A glimpse at the lips: Urban Decay's Naked Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss in Streak and Naked

Sticking with their Naked theme..

Urban Decay recently released nine shades as part of their Naked Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss range. Each colour promises to leave your lips feeling and looking softer, moisturised and insanely glossy. Oh and there's a minty scent, too -- talk about refreshing.

Streak (top) and Naked (bottom)

The doe foot applicator

Swatches of Naked (left) and Streak (right)

Urban Decay makes no bones about the pigmentation, it's subtle. These nine shades are really all about "my lips, but better" and I like that, because there are times when I don't want to detract from a strong eye look. 

For kicks, here's a short video of me opening the tube for the first time. The experience was similar to opening the My Little Pony Ballet Box my parents gave me for Christmas when I was four-years-old.

Wearing Streak

Streak is a translucent coral pink with warm undertones of orange-y peach. The warmth, I find, gives my winter white skin a bit more life.

Wearing Naked

Naked is a "nude-pink with pearly pink shift." This shade really helps to accentuate your assets without cancelling out the rest of your look.

The glossiness in both shades last for a couple of hours before drying down to a smooth sheen. The lifecycle of the texture works as follows: Plush > Smooth > Lightly Hydrated. After wearing Naked out on the town last night my lips felt sufficiently moisturised, so much that I skipped my usual dose of Chapstick. Typically, I stray from wearing lipgloss, but I'm willing to make an exception every now and again :)

With names like Nooner, Lovechild and Walk of Shame you know you're in for something naughty and fun and I'm never one to kiss and tell.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Urban Decay's Naked Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss:

• $20.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9 out of 10 bags — I took a point off for its somewhat sticky nature, but at least the feeling isn't long-lasting. 

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Lovechild and Beso are my two current lemmings.

Copa, Copacabana: OPI's Brazil Collection

OPI's Brazil Collection featuring four Copacababies (from left to right): Kiss Me I'm Brazilian, Where Did Suzi's Man-go?, AmazOn...AmazOFF and Next Stop...The Bikini Zone

OPI couldn't have timed the release of their Brazil Collection any better, especially with this whole World Cup Business going on. Soccer doesn't really tickle my fancy, but some of these nail polishes sure do!

Grab your maracas, maybe even a whistle or a bell and your dancing shoes, because it's time to samba!

Close up (from left to right):  Kiss Me I'm Brazilian, Where Did Suzi's Man-go?, AmazOn...AmazOFF and Next Stop...The Bikini Zone

Kiss Me I'm Brazilian is a creamy pink, while pretty it certainly didn't bowl me over. Honestly, if it had been more cooperative I think I'd be more inclined to sport this shade on my nails for longer than a hot second. I found the polish to be sticky, so much that it had a hard time letting go of the brush, which created pulls and streaks. In the end I applied three coats to get some semblance of a smooth and even finish. Is it just me or is this pink an exact match to the pink frosting used on the Stella D'Oro cookies? P-Cakes, help me out here!

Where Did Suzi's Man-go? is a creamy tangerine orange. The formula had a tendency to mimic Kiss Me I'm Brazilian; despite some strife I was able to reach full opacity in two coats. Personally I'd prefer to wear this orange hue during the height of summer when my skin isn't so pasty white.

AmazOn...AmazOff is my personal favourite of the bunch. The formula is almost jelly-like because of it's subtle translucency. This "deep jungle green" has a hint of shimmer throughout, it's really a whisper of sparkle -- I only spotted the shimmer upon closer inspection. Here's a tip, apply a base coat before painting AmazOn...AmazOff, I can attest to the fact that it will stain your nails.

Next Stop...The Bikini Zone is described as an "amethyst-toned pewter." This three coater would look stellar layered over a creamy purple, black, white or cream polish.

OPI's Brazil Copacababies is a great buy for the indecisive set.

Now, which colour should I wear?

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for OPI's Copacababies:

• $24.95 AUS / $12.95 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 7 out of 10 bags — it'd be nice if OPI gave you the option to select your personal favourites.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Live.Love.Carnaval is next on my hit list.

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

The lazy gal's guide (life hack) to getting clean skin, fast.

The makeup wipe 

Forty winks, counting sheep, catching some z's -- these are the thoughts that race through my head as I ready myself for sleep. In the morning I'm willing to cut a couple of corners as much as the next gal for those few extra minutes of sleep and I'll certainly do the same before bed.

Think about all the things you do in the course of day..

• Commute to work (drive, bike, walk, train, etc.)
• Chat on the phone or text
• Type
• Frequent the bathroom
• Hit the gym
• Pick up the kids (for some of us)

Now, how many times did you or even a loved one touched your face after doing any or all of these activities? We always sanitise our hands, yet we only manage to wash/cleanse our face once a day.

Show of hands, have you hit the sheets without washing your face? I certainly have and I'm ashamed to admit this, but it's a habit (albeit a good one) I really only picked up a couple of years ago. Plus, who knows how badly I've harmed/damaged my skin from being so neglectful.

Now that I wear makeup almost every day, I make the time to remove my makeup off. Key word here is make, no matter how tipsy, tired or sick I am. I don't want my made up face smushin' with my pillow, guys we all know where it's been and it ain't pretty.

So, for those post-party evenings or even for the long, hard days at work or school reach for a makeup wipe. I've been using Neutrogena's Night Calming Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes (say that three times fast) when I can't be bothered hovering over the sink as the water reaches a luke warm state. The soft wipes get rid of the day's grit and grime all while calming the senses, I'm left feeling squeaky clean and zen.

Side note: makeup wipes shouldn't permanently replace a proper facial cleansing regimen, but they [wipes] sure are handy whenever you're having a Garfield moment. 

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Neutrogena's Night Calming Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes:

• $7.99 AUS / $6.99 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 7 out of 10 bags — Cheap and cheerful.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• I wish Neutrogena sold their makeup range in Australia.

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

Holy Lisa Frank, Tiger Claw is on the prowl

Tiger Claw's debut

Beauty subscription services are most certainly still a thing. More often than not, they bomb in my eyes -- same, same, not different and "hey, didn't I already get that in my box last month?"

Tiger Claw has taken a detour with its bimonthly subscription service - the contents give nail art newbies and aficionados a sense of direction, inspiration and kick @$$ nails for a night out on the town (a clear topcoat will lock down gems and glitter for a bit longer). I say that because even Kesha can only keep her glitter, unicorns and James Van Der Beek in tow for so long, amiright?

How does it work?

After signing up here, expect to receive a Tiger Claw box every two months.

What do I get?

Tools of the trade (this particular box contained an orange stick and a nail file), a feature coat, a base coat, nail accents and nail art tips and tricks. There's even a video demonstrating how to execute each of the suggested looks.

Here's a closer look at some of my favourite items..

Feature coat (left) in Indigo Purple and base coat (right) in My Darlin' Clementine

A glittering pot o' gold

How much does it cost?

$19.95 AUS, call it $10/month. Erin and I both know full well that we get ripped off in Australia when it comes to purchasing anything really. Case in point: a bottle of nail polish from the likes of Essie, Butter London and OPI costs $20.00 on average. 

The fact that you get so much for so little is nuts and Erin's removed a lot of the guesswork, too.

My thoughts.

Well, patience is not one of my greatest attributes, but Tiger Claw kept me entertained in between calling my Dad and dinner last Sunday. Looking back I probably should've watched Tiger Claw's video prior to attempting anything, because I sprinkled way too much glitter on the tips of my nails -- the fade looked more like a depressed disco ball. The glitter accoutrements are intended to last you a few manicure sessions, but I managed to waste a lot, oops.

Pretty Serious' My Darlin' Clementine was a boon, opaque after one coat and dried fast -- juicy, sweet! Kleancolor's Indigo Purple while playful was a slight miss for me. The brush was packed unevenly which caused a few strands to stick out from the rest, manicure scissors FTW!

Back to that whole patience is a virtue thing, let's just say my nails looked like a hot mess from rushing, so much that I can't bare to show what I did out of shame.

Oh, be sure to stay on the lookout for nail art competitions Tiger Claw will be hosting every now and then via Instagram and Twitter (I think).

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Tiger Claw:

• $19.95 AUS every two months, including shipping. Sorry, Tiger Claw is currently available in Australia.

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 8 out of 10 bags — Erin has made nail art accessible, attainable and fun. It really took me back to how I passed the time one summer.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Being the control freak that I am, I would rather leave it up to the pros. Hello, OCD!

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.