'Hara' lipstick by Napoleon Perdis

Wow, it has been a couple of months since I posted something...woops! Anyway, back into it...


This is one of my favourite lipsticks so I thought I'd share. It is one of the Napoleon Perdis Devine Goddess Lipsticks in the colour Hara. 

It's a bright orange colour that is perfect for spring/summer but I also like to use it in Autumn/Winter occasionally when I feel like brightening things up. Its a velvety, almost matte finish with no shimmer and its very long lasting. I don't find it drying on my lips. I am someone who suffers a lot from dry lips so I always use a balm or treatment to keep them moisturised so if you don't take care of your lips you might find it drying, but on me it's nice and creamy. 


In this picture I have used a hot pink lip liner underneath all over my lips just to make it slightly more pink.

Do you have a favourite bright orange lipstick?

What's in my travel make-up bag?

Im going away this weekend for 3 days to Sydney for our anniversary and last night I sat down and decided what make-up to take. My husband said this was still too much to take, but I feel like a did a good job at not taking too much!! As a make-up addict I think I did pretty well at keeping it to the necessities!

Ill move from left to right....

1. Australis Fresh and Flawless Pressed Powder - 'Natural'
2. Napoleon Perdis Might Concealer Pen - 'Pink Beige'
3. Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre Foundation Primer
4. Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel (de-potted into a little travel container)
5. Benefit High Beam Highlighter
6. Loreal NutriShine Lipsticks x3 - 'Pink Rose', 'Pink Nude', and 'Nudy Pink'
7. Napoleon Perdis Lip Liner - 'Pink Slip'
8. Napoleon Perdis Pro Palette Concealer
9. Nars Sheer Glow - 'Monte Blanc'
10. Napoleon Perdis Off Duty Tinted Moisturizer - 'Light/Medium'
11. Napoleon Perdis lip glosses x2 (no colour names as they came in a limited edition Christmas pack)
12. Rimmel Soft Kohl Pencil - 'Black'
13. Elizabeth Arden Eye Pencil - 'Espresso'
14. Savvy by DB Eyeliner - 'White'
15. Napoleon Perdis Eyebrow Pencil - 'Pale Rider'
16. Napoleon Perdis Desk to Dusk palette (this was a limited edition palette from Christmas 2011)
17. MAC Paint Pot - 'Bare Study'
18. La Femme eye shadow - 'Pewter'
19. Napoleon Perdis Creme De La Creme eye shadow - 'Quick Silver'
20. Napoleon Perdis colour disc (eye shadow) - "Amethyst Bling'
21. MAC eye shadows x2 - 'Patina' and 'Vanilla'
22. Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara- Water Proof

xxx

Shoe love - Nordstrom

I just read somewhere that Nordstrom now ships to Australia so I thought I'd jump on-line and see what they had in their sale section. Now this weekend I'm going to Sydney on a shopping trip with my husband for our 1 year anniversary, so I'm saving my shopping money for then, but that doesn't stop me from looking and getting ideas and inspiration...

http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/sale-womens-shoes?origin=leftnav


Via Spiga 'Acacia' Bootie
Was: AUD 254.8Now: AUD 127.350% OFF

BP. 'Search' Lace-Up BootieWas: AUD 142.64Now: AUD 94.6933% OFF





REPORT 'Ceron' BootieWas: AUD 112.06Now: AUD 74.333% OFF



Martinez Valero 'Zoie' PumpWas: AUD 131.43Now: AUD 65.1350% OFF

Small haul

Last week I bought a few new products, one was a necessary item and the others were spur of the moment items that I picked up. One in particular I am SUPER excited about as Ive been wanting it for so long.

The necessary item was a new pressed powder - Australis Fresh and Flawless Pressed Powder

I'd heard that this was a great powder - long lasting, high coverage and a dupe for the Mac Studio Fix powder. So far I'm loving it!! 

I got it in the colour Natural which is the lightest - There's only 3 shades.

I went into Priceline to browse on my lunch break and ended up picking up the new Rimmel foundation - called Wake Me Up. I got it in the lightest shade Ivory.

(I accidently deleted the photo I took of this product but here's an internet picture)

And while I was heading to the checkout to buy the foundation I picked up a brush. I don't really know why, but I touched the tester and it felt super soft so I just decided to take it with me to the checkout. It's from an Australian cheaper brand called Models Prefer. 

And the thing I'm most excited for - Soleil Tan De Chanel which I have wanted for a long time and finally went and bought it. I was in David Jones re-purchasing my skin care items and wandered over to the Chanel counter while I was there.

This picture shows the Soleil Tan De Chanel at the bottom, that's not blended, that is a swatch straight from the container to my hand. 

To the top/right is a squirt of the Rimmel foundation and the the top/left is the foundation blended out. 

Fashion post - Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy

Hi,

I recently read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead and LOVED IT!

I love the main character, Rose because she is such a strong personality that I really admire. Whenever I really fall in love with a character I always feel inspired to do a bit of Googling about their style (fashion/hair/make-up). So I browsed the web for Rose Hathaway style pics and found the below in Google images which were from http://www.polyvore.com/

http://www.polyvore.com/ is a great website. I check it out nearly everyday when I just feel like browsing fashion looks and trends.

I really like what I found for the Rose Hathaway looks, probably because what I found is very much my style. I do mix up my style with trends and different moods I might be in, but the below pics are what I would say is my overall constant style. I tend to be a simple yet classy kind of dresser with a touch of edginess (i.e. a leather jacket, military boots, edgy accessories, etc).

My favourite section is the last picture/grouping. I absolutely ADORE the boots and handbag! and I also really love the jacket in the first picture/grouping.

Have you read the books? 
What items in these pictures do you like best and what do you think of this overall style?

Courtney 

xoxo

Tinted Moisturisers - Laura Mercier and Dior

Yesterday I purchased an item off of my wishlist, the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser. And the day before yesterday I actually purchased another tinted moisturiser, the Dior Hydralife Tinted Moisturiser. 


The reason I bought 2 within 2 days is because I have been wanting a tinted moisturiser for a while now and the other day I came into work with a full face of make-up but from very early on in the morning my face was just feeing itchy and heavy and I just had to get my face clean. I used a wipe and washed my make-up off but I've had a breakout recently and after using the wipe my face was so red and blotchy so I decided "OK this is the day that I will go choose a tinted moisturiser". I went into Myer and I knew I would be deciding between these two brands so I looked at both but chose the Dior because I am absolutely IN LOVE with the smell of the Hydralife products, so based on that reason I purchased the Dior. However, I am very saddened and disappointed to say that the lightest shade, Shade 1, is too dark for me:-( I decided to keep it though and use it for when I am tanning or on holiday, etc. So the next day I went back and bought the Laura Mercier. I was matched to the shade Nude(second to lightest) so that is what I purchased but she also gave me two sample pots of the lightest shade, Porcelain, for me to try on its own or mix in with the Nude if I feel like I need it a bit lighter. I am very happy with the shade Nude as it is not too dark but gives my natural colour a little bit of a boost, as I haven't tried it yet but I think the Porcelain all over might wash me out a bit and be just that bit too pale. 

Dior Hydralife - Shade 1

Dior Hydralife
On the left it is blended and on the right is straight from the tube.

 

Laura Mercier - Nude

Laura Mercier
On the left it is blended and on the right is straight from the tube.

I do apologise for the picture quality - I don't have a camera so these were taken on my phone and it was still dark this morning when I took these so I had to use my bathroom light as opposed to natural light. 


As you can the see, the Dior is definitely too dark for me, and the LM when blended out has a slightly too yellow tinge but I feel like it brings a little colour to my skin whereas the lighter shade might just make me look completely pale - but I haven't tried the samples yet so will let you know. I didn't have time to apply them and take pictures of my face, but I will do some posts of my face make-up when I'm wearing these at some stage. 


Overall my first impressions are;


Dior Hydralife

• Smells divine! 
• Covers well 
• Dewy/fresh finish (would need to powder if not at first then definitely throughout the day)
• Limited colour choice (only 3 shades available) and the lightest is not light enough. 
• Nice packaging and easy to use tube style
• Could use this as your morning moisturiser as it's very hydrating. 
• Repurchase??? - No. Unfortunately the only thing holding me back from repurchasing is the colour, otherwise I'd be re-purchasing it for sure as I love the smell, finish, and feel of it. 

Laura Mercier

• Great colour choice (10 shades) 
• Also offer an oil free version
• Nice packaging and easy to use tube style
• Nice even slightly dewy finish (not as dewy as the Dior which means less need to powder it)
• Depending how much moisture you need or like, this might not be good enough as your morning moisturiser, you might need to use something else first. 
• Repurchase??? - Yes. Great colour range that suits my pale skin, good coverage and finish and although I like the initial fresh look of the Dior, this one is not as dewy which means less powdering. 

Have you tried either or both of these products? 
What do you think of them? 
What is your favourite tinted moisturiser?

Courtney 

xoxo

Current Wish List

I have quite a list of things I want to get. Well to be honest I want A LOT of things but I have to be realistic, so I tried to focus on things I Really want and this a list of things I came up with...


1. Revlon Lip Butters
I don't have a particular colour in mind I just really want to try them but they haven't come out in Australia yet. I think they are due out in about 2 months or so. 



2. Soleil Tan de Chanel 
I don't have a cream bronzer at the moment. I currently use Loreal Glam Bronze Duo which I recently purchased, and I have Hoola by Benefit but that breaks me out so I'm either going to throw it out or keep it to use on other people - haven't decided. But I feel like I need a cream bronzer. 





3. Chanel Pressed Powder (for my handbag).
I currently have Napoleon Perdis Camera Finish which I like, but as a make-up junky I really want to try the Chanel once I've finished my NP. 





4. Dior Hydralife Moisturiser  
I currently use Kora Organics which I love, but I used to use the Dior moisturiser and only stopped because of how expensive it is. I want to get it again as I loved how it felt and I love the luxury of it but above all, I am ADDICTED to the smell of the Dior Hydralife products!



5. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser
I went and bought the Dior Hydralife Tinted moisturiser today which is absolutely beautiful (and smells like the Hydralife moisturiser I mentioned above) but the lighted shade is still even a bit dark for my pale skin. So I'd like to get the LM for my pale days, and use the Dior on more tan days or mix the two together maybe. 





I am sure there are a million other things I want but these are the main things that come to mind right at this moment. I will do updated lists like this every now and then I think. 

What is on your beauty wishlist?

Courtney 

xoxo

Napoleon Perdis Haul

I have been reading a lot of beauty blogs for a while now and whenever I go shopping or really like some products I feel like I just want to share that with someone that is as into it as I am - so I thought the best way to do that is to start my own beauty blog! I thought I'd kick it off with a recent haul.

I recently did a big spend at Napoleon Perdis and this is what I picked up... (apologies but I don't have a camera up and running yet so have had to use internet pictures). 

Sheer Genius Foundation - Look 1

This is a matte foundation that is, in my opinion a medium coverage. It is extremely light weight feeling and lasts all day long! 

Boudoir Mist Foundation - Look 1 and Look 3



The is a spray foundation in a can. It can be used on it's own, but I like to use it as a finishing spray over top of the Sheer Genius. It adds extra coverage, smoothness, sand sets the make-up. I bought it in Look 1 - my colour, and Look 3 for when I have a bit of a tan as I can use it to warm up other foundations that might not match my tan. I also sprayed the Look 3 on my chest the other night as a bit of a fake tanner. 


Black Velvet - Eye Shadow



This is a black eye-shadow that is PACKED with glitter. The picture doesn't show the amount of glitter but let me tell you - its like looking at a black disco ball. It doesn't come off with that much glitter on the eye though, it shows as more of a metallic black once blended on the eye. 


Amethyst Bling - Eye Shadow

 

Again, the picture isn't showing the true colour AT ALL! I will have to take some photos one day and do another post on my Napoleon Perdis eye shadows it think. In reality this is a purple colour with a greyish undertone with a metallic finish. It is so beautiful - but looks nothing like the picture above. 

Wild Bronze - Creme de la Creme Eye Shadow

These Creme de la Creme's are a cream eye shadow formula that are very shimmery and come off looking quite metallic. There are 3 shades, and I want them all but started with the Bronze shade. 

Devine Goddess Lipstick - Artemis (limited edition)

This lipstick is without a doubt my all time favourite lipstick so far. It comes off as a light to medium cool toned pink and the formula is very glossy and smooth. I really hope they make this a permanent colour because it is just so beautiful and suits my fair skin and blonde hair colouring. 

Luminous Lip Veil - In The Flesh

The luminous lip veils from Napoleon Perdis are smooth glosses (not sticky) and have lychee extract giving them an amazing fruity scent that is the best scent I have ever come across in a lip-gloss. This shade is a light fleshy toned pick with slight shimmer in it. I haven't worn it yet thought because I have a lot of other glosses I want to use up so I am thinking of keeping this for my professional kit.

What Napoleon Perdis products have you bought recently or want to purchase?

Courtney 

xoxo