Underwear that's fun to wear -- Underwear of Sweden

It's a hot day and you want to hit the beach or the pool after a hard day at work, but shoot, you forgot your bathing suit! Well, that's when Underwear of Sweden's Swimmable Underwear comes to the rescue -- Helene Pilhage, owner and designer, started her company to help women in this sort of predicament. For a lot of Australians (including myself) who live and work near the six major cities of this beautiful continent are within driving, walking and cycling distance to some of the loveliest beaches in the world. With Australia's scorching heat during the summer, sweet relief can be sought by jumping in the water. And why not take the plunge in something really cute too?

Underwear of Sweden

Recently I selected a set (non-swimmable) to try on myself, but I ran into a slight problem. The sizes I chose run on the smaller side -- I could get the garments on, however, it wasn't cute :( For review purposes I'll go into detail about the quality, look and feel.

Sweet details

Chantilly lace

lightly padded cups

Adjustable straps

Sturdy bra clasp with felt backing to help reduce friction

Extreme close up of lace

The Eve bra and brief are both made of nylon and elastane for a silky smooth feel and fit. The white lace detailing plays well with the red floral pattern, further enhancing the girlish sentiment of the garments. The stitching is of the highest quality, which leads me to believe this underwear is built to wear, wash and last.

I have a feeling the likes of Bettie Page, Rita Hayworth and Eva Gardner would give this brand their stamp of approval. Romantic, playful and (fun)ctional.

Underwear of Sweden isn't a brick and mortar store, so do take care in selecting your sizes accurately. Their price points are comparable to Victoria's Secret, Cotton On and most department store brands.

Like what you've seen here? Underwear of Sweden is an Australian brand -- international shipping is available and they even accept Paypal!

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

Femme Fatale Cosmetics Eyeshadow swatches and review

1-6 indirect sunlight

When I moved to Australia I was eager to find local makeup brands since many foreign brands are more expensive here. I came across Femme Fatale Cosmetics and was drawn in by the amazing colours and swatches on the website. In addition to eyeshadows, there are blushes, illuminators and nail polishes.

1-6 direct sunlight

1. Archangel - a soft pinkish ivory with a subtle violet duochrome. Great for highlighting.

2. Divinity - a light pink with a bit of a gold shift.

3. Elitist - a yellow gold with shimmer.

4. Exorcism - violet with a blue green duochrome.

5. Flare - a strong, orange-y red with a gold duochrome. I like to mix this with a clear lip balm to create a red tinted lip balm.

6. Frozen Flame - a light orange with a strong light blue duochrome.

7-12 indirect sunlight

7-12 direct sunlight

7. Heroic - a light copper with gold shimmer. Great for an easy, neutral all-over shade.

8. Incantation - a reddish burgundy with pink shimmer.

9. Inscribe - a warm chocolately brown with a soft, pale green duochrome.

10. Misdirection - a forest green with light green shimmer.

11. Moonglow - a light silvery blue with yellowy gold and pink shimmer.

12. Moonstone - a sheer icy white with a light blue duochrome. Looks amazing over a dark base.

13-18 indirect sunlight

13-18 direct sunlight

13. Mysticism - a reddish purple with a light blue duochrome.

14. Shadow Dance - a cool toned grey with pink and blue shimmer.

15. Smokebomb - very complex! It starts out dark brown but shifts to green, purple, and gold.

16. Spirit Bond - a strong indigo purple with a greenish gold duochrome.

17. Sunfire - a peachy pink with a gorgeous gold shimmer. Looks amazing on the eyes or the lips, my absolute favourite.

18. Unholy - a dark base that looks like a purple-y brown with a strong green duochrome.

My personal favourites are Archangel, Heroic, Smokebomb, Sunfire, and Unholy.

Overall, I really enjoy all of these eyshadows. They are all swatched dry and without any base or primer and I had no problems with application. If you like highly pigmented, complex colours I'd definitely recommend checking out Femme Fatale Cosmetics' website.

When I wear these on my eyes I do use an eyeshadow primer. Sometimes I also use a homemade mixing medium (two parts water to one part glycerin) and apply it wet for a foiled look. I also have a primer meant for loose powder eyeshadows that doesn't change the look, but helps them to adhere to the eyelids better. When I apply these, I get some product on my brush, tap off the excess and pat it onto my eyelids so there's no messy fallout.

Recently when I've traveled with makeup at least one of my pressed powder products has been broken/shattered; so, I like to bring the sample bags when I travel because an already loose eyeshadow can't be broken down any further!. The sample bags are also great for travel -- this allows me to bring lots of colours that I'm not likely to wear on an everyday basis, but won't take up a lot of space/weight.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics' eyeshadows are available in three sizes; a sample zip-lock bag which contains 1/8 of a teaspoon ($1.10AUD), a mini jar which contains 3g of product and an optional sifter ($3.00AUD without a sifter, $3.10AUD with a sifter) and a full sized jar which contains 5g of product and no sifter ($5.75AUD). There are also discounted sets available. Each eyeshadow is individually labeled and informs the user as to whether or not it is eye safe, lip safe, and vegan. The full sized 5g jars contain a lot of product, so I would recommend those for multi use colours (like peachy, coral-y oranges and pinks that can be used on the eyes, lips and face) or colours you would likely use everyday.

If anyone wants to try out Femme Fatale Cosmetics but is intimidated by the bold colours, I created an easy, neutral look using Heroic on the lids, Archangel as a browbone and inner corner highlight, Smokebomb (used with an eyeliner sealant) as an eyeliner, Forever Lovely Rose (discontinued, it was a limited edition item) on the cheeks and Flare mixed with a clear lip balm on the lips.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics is an Australian owned company that does not test on animals. Orders which contain samples only ship free, worldwide :)

Our weekend in Sydney

A few weekends ago Scott and I flew up to Sydney to celebrate our second wedding anniversary and my 29th birthday.  Here are a few shots from our weekend getaway.

They're nuts.

P.S. All of these photos were taken by Scott :)

Ever thought about visiting Sydney?

Illamasqua - Sign the Petition for Cheaper Prices in Australia

I fully support Illamasqua's effort to sell their makeup for far less than what we've been forced to pay here in Australia.  I've already signed it - it only took me less than two minutes to do.  So, what are you waiting for?

Head on over to Illamasqua in order to exercise your right to fight for affordable makeup.