreal Touche Magique illuminating concealer (Rose Beige)
Not too bad a product but the brush drove me mad and I've moved on to Maybelline's Dream Lumi Touch highlighting concealer as the best of the budget illuminating concealers.  See my post here .

So, I got pretty close to 100 empties and if I waited another week or two I'd probably have hit the century. It gives me something to aim for in 2012.  For a truly impressive yearly consumption tally check out Lil Lady's Life post here.  She managed to finish an amazing 165 products in one year - I'm in total awe!!

Now what's the breakdown of products?  This year I finished (including sample sizes):

• 11 x bottles of nail polish remover
• 9 x hand creams
• 8 x facial moisturisers
• 7 x body moisturisers
• 6 x lipsticks
• 6 x fragrances
• 5 x concealers
• 5 x bottles of eye make-up remover
• 5 x facial cleansers
• 4 x facial serums
• 3 x eyeshadows
• 3 x mascaras
• 3 x nail polish drying drops
• 3 x pressed powders
• 3 x mascaras
• 2 x cuticle oils/creams
• 2 x lip glosses
• 2 x top coats
• 2 x facial softeners
• 2 x body scrubs
• 2 x hair volumising products
• 1 of each of the following:  Lucas' papaw ointment (don't know the category because it fits more than one!), lip pencil, nail strengthener, nail polish, eye pencil

Whew, I did that final tally to satisfy my own curiousity, just to see what I actually used most of during the past 12 months.  Let's see what this year brings!

Until my next post.

Vita :)

My New Years Eve mani: OPI ( DS Temptation) + Kleancolor (My Valentine)

A very big Happy New Year to all my lovely readers!!!

All the partying's over and I can now start to chill out and relax into a state of domestic bliss for the next month or so.  I'm looking forward to spending time at home, experimenting in the kitchen and just being a domestic goddess really over the summer.

Okay, so this was my last mani for 2011. It actually got embellished at the last minute courtesy of the hostess of the party I was attending!  I had to wear something blingy to end the year so I chose OPI's Temptation to match the deep blue maxi dress I wore.  Temptation is a recent release from OPI's Designer series and isn't a traditional Designer Series holo but a predominantly purple fine glitter mash-up with pink and blue thrown in to the mix. The result is a glittery multi-chrome which subtly changes in the light.  It's all swimming in a translucent blue base so it took two good coats to get an opaque finish and probably could have done with a third to avoid any patchiness.

While I was at the New Years party, the lovely hostess (and a reader of this blog!) Emma allowed me to go diving through her own nail polish collection.  Of course I found Kleancolor's My Valentine which I added as a blingy accent to my already blingy fingers.  My Valentine is a mix of green, gold and silver hex glitter, with purple micro-glitter in a clear base.  Love it - I wish I owned this one!

Full sun - left hand

Full sun - right hand - my poor broken pinky nail :(

Outdoors shade

I'm keeping this on until it chips!

Until next time.

Vita :)