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Here Kitty Kitty! Hello Kitty Cosmetics: Diamond Gloss & Eyeshadow

Evening all y’all! 🙂

Well, as I might have mentioned in an earlier post I’m a bit of a Hello Kitty tragic fan! 😉 I’ve loved HK products since I was a teenager. Sooo, when Priceline began stocking a range of HK inspired make up I had to try it!

At my local store they had a special offer – buy any two products from the range and get a free HK plushie! Here’s mine:

When selecting the products I wanted to try, I looked for things that I actually needed. (As it is very easy to get carried away with this range – it’s so cute! ;)) So I picked up the Diamond Gloss in Strawberry Fields and eyeshadow in Les Turquoises ( = The Turquoises). What follows is a pic of them both plus close ups of the eyeshadow, first without flash and then taken with flash on.

Price range: each of these products was AUD $9.99.

Where can I get it? Exclusive to Priceline stores. Not all stores stock it, so check Priceline’s website before you go shopping! 🙂

Both products are made in Europe – the eyeshadow in France and the gloss in Italy. The packaging does not specify, however, exactly which company is producing the product.

Swatches of the products  are below (sorry the pic was not as good as I’d hoped). From L-R: gloss, eyeshadow heavy application, eyeshadow light application.

Regarding the lip gloss, I was looking for something that added a little bit of my colour to my lips and made them look nice and shiny. The lip gloss delivered on both fronts and has a lovely strawberry fragrance. It has a roller ball and the gloss glided on smoothly. (I don’t know about you but sometimes I’ve had glosses with roller balls and the roller ball can feel very cold or rough – this one was fine.) I do however think this is not worth $9.99 and that say $4.99 would be a fairer price – it wears off quickly and you have to frequently reapply.

Below are pics of the gloss on me – first shows gloss alone, in the second picture I’d applied it over the top of some lippie (Designer Brands’ Lilac Mauve lipstick – a really nice frosty pink).

Beautiful rating: quality 3/5, value 3/5

Of the two products, my favourite was the eyeshadow. As other reviewers have mentioned, the eyeshadows are pigmented and a little bit goes a long way. I used the turquoise as part of a smoky silver eye look (highlighted the outer corners of my eyes with the turquoise)…. I tried to take a photo of this but all of them turned out very pale (OK OK I know I need to get a better camera! ;)). 😦

In terms of wear, it lasted well all day on both a warm day and a reasonably cool day (sometimes when it’s warm I find my eye makeup is more likely to crease).

The only thing I didn’t like about the eyeshadow is that I think the packaging should have allowed room for an eyeshadow applicator to be included. I like free applicators! 😛

Beautiful rating: quality 5/5, value 5/5

Have you tried any of the Hello Kitty cosmetic range? If so what did you think? Feel free to let me know by commenting and/or including a link to your blog entry on it, below! 🙂

Makeup Made Easy Workshop

Good evening all! How has your Monday been?

thefancyhub.com

I love trying out make up and other beauty products, but when it comes to applying make up I’m pretty much self (and blog/YouTube! ;)) taught. So when I saw a one day introductory workshop for <$100 AUD I signed up! (The workshop is called “Make Up Made Easy – For Women” and was held yesterday at the WEA in Adelaide.)

Each student was asked to bring along their own make up kit (consisting of whatever make up they usually use) as well as some specific brushes and a few other basics (mirror, make up remover, etc). We were requested to attend without any make up on! (AAARGH! I felt a bit naked without my make up! 😉  However it did make getting ready in the morning super fast, which meant I could sleep in – yay!)

There were about 20 people in the class and all ages, which made the class very interesting as our teacher (Lyn – she told us she’s been working as a makeup artist for approx. 25 years and was very good!) was able to tailor her advice to each age group.The morning was devoted to theory, and the afternoon for applying our make up using our new knowledge! Lyn also helped each student with any aspect of application they might be stuck on.

Some of the new things that I learnt included:

• Middle range brand make up is typically just as good as the designer brands.
• If you use a good quality foundation, the quality of the other products is less important as your skin is protected by the foundation (however I know that really cheap eyeshadow etc doesn’t tend to last very long!).
• Any one can wear any colour make up (e.g. eyeshadow), besides foundation, if you are skilled in applying it!
• Mineral powder foundation lasts best if you use it as a translucent powder after applying liquid foundation, rather than just using the powder alone (I thought this was particularly interesting as that is what I do already! ;))
• If you want to make your eyes appear bigger, when applying eyeliner, just line 1/2 of the eye (i.e. from outer corner through to middle of your iris) rather than all the way across.
• Don’t forget to blend blend BLEND! This might sound like an obvious point, but by paying extra attention to this when applying my eyeshadow it made a huge difference! 🙂 (I thought I was blending fine until I attended this class LOL!)

The TOP tip that I learnt related to application of eyebrow pencil. My brows are a light mousey brown colour and when doing a full face of make up, they appear too pale and almost disappear! I’ve tried to apply eyebrow pencil lightly and directly to my brow, and then have brushed it through, but have always found it looks a bit too harsh. (This then means that I end up avoiding wearing eyebrow pencil and so have wasted $$$ on good pencils!)

>> Lyn’s tip – scribble some eyebrow pencil on the back of your hand, and then run the eyebrow brush through that. Then, simply comb your brows! Presto, better defined brows that look natural!!! 😀

What are some of your top beauty tips? I’d love to hear them!!! 🙂

PS. As you can see on the sticky post (looks like a Post It note) on my site, I’m in the midst of creating a Blogroll (for those who are not aware of this term, blogroll = list of links to other blogger’s sites). If you would like to promote your blog via my Blogroll, please contact me! (Comment, FB/Twitter, or email: abeautifulstory[at]hotmail[dot]com.) All I ask in return is that you pretty please include my site on your Blogroll! 🙂

PPS. How cool does the eye make up look in the picture above??? Fierce, huh?!

PROJECT : BLOGROLL!

>> If you have a blog and would like to promote it, let me know and I’ll add it to my Blogroll! 🙂 In return all I ask is that you add me to yours. Let’s share the blogging love! 🙂

COMPARE THE PAIR: SPF DAY CREAMS

Evening all! 🙂 Having a quiet night tonight as I’ve gotta get up early tomorrow for a make up course I’m attending. (I’m looking forward to it as I’ve never gone to this type of course before; when it comes to makeup application everything I’ve learnt is from experience, youtube, magazines and blogs! ;))

Sometimes I’ll try out a couple of products that have the same intended function. As such I thought it might be more useful to readers if I review both of the products in the same post, which would make it easier for people to decide, which if any of the products would suit them best! Hence “compare the pair”! In these reviews I will not give a “beautiful rating”, but will tally the points that I assign to each product. 🙂 (Hope this makes sense!)

***

I like to use a day cream with SPF every morning, no matter if it is sunny or raining outside, due to the strong Aussie sun. I’d been using Nivea Visage’s Q10 Anti Wrinkle Day Cream (Light) for a while but by chance, tried Olay’s Complete Defence: Daily UV Moisturising Lotion (Sensitive) when it was on sale, and continue to use the Olay product now. Here are my thoughts….

Price range: the Nivea product usually retails between $16 and close to $20 AUD, depending on where you buy it, whilst the Olay is around $15 (but was even cheaper when I bought it! +1 to Olay

Where can I get it? both products are available at Priceline, Chemist Warehouse, and similar, but you cannot get the “light” version of the Nivea product at supermarkets. +1 to Olay

The “light” version of the Nivea cream is designed for those with combination to oily skin, as the standard formulation is quite a heavy cream probably best for dry and/or mature skin. It has a nice consistency and is easily absorbed, but tends to leave my skin a bit shiny. It has a fairly neutral smell and has an SPF of 15. I would tend to recommend this one, despite the “light” category, to young women with dry skin rather than to women with oily skin.

The Olay product is SPF 30, also has a nice consistency and absorbs quickly, and was nowhere near as shiny as the Nivea. It does not have any particular fragrance, as I picked up the one for sensitive skin (which my skin can be at times!)

+1 to Olay for those with combination to oily skin; + 1 to Nivea if you have dry skin… and a bonus +1 to Olay for having a better SPF rating.

In terms of packaging the Nivea product is a jar which means you can get every last bit of the product out to use. The Olay is in a fancy pump pack (which even has a twist lock so you can take it travelling without any problems :)) which is nice but would make it harder to get the last few drops out. +1 to Nivea

If we look at how much product you get for your money, however, there’s 75mL in the Olay product whilst there is only 50mL in the Nivea equivalent. +1 to Olay

Total scores – 5 for Olay and 2 to Nivea…

~*~ The winner is Olay Complete Defence! 🙂 ~*~

Unsurprisingly. after having tried the Olay product I plan to keep buying it rather than the Nivea one in the future!

***

PS. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! to those in North America. It is not celebrated in Australia so I don’t quite understand the “black Friday” stuff that’s being mentioned at the moment?!

PPS. Sorry to those on my email subscription list who received a draft version of my Nutrimetics post in their inbox earlier this week, rather than the final version. (I’d accidentally hit “publish” rather than “save draft” – embarrassing! *blush*)

PPPS. If you’re enjoying the blog be sure to like my facebook page or follow me on twitter for updates! 🙂

Tutti Fruity Nutri – 2 Fab Nutrimetics Products

Welcome everyone… liking my cleaner blog layout? I’m happy with it so far but I think I’ll need a week or so to be sure about what I think! haha 🙂

Earlier this week I mentioned I’d attended a Nutrimetics party. It was hosted by a friend of mine who is quite easy going and so I was assuming it would be a low key and relaxing event. It was fun BUT unfortunately the consultant was a real battle axe and really put the pressure on to buy things! :-O I ordered a nice hand cream (which I’m going to review soon – as per Reader Request! :)).

So I thought I’d take this opportunity to mention two of my favourite Nutrimetics products!

First, their Apricot Body Dew: Moisturising Body Lotion.

Price range: $9.99 AUD when on sale (when I bought it! ;)) but around double this usually.

Where can I get it? exclusive to Nutrimetics

This body lotion is awesome. It contains apricot oil (which the brand is famous for!) as well as shea butter, vitamin E, and wheat germ oil. It has a light consistency, is easily absorbed into the skin and leaves a yummy but not overpowering apricot fragrance.

Despite its high oil content it never clogs my skin which is important as I’m someone who can get breakouts on my shoulders and back if I use products which are too oily.

The 200mL bottle lasts a reasonable time; I alternate using it with Palmer’s Olive Butter Formula body lotion (see a review of that product here) and 2 bottles (I tend to buy 2 at a time, when they are on sale! ;)) usually last a year.

Beautiful rating: quality – 5/5, value – 5/5 when on sale

***

Second, the Nutri-Rich Moisturising Body Satin.

Price range: $9.99 AUD when on sale (when I bought it! ;)) but around double this usually.

Where can I get it? exclusive to Nutrimetics

This is like a spray on version of the body lotion I’ve mentioned! 🙂 It is perfect for spraying on lightly before going on a night out or other special occasion, as it leaves one’s skin with a light shimmer. Like the body lotion, it smells awesome and is full of natural oil goodies!

Beautiful rating: quality – 5/5, value – 5/5 when on sale

***

Are there any other fans of Nutrimetics out there? If so, what have been your experiences with their products? 🙂 (I hope you avoided the pushy sales consultant! LOL ;))

NEW BLOG THEME!

Oh yeahhhh it’s Wednesday! 🙂 What do you think of the new blog theme and layout? I liked the old one but was getting overwhelmed by the pink!

off the shelf – neutrogena, l’oreal men expert & palmolive for men

Hey! 🙂 How has everyone’s weekend been? I attended a Nutrimetics party on Saturday (more on that in an upcoming post :)) and today I have been working on some home renovations (I am in the process of giving my kitchen a makeover and am busily gathering materials together for that – it’s fun but also = $$$ :(), amongst other random stuff!

As part of all this I spent a bit of time with D at his place this afternoon. We were chatting away and I asked him about the products he currently has on his shelf in his bathroom. He kindly agreed to have his views put up on the blog. (Thanks dude! :)) Here is an abridged version of what happened… (WARNING this is a long post! :P)

***

Neutrogena: Oil-Free Moisture – Combination Skin

D: This is my favourite moisturiser at the moment  –this should be reviewed!

S: Ok so tell me about it. How much did it cost you?
D: Uh somewhere between $10-$15 [AUD].

S: What do you like the most about it?
D: It moisturises my skin but it also absorbs [excess] oil at the same time, it reduces shine [visible shine on the skin – when talking with D it became clear that the latter was, to him, a key feature of the product].

S: Is there anything you don’t like about it?
D: Well the cost is higher [considering] the size, compared to other products at the supermarket [D is a bloke always looking for a bargain! ;)].

S: Would you buy this again?
D: Yes I will keep buying it as it’s the only one [moisturiser] out [at the supermarket] that’s good for anti-shine.

S: What would you rate it out of 5 in terms of a) quality and b) value?
D: 4/5 for both.

***L’Oreal Men Expert Skin Caring Shave Gel Anti Irritation Sensitive Skin
(what a mouthful!)

L’Oreal Men Expert Vita Lift Foaming Cleansing Cream: Glycerin

D: I got these L’Oreal products in a pack – when I bought it you got these plus a gym towel for between $20-$30.
S: That’s pretty good value.
D: Yeah I thought getting the gym towel was good too! [My impression when talking with D about these products was that the free towel triggered him to buy the products! I know that I have sometimes been tempted to try a new product/s based on particular promotions/giveaways at the time too. Is anyone else like this???]

S: Tell me about the shaving cream first.  What do you like about it the most?
D: It is good for sensitive skin; it doesn’t irritate my skin at all. It also has a nice gel texture.

S: Would you buy it again?
D: I’m not sure; if it was on sale, yes.

S: So what do you think about the cleanser?
D: Well it leaves your face feeling clean but also it moisturises at the same time, so your skin doesn’t feel dry. I would buy it again if it was on sale.

S: What would you rate each product out of 5 in terms of a) quality and b) value?
D: 4/5 for both across the board.

***

Neutrogena: Deep Clean Facial Cleanser – Normal to Oily Skin

[This product, D estimates, retails for $10-15.]

D: I use this one only about 1x/month – otherwise it dries my skin out too much [I noted that on the packaging that it is designed for daily use but the manufacturers advise to use it less often if it is too drying].

S: It almost sounds like you’d consider this a “treatment”  – something to only use now and again?
D: Yeah that’s right.

S: So, given all of that, do you like this product?
D: Yeah as it does deeply clean my face and get rid of the excess oil. I would give it 4/5 overall as it does what it is meant to do!

***

Palmolive For Men Rapid Shave Foam Sensitive
(sorry for the black frame guys – the image wouldn’t let me crop & re-save :()

D: This should be reviewed too!
S: Ok tell me about this one.

D: It costs less than $10. It’s an inexpensive shaving foam, but despite being “sensitive” it does irritate my skin sometimes.

S: Would you buy it again?
D: Yes if/when I can only afford a cheap shaving cream.

***

Phew that’s a lot of products in one post! D was a very keen reviewer! 🙂

What do people think about the length of blog posts on this site? OK, too long, too short, or???  I try to vary it to keep things interesting, but all constructive feedback is welcome!

Well that’s all folks for this evening. Thanks for visiting; have a great week ahead!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀

you know you’re in for a weird day…

…when you confuse this for a USB stick! LOL!

At least it gave my colleague a laugh!
Happy Friday all 🙂

white glo extra strength whitening toothpaste – coffee & tea drinker’s formula

Hey readers,

This is probably the longest gap I’ve had between posts since starting the blog! I’ve had a busy few days but have had this and a few other posts in the works (including the next guy’s review and a reader request review post) – so bear with me! 🙂

The hot weather is officially here – it’s approx. a quarter past 7 at night and it’s still 31 degrees Centigrade (C). Tomorrow it’s going to get to 37 *sweats*! (I don’t mind warm weather but the air conditioner has died in my car and I am not looking forward to the long drive to and from work that I have tomorrow! 😦 )

Is anyone going to the beach tonight or tomorrow? 🙂

***

Well one thing I’d like to change about myself cosmetically is the colour of my teeth. They tend to get a bit yellow as I am a regular coffee and tea drinker (I don’t smoke)! I’ve had my teeth professionally whitened before but despite using Colgate’s whitening toothpastes my teeth never stay as white as I’d like. So, when I read Sakura‘s review of White Glo‘s Professional Choice toothpaste (you can read it here) and saw how good her teeth looked afterwards (she smokes) I just had to try it!

When I got to the supermarket I saw that there are several different versions of the product, including one specifically aimed at those who regularly drink coffee and/or tea. So I picked that one up. Here’s some shots of the product including everything that comes along with the toothpaste:

So as you can see, not only do you get the toothpaste but also a toothbrush and some tooth flossing picks (of course those are single use so I think they’ve just included them as samples – there aren’t enough to last you for the life of the toothpaste).

Price range: $4.99 AUD

Where can I get it? supermarkets and chemists

I didn’t like the flossing picks much – I’ll stick to standard dental floss! (I didn’t find them to be particularly effective compared to standard floss. Has anyone else tried flossing picks? If so, what did you think of them?)

The toothpaste itself has a bit of an odd taste. It’s hard for me to explain but it’s less minty and more of a bland creamy taste which isn’t horrible but it’s not pleasant either! The key difference between this paste and the others in the range is that it reportedly contains waxes which help repel stains – maybe that contributes to the taste?

I also noticed that when using the toothpaste that it foams A LOT. So much so that when I was trying to brush thoroughly the foam got in the way of properly brushing (I only used a pea size amount!) – I felt like I was going to choke.  😦 Sodium laureth sulfate is one of the ingredients (I don’t like that ingredient much and avoid it in shampoos, for example) and my understanding of that ingredient is that it is usually included to help things “foam”.

Anyhow, down to the results – how white did my teeth get? So far I’ve trialled it over 4 days (and today’s day 5). I’m noticing a subjective and gradual improvement but when you look at the photos, the improvement isn’t so obvious…

*Click away now if you get grossed out by teeth photos!* (LOL! Don’t mind my weird teeth poses either – I’m trying to give you a good view of the teeth in each shot :P)

Before my first brushing (hmm dodgy lighting isn’t it? Sorry!):

After day 3:

After day 4:

Hmm I think the jury’s out on this one so far. I’ll keep using it for the remainder of the month at least, and will take a photo at the end to update y’all, but so far it’s been very mild improvement.

Beautiful rating: quality 3/5 – it’s not fast acting!    value 4/5 – you do get a lot for your money and it is gradually helping

What do others think about teeth? Are white teeth important to you? Do you take notice of others’ teeth?

theFACEshop cereal rice mask sheet

Well I promised I’d be doing a few posts, right? 😉

Before I forget, I want to let readers know that I have some more guy’s product reviews coming up soon. Just letting people know so that people don’t think I’ve forgotten about that aspect of the blog!

I’m a big fan of face mask sheets. (For those who haven’t seen or used them, they are usually a thin cotton sheet the size of your face with holes cut out for your eyes, lips etc and the sheet is soaked in serums and other goodies for your skin.) Why?

• They’re efficient – simply whip them out of the packet and pop them on your face;
• Less mess – after removing from your face usually you can simply throw the mask in the bin and pat excess serum/mask ingredients into your skin rather than having to fuss about washing the mask off;
• You can usually buy several different types of sheet mask for the same price as one tube of multiple use facial mask pastes/lotions (good if you’re not sure what suits you!); and
• They look cool! (Well, when I put them on I look like an alien but I think it’s funny ;))

I do, however, concede that they are not as environmentally friendly as masks that you use out of a tube or pot.

There are 3 sheet face masks that I’m a big fan of at the moment – one I’ll save for a future review, one is THEFACESHOP’s Vita B mask (they have been out of stock for aaaages at my local store :’-( ) and the third is the THEFACESHOP’s Cereal Rice Mask Sheet.

Below are some photos of the packaging for this product – both front and back – so that you can also get an idea of what the mask looks like (it’s a dark colour on the packaging but is actually white when you take it out of the packet):

Price range: these are approx. $4 AUD each however at my local THEFACESHOP outlet they currently have a “buy 3 get 1 free” promotion which makes it even better value!

Where can I get it? Exclusive to THEFACESHOP

This mask does not have any particular perfume or fragrance, which I liked (less likely to irritate the skin!). I found that the particular shape of these masks (see the image above – the shape is exactly like that!) is a little small in some places and a bit too big in others, but you can usually easily move it around or fold pieces of the mask out the way so it sits comfortably.

I’ve bought several of these masks (they are designed for 1 use only) and every time have found it to have a soothing and moisturising effect on my skin, without making my skin too oily. My face always feels both soft and nice and refreshed when I use this mask.

There are many different face mask sheets that you can get at THEFACESHOP and if you have a store in your area I recommend taking a look as the variety is quite interesting! In this particular range I noticed they also had a cherry and an acerola (what is that?!) variety, as well as several others.

I will keep buying this mask unless I find one I like better from THEFACESHOP or elsewhere. (I have a bit of a routine where I use a mask once a week – each week I rotate through the different ones I have so it provides my skin with some variety! :)) However, it’s best to get them when they are on sale (as I do!) because the cost can add up fast.

Beautiful rating: quality 5/5, value 4/5 (if paying full price; I’ve noticed another Korean brand, Tony Moly‘s sheet masks, are RRPing cheaper in Adelaide shops – haven’t tried that brand yet but I want to! 🙂 Has anyone else tried Tony Moly???)