Katies sale: Mini haul!

I got an email from Katies telling me that they were having a 2-day massive 30% - 70% off sale and if you had a Katies Privellage Card then you would receive an extra 25% off the already reduced price....BARGAIN! I just could not say no to this temptation, even though I had already told myself that I have purchased enough in the last fortnight.

So I went to Katies and to my purse's luck, there was not a huge range of stuff left (I went on the 2nd/final day of the sale). I rummaged through and found a few items that were really good mix-and-match staple pieces. I got:

* 2x tank tops - in blue and red. These were from $15 down to $4.50 each.

* Cute little crocheted bolero style cardi in cream. From $59 down to $17.50.

* White baby doll style top with detail around the neckline. From $30 down to $7.50

I didn't go as crazy as I would have liked but I am so happy with the pieces I bought. There is a heap in my wardrobe already that will really tie in nicely with these new pieces.

OPI Black Shatter Review

This is the first time I've tried anything like this.

I have the flu so my hands are a little shaky hence all the polish on my skin.  I'll go back later and clean it off with a cotton tip once it's all hard but you get the idea.

I applied it over OPI Strawberry Margarita.  It could have done with an extra coat of pink but I was impatient!

The formula is quite different to a normal polish.  It dries very fast and I noticed it goes kind of gluggy and lumpy on the stick.  I wonder whether the bottle will become full of lumps with time??

Less is more for a better effect so a thin streaky coat is fine.

It also dries very matte so a top coat for a nice shine is essential.

I can't wait for the new shatter colours to come out!  I'll also be trying China Glaze's Crackle range and comparing them.

I also realized this effect looks best with an opaque, creme polish and most of mine are shimmery, frosted or sparkly so looks like I'll need to go shopping again!

Net-a-Porter Delivery: Alexander McQueen skull scarf

I have long been trawling Net-a-Porter and drooling over the designer fabulousness. Its such a great online store, very reputable for selling genuine designer labels, and always cheaper than what you would pay in Australia in a real-life store. Having the Aussie dollar so strong at the moment, it really makes online shopping extremely attractive for us.

I've also been weirdly drawn to the now classic Alexander McQueen signature skull print silk scarves, which add a great element of punk/rock chick-ness to any outfit. So when I found a perfect one on Net-a Porter, I just had to have it!

The scarf arrived in the iconic Net-a-Porter black box tied up in a bow! They included a little bag with my scarf as you see above, containing a size guide and tape measure with inches on one side and cm on the other--very handy for online shopping.

Then---the scarf! It is the most beautiful soft silk, in an ivory/cream colour with the black skulls. It is quite big and can be quite easily wrapped loosely around the neck. Being such an ordinary colour combination makes it go with nearly all the clothes I own, but you can get it in crazy reds, golds, purples etc.

The icing on the cake of this wonderous purchase is the price. I couldn't find the scarf in DJs or any boutique in Australia, so I can't directly compare with Australian prices, but GBP 119 converts to approx AUS$190. And I snapped it up during a free shipping promotion, so I saved about AUS$32 there. Smiles all round!!!

Alexander McQueen, RIP

Beauty Confession: *I spent almost $200 on a scarf*

Bloggy Giveaways!

There are some really generous beauty prizes out there just waiting for some beautyholic to take them home and love on them.

First up we have Tara2Tara's giveaway which end 6 April so you still have time to enter!

Next there is Ria at Serious-Shiny with a really generous giveaway but you only have until 1 April to enter so hurry!

Jen at PolishAholic has 4 really awesome prizes to choose from.  Open until 14 April so loads of time to enter.  I really want to win this one!

This post will be updated as I add more giveaways so keep checking!

Ebay Clinique Purchase

One of my most favourite lipsticks...ever...is Clinique's Bamboo Pink.

I first discovered this colour as a sample in a gift pack so a full size followed shortly after.

Sadly it didn't last long since a certain little boy decided to grind it (and a variety of other creams and cosmetics) into the carpet.

So not really wanting to pay full price (again!) for the lipstick I had a look on ebay and found this gift pack with a full sized lipstick!  The whole thing including postage was less than the cost of the lipstick if I had bought it by itself! Woohoo!

I just LOVE the two make up bags!  They're a little smaller than I hoped though.

The set also comes with an eye shadow trio in Totally Neutral, Shimmering Stripes blusher in Peony, 3 make up brushes and mascara.

I've never seen Clinique do an eyeshadow sample in a round compact with the mirror on top.  The size of the eye colour is TINY though:-(

Overall I'm really happy!  I have my favourite lippy back and a whole lot of other goodies!

More OPI

I went back to the nail supplies place to pick up some nail wheels to use for swatching.  We'll be doing that next week so look out for them!

I picked up a pump bottle for polish remover and a few extra OPIs at the same time.

I didn't use a flash but besides the the two left-most bottles (and maybe the third) the colours are still not very true.  This is starting to annoy me!

The colours are: The Color to Watch, Blue My Mind, Black Cherry Chutney, And This Little Piggy, Meet Me on the Star Ferry and Pearl of Wisdom

SERIOUS Nail Polish Haul

I'm kind of speechless actually.

Since the Spa Day at Ella Bache, I've had an overwhelming need to increase my OPI collection from 2 to...well as many as I could get.  My pedi is still perfect 10 days on!

Yesterday I happened to come across a kiosk selling them for just under $12/bottle.  I got 5.  They didn't have as good a range as I hoped and several colours I had on my wishlist from online googling simply didn't look the same in real life.

From left to right:  It's all Greek to Me, Louvre Me Louvre Me Not, Melon of Troy, Overexposed in South Beach and Aphrodite's Pink Nightie.

The colours in the photo don't look anything like the real deal!  They're MUCH nicer in person.

Moving along to today...We gathered at Annette's place since she found a place near her selling OPI for $10!  Just as we're about to pull into to the carpark she informs us that at least that's what the post on a forum from 2008 said!

Obviously no nail outlet anywhere so dejected we go home and cook lunch.  I investigated the matter further since I wasn't going home without nail polish!  More thorough reading showed the place had moved and was still very close by.

Success!!!!!!!  OPI for $11/bottle.  Very comparable to the USA after you take postage into account.  They also had other brands like China Glaze, Essie, Orly, Seche etc and all manner of nail art accessories.

Below is the combined result of our trip there.

Alex Got:

OPI An Affair in Red Square

OPI Blushingham Palace

OPI Cuckoo for This Colour

OPI My Private Jet

OPI Not Like the Movies

OPI Pompeii Purple

OPI Purple With a Purpose

OPI Russian Navy

OPI Significant Other Color

OPI Strawberry Margarita

OPI Teenage Dream

OPI Teal the Cows Come Home

OPI Who Needs a Prince

OPI Black Shatter

OPI Natural Base Coat

OPI Top Coat

China Glaze Lubu Heels

Nails Alive Aromatherapy Drying Drops

Annette Got:

OPI Sweetheart

OPI Glitzerland

OPI Moon Over Mumbai

China Glaze Lubu Heels

Helene Got:

OPI Sweetheart

OPI Cajun Shrimp

OPI Fiji-Weejee-Fawn

OPI Jade is the New Black

China Glaze Thistle

China Glaze Her Fabulousness

China Glaze For Audrey

China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway

China Glaze Lubu Heels

Beauty confession...*I spent $250 on nail polish in less than 24 hours*

Stay tuned for swatches!!

A bit of a haul...

I've gone on a bit of a make-up binge in the past fortnight and here is the aftermath...

Cheap and Cheerful

Rimmel Eyeshadow quads and trios on clearance from the chemist.  I haven't used this brand before, but for $6 each I figured it was worth a try even if they aren't as pigmented as I would like.  Stay tuned for a road test coming up soon!

Clinique Gift Time at Myer

My skin had changed and become more oily and prone to breakouts so I'm switching over to  higher strength 3 Step Daily Skin Care and incorporating some of the Anti Blemish range too.

No better time to stock up than Gift Time!  I was almost out of Clarifying Lotion so DH (of all people!) suggested I get more.  I decided to go from a #2 to a #3 rather than #4 or Anti Blemish.  We'll see if it's strong enough!  I still have plenty of the soap and moisturiser so I'll use them up before switching over.

The other thing I got which I'm totally in love with is the Anti Blemish Solutions Liquid Foundation.  It contains salicylic acid so it fights those spots while hiding them instead of making my skin worse.  It's a little on the sheer side so a powder on top would work for days when more coverage is needed but what I love most is how it feels.  My skin feels much nicer and cleaner with it on.  I can't feel it and it doesn't make me itch.

The gift set contains:

All about Eyes Serum.  I'm in love with this stuff and am waiting on an order from Cosmetic America to arrive with a full size tube of this stuff!

Superdefense SPF 25 Age Defense Moisturizer.  I'm really impressed with the size for a sample.  Haven't tried it yet since I'm busy defending my face against spots at the moment.

Dramatically Different Moisturizer.  What Clinique gift set is complete without it?  I must have a handful of various sized containers of this stuff.  I'll probably give them away and switch to the anti blemish moisturizer.  Again, a really generous size for a sample.

Deep Comfort Body Lotion.  You can never have too many body lotions lying around...especially with winter on its' way and the drying effect ducted heating has on skin.

High Impact Mascara.  I never have to buy mascara these days!  It's always in one gift pack or another.

Take The Day Off Make Up Remover.  For lids, lashes and lips.  These are the areas I struggle to remove make up from.  I'll be buying a full sized bottle for sure!

Long Last Glosswear in Air Kiss.  Very sheer and nude. I prefer something that shows up better but it's SPF 15 and can be worn everyday and goes with all colours.

Colour Surge Eyeshadow Duo in Peach Plum and Blush in Smouldering Plum.  Awesome colours!  Love them all.  I wasn't sure how well the peach and plum would play together but they do.  Very wearable colours and great for travel.

The Bag.  Love these bags that hang on the back of the door.  Great for travel where storage space is tight.  I would have loved this when I was in hospital.  I had to put my toiletry bag next to the small sink and it barely fit and was impossible to find what I needed.

NYX Eyeshadow Palettes

My sisters introduced me to NYX this month.  An affordable yet highly pigmented range of makeup.

I got a couple of gorgeous eye shadow palettes from the new Caribbean Collection:

I Dream of Barbados - Pinks, purples and silver/charcoals

I Dream of Antigua - Green/blues and silver/greys

Haven't really played much with them because I'm holding out for new make up brushes.

Ella Bache

Last Saturday we all got together with Mum for a girly afternoon at a Day Spa.  We went to Ella Bache in Melbourne Central for some much needed pampering.

I had a deluxe pedicure with paraffin wax, brow shape and signature facial.  EB are a little on the pricey side but it's well worth it.

Service was great and they're very thorough and take their time.  Everything was very professional and hygienic.

I totally loved the special pedicure chair with built in sink.   I'm really happy I chose a pedi since my feet have been quite sore lately.  The hot paraffin wax felt amazing!

The pedi finished with an OPI polish.  I picked Pompeii Purple which is now on my OPI wish list.

They applied the polish after my facial even though they did the pedi first to ensure it didn't get messed up.  Little things like this contributed to the fantastic service.

The great thing about the Signature Facial is that it's tailored to your individual skin type.  I lost count of all the different products that were smeared on and off my face.  The acupressure massage was amazing!

I can't wait to go back for more!