New blog space!

After years of procrastination I've finally created a proper space for writing my blog and today - with the help of my wonderful fiancee - it all came together!

'New year, new me' and all that stuff...Well part of the plan in 2016 is to get back into blogging and reviewing all the makeup I keep buying!

Everything is from Ikea.  I'm hoping to have some proper storage for my nail polishes in the coming weeks.

I did a 'nail polish overhaul' too - chucked out a few cheap and nasty bottles that I'm never going to wear and gave everything a good clean and shake.  Certainly makes me realise how I keep buying some of the same colours over and over!  I can't even remember the last time I painted my nails in a berry tone yet from the number of polishes I have you'd think it was weekly...

Super excited to get back into my nail art - it's been such a long time and I'm finally back!

Priceline Cosmetics Goody Bag

Have been putting off writing a post for a little while...didn't realise it had been over 18 months...oops!

Fear not, Lady Cavanagh has not returned and with the freezing weather that is now upon me I shall be blogging to take my mind off the cold!

So...to this week's post: Priceline have another 'Goody Bag' promotion running at the moment; if you spend $60 or more in one transaction across several specific brands you get their 'Cosmetics Goody Bag' which has an apparent value of AUD$220. I don't know that I'd go that far but a free bag of stuff is something I can seldom resist!

What comes in it? 

FACE
Nude By Nature - Soft Focus Illuminator: 50ml
Maybelline Dream Fresh BB - Medium Deep: 3.ml
Maybelline Dream Pure 8-in-1 BB Cream - Medium-Light: 4 x 1ml sachets
Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Warm Honey: 30ml
Physicans Formula Concealer Twins - Yellow/Light


Thoughts: I probably won't get any use out of the BB cream and the foundation as both are too dark for my pasty skin.  I checked a few of the sample bags to see if there were different shades but they seemed to be the same across them. I *might* be able to get away with the foundation if I'd had a spray tan but other than that it looks like I'm trying to dress up as J.Lo - no thanks. Not sure if the 'yellow' in the concealer refers to yellow skin tones, if it does I probably won't get much use out of this either as I'm very pink-based.






EYES
Revlon Beyond Nautral Eyelashes  - Sweetie Doll
Glameyes Manicare Strip Lashes - Scarlette Lashes

MP Kohl Pencil - Matte Black
Savvy Liquid Eyeliner - Black

Thoughts:
I've never been able to get false lashes to work on me and will probably end up giving these away. The eyeliner and pencil will be good to have as backups.


 LIPS
Revlon Lipbutter - Sorbet (053)
MP Moisture Lust Glossy Lip Tint - Candy Licious (1013)

Thoughts: I have quite a few of the lip butters and I've not purchased this one for a reason! You can't really tell from this photo but its a very garish pink that actually wares off very easily so you're left looking a bit like a nanna after a cuppa. Could maybe pull it off if going out clubbing which alas I never do.  Back of the cupboard with that one. The lip pencil I like a bit more and it has better staying power too.



NAILS
Sally Hansen Complete Manicure - Bittersweet (635)
Fingrs Edge Heavy Metal Nail Art

Sally Hansen 3D Nail Wraps

Manicure Moisturising Nail Polish Remover Pads

Thoughts: The nail polish is in a dark chocolate colour and will look good for manis over the coming winter months.  The nail polish remover pads though are foul! It says 'floral scented' (read: insect repellent scented) and felt generally greasy. Definitely wouldn't repurchase and will probably only keep for polish removing emergencies.  I haven't had any experience with polish wraps or the Fingrs product which looks kinda like studs. Seems a little impractical but will give it a go.

OVERALL
Reading back through my initial impressions I feel I've been quite negative about the whole thing! What it really comes down to is colours included that aren't quite what I'd have chosen for myself; but that's the nature of these bags isn't it! The stand out items are the Sally Hansen nail polish and the lip pencil.  I'm looking forward to giving the other items a go and I did enjoy scouting around the store to work out what to spend my $60 on in order to qualify (those items to follow in another post).


Aaah that feels better...my blog is back.

Sunday Manicure

My family and friends will no doubt be pleased with the return of this blog-series as it means the end of "Look at my nails! Do you like it? Really? You're not looking properly!" whenever I redo my fingernails each week...

A couple of weeks ago I finally invested in some nail-art tools as this was their first test run. I bought a 5 piece tool kit for dotting etc on ebay and with shipping it only cost about AU$1!

Today's manicure was created with OPI's 'Dating a Royal' as the base and China Glaze's 'Pink Plumeria' for the dots and accent nail.  The dots didn't turn out quite as brightly as I would have liked but I'm pleased with the first results with the nail art tools.

One of my new year's resolutions was to get better at doing my nails and while I know I'm way off salon quality I feel like I'm beginning to get there.  And with summer fast approaching I'm really looking forward to experimenting with some bright colours and crazy designs.

China Glaze Haul

It's been a long time in between posts for Lady Cavanagh.  I'm not sure of the reason exactly - but the break has done me good as I have renewed enthusiasm for sharing all of my beauty finds!

And what better way to kick things off again than with a haul?!

I went back to my favourite nail polish website nail etc and went to town - pretty soon 5 polishes had turned into 10 and then I was checking shipping costs and decided the most economical thing to do would be to order 20 bottles...

To people that don't wear polish or those that think a $2 bottle from the supermarket is 'just the same' this haul will make no sense.  To people that are into polish this will make perfect sense; a nail polish collection is not just about having great colours but its about having depth in your range so you can have plenty of options when choosing a polish for a special occasion or just because you want to feel special.

The 20 bottles I purchased were across a few collections but for this post I've decided to group them according to colours.

Here we go...

The Purples:
Grape Juice

L-R: Sweet Hook, Gothic Lolita, Grape Juice

Gothic Lolita Looks a lot more plum-coloured in the photo of the bottle but is really more like the swatch.  Not as interesting as I was hoping but would be a good staple colour to have in a collection.
Sweet Hook: Soft lavender cream; perfect shade for springtime.

Cherry Pie &
Raspberry Festival

The Red/Oranges:
Orange Marmalade
Cherry Pie
Raspberry Festival 



The Pinks:

Pink Plumeria 
Strawberry Fields 
Beach Cruise-r 

L-R: Four Leaf Clover, Shower Together,
Aquadelic, For Audrey, Watermelon Rind

The Greens:
Watermelon Rind 
Four Leaf Clover
Shower Together: Gorgeous teal blue-green.  This was the colour I applied first and the reason for the haul in the first place, I've been after this polish for ages   Its opaque in 1 coat but looks better after 2.  A definite favourite already.
Aquadelic and For Audrey: As can be seen from the picture, these two are very similar and you'd probably only need to buy one of them.  Aquadelic is slightly brighter.


The Blues:
Splish Splash and Blue Sparrow: These colours are quite similar but Blue Sparrow has a blue micro glitter running through it and Splish Splash is more of a neon.

Other:
Champagne Bubbles: Rich gold with gold and silver glitter through it
Tinsel Town
Techno: Hexagonal shaped silver glitter with silver micro-glitter throughout   This looks great as a top coat, especially on an accent nail.

And to round things out I picked up my first bottle of Seche Vite.  I'm hoping this signals the end to manicures that look lovely when you go to bed (thinking they're dry) only to awake in the morning with smudgy polish and needs to be reapplied.  I used it when applying 'shower together  and already feel like it's changed my nail polish life! Gone are the fingerprints that always seem to appear across your almost dried nails.  Makes me feel like I've had a salon manicure when its just me at home.

I've kept my nails polish-free all week in anticipation of these polish's arrival, not easy for a polish-fiend like Lady Cavanagh

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

NYX jumbo eye pencils are a cult budget beauty buy, available mainly online and from some drugstrores in the US.  The main problem with these pencils is that if they work for you you'll want to buy more...and more..until you end up like Lady Cavanagh and you own 14 of them...

That said, owning 14 (or even all 28 of the shades they come in) is not a problem as the pencils are very reasonably priced - ranging from US$2.99 from Cherry Culture to AUD$6.25 from Crush Cosmetics (www.crushcosmetics.com)

What really needs to be started right up front is that these pencils are not eyeshadow primers so if applied alone they will crease.  The best way to use them is to apply a good primer (Urban Decay's Primer Potion or NYX's HD eyeshadow base work well).  Let the primer dry and then dive in with the pencils.

What Lady Cavanagh loves about these is the endless colour possibilities that come from them.  'Iced mocha' is perfect for the office, whereas 'Purple' is great for a night out.  Gold can be used on its own for a striking look or added to the lower lash line to make eyes sparkle on a dull winter's day.

Lady Cavanagh finds that while they certainly can be worn alone they really come into their own when used as an eyeshadow base with a power shadow over the top.  This means that if there is any creasing by the end of the day it is not as noticeable.

They apply like a dream and work perfectly even when hurriedly applied in a cold bathroom before work.  When on the skin they don't set rapidly meaning that you can take your time to blend them with other shadow colours.

These are also a great product if you're new to makeup and want to try something new without busting your budget.

Swatches (natural light, no flash.  From left to right)

Milk, Yoghurt, Lavender,
Oyster, Strawberry Milk

Bronze, Pure Gold,
French Fries, Iced Mocha

Overall I can't really recommend these highly enough!

Another Mini OPI Haul

At $19.95 a bottle it can be hard to enjoy shopping for OPI at stores in Australia.  Thankfully there's a concession stand at my local shopping centre that sells them for $9.95 which allows me to stock up without feeling too guilty!

Lady Cavanagh's latest aquisitions are....
'I Have a Herring Problem', 'A Roll in the Hague' and 'Dutch Tulips' - the first 2 are from OPI's recent Dutch Collection and the other coincidentally has a Netherlands-inspired name!


'I Have a Herring Problem' a blue-green-grey colour that reminds me of the sea on a stormy day.  Its definitely a winder colour as i think it would look too dull during the summer months.  It has a silver-glitter though it which adds a nice shine to a otherwise matte shade.


'A Roll in the Hague' is a very bright matte orange.  I've only tried it on my fingers and already I think it's more of a pedicure colour! Maybe its because my skin is so pale at this time of year but it's just not sitting the way I'd like it too - it feels like it clashes with everything and doesn't 'pop' in a good way.  I think I'll try it again in summer or as part of an accented nail manicure.


'Dutch Tulips' is a lot like 'OPI Red' but just leans towards the pink side more.  Its opaque after one coat is is one of those colours I can see myself reaching for regularly when I want a bright colour that goes with a lot of different outfits.

Revlon Lip Butter Review

Revlon's lip butters are finally available in Australia! These have been getting pretty good reviews from American and UK bloggers for the last few months and now Aussies can finally try them for themselves.

There are 21 shades available and Lady Cavanagh has started her collection with 6 of them: Sugar Frosting, Pink Truffle, Berry Smoothie, Raspberry Pie, Lollipop and Cupcake.

A little bit about the product first; I'd describe them as smooth like a lip balm but with the colour burst of lipstick.  I'm not overly into lipstick as I find reapplying colour throughout the working day to be a bit of a drag.  The lighter colours (such as cupcake and sugar frosting) work better when I'm at work as when the product starts to wear off its not as noticeable.  I also don't feel like I'm walking into the office and making some bit statement by having bold raspberry lips.  That said, the darker, more pigmented shades are perfect for nights out when you're looking to glamorize an an otherwise black outfit.

Below are some swatches of the colours I have so far:

Lollipop, Cupcake, Sugar Frosting

Pink Truffle, Berry Smoothie, Raspberry Pie

The product is described as 'buttery like a lip balm' but these feel more like a lipstick to me.  That said, they feel very moist on the lips and you don't get that dried out feeling on your lips that some lipsticks (especially the long wearing ones) can give.  I would definitely recommend making sure your lips are exfoliated and not cracked before using these; especially the lighter shades.  Because of the lipstick element to them they can accentuate any dryness in your lips and not draw attention for the right reasons!

A clear top lets you
view the product;
helpful in store when the
testers have gone AWOL!

The packing aging is sleek and feminine and the different colour tubes make it easy to spot which one you want when they're all in the drawer without having to pick up each one and read the label on the bottom.

Easy to use and available in a wide variety of colours the only real downside is their price in Australia.  Target and Priceline have them for AU$21.95 and considering you can get them for about US$9 in the States it does seem a tad unfair!  For someone like me thought who isn't a huge fan of lipstick I think these are great.