Can you spare 15 minutes?

Hello.

Hello.

This is me approximately 15 minutes before heading over to the new Chanel Beauty Boutique, (which just so happens to be conveniently located in my backyard -- I smell trouble) for a flash 15 minute makeover.

As you can see, I'm not wearing a heck of a lot in the photo above.

Hi again.

Hi again.

The key players

The key players

The products..

  • Les Beiges in Shade 20 to freshen up and minimise shine
  • Les Beiges in Shade 30 to contour
  • Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Malice (watermelon red)
  • Les 4 Ombres Quadre Eyeshadow in Eclosion - three of the four shades were used as follows:
    • Garnet Purple was applied all over my eye lid and blended out just above my crease to create a purple smoky eye
    • Champagne Shimmer was used to highlight my brow bone
    • Pearlescent Melon was used to break up the Garnet Purple at the inner corners
  • Stylo Yeux Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Grenat (a heavy leaning purple merlot) to line along the lower and upper lash line
  • Inimitable Waterproof Volume Mascara in Noir
  • Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshine in Satisfaction (nude-ish brown-y pink)

The experience was nice enough, granted it was on the Saturday before Mother's Day -- it was clear selling perfume was their focus. As soon as my 15 minutes were up I was asked what I liked, which I fully expected. When I finally blurted out I was waiting for the Summer 2014 release (btw, it hit shelves earlier this week in Australia) the makeup artist abandoned me. At least she did me a solid by painting my whole face.

The two standouts for me were the Les Beiges Powders and the brushes, especially Powder Brush No. 1 (far right).

This was a free service Chanel offers in all of their boutiques. If you're not after a flash 15 minute makeover you could indulge yourself by opting for a mini facial, a luxury hand treatment, an express hand massage and nail polish or even a fragrance journey.

And if you do visit the Chanel Boutique in Melbourne's Emporium, be sure to ask for Melissa -- she's my favourite.

Recycled beauty: Tom Ford's Lip Color in Aphrodisiac

Tom Ford's Aphrodisiac

Tom Ford's Aphrodisiac

Released many moons ago as part of the Jardin Noir collection, Tom Ford's unrelenting tomfoolery yielded one of my all-time favourite makeup releases

I wouldn't shell out $65.00 on any old tube of lipstick.

Yet, for as much as I was smitten, I stowed Aphrodisiac away for a long, long while -- I don't know if this has ever happened to you. But let me tell you, stumbling upon it was like finding a Golden Ticket.

Aphrodisiac (limited edition) isn't for everyone. It's bright or at least that's what my boss thinks, told me so himself. I would describe Aphrodisiac as a bright magenta, with varying undertones of blue and red, it all depends on the lighting. Honestly, I don't think I fully and accurately captured Aphrodisiac's intensity.

For the price alone, you're probably wondering what makes this particular shade so great. Well, up until now it's unlike anything I've ever seen in tube form. The finish is creamy and lustrous. It lasts well over eight hours on my lips with minimal chapstick touch-ups and finally, the subtle vanilla scent punctuates this rediscovered treasure.

Break me off a piece of that!

Break me off a piece of that!

Swatch of Aphrodisiac 

Swatch of Aphrodisiac 

Going further, in an effort to justify such an extravagant purchase, I'd like to demonstrate Aphrodisiac's versatility. You can even try this with any super pigmented lipstick.

A whisper of colour

A whisper of colour

To achieve a light wash of colour simply dab all over your lips.

Ka-pow!

Ka-pow!

For full opacity apply as normal. It doesn't take much effort to go from 1 to 10 in the colour spectrum.

And to those who think they could never wear a shade similar to Aphrodisiac, think again.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Tom Ford's Lip Color in Aphrodisiac:

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 10 out of 10 bags — Tom Ford knows what he's doing.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

  • Can I haz them all?

Currently wearing: CND's Vinylux in Azure Wish and Blue Rapture

Wearing CND's Vinylux in Azure Wish (light blue), Blue Rapture (teal blue) and Butter London's Fairy Cake (sparkly centre)

Wearing CND's Vinylux in Azure Wish (light blue), Blue Rapture (teal blue) and Butter London's Fairy Cake (sparkly centre)

I can't get into Pinterest and I really don't know why. It's a site you'd think would be right up my alley, but I guess I am more of an Instagram gal.

Speaking of Instagram, an image re-posted by CND earlier today gave me a bit of nail inspiration. One mention later, et voile! Per usual I can't take credit for the handiwork, I really owe it all to Mira.

Sorry for being quieter than usual these past few weeks. Things have been super hectic at work, as a result writer's block has a tendency to creep in and grabs ahold of my thoughts more than I would like. For now I'll probably keep my posts short and sweet, yet picture heavy.

Happy Saturday!

OPI starring The Muppets Most Wanted

It's time to light the lights..

It's time to light the lights..

To commemorate The Muppets Most Wanted, OPI released eight shades in attempt to capture the theme and essence of the characters. When I think of the Muppets, I think of their psychedelic-hued fur and soft, fuzzy coats, yet we didn't really get that here.

Wearing I Love Applause and Let's Do Anything We Want

Wearing I Love Applause and Let's Do Anything We Want

I Love Applause is a pale, creamy pink. Solid performer, opaque in two coats, but yawn-worthy at best.

Miss Piggy wouldn't even bat an eyelash at this one.

Close up of Let's Do Anything We Want over I Love Applause

Close up of Let's Do Anything We Want over I Love Applause

Let's Do Anything We Want features reflective pink hexagons, white squares in varying sizes and bits of microscopic glitter all set within a clear polish. The coverage was sparse at best, so much that we really had to coax the party out of the bottle.

OPI really missed their opportunity to celebrate some of my favourite characters, namely Kermit, Rizzo (yes, the rat) and Rowlf.  There's a touch of irony in here -- Muppets Most Wanted?

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for OPI's The Muppets Most Wanted (price per bottle):

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 7 out of 10 bags — Pretty good, but then again, not good enough.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

  • I recently purchased OPI's Push and Shove from the Gwen Stefani release. I probably should've read the instructions prior to applying, because my nails wound up looking like a hot mess.

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.