Mermaid Glimmer

Tom Ford Eye Colour Quad in Emerald Lust is a departure from my usual neutrals, but with emerald as Pantone’s 2013 Colour of the Year, now is as good a time as ever to experiment. When it comes to green, I normally opt for goldish khaki shades or deeper, metallic olive greens with a touch of bronze, but rarely venture out of my comfort zone to wear unadulterated, bright colour.

Emerald Lust is one of two new eyeshadow quads from the Tom Ford Fall 2012 collection, the other being the neutral Enchanted. These new quads have been reformulated for wet and dry application, and contain 6g of product compared to 10g in the original release.

Can we take a minute to just admire the packaging? Architectural, slightly masculine and very serious. There’s no cheap frivolity or tacky excess here. In short, it feels and looks expensive.

The quad contains a silvery white with a touch of champagne, a light emerald green with silver sparkles, a blueish teal, and a deep navy with sapphire shimmer. The shadows are imbued with a kind of diamond dust that makes them multifaceted and richly saturated, though I did take 2-3 swipes of each for the opacity pictured. Applied wet, I’m sure they’d be even more intense.

Rather than using all the shades at once, I’d be inclined to concentrate either of the two middle shades on the lid, then blend the edges or crease with a softer neutral for a more wearable look. Lisa Eldridge also showed the colours worn over a darkened navy or black base for a colourful smoky eye. There’s always the option to just use the shadows as green or blue eyeliner for a more understated pop of colour.

Yes, it costs a a small fortune ($100 from David Jones, or £62 less VAT from Harrods), and I’m sure there are plenty of inexpensive near dupes (Wet n Wild Blue Had Me at Hello comes to mind), but there’s no substitute for the undeniable luxe factor of Emerald Lust. That’s the funny thing about pricing — the more prohibitive, the more seemingly attractive and desirable a product becomes. I haven’t ventured very far into the world of prestige cosmetics, but until my next splurge, I can always fantasise about the Cheek Brush, Golden Mink Eye Colour Quad or a Tom Ford lipstick.

(Product was provided to me for review.)

Top 10 Nail Polishes

I was looking through my hot mess of a nail polish drawer this morning, and had an idea to do a post on my favourite ten polishes. Unsurprisingly, there's a lot of glitter featured. Glitter just holds my attention. There's more detail, more interest, more festivity in a glitter polish. But a good creme can't be overlooked (mainly pastel in persuasion, and from the green, blue or purple family), as well as intensely vibrant golds and reds.

l-r: Essie Absolutely Shore, Revlon Whimsical, Revlon Popular, Essie A Cut Above

l-r: China Glaze Snow Globe, Sportsgirl Storm, OPI Teenage Dream, OPI GoldenEye,
OPI The One That Got Away, Revlon Scandalous

l-r: Essie Absolutely Shore, Sportsgirl Storm

Essie Absolutely Shore 
The perfect pale seafoam green, which is one of my favourite colours. What I love about this polish is that the colour on your nails is exactly how it appears in the bottle.  That's always been a pet peeve of mine when it comes to pastel polishes, as I find they often apply darker and flatter on the nails. Even though I need 3 coats for completely streak-free application, the formula itself is very smooth and easy to work with.

Sportsgirl Storm
I'd go so far as to say this is my favourite polish, ever. It was discontinued ages ago and I barely can use it now because I've already gone through 50% of the bottle and it's seriously gloopy, but something about the colour is just so perfect to me. There are probably similar shades out there (Essie Cocktail Bling, maybe), but nothing will match the exact lightness/darkness and mix of grey and purple of Storm. It's simply foolproof.

l-r: OPI GoldenEye, OPI The One That Got Away, Essie Absolutely Shore, Sportsgirl Storm

OPI GoldenEye
Already raved about here, but there's been no loss of enthusiasm. All other gold polishes can just go home, because GoldenEye can't be trumped.

OPI The One That Got Away
I really fell in love with this polish the last time I decided to wear it. There's a beautiful brilliance and depth to this slightly vampy raspberry with a glass fleck finish. Has to be seen in real life to be fully appreciated.

l-r: China Glaze Snow Globe over Sportsgirl Storm, Revlon Whimsical over Essie Absolutely Shore

China Glaze Snow Globe 
So, so pretty. My glitter dreams in a bottle. The iridescence of the different glitter particles is incredible (see more here and here). It's basically crushed opals on the nail, and I absolutely love the colours that it reflects.

Revlon Whimsical
I was ecstatic when I finally tracked this down in the US. It still hasn't made its way to Australia, and I'm not exactly holding my breath. I'm now berating myself for not buying a backup bottle when I had the chance. The composition is simple enough, with a sheer greenish blue base and pink and blue hexagonal glitter with smaller bits and blobs. But it's just so childlike and delicate. When this runs out, I may have to fork out for the Deborah Lippmann option because I can't be without it.

Essie A Cut Above over OPI Teenage Dream

OPI Teenage Dream
One day I will probably grow out of liking pink and sparkly things. In the meantime, I'll continue to exalt Teenage Dream. The circular holographic glitter in this is everything.

Essie A Cut Above
See above. I love the generosity of glitter and how relatively easy it is to spread uniformly around the nail. I usually wear A Cut Above on its own, though it's perfect for layering and gradient effects.

l-r (pinky and ring finger): Revlon Scandalous, Revlon Popular

Revlon Scandalous
To be honest, I haven't worn this polish in a while, but I remember the first time I painted this on my nails and how it exceeded all my expectations. The base colour is opaque in 2 coats and the glitter is plentiful. The blackish purple and magenta glitter combination is darkly alluring for autumn and winter.

Revlon Popular
An ethereal and super girly polish. Very pale pink base with packed silver microglitter and silver hexagonal glitter that appears almost white when layered. Another polish ideal for layering, though the base isn't as sheer as Revlon Whimsical. Because of the lack of contrast between the pink and the silver glitter, and the overall lightness of Popular, there's an understated quality to it that's in direct contrast to the exuberant bling of OPI Teenage Dream and Essie A Cut Above.

I Love Perfume Tag

I've seen this tag floating around (most recently on noiredame and Boho Vanity) and have always wanted to do it myself. Long before I became interested in clothes or makeup, I was fascinated by and drawn to fragrances. Perfume was my first love, so to speak. As a child, there was just something inherently alluring and grown up about perfume. I love how it powerfully evokes memories and moods, how the same scent can smell different depending on the individual, how there's a fragrance to suit every emotion and occasion. Perfume can instantly uplift the senses, bring you comfort, make you feel sensual and enigmatic, and invite both nostalgia and escape. (In addition to simply smelling nice.)

1. What was your first perfume you ever purchased?
That would be Ralph Lauren Ralph. I remember when it first burst onto the scene with Lonneke Engel appearing in the ads and on the covers of all the teen magazines. I was obsessed.

2. What's your signature perfume?
I don't really have one because I frequently change up my perfume depending on what I feel like. I do wear the following quite a bit as my everyday fragrance: Elizabeth Arden Pretty, Liz Claiborne Liz, Chloé Chloé, Estée Lauder Pleasures, Ralph Lauren Romance

3. What's your most recent perfume purchase?
Versace Bright Crystal, and before that, Lady Gaga Fame. Bright Crystal smells kind of samey to me (reminds me of Burberry Brit Sheer and DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom, which are pink as well). I'm much more enthused about Fame.

4. What perfume would you wear at nighttime/date night?
Mariah Carey M (potent, sweet and spicy), Lolita Lempicka Lolita Lempicka (a little out there with the liquorice note, but feminine and whimsical), Chloé Chloé

5. What's your favorite spring/summer perfume?
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue (wish the fresh citrus top notes lasted longer), DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom (combining two of my favourite scents, grapefruit and cassis)

6. What's your favorite fall/winter perfume?
Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP. A really special perfume to me.

7. What's your favorite scent category (fruity, floral, fresh, oriental, woody)?
Probably floral, or more accurately fruity florals

8. What perfume are you currently lusting after?
I have a few, including Kai perfume oil, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Christian Dior J'adore (a long-time fav), Estée Lauder Sensuous, Chloé Love, Chloé, Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh

9. What fragrance/cologne do you like on your significant other?
I don't know that many men's fragrances, but I like Chanel Allure.

January Favourites

I don't know what's been up with the weather this past month. From extreme heat to non-stop rain, I've come down with something in the past few days that I haven't managed to shake, even with lemon and honey, Panadol and baths with eucalyptus oil. Coughing hurts my throat, my voice sounds like death and my mouth feels dry and scratchy. Needless to say, I haven't been terribly enthused with makeup in my current state, though I do have a few standouts from the past month that comprise my January Favourites.

l-r: Benefit Sugarbomb, Rimmel Soft Beige, Laura Mercier Twilight Grey, theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation
I've been meaning to buy this foundation for ages after reading not a single bad review. I managed to nab this for just under $10 due to the 50% off Revlon, Maybelline and Rimmel sale at Chemist Warehouse. I was tossing up between Soft Beige and the shade down, True Ivory, but I found it hard to tell the difference between them. Soft Beige is warmer and more orange/yellow than True Ivory, which is more olive-toned, but they seemed more or less the same darkness when I swatched them alongside each other.

In the end, I chose Soft Beige, which turned out to be a mistake since it's way too dark for me. The first couple of times, I didn't use that much product and I had my neck covered, so I didn't notice just how hilariously wrong the shade is for me until I had my hair up and was wearing a scoop neck top. I started to mix it 50/50 with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52, which is too light for me, and the two turned out to be the perfect combination. The thickness and coverage of the Rimmel mixes with the more fluid, satiny Healthy Mix to form an ideal everyday foundation.

Benefit Sugarbomb
My favourite discovery for the month. Sugarbomb made me believe that a blush could be genuinely easy to wear and work effortlessly with my skin tone. Full post here.

Laura Mercier Eye Colour in Twilight Grey
I've used this consistently since receiving it in Sue's giveaway parcel at the beginning of the month. So pigmented, smooth, easy to blend and with minimal fallout. I use this with my default Maybelline Bad to the Bronze or the purple colour in Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in Silent Treatment.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer
I've come to appreciate this powder highlighter tenfold just recently. I found the trick is to forget about brushes. Use your fingers. The texture is so blendable, soft and almost creamy, and it's so luminous and pigmented, that using the fingers gives the best result. You get better control, you don't overload on product and it blends more seamlessly into the skin. This is a much stronger highlighter than the more subtle Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Crème, so it's my pick for when you need that extra glow and lift.

Clarins Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Cream
I bought this as part of a Clarins "Renewing" Set on Boxing Day, which also contained a Gentle Foaming Cleanser (100ml), Toning Lotion with Camomile (125ml) and Beauty Flash Balm (30ml). I use this at night mixed with a couple of drops of Josie Maran Argan Oil and/or Antipodes Divine Oil. It feels refreshing and intensely hydrating, without being greasy or heavy. It's gently perfumed with an uplifting, soothing scent. The pin hole opening is hygienic and ensures that you have control over the amount that comes out each time. This is the first skin care product I've tried from Clarins and I'm definitely keen to try out more.