Essie's It's Genius - weekly nail review

"It's genius!" That's what Einstein would've exclaimed if he was A.) into polish and B.) concocted this delicious shade himself.

Essie's It's genius is a shade I only just learned about two weeks ago when I set my gaze on this once-hidden gem. What's old is new to me -- It's genius first made its debut back in 2009. This hue is comprised of cranberry shimmer goodness and a small helping of glints of golden micro glitter.

Looking for a playful colour for this holiday season?  Essie's it's Genius is the shade which will get your bells ringing.

Our weekend in Sydney

A few weekends ago Scott and I flew up to Sydney to celebrate our second wedding anniversary and my 29th birthday.  Here are a few shots from our weekend getaway.

They're nuts.

P.S. All of these photos were taken by Scott :)

Ever thought about visiting Sydney?

A glimpse at the lips: Giorgio Armani's rouge d'armani sheers in brown 202

Sebastian, bless his heart, turned me onto a beautiful colour; it's quiet, calm and is the exact same shade as my lips. You must be thinking why would I go for a shade similar to that of my own? Well, think of it as a posh treat that helps to make my lips go from good to great! To think I almost walked away without this lippie -- it's inconceivable!

The lipstick tube is almost hourglass shaped and is kept closed with a magnetised clasp. Brown 202 is a difficult colour to track down; whilst I picked it up on a whim at my local David Jones in Melbourne's CBD, Barneys appears to be the only online stockist.

The colour is a soft brown with pink undertones and the finish I'm left with is semi-glossy. Armani claims this formula is long-lasting -- up to eight hours, however, I'm lucky if I get three hours of wear time. Lip hydration remains to be seen as well, but I'm willing to cast aside these major flaws in exchange for a flawless colour.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Giorgio Armani's Rouge d'Armani Lipstick in Brown 202:

• $52.00 AUS / $30.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 4 out of 10 bags – Great colour, but dissatisfied with the product's claims.

Likelihood to purchase:

• I have a story to tell you about my buying experience with Armani's Maestro Eraser!

Eyes to mesmerize: Estee Lauder's Pure Color Gelee Eyeshadow in Electric Orchid

Whenever I think of Estee Lauder a mental image of my Grammy pops up; I honestly associated this makeup brand with women of a much older generation. Well, I can now swipe that narrow generalisation out of my mind's eye. Estee Lauder's Pure Color eyeshadow is intense! It lasts, doesn't crease and the color performance slaughters its competition. This is the first time my mind has literally been blown by an eyeshadow; I repeatedly commented to Scott last Sunday about how amazed I was.

Pure purple power. If Punky Brewster was a colour, this would be it right here. Pure Color Gelee Powder eyeshadow first graced the shelves last year as a limited edition collection, but I missed the boat.  Thankfully, Estee Lauder released 16 new shades for Autumn 2012.

This super hero of an eyeshadow is comprised of gel, powder and liquid; the combination lends itself to ease in application, durability and an effortless finish. I used MAC's 217 and dabbed Electric Orchid all over my lids -- I probably could've skipped the primer. For added dimension I used MAC's Petalescent (soft pinky purple) on the inner halves of my lids; I then lined Electra (frosty silver) on the inner portion of my lower lash line and blended that into Electric Orchid.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Estee Lauder's Pure Color Gelee Powder eyeshadow in Electric Orchid:

• $42.00 AUS / $24.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags – despite the numbers being inverted, this formula has HG written all over it!

Likelihood to purchase:

• Arctic Sky is the aurora borealis hue of the bunch. Yum!