Mary Kay for Spring 2014

Knock-knock, it's Mary Kay

Placing aside my makeup snobbery tendencies, I must admit some of Mary Kay's Spring 2014 collection surprised me.

Here's a quick look at Mary Kay's latest launch (working from tubular to meh) which dropped on the 1st of August.

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipsticks from left to right in Berry A La Mode, Sassy Fuchsia, Citrus Flirt and Tangerine Pop

True Dimensions Lipstick swatches from left to right in Berry A La Mode, Sassy Fuchsia, Citrus Flirt and Tangerine Pop

Think Revlon's ColorBurst Lip Butters, MAC's Huggable Lipcolor or Stila's Color Balm Lipstick; Mary Kay's True Dimensions Lipsticks are light, non-drying and fruity. The standouts for me are Sassy Fuchsia and Tangerine Pop.

NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss from top to bottom in Mango Tango, Rock N' Red, Pink Luster and Berry Tart

NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss swatches from left to right in Mango Tango, Rock N' Red, Pink Luster and Berry Tart

I've only swatched these, but my first impression of the NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss isn't all that positive. The consistency was overly tacky, slightly gooey and they applied patchy. My negative swatch session steered me away from trying any of these lacklustre glosses. 

Cream Eye Colors in Violet Storm, Coastal Blue, Meadow Grass and Glacier Gray

Cream Eye Colors swatches from left to right in Glacier Gray, Meadow Grass, Coastal Blue and Violet Storm

Act fast or you'll miss your opportunity to blend these babies out. Mary Kay's Cream Eye Colors are pretty in the pot and that's where their specialness ends. At least they didn't crease. Bright spot? Plus, there are far superior and cheaper cream eye shadow formulas you can pick up from your local CVS, Priceline, Sasa or Watson's .

Wearing Tangerine Pop on my lips and Glacier Gray and Violet Storm on my eyes

Not the most amazing collection out there and that's all I have to say about that.

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

Good things come to those who wait: Zoeva's Luxe Complete Set

Sneaky peek

Still testing, but Zoeva's makeup brushes have really knocked my socks off.

One kit, fifteen brushes and a cute zippered pouch. What more could this gal ask for? Did I mention great quality on the cheap? Call it $12 bucks a brush, only $12 smackeroos!

Thorough review will be out later this week, Girl Scout's Honor!

Confession: I use hand soap to wash my makeup brushes

Subtle Energies Revive Body & Hand Wash

And my brushes repeatedly live to tell a tale.

It was a recommendation made by Karen, you know, of Makeup and Beauty Blog. Like Oprah, if Karen said "bees are coming!" I too would be crazy excited.

Dr. Bonner's Bar Soap was fairly ace at the start until I became grossed out by the used bar stowed away in a Ziploc baggie - a potential breeding ground for who knows what? For kicks, I replaced the bar with the mint scented, pump version, but the syrupy consistency of the gel proved to be too heavy for both the natural and synthetic bristles. Plus, it took forever and a day for me to properly rinse out the brushes.

Switched I did to dare I say an Aesop equivalent, Subtle Energies Revive Body & Hand Wash. It's clear, lathers quite nicely, leaves behind a fresh lemon-y/clean scent and washes my handle holding, tram riding hands.

Save money you won't and perhaps I'm a tad blasé about its function as this was a surprise goodie from the very generous people over at Subtle Energies.

It's a right good soap, albeit an expensive one, but my brushes (and hands) are cleaned in no time and that's the most important thing.

*Subtle Energies kindly provided a PR sample  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

Lady Sings the Blues

Wearing ncLA's Lead Singer, Me

It's been a long time since I've worn a nail polish shade that really excited me. ncLA's Lead Singer, Me, a yet to be released shade, left me utterly speechless when I spied it on Mira's nails, my manicurist, last week - yes please, I'll have exactly that.

Lead Singer, Me features a creamy navy blue base with cerulean blue and greenish flakies. It's a striking shade that helped to cap off a fairly chilly Melbourne winter. Seven days of minor tip wear places Lead Singer, Me in the 'gotta have this polish, right now' category.

It's '5-free', chip resistant, trendy and lasts. Pity a single bottle will set you back $16, but it's worth it.

Lead Singer, Me

Closer