IndieAna- In Search of the HolyGrail

If you're a fan of the ever popular Britney Spears "Fantasy", you would most likely have heard of the Naughty and Nice versions.  Described as "Sensual, dark and exotic version, highlights jasmine petals, , white chocolate orchid, sweet cupcake accord, sensual woody notes, orris root and creamy musk." Sensual, dark and exotic this perfume is not, in my opinion. It's naughty, but in a spoilt brat kind of way, lol. It is a little deeper than the original, but only slightly. I used to love the original, but over time, my tastes have changed and I find it a little too girly. Because this fragrance is so similar, it just isn't something that I would buy a full size of, however, I'm sure that my teen daughter will love this sweet, sweet perfume.  What I do love is the cute bottle. If you love the original, I'm sure "Naughty" would have a place in your perfume collection.

An impulse buy from website Ozsale, lead me to try the Ja-De brand, one I hadn't heard before, but at such a great deal, I was willing to give it a go. The Advanced Wear Foundation is formulated to adapt to all skin types, working to balance both dry and oily areas of the face. Being combination skin, this foundation was my obvious choice. The product also contains an SPF of 9, which isn't high, but I wear a sunscreen anyway. I like the addition of the nozzle shaped cap, giving added hygienic protection. The foundation is packaged in a bottle containing 30g of product. It has a pump-top dispenser, which is the delivery system that I prefer. The consistency is typical of  a liquid foundation, making it easy to apply. I found that it smoothed easily on my face and neck, providing me with medium coverage. I really liked the velvety finish. It kept my oily skin at bay, whilst not being too dry.  I really enjoyed using Ja-De Advance Wear. It was a ple...

For the longest time I had been content to apply nail polish without a base coat. A nail polish wearers sin, I know. Wanting the best wear for nail polish, especially so for nail art, I purchased Orly Rubberised Bonder. A product that I'd heard great things about, so thought I might as well start with a product that appeared to be a firm favourite. The bottle contains 18 ml of product. The base coat has been developed to grip the polish to the nail's surface with its unique resin technology. As instructed, I applied one coat to my nails. Drying to a slightly tacky finish, I was then able to apply my desired nail polish. Would I repurchase? Yes, and have! I really don't feel the need to try anything else, I think I have found my holy grail base coat. Although my nails still chip, they don't do it as quickly as they used to. I now see the importance in using a base coat, it has become a non-negotiable product for me! Do you use a base coat? What's your pick...

In an attempt to use my eye shadow palettes,  I decided to start a new blog series. Palette Appreciation will showcase some of my prized possessions, giving them the attention that they deserve. I will use the palette for a week, and show you the looks that I have created. First offering is MUA "Starry Night". A lucky dip into my stash brought me to these eye shadows. For such a budget brand, I found that the pigmentation was quite good. These swatches were done on bare skin with my finger. Look 1 Look 2 Look 3 Look 4 Look 5 Look 6 That's enough of my eyes! I must say that I had fun playing with this palette. It wasn't easy deciding what colours to use everyday, but it was good getting out of my makeup rut.  Now, to choose my next palette to play with. :)

The 3rd sample of Arcana perfume oils that I reached for is Estella, from The Great Expectations collection. Described as: " Quietly stunning ambre blanc and vanilla bean with a kiss of cognac ." With this description, it probably goes without saying that I like it... really, really like it! With these notes, this fragrance wears sweet, rich and delectably foodie. However, Estella manages to be feminine, which doesn't get lost in the gourmand notes. My review is short and sweet, but doesn't reflect on just how much I adore this perfume. Thanks Dee , I need a full size of this one, too! :)

I have tried quite a few Mirenesse products. They really do have some great products amongst their range. I recently finished Mirenesse Auto Lip Liner Duet in Nude/Rose. The formula has been created so that the liners glide on the lips, creating a barrier that prevents lipstick from feathering. Vitamin E, Japanese fruit wax and Jojoba wax are just a few of the ingredients added to ensure easy application that is also soothing to the lips. The liners are also waterproof, quite handy for the lip area. The dual ended pencil contains 2 retractable and removable liners, so you can interchange both lipstick and eye liners, which is great for travel. Unlike the eyeliners, that left me feeling a little meh, I loved these liners. They applied so well to my lips. No tugging,  they just seemed to glide around my lip line. In the swatches provided, the left liner appears patchy, but this was only because there was barely any liner left to complete the swatch, lol.  The fact tha...

I purchased Sally Hansen "Big Matte Top Coat" during my last visit to Priceline. Matte isn't a finish that I crave all that often, but its nice to have the option of using it. Of course I had to use it for a nail look. The 2 base colours that I used were Orly "Liquid Vinyl" and Maybelline Express Finish "Tasseled Taupe" Once dry after 2 coats, I applied the matte top coat. Using a stamping plate design, I began using the same polishes, but on the other colour. So Liquid Vinyl on Tasseled Taupe, and vice versa. Tasseled Taupe turned out to not have the opaque finish needed to show up as a stamp colour, so I used MUD "Tease Me". Although, I was content with the matte finish, I went ahead and applied Seche Vite top coat to change to a glossy look. What a difference the glossy finish makes. I prefer this one to the matte finish. I find that the design appears more defined.  Which one do you prefer?

I loved the result of my past attempt at pressing minerals . It was fun and rewarding, knowing that I had created my own palette. I can only imagine what it must feel to create your own makeup! Anyway, I made another pressed minerals palette. That's a terrible photo, it was too dark to take without flash, but you get the idea :) I thought that Day To Night was a fitting name, due to the light neutrals and darker colours, for that more dramatic look. These were swatched with my finger, no primer. I'm so happy with the pigmentation! I am already sorting through my loose mineral stash to create another palette :)

It took some time for me to jump on the BB cream band wagon. It's been such a huge phenomenon in the beauty world. Finding a decent one can be hard, especially in the Western world, where most BB creams should really be called tinted moisturisers. This hasn't stopped my search, I just love trying different brands of BB creams. Priceline's own brand, Models Prefer has pleasantly surprised me with their quality of products. It was only natural that I would want to try the BB cream. I purchased the All-In-One formula in Light. The formula has been designed to refine pores, even out complexion, add hydration to skin, controls oil with an SPF protection. The all-in-one concept means that you can prime, conceal, hydrate and protect skin.  The product is packaged in a 30 ml squeeze tube. The consistency of the cream is quite thick, typical of decent BB creams. It quickly warms with the skin making it easy to smooth over the face. Would I repurchase? I wasn't disapp...

An offer to share an order of some perfume samples with my daughter from My Perfume Samples was just too much of a temptation to resist. I figured that ordering a few samples was better than full sized purchases, if there's a justification in spending, I'll find it! :) Elizabeth Arden Provocative is one of the samples that I ordered. Described as: " Sensual and enticing, Provocative by Elizabeth Arden is a beautifully refined fragrance for women. A dazzling blend of florals with an oriental touch. This feminine scent is an alluring blend of lilies, gorgeous lotus, lovely orchids with subtle undertones of amber and woods ." When I first applied this perfume, I thought it wasn't going to be for me. With heady floral, it seemed intense. This quickly softened, making it a beautiful, wearable fragrance. The oriental, amber and woodsy elements, although not strong, gives this perfume a grown up, sexy feel. It's such an elegant perfume, that begs to be worn t...

Pink is a fave colour of mine, so it would make sense that I would wear it on my lids. The only problem is that I can't always pull off just any shade of pink in a way that flatters my peepers. If I don't apply well, I look like I have been rubbing my eyes, not a good look! With a little help from the 88 Warm palette and MAC 6-pan palette, I created my eye look with Virus Insanity "Princess" . It's a beautiful pink that complimented, rather than become a disaster. I don't like to give up on a colour because it doesn't work the first time. Thankfully, there are so many shades to choose from, you'll generally find one that will work for you :) Do you love pink, too?

Coming hot off the heels of Hailey's fun theme Bright and Bold, I wanted continue on with the "Bold", yet make this theme full of drama. Whether it's vamp, goth, punk, rock chick, etc, I want this theme to be dark and dramatic. If you don't want to see loads of pics, don't continue any further, if so, keep reading :) I began with a nail look for this vamp theme. Now, I did cheat a little with these photos, I had to make some adjustments with the photo software to try and capture how it looked in real life. That's ok, isn't it? :) I applied a deep burgundy, topped with red glitter, then stamped on a flame like design in black. I hope you like my Vamp It Up themed look. I apologize for my lack of info on the products I used, I just really wanted to get this post done before I let any more time pass. Don't hesitate to ask me any questions in the comments section about anything that I used. I'm so pumped to s...

The brand Lancome conjours grace and luxury. It has been a brand that I'd thought unattainable with my budget. Thanks to a huge prize pack, I was excited to note that a Lancome skincare product was now in my hot little hands.                                          Lancome Renergie Lift Multi-Action Night cream has claims of reducing wrinkles in 4 weeks, improving skin texture and offering the advantage of  working at night when the skin repairs itself. The cream comes in a glass 50ml jar. It's quite solid, feeling great in the hand. The purple and chrome look very classy, something that I was proud to have on show. The product itself is quite rich and thick in consistency. I'm not a huge fan of heavily fragranced products, but I'll admit that the scent of this product just adds to its luxurious nature. After my initial excitement to dip in to this product, I soon...

I can't complete an eye look without using liner. I love the variations that you can create when lining your eyes, especially a winged eye, loving and being able to do it are 2 very different things. I decided that since I had some time to kill last night, that I'd have fum playing around with different looks. Ok, this is my attempt at a winged eye using an MAC "Blue Brown".  I reapplied the shadow with a wet liner brush, and also added more to my lower lashline. I then blended the liner out and into my crease. Finally, to add even more drama, I filled in my lid with a wet brush to give that depth of mint chocolate eye shadow, finishing with a smoky eye. I really enjoyed adding to each look, especially because they're not looks that I'd normally wear. It's great having a play, a perfect way to pass time :)