NAIL(POLISH) FAIL

It took me a bloody long time to track down Kendall on the Katwalk. When I finally found it at a hair place in Melb Central (I think?), it was a moment. Basically, I couldn’t wait to get home and slap it on.

Funnily enough, it took me over a month to actually try it. And it was not a disappointment! Oh, wait – it was a mammoth disappointment.

Look, it's a stunning glitter polish, but the formula is fucking pants. It chipped/flaked off after a day. A day. A FUCKING DAY. The pics below are after two days of wear. I don't even.

I mean, shit. I forked out $15 for this. Ugh.

Totes never buying another Nicole by OPI polish again. Even if it looks amazing. Frankly, I’d rather spend my $ on caffeine-related products. Like coffee.

Anyone had a similar experience? Did I get a dud? Tell me plz.

Oh, and if any Kardashians are reading this, get over the K shit. We get it - you all have first names that start with the letter K. And your surname starts with a K. KOOL STUFF! Not really. I don’t kare, k? K. Kunts.

 

Did you win some POW!?

I have the winners for my Echolife/POW! giveaway. GET EXCITED! :DDDDD

 

Congrats to zoeeangelaa and Suzanne! I will tweet/email you very, very soon. Like, now.

Big thanks to all the peeps that entered! And another big thanks to Sabine at Echolife for being awesome, giving away free things and always throwing POW! into our conversations.   

Bai.

Cheap Stila? NOWAI!

Haaaai guuuurlz!

The PR peeps that handle the gloriousness that is Mecca Cosmetica got in contact with me and sent over a few goodies. This made my day for two reasons:

1. Mecca is cool

2. Mecca has cool brands

I guess I could’ve condensed that into one reason.

Whatever.

Stila’s living the life in laguna palette is what I’m going to be talking about today.

The little touches i.e. the face chart and cute quote overjoy me.

Before I even start the review, I’d like to point out that this little cutie costs $29. $29! I’m so used to brands like Stila being stupidly exxy/mainly out of my makeup-pricing-comfort-zone, that it was major shock to the system when I found out this was under $30. Good times. For those of you who stick to ‘drugstore’ or don’t like to regularly drop $$$ on cosmetics, this one’s especially for you. Well, us. ;)

Let’s start with shadows:

Top 2: sand dollar and sunset & Bottom 2: cove and bonfire

The pigmentation of these is pretty decent, but while they appear very shimmery under artificial light, they actually go on matte. This isn't too big a problem as I like both shimmer and matte, but I thought it was worth a mention as it may be a dissapointment for some. E.g. I was to really keen to use sunset when I first spotted it, but since it lost its shimmery prettiness and depth when I slapped it on my eye/swatched, it proved to be a slight downer. I still like the colour (it's a light cranberry kinda shade, despite the fact that it looks quite orange above), but it's just not what I expected it to be. If you see this palette irl, you'll know what I mean!

My faves of the bunch? cove (mushroomy purpley taupe), bonfire (chocolate brown) and sunset (light cranberry). sand dollar (pinky champagne) isn't really my thang.

Now to the cheek colours:

seashell & pacific coast highway

Well done on the tiny font, moron. Click to enlarge!

The palette lists pacific coast highway as bronzer. A bronzer! WAT. I don’t know in what universe that shade would be considered a bronzer, but hey – that’s a matter for the peeps at Stila. I did notice that on Mecca’s website, it's listed as a bronzer/highlighter which makes slightly more sense. Well, not really. Actually, not at all. Should’ve been labelled a ‘blush’ imo. Anyway, pch is my fave of the two and is a decent blush shade. Soft, pretty and would look especially lovely on those who have very pale skin. seashell aka the blush was pretty bad. Chalky and practically non-existent on the mug. And on the hand. It was a major fail, tbh.

So, there we are. I adore the cute, little touches that Stila has added to this palette (it's very enjoyable when cosmetic companies add cutesy things to their packaging and put a little extra thought into things) and the shadows are a win, but the cheek colours are a bit of a fail. Especially the blush.

I think this would be best for those who wanna inject a little high-end into their collection, but don’t wanna spend too much. Can’t really beat $29 for Stila! Check it out on Mecca here.

P.S. These are touted as Limited Edition, but will be available ‘til stocks run dry. Word has it that the Mecca in Paddington has a decent stockpile...

Thoughts? Questions? Go!

I like to smell like food

I enjoy smelling like food. I really do. Sweet food, in particular. Sweet and fattening food. The kind of food that induces Homer Simpson-type drooling. Almond cookies. Chocolate. Vanilla cupcakes. Lollies. GIMME NOW.

Here are a few things that help me to smell like a walking cookie/cake/lolly/chocolate:

HoG’s Twice is Nice

If you don't know how much I love this stuff, you must be new. This is the best smell in the entire universe. Almondy, vanillary, coconuty. Mostly almondy though. Soso good.

HoG’s Troika

This isn’t as sweet as Twice is Nice (nothing is), but it’s still kinda foody. If I’m not in the mood for smelling superdoopersweet (rare), this is what I reach for. HoG describes it as: A trinity of soft milks, almond, oat and coconut, lashed with sweet agave nectar and the ethereal scent of clean white. Ah, yes. Clean white. I love the smell of white...

Schwarzkopf Ultimate Repair

This whole range smells like Jaffas. JAFFAS! The scent doesn’t last that long when you use the shampoo and conditioner, so I like to use the treatments and/or the styling bits for longer lasting jaffa goodness.

Sugarbaby Deluxe Roll-on Fragrance in Marshmallow

HOLY BALLS. Remember musk sticks? I do! If you enjoy the smell of those pink sticks of sugary heaven, you must try this. It smells so fucking good. If only they made a shampoo version...

Sugarbaby Deluxe Roll-on Fragrance in Pomegranate

Want to smell like a deliciously tart pomegranate/like you’ve been bathing in pomegranate juice? Get this. This isn’t the kind of foody scent that I usually like because it’s not sugary, but I still enjoy it. It’s zingy, tangy and... different. Quite yum.

Sugarbaby Deluxe Roll-on Fragrance in Vanilla

Not as vanillary as other vanilla-based prodz I’ve tried, but still pretty sweet. And delicious. Like vanilla icing.

Bloom/Boost balm in Banana Buzz

These balms rock. They make my lips soft and smell delish. I enjoy Banana Buzz because I like my lips to smell like those powdery banana-shaped lollies that I used to chomp on when I was a kid. I also like Tropical Storm for similar reasons.

DermaVeen Soap Free Wash

ALMONDS. A great cleanser (that can also be used as a body wash) that makes me smell ridonk. Plus, ALMONDS. I just realised they sell body lotions and shampoo. Need now. P.S. ALMONDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Hope you enjoyed reading about my freakish addiction to smelling like sweet stuff.

Know of any other sugary lotions and potions? TELLMENOWPLZ.

OMG, ILLAMASQUA!

I happened to stumble across some very exciting information the other night. Illamasqua is 20% off at Myer ‘til the end of the month!

(&*%^!@@#$^&^lfjskdjfjdskfjdsjfkdsjcOS827489324897234!!!!!!

FYI, the above rougly translates to: HOLY SHIT, WOOOOO! YESYESYESYESYES!

I’ve only got one prod from the brand (cream blush in Rude <3) and I want more. More! I’ve posted a mini wishlist below. A very mini wishlist. I’ll probably only end up buying one thing from my list because I need to save $$$. And because I’ve already got shitloads of makeup. *dramatic sigh*

Here it is:

Human Fundamentalism Neutral Palette

Oh, golly. WANT WANT WANT! NOW NOW NOW!

Liquid Metal in Enrapture

In all honesty, I want all of them. Enrapture is a standout, though. Just look at it! Holy fucking shit.

Cream Blush in Dixie

This looks pretty and I need more peach blush in my life. Yeah, right.

Medium Pencil in Vow

I want this for my lower waterline. For the times I do winged liner and for the times when all I want to put on my eyes is a lick of mascara (rare). I’m convinced it’ll be far better than white and will make me look fresh, well-rested and un-hag-like.

Pure Pigment in Ore

Like with the liquid metals, I want all the pigments. All of them. HOWEVER, Ore is definitely the front-runner. So much <3.

Are you planning to buy up a storm at Illasmasqua this month? What's on your wishlist/shopping list?

Things that are empty. Or just shit. Or both.

Aaaaalot of empties to show you today. Let’s get started:

Australis Colour Corrector in Green

This stuff is cheap and works well to tone down redness, but I just can’t be arsed with it anymore. No repurchase.

Prestige Browliner in Taupe

I now use a shadow to fill in my brows so this is going.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover

*sigh* I love the coverage that this foundation gives me, but it’s too rich for my skin. I’m pretty sure this is the reason why my skin gets so darn oily and gross by midday. Boo. I still have another tube of this to get through, but after that, I’ll be ditching it forever. *cue tears*

Strawberry Chapstick

Freebie from the ABBW. I hate this. So, so much. It smells like shit, feels disgusting on my lips and is just plain crap. Didn’t finish it.

Sugarbaby Roll-On Deluxe Fragrances in Pomegranate and Island Flower

Love these things because they’re just so damn convenient. Have already bought more.

Nivea Crème sample tin

A friend scored these from work and gave me a bunch. It’s a good, thick cream that I enjoy slapping on my feet and elbows. Probably wouldn’t buy it though.

Dolce by MOR Candle in Pomegranate

Nice. Gave my room a pretty, subtle scent and lasted a verrry long time. May repurchase later down the track. Eh, prob not.

Premium Spa with Organics Australia Lemon Butter Salt Body Scrub for Dry Skin (Jesus!)

My HG body scrub. Makes me soft and is invigorating as hell.

Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel

Boy, is this minty! Perhaps a little too minty. Still, quite nice and especially good for mornings. However, if you decide to try this stuff out, make sure it doesn’t trickle down south. It tingles – and not in a good way. Sorry for the TMI, but it had to be mentioned. Will probably repurchase. I actually really wanna try the lime one.

Sugarbaby De Luxe Hand Cream in Island Flower

I got this when I first discovered the Sugarbaby scents and became obsessed with Island Flower. I didn’t really like this, hey. Felt weird. Ick. Not very nourishing, either. No repurchase!

Weleda Citrus Creamy Body Wash

Love this. Smells amazingly good and succeeds in waking me up in the morning. Will repurchase. If you want the chance to win one of these babies, click here to enter my comp.

Face Shop Sebum Control mask

‘Twas okay. Wouldn’t repurchase.

Seche Vite

Not empty, but unusable/gluggy. I LOVE THIS and am already onto a new bottle.

Australis Shadow Primer

I used this stuff up while I was in Melbourne and binned it while I was at the hotel. This is HG material. Works really, really well and is easy to use thanks to the wand. However, I felt like it dried up a little too fast for my liking. :( STILL, once I finish my tubes of TFSI, this is what I’ll use for the rest of my eyeshadow-wearing-life. Cheap and awesome.

Face Shop Mung Bean mask

‘Twas okay. Wouldn’t repurchase.

Cripes, that was a lot of shit. Looking forward to the day when I’ll actually have a shadow or blush to show you… WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN.

A GIVEAWAY brought to you by the awesomeness that is Echolife! Oh, and me.

Hello!

I'm stupidly excited because I'm about to tell you guys about my giveaway. My FIRST giveaway.

*wild arm flailing and general excited hoo-haa*
  

The lovely peeps over at Echolife have given me TWO!!! bottles of the amazing Weleda Citrus Creamy Body Wash (POW! + butter menthol in a bottle) to give away to TWO!!! of my readers. Worth $19.90 each. Woot! FYI: I reviewed this stuff the other week - check it out here. If you prefer a much more professional and less sweary run-down of what this body wash is all about, click here. If you can't be arsed doing either, I can tell you right now that this stuff is very cool. And that you're a lazy bitch.

Now to the rules. VERY IMPORTANT STUFF.

1. You have to follow my blog via GFC. Why GFC? Because bloglovin' confuses me.

2. You have to go and follow Echolife on Twitter - @Echolife_Aus. They're good peeps, I swear. Check out their website while you're at it: www.echolife.com.au.

3. You have to leave a comment and tell me one weird thing about yourself. Things along the lines of having a fetish for toenail clippings is a good example. Now, I want to make it clear that this part will not impact the decision in any way - this is purely about my entertainment. ;) Don't forget to include your name and email addy in your comment!

4. If you're under 18/a foetus, you have to get parent permission to give out your addy to weirdos on the Internet.

5. You have to live in Oz. Sorry! :(

If you're a Twitter follower, you tweet about the comp and tag both myself (@caffeineinduced) and Echolife (@Echolife_Aus) in the tweet, you score an extra entry.

I think that's it. The winners will be chosen randomly, with one of those random picker website things. I've always wanted to use one of those!

Good luck! And thanks again to the wonderful Echolife for sponsoring this very cool giveaway.


EDIT: Completely forgot to tell you when this comp ends! Fail for me. Comp will end on the 16th April at 5pm.