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

March 2015 Favourites

March has been a bit of a mixed month for me. My skin has just decided it doesn't agree with pregnancy and has gone absolutely crazy breaking out all over the place and no amount of foundation or strategically placed concealer is making me feel much good right now.

In an effort to take some of the focus off my horrid skin I have been opting for more brighter products on my eyes and lips so here is a quick round up of a few of the products that have been on high rotation during the past month.

1) Australis Conceal & Correct 4-in-1 Concealer Corrector Palette - This little beauty has been a bit of a life saver for me lately as it contains two concealer shades (a light and a darker one), a green shade to combat redness and a lilac shade to brighten up dull areas and dark circles. It's so handy to have all these products in one little pot and until my skin calms down I'll be getting a lot of use out of this.

2) Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just-Pinched Pink - I picked this up on sale at Coles a few weeks ago and just love it. It's such a pretty light pink shade that suits my skin tone perfectly and makes me look a lot fresher and more awake than I feel most days. I do plan on doing a review on this in the near future so stay tuned.

3)  Clinique Face Compact - This was in the last Clinique gift with purchase I fell for which I wrote about here and the lazy girl in me has been using it almost every day since. The two eyeshadow shades are just so easy to throw on without any thought and the blush is also a great everyday shade.

4) Mirenesse Inside Out 27hr Eye Kohl in Isis - I have been loving this pretty shade of blue as a pop of colour underneath my eyes when I am wearing nothing but a nude or cream shade of eyeshadow. It just seems to brighten up my eyes without much effort required at all.

5) Clinique Chubby Stick Baby Tint in Poppin' Poppy - This was another product I got in the last Clinique gift with purchase and although I wasn't very impressed with it initially, I have really grown to love it. It's a great little balm to swipe quickly over the lips when I want a teeny hint of colour and it is surprisingly moisturising too.

6) Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayon in Macaron - After being so disappointed in the last FOA lip crayon I purchased in Peach Parfait which I recently reviewed here, I ended up rekindling my love for this pretty pink one instead. It's a great shade to wear for a little bit of a pick-me-up when I'm not wanting a full-on opaque lip.

7) Cherry Brown Lipstick in Hot Pink - I recently reviewed this lipstick here and have been wearing it quite a lot when I don't want to do much with the rest of my face but still want to look awake. It's a shade that just automatically makes you feel better when you're wearing it.

So, that's it for the products that I have reached for the most during the last month.

What products have you been reaching for the most lately?

Michelle xx 

Face of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon in Peach Parfait

So I grabbed this lip crayon a little while ago during a random Priceline visit as the shade looked really pretty when I swatched it in store.

Unfortunately I was severely disappointed when I got home and tried it on my lips and I still haven't really warmed to it yet.

This frosty peach/orange shade just doesn't seem to work at all with my skin tone and I actually think it makes me look years older whenever I wear it. The colour seems to really bring out the orange in my freckles too which I absolutely hate!

Face of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon in Peach Parfait - Natural Light

Face of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon on Peach Parfait - With Flash

It's such a shame really as I absolutely love the other three Face of Australia lip crayons that I have in Macaron, Sundae and Cupcake (previously reviewed here) and was looking forward to adding a new love to my lip crayon collection.

Oh well, I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

There seems to be a few different shades in this range now and I'd love to know if anyone has tried any of the others and recommend them?

Also, huge apologies for the lack of actual lip swatches lately but pregnancy has not been very kind to my skin at all and I have pimples and redness galore all over my face that no amount of foundation or concealer seems to make acceptable for face photography. I'm really hoping it calms down soon. Sigh!

Have a great week!

Michelle xx

Face of Australia Lasting Looks Lip Creme in Love Berry

So, when Priceline had their last sale I went a little crazy and bought way too many things. One of them was this Face of Australia Lasting Looks Lip Creme in Love Berry.

The Lasting Looks Lip Cremes are bold colours that are supposed to be super intense and last for hours. They are enriched with Vitamin E and Jojoba Oil to keep lips soft and they dry to a semi-matte finish.


When I first swatched this lipstick I absolutely fell in love with how bright and vivid it was. I'm not usually brave enough to wear really bright lipsticks but this colour just seemed to sing out to me so I couldn't resist adding it to my basket.

The shade Love Berry is a super bright fuschia that is great for a bit of a pick-me-up on days when the rest of my make-up is fairly minimal. This lipstick definitely lasts and lasts and I've found I get a good 4-5 hours of wear before I need to touch up. It fades to a lovely pink stain too which is nice in itself.

I do find it a little bit drying when applied on its own but I am always a big fan of applying some lip balm underneath my lipsticks anyway. It has a very subtle vanilla taste and scent which is a lot more pleasant to me than their other Lip Quench lipsticks. I haven't noticed any bleeding into the lip lines with this lipstick and I must say I am actually a big lover of lipsticks that have a rounded bullet like this one rather than a pointed one. For some reason I find them easier to apply.

These lipsticks come in 7 different shades and I'm still tossing up which one I wish to add to my collection next as they are definitely a great buy at a RRP of $10.95.

Have you tried any of these Lip Cremes yet?

Michelle xx

Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons - Love At First Swatch!

Recently I had a bit of a lemming moment and decided in a split second moment to buy some of the new Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons. I didn't really need any more lip colours, but I've seen these around so much lately that curiosity just got the better of me.

The crayons come in a three pack with three very wearable colours for pretty much anybody. They are very moisturising and are almost as good as a tinted lip balm with keeping the lips hydrated when applied.

They are so smooth to apply and come in a very handy wind up applicator rather than needing to be sharpened like some other lip crayons. They aren't too soft either so you don't end up crushing the tip if you press too hard which is great.

Macaron - A really pretty bright pink

Sundae - A very sheer nude

Cupcake - A subtle pale pink

Macaron is definitely my favourite shade of all three although I have been using Cupcake like it's going out of style because it's such a great shade to keep in my handbag for subtle touch-ups during the day when I'm out and about. It's so sheer you don't need to be anywhere near a mirror to reapply.

Left to Right: Macaron, Sundae & Cupcake (Without Flash)

(With Flash)

I'd love to see these available as single crayons so you could purchase your favourite one when it runs out rather than having to buy the pack again and more colours, such as a sheer red or coral, would be great too.

Has anyone else tried these yet? If so, what did you think?

Michelle xx

Face of Australia Lip Quench - Pink Champagne

Ok, ok, it may have taken me a little longer than others to get on the Lip Quench bandwagon but when i finally did I have seen what all the fuss is about.

Recently I purchased the Face of Australia Lip Quench in Pink Champagne. I felt like I was going against nature by not picking up the Lychee Crush shade that everyone has raved about but I already have a similar colour at home and wanted to try something a little out of my comfort zone for a change. Therefore I chose Pink Champagne as it's a pale, but still fairly bright, pink that normally isn't a colour I would wear as I tend to steer towards darker, less intense pinks.

Pink Champagne reminds me of fairy floss in it's oh so super sweet pinkyness and I've come to adore the colour and may start to turn towards more shades like this. It's great if I don't feel like wearing much other makeup as it looks good on it's own and it's also the perfect colour if I go for a darker or smokey eye look.

One thing that really steered me towards trying this lipstick as well is that Face of Australia are of course an Australian brand who are against animal testing. I'm really trying to start to be more aware of products that are cruelty free where practical as I don't see why poor little animals need to suffer just for us to be vain and walk around looking good. I also own a beagle and seeing so many recent images and reading so many stories about beagles being the preferred testing animal due to their 'want to please you' nature has just made me feel sick.

Anyway, enough of the preaching. I'll step down off my podium now to say that this lipstick seriously applies like butter to the lips. It is so soft that I actually have a bit of a fear of it snapping off if I press too hard when I put it on. This is mainly because it's a very moisturising lipstick with shea butter and jojoba oil built in. It's also got an SPF30+ factor which means it's also great to wear if you are going somewhere outdoors for the day as you don't need to apply a lip balm with SPF underneath it (which is what I do with most of my other lipsticks/glosses).

Another thing I like is the packaging, it's got a little peep hole in the top of the case so you can see the colour of the lipstick tube at a glance. This would be great for those who like to store their lipsticks standing up.

I've found that it lasts around 3 hours on my lips before needing to be reapplied. It can last a little less if you eat and/or drink a bit while wearing it.

Here are some more pictures:

Is there anyone out there who hasn't tried these lipsticks yet???

Nails of The Week - Party Pretty

For my nails this week I wanted something that was semi-festive without being too overboard. Tonight we have my husband's work Xmas party on and I wanted them to look nice without drawing too much attention as I have only met some of the people he works with once before (yes, I am known to be a bit shy sometimes).

I started off with one coat of Face of Australia Molten Metallics Nail Enamel in Verdigris. This is a really pretty metallic khaki green which gives a nice even coverage in just one coat and dries extremely quick.

I then decided to add two coats of Ozotics Nail Enamel in #530 which is a pretty clear polish containing glitter particles that change from green to orange to red to yellow depending on the lighting.

Unfortunately the lighting in my house just can't seem to capture all of the colours in the glitter but I think it's a cute combination.

I'm most likely wearing a red dress so the red in the glitter polish should match nicely without having red overload!

What does anyone else think? Does this combination work for you?

My latest 'Yay I've finished my exams for the year!' haul!

Hello everyone. Remember me?

Yeah, I'm the one who hasn't really been around much lately due to being stressed out of my eyeballs with studying for two CPA exams this semester that are now officially done and dusted. I will hopefully now be able to be around a lot more these days as I have all the time in the world to kill now when I'm not at work.

To celebrate this wonderful time of the year where I now get to experience 'free' time again (I've almost forgotten what that is) I decided to go and spoil myself with a little haul from Priceline due to them enticing me in with their 20% off all Cosmetics and Skincare sale.

Here is what I got:

1) Simple Soothing Facial Toner - I love this brand and don't think you can go wrong with anything in the whole range. This is a lovely toner that doesn't have that awfully strong alcohol feel to it that some other toners have.

2) Prestige Skin Loving Mineral Sunbaked Mineral Bronzing Powder in Pure Shimmer - I have never ever used a highlighter before (I can hear all the gasps of shock!) and thought this product looked so pretty so couldn't resist buying it. There will be many fun filled adventures to be had while I try to teach myself how to use this product now.

3) Artiste Professional Small Eyeshadow Brush - I finally retired all of my old brushes not that long ago and this was a nice cheap little brush which will be good for the makeup bag.

4) Nail Polishes (left to right) - Australis Nail Colour in Knickers in a Knot, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Colour in Sun Kissed and Green With Envy and Face of Australia Molten Metallics Nail Enamel in Verdigris.

5) Models Prefer Small Cosmetic Case - I needed a new one for my handbag as my old one had seen better days. I just couldn't resist the snake skin print.

Anyway, that was my little splurge today. I can't wait to try out my new goodies.

Hope everyone is well :-)