CK One Cosmetics - review, swatches and a look to boot

Last month as I scrolled through Women's Wear Daily's RSS feed I stopped when I reached the following headline:

"Coty to Build CK One Cosmetics Range"

I didn't have any other details to work off of and makeup bloglandia was pretty quiet with the news. With a bit more googling today, I found a story by BellaSugar which featured CK One's promotional images.  Commenters are a bit skeptical of Calvin Klein's re-hashing as he's made a few forays into the makeup world albeit unsuccessfully.  Although, fragrance is still synonymous with Calvin and he even had something to do with catapulting Kate Moss and Brooke Shields into the stratosphere.

I must admit, I even expressed my hesitance with embracing a new line, because the competition is pretty steep.  One false move and it might eventually lead to the end of the road.  During one of my bi-weekly walks through Myer Melbourne, I happened upon a CK One counter; I wasn't prepared to make this discovery and only had a few moments to take everything in as the store was about to close.  As far as I could tell, Calvin Klein has a hit on his hands and I was smitten.  Sleek white lines and bright lighting showcase this smallish counter, so small (and new) they don't even have their own register.  I know, because I had to be walked to another counter with my purchase yesterday.  The salesgirls are sweet and do a great job of not forcing your hand to commit to buying; they take their time to educate you about the brand and show you what sparks your interest most.  I fell head-over-heels in love with their eyeshadow quads, lip gloss and mascara; if you get a moment, ask to see the mascara.  For sanitary reasons, they cut off all of the applicators so you really can't see the magical mascara wand in action unless you're assisted by a salesperson.  The mascara cap twists to change the shape of the brush; straight for length and twist for volume - it's quite cool.  I didn't break down and purchase, because I'm still working through my Bobbi Brown sample from last month's GlossyBox.

Let's take a look at my purchase...

The shadows play off of each other really well and carry off a quiet intensity.  Truth be told, I've never worn a red shadow - the silvery green shade is what originally sold me on this palette. After creating a look earlier today, I turned a corner with learning to love a new colour for my eyes. Who knew red could work well with hazel eyes?

Ravished gives your lips that just bitten look; wear time was ok.  The glossiness stuck around for about an hour and all I was left with was a subtle stain.  The large applicator was a bit precarious and awkward - I had to go back in with a lip brush to even out the edges of my lips.  You'll find a familiar scent in the gloss; it smells of sugary vanilla for the first few moments and then it disappears.

If CK One floats your boat after taking a look here, then run to your beauty counter fast!  Prices here in Australia start at $20.00 for nail polish and work their way up to $55.00 for an eyeshadow quad. The revolutionary mascara sells at $28.00 and I picked up the lip gloss for the same price.  Based on looks alone the gloss tube looks like you get a bigger bang for your buck; if you were to buy a similar item at NARS, you'd easily pay around $45.00 in exchange for a little less product.

As a side note, I'm wearing NARS Gaeity on my cheeks and I used Stila's new smudge crayon in black along the outer half of my upper lash line and smudged a little around the lower outer corners of my eyes.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for CK One's Heat and Ravished:

• $55.00 AUS for the quad and $28.00 AUS for the gloss

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags - I don't even want to know how cheap this line will be in the States once it's released.

Likelihood to purchase:

• Based on my first go, I will definitely be adding more CK One to my makeup collection. Perhaps a mascara purchase is on the horizon.

Discovered

I have a habit of wandering the city when I get a bit restless on the weekends.  Myer and David Jones are practically in my back yard, but walking the grounds of both of these deparment stores can get a bit boring as well.  Melbourne's CBD (Central Business District) is comprised of arcades, hidden alley ways and cafes - the coffee is always good, the arcades are abuzz and the alleys serve as a canvas to the street artists of the Melbourne-area. Melbourne is also rife with horse culture, as this part of the country celebrates the races on a grand scale.  The Kentucky Derby seemingly has nothing on the Melbourne Cup!  SJP, Dita Von Teese, Elizabeth Hurley and countless other celebrities made appearances throughout the week; the skies may have been gray, but it didn't dampen the spirits of those who took time out to attend the races.

In preparation for what's to come, stores go all out with their visuals and displays.  Some shops miss the mark and others, well, sport the whimsy and frivolity of the light-hearted nature of the weeks' events.

Giallo is a shoe store located a few blocks away from where I live and during one of my aimless wanders, I happened upon their store.  The tights above had me at hello; I really just had to have them.  What Giallo doesn't carry is tights - they were just for show.  So, I walked into the store and asked the associate where I could find these lovely, pink and aqua spotted tights.  "Across the street" she said and off I went.  Upon arrival I saw them on the back wall, but something was different; they lacked the dusty pink colour and looked much more like the bright tutu from above.  Apparently, Giallo layered the spotted tights over a black pair to create the look; however, for me, layering tights is out of the question. Wearing two pairs of tights? In Spring?  I think not.

There's this thing about Melbourne and a saying to go along with the phenomenon - you can experience four seasons in one day; Crowded House even has a song by that very name.  One second it'll be as hot as heck and in the blink of an eye the temperature might just drop dramatically.  Oh well, I thought and plunked down $25 AUS for Pepto Bismol pink and aqua polka dot tights.  Wear them I did, with a khaki skirt and plain white tee.