Priceline sale and a rant

Priceline has a sale on at the moment with all Maybelline half price and Covergirl eye and lip products for $10, so I thought I'd wander down there this morning and have a look. I was really only interested in checking out the eyeliners as I've been hearing good things, and getting one of those wind up concealer wotsits in the brightening shade. All of which I managed to get.

So, funny (not really) story. Priceline in Gawler Place - which is the nearest one to me and the least objectionable of the 3 city stores (though also probably has the lowest range) - is generally pretty quiet early in the morning so I took an early tea break and headed down. The place was practically deserted - there was no one else in the entire aisle I was in and after getting the things I specifically wanted I was happily standing there examining eyeshadows (don't need 'em, but you know.. half price), when along come these two girls who proceed to shove themselves in front of me between me and the display stand. I had to step back to avoid crashing into them. It was like I was invisible! I said something like "Are you right there?" and they completely ignored me, yabbering amongst themselves about how they wanted to buy this or that and basically just get 'one of everything'. I rolled my eyes, moved over to the other side of the display, and was looking at powders and foundations, when they stepped in front of me AGAIN and started snatching things off racks that I was trying to look at.

Now, this is not a case of a packed out sale and it's everyone for themselves. There was no other person in that aisle but me and these two breathtakingly rude individuals. Every time I moved to look at something, they would eventually push in front of me again until finally I'd had enough and just left.

Interestingly (not really), I'm almost certain one of them is a local beauty blogger. I know I've seen her before and I am sure it's in a blogging context. I can't place who she is though - believe me, if I could name and shame I damn well would. But if you're an Adelaide beauty blogger who was shoving your way past a chick minding her own business at the Maybelline display in Gawler Place Priceline this morning with your equally ignorant friend and bored-looking boyfriend, here's a big FUCK YOU going out to you. Learn some manners, princess.

Sarawen Perfume Haul

Late last year I finally got around to reviewing some Sarawen perfumes I'd bought and then pretty much forgotten about months earlier, and since then I've been wanting more. I recently got around to doing another order - annoyingly I'd left it so long that several of the ones on my wishlist are no longer available - and decided to make the shipping worthwhile and pick up quite a few at the same time. I'm not going to talk about all of them here as I haven't tested them yet, but I'll give you the basic rundown of what I bought (I'm assuming these prices are in Canadian dollars as this store is Canadian).

First of all, packaging and presentation is gorgeous - the samples are 1.5ml and come in little screw top bottles (much easier to deal with than vials with wand caps). The labels have been designed to fit in with the rest of the shop's theme and look just as lovely as the regular sized bottles.

Shipping for me for a total of 14 sample bottles was $10.40CAD, which is very reasonable considering the recent US price hike has all of us internationals shelling out $12US and up on the bare minimum of purchases these days (boourns!). My only concern is that although they were packed in a bubble mailer, the bottles themselves were not wrapped in bubble wrap, just (albeit very pretty) tissue paper. Given the general carelessness of Australia Post workers, it's just blind luck nothing was broken. Sara did put a sticker on it saying that the contents were glass and therefore fragile, however I've had several PO employees cheerfully tell me that they have no 'fragile' service here and those stickers mean nothing to them. I think I'd rather pay a bit more in shipping and know that my little glass bottles are safe - or at least more safe.

So on to what I bought! The descriptions are the seller's own.

Sherlock Holmes sampler - $15

Logical Deduction - Sophisticated notes of bay rum, Earl Grey tea, and tobacco, with a hint of leather and dark chocolate. This is a unisex fragrance inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and is reminiscent of a gentleman's Victorian parlour.

Logical Delusion - A dangerous and cunning blend of poisoned tea, tobacco, and gunpowder, with a hint of nag champa and absinthe. Beware, Holmes! This is a unisex fragrance that borders towards masculine and is inspired by the character of Moriarty from the world of Sherlock Holmes - it is the perfect foil to my Holmes' fragrance, 'Logical Deduction'!

Scandal in London - She's seductive, secretive, and little dangerous! Feminine lilac and ylang ylang flowers blends with feisty dragonsblood with a light hint of eastern sandalwood. A touch of Holmes' favourite tobacco tops off this sultry floriental perfume.This perfume is inspired by the character of Irene Aldler from the world of Sherlock Holmes. 

Tea With Watson - Take a break from adventuring and stop at 221 Baker Street for awhile. White tea, delicious yellow cake, and a dash of cream caramel layered over light tobacco and bay rum. It smells just like a tea party at Holmes and Watson's flat! This is a balanced unisex fragrance inspired by the world of Sherlock Holmes.

The Hunger Games sampler - $11.50

Girl on Fire - Wild strawberries gathered from the forest blend with the comforting scent of leather hunting boots, and in her hair a very faint hint of sweet forest herbals. A pretty scent, but not to be taken lightly - rebellion lurks beneath the feminine fruit notes!

Run Away With Me - The masculine scent of leather melded with gunpowder and soot from District 12's coal mines. A whisper of wild strawberries and amber completes this unisex fragrance inspired by the character of Gale from the Hunger Games.

The Baker's Boy - Spend a day frosting and decorating cakes with Peeta. A luscious, gourmand fragrance bursting with ripe strawberries (from Katniss of course!) and delicious yellow cake. Underneath the delicious-ness drifts soft vetiver, leather, and golden amber. This perfume is a unisex blend that borders towards feminine.

I also bought a set of 3 custom samples for $11.50:

Lion's Roar (Game of Thrones) - Let them Hear You Roar. Sexy leather blends with luscious neroli blossoms and earthy patchouli to create this unisex fragrance that embodies the Lannister family's conquering and ferocious nature. Top notes of frankincense, vanilla, and precious woods completes this rich fragrance! Primary notes: neroli, leather, frankincense, rosewood, vanilla.


Beer'n'Butter (Harry Potter) - A delicious and foamy elixir! Creamy butterscotch, dreamy vanilla, and a dash of pumpkin layered with a drop of coffee as you sit relaxing by the pub's roaring fire.


Lady Nightingale (Dragon Age) -Fragrant white flowers of ginger blossom, jasmine, and gardenia over a sensuous base of light musk. Topped off with a single note of sweet vanilla. Delicate and innocent, yet charmingly sexy.This scent is an ultra-feminine floral musk inspired by the character of Lelianna from the Dragon Age game.

Note: I've reviewed this perfume for my other blog here.

Ambrosia Chocolat (free sample) - "If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage?" - Marquise de Sévigné... Chocolate: delicious, sensuous, and an absolute necessity! This scent will satisfy your chocolate craving as it drizzles with honey, dark chocolate, and hints of vanilla cream. A scrumptious blend of tasty treats with a light touch of patchouli to round out the sweetness. A gourmand perfume that will have you constantly sniffing your own wrists! Main notes: chocolate, amber, honey, vanilla.


And of course, because this is going to be the big theme among indie cosmetic artists this year, I had to get the sampler of The Great Gatsby ($11.50). I haven't seen the movie and I'm not entirely sure I'm all that interested. I'm iffy on Baz Lurhmann - sometimes his movies are a glorious mess (Moulin Rouge), and sometimes they're just a mess (Australia). The Great Gatsby looks... ehhhhhh. I do love the book though, after reading it for school and then many times since, so I'm all for buying into the current craze. And of course, I'm all for anything inspired by the 1920s - when are they going to bring back The House of Eliott, I ask!

Jaded Ambition - He lights his expensive cigar, watching the party descend until dawn. The enigmatic Mr. Gatsby seems to have many secrets. Sidling up beside him, he gives you a friendly grin and you catch the aroma of his sweet cigar, exotic woods, citrus, and little hint of Daisy's orchid perfume. For only one woman can truly hold his heart. Main notes: tobacco, citrus accord, oud, coffee, orchid, benzoin. This scent is inspired by the character of Jay Gatsy from F. Scott Fitzgerald's American masterpiece, and is unisex bordering to masculine fragrance.

Manly men doing manly things. The tobacco and oud amp on me and it's almost headachy. The coffee is in the background but it's so subtle I couldn't place what it was. Not for me, but I think those who like very masculine scents would enjoy this.

Jaded Decadence - She's the ultimate party girl. She is youth, beauty, and decadence personified. Her athletic figure dances to the latest rage - jazz music. And soon you note the scent of violets, rose, and a hint of cream vanilla and sweet red wine. She flashes a smile and the young men sigh. Main notes: violets, vanilla, rose, chypre, citrus accord, merlot wine. This scent is inspired by the character of Jordan Baker from F. Scott Fitzgerald's American masterpiece, and is a floriental -style scent for modern flappers!

The wine adds an interesting seedy element to this- it's quite clever. This is a fairly strong floral, dominated by the violet. Definitely more of a night time perfume than an office one.

Jaded Innocence - Distant yet so close. Cold, but still yearning for a past love. Her soft eyes twinkle, and the scent of orchids, cream, honey, and violets fill the sense. She speaks, and the warm timbre of her voice can still make Gatsby weaken at the knees. Main notes: orchid, champagne, honey, citrus accord, chypre. This scent is inspired by the character of Daisy Buchanan from F. Scott Fitzgerald's American masterpiece, and is a soft floriental scent for modern flappers!

Again, the boozy note brings this perfume out of the realm of your bog standard sweet florals. And again, it's quite strong, though the honey softens it up after 30 minutes or so. I liked this one the best of the three.

************

Sarawen has two shops - Big Cartel and Etsy. I bought this order from Etsy, really only because I prefer it for ease when I can use it. My last order was through the Big Cartel site, and there's really no difference except that one may sometimes have stock the other doesn't.

In summary, Sarawen is a gorgeous little perfume shop, and I highly recommend trying it out.

Randomosity

Pretty random.

1. I haven't been into blogging much of late (and my poor perfume project blog is suffering for it too), mostly because I haven't been on my laptop - I tend to read most things on my phone and writing and commenting and whatnot is a pain in the arse on an iPhone. I've also had some dramas going on with Noodles. She's been a bit depressed - like, actual depression, not 'oh, this boy doesn't like me and I'm sad' depression. She's okay, but she's a bit up and down and I'm currently using up a lot of my time and energy trying to be there for her and get her some help. So when I have time to myself I just feel like sitting there staring vacantly at the TV or flicking through my bloglist or Buzzfeed or whatever on my phone.

2. The other day I was cleaning out my Favourites on YouTube and I was reminded of some clips I love. These are just guaranteed to make me laugh - I've probably posted them before, but they're worth another spruik if so.

First of all, one of my favourite clips from Malcolm In The Middle, a show I always loved. Hal was always my favourite character, and I thought that his whacky comedy combined with how much he genuinely loved his wife and kids was pulled off beautifully by Bryan Cranston, who really is an amazing actor.

Then there's Tom Hanks doing Toddlers and Tiaras, which I KNOW I've posted (probably many) times before, but it always, always cracks me up.

If you're a Gavin and Stacey fan, you'll remember Smithy and Rudi's rap to entertain Gav on the phone.

And finally a new favourite that I'm sure everyone has seen by now as it's been doing the round of the internet for the last couple of days. It's an out-take from Parks and Recreation with Patton Oswalt performing a 'citizen filibuster' and delighting the inner nerd in all of us (and I'm not even a particular Star Wars or Marvel fan).

3. I have been doing a bit of splurging lately - probably about time to reign it back in. As well as a bunch of new perfumes and perfume samples, for the first time in ages I bought some makeup - not that I need it, as you would know if you've been around this blog for a while. I didn't want anything in particular - I was just interested in trying out Beauty Joint, as a lot of Aussies use that site for brands we can't get here like Wet'n'Wild, ELF, Nyx, etc. I picked up a few things that caught my eye.

I haven't really done much more than play yet, though I did try out the Wet'n'Wild foundations. The colours are slightly off - one runs a bit too yellow and one a bit too pink. I'm going to mix them and see if that helps. As far as texture, application, etc. they're pretty good for a super cheap foundation (about $6US).

4. As far as my stories go:

• Super annoyed that Breaking Bad doesn't come back until August. That's too looooooong! I don't know what I'm going to do when it finishes. I feel like there will be some weird kind of worldwide mourning for it. I've spoken to some other people about it and they said the same thing. Maybe we are just all way too attached to our stories. 
• The Walking Dead finale was a dud. I love that show, but god, sometimes the writing is just... ugh. 
• Of the new shows out recently, I'm still watching The Following, even though it's stoooooooopid, and the serial killer guy is about as charasmatic as a vacuum cleaner salesman. I watched two episodes of Hannibal and found it gimmicky and annoying. The one I'm really getting into is Bates Motel. It started off a bit clunky, but once the older brother showed up and started messing with the dynamic between Norma and Norman the pace really picked up. As my friend Jade said, there's something a bit Twin Peaks-ish about it, what with all the townspeople having creepy secrets and everyone being a bit 'off', and so on. 
• Nurse Jackie is back - yay! I love the show overall but what really keeps me coming back is Merritt Wever. She is ADORABLE as Zoe the nurse. I  love her so much it makes me feel a bit creepy - if I lived in Hollywood I'd probably stalk her. She turned up in an episode of New Girl the other day and I literally squealed when I saw her. 
• Speaking of New Girl, NO THANK YOU to the Nick and Jess thing. It's not working. Make it go away. Also, those lensless glasses just bug the crap out of me so much, especially because she wears them at times that would be appropriate for regular glasses - rather than as an (albeit dopey) fashion statmement - like when she is teaching or sitting in front of the computer. THEY. HAVE. NO. GLASS. IN. THEM. THEY. ARE. NOT. GLASSES. 
• Yay forever that Mad Men is back. Aaaaaah, like slipping on an old, slightly confusing pair of slippers. And also Game of Thrones, which I don't love as much, but I do still enjoy. I always listen to the Bald Move podcasts after in the hopes that they and/or their listeners who write in with feedback can shed more light on the bits that baffled me. If you're a fan of either of these shows, I highly recommend these podcasts - Mad Men Happy Hour and The Night's Watch.  They also do casts for The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad when they're on.

5. Speaking of TV, I finally managed to get someone else to watch Bob's Burgers, and now Jacquie and I spend probably way too much time throughout the day sending each other gifs or quoting lines. "Ginger's cat died... but in a really funny way!"

6. I went shopping with Noodles the other day - for the first time in ages she actually wanted to go out in public with her mum. She dragged me through all these groovy (do the kids still say groovy?) shops I would never set foot in otherwise - and man, did I feel old or what - and I was surprised and pleased to see that 90s fashion seems to have made a reappearance. I love 90s clothes - not mum jeans or spaghetti strap dresses with t-shirts, but the black tights, chunky black lace up shoes, plaid, band t-shirts, houndstooth skirts, hand dyed petticoats worn as dresses, etc. I wish I could get away with wearing all that again - I'd be all over it. And I hope this means the 80s is finally going away because that shit is ANNOYING.  I have a wee mohair cardigan that I have kept for about 20 years and since they're sort of part of the fashion now I gave it to Noodles. It's about 4 sizes too small for me these days - that dream has well and truly died. It might as well go to someone who can do the buttons up.

7. Noodles is away for school holidays at the moment with her dad, so I think I'm going to spend the weekend reading books and magazines. I have a bunch of Rolling Stones I have yet to get through and I was reading an article in one yesterday and remembering how damn good their journalism often is. It makes a nice change from all the opinionated, dumbed-down, journalistic shit that passes for journalism these days, at least in this country.

Enchanticals Perfume

Enchanticals is yet another perfumery that I happened across while scouring Etsy looking for things to spend money on (justifying it with, “Well, I have to have 365 perfumes to review for my project blog now”, of course). This shop sells ‘Victorian Gothic Perfume and Bath & Body Luxuries’.

Samples of perfume oil are available in various sets and collections. I chose a custom set of 6 and ordered Alize, White Rabbit, The Fat Lady, Embracer la Mort, The Snake Charmer and Levesque Burlesque. The shop owner, Monica, emailed me not long after my order and asked me to choose two free samples in addition, so I requested Mermaid Cove and Butterfly Wings. As I said in some blog post recently, I have been deliberately buying at least a couple of scents each time that are outside my normal range, because I want to mix up my reviews a bit. Besides, you never know when you might happen across something you love but would never have looked at otherwise, am I right? 

The sample set I bought was $13US plus $7US for shipping – international shipping from the US has just gone up dramatically, as I complained about in my last post, so Monica has currently suspended it while she finds out what the new charge will be. Generally speaking though, she does ship internationally (obviously, since she shipped to me). And speaking of shipping – it was really fast. The last few months things have been taking 3-4 weeks to get to me from the US, often even longer. I think a lot of stuff is being held up in customs these days while they faff about deciding whether they are going to open them and look at them or not. I ordered on 15 January and received it on 25 January.

Although my order was packed in a little box with packing peanuts, one of the vials was smashed and the perfume had leaked all over the others. I washed them off as best as I could (hence the tattered labels in the picture above), and contacted Monica to let her know. She got back to me within a few hours and was most apologetic; we sorted it all out very quickly, so two thumbs up for stellar customer service from this store. The one that broke was Alize – of course it had to be the chocolate one!

Now to the perfumes – I’m just going to be brief because I’ll eventually review all of these on 365 Days of Smells. There were a couple that I disliked, but these were the ‘outside my comfort zone’ ones, so it’s not that they were crappy perfumes, it’s just that they were the kind of fragrances I don’t happen to enjoy. The quality overall is really good.

Levesque Burlesque

Right off the bat this was one of the ones I really didn’t like. It’s fruity (peach), but on me it smelled like apple-scented disinfectant. On Noodles it smelled like The Body Shop Fuzzy Peach – I still didn’t like it, but it was nowhere near as bad on her, so take my experience with a grain of salt.

The Fat Lady

This was my favourite (reviewed here) – a sweet, biscuity scent that reminded me a bit of BPAL’s Eat Me (without the dusty part). It had a delicious smelling note of slightly lemony confectioner’s custard that really made me crave a vanilla slice.

Embracer la Mort

Violets. As in the shop description, there’s a note of green there (though in my experience, that often comes out with violet scents), but I didn’t get the berries. I liked it, but violet isn’t a floral I find very wearable all that often, so it’s not one I’d buy in a full size.

White Rabbit

This was the most ‘perfumey’ of the ones I tried. I couldn’t pick out any distinct notes, it was all just blended together. This one was the strongest and had the highest sillage.

The Snake Charmer

In the vial it’s marzipan (the amaretto note), which thankfully recedes a bit when applied and the berries come out. Despite my dislike of fruit, sometimes berries can work okay on me, and this was one of those. I quite liked it.

Mermaid Cove

This smells like a slightly watery white floral – there’s maybe gardenia in it (nope, it's frangipani)? Now you know I love my white florals, and you may or may not know I generally dislike watery florals, but I rather liked this one. It wasn’t TOO watery – it just added a hint of a background aquatic note, so it smelled like a garden after a really heavy rain rather than smelling like watered-down perfume, which I find with a lot of those kinds of scents. I’m not sure I’d buy a full bottle as I have quite a lot of white florals, but I’m definitely considering it.

Butterfly Wings

Another fruity concoction. I am 30 years too old for this. Noodles liked it though.

One thing I really like about Enchanticals is that not only can you get samples of all the perfume, you can also get a sort of in between size so if, like me, you want a full size bottle but you already have eleventy million perfumes and you’re never going to get through any of them, you can get these in a one dram size (slightly under 4ml) for around $10US - $14US each. There are also larger size 1/3 fluid ounce (about 10 ml) bottles that vary in price, depending on the perfume.

For the quality, the large range, speed of shipping and the really great customer service, I’d highly recommend checking out this store. You can do so on Etsy or there is also a website.

Update: International shipping is back!

A Bit of Etsy Wandering

Lately Noodles has been wanting to get body lotions and scrubs and whatnot because Dolly magazine told her she should or something, so I thought it was a good opportunity to trawl around Etsy.

Sugar scrub cubes from Sugar & Spice Soaps. I haven't tried these yet so I don't know what they're like, but they smell pretty nice. Chocolate Fudge is very chocolatey (though there's a faint plastic scent and I don't know if that's the scrub itself or the plastic container), and Ocean Breeze is a light floral. I don't know that I'd buy scrubs from Etsy again - I generally like them a lot better than the shop ones, but the shipping is killer because of their weight. Although, these two with shipping cost me about $30 all up, and I probably couldn't get anything comparable for that price in a shop, so who knows... ME FAIL AT MATHS.

Samples and minis of Embalming Cream from Poison Apple Apothecary. I've bought perfume oil from this seller before, and they've been gorgeous. Again, I only bought minis and samples to try at first because of high shipping due to weight, but I'm seriously tempted to lash out on some full sizes. The scents are lovely, and the product itself is not at all greasy or heavy.

iPhone cases from iCase Sera Sera. I have been wanting a groovin' iPhone case for a while, and most of the ones in the shops are craptacular and overpriced. The UK passport one is Noodles', and the olde worlde phone one is mine. I love them, except that they are an absolute bastard to remove, so you wouldn't want to be chopping and changing cases all the time.

Crush Cosmetics Sale Haul

I don't normally pay much attention to Crush Cosmetics, because most of the time the stuff I would want from there I can get cheaper from Nonpareil or Cherry Culture, even when shipping is taken into account. The only advantage to buying from Crush is that you get the package within a couple of days, and since I'm used to buying online from overseas, the waiting part doesn't faze me. I'm on their mailing list but I usually bin their emails without even looking at them.

However, recently they had a sale with 20% off everything, and sent out an email saying, "Only a few hours to go! Hurry up, everyone!" and for some reason, I clicked those links at 10pm at night and there I was. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that they now carry Beauty UK products, I probably wouldn't have bothered with anything else. But I am a GRADE A SUCKER for UK drugstore brands so I was reeled in. And of course, once I'd bought a couple of products from that brand I had to throw in a few other things to make the shipping worthwhile, and then I hit a certain level where I qualified for free shipping, so hey - in that case why not grab a couple more things? Yeah, you all know the online shopping freefall.

I took these pictures close to dusk so the colour definition isn't great, but I was itching to get the photos done so I could start sticking my fingers in things.

Brush Guards: A whim, one of the things I added once I hit free shipping. I have some fluffy eye and face brushes that have gotten a bit splayed (bloody Sigma) so I'm curious to see if these help get them back into shape.

ELF Eyelash Curler: I had been wanting a Tweezerman curler for years and I finally lashed out (ha, see what I did there!) and got some at Christmas after my old drugstore ones had kicked the bucket and I HATE them. I don't know if one of my eyes is a weird shape or what but they pinch the lid of my left eye, and if I position them so they don't, only half my lashes get curled. Total bummer. So many people rave about the ELF ones (and emilynoel83 is always singing their praises), so I figured for a few dollars it couldn't hurt to give them a go.

Sleek Pout Paint in Milkshake: One of those things I was vaguely curious to try one of these days and a sale seemed as good a time as any. The colour selection didn't look all that great on the website - after Googling for swatches this was the only one I liked out of the shades available. It's quite bright but I think I can make it work. It's a stayer - Noodles was complaining several days and at least two showers later that the stain was still on her hand.

ELF Cream Eyeshadow in Eggplant: I don't know a lot about these and I'm not sure whether they're not widely talked about because they're crappy or because not that many people know about them. I wanted Bronzed but it was sold out so I went for a purply one. It's a pretty colour - I will swatch it over the weekend some time.

Beauty UK Baked Blushers in Peaches and Cream and Wild Berry: I know nothing about these. As I said above, I'm just all over any chance to try UK drugstore brands so here they are! The packaging is flimsy and cheap and a bit rubbish, but the colours are pretty so I'm looking forward to trying them out.

Beauty UK Eyeshadow Palette in Earth Child: Again, know nothing about these. I've swatched a couple of shades and the pigmentation is good. It looks a lot like the 88 palettes so I'm assuming it comes from the same mysterious Chinese factory that they come out of. I soooo don't need another neutral palette (or, let's face it - any palette ever again), but I can't resist one that has greens in it.

Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells: I owned this for a while after buying it on Nonpareil, but it sat unopened in my drawer so I ended up getting rid of it in a blog sale. I always half regretted it though, especially after I saw emilynoel83's MAC dupe video where she compared this to some MAC shadows whose names escape me at this moment. So I bought it again. And this time I opened it (yet to use it, though).

They also sent a free Wet'n'Wild lipstick, but I'm not keen on that particular WnW lipstick and it's a yukky brown colour so I'll probably just bin it.

If you want reviews or swatches of any of this gear let me know - happy to oblige!

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.

Baby Haul (not paid for by me, doesn't count)

You know what's more fun than spending money? Spending other people's money! Noodle Arms is interstate for Christmas with her dad and his family, and she said she hadn't gotten me a Christmas present yet as she was going shopping with her Grandma some time this week. I told her I was going to Priceline this morning and if she liked, whatever I bought could be her present for me. Since she hates shopping unless it's to buy things for herself (when she was young I learned that to get her to come along willingly I had to buy her something, but if I was smart I'd do it right at the end, because as soon as she'd gotten whatever her thing was she was over it and wanted to go home), she was happy to go along with that.

Everything shuts down in Adelaide over Christmas. EVERYTHING. Even the pubs near us were not open on Christmas Day, which is ridonk, because in the real world (ie: not Adelaide) loads of people go out for lunch on Christmas Day rather than mess about cooking it themselves. Amazingly, even though it is a public holiday, many of the shops are actually open today, so I thought I'd trek in to Priceline and have a look at their sale. I expected the mall to be bedlam, so I figured I'd just get in as early as possible, fight my way through the teenage girls pawing everything in sight in Priceline (and opening things - who raised you, you feral trolls???). Weirdly, there was hardly anyone around. The first Priceline I passed in a side street just off the mall wasn't open (of course), so I braced myself for the sardine can experience of Boxing Day (well, the day after Boxing Day) shopping and ventured into the other Priceline smack in the centre of the city. And it was DEAD. There were more staff walking around than customers.

Priceline had a '3 for $30' Maybelline sale going on, which probably sounds bizarre to you North Americans, but believe me, that's a bargain here. Those foundations are usually somewhere between $20-$25AUD each, and that mascara is around $18 or so. I ummed and ahhed for a while - I rarely bother with Maybelline (or any of the common drugstore lines available here) because it's so insultingly overpriced, but there were actually a few things I wanted to try - the Super Stay foundation and concealer, the Age Rewind highlighter and concealer thingie, the Define-a-Brow pencils, etc. In the end I decided to be practical - I don't need concealer and I don't need brow products - I have tons of both. What I do want is a more pocket-friendly foundation than my HG Chanel Mat Lumiere. I'm one of those people who firmly believes that you get what you pay for with foundation, but the drugstore brands have been making great strides in that area of late, so I want to give them another try (mind you, if I do find one I like I'll be seeking out a cheaper source than Australian retail). I actually have another bottle of Fit Me that someone gave me because it was a freebie that was too dark, but it's too dark for me too. I like the finish though, so I bought a lighter one to mix with it. I'm not generally a fan of Maybelline mascaras (too clumpy), but everyone raves about The Falsies, so I thought I'd give it a go.

When I came out of Priceline it was about 9:30 or so, and aside from a line of young Asian people outside the Swarovski store (is that a thing with Asian people?), everything was still looking pretty quiet. Noodles told me that when she and her dad went shopping yesterday in a Melbourne shopping centre, they had to park 15 minutes walk away and it was jam-packed inside. And here's Rundle Mall...

Adelaide, you're doing it wrong.