Essie's Wicked - weekly nail review

Last week I was super grumpy, make that uber-grumpy pants.  I was hungry, tired and cranky; what made it worse was we couldn't find a place to eat for lunch.  Who would've guessed most places don't open until dinner time in Melbourne's CBD on Saturdays?!  We finally reached a pub amidst a rainstorm; on a superficial level my day had gone from good, to bad, to worse.  I made for bad company and I think Saturday's sentiment was telling and foreboding. Prior to my mini-meltdown I had my nails painted with Essie's Wicked.  The colour is a dark cherry red with brown undertones; by weeks end it looked more like mahogany.  I must say, Wicked matched my moodiness and the roller coaster ride I didn't know I was about to go on.

Two coats are all you need and be sure to sandwich them between reliable base and top coats.

Stila smudge crayon waterproof eye color

Ahh, multi-tasking. My Aunt Jan told me you're not a multitasker if you can't do many things at once. Successfully that is. Why yes, I've managed to get partially dressed after putting bread in the toaster only to hear the alarm go off and smell smoke from the kitchen minutes later. Or, there's that whole walking and talking in tandem deal, but I always manage to trip on something. If you claim you're a multitasker, you better be able to prove it.

Stila's Smudge Crayon Waterproof Eye Color is a "three-in-one gel-based eye primer, shadow and liner," that's easy to apply, smudge and manipulate. Last month I purchased this "multitasker" because I liked the kajal-like qualities. The crayon's tip comes sharpened, but with repeated use, the product's malleability helps to reduce the tip to a rounded mound. Have no fear, there's a built in sharpener located at the end of the crayon; perfect - one less thing to lose!

Twist off sharpener

Sharpener - detached

Twist up sharpened tip

My main and sole intention for this item was to line my upper lash lines and wing out for a cool cat eye effect. Application is a breeze; typically, I line my eyes after applying eye shadow. I find using a pointed q-tip or a brush similar to MAC's #239 is useful when smudging out a shaky line. Just make sure to do this before letting the liner set and dry or you'll risk sporting a hard line, unless that's what you were hoping to accomplish.

Here are a few looks I've tied up with a pretty bow with the help of Stila's Smudge Crayon.

Stila Smudge Crayon and CK One

Stila and Chanel Illusoire

Stila and MAC's Young Venus

Stila and Bare Minerals' Top Shelf

Whilst I've been able to execute several looks (a good thing in my book), here's where we get to the bad and the ugly. Would you believe it if I told you there's fallout?  Stila's smudge crayon has flaked off and landed in a slew of places - my cheek, my under eye area and even my nose and upper lip!  At first I thought it was my mascara, but I ruled that out when I switched brands. To make matters worse, whenever I addressed the issue a.k.a clean up, I ended up smudging a black line across my face.  Not ideal.

Stila's Smudge Crayon might be goof-proof and handy, but I do have to prepare myself for the inevitable when I decide to wear it.  A multitasker it is not.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Stila's smudge crayon waterproof eye color:

• $36.00 AUS / $22.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 7 out of 10 bags – Easy to use with a great finish, but I don't want liner snowing on my face.

Likelihood to purchase again:

• I've already purchased another smudge crayon in Kitten, but I've only used it once on my lower lash line.

Bare Minerals The Top Shelf - shaken, but not stirred

I am stuck. Between a rock and a hard place and I'm finding it difficult to wriggle out of the clutch of writer's block.  I think I'm in that slump of should I do this anymore, or am I the lil' engine that could? Buying makeup isn't all too exciting; I mean I love the hunt, but once I get home I let my purchases sit. Sometimes I even experience buyer's remorse.  What's tough is I've been doing this blogging thing since October, but I should't get too disheartened, right?  I once had a guidance counsellor tell me I would never get into college with the grades I had.  Hey, I milked my sick days for a while; but, then I worked my butt off during my junior year, improved my grades and got into a pretty decent university.

Maybe a little sweat and a touch of elbow grease will help me turn things around.  I often compare myself to Sisyphus; I am the one pushing that heavy boulder up hill, but will I ever get to the top? My husband might just be my biggest (and only) cheerleader - heck, he even subscribed to my blog's RSS feed!

So, I guess this is more or less an appeal.  Is anybody there?  I know I have visitors, but what makes your heart sing?  Why do you visit?  And do I need to shake things up?

I am a writer, lover of the arts, but not an artist.  Makeup is my thing and I think I do an a o.k. job of painting my face.

Thoughts?

/end rant/

Onto something a tad more topical.  Bare Minerals and their pressed palettes.

Known for being "loose" - hey, get your mind out of the gutter!  Bare Minerals has that whole "swirl, tap and buff" thing down pat, but why the change?  This is diversification at its finest. They've gone from powder to packed and small quantities with heightened colour pay off. Plus, how can you knock the anti-aging claims and ingredients which might even help reduce puffiness.

While I do enjoy how silky soft this duo feels, it does leave me disappointed. Talk about crease city! I've tried applying Top Shelfs' Cognac and Mixologist several different ways; initially it's pretty, but in two hours time the colours have made their way to my crease.  I haven't given up hope, because I know I have oily lids.  Although, my go to primers aren't even working their magic; should I try setting my primer with powder first?

Oh, hello.

Mixologist and Cognac

Mixologist is described as a "champagne sheen," but I see Stila's Kitten.  As for Cognac, the "gilded bronze" works for me.  Since its release inside of Mecca Cosmetica the demand has been high.  During a recent visit to say hi to Cindy, I noticed The Top Shelf was sold out; perhaps a fan favourite, because it's a reasonably priced classic pairing.

Cognac and Mixologist

Please call Q and tell him to hold my calls, oh, and have him me bring me another drink.  Girl is thirsty.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Bare Mineral's The Top Shelf:

• $27.95 AUS / $20.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 6 out of 10 bags – great colours, but I was expecting so much more in terms of performance.

Likelihood to purchase again:

• The Winner Is might become a new addition, if I can decrease the creasing!

*side note: thanks for letting me whinge.

Butter London's All Hail the Queen - weekly nail review

Butter London's All Hail the Queen

Suspended from another space and time, micro glitter floats in a sea of cappuccino. Mmm. Milky brown, subtle and a tad spicy.  Butter London's All Hail the Queen quenches my thirst for something tame.  This beige shade is categorised as a holographic, but intergalactic planetary does not spring to mind whenever I look at it.

All Hail the Queen

Beige and a side of glitter

All Hail the Queen is far more suited for the likes of Kate or Pippa on a girls night in.