Fancy Tickled

As I mentioned in my March Favourites, I've been all about OPI polishes lately, especially their impeccable cremes. While I put Panda-Monium Pink as my most loved polish last month, Tickle My France-y was a very close second. I didn't think much of the colour at first, dismissing it as a boring nude that probably wouldn't suit my skin tone. I've gone through so many variations of the neutral nail, but they've either been difficult to work with (bad formula, too sheer) or not flattering (too light, too dark, too red, too grey, too beige, too "blah"). But Tickle My France-y proved to be one of those rare polishes that I didn't think too much of initially, but immediately loved once I put on my nails.

This is exactly the colour that I hoped OPI Dulce De Leche would be on me. I find Dulce De Leche to be a bit too dark and brownish red on my nails, though it's extremely flattering on darker skin tones. Tickle My France-y however, gets the balance right. It's not too light or dark, not too warm or cool. While described as a "gray-brown", I don't detect that much grey on my nails, but rather a rosey-mauve bent.

Tickle My France-y was released as part of La Collection de France for autumn/fall 2008. I actually recall this collection when it first came out, as I was obsessing over the shade You Don’t Know Jacques! (a shade I coveted because of Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast). I additionally purchased Parlez Vous OPI?, also from the collection, but never paid much attention to Tickle My France-y. It now seems that it's become one of OPI's classic colours (at least to warrant inclusion in The Iconic Four minis set).

I have similar colours to Tickle My France-y that could be classified in the "gray-brown" family (like Butter London Yummy Mummy and Revlon Gray Suede), but the OPI is my clear favourite. It's not as taupe or beige, but rather, more pink and minky, which adds a feminine, polished appeal.

Lipstick Limit, Part 4

I was perfectly content with my purchase of the new Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils ... until I started taking photographs for this post. After I discovered I had dupes for all 3 shades, I decided it was time to give up on lip products. I know, it's not the first time I've made such proclamations, actions speak louder than words, yadidada, but I swear I felt genuine self-disgust and exasperation when I made the discovery. It's not so much the waste of money or adding unnecessary products to my already overflowing stash, it's the sense of being unable to resist my compulsion towards acquiring lip products. I do have another review of my mini collection of Australis Velourlips Matte Lip Creams scheduled, but after that, I'm sincerely hoping to not blog about a lip product purchase for the foreseeable future.

Onto the actual lip crayons. In short, I would recommend them if you're on a budget and looking for something very comparable to the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. I bought them for $6 each on sale (40% off), but the normal price of $9.95 is affordable. They each contain 2.49g of product, about the same as NARS (2.44g). They're very richly pigmented, but can be applied according to your desired pigmentation. I find they're much more "wearable" and fresh-looking when a small amount of product is dabbed on with the fingers, rather than drawing directly onto the lips with the crayon. They all look slightly frightening when I filled the lips in completely with the pencil. I find them neither drying nor hydrating (probably more on the slightly drying side). None of them seemed to leave any significant stain, in that I was able to wipe them completely off with some lip balm and a tissue without noticing my lips changing in colour.

Maybelline Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in In With Coral (420)

In With Coral is probably my favourite of the bunch. This one is hella neon when worn to full opacity. I definitely prefer it sheered out for a bright, but still transparent, pout. It's a typical "spring" shade that freshens up the complexion and adds a youthful pop of colour.

l-r: Maybelline In With Coral, Revlon Unapologetic, Maybelline Coral Crush, Maybelline Shocking Coral, Revlon Melonade

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Unapologetic is a near dupe. It's so similar that you really don't need both. Unapologetic is darker, brighter and more pigmented, whereas In With Coral is comparatively more pastel. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in Coral Crush is more red. Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Shocking Coral is more pastel pink. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Melonade is more of a fiery orange, glossier and sheerer.

Maybelline Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Fuchsia Desire (150)

Honestly, me and fuchsia. It's got to stop. This is still a pink lipstick, so I already failed my previous tentative ban on pink lipsticks. I keep thinking there will be something slightly different with the next fuchsia lipstick I buy to justify the purchase, but I keep being proven wrong. Fuchsia Desire has this slight pearl running through it (probably not captured in the photos) that I dislike intensely, but I guess it's subtle enough that it's not a major problem.

l-r: Maybelline Fuchsia Desire, NARS Yu, Revlon Smitten, Revlon Fuchsia

See what I mean by the same fuchsia lipstick over and over again? Only Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Fuchsia is slightly different to the rest, in that it's brighter and more pink. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten is harder to build up in pigmentation and relatively patchy in comparison. It's darker, not as pink as Fuchsia Desire. NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu however, is the same bleeping colour. DUPE. If we're being super nitpicky, it has a glossier finish, is slightly sheerer, maybe infinitesimally lighter and more neon. It is definitely smoother to apply and unlike Fuchsia Desire, leaves a stain.

So this is Fuchsia Desire on my top lip only...

l-r: Maybelline Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Fuchsia Desire, NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu

Just kidding. It's Fuchsia Desire on the left and Yu on the right. You can kind of tell one is more matte than the other (obvs, since Yu is a Satin Lip Pencil) and Fuchsia Desire is maybe fractionally darker/more opaque in pigmentation if we're scrutinising, but really, ain't no one looking that close. From a normal distance away, they are basically the same colour.

Which only means one thing. MASSIVE FAIL. (For me, given I have Yu already.) Otherwise, really good if you like the look of Yu but can't bring yourself to fork out the cash for it.

Maybelline Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Berry Much (310)

Moving onto to the plummy brown Berry Much. I was tossing up between Berry Much and Pink So Chic, which I remember swatching and liking. Pink So Chic was surprisingly more of a deeper berry pink than its name suggested, so I wasn't sure which of the two I'd wear more. In the end, I had to go for Berry Much because of Lisa Eldridge. Plus, I rationalised I could always sheer out a darker colour, but a lighter shade wasn't going to get any deeper simply by applying more of it. Berry Much ended up a lot darker than anticipated. Seriously, I don't imagine I'd ever wear it with my lips coloured in completely with it. It's much better dabbed on with the fingers for an autumnal berry stain.

l-r: Maybelline Berry Much, Revlon Black Cherry, Revlon Red Velvet, Australis Foxtrot, Savvy by DB Bali

See how similar Berry Much is to Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry? Granted, Black Cherry is still darker and blacker, but the two would be close if you didn't wear Black Cherry at its most opaque. For those that have Black Cherry, you know it's darrrrk, so that should give you a better idea of how surprisingly vampy Berry Much is. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Red Velvet is more brick red, sheerer and glossier. Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Foxtrot is lighter, more mauve and brown. Savvy by DB Long Lasting Matte Lipstick in Bali is a similar darkness, but brighter, more red.

l-r (top row, then bottom row): In With Coral, Fuchsia Desire, Berry Much

In summation, In With Coral = Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Unapologetic, Fuchsia Desire = NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu and Berry Much = (a sheerer) Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry. And that is why I need to take a long break from lip products.

March Favourites

March didn't have any particular defining moments, except that it was my birthday month. New season of RuPaul's Drag Race gave me life. I raced through the third season of House of Cards and finished watching the last ever episodes of Parks and Recreation. Along the way, I bought more makeup and nail polish than I have in a while. I also ate a lot of food. Bad, indulgent food. The days of religiously preparing oats with fruit in the mornings and a salad for lunch, while avoiding sugar, deep fried food and carbs, are long over. And forget exercise. That's been nonexistent. I think it's time to become more health-conscious again.

Avene Soothing Moisture Mask
Undoubtedly my #1 discovery for this month. I liked the Soothing Moisture Mask so much that I've already made a mental note to purchase it next time Priceline has its 40% off skin care sale. I was contemplating buying it last time, but the ingredients seemed fairly generic and I had both the Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask and Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask at home. But when I tried a sample a friend gave to me, it exceeded my every expectation. My skin's been extremely dry lately, but the Avene has tackled flaky areas and restored moisture to my skin. It is scentless, non-irritating, readily absorbed and instantly hydrating, providing a smoother, more receptive canvas for any makeup that's applied after.

Lush Karma Kream Hand and Body Lotion
I was lucky to receive this as a birthday gift (my friends know me too well) and I was thrilled to finally have a body lotion worthy of replacing my used up Grown Mandarin and Rosemary Leaf Body Cream. Like the vast majority of Lush products, the fragrance of this is pungent and not for everyone. My mother for one, immediately asked what the putrid smell was after I wandered into the kitchen having applied some on my leg moments before. The lotion is based on their citrus-aromatic Karma perfume, with top notes of orange, lavender and lemongrass, middle notes of pine tree, lemon and cassis, and base notes of patchouli, fir resin, elemi and cinnamon. (Don't ask me what elemi is.) It's a kind of warm, spicy, citrusy, yet clean scent. Very unusual and unique. The lotion itself is a good consistency in that it's on the thinner side, but still very moisturising and quite luxurious feeling. Use it all over for a pampering, aromatic experience.

OPI Panda-Monium Pink
After receiving an OPI minis set for my birthday, I was enthusiastically back on the OPI train. After all is said and done, I still believe OPI make the best polishes, period. Perhaps not always the most inspiring shade selection (I'm more of an Essie fan in that department), but the formula and wide brush are hard to beat. I bought a whole bunch of OPI polishes, mainly from Cosmo Cosmetics (can't beat $8 a pop, at least in Australia), and Panda-Monium Pink was my favourite. A cool-toned baby pink with a hint of lilac, it gave my nails a feminine, polished edge while still introducing a touch of the unexpected. See it worn here.

Sigma F82 Round Top Kabuki
As I mentioned earlier, my skin's been really dry this month, which has caused a few headaches in terms of makeup application. I found that using my Real Techniques Multi Task Brush to apply foundation was no longer doing the trick. Rather, the foundation looked streaky and uneven, even when I spent more time trying to blend and buff it into my skin. Enter the Sigma F82. I rarely use this brush because it is SO dense and at times, feels uncomfortably hard and firm on the skin. It's also a challenge to clean, though the discovery of Daiso Detergent for Puff and Sponge has been a life-saver. As I described in my April 2013 Favourites, it's the density of the bristles that makes the F82 the closest thing to using your own hands to blend in foundation. It buffs away any streakiness and ensures a skin-like finish to your base.

Bvlgari Rose Essentielle EDP
A family friend gave me this 25ml bottle a while back, but I only started appreciating this fragrance recently. At first, I dismissed it as a well-made, inoffensive, "grown up" scent that didn't inspire much passion. However, it's really grown on me in the last month. This might sound odd, but I've been enjoying spritzing it on myself before bed. There's something sophisticated, feminine, but comforting about it. It's by no means a loud fragrance, but it has an uplifting brightness and purity to it, while still remaining refined and elegant. I was on the hunt for a good rose perfume to add to my ever-expanding collection (lusting after Tom Ford Private Blend Café Rose and contemplating Jo Malone Red Roses or Kiehl's Patchouli & Fresh Rose), but Rose Essentielle was under my nose this whole time. I think it deserves just as much attention and affection as that other rose perfume that's wildly popular: Chloé by Chloé EDP.

What ... No Eyeshadow?

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, Priceline held another one of their 40% off sales. These seem to be rolling around with increased regularity (though they have separate sales for skin care, cosmetics and hair care), so the buzz wasn't as frenzied as the first time a couple of years ago. That didn't stop me from buying more than ever. The density of Priceline stores, especially in the city, was inescapable. Even if I planned to visit just one, I'd find a better-stocked shop just around the corner with new treats to be tempted by.

I ended up buying:

• Essie Cocktail Bling (RRP $16.95, sale price $10.17)
• Australis K-Pop (backup of my existing bottle, rant on this later) (RRP $4.95, sale price $2.97)
• Australis Velourlips Matte Lip Cream in Hon-o-loo-loo (RRP $9.95, sale price $5.97)
• Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in In With Coral (RRP $9.95, sale price $5.97)
• Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Fuchsia Desire (RRP $9.95, sale price $5.97)
• Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Berry Much (RRP $9.95, sale price $5.97)
• Maybelline Express Nail Polish Remover (RRP $9.95, sale price $5.97)
• Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Lovely Pink (RRP $21.95, sale price $13.17)
• Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Nude Mauve (RRP $21.95, sale price $13.17)
• Essence Good Girl Bad Girl Blush in Good Girls Wear Peach (RRP $5.10, sale price $3.06)

Total: $72.39

Yikes. I didn't buy this all in one go but in a few separate trips across two days, so it all adds up in the end. I honestly could've done without the lip products (or maybe just one Maybelline lip crayon, rather than three) and probably could've skipped Australis K-Pop and Max Factor Nude Mauve. Had I only purchased the products I'm genuinely happy with (Essie nail polish, Essence blush, Maybelline nail polish remover pot and Max Factor Lovely Pink), the total would've been a much more reasonable $32.37.

I was hesitant to purchase this Essence Good Girl Bad Girl Blush in Good Girls Wear Peach (contender for worse shade name ever), since I'd already by this stage splurged on two of the new Max Factor blushes and didn't want to further clog up my blush collection with a super cheap addition that seemed fairly generic. But two things swayed me: 1) It was $3.06, people. I could forgo my daily coffee and buy this instead. 2) There wasn't a tester available, and considering it's limited edition, I didn't want to risk letting it go just in case it really was something special.

I'm glad I bought this because it's an amazing blush for the price. The thick, sturdy plastic packaging reminds me of the Clinique Cheek Pops, and the warm, soft, pinky-peach colour is flattering on the skin. It's not too intensely pigmented that you need an ultra light hand, but it can be built up to quite a strong colour. The most remarkable aspect of Good Girls Wear Peach is that the shimmer in it isn't silvery or frosty, but a very fine, pearly pink. My only complaint is that the texture has a tendency to cling onto dry patches, so it works best for smooth, properly exfoliated/moisturised skin.

I wasn't intending to buy these Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes at all, since baked blushes aren't really my thing and Max Factor as a brand hasn't excited me in a long time (if ever, to be honest). I do really like their Masterpiece Max mascara, but that's pretty much where it ends. A few years ago, one of their cream blushes in Soft Copper also interested me (mainly because it was a favourite of Zoe Foster, and featured in one of Queen Eldridge's videos), but it was always way too expensive to justify buying.

I was looking through Instagram at people's Priceline hauls and a recurring sight was the Creme Puff Blushes. I figured if my fellow beauty junkies were putting them in their shopping baskets, I needed to at least check them out in person. There's only 4 shades available in Australia, as opposed to 6 in the UK (we're missing Alluring Rose and Gorgeous Berries). I swatched all 4 on my hand and Lovely Pink was the one that appealed to me the most. Whacking a bit on my cheeks, I immediately liked the glowy, youthful, healthy effect it gave, so I bought it. That night, I was Googling the Creme Puff Blushes and reading all about how they've taken the UK beauty world by storm and have been touted as Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush dupes. Fully hooked now, I was determined to buy Nude Mauve the following day. I luckily managed to nab the last one at the Priceline I visited.

l-r: Max Factor Nude Mauve, Max Factor Lovely Pink, Essence Good Girls Wear Peach

Bottom to top: Max Factor Nude Mauve, Max Factor Lovely Pink, Essence Good Girls Wear Peach

I was surprised at how similar Max Factor Lovely Pink and Essence Good Girls Wear Peach are. They're almost the same blush, except the Essence is peachier and the Max Factor is more of a light warm pink. The texture of the Max Factor is also superior, in that it applies and sits more smoothly on the skin (which you'd expect, given it's four times the price).

I'm not as into Nude Mauve as I hoped I'd be, mainly because it's a bit confusing as a colour. When swatched, I can definitely see slight purple tones, but it's more a mix of brown and peach with an illuminating pearl. I've read that it's similar to Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure and other hybrid sculpting/contouring and blush products, but it seems too soft in colour to be really effective. (The Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush goes a long way towards creating the illusion of cheekbones though.) The lasting power of these Creme Puff Blushes also isn't anything spectacular.

Essie Cocktail Bling

I've wanted Cocktail Bling for a long time, so I was both surprised and happy to see it stocked at Priceline. This shade reminds me a lot of one of my favourite nail polish colours of all time, the long discontinued Sportsgirl Storm. I adore these moody, sophisticated purply-greys and I've been enjoying wearing Cocktail Bling on my nails for the past few days. The formula was hard to fault and it had a revamped wider, flatter brush reminiscent of the OPI brushes which made application a lot easier.

Before painting on Cocktail Bling, I removed OPI Last Friday Night with the Maybelline Express Remover (Maybelline's answer to Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover). Given it was 4 coats of glitter polish, I think it did a decent job. Not amazing, but we can't expect miracles. I anticipate it to fare much better with removing ordinary creme polishes. Tip: don't tilt the tub. There is liquid remover in it that isn't completely absorbed by the surrounding sponge which will spill out.

I also bought a backup bottle of my beloved Australis K-Pop (featured in my 2014 Favourites), only to discover it's not the same shade. This new bottle, with the same name and ostensibly the same colour, is noticeably darker. Fail! I painted the old K-Pop and new one side by side on my toenail and the difference was undeniable. Makes me question their nail polish quality control when there's no consistency between batches.

Top to bottom: Australis Hon-o-loo-loo, Maybelline In With Coral, Maybelline Fuchsia Desire, Maybelline Berry Much

Finally, the lip products. I will likely dedicate individual posts on the new Maybelline crayons I bought and my mini Australis Velourlips collection (hope it helps, Emma!), so I won't go into too much detail here. But basically, I don't need any more lip products.

I bought a NARS pencil sharpener recently, which I took as permission to go all out on the Maybelline lip pencils. I had tested a few when they were first released and already decided I liked the coral and fuchsia shades the best (oh so typical of me if we're talking brights). I also had to get Berry Much because anything that graces Lisa Eldridge's lips I immediately covet. Yep, I'm sad like that.

The formula of both the Velourlips and Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils is actually very good. I just can't appreciate them without berating myself for buying them unnecessarily.