Festive Five #1 - five beauty products to take you through the festive season!

I decided to whip up 5 festive posts to see you through until Christmas Eve, beginning today! Each day will see a new 5 product line up for you to peruse, and today brings you 5 miscellaneous stunners that I personally rely on at the moment for bringing me some nice festive cheer in the midst of some horrible things on the news in Australia.
1. Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Fine Fragrance Mist
This scent is all I can wear at the moment, it's absolutely delicious and I love layering it over the matching body lotion (the haul for this is coming soon, promise) The notes are: Fresh Vanilla Bean, Warm Caramel, Sugar Cookies, Whipped Cream & Snow-Kissed Musk and it makes me feel warm and cozy without being too heavy for the Australian summer.

2. Dior Fairy Golds Quint
You all must be sick of seeing me mention this, but I want to write about the things I love and this beauty gets pulled out of the drawer every December! I love how I can wear the champagne shade for an easy day look (or maybe to go with a brighter lip colour) and then deepen up the look at night with the darker or more glittery shades for a night out.

3. Essie Hors d'Oeuvres*
The hype around the Essie Encrusted collection in 2013 seemed to be all about 'On A Silver Platter' but I'm currently wearing the platinum gold Hors d'Oeuvres which is filled with different sized silver glitter and it is seriously off the hook. It's warm and cool at the same time, and I'm enjoying how full on it looks as a full mani!

4. Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Sheer Candy in 07 Sheer Fig
I find red lipstick a bit tricky to pull off, so when I saw blog raves for this sheer and pretty silver bullet I needed to have it. I don't wear it as often as I should (especially considering how pricy YSL lipsticks are!) but when I think Christmas, I think red lips, and this is a mirror-free touch-up kinda shade and that is right up my alley.

5. Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray*
I've been testing this for a little while now and I'm surprised to say that I actually think that it's making a difference! I apply in an 'X' motion from a distance (as recommended) after applying all of my makeup (making sure my mascara is dry!) and by the end of the day/night I am shocked to see my face still looking fresh when I peek in the mirror. A miraculous discovery and one I'll definitely be whipping out over the party season...

So there you have it, the essentials for a fun festive season - nice scents, pretty shadows, blingy nails, an easy red lip and something to lock it all into place! Hope you're having a wonderful lead-up to Christmas and that you're fitting in some rest and relaxation along the way!
-Emma xx

*Provided for consideration, but popped into the festive five out of pure love! Honesty, always.

Antipodean Beauties - Glitter

Sometimes a good makeup challenge is the push needed for a beauty blogger stuck in a rut! With the move coming up fast and no less than 4 post graduate assessments due on the same weekend, I was elated to see that Omega had created a new challenge group filled with exciting weekly challenges to try! I’m quite happy to have some inspiration handed to me on a platter, so in this second week I have joined in with the ‘GLITTER’ theme in the best way I know how!

 

 

I had a good look through my makeup stash for an eyeshadow or blush that used the chunky flakes I associate with the word ‘glitter’, but all that I dug out were makeup products filled with shimmer! I will admit that I was tempted to cheat and use some shimmer for this challenge, but seeing as it is my maiden voyage into Antipodean Beauties I thought I would turn to the makeup I apply to my fingernails – glitter polishes! I sure have a whole lot of them (many more than those pictured!) and I had a bit of fun choosing base coats (or undies!) for my glittery shades.

From the thumb :

-Ulta3 Soft Hydrangea + Australis Milky Way

-OPI Dining Al Frisco* (San Francisco collection) + Jordana LA City Lights

-Sally Hansen Shrimply Divine* + essence The Huntsman (Snow White collection)

-Australis Kick the Bucket* + Australis Glitter Strikes Back

-OPI Incognito in Sausalito* (San Francisco collection) + Jordana Magenta Magic

 

 

My favourite pairing from this manicure would have to be the pinkie finger. I fell in love with Incognito in Sausalito* at first swatch, and I think Magenta Magic looks amazing paired with the deep navy shade from the new San Francisco collection. I really enjoyed the theme of this challenge, though it has spurred me to think about adding a true glitter shadow into my ever growing collection.

 

Which pairing is your favourite?

Do you wear glitter makeup or nail polish or find it a bit too much?

This is a Blog Hop, so make sure you check out the other amazing glitter creations from the Antipodean Beauties below!
 

                             

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Confetti Conga in Zurich!

I was wanting to try out a raspberry toned manicure for new years eve nail practise, and decided to start with  ‘From A to Zurich’  from the OPI Swiss collection from 2010. The shade is a dark rose berry shade that seems red in some swatches I’ve seen. It is more of a raspberry on me, and I was wearing a raspberry pink cardigan when I applied this and it went nicely with it.

 

I decided to try out one of the glitter polishes that Fashion Addict sent me, and I love the unusual mix of colours that Confetti Conga* contains. Burnt  orange, blue,  hot pink and purple along with silver micro glitter is suspended in a clear base, and I used only a small amount on my ring fingers to jazz up my manicure a little bit.

 

I must admit that though I am partial to a dense opaque glitter polishes, this sort of glitter is something I’m really glad to have in my collection. I am planning on pairing this with a burnt orange or hot pink polish next, to really take advantage of the glitter inside. I love the name of both of the polishes I’ve used, there is nothing worse than loving a shade and it having just a number or forgettable name.

 

 

 

I don’t think this type of glitter goes perfectly with the rosey shade, but I was still happy with the manicure and think I will wear From A to Zurich with a red glitter next time, and Confetti Conga with an orange base.

OPI is available from David Jones, Myer and Petra stores for $19.95. Confetti Conga and other BYS shades are available from $3.75 from Fashion Addict.

What would you pair with these two shades?

*Confetti Conga was kindly sent to me by Fashion Addict.

Dior Fairy Golds Eyeshadow Palette // Grand Bal Collection

Each time the holiday season rolls around, the luxe makeup brands whip up some pretty limited edition goodies that never fail to tempt me. I tend to hold back and spend all of my extra cash on all the kidlets in my life at this time of the year, but when I locked eyes with the new Dior Grand Bal collection, I knew it was made for me. The two quints were the most exciting aspect of the new CD stash in my eyes. I spent quite a while swatching and considering whether my love for the darker palette (Night Golds) would prevail, or my love for the lighter palette (Fairy Golds) would win my heart. Ultimately they were too similar to both come home to chez Emma, so Fairy Golds flew into my makeup drawers and has been getting a lot of love ever since.

 

 

I’ve found that the mix of shades in this palette can make the perfect transition from daytime look into a festive night look, but the shades are something I will definitely be wearing all year round. From the top left, the first shade is a pinky tinged champagne beige that reminds me of Urban Decay Sin, but is lighter. The shade is soft and buttery, and I’ve been wearing it all over the lid with a darker crease colour quite a bit lately. The second shade along is the glitterbomb of the palette, and is almost like a stack of gold leaf pressed down into a shadow. Applies better than I expected it to, and is a paler gold when compared to something like the gold within the Clarins Odyssey palette. The shade is closer to L’Oreal Infallible 027 Goldmine but less buttery, and more sparkly in an almost overlay sort of effect.

 

The darkest shade in the palette is a a deep chocolately brown with red undertones, brilliant pigmentation and one I will use often. I hardly have any red toned dark brown shades in my collection to compare with this, and I am really impressed with how a light touch can produce such a deep colour. The next shade along in the bottom left hand corner is what I call the taupe of the palette! A mauvey neutral shade, it reminds me of Urban Decay’s Sidecar, but when I swatched them side by side I saw that they are very different. Dior's is much lighter and Sidecar is much more brown in comparison. This shade is my favourite in the palette by far, and was the deciding factor in my palette choice.

 

 

The last and centre shade is a pink tinged white which is very glittery and somewhat chunky in the pan, but applies well and is pretty as an inner corner highlight for dramatic looks. I do wish they had’ve put a matte highlight shade in this palette, which was also noted by Christine of Temptalia, but I suppose you can't fit everything into a quint.

 

The shades are much more vibrant and pigmented in reality, they just blend so well into the skin!

 

Direct sunlight.

 

Indoor swatch, window lighting.

 

 

I find Fairy Golds to be very wearable and lovely quality, and seeing as it is my first Dior eyeshadow purchase I am very pleased with it. I’ve been calling it my ‘festive season palette’, as I can throw the shades on before a long shift at work and they last without creasing longer than any shadow I’ve used before.

Fairy Golds retails for $59 USD and $99 AUD and in Australia is available from Myer and David Jones.

Have you deemed some makeup your 'festive makeup'? Do you tend to wear similar looks now that it is the festive season, or are you one of those lucky ones who gets holidays at this this time of the year?

 

An Easy Christmas Manicure feat. Essie, BYS, Sally Hansen & Mode Cosmetics

Considering I have tumbled head first into the land of festive spirit, I’m amazed that it has taken me this long to pop a Christmas themed manicure up! I thought I’d start out nice and easy, as we all know I am not great at nail art or anything intricate like that. I used a few festive polishes that have been sitting on my desk staring at me, and I apologise for the sorry state of the skin around my nails. I've been so busy at work and it has taken a toll on my hands more than ever before!

I hope you like the manicure!

 

For my thumb, I chose to use two coats of Mode Cosmetics Vicious Venom. Not a very festive name, but wow is it a festive shade! As soon as my Mum saw this manicure, she grabbed this off me to borrow it. Hopefully I will be able to find it in the discount bins at the chemist and buy another bottle for her! The pointer finger is also a Mode Cosmetics shade, this time in Kiss and Tell. Again, really opaque which is the perfect type of glitter for me.

The middle finger is a base of Mode Cosmetics Cool  As, topped with Ulta3 Charmed, which is a tonne of fine green glitter in a clear base. This pair went nicely together, more than I actually first thought they would. The ring finger is a base of Sally Hansen’s Complete Salon Manicure in Pink Slip* (see it in action here) topped with BYS Cold as Ice*, which is my very favourite polish right now (You can buy it for $4.95 from Fashion Addict) I think my next mani will be a full hand of this icy look, as I think it is cute, summery AND festive, all at the same time! My pinky finger is kept plain with Essie’s Going Incognito, which is a beautiful deep forest green crème shade.

Which nail is your favourite? Do you partake in a little festive nail fun, or do you prefer to keep them classic?

*Marked items were provided for review. BYS Cold as Ice was provided for consideration from F

Pixie Pink Slip

Despite leaning more to the orange loving side of the colour spectrum, pink is still a lot of fun for me to wear, especially when the weather heats up. I’m still obsessed with the Jordana Glitters I bought while in Sydney for IMATS/BBU, and so  last week I decided to use one. Of course, I coated each and every nail with a glitter bomb. Such a pain to get off, but so worth it until then- I got a compliment about my nails while watching Chris play indoor football!

 

 

 

 

 

I used the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 170 Pink Slip* as a pale base for the glitter chunks, so that they really stood out. I don’t think I would wear Pink Slip on its own as a manicure as it hovers between very pale pink and white, and doesn’t flatter my pale hands very much. I think I will be getting a lot of use out of it as a glitter base though! The Jordana Glitter I’ve used in this look is 05 Pixie Pink, which is a mix of medium pink hex glitter and small glitters in a clear base.

 

How often can you be bothered wearing glittery nails?

Do you have a favourite 'base' shade for wearing under effect polishes?

 

*Marked item was provided at an event, which does not affect my opinion of it, obviously. Honesty, always.

 

LA City Nights

While in Sydney (yes I harp on because I wish I was still there!) I came across CosmoCosmetics on George Street, a store selling a large range of Jordana polishes. I fell in love (and bought) a stack of the glitter polishes, and this was the first.

 LA City Nights is a glitter polish filled with small purple glitter and slightly larger blue glitter. I love that I can pair this with blues and purples easily, and have been wearing this over other polishes quite often. I haven't really contemplated travelling to Los Angeles before, my parents have just returned from overseas and visited New York for the first time, which looks exciting. Chris mentioned he would like to go to America on our honeymoon (he wants to visit Vegas!) and I think it could be fun.

 Anyway, back to the polish. The first shade I paired this glitter with was one of my very favourite shades, Nice is Nice from Essie. It is a lovely pale lilac shade that I have been using so often that Chris has commented on it!

I love the large bottle of the Jordana Glitters, it is gonna last for ages.

I used two coats of Nice is Nice and one of LA City Nights for this nail look.

 

Where are you dreaming of travelling?

Do you wear glitter polishes often?

They are such a pain to remove! I've found the Revlon remover to be the best for them!

 

 

IMATS Haul

I had been meaning to post this sooner, but it is better late than never! I picked up quite a few goodies outside of IMATS during the week I stayed in Sydney, but will save that for a separate haul.

Last year I came home from IMATS regretting my hesitation in buying certain things, and I was sure to leave with all boxes ticked this year, as you can see. I've kept the brushes in a separate image below, you best believe I bought some!

I once again visited the Gorgeous Cosmetics booth, and bought a powder highlighter in the shade Prism, and some Duo Lash glue (the clear variety) The sales assistant kindly gave me a sample of the Snowberry night cream as well. I stocked up on lashes at the Blync Lashes stand, and bought a stack of big Red Cherry lashes. I had a pair  of 510's applied at the stand (BBU headed to Legally Blonde: The Musical that night so I wanted big lashes!) and they were really comfortable on, so I bought more of that style to take home.

I was excited to visit The Face Paint Shop and check out their face paint tools. I decided not to purchase any just yet, but indulged in some crazily-cheap glitter pots to get creative with! I also visited Scotty's Makeup and bought some of their infamous Studio Brush Sterilizer (ran into Rae Morris and had a chat about palettes and brushes, which resulted in this purchase.)

With a lack of Z Palettes and the shoddy nature of the Unii palette stand (here, have a look, oh we don't have any you can buy, here is a wait list- I've been on a 'wait list' since IMATS 2011!) I turned to Scotty's and Girlee Cosmetics instead. Scotty's palette (very top of photo) is quite heavy and comes with pans for you to fill. I will probably be popping the pans away and placing my own shadows in there. I  bought an empty large Girlee palette in snakeskin, and a small filled with four shadows.

The sweetheart of the haul would have to be my beautiful Ben Nye Rouge & Glam palette, filled with matte neutral shadows and a row of blushes. Each Ben Nye pan was $10 at IMATS and this palette was only $70, so I ended up saving money and getting a lot more pans for it!

I dipped my toe into almost every brush brand IMATS had to offer!

My very first Hakuhodo purchase, sigh. I bought three eye brushes from the famous Japanese brush brand, and though they were the most expensive I treasure them. I also bought the large black brush roll from Girlee for only $5!

I literally just threw a bunch of Crown brushes into a basket and paid for them, I figure the more brushes you have the less you have to clean them!

I stopped by Rae Morris' stand and of course the Radiance brush was sold out (I have one but was contemplating getting it as a gift for somebody) I chose to buy the mini kabuki, to use with my powder highlighters. Lizzi also gave me this precision bent liner brush with a promise that it is easy to use :)

The Royal & Langnickel stand was pretty much wiped clean when I got there late in the day, and so I only managed to get a few pieces. I got the powder brush for myself, and two more of those contouring brushes for my sister and my best friend Candice. I also picked up some of the mini brush sets for them, and one for myself which I forgot to photograph.

 

Now can you see why I had to split my Sydney haul from my IMATS loot?

In all seriousness, I had expected to get this much and was very happy with everything I chose. They are all things I'll get a lot of use out of, and were very well priced.

 

Did you go to IMATS this year?

What item do you like best from my haul?

 

 

*All of the items were purchased by me (except for Lizzi's gift) I did not include any of my press items in this haul. Honesty, always.