OPI: I Snow You Love Me

As soon as I saw I Snow You Love Me around I knew I just had to have it.  This glittery confection from OPI's Mariah Carey Holiday 2013 collection was irresistible - it's quite simply a whole lot of holographic silver, almost sequin-like glitter in a thick, slightly milky polish.  Now that I have it I want to use it to layer over everything quite frankly but I'm starting with a subtle combination here.

 

I used two coats over my Yokohama Twilight base and - as I have been doing a lot of late - I liked it so much I kept it on for an entire week.  I'm getting pretty selfish with my manicures these days I guess.  If I enjoy them I don't want to take them off, especially if complete strangers decide to compliment them and this particular mani got tons of compliments! 

Shade

 

Sun

That's all for now!
 

TAG: 5-product face!

I was tagged by wonderful blogger friend Larie of Eye Heart It fame to create a look with just five products!

You know, I thought this would be easy but then I realized - Hang on! - I need to show this face, it's not just me heading out to the post box so I do need to look presentable.  I'm pretty minimalist on weekends but even without doing the mental arithmetic I'm sure it would normally involve (slightly) more than five.  Never let it be said that I back away from a beauty blogger challenge though.  Let's get into it!

 I'll tackle the products in the order I'd use them, which is my own slightly non-conformist order:  eyes, base, cheeks then finally lips.  I've adopted the habit of doing my eyes first so I can deal with any fallout without needing to reapply base products.

1. The easiest way for me accentuate my eyes is with a "standalone" eye shadow swept over the lids, so for a natural but slightly shimmery option I chose Maybelline Silken Taupe to give my eyes some light and depth.  (Click here for my other standalone eyeshadow picks.)
2. After that I decided some serious lashes were in order so I picked Benefit They're Real! I've only recently started using this much raved about mascara and it does a great job of thickening lashes without clumping.  That's it - eyes are done!
3. I simply can't go without concealer so that was always going to be one my five products.  Without the option of using primer I opted for my concealer to work even harder than usual as a multi-tasker.  I applied Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer not just to cover my under eye circles, but also down the bridge and sides of my nose, and the middle of my forehead to act as a brightener and "primer". 
4. If I wear cream or liquid base I also need a powder to finish over the top so I opted for mineral powder foundation Nude By Nature for matte coverage and eliminate the extra step.  I find this mineral foundation does need a primer to make it last, particularly on oilier parts of the face such as the nose, so that's why the concealer beneath!
5. Finally I chose Becca Watermelon Beach Tint for my lips and cheeks to complete the natural look I was aiming for.  Just to make sure the tint stayed in place on my cheeks I applied it first underneath then again over my powder foundation.

So that's the list.  And this is the subtle result:

Feel free to play this tag - just link back and let me know what your five-product face looks like!

Until next time.

OPI: Yokohama Twilight

Happy Hump Day!

Completely lacking any idea of what nail polish to wear (Really? How could that be?) I did a random dive into my polish collection and came up with an older Limited Edition OPI shade, the unusual lavender-blue duochrome Yokohama Twilight. The Yokohama collection was apparently originally released as an Asia exclusive back in the late noughties.  I'm wondering how I scored this polish in Melbourne but I'm pretty sure I got this in local department David Jones.  Oh well, I digress.

I applied three coats of this semi-sheer polish for full coverage.  Although this isn't the kind of colour I'd normally select I did admire the very subtle duochrome effect.  It's an ethereal sort of colour and very understatedly pretty.

Indirect daylight

Sunlight

Random tidbit:  I'm planning to go back to Japan next year. 



Ulta3: xoxo

Well, it's almost December and that means Christmas is around the corner.  Almost time for something a little festive then? I have just the thing if you're into all things frosty...

Ulta3's xoxo is an ivory glass fleck with a myriad of iridescent sparkles.  It's one of those sheer shades best put to work layering but I was in the mood to wear it over bare nails.  It took 3 coats to get semi-opaque coverage but I wasn't unhappy with the look.  It did take forever to dry though and was prone to dents for a few hours afterward even with the use of a quick-drying topcoat - I was babying it because I didn't want to damage it.  Luckily it was one of those rare lazy days otherwise I would have been in a world of trouble with this one!

Shade

 Sun

What's your pick for festive nails?



RiRi Hearts MAC Fall 2013 collection: my picks and thoughts

I'll apologize straight up for posting on a sold out collection.  Something like this was always going to sell out quickly - in days - and despite my sincere intentions of getting this post up a whole month ago I'm still stubbornly going ahead with it now because, well, I did take the pictures a month ago and I have some definite opinions I want to share -  I'm not just talking about the stunning rose gold packaging either okay?  Yeeessss well...that's what drew me in initially but stating the blindingly obvious, ultimately it's the performance of the product inside which counts.

Well, for the sake of it, let's just get the swooning over the packaging out of the way first shall we? You may know that I have a weakness for all things rose gold and such prettiness was not going to be overlooked.  I knew I had to get one of those sleek looking lipstick bullets but I particularly loved the packaging of the blush.  So here they are in all their gilt glory:  RiRi Woo lipstick and Hibiscus Kiss Satin Powder blush...

 The packaging's so highly reflective that you can even see me photographing it...

Although the look is metallic, as with all MAC packaging these are in fact lightweight plastic so I know I will worry about the durability of the gilt finish flaking off and won't be bashing these around too freely in my everyday cosmetic purse.  Oh well.  Rest assured at least one of these will be used.  Yes, just one...

Hibiscus Kiss

Although labelled as a satin powder blush Hibiscus Kiss is not that simple, but instead a very pretty multitasking blush-bronzer. I was a bit hesitant at first but the MAC SA convinced me the bronzer wouldn't be too dark and a few swatches later I was tentatively convinced - at least enough to buy it.  What sold it to me was the idea of mixing the two shades to come up with a warm blush and the fact the bronzer was matte, and relatively 'safe'. 

Since getting it home, as a pale skinned NC20 chick I don't have any regrets about this buy at all.  The shades apply very smoothly and are all flattering for my yellow undertones.  I started off using the two shades combined but I've since fallen in love with the bronzer itself - completely unlike me because I'm a self-confessed bronzerphobe, one with a complete fear of bronzers even though I have a few!  I apply this bronzer with the largest, fluffiest brush I can find and I look a little more alive.  Completely natural, yes!  I suppose this means it's not going to be great for those with medium to dark skin tones but this is a great choice for those like me with fair skin who normally steer clear of bronzer.

Heavily swatched L - R:
blush, bronzer, blush/bronzer combined

RiRi Woo matte lipstick

Doesn't she look beautiful? Alas, she is beautiful but unfortunately not kind to me. This gorgeous cool toned red is a "retro-matte" formula and it's the formula which worked against me.  The powdery lipstick literally drags across my lips making it extremely difficult to get smooth coverage.  I did try applying it with a brush as recommended but found it only slightly easier.  Yes, I could apply it over a balm I suppose but I'm not the only one out there who feels a balm beneath a matte lipstick defeats the purpose.

The other thing which mightily bothered me was how the lipstick faded all too quickly from the inner third of my lips so I had to touch up more often than I would with a cream formula.  I know there was a matching lipliner the SA tried to sell me at the time which would have solved that particular problem - just colour in the entire lip with the matching pencil first! If only I knew then what I know now...

She's still beautiful in the swatch on the back of my hand. 
Now if only my lips could look like that too without all the hassle. *sigh*

Did you fall under the spell of this collection?



L'Oreal Color Riche Neon: Atomic Purple

A little while ago (while haunting the Priceline aisles in my usual lunchtime "browsing" session) I came across the wonderfully vibrant Neon nail colour collection by L'Oreal.  I chose three shades and naturally one of them was going to be purple!

 

Atomic Purple by name is atomic purple by nature because this true purple cream just pops too!  As with neon polishes the finish is more of a rubber or vinyl finish - something I'd normally override with a layer of glossy topcoat but I decided to just go with it this time and I did end up liking it! The wide brush makes for an almost one stroke application for each nail and two coats gave full coverage.  Dry time was quite quick so I wasn't sitting around waiting.  Fickle old me likes the 5ml bottle size too because this is something I may actually manage to finish...

Sun



 

 

Shade

 

 

Were you tempted by this collection too?

 

YOUTUBE GIVEAWAY!!! La Clinica 'On Vacation' Happy Holidays Gift Pack

Hi again!

It's been just a little while I know, but the good news is that I have a healthy backlog of posts waiting to be written up.  My creative juices are still a-flowing and this time of year it's just impossible not to be falling under the spell of all the shiny, pretty makeup and nail polish.  You'll know all about it from Instagram posts and whatnot that I've been busily accumulating, in spite of any good intentions to keep my money in my pockets!

Anyway let me segue from receiving to giving and announce that Ling and I are both excited to be running our first skincare giveaway from our teeny little YouTube channel Making Up in Heels.

 Watch the video below to find out all about it and see the review on one of the star products in the 'On Vacation' pack, the Perfect Complexion Sunscreen...

 

The pack also includes:
Rebalancing 'Vitamin A' Day Cream
Rebalancing 'Vitamin A' Eye Cream
Rebalancing 'Vitamin A' Facial Scrub
Rebalancing 'Vitamin A' Facial Mask
Black cosmetic bag

The giveaway closes midnight on Friday 7th December (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) and the following rules apply:

- Australian residents only (this time)
-Public subscribers only
-'Like' the video by clicking on the thumbs up icon
-Leave a comment to let us know what you would like to see in our future videos

Looking forward to seeing your entries!
Good luck!