Essie Sparkle and Fade - weekly nail review

Inspiration was nowhere to be found, so I posed a question to the Twitterspehere with the hope someone would write back.

@bagfulofnotions going to @frenchpink? Ask the girls to do a glitter fade for you!

— Erin Margrethe (@expat_erin) May 12, 2012

And that was all I needed.

The challenge was offered up to Mira for execution and voila!

Mira painted two coats of Essie's Sheer Bliss and then painted half of my nail with Shine of the Times. After waiting a moment or two, Mira concentrated on the tips of my nails with one final layer of Shine of the Times.  From painting so many layers on my nails, it almost looked like I had acrylic nails applied.  The thickness settled after a day or two and thankfully didn't chip all week.

This modified french manicure is great for the bridal-set or even expectant mothers.  Subtle and ladylike with a twist.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, but where's the SPF?

I am hooked, a NARS convert in fact. I've hit the bottom of the pan on Orgasm and have bought plenty of their lip products, but NARS' face makeup has been unfamiliar territory for me up until now. I will do anything to minimise my morning routine in order to get a few extra minutes of sleep - why yes, let me hit snooze button just once more. Thank you Francois. But what was with the delay?  First introduced in January, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer finally hit makeup counters nationally in the US in March.  However, Aussie folk had to wait until early May - typical. Although, It's not due to the usual host of import issues; I have it on good authority Mecca Cosmetica had to wait for a new batch with altered labelling for the purpose of selling.  You see, "SPF 30/PA+++" could not be listed on the label, because the ingredients used did not meet the Australian standard as conveyed below:

"If to the reasonable consumer a product name suggests that the product is likely to be used in, or in connection with preventing, diagnosing, curing or alleviating that disease, ailment or defect, the product will be held to be a 'therapeutic good', and therefore subject to the full provisions of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989."  [1]

While my tinted moisturizer is the same as yours, I cannot expect the same sort of protection thanks to the fact "Australia has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the world, at nearly four times the rates in Canada, the US and the UK." [2]  In the mornings, I will stick to my regular skin care regimen of putting on moisturiser with an SPF of 30 and then dab on a bit of  NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer.  Sure, I might be doubling up, but at the end of day I know I'm covered.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Finland

Finland

Right now it's almost winter here and my skin is parched; I drink enough water, but with the drier climate my skin is left screaming for a bit more.  I am hoping with the double up in product use, my skin will begin to breathe a sigh of relief.  Two days in to wearing NARS Tinted Moisturizer, I've already received compliments about my skin looking noticeably better.  Perhaps I've purchased a low-maintenance product with an increased rate of return.

When it comes to application, I squeeze a dime-sized amount (equivalent to a five-cent piece in Aus.) onto my fingers; first, starting at my nose and then I smooth out from there.  After, I perform a spot touch-up with my powder.  All told, it takes less than a minute to apply in exchange for an even complexion.

In the picture above is me at my (al)most natural.  Tinted moisturizer, under eye concealer and chapstick.  Not too shabby.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer:

• $68.00 AUS / $42.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 8 out of 10 bags – While prices are coming down, it's still on the higher end IMHO.  And I'm waiting to see if my skin becomes smoother from continued use.

Likelihood to purchase again:

• Hello, it's NARS!  I'll continue to purchase lip and cheek colours, as long as they continue to produce.

Sources:

[1] Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing; Therapeutic Goods Administration. "Cosmetics Claims Guidelines." Australian Government, Therapeutic Goods Administration 1997. Web. 3 May 2011 <http://www.tga.gov.au/archive/cosmetic-claims-guidelines.htm>.

[2] Cancer Council Australia. "Skin Cancer Facts and Figures." Cancer Council Australia. Web. 3 May 2012 <http://www.cancer.org.au/cancersmartlifestyle/SunSmart/Skincancerfactsand figures.htm>.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics, "hand blended mineral based cosmetics" - review & swatches

Femme Fatale Cosmetics, a beauty company based in Queensland, is pretty young - we're talking eight-months-old. While they take their baby steps, they are in the process of reaching out to bloggers all over in order to experience their product. And experience I did*. Last week I was sent six samples to try - three vegan and three non vegan and to be honest I couldn't tell the difference. I did, however, have to research what it takes for something to be considered "vegan" - let's take a look at a few examples (list courtesy of One Green Planet):

• beeswax (often found in lip products)
• carmine (from cochineal or smashed bugs, usually added to red or pink blush-on or lip products)
• pearl powder
• allantoin (from the uric acid of cows/mammals, sometimes added to mineral makeup)
• collagen (either from animals or human placenta)
• silk powder
• elastin (usually found in mascaras; derived from cows)

My husband would define me as an omnivore and a makeup lover; I could never go fully vegan, but I can certainly try to be more thoughtful when I purchase my wares for Bagful.  I love animals, especially cats (bonafide CCL) and I would never want them to suffer for the beauty of others.

*steps down from soapbox*

Loose powders and potions frightened me in the past until I happened upon Benefit Show Offs about nine years ago. Heck, that was a long time ago! And then, Benefit took them off of their counters. Then, I gave Bare Escentuals loose mineral shadows a go, but couldn't shake the duochrome spell cast upon me all those years ago. With Femme Fatale, I think I have found what I've been longing for all these years. What's better than 39 shades of eye colour to choose from? Try price points which start at $1.10 AUS for a sample size or $5.00 AUS for a full size jar.

Femme Fatale eye shadow

Lip and eye safe

Incantation (L) and Divinity (R)

Eye safe only

Clockwise from top left corner: Spark of Life, Endless Winter, Polymorph and Elitist

All together now

Swatches in direct sunlight

Swatches captured indoors

When I swatched the colours last week I used a dry q-tip for application purposes.  In hindsight, I should have dampened the end or just used my trusty index finger.  I apologise for the lack of vibrancy here.  When working with loose powders, keep in mind they can be a bit unwieldy; especially when extracting product from miniature zip-lock baggies.

:Edit:

The swatches above are sad, at best.  Today I re-swatched all of the colours in order for you to see how much these colours shine.

Swatches - take two

In the look seen below I used four out of the six colours.  For my eyes I started with Inglot shade 397 (peachy cream) and applied it all over.  Then I blended Spark of Life (light mint green) on my lower lid, dabbed a hint of Elitist (gold) on the inner half of my lower lid and added a bit of smokiness with the help of Polymorph (shimmery gray).  But where was the fourth colour used?  Ah, my lips! I layered Divinity (light pink) over Revlon's ColorBurst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart.

Femme Fatale

Loose mineral goodness

As for my final thoughts, for as messy as loose powders can get, the colour pay off is intense. Make sure you use a really good eye base and also do your eyes first.  I stupidly blinked when I was putting on my mascara after just sweeping away the remnants of fall out from painting my eyes. Growls were uttered and I may've even dropped an "oh, shoot."

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Femme Fatale samples:

• $1.10 AUS per bag

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9 out of 10 bags – cheap, cheerful, awesome customer service and a pretty handsome selection

Likelihood to purchase again:

• A doe of a company with so much potential.  I can't wait to purchase the full size jars of shadow and the six blush shades they also have for sale at $8.00 a pop!

*Femme Fatale provided me with free samples in exchange for this review.  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

Butter London's Big Smoke - weekly nail review

Big Smoke, hmm.. I didn't really know what to make of that name.  Was it for the sultry sirens of the 30's and 40's, their come hither stares and immediate exhalation after taking a puff from one of those cigarette holders?  Nah, I guess it's a term used to describe London when they experienced smoggier than usual conditions thanks to a perfect combination of weather and horrible air quality in the early 1950's. It wouldn't be Butter London if it didn't have something cheeky in mind.  Big Smoke is dark blue, almost navy; it also has tones of gunmetal gray or even titanium and comes complete with a shimmery finish.  Scott seems to think it'd be the perfect shade for a car - I'm thinking he had a sports car in mind when he mentioned this.