All the Rage

Orly Rage. I've been trying to find a bottle for months after seeing swatches and being convinced I needed it in my life. I tried to find a dupe or something very similar, from Chi Chi Go Go Girl to Ulta3 Envy, but they've all ended up too brown and/or frosty. I couldn't seem to find a rose gold foil polish, no matter where I looked. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the teeniest bottle of Rage at some random chemist one Friday afternoon. It was pure coincidence that I even stepped foot into that store. They didn't sell a full bottle, but 5.3mL was better than nothing, so I quickly took it to the counter.

The colour is noticeably more of a rose gold than the usual taupe/old gold/bronze foil polishes out there, but to be perfectly honest, the rose gold quality wasn't as pronounced as I'd hoped. Yes, there is definitely a bit of a pink tone, but overall the polish to my eyes is still very bronzy. Having said that, when I compared Rage side-by-side to Go Go Girl and Envy, the two didn't even come close. Next to Rage, Envy appeared more like a pale gold and Go Go Girl a frosty pewter. I like that the finish of Rage isn't overwhelmingly silvery like so many foil polishes. I'm now considering experimenting with mixing my own nail polish, perhaps a light pink metallic or a copper with Envy. If I can't find the perfect rose gold, I may just have to make it.

Colour Coordinate

Before my Urban Decay Naked palettes, these Revlon CustomEyes Shadow & Liner palettes were probably among the best eyeshadows that I owned. I have two: the bronzy/neutral Naturally Glamorous (020) and the purple and green Rich Temptations (030). The first four shades in Naturally Glamorous are quite soft and nicely pigmented, but the black shade is patchy and chalky. Rich Temptations overall isn't to the standard of Naturally Glamorous, with the first pink and purple particularly disappointing (they barely showed up when I tried to swatch them). The last three shades are much better, with the darkest liner colour being superior to the equivalent in Naturally Glamorous.

Naturally Glamorous consists of 5 shades (from left to right):
1. Warm, toasty medium brown with champagne shimmer
2. Coppery brown with pinkish red shimmer
3. Cool pale beige
4. Burnished medium/dark brown, somewhere in between the first and second shade
5. Charcoal grey

Rich Temptations (from left to right):
1. Cool, pale dusty pink
2. Warm-toned eggplant with slight pink shimmer
3. Frosty pale beige
4. Cool moss green
5. Blackened plum with reddish purple shimmer

Naturally Glamorous (first row), Rich Temptations (second row)

The Naturally Glamorous palette is a good choice for those drawn to warm, bronzy browns. The gradient of colours, from light to dark, is useful for creating an entire smokey eye look from one palette (as Zoë Foster demonstrates). I'd probably skip the darkest shade for liner and just go straight to whatever pencil, felt tip or gel liner you normally use, or at least a dark brown/black eyeshadow with better pigmentation. I bought the Rich Temptations palette primarily for the second purple shade, but I've found the warm, red tone makes me look like I have an eye infection. I used to go over it with a cooler, darker purple to counteract the redness, an extra step I shouldn't need to take which only leads to applying much more eyeshadow than I'd intended. I haven't had much use out of Rich Temptations, though the last three shades seem promising (despite the fact I rarely feel adventurous enough in the mornings to choose a green eyeshadow over my usual safe neutrals). Revisiting these palettes has made me think I should give Naturally Glamorous a bit more love. But with similar shades in my newer, better quality Naked palettes, it's hard to prefer these Revlon eyeshadows over them.

Sculpt with Napoleon

Napoleon Perdis recently had a 40% off sale and my friend and I went to the World Square shop on George Street, fully intending to take advantage of such a generous discount. I'd never purchased anything from Napoleon before, mainly as I'm not familiar with their products (with the exception of DéVine Goddess Lipstick in Hara) and the prices are higher than what I'd normally be willing to spend on cosmetics. I don't have a lot of higher end makeup, though my countless relatively inexpensive purchases could probably be better spent on a select number of more luxe products.

While browsing the store, I debated whether to buy a Luminous Lip Veil from the latest Nude Bar collection, in Caramel Kiss or Pretty in Peach (the two were more or less the same on my lips). But I rationalised to myself that I barely ever wear lip gloss and I could probably buy something similar from a cheaper brand like Revlon. Nothing particularly was a must-have, but I finally settled on this Ultimate Contour Palette, seduced by the promise of "supermodel cheekbones" and the possibilities of the three pans: a pearly highlight, pinky coral blush and matte contour shade.

This is a high quality palette. The powder is finely milled, buttery soft and pigmented enough so that a light touch deposits colour, but not so pigmented that it becomes tricky to work with. Brushes pick up the product beautifully and I find blending to be easier. I was most excited about the contour shade, as I'd been looking to buy a matte bronzer for a while so that I could better experiment with contouring. I haven't mastered the technique just yet, but it's been fun to try different brushes and placement on the face. The highlight shade has become a new favourite. It's soft and subtle (without any visible shimmer) but has a luminous, brightening finish. Along with everyday use, this palette would be ideal for travel, containing everything you need for your face after applying foundation.

Ultimate Bling Factor

When the Nicki Minaj for OPI collection came out, the polish that immediately called out to me was Save Me. I adore my OPI glitter polishes and I hoped this one would be no exception. Looking at some swatches online, at first I was afraid it would look a little hairy due to the thin lines of glitter. On the nail, the strands of glitter are more prismatic than anything, and the polish is positively dazzling in sunlight. Save Me is a concoction of whitish silver microglitter and yellow and blue bar glitter that flashes holographic, making the nails "come alive". The formula is on the thick side, especially with the second and third coat. Notably, it dries to a much scratchier and rougher surface than other OPI glitter polishes I own. However, drying time was surprisingly quick. The occasional strand glitter will poke out from the surface of the nail and it's hard to resist the temptation to peel it off. I love the multilayered effect of this polish and how the glitter flashes every colour of the rainbow against the light.