Face of Australia Cares!

I received a lovely Care Package from the generous people at Face of Australia, for my consideration. Below are my thought on some of the products I received in the package. A big thank you to Face of Australia for their generosity. All opinions are my own, and are unbiased.

FOA Gentle Make-Up Remover

rrp $8.95 for 125 ml bottle

This oil and paraben free remover can be used to remove all types of make-up, including waterproof. I didn't try it on waterproof as I don't wear that, but I can say it was extremely efficient at whisking away foundation, concealer and eye make-up. I did love how gentle this product was, especially around the eye area. Some products, you can just tell are going to sting if some goes in your eye, but that wasn't the case here. The remover looks strange in the bottle, because it sits in two layers, which you mix together by shaking. This activates the product. Ingredients include Cornflower Extract, which has soothing properties. I've been using this product daily for about a month, and I really can't find fault with it. The bottle is well-designed to reduce spillage and the product is a "tear compatible" pH sensitive formula specifically designed for those with sensitive eyes and/or skin. It works well and fast. I will be re-purchasing this Remover once I've finished the bottle.

FOA Divine Shine Lip Plumper (in Lavish Instinct)

I am absolutely head over heels in love with this product! I purchased it before receiving another one in my FOA Care Package, and thus, reviewed it a few months ago. You can see that review here.

FOA Mineral Lip Shine

rrp $12.95

This 'Lip Shine' is a product marketed as between a lip gloss and a lipstick (not as sticky/shiny as gloss and not as heavy as a lipstick). I received the Fairy Floss shade, which is a very light, pearly pink that looks close to white once applied on my lips. The colour didn't suit me at all, as I need darker/brighter/warmer shades as I'm so fair. Having said that, I did find a use for it; it can be used to lighten a very dark red, or take the edge off a harsh colour, by applying it over the top and blotting.
Consistency-wise, the lip shine feels light and moisturising on the lips. I quite like the formula, and it's possible that some of the darker shades would suit my complexion. The lip shine contains natural mineral pigments, antioxidant vitamins and skin hydrating ingredients to soften and moisturise the lips.

* I used the photo (above, Lip Shine) from the FOA site, as the photos I took didn't do the product justice!

FOA Liquid Eyeliner

rrp $8.95 for 8ml

I've only used this product a few time so far, because I'm not a massive fan of liquid eyeliner, however, it has proved to be a great alternative to my usual black pencil eyeliner. The fine applicator brush makes it really easy to apply the eyeliner. I must say, my first attempt was a wobbly mess, but it didn't take much practice to improve. The design of the brush means you can easily apply either a fine line, or if you angle it slightly, a thicker line. I also used it after applying pencil eyeliner, on the edges of my eyes, to wing out the line. I loved this look, because I got a finer point than I normally get with the pemcil eyeliner. The pigment was great, a really dark black which I loved. Also, I'm appreciating the price; very affordable at only $8.95. If you have been wanting to try liquid eyeliner, this may the place to start. Overall, I was impressed with this product.

I was also sent a variety of FOA foundations (Stick, Mineral Liquid and Mineral Powder) but the shade was way too dark on me, so I was unable to give these the proper trial they deserved.

Thanks again, FOA, for providing these products for consideration. If you'd like to check out the range, their website is here.

Face of Australia products can be purchased at PriceLine, KMart, Big W and selected Pharmacies throughout Australia.

Gulliver's Travels

Starring: Jack Black, Jason Segel, Amanda Peet, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly, Catherine Tate, Chris O'Dowd
Genre: Comedy

Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) lies to impress his work crush, Darcy Silverman (Amanda Peet), so she sends him to the Bermuda Triangle to write a travel story. There's a big storm, magic happens, and he's instead transported to Lilliput, land of the little people! This Jack Black comedy was quite enjoyable, with enough laughs to keep me entertained. Also, I got to see his arse-crack, so that was a plus. Look out for Black reciting Prince song lyrics while helping Horatio (Jason Segel) woo Princess Mary (Emily Blunt). "Think I better DANCE now"!

Catherine Tate is unfortunately wasted in a tiny role as Queen Isabelle. This woman is a real talent and hilarious in The Catherine Tate Show and Doctor Who. Billy Connolly also has quite a small role as her husband, King Benjamin, the ruler of Lilliput.

Chris O'Dowd (Roy from TV series The IT Crowd) is deliciously over-the-top as General Edward. I LOVED his performance. Probably because I'm a huge The IT Crowd fan, and this is the first time I've seen him an another role.

I can't believe Jack Black's performance in Gulliver's Travels earned him a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor (which he lost to Ashton Kutcher's performances in Killers and Valentine's Day). {I just read this from Wikipedia}. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, JACK BLACK!!

China Glaze Crackle Manicure

Yesterday I performed another impromptu manicure, this time using Revlon Black Lingerie and China Glaze Crackle in Broken Hearted. It's always fun trying to apply nail polish in the lounge room with the TV on while my hubby and son are throwing the plane back and forth. They did mix things up by switching to kicking the ball back and forth at one point, probably just to keep me on my toes. But I like a challenge, so I continued the procedure.

First I applied 2 coats of Revlon Black Lingerie. Not very well. Then I applied one coat of China Glaze Crackle in Broken Hearted. In my mind, this was my version of a reverse OPI Black Shatter, where you apply black over another colour. My black was underneath. And now I don't know if it was a good idea. Aah, it's not that bad I suppose.

When applying the Crackle polish, work quickly as it dries fast and there isn't really time to fix anything if it goes wrong. Thanks to the lovely Tara from Keeping Up With Me for this pro-tip. I remember her Skittles Manicure post on these Crackles and that's what prompted me to get a couple (I also have the Crushed Candy shade).

And here are the photos!

I'm not even sure I like it! What do you think?

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant

rrp:  $59.95

**I was provided this product for consideration. This review is my honest opinion.

Alpha-H claims: “A unique exfoliation with pure enzymes and fruit to instantly refresh and reveal a smoother brighter complexion. Non-abrasive gentle enzymes activate upon contact with water to provide unparalleled daily retexturising by allowing new healthy cells to the surface.  Combined with natural pineapple and papaya extracts for soothing and brightening benefits, your skin will appear smooth, soft and invigorated.”

I was delighted to receive this product to review, as I am a bit of an Exfoliant freak and I love trying new brands.  This Exfoliant was different to the products I’m used to, because there were no abrasive bits, which was a real surprise! The product comes in powder form, and the directions are to dispense two measures into the palm of your hand and add water to form a thick paste. This was a trial and error process for me. The packaging took a little getting used to, as one measure seemed to dispense hardly any product, so I found myself madly tipping the bottle up and back trying to get enough product out! I started off making a runny unusable mess, then the mixture was way too thick. Finally I was able to mix in just the right amount of water to achieve the correct consistency.

When massaging the exfoliant into my skin, I noticed it was indeed very gentle, as Alpha-H claim. I didn’t like this at first, because I really love the feeling of the scratchy little bits in most exfoliators giving me a deep down clean. However, I adjusted and moved on.  I’ve been using this daily for a few weeks and my skin does look brighter in appearance, and it feels smoother as well.  I love that it's gentle enough to use daily, and I'm glad I've incorporated this product into my daily cleansing routine. Despite initial problems dispensing the powder, I'm pleased with the design of the packaging, as it's impossible to get water into the bottle. No mess or wastage! YAY! Overall, I’m happy with the results and will continue to use this product until it runs out. I’m hoping to see even more improvements in my skin with continued use.

The Happening

Starring: Mark Walhberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
Genre:  Thriller

I wish this hadn't Happened, but it did. And it was my suggestion to watch. This proves I am not always 100% correct. LOL. The Happening is shockingly bad. The script, the acting, the direction. But most of all the script. Woeful, dreadful, horrible dialogue. Not even Mark Wahlberg can save this stinker. It's just wrong. And it's all Director and Writer M. Night Shyamalan’s  fault. He has been on a steady downward spiral since his career high, The Sixth Sense (with the possible exception of Unbreakable and Signs). Aaaah, this is just better left alone. Also,  Zooey Deschanel is mega annoying, especially her voice. Or maybe I just harbour a grudge because she broke Joseph Gordon-Levitt's heart in 500 Days of Summer. Either way, this movie is dismal :o/

Neil Patrick Harris On A Unicorn!

This is from the Australian GameSpot website. Something about there being a video game equivalent of Neil Patrick Harris, if we lived in a perfect world. Not sure I understand this concept. Why would you want to play as NPH? But he's On A Unicorn and that's cool enough for me. Some enjoyable NPH films/TV are: Doogie Howser, M.D., How I Met Your Mother, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and an episode of Glee. The most interesting thing I've seen Neil do, is Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It's a musical "tragicomedy miniseries" co-starring Nathan Fillion, involving a supervillian and his nemesis, written and directed by Joss Whedon in 2008, exclusively for internet distribution. Check it out if you haven't already, it's pretty weird! More information on that fantastically-titled production is here

In the meantime, enjoy Neil Patrick Harris On A Unicorn.

Revlon Nail Enamel in Plum Seduction

Plum Seduction, no flash.



rrp $13.95

Revlon say of their Nail Enamels:

 *Silk-Silicone formula delivers a layer of silk protein which instantly evens out nail surface

 *Silicone shield rises to the surface to automatically smooth away bubbles, streaks and brush marks to deliver a salon perfect finish

*Chip resistant smooth finish and rich glorious colour



I started off applying a coat of Sally Hansen Maximum Growth, but that looked so shiny and appealing I wanted to amp up the pretty, so I broke open my Revlon Nail Enamel in Plum Seduction and got to work. One coat was not enough, as it was thin and uneven in parts, so I waited for that to dry and applied a second coat. I used the clear Sally Hansen as a top coat, all the while thinking this is extravagant! The most I ever do (or used to, before I had my son) is two coats, with a top coat being UNHEARD of!

Va Va Voom!! I was shocked by how much I loved this bright, bold shade of pink! Since becoming a Mother I hardly even wear nailpolish anymore. I usually do my toenails bright red or dark pink, but that's it. But lately, I've been wanting to feel a bit more glamorous. Let me tell you ladies, and especially Mothers, there's nothing like a gorgeous nail colour to pep up your day! It's such a simple thing, but it's really making me smile :o) I'm only on Day 2, so this is not really a review of the merits and wearability of this polish. (I can say it hasn't chipped so far). It's more of a post about how the addition of colour can really cheer you up.

The colour looks quite different when photographing it with and without the flash, so I'm posting both. Also, remember I've barely worn any polish for years, so in the close-ups you can see my dodgy application. And I sincerely mean dodgy, in the true sense of the word. Someone needs practice :o) Kind of regretting snapping so close, as the edges are quite bad. It doesn't look that bad in real life, thank goodness!

Fingers out! No flash.

Don't laugh at the edges! With flash.



What's your favourite nail polish?

Winged Unicorn

Love the simplicity of this one. The dark background colours allow the white wings to spread majestically. I wouldn't have minded a more pointy horn, it kind of looks like some's missing. It would be so cool to look up in the night sky and see a Unicorn flying past!

PriceLine Mini Spending Spree!

I went to PriceLine today, because I HAD to do their current Gift With Purchase offer: spend at least $50 on certain brands (including Rimmel, Australis, Manicure, Revlon, Palmers) and get a free Beauty Bag filled with over $200 (read $201) worth of products! I KNOW, RIGHT? So I get there, start selecting my products, and the assistant asks if I want help. I ask about the offer and OF COURSE they are out of stock, so I have to put my name and number down for a bag (apparently they will have more in a few days). FUCK, I think, I'm a 'busy mother' and I don't get to do shit for myself very often, I haven't been in a fucking PriceLine for 8 months. FUCK! So I was there, so I thought, fuck it, I might as well keep shopping and get it done and just come back in a few days once they've called me to say they have bags. Yes, I swear a lot in my thoughts. Almost as much as in real life.

Here's my (mini) haul, for those of you interested:
Revlon Nail Polish in Black Lingerie
Revlon Nail Polish in Plum Seduction
Australis IntensifEYE Wet/Dry Eyeshadow in Far Out Brussel Sprout
Australis IntensifEYE Wet/Dry Eyeshadow in True Blue
Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Salsa
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Cutting Edge
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Heart Breaker

Awesome shopping notes: Revlon was a 2 for the price of 1 (so one of the polishes was FREEEEEEEEEE!!) and the Australis was buy 3 get the cheapest 1 free (WOO!!!!).

Beauty notes: I got the lipsticks because I've been hanging out for some new lippies for a while now. And as gorgeous as the Chanel Coco Rouge ones look, I am just not forking out $50 for one lipstick at the moment. I got the Eyeshadows just to have a little play. My new toys! And the idea behind the nail polishes was to try the black one out under my China Glaze Crackles (Broken Hearted, a bright pink, and Crushed Candy, an interesting blue shade). And the pink one I just HAD to get because it's so damn pretty :)

It runs until April 11 or until sold out, so if you're interested, get thy arse instore!
Details on the PriceLine offer can be found here
PriceLine Beauty Bag

Are you taking advantage of this offer and what products are you getting?

Slither

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry.
Genre: Horror/Comedy

This was quite an enjoyable piece of B-grade horror cinema. I watched it predominantly because I'm a Nathan Fillion (Serenity, Firefly) fan, and I'm sure that helped. It's funnier than I thought, and really gross, too. This marks James Gunn's directorial debut. Look out for a cameo from The Office's Jenna Fischer, who Gunn was married to at the time. Plotwise, Grant Grant (yes, that's his name) is infected by an alien who wants to destroy the human race. He mutates into a revolting octopus-like creature, more humans become infected, animals are eaten, slugs go a-slithering, things get blown up and pus spews forth. As Nathan Fillion's character says, "that's some fucked up shit!". Enjoy :)

Trippy Unicorn

Oh My. This image just has everything. A Unicorn on drugs, lollipops, cupcakes, stars, love hearts and swirly rainbows. I am in Unicorn Heaven. He even has leg warmers on! BEST UNICORN EVER!


I've just edited this post to enlarge the picture, since this post is my most popular one ever. I'm really worried you're all Lawyers and I'm going to get sued :o/ (I'm not kidding, 70% of you come just to view Trippy Unicorn. LOL)


PS: Sorry to the lady who commented, when I was editing, my computer dropped out and I lost this whole post and had to write it from scratch. In the process, the comment disappeared :( I love reader comments, so please, comment away peeps!