Saturday 16 March 2013

NOTW - Kit 'Big Bang' with Australis 'Glitter Strikes Back'




This weeks nail of the week is from 2 great Australian brands with Kit - Big Bang, and a glitter top coat of Australis - Glitter Strikes Back.

I must say that I tend to steer away from purple generally as I picked it as my "one colour to hate" a million years ago and never looked back, silly I know... until recently. My friend had this colour at her house and I fell in love instantly! The brightness hooked me in, and it is such an interesting shade I ended up borrowing it from my friend and wearing it. Lucky for me, I have great friends and she got it for me as a present a month later. ^_^


This Kit 'Big Bang' nail polish, like all others I've reviewed previously has a perfect strong pigment, is easy to apply, and lasts well (these photos were taken after the polish had been on my nails for a week, so I apologise for the small chips!). The actual colour is kind of hard to capture, I think it's a little brighter than it looks on here in reality.

The Australis 'Glitter Strikes Back' nail polish is a mix of small round gold and purple and large hexagonal gold. It was the first nail polish of theirs that I've tried since their re-vamp of the brand (which I'm LOVING... so many great colours I want/need!) and I'm really impressed. I saw it in Priceline and couldn't resist buying it then and there. 

It was quite easy to apply an even coat of the glitter, and it lays flat on your nail really well so you don't have chunky glitter catching on your clothes etc. I used a top coat of Seche Vite to smooth it all out and last a little longer. This glitter would pop even more on another coloured base coat I think because some of the purple glitter colours blended into the purple of the base. The gold looked amazing though!

You can purchase Kit's 'Big Bang' from your nearest Kit store for $15.95, or you can also buy them online here or check for your nearest Kit store online hereI purchased the Australis glitter nail polish 'Glitter Strikes Back' from Priceline for $7.95 and you can also see their range and order online here.

Have you tried any of the new Australis glitters? What's your favourite glitter and base coat combination? x

Saturday 23 February 2013

Tried & Loved - Origins GinZing Brightening Mascara





When it comes to mascara, I have tried a LOT of different types over the years. From drugstore brands, to high end brands that you would think would have to deliver exceptional results for the price they charge for their products... but quite often I am left disappointed at both ends of the spectrum. I am forever on a search for the holy grail of each product I use on a daily basis, and you know what - I think for daily mascara this might be it for me! Origins Ginzing Brightening Mascara has really impressed me.

Described on the Kit cosmetics website as:
"Thanks to a bold, new brush complete with advanced bristle technology that is exclusive to Origins, GinZing™ Brightening mascara to lengthen and lift glides on easily, coating each lash from root to tip to visibly boost and define even the sparsest lashes. Even after multiple applications, eyelashes appear long, lush and clump-free, never spider-like. GinZing™ Brightening mascara is long wearing, smudge-proof and flake-proof yet is easily removable and safe for contact lens wearers."

For me, I can say that I find all of these statements to be true!

I was suggested this mascara by a friend who works in the beauty industry as it was a new product (around 4 months ago in Australia I think) and she had really liked it herself. At first when I tried it it felt so foreign! The brush is a lot thicker than any that I had used previously so I kept poking myself with it (silly I know!). Because of that I didn't immediately fall in love. I left the product and used it from time to time and after a little while and getting used to the brush I suddenly realised one day - WOW, this mascara is sensational!

What I love about the Origins Ginzing Brightening Mascara is that it really does everything that is says it will on the packaging (lengthen and lift) and in an effortless way. I can get perfectly separated, long dark lashes within moments because the brush coats them perfectly every time. I liked the way this mascara looked so much that I stripped back my daily makeup routine for work to just be a quick coat of eyeshadow, mascara and some blush. It really opens my eyes and makes my lashes long and lush and there's no fiddling with the brush or clumps of mascara to contend with.

The mascara formula isn't too thick, it doesn't clump, it's not too runny. I find that personally I like to wipe off a little excess mascara when I take it out from the tube as the opening is quite wide, then it applies perfectly and prevents any excess on my lashes. When I opened the tube for the first time I noticed that it's super black too, and this is great for anyone that might have lighter lashes, but even mine are noticeably bolder with this.

As far as how long the product lasts I would say Kit have described it perfectly. It's long lasting (so much so that when I have been naughty and worn it overnight it still looks great when I wake up), smudge proof and flake proof (I can wear it all day for work without any flaking, and then wear it to a hectic 2 hour crossfit session and sweat the rest of my makeup off and it still won't smudge - unless I rub my eyes of course which would be silly), and even with all this it's still really easy to remove! Most of it comes off in the shower when I wash my face, and then a little normal makeup remover removes the rest. Superb!

Below you can see it on my eyes. This was just a quick day of makeup for work and it would have taken me about 5 minutes to do all of my makeup for the day, yet my lashes are still looking long and separated! Love it.



I have had my mascara for about 4 months now and it hasn't dried out or changed consistency at all. I'll definitely repurchase this one!

You can purchase this mascara from Kit Cosmetics, or Mecca Cosmetics in Australia for only $26 - SUCH a great price. That's as cheap as some of the drugstore brand mascaras! And on both websites it has a 5 star rating. :)

Have you tried this mascara or anything else from the Origins range? What's your holy grail every day mascara? x