MONTHY MAKEUP OBJECTIVES: Goals for Aug/Sept 2013

Hello!

I apologise for being on the downlow lately, but I assure you I have not forgotten about the blog! I am currently on an anti-sugar crusade to cut it completely out of my diet (I ate way too much... so far so good though!) so my blogging time lately has turned into cooking time making sugar-free snacks for work!

Nonetheless, I have still been testing out products (including some polish for a change-up!) and these posts will go up when I have time to sit and put them together!

In the mean time, I have come up with a new section (to add to the oodles I already have lol) to blog about. My new topic is "Monthly Makeup Objectives". The purpose of this is to have a list of goals on here, of things I would like to do/try/wear over the specified time period (this one is August and September!). When I complete a said task, I will write a little post about it with some pictorial evidence... pilfered from my instagram account! haha. Hopefully it serves of some inspiration to you when you are next reaching for some makeup or polish!

So here are my current list of makeup objectives:

• Wear more glitter
• Fancy eyebrows
• Practise cat-eye eyeliner with an angled brush
• OCC Lip Tar/Illamasqua combos
• Do a makeup look inspired by someone on Instagram
• Wear Stila liquid lipsticks 
• Do a look with a Sleek i-Divine palette
• Use the Sleek Candy Collection
• Do a look with a nude lip
• Do a minimal look using BB cream
• Do a look with cream blush
• Use MAC Lipglasses
• Do a brown smokey eye
• Complete another #whydidn'tiwearitearlier
• Do some nail art
• Try and dupe MAC's 'O' Lipstick

There we have it! I wonder how many I will be able to get through! Are there any that you are looking forward to, or are there some that you think I should add to the list?

Love,

Your PM x

SWATCH FEST: Even More OCC Loose Colour Concentrates!

Well, 

I've been at it again... Buying more things I don't need! lol

Lipstick Republic had a 20% off sale, so my arm was easily twisted to buy a few new goodies! (I mean really, did you expect anything less? lol).

I picked up three more OCC Loose Colour concentrates and Lime Crime's China Doll palette (A swatch fest of China Doll will come at a later date!).

I have previously swatched the rest of my Loose Colour Concentrate collection and you can view them here (11) and here (3)! Including these latest few, my collection sits at 17/35... so about half way! (and geez I feel like I'm running out of options! lol)

My three latest choices: Foxfire, Brasstacks and Jubilee!

L: Foxfire, R: Brasstacks, B: Jubilee

L-R: Jubilee, Foxfire, Brasstacks

Jubilee: A pale blue with a turquoise duo-chrome type shimmer. It is great for layering! When this arrived, I went 'oh dear what have I done?!'... But swatched, it's actually quite pretty!

Foxfire: A bright grassy-type green with silver shimmer undertone. I am surprised that I didn't pick this one up sooner being that I have a big love of greens.

Brasstacks: Brasstacks is a great every-day dark chocolate brown with a gold shimmer. As the name implies, it does lean a touch brassy. This is another one I am surprised that I didn't end up with sooner.

As mentioned, I purchased my LCC's from Lipstick Republic (remember to use code 'RepublicVIBs' for 10% off!). The going rate is AUD$14 for 2.5gms (great value!)

Have you tried Loose Colour Concentrates? Got any favourite colours?

Love,

Your PM x

SWATCH FEST: Lime Crime 'Aquataenia' Palette

Good morning/afternoon/evening! (Please choose the applicable one for the time of day in your neck of the woods! lol)

As requested by some, I will be swatching my Lime Crime eyeshadow palettes (I now have them all which means yay for you and not yay for my hip pocket! lol). First cab of the rank is the Aquataenia palette!

I have only just recently started collecting the Lime Crime eyeshadow palettes (mostly because I have all their lipsticks and I am running out of products to buy!). I picked up the Aquataenia palette when I purchased Babette (because I'm not paying $12-odd dollars shipping for one lipstick... defeats the purpose!). I have always admired the palettes but thought that perhaps the colours were not entirely practical. Now that I am a bit more adventurous with colour (or that my inner collector has won... not sure), I think they are super cool! I will also post some looks that I've done using the palettes so that if they aren't something you'd normally go for you can see how they could be used!

Lime Crime's Aquataenia Palette

L-R: Nautilus Prime, Coral of the Story, Seahorse Discourse, Pearl-ple,  Atlanteal

Nautilus Prime: A deep (but vibrant) Royal Blue

Coral of the Story: A nice mid coral. This would also be a suitable blush.

Seahorse Discourse: A bright yellow based lime-green.

Pearl-ple: A mid lilac purple, it does not lean overly pink or blue based.

Atlanteal: A pale teal. Leans a bit more green in real life. 

I looooove the names. I am a sucker for a good pun! Nautilus Prime in particular gives me a good giggle! These are super pigmented and have a metallic shimmer/touch of sparkle. Though, do take care with the paler ones (i.e. Atlanteal) as they can kind of get lost against the darker colours (going back over it during application is key here - a primer also helps with this).

If you have read my Babette review, then you would have seen the look I did using Babette and the Aquataenia palette on my eyes (I will post it again for a bit of overkill  and because I was super happy with how it turned out! lol)

Aquataenia palette in action!

For this look I've used the blues and greens (Nautilus Prime, Atlanteal and Seahorse Discourse). I have also used Mercurious from the D'Antionette palette on the inner corner (swatches to come!).

The Aquataenia palette will set you back AUD$36 for 5 x 1.5gms pans of eyeshadow. (Pretty good value when you think that a MAC eyeshadow is AUD$33 for 1.5gms!)

This palette gets a big thumbs up from me!

Have you used the Aquataenia palette? Thoughts?

Love,

Your PM x

SWATCH FEST: Sleek Individual Blushes

Hello,

Time for another swatch fest - this time featuring Sleek Individual Blushes.

I have a lot of love for Sleek's products as they are awesome quality for the price point! They also have quite a bit of variety within their range!

I have four blushes to swatch for you out of the ten available on the Sleek website. These colours, to me, have the most universal appeal - quite a few of their colours have a real red streak (which I avoid like the plague! lol).

Top L-R: Pixie Pink, Sunrise
Bottom L-R: Life's A Peach, Rose Gold

L-R: Pixie Pink, Life's A Peach, Rose Gold, Sunrise

Pixie Pink: A matte mid-pink (it reminds me of Barbie! lol)

Life's A Peach: A matte peachy orange. This is a very soft colour and probably the least pigmented of this bunch (which in a way is good because it's harder to stuff up the application!),

Rose Gold: A deep rose pink with a golden shimmer. This has been labelled as a dupe for Nars' Orgasm (and you can read my dupe test about the two here!). It is a really nice, universally appealing, colour but be warned it is very shimmery so don't get too heavy handed with it!

Sunrise: A dark pink-tinged brown with a golden-yellow shimmer. This might be a bit dark for fellow pasty peeps - it doesn't fuss me too much because I'll give anything a crack, but if you're pale and trying it out, start with a very light hand! I can see this being a great colour for darker skin tones!

These blushes will set you back USD$5.99 for 8gms (is that seriously good value or what?!). You can buy them online from www.sleekmakeup.com. If you love Sleek blushes that much you can also buy them in a palette of three's! (Not quite these colours but similar!)

Have you tried Sleek blushes? Do you have any favourites?

Love,

Your PM x

DUPE TEST: MAC Impassioned vs Maybelline Vivid Rose

Hello,

If you are a regular (or semi-regular) follower of the blog, you would have seen that I've posted swatches of my MAC Amplified Creme collection and in that post I thought of a good dupe test: MAC Impassioned vs Maybelline Vivid Rose!

MAC Impassioned (Left) and Maybelline Vivid Rose (Right)

MAC Impassioned (Left) and Maybelline Vivid Rose (Right)

The verdict: Not as close as I was expecting! 

While they are both pink-y, Impassioned is more red and a bit deeper in colour. Don't get me wrong, it's still vibrant, but nowhere near as vibrant as Vivid Rose (the camera doesn't show the brightness but it's seriously amazing!). I was honestly expecting these to be closer, as when I swatched the Maybelline Vivids, Vivid Rose had that real red streak! That being said, if you are makeup minimalist (which I am not), then you probably don't need both! I love Impassioned, but I also love Vivid Rose - I keep swooning over the colour and I really need to hurry up and wear it.

Are there any other dupe tests you would like to see on the blog? Let me know!

Love,

Your PM x

p.s. The PM is on facebook! www.facebook.com/PolishedMakeupBlog

SWATCH FEST: More OCC Loose Colour Concentrates

Hi guys and girls!

A while ago, I posted swatches of my OCC Loose Colour Concentrates collection. Today, I have a few more swatches to add!

I love these Loose Colour Concentrates because they are super pigmented and at a really attractive price point given the quality!

The latest three I've picked up are: Smote, Technoir and Overlook!

L-R: Smote, Technoir, Overlook

L-R: Smote, Technoir, Overlook

Smote: A deep beige with prominent silver shimmer. It's a bit like a dark version of Clove.

Technoir: A deep blue with a duo-chrome shimmer. The OCC website says 'Dark Navy/Blue Duo Chrome', but I personally wouldn't call it navy (it does look Navy in the pot but doesn't swatch so dark!). The shimmer is like a purple shift and flecks of gold are also visible. It reminds me of Illamasqua's Alluvium but with finer shimmer.

Overlook: A deep purple with a golden shimmer. It's kind of like an eggplant/aubergine colour.

OCC Loose Colour Concentrates will set you back AUD$14 for 2.5gms (told you they were awesome value!). You can purchase them from Lipstick Republic (and remember code 'RepublicVIBs' for 10% off!).

These are great colours for winter! Smote is a great neutral, I love Technoir because I am absolutely in love with Alluvium and Overlook is such a pretty and dramatic colour for winter!

Have you tried any LCC's? Which ones are your faves?

Love,

Your PM x

FOTD: 'Ombre' Eyes Using Lime Crime Eyeshadows

Hello,

I thought I would share the FOTD from my Babette Review. I haven't really shared a FOTD lately and this is one of Mr PM's favourites. He encouraged me to put it in a post!

So here we go!

Please enjoy my dodgy instagram generated photo! lol

I used the following products:

FACE

• Illamasqua Matte Primer
• Kryolan TV Paint Stick in NB1
• Illamasqua Skinbase Foundation in #6
• Napoleon Perdis Camera Finish Powder in N2

BLUSH

• Illamasqua Blush in Tremble

EYES

• Kryolan TV Paint Stick in NB1
• Kryolan Translucent Powder in TL1
• Lime Crime D'Antoinette Palette - Mercurious (Inner Corner)
• Lime Crime Aquataenea Palette - Seahorse Discourse (Next Colour)
• Lime Crime Aquataenea Palette - Atlanteal (Next Colour)
• Lime Crime Aquataenea Palette - Nautilus Prime (Outer Corner)
• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Bootycall (Highlight)
• Napoleon Perdis Mesmer-Eyes Mascara
• MAC Fluidline in Blitz and Glitz
• Eyebrows: Illamasqua Eyebrow Cake in Gaze
• Lashes: Ardell 117's

LIPS

• Lime Crime Lipstick in Babette

I was super pleased with how this turned out, and plan to do the same thing again soon, but with different colours (of course! lol)

Are there any looks of mine that you would like to see featured? You can see any daily FOTD's I post on Instagram (@polishedmakeup)

Love,

Your PM x

DUPE TEST: Lime Crime Babette

Greetings!

For this edition of the dupe test, I will be seeking formidable comparisons for Lime Crime's Babette. I have already reviewed Babette and you can read what I think of it here! 

Anyway, Let's get straight into it:

The contenders!

Up for comparison:

- MAC Betty Bright

- Illamasqua Obey

- Lime Crime Coquette

- Illamasqua Sonnet

- Nars Lodhi

- OCC Lip Tar Hush

(L-R: Hush, Lodhi, Betty Bright, Sonnet, Obey, Babette, Coquette)

Let's compare:

- Hush: Browner than Babette

- Lodhi: Brighter and more red than Babette

- Betty Bright: Similar tone, but pinker than Babette

- Sonnet: Paler and more orange than Babette (also a matte finish)

- Obey: Similar tone but more Orange (also a matte finish)

- Coquette: Browner than Babette (this was here as a comparison!)

The Verdict: No real dupes here but Obey is probably the closest. If you want something similar but less bright, Hush could also be a suitable alternative. Not many Babette worthy dupes in my stash it seems! (Sorry!)

Note: Hush is very similar to Coquette but a bit more pink! If you mix both Coquette and Babette together, it brings up a similar colour to Hush!

Where to get them (in Australia):

- Hush: lipstickrepublic.com.au (AUD$18 for 10ml)
- Lodhi: meccacosmetica.com.au (AUD$39 for 2.2gms)
- Betty Bright: This was a LE colour (sorry!)
- Sonnet: myer.com.au (AUD$25 for 4gms)
- Obey: myer.com.au (AUD$25 for 4gms)
- Coquette: lipstickrepublic.com.au (AUD$21 for 3.5gms)

Are there any dupe tests you would like to see on the blog?

Love,

Your PM x

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Lime Crime 'Babette' (Review & Swatches)

Hello,

The much anticipated newest lipstick from Lime Crime is out and I have given it a road test to present my findings to you! Yippee!

Babette is a pastel coral. It's a muted, pale colour.

Lime Crime - 'Babette'

Lime Crime - 'Babette'

As you can see from the swatch, it's nice and muted coral. Not really bright but not really deep! It has been marketed as 'Coquette's' pink cousin! I have swatched them side by side for you:

Lime Crime - 'Babette' (left) and 'Coquette' (right)

As you can see, they are somewhat related. Coquette is quite brown, but still has a pink tone (it reminds me of the colour of bandaids lol). Here is Babette in action:

Babette on the lips, Illamasqua Tremble blush, Lime Crime Aquataenea & D'Antoinette Palettes on the eyes!

The wear time was pretty decent considering it's a pale coloured lipstick! I applied it in the morning, and it had pretty much disappeared by the time I had finished my lunch (expected), but a lunchtime re-application saw a good four hours of wear out of it in the arvo! (could probably be longer but I got hungry! lol). I wore it without lip liner and did not notice any bleeding either.

Packaging is Lime Crime's standard purple unicorn tube (which I have no problem with... it works and it stands out in your handbag! woohoo!). As for fragrance, there wasn't one. This I am perplexed by as normally LC lippies have a vanilla-y scent but this had nothing. That being said, I'd rather no smell than a bad one! (However I am curious as to where it went! lol)

I would recommend this for paler skin tones. I know, personally, I tend to shy away from nudes because they make me feel pale and pasty (and like my lips have disappeared). This is a good alternative because it's got a pink undertone. It's still neutral enough to go with everything but has enough colour to give you a bit of life! It also looks great with Illamasqua's 'Tremble' blush (as seen in the action shot!). It's also a good option if you aren't overly confident for wearing bright colours.

Babette will set you back USD$15.99/AUD$21 for 3.5gms. (Great value considering it's such a quality product!). You can purchase LC from limecrimemakeup.com or in Australia from lipstickrepublic.com.au

This gets a big thumbs up from me!

Have you tried Babette? Thoughts?

Love,

Your PM x

p.s. You can view swatches of the rest of my Lime Crime lipstick collection here!

p.p.s. Stay tuned for a dupe test featuring Babette! Coming very soon! (i.e. As soon as I've published this I'll start it!)