BYS Magnetic: Neptune

The third polish I'm reviewing from the BYS Magnetic range was unexpectedly interesting.

Neptune is the perfect name for this metallic teal polish because it's the green-blue colour of the sea.  I loved the depth of coverage after one coat, albeit being a little brushstrokey.  I could have so easily worn it as is - and I'll show you a 'before' shot to compare - but of course these polishes are all about the magnetic effect and this one was surprising.  I was expecting the magnetic pattern to be the usual light stripe but this one is black!  The striped pattern kind of reminded me in an off-kilter, off colour way of a bumblebee!?!  For the fun factor alone I like this magnetic polish the best so far!
 

 This is two coats of colour without top coat.  All pictures were taken in cloudy conditions:

Now here's the 'before' shot for comparison:

There are 9 shades in the BYS Magnetic nail enamel range.  BYS polishes are available from discount stores nationally or may be purchased online from FashionAddict.

Until next time.

Vita :)

 (These products have been provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Essence eyeshadow inventory and swatches!

It was over a year ago I first discovered Essence cosmetics and initially went completely gaga over their uber affordable rainbow of nail polish shades.  Of course I also tried a few eyeshadow pans because they were so cheap too - gotta love a good bargain!  I was surprised by their quality and colour selection and over the past year or so my collection has grown more than a little. Time to do an updated inventory then!  Here are my eyeshadow pans, and just because I like sorting things, they're sorted by finish.

Shimmer Effect
I think the reference to shimmer's a bit misleading - for me anyway because it automatically conjures up visions of tons of shimmer or frost.  Yes these shadows are shimmery and have a glowing finish but I think they're are best described as a satin, as they appear rather silky when swatched.  Pigmentation is medium but quite buildable and there are quite a few shades in the range with this soft finish.  These shadows are perfect for daytime looks.

Shades as shown left to right and swatched in the same order:

• 58 Cappucino, please - Mushroom beige
• 54 Yes eye can! - Silvery blue
• 46 Taupe of the pops - Khaki taupe
• 16 Go glam - Pink toned lilac
• 32 Jazzed up - Shimmery mint green

Metallic Effect
The Metallic Effect eyeshadows are incredibly pigmented and do have a definite metallic sheen to them.  One swipe and you get a lovely depth of colour and shine on your lids.  I use these as crease shades and prefer to use them for evening eyes. 

Left to right and swatched in the same order:

• 14 Irresistible - Gunmetal grey
• 35 Party all night - Warm golden taupe

And the rest...

Matte Effect
I only have one of these so I can't generalise.  The pigmentation is soft and a little on the sheer side and the finish isn't 100% matte as I can detect a slight satiny sheen. 
Holographic
I don't know about holographic but this has a gorgeous, duochrome look on the skin and has great coverage.  Stunning and very glam for an evening eye!  I'd buy more of these if I see them because I love the multidimensional iridescent look.
Sparkling Effect 
Sheer and powdery with a hint of sparkle.  Unfortunately mine is extremely crumbly too.

 Left to right and swatched in the same order:

• 21 Colour splash (matte effect) - soft lime green
•  43 Mystic lemon (holographic effect) - iridescent golden yellow
•  02 Dance all night - Ivory with subtle sparkle

 Australian readers can buy Essence cosmetics at Target and Priceline stores nationally.

Until next time.

Vita :)

BYS Magnetic: Comet

My second NOTD from the BYS Magnetic range is a little more subdued and classy.

Comet is a metallic grey-silver polish with very subtle (actually only visible in the bottle) silver flecks.   Because of the light toned polish base the magnetic design appeared as a softer effect and it was subtle enough for me to choose this for last week's work mani.  With top coat this polish managed to last through the working week with minimal chipping although a word of warning here:  some top coats can diminish the magnetic pattern and, yes, this happened to me.

These pictures were taken prior to application of top coat:

Shade

Sun

There are 9 shades in the BYS Magnetic nail enamel range.  BYS polishes are available from discount stores nationally or may be purchased online from FashionAddict.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

Vita :)

 (These products have been provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

BYS Magnetic: Fuschia-ristic

Fuschia-ristic is the first of the BYS Magnetics range I've tried - and the first magnetic polish I've EVER tried. So, how did this magnetic polish novice go???

To be totally honest this was my second attempt.  My first was a comedy of errors as I either:

1.  held the magnet too close and it stuck! or
2.  didn't get it close enough and got no result

 Alrighty then, after some online research (See Scrangie's awesome post on magnetic polish instructions and troubleshooting here) I felt a lot more confident going in for my second try - as in I had some idea what I was doing - and the results were pretty darn presentable!

Fuschia-ristic is a deep magenta with the barest hint of shimmer and is a flattering enough colour to wear without any added special effects.  It's a brighter hue than a lot of the magnetic polishes currently out there, which tend to be vampier reds, plums and blues so this shade is pretty unique.  With the magnetic pattern the result is a cheerful, almost candy stripe effect and it comes across as a great spring/summer interpretation of the magnetic polish trend.  The finish without top coat is a semi-matte, almost rubber look and I decided I liked it left it as is. 

Shade

Sun

There are 9 shades in the BYS Magnetic nail enamel range.  BYS polishes are available from discount stores nationally or may be purchased online from FashionAddict.

Until next time.

 

Vita :)

 (These products have been provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

My weekend face (Spring 2012)

On weekends I still enjoy wearing makeup -  I always enjoy wearing at least some makeup -  but away from the harsh office lighting I endure during the week, once the weekend arrives and I'm free (yay!), I pare it back to basics.  Normally that means a neutral palette of nude and beige, but now that spring has well and truly sprung I'm moving away from pure neutrals and embracing soft and pretty pinks, peaches and greens to introduce a bit of no fuss colour.  It's still simple, still looks like me but it's a prettier, fresher springier version of me.  I guess it's my spring blossom palette if you like!

These are the colours I've been loving lately - I'm embracing my inner girly again!

Eyes

MAC Duck Powerpoint Eye Pencil - I've blogged about this eyeliner pencil many times.  It's a soft grey-brown which softly accentuates my eyes without screaming 'eyeliner'!

MAC Vex (frost) - This eyeshadow looks grey in the pan right? Wrong! This pretty little gem is a silvery green with pink duochrome.  I love wearing Vex solo as the complexity of this shade makes it look like I've made a little more effort. It contours and highlights my eyes all in one but still looks soft rather than made up.

Essence Cappucino, please! (shimmer effect) - I recently did a MAC Shroom dupe post and Cappucino, please! was the closest dupe in my collection (see original comparison here).  I'll wear this soft mushroomy beige as an all over lid shade to brighten my eyes or on the inner corners to add a little extra brightness to Vex.

Cheeks & lips

Revlon Peach Parfait Lip Butter -  This soft peachy pink pearl is the right shade to give my lips just a hint of colour and sheen in one quick swipe.

Bloom Shy Sheer Colour Cream - I bought this quite a few months ago but only just 'discovered' it as I've started my love affair with cream blush in earnest.  It's a sheer rosy pink which can built up for an added natural flush on the apples on my cheeks.  Pretty in pink much?

Swatched L - R:
Peach Parfait, Shy, Duck, Cappucino, please!, Vex     

 

What's in your spring makeup bag?

That's it for now.

Vita :)

REVIEW: BYS Graffiti nail enamel

OK, I'll admit my ignorance up front -  I really wasn't too familiar with the concept of graffiti polish when I received these BYS bottles to try.  Of course they piqued my interest straight away - I didn't know just how they were going to work and what the effect was going to look like so I was on a mission to find out...

The shades L - R:

 (each comes with its own bottle of graffiti activator)

 Grab The Loot, Banksy Blue, Violet Vandal, Stick It To The Man

According to BYS the whole idea is to make nail art fuss free as one shade of polish transforms into a two-tone mani of your own design with the help of the clear graffiti activator.  You begin with painting your nails the desired base shade, wait a few minutes for it to dry, then paint whatever design you wish over the base using the graffiti activator.  The design appears on the nail after a few minutes as the polish darkens where the activator has been applied.

I applied two coats of each shade so I could compare how each polish performed.  The colours are all rather pretty foils and appear more vibrant and distinct on the nail than in the bottle.  My personal favourite was the silvery green Grab The Loot because it had the smoothest, most metallic finish.

Before L - R:

 Stick It To The Man, Violet Vandal, Banksy Blue, Grab The Loot

Now this is where I went ahead and did some slapdash application of the graffiti activator. The activator brush has a very fine tip, obviously suitable for intricate designs but it took novice me a few attempts to figure out the best way to work with the runny formula and the brush.  My first nail (Grab The Loot) involved generous haphazard drops of activator and this looks more rustic green leopard print than dotticure! I had a failed attempt at some sort of diagonal gradient on my second nail (again because of excess activator on the brush) but figured out to let the excess product run off the brush by the third nail and was able to create a not too terrible fishnet design! 

Now, PLEASE don't judge me on my nail art skills (I have little to none!) but do check out the impressive colour changing effects in my after shot:

After:

Key lesson learnt:

  Drip all the excess activator off the brush before painting your design!

So, how does it work?  I can only guess from my own observation because I couldn't find anything on the interwebs.  It appears that the activator contains a type of solvent as it seems to dissolve some ingredient in the base polish, breaking it down to create a darker shade.  Not a very scientific explanation but anyway, I've tried my best! The change in colour is really very noticeable and here's a closer look at the individual colours:

Grab The Loot

Banksy Blue

Violet Vandal

Stick It To The Man

What do I think? It's a bit tricky at first because the graffiti activator's a bit like writing with invisible ink - you really don't know exactly where you've applied until it starts to react with the polish.  And, you have to be careful of not flooding the nail with the activator but that's easily overcome if you drip off the excess before you apply to the nail.  

I really liked how effectively the contrast showed up against the base.  I was also pretty happy with the fishnet design I managed on my ring finger after the first two practice attempts, although I'd probably try these polishes again using stencils or french tip guides for a more precise result.  Alternatively, I could just paint over my ring finger with the activator for a contrasting accent nail.

There are 6 shades in the BYS Graffiti nail enamel range.  BYS polishes are available from discount stores nationally or may be purchased online from FashionAddict.

Until next time.

Vita :)

 (These products have been provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

REVIEW: September's farewelled products

Here's my latest batch of empties to throw onto the yearly pile.  I also have quite a few near-empties hanging around at the moment too so next month's tally's already looking good...

Skin care

92) Olay Regenerist Intensive Night Revitalizing Cream (50g)

I only use a night cream when I really feel I need it so a single jar will last me months.  I bought this night cream based on its reputation as it's been voted best night cream under $35AUD by InStyle Australia magazine.  So what did I think?  I loved it!  The pale lavender tinted cream immediately absorbs into my skin and leaves it feeling plumped up with a smooth, velvety texture.  A definite repurchase because this cream feels very luxe for a drugstore product.

93) Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes)

These featured in my cleansing routine post and I still stand by my original opinion (here).  These refreshing feeling wipes are my favourites so far and I would definitely repurchase.

94) Yes to Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter (Berry)

I can't believe how looong this little tube of berry scented lip balm lasted because I used it every single night before bed as my overnight lip treatment.  It contains coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax, sunflower oil, shea butter and - yes - carrot root extract.  All natural ingredients, and 95% organic, and 100% love from me cos my lips felt baby soft after using it.  Another drugstore winner! 

95) Sukin Facial Moisturizer (50ml/1.69fl.oz travel size)

I got this as a freebie in a skincare goodie bag some months ago so I used it in an effort to clear out my skin care backlog.  This paraben free moisturiser contains a whole load of natural ingredients including aloe, sesame seed oil, rose hip oil, shea butter, jojoba seed oil, avocado oil, and wheat germ oil.  Naturally scented and very rich, a little of this lotion went a long way on my skin.  It was little too rich for me (normal/combination skin with a little sensitive thrown in) so I would probably recommend it for normal to dry skin types.

Hand and body care

96) China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

I know I said this was a little on the stinky side and I don't particularly like the skinny brush but I've since talked myself around on this top coat because:  It doesn't dissolve the colour beneath (as some top coats can, with the bottle of top coat becoming discoloured as a result), doesn't shrink and the formula was good to the bottom of the bottle.  I didn't need to use any lacquer thinner either!

97) Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (500ml) 

My fourth bottle for the year and now I'm onto the 1litre bottle!

98) Batiste Original Dry Shampoo (150ml/5.05fl.oz)

I actually bought this for my son for spray-on fake grey hair to wear to a school presentation!  He was dressed up as Australia's first Prime Minister Edmund Barton but anyway... So this can was handed on to me to finish off.  I used it a few times to freshen my hair at the end of the day and it worked really well without leaving my hair looking or feeling powdery.  The original formula blended well with my light blonde hair so I'll probably buy another can for summer, when everything gets a little limp in the heat...

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

My staple monthly empty and my eighth for the year.

Cosmetics

100) Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Illuminating Concealer (02 Nude)

This is the second tube I've finished and I still think this is a great illuminating concealer.  After finishing this I bought  L'Oreal's Lumi Magique highlighter pen to try and yes, I love the super soft brush but it is obviously a highlighter only and doesn't offer the coverage of this fabulous little multi-tasker.  Repurchase, repurchase, repurchase!

Until next month

Vita :)