Sunday Manicure

My boyfriend and I painted a wall in our apartment today and after having a brush in my hand all morning I thought I'd continue in the afternoon and paint my nails!

I've been really in the the 'ring finger manicure' lately and so today decided to paint my nails in colours that remind me of the Barbie dolls I used to play with when I was a kid...

Please excuse the nail polish that's
spilled out onto my fingers, I'm waiting
for it to dry before I clean off the excess...

For the ring finger I used NYX Girls 'Heather' and for the rest of my fingers I used NYX Girls 'Cranberry Red'.

Lust Have It - November

After what seemed like ages Lady Cavanagh's first Lust Have It sample box arrived!  As mentioned in a previous post Lady Cavanagh has signed up for two of the three main sample boxes currently operating in Australia and this was the first to arrive.

The box was a little smaller than Lady Cavanagh had expected but she needn't have worried as it was choc-full of goodies.  When you first open the box there's a card telling you about each of the products you'll be sampling this month but like others on the net I decided not to read it before I'd had a chance to explore the box.

Here's what's in this month's box as well as Lady Cavanagh's review of each one

 
RoC 'Complete Lift NEW Technology Daily Moisturiser' - 3 x 5ml

•  Creamy moisturiser that has a pleasant, non-overpowering scent that reminds me of getting a facial. 
•  As it has no SPF, Lady Cavanagh thought she'd try it out as a night moisturiser first off.  It applied very well and sunk easily into the skin. The next morning skin felt light and soft

Nude by Nature lip liner in 'Chique' - Full size

•  A little hard to apply - probably best used if you heat it up before use (with a lighter or similar) so it applies more smoothly
•  Looks ok on but definitely needs lipstick/coloured gloss if you're fair or you're left with a 'Late 90s' look that's not really in right now...

Lancôme 'Trésor Midnight Rose' perfume - 2 x 1.5ml

•  At first the this smell is quite sweet, like marshmallows, but after it has been on the skin for a while it developed a musky more 'sensual' feel (must be the 'mischievous femininity' they talk about on the card...)
• The scent is probably best for evening use as it didn't come off quite as 'upbeat and joyful' as the card describes.  The rest of the description (albeit carefully chosen advertising) are actually evocative of the scent.  This was kind of surprising as I'd always thought Lancôme made scents that were for older women but Lady Cavanagh thinks this one would be suitable from mid 20s- up.

Hawley International 'Miracle Shine 2 Step Miracle Nail Shiner - full size

Kérastase 'Nectar Thermique' - 5 x 10ml

•  I've never tried Kérastase before, having always been put off by the price. The brand was high on the 'must try' list though as it's a known favourite of Kate Middleton who always seems to have fabulous hair.
• The scent is quite nice and definitely has that 'salon feel' which is nice in a product you're using at home
• The instructions said to use a hazel nut sized amount but as it's a sample sachet I just used the whole thing.  It's designed for use on heat styled hair so rather than going to bed with wet hair as per usual I decided to blow dry it to see if the claims of 'creating ultimate softness' were true.
•  Results: gorgeous! My hair is pretty frazzled at the ends at the moment and this stuff smoothed it right out.  When I'm blow drying my hair I use a serum when I'm finished to give the hair some moisture as well as tame any fly-always; not required with Kérastrase Nectar, my hair really was left feeling silky smooth - and smelling like I'd just come from the salon - awesome!

Overall:
It was great to try out products that I normally wouldn't either because of the price point or because I didn't think they were really 'me'.  Of this month's samples, the two I'd most likely buy in full size would be the Kéerastase Necatr and the RoC moisturiser as they felt like something new that really suited me.

I'm sure I'm not alone in saying this but I already can't wait for next month's!

TBK Trading 'Absolutely Everything' kit

Lady Cavanagh was super excited today with the arrival of a purchase she has been mulling over for almost a year: The TKB Trading 'Absolutely Everything Kit for Making Colour Cosmetics'.

Before delving into the world of micas and pigments let me explain a little - TKB Trading is an American company that specialises in selling ingredients for 'make-it- yourself' makeup.  They have absolutely everything there for making your own cosmetics and they cater for individuals just dabbling right up to companies that buy in bulk and then sell the finished product under their own brand.

Being that it's an American company and shipping is quite pricey Lady Cavanagh decided to dive right in an get the 'Absolutely Everything' kit so if i I really love mixing my own makeup then I won't need to pay for shipping to get more supplies!  The kit includes everything you need for making blushes/bronzers/foundations and also comes with the book 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Natural Beauty Products'.  The great part is that the authors of the book get all their supplies from TKB so when writing up their recipes they refer to the TKB products by name.  Even better is that TKB responded by creating the 'Absolutely Everything' kit based on the book so the kit comes with all the ingredients and tools you need to make the recipes in chapters 8 (Making Mineral Makeup) and 9 (Blushes and Bronzers) - nice!  The book has instructions on virtually any cosmetics product you can think of as well as a whole chapter entitled 'For the eyes' which also uses products from TKB in the recipes.

So...what does the kit have in it? For a full listing head to the TKB website but in a nutshell it includes micas, pigments, powders to mix bases, dyes, jars, mixing/storage bags and tools. Micas and pigments are what (often) give mineral eyeshadows, blushes etc their colour.  As Lady Cavanagh is also interested in creating her own eyeshadows she ordered a sample pack of micas.  You can buy them individually or in differently sizes packs; Lady Cavanagh opted for 50.

How much was the kit? With the book it's US$155 ($149 without) and the 50 sample micas were US$62.50 ($1.30 each; they're $1.50 each if you buy them individually).  Shipping in the US is free if you spend over $100 but for international shoppers you have to place and order and then request a shipping quote.  The staff at TKB were very helpful and prompt and give you a few shipping options (with/without insurance etc) so you can work out what will work best for your budget.

Based on appearances alone Lady Cavanagh is very impressed so far.  When I've started making a few products I'll write more about how easy/hard it was and how to create them.

The door to a world of customised mineral cosmetics has just been opened and Lady Cavanagh's eyes are gleaming at the prospect...!

Milani Baked Blushes

Lady Cavanagh was after these blushes for quite a while so when they arrived anticipation was high.  Would they live up to the hype? Were they as pigmented a people claimed? How did they compare to Nars blushes?

Before talking about the product itself Lady Cavanagh must mention packaging which is in a word: awful. The plastic gold lid looks gaudy and retains smudgy fingerprints easily.  Below the blush itself is a superfluous brush that would've been good to apply blush with in the 80s (before blending was seemingly invented).  Because of the brush compartment below, the blush pan sits awkardly on top and is prone to flapping up and down. Overall it just feels cheap and wouldn't travel very well in a handbag.

That, thankfully is the main neagtive and the rest is champagne! The blushes are indeed very pigmented and finely milled so they blend out beautifully and a little certainly goes a  long way.  All of the shades Lady Cavanagh has tried are quite shimmery but these not need be avoided if you're not a huge shimmer fan as its quite easy to blend out, leaving you with a gorgeous 'flushed' look.

Lady Cavanagh has purchased 6 of the 9 available shades.

Luminoso, Dolce Pink, Fantastico Mauve (with flash)

Corallina, Rose D'oro, Red Vino

The swatches above were taken it natural light and unfortunately both pictures look a bit similar.  The look quite different of your cheeks though!

The other shades available are Berry Amore, Terra Sole and Bellisimo Bronze; the last 2 of which are more matte and shimmery bronzers, respectively.

Of these shades the most universal is 'Luminoso' which brightens the complexion of both pale and more olive/darker toned skin perfectly.  Its also a great one to use if you want a casual 'not too made up look' but can't bring yourself to leave the house without any makeup on!

'Fantastico Mauve' needs be applied sparingly if you're fair-skinned and Lady Cavanagh would recommend you practice applying this one with plenty of time to blend out any over-application.  This is not the shade you want to be hurriedly trying to wipe off your face as you're running late for the tram on the way to work (trust me, I know...!)

'Dolce Pink' is great for that 'fresh spring' look and has a great ability to make you feel pretty if you're having a bit of a dull day.

In terms of price, these blushes are a great deal. Cherry Culture has them for US$6.99 each and they really are the kind of product that will last for ages as you don't need to use much to create a great look.

The Milani blushes rate pretty well in terms of comparison to Nars.  The main difference is that Nars blushes seem to 'stick to the brush' more than the Milani blushes do, meaning that you're less likely to have product fallout in the pan.  For a lot of people Nars blushes represent the 'Holy Grail' of blushes but for the price and versatility Milani is a strong contender and definitely one of the best 'drugstore' brands available.

Overall Lady Cavanagh is highly impressed and for the price would recommend purchasing as many as your make-up drawer can handle!

Australian Birchbox is finally here!

Lady Cavanagh tonight decided to wipe the cobwebs off the keyboard and return to the blog.

Its been over 2 months since the voice of Lady Cavanagh called out into cyberspace, which is as much to do with laziness that cold weather brings about as it is to do with some other non-beauty related issues getting in the way.  That said, the return to the blog has finally come about so let's get into it!

The most exciting piece of beauty news this past week has been the discovery of the Australian version of the Birchbox.  And not only that but there are three companies offering a similar service with the promise of more to come!  For those of you not familiar with the Birchbox the concept is fairly simple - subscribers pay a monthly fee in return for a box of (typically high end) beauty samples; allowing you to try out different types of products as well as allowing the brands to be exposed to a wide range of people.  You can go online and complete surveys about the products you've tried in that month in return for 'loyalty points' which you can put towards purchasing full sized version of the products you've been trying.

Lady Cavangh often bemoaned the fact that Birchbox and similar services were only available in the States or Europe but now the concept has finally come to Oz!

The three main subscriber services that have started up so far are:

So far Lady Cavanagh has signed up to Bellabox and Lust have it as they seem to have the best brands.

Here's a quick rundown of the brands each has signed up so far:

* Bellabox - obsessive compulsive cosmetics, panda pen, a'kin, givenchy, napoleon perdis

* Lust have it - opi, kérastase, lancôme, burt's bees, lush, dermalogica

* Glossybox - australis, calvin klein, bobbi brown, illamasqua, essie

The boxes are $14.95 or $15/month which includes postage.  They also recommend you get it delivered to your work address if possible as someone needs to sign for it - plus you don't want the agony of arriving home only to discover a card from the post office for a parcel you can't collect cos you're at work all day!

The boxes in Australia have only been going since August of this year but already Lady Cavanagh has seen ladies all over the internet salivating at the prospect of their next delivery.  The next Bellabox is due to ship around November 10th and Lust have it around the middle of the month - Lady Cavanagh can't wait!

Stay tuned for a review of the boxes contents when the finally arrive (this is of course if my boyfriend hasn't killed me first to stop my incessant whining "where's my bellabox?!")