Prize Haul Swatches

I have finally managed to pin Noodle Arms down to get these swatches done for me so I can actually begin poking around in all the stuff that J sent me when I won her Naked 2 giveaway recently (warning: link contains Paul Rudd nakedness - this should actually read YOU ARE ABOUT TO GAZE UPON THE PERFECT SPECTACLE OF NAKED PAUL RUDD CONSIDER WHETHER YOU ARE WORTHY). I'm not going to swatch Naked 2 - you can find them all over the internet if you're interested, and I haven't been able to bring myself to mess up its pristine perfection as yet.

My first L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow, but definitely not my last. This colour is Continuous Cocoa, which I haven't seen anywhere here so I'm not sure whether it's available in this country. The swatch doesn't do it justice - it's a lovely dark brown, perfect for the infamous outer V. The texture of this is as awesome as everyone says it is - a sort of creamy powdery pressed I-don't-know-what.

Chimera, Candy Corn Pixie Sprinkles, Witch and Famous

Witch and Famous, Candy Corn Pixie Sprinkles (swatched over Detrivore primer)

I had a bit of a decanting blitz the other day with eyeshadow samples so these have been moved from the little baggie wotsits to jars. As I said in the previous post, Darling Girl have been on my radar for a long time but I've never tried them before (because, let's face it, I'm not exactly hurting for eyeshadows). I like these quite a bit - especially Witch and Famous, which is a matte taupe with a teensy bit of glitter. You know I love my taupes!

The Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Glitter Palettes were a limited edition product that came out around the time of one of the holidays a while ago. This one - Tinsel Town - is kind of odd. The glitter is overspray, so once you poke through the top layer they're just bright cream colours, and I don't really mind that because I'm a bit old for too much glitter. They don't swatch all that well when you're using the top layer - you can see in the pictures they're a bit chunky and uneven. They're much better once the glitter layer is gone though, and I think they'll make nice bases. I've read mixed reviews of them and a lot of people say they crease easily, but they're a drugstore brand cream product so I wouldn't be expecting miracles. A good primer should keep them on there for a while. I love that green - can't wait to try that out properly.

Golddigger, Sellout, Platinum, Trashed

Trashed, Platinum, Sellout, Golddigger (swatched over NYX White Eye Base)

The pigmentation of these Wet'n'Wild Shimmer Singles is nowhere near as good as most of the regular WnW Color Icon singles, which is weird because this is a company that has really picked up their game in the last year or so. I don't mind though, because these are colours I'd prefer to be a little muted anyway - I don't think I'd be walking around with startlingly bright magenta or gold eyelids. They all came with a black eyeliner, which is very creamy and easy to use but doesn't set, so I'd be more inclined to use those when I wanted a smudged effect rather than a precise line.

Aussies are falling over themselves to get their mitts on these new Maybelline products, because they're not hitting our shores until the end of the year (shenanigans!) - they're scouring eBay and hitting up friendly US bloggers for shopping favours and it's no surprise because these are AWESOME. I know a lot of people have crapped on the Bouncy Blushes, mostly because they are lacking in pigmentation, but as I've said before, I find that a pro rather a con because I spend a lot of time covering the redness in my cheeks and I don't want to just whack a heavy streak of colour back on there. This one is called Fresh Pink and it's the perfect colour for me - I just love these spring time pink shades.

The Maybelline Color Tattoos in Bold Gold and Edgy Emerald will be getting a ton of use because after months of neutral obsession, I've just started getting back into using the many coloured eyeshadows I have. I'm particularly fond of green eyeshadow, so having a green cream base will be very handy! I absolutely must find a way to get hold of more of these. They are fan-freakin'-tastic.

I hadn't heard of the Maybelline Super Stay Stain Glosses before I received one, but now I want more, more, MORE. It applies like a gloss, with a sponge tip applicator, and is slightly similar to the 'liquid lipsticks' like NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, except it's not matte. Once it sets it last for ages, fading a little to a stain but surviving through food and general daily wear (have not tested for pash-sustainability). The colour J sent me is Ruby Indulgence and it's really pretty - a very wearable red that applies semi-sheerly but can be easily built up. I really, really love this.

And here's Noodle Arms lip-swatching it:

Loverly.

So, to sum up I will be hunting down more of the Color Tattoos, the Bouncy Blushes and the Super Stay Stain Glosses with a vengeance. Good show, Maybelline - you're doing the drugstore makeup world proud!

And now I'm off to pat my Naked 2. Possibly while gazing at naked pictures of Paul Rudd.

What's Even Better Than Naked Paul Rudd?

It's extremely rare that I would enter a blog giveaway - the only time I ever do if it's something I really want and can't easily get hold of myself. Like, say, Naked 2. J from Just Peachy had a giveaway of Naked 2 a few weeks ago and GUESS WHO WON.

If you said me, you're right. Me me, not you me. ME.
Okay, there is not one of you reading this who has the slightest need for this palette, but I'd bet that most of you either have bought it or intend to buy it some time in the future just because (except Liz). That's how I feel about it. I have neutrals up the wazoo, but eventually I would have ended up getting this when it became more readily available. So I was really thrilled to win it and have been itching to get my mitts on it, and yesterday it arrived!

Not only that, but J also included a ton of other goodies - almost all products I could also not easily get hold of. Everything was wrapped up snugly in layers and layers of tissue paper and you should have seen me squealing as I opened each little wrapped package and saw pretty after pretty after pretty. Thank you, J - AMAZING gifts. :-)

There are Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Shimmer Singles in the colours Platinum, Gold Digger, Trashed and Sellout. I've never even heard of these, and a quick Google search didn't bring up many results so they must be pretty new. I am very excited to get stuck into playing with these as you all know I love WnW eyeshadows. The Glitter Kit palette is a limited edition one from a while ago - they are the kind of thing that never turn up in places we Aussies can easily shop for WnW (Crush Cosmetics, Nonpareil, etc) as they're usually exclusive to one or two stores, so it was great to get one of those as well. So much pretty sparkle!

I've played with the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows in Priceline a few times but baulked at the price of them here, so I was jazzed to get one of those as well - I've looked up swatches of this (Continuous Cocoa) and it's a gorgeous dark chocolate brown. Can't wait to try it out. And of course, Darling Girl has been on my 'must try' list FOREVER, so I'm looking forward to testing out the 3 samples as well. Uh oh, what if I really like them....?

But wait! There's more! I also received a Maybelline SuperStay Stain Gloss in Ruby Indulgence (oo-er!), and a Wet'n'Wild lipstick whose colour name I can't remember because it's down the other end of the house in the fridge at the moment so it doesn't melt into a colourful puddle. Oh, and a mini UD 24/7 pencil that isn't in the photo. So many things I'm forgetting them!

J also kindly sent me a sample of the Silk Naturals Cranberry Passionfruit Cleansing Conditioner, as she reviewed it on her blog a while ago and I mentioned wanting to try it. And she sent me some body butter that she made herself that smells DIVINE - all foody and delicious. I tried some on my arm and wanted to chew it off.

The products that had me squealing the most after Naked 2 were Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows in Bold Gold and Edgy Emerald and a Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Fresh Pink. I've seen Emily talk about these as well as a few other bloggers and vloggers, and aLoveTart did an awesome video swatching all the Color Tattoos.

I have been busting to get some, but according to Suzanne (who got it straight from the PR's mouth), they won't be arriving on Aussie shores until the end of the year. (Apparently they're sitting in some refugee camp awaiting their papers or something.) I mean, COME ON. Why does it take a year for a product to be released here? That's just beyond ridiculous. I was talking to Jade about it the other day and we discussed how there is so much buzz about them now that if they were released, people would be rushing out to buy them at Priceline, even though they will be stupidly overpriced here. As it is, bloggers and beauty addicts won't wait that long - they will be hitting up eBay and their US blogger mates and anyone else they can scrounge up and get them sent over, so by the time we finally do get them here we'll all be totally over it. And the money we would have paid for them here will have gone overseas. Smart one, Maybelline!

Anyway, I just wanted to show everyone the awesome prize and many, many lovely extras I received and say a massive thank you to J for her generosity. Two thumbs up!

*Swatches to follow as soon as it gets cooler - it's too hot here to be poking around in makeup at the moment. :-(