FOTD - A Subtle Everyday Blue Eyeshadow Look

The other day I was feeling a little flat and decided to have a bit of a play with my pro-palette to create a pretty but subtle blue eye look.

Blue eyeshadow is always something I get nervous wearing but I am slowly starting to find certain ways to make it work without making me feel like I've stepped out of the 80's.

This look is very subtle and a nice way to add a pop of colour to the eyes for an everyday look without looking too overdone.

The eyeshadow shades I used are circled below:

On the top palette I used the two pale cream shades blended together all over the eyelid to start, then I applied the light blue shade on the bottom palette to the outer corners and blending into the centre of the lid. I then took the slightly darker light blue and added a little more colour transitioning out towards the outer corner. Then I took the darker blue and blended it very carefully into the crease as well as using it to line below my eyes. I then took the gold shade on the bottom palette and added this to the centre of my lids and blended everything like there was no tomorrow. I then finished the look off by lining the top lids with the black shade.

Here is a breakdown of all the other products I used for this look:

* Napoleon Perdis Sheer Genius Liquid Foundation in Look 2.
* Savoir Faire Concealer in Light
* Physicians Formula Translucent Powder
* NP Set Shimmer Highlight Duo in Peach/Pink

* Ardell Brow Defining Kit
* Almay Intense i-Colour Volumising Mascara in Midnight for my top lashes
* Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in Black on my bottom lashes

* Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just-Pinched Pink
* Face of Australia Lip Quench in Pink Champagne

What do you think? Can blue eyeshadow be an everyday shade?

I hope you are having a great weekend!

Michelle xx

November 2013 Favourites

So, I usually don't worry about posting about the products I used the most during a month because a lot of the time I mix things up so much that I tend to forget what I have loved more than others.

But, the month of November was just so hectic that I don't even really remember much of it and I found myself really using the above products practically every day because it meant that there was less for me to try and think about when I was getting ready.

Anyway, here is a break down of the products that kept me sane during the month of November.

Face
* Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation in Vanilla - I have had this foundation tucked up in the back of my makeup cabinet for ages and finally cracked it open last month and instantly fell in love. I can't believe how gorgeous and lovely the texture is of this foundation and the coverage is perfect for my skin.
* Nude by Nature Soft Focus Illuminator - I found this to be the perfect partner for the Bourjois foundation when I wanted a bit more of a glow to my skin.
* Savoir Faire Cconcealer in Light - I've been really needing a bit more coverage under the eyes lately as sleep has been eluding me and for some reason I've had a lot of breakouts around my chin area since the weather has warmed up. This concealer blends perfectly with my skin tone and gives just the right amount of coverage.
* MAC Blush in Formal - This was a recent acquisition during November- in the Stroke of Midnight Lip & Cheek bag I reviewed a few days ago and I've just loved how versatile this pink is and how well it blends onto my cheeks to give a nice healthy glow.

Eyes/Brows
* Elizabeth Arden Colour Palette - I think I have shown this before a very long time ago. I always seem to break this old faithful out when I'm in a hurry because the two Graphite and Platinum eyeshadow shades gives a great quick and easy eye look that goes with practically everything. The blush in Sunblush makes a great bronzer too when I really want to get out the door quickly.  
* Calvin Klein Intense Eyeshadow in Aqua Shimmer - I seem to gravitate towards green eye makeup when the weather warms up and I just love this shade blended into the crease lightly to brighten up the eye area when I really feel like just going back to bed.
* Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in Black - This is one of my favourtie all-time mascaras and I always break it out when I want one that I can rely on without wondering whether it will be halfway down my face by the end of the day.
* Mirenesse Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl in Osiris - I love the shade of this eyeliner as it's a dark gunmetal grey and therefore not as intense as black. These eyeliners are great and I have every shade but I don't recommend using them on a very hot day as they can get extremely soft which makes them a bit harder to apply accurately.
* Ardell Brow Defining Kit - If you saw my recent review of this product it won't be any surprise as to why this has become a daily necessity for me. I just love it.
* Models Prefer Brow Highlighter - I've been using this mostly as a highlighter for the inner corners of the eyes to wake me up a bit more and it's definitely grown more on me for use as a brow highlighter too when I'm in a hurry. It also makes a great cheekbone highlighter in a pinch too.

Lips
* Models Prefer Ultra Lipgloss Pencil in Perfectly Polished - These pencils are so easy to apply when in a hurry and give a really great amount of colour on the lips.
* MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling! - You would have seen that this was only a recent aquisition for me during November and I have been obsessed with the milky pinkness ever since.

Hair/Body
* Evodia Coconut & Lime Fragrance Roll-On - I thought I would hate this when I got it as I'm normally not the biggest fan of fake coconut scents but when we flew to Tasmania for our holiday I took it due to it being nice and small to fit into my makeup bag and I kind of became a bit obsessed with it.
* Schwarzkopf Dry Shampoo - I received this to trial from Beautyheaven and can't get enough of it. I just love the fresh scent and it makes my hair feel really nice and clean in between shampoos.  

So those are the products I loved and lived with during the month of November.

What were some of your favourites during the month?

Michelle..

FOTD featuring Arbonne Cosmetics

A couple of days ago I reviewed some products from the Arbonne Cosmetics range here and decided to post a quick FOTD which I did incorporating all of those products for what I think is an easy and very simple daytime look.

For this look I used the following products:

Face: Nude by Nature BB  5 in 1 Miracle Cream, Mirenesse Touch On Concealer in Golden Cream, Arbonne Cosmetics Blush in Blossom, b Collection by Bloom Cheek Tint in Napa Valley (to highlight), Australis Bronzing Powder in Golden (to contour)

Eyes: Arbonne Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Divine Plum blended out all over lid, Mirenesse Touch Up Brow Sculptor, Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Mascara in Black

Lips: Arbonne Cosmetics Lipstick in Scarlet

I'm absolutely loving bolder colours on my face at the moment now it's getting a bit cooler temperature wise.

Is anyone else embracing darker shades now we're heading into more chilly weather?

Michelle xx

FOTD - My Attempt at a Wearable Blue Eyeshadow Look

Howdy everybody. I've decided I'm going to try and make a really good attempt at posting more FOTD's from now on.

I usually always have such good intentions of doing this whenever I get ready but then most of the time I'm in such a rush and completely forget to photograph myself before I leave, or, I usually forget to keep out the products I use and then can't remember what they were afterwards!

The other day I felt like wearing a blue eyeshadow look and ended up with the below finished product. It was actually quite basic and quite a wearable look for the day I thought:

Once I broke down what I used to create this look I realised there were a lot of Mirenesse products for some reason. This was a total coincidence and really wasn't intentional at all! Here is what I used:

Face
Innoxa Tinted Moisturiser in Nude Beige
Natio Mineral Pressed Powder in Medium Tan
Mirenesse Cheeky Blush in Russian Rose

Eyes
Mirenesse Seamless Velvet Shadow in Greek Goddess
Bourjois Smoky Effect Eyeliner in Dark Purple
Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Mascara in Black

Lips
I mixed together my Napoleon Perdis Lip Patrol lipstick in Private Kiss and Mirenesse French Kiss Lip Cocktail in Bellini to create a really nice and soft pink shade.

I really like the Mirenesse eye shadows and wear them quite often. They are a lovely consistency and really easy to blend out. The blue shadow with purple liner was a combination I haven't tried before but really liked once it was finished.

Mixing different shades of lipstick is something I have been experimenting with a lot lately as well.

I also love days like this when my skin is behaving and I can get away with a bit of tinted moisturiser and powder and not worry about foundation or concealer. It doesn't happen very often but I certainly embrace it when it does.

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend!

Michelle xx

EOTD Featuring Savoir Faire Limited Edition Kit in 'Winter'



I couldn't help but start playing with my new Savoir Faire kit as soon as at arrived in my December Bellabox and this is one of the first looks I created and am really loving. It's a very subtle smokey eye using the burgundy and rust shades in the kit as the main look.

(Eyeshadow shades from left to right: Top row - Devout, Kinetic, Immortal & Bottom Row - Spicy, Liberating, Vivacious)

 

For this look I used the shade 'Kinetic' on the outer 'V', then applied some 'Spicy' to the inner half of the lid. I then used the shade 'Devout' to blend out the other two shades up over the crease and towards the brow bone.
Then just because I was being lazy and couldn't be bothered reaching for anything else, I applied the shade 'Immortal' along the top and lower lashes like an eyeliner.
I finished it all off with my Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in Black.

This to me is a nice subtle way to dip your toe in a smokey eye without going too extreme. To make this a bit more night time appropriate I'd add more of the burgundy Kinetic shade to darken the outer 'V' a bit more and amp up the black liner a bit.

This is a lovely kit and the eyeshadows are very pigmented and so easy to blend. I can't wait to try some more looks and am especially keen to try 'Vivacious' next.

Has anyone else tried Savoir Faire eyeshadows before?

Michelle xx



New Mascara Love - Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara

I have to admit it. I'm a bit of a mascara hoarder and even if I don't do any other form of makeup on my face I refuse to leave the house without mascara on. I find that it just opens up the eyes and makes me look more awake, especially since I have quite small eyes.

Funnily enough, even though I have a secret obsession with mascara, this is the first one I think that I have ever actually reviewed properly on this blog. I really don't know why but will try and start to rectify that issue from this point on.

This brings me to my current mascara obsession, my Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara. I have received two of these over the past year in one monthly subscrption box or another and only just realised a couple of weeks ago that I hadn't yet tried either of them. Now that I've finally cracked one open I am so stoked that I have two because this is one of the best mascaras that I have ever used!

What the product claims:
'Bobbi's new gold standard for ultra-long, perfectly separated lashes. It's all about how the brush and formula work together: The bristles interlock with lashes like a zipper, so each individual lash is coated with rich, deep colour from root to tip. It's also curved to lift each hair like an eyelash curler. And since the formula contains elastic ingredients, it stays flexible between coats and won't flake.'

This is actually one of the most unusual mascara brushes that I have used before. It's very thin, which I love, and has very fine, stiff, rubber like teeth that grip your lashes like nothing else to give them a full coat in just one or two swipes.

In the below pictures I show a comparison between my lashes pre-mascara application and post with just one coat:

 

As you can see, the difference is astounding! The rubber bristles seperate and define each lash so well and never clumps or looks spider-webby (a pet hate of mine).

 

I have also tested this mascara in some extreme temperatures (think 37 degree day spent outside at a friend's birthday in the mountains where there was no air and it HAD to have been at least 5 degrees hotter underneath the god-awful BBQ area we were all cramped into!!) I can proudly say that there was not a lash out of place and not the slightest bit of droop or black making it's way down my face after a good few hours. Had I been wearing another mascara (I'm looking at you Lancome Hypnose!!) I'm sure I would have had terrible black splotches underneath the eye area in such an extreme test.

 

All in all I'm totally in love with this mascara and plan to use it almost exclusively during summer, especially when it's going to be a hot day.

 

Are there any other awesome mascaras you have been loving lately that I should know about?

 

Michelle xx

February GlossyBox - Special Valentine's Day theme

My February GlossyBox came while we were also away and I had to go to the post office today and pick it up. I was hoping with all fingers crossed that this box would impress me as they made so much hype over the February box and how it was going to be a special Valentine's Day themed box, but, I'm sorry to say that it just didn't deliver in my opinion.

Here is what was in the February box:

1) Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in Black (3ml sample size, RRP $48.00 for 6ml) - This mascara apparently helps make your lashes ultra long and separated. I have about a thousand mascaras now so will be waiting a while to try this one as I don't want to have another one open at the same time that will potentially dry out.

2) Jane Iredale Tantasia Self Tanner (5ml sample, RRP $54.00 for 124ml) - This tan sample is teeny! I don't know what on earth I can use it on as I don't think it will even cover one of my shins let alone both legs or arms. Maybe I'll work up the courage to try it on my face one day although I despise seeing women who have a very noticeable orange face from being fake tanned. Seriously, can anyone get a decent application of fake tanner with a sample this small??

3) Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash (60ml, RRP $39.95 for 475ml) - This is to clear up skin when it's acting up or for a deep cleanse. Works to penetrate pores and get rid of breakouts. I just can't use anything from Proactiv as it makes my skin go all red and super sensitive and quite painful. I tried their three step system a few years ago and was in agony after a couple of weeks. I might see if my husband wants to use this as a body cleanser for when he gets small breakouts on his back as I am just way too scared to put this anywhere near my skin.

4) Star and Rose Floral Wonderland Emergency Nail Files (12 x small files, no RRP) - These are cute and I will be throwing them in my handbag. That's pretty much all I can say about them I guess.

5) Polished London Nail Enamel in Fushcia (Full size 10ml, RRP $7.99) - This is probably my favourite product out of the box this month and the only one I will get any real use out of in the short term. It's a pretty dark pinky purple and this polish claims to dry fast and last a long time. I haven't personally tried Polished London polishes before but I've heard good things about them so can't wait to try this one out.

There were also some Love Hearts lollies, an offer to get $20 off the Proactiv system, an offer to get $15 off an Active Skin order over $75 and a complimentary makeup application at your nearest Bobbi Brown Studio. None of these I will use.

Overall, the Valentine's Day theme was a bit lost on me. Ok, it was a neon pink box but I can't see how a Proactiv cleanser and some nail files are Valentine's Day related. I was really hoping for maybe a pretty makeup product (maybe some lipstick/gloss or blush/eyeshadow) that you could wear out for Valentine's Day but no such thing.

As of today I have unsubscribed to GlossyBox and am thinking of possible trying Beauty Basket or I Love This Box next instead. I have just been disappointed pretty much every month with GlossyBox as they talk themselves up so much throughout the month but just never seem to deliver at the end. The only think that was good this month was that the box came nice and early for once rather than at the end of the month.

What does everyone think? Am I being too harsh? Does anyone else really love their GlossyBox for reasons that may be lost on me?

December Empties

So I'm a bit late with this post as I just couldn't seem to get time to get any photographs done over the past few days and then the whole process of getting them onto the computer, and blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, here is everything that I got through in December. There were quite a few things due to some items being only of sample size:

1) Garnier Roll-on Deodorant Invisi Mineral - I love the Garnier deodorants and use them regularly. I bought a roll-on to try something different for a change and actually quite liked it. I'm normally a spray kind of girl but didn't mind using this roll-on instead.

2) Clinique Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser Mousse - I received this as part of a gift with purchase not too long ago and found it to be a really nice cleanser. My skin didn't feel dry at all after use and it didn't cause me to break out at all either. I'd definitely repurchase this.

3) Urban Rituelle Organic Hand Cream - This came in one of the monthly beauty sample boxes I get (I can't exactly remember which one) and I totally fell in love with it. It's got a gorgeous smell and made my hands feel so soft and moisturised after use without being overly greasy. A definite repurchase item.

4) Kerastase Ciment Thermique Heat Activated Reconstructor Milk - I received some samples of these again in one of the monthly beauty sample boxes and quite liked how this made my hair feel after use. I used it after shampooing and conditioning one day and then blow dried my hair a bit before using my GHD and my hair did feel super silky afterwards. Not bad considering I have fine curly hair which usually has the consistensy of straw.

5) Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector - This sample also came in a monthly box and I just loved it. My skin felt so silky smooth after applying it at night before going to bed and it didn't make me feel greasy or have smell that was too overpowering either. Except for the super high price tag, I'd most likely purchase this again.

6) Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil - I just haven't been able to get on the cleansing oil bandwagon yet. Maybe it's because I haven't found the right one for me or maybe they just aren't the product for me in general. I really didn't like using this cleansing oil, much the same reaction I had when I tried the Shu Uemura one as well. I'd rather stick with my cream, gel or foaming cleansers instead I think.

7) Elizabeth Arden Intervene Stress Recovery Night Cream - This would have to be my most favourite night cream of all time. See my review here. I almost shed a tear when I finished this product. I hinted and hinted so much for hubby to get me another for xmas but to no avail. I'll just have to try and work up the courage to spend the money on getting another one.

8) Pantene Split End Fuser - I received some of these to trial for the Beautyheaven trial team and am loving them so far. I don't really have any split ends but they make my curls look really nice and eliminate all signs of frizz which is a miracle in itself. Even though I'm not benefitting from this product in the way I'm supposed to I still think it's great so far.

9) Derma Intensive Facial Wipes - Three words to describe these wipes...... Worst Wipes Ever! I've never used facial wipes before that have been so useless. I needed at least two in most instances to clean my face as they are so thin and flimsy that they just don't seem to remove anything. I will definitely never be buying these again.

10) Neutrogena Build-a-Tan - I started using this on my mission to tan. See my review here. I will definitely not be purchasing this again as I just didn't like it one bit.

11) KUR Haircare Protecting Curl Spray - Another bad, bad product. It's not anywhere near empty but it's going in the bin anyway. I don't even remember where I got this from but it's just awful. The smell is horrendous and it makes my curls feel crispy and sticky and just plain awful. I could imagine the feeling of using this product a bit like drenching your hair in hair spray when it's wet and then letting it dry. Not a nice feeling to me.

12) Bio Oil - I love what this oil does for my skin but seriously wish they could change the smell of it. It just doesn't agree with me at all and it's such a shame as I'd live on this stuff if the smell was better.

13) Montagne Jeunesse Facial Masks in Deep Pore Purifying and Anti-Stress - I used two of these this month, one was a fabric mask infused with essential oils which you laid over your face for it to work and the other was your typical mud type mask. The fabric mask just felt a bit too weird for me and it looked utterly frightening as well! I much preferred the mud mask instead. These are great value masks that you can really feel the difference in your skin after use. I have a little stash of them that I forgot about so I'll now start using these on a regular basis again.

So, that's it for December.

Hope you all had some nice relaxing time off over the Xmas and New Year period. I didn't really as I only work two days a week anyway but hubby was home for almost two weeks which was nice.

My First Glossy Box has Arrived!

Well I received my first ever Glossy Box today, finally!! Talk about a lengthy wait for this to be sent out. It feels as if we've been waiting for these boxes forever.

Anyway, here's some pictures that show how it arrived and what the box contents looked like when it was opened:

The box that was left on my doorstep.

The pink box that was inside the cardboard packaging.

Some pink jelly beans, ribbon and welcome cards on the top when opened.

The tissue paper wrapping.

How the contents of the box looked when opened. The black shredded paper makes it very hard to see the actual items unfortunately.

The contents of this month's box were as follows:

1) Jurlique Purely Age Defying Ultra Firm & Lift Cream (5 ml) - This high performance anti-ageing cream is designed to help promote the regeneration of elastin, collagen and new skin cells. I used to be a big fan of Jurlique products so will enjoy testing this one out.

2) Bio Oil (Full size 60 ml) - A specialist skincare oil that is effective for ageing as well as dehydrated skin, scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tones. I know everybody raves about this product and I've tried to like it but I just can't stand the smell. I'll most likely give this away to a friend.

3) Essie Summer Nail Colour 'Smooth Sailing' (5 ml) - This looks like such a pretty purple which has very fine silver flecks in it.

4) Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil (15 ml) - A 2-in1 formula that gently removes all traces of makeup and cleanses skin while maintaining natural moisture levels. I'm a bit excited to try this as I've never used anything from Bobbi Brown before.

5) Mirenesse 3D Forever Lip Gloss (Full size 14 gms) - This gloss is filled with botanical moisturisers and antioxidants to give you hydrated and beautifully cushioned lips day and night. I was a bit scared when I opened the cardboard packaging for this gloss as the colour I got is called 'Hot Kiss' which looks like a very dark browny purple in the tube but luckily is a lot less intense when applied and looks like a nice sheer purple which is actually quite wearable.

All in all the fist Glossy Box is definitely worth the $15 fee. The full size Bio Oil is worth this on it's own and the Mirenesse gloss is worth $39.95 so there's no way you can complain about the value.

When I noticed that Bio Oil was a partner I prepared myself for the fact that receiving some of this was going to be useless to me but I'm still very happy with everything else in the box and am especially impressed with the full size lip gloss. And who can forget the pink jelly beans!

What does everyone else think of the first Glossy Box? Does anyone have an opinion on which one of these monthly boxes they think seems to be the best so far??