IndieAna- In Search of the HolyGrail

I can't say I've even heard of David Yurman, but that certainly wasn't going to stop me from trying "Delicate Essence" perfume. It's one of the many samples that I've bought from My Perfume Samples .  Description- " ...a modern floral fragrance inspired by the pink tourmaline gem. The composition opens with pink pepper, lotus flower and orange blossom, followed by pink peony, wild rose and rose absolut on a base of translucent amber, skin musk and blonde woods." Ooh yes, this is a floral fragrance! Spicy, fresh. Rose doesn't often play well with my skin chemistry. But its not the hero of this perfume, it is in the background, sharing the limelight with many other floral notes. This is like a bouquet of pretty, fully bloomed flowers, grounded with the soft, creamy woods and subtle amber note. These work to balance the fragrance, preventing it from becoming too heady. Such a pretty, feminine Spring fragrance. I hope you are having...

What do you do with unused makeup brushes? Well, use them for nail art, of course! One of these said brushes is a fan brush. This was a brush in a set that was not of the best quality, so instead of throwing it away, I thought I would create a mani with it instead. Orly "Liquid Vinyl", Femme Fatale "Shadowsong" and "Amber Jewel". With a black base colour, I used the fan brush to paint on the Femme Fatale nail polishes, with horizontal strokes. Waiting for one nail colour to dry before painting on the next. I'm really happy with the result, the added bonus of having a use for a brush that was nearly thrown out!

I was gifted a sample of Garnier Miracle Skin Cream by website Beauty Heaven. It's not a cream I would have bought myself to use, but I was more than happy to try it. Taken from the Garnier website- " ...Instantly its self-adjusting formula is enriched with micro-pigments that provide natural coverage by adjusting to match your skin tone. Skin is immediately flawless, radiant and appears visibly younger. Enriched with 7 anti-ageing actives (LHA, pro-retinol, Vitamin C, Vitamin B3, firming peptides and ginger) + Spf15 protection, fights against the signs of ageing for lasting results. In 28 days, wrinkles and imperfections are reduced, complexion is more even and skin is firmer". The 5ml tube is good for a few uses. The consistency is rather light. The cream has a bright floral scent. Being an avid user of more natural scented products, it's always a surprise when I use a heavily fragranced product such as this one. It's not offensive in any way, I...

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have already seen this nail look. I participate in a weekly lipstick challenge, and we were required to match our nails with lipstick. It's a lot of fun, and a great way to use different lipsticks.  Anyway back to my nails...  Mirenesse Bullet Proof Nail Lacquer "Innocence" and Maybelline Color Show Shredded Nail Lacquer "Magenta Mirage". I just loved the gorgeous vibrant pink of the Maybelline crackle, it's pretty over the nude Mirenesse polish, but could be so fun over another contrasting bright colour, or even black. Love it!  ...and this is the matching lip look! Crackle nail polish, are you over them, or still love 'em?

Since Christmas, I have been playing with so many new goodies, and have still got so many to try out!  One of the amazing presents that I got from Ash of blog, The Beauty Collection , was Sugarpill "Mochi". I was a participant in an organized blogger Kris Kringle . Oh my, I still can't believe that I finally have Sugarpill in my makeup collection!   Mochi is a matte mint green. This eye shadow has fantastic pigmentation, with a texture that is not at all chalky, like many mattes can be . Along with the beautiful Mochi, I also used my trusty 88 palette for that gorgeous raspberry colour, as well as some contouring. Mascara is Prestige "My Blackest Lashes" and eye liner Mirenesse Longwear Eye Gel in Black. Look at that lovely eye shadow that is Mochi! I totally get the obsession with Sugarpill, and no doubt will be needing more shades! :)

I have accumulated a few FCUK perfumes, and no, not because every time I see the lettering I think of the naughty swear word. They're so affordable, and I like them. The one I am using at the moment is "Connect". I really dislike these oblong flacons. The red tint is kind of cool, but the bottle is just so awkward to use!  Description- " ...a floral woody musk fragrance for women. Top notes are lotus, bergamot and lily of the valley. Middle notes are jasmine, violet and peony. Base notes are sandalwood, virginia cedar and amber." Contrary to the description, upon first spray I get sweet berries, not fresh, but syrupy warm berries. The woody, musk notes ground this perfume, it is quite dense. Yet, it's not overly heavy, in fact this fragrance is extremely close to the skin. During wear, the perfume becomes powdery, at this stage it all but disappears. Which is unfortunate, because I love the scent of FCUK "Connect".

I love trying new designs on my nails. I've found that there is so much inspiration on many social media platforms, in particular Instagram for me lately. That's how I come across the blobicure. Sounds weird, but is actually fun and very simple. I wanted a white base, so used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "White On". This white is great for nail art, because of it having an opaque finish. For the blobs I wanted a textured polish, choosing FOA Carnvale nail enamel in "Between the Flags". I began by applying one coat of "White On" to all of my nails. Then working on one nail at a time I applied another coat, this time a little thicker. While wet, I dabbed on dots of "Between the Flags", just with the nail polish brush, as I did not want even circles. Yes, I wanted blobs, lol. I generally apply a top coat, but didn't want to interfere with the textured finish of the Carnivale polish. It did get a little messy, but I th...

Being a member of website, Beauty Heaven , means I have had many perks, including a whopping prize pack containing a crazy amount of beauty products. Oh, it was heaven alright! The point I'm getting to is that I received Revlon Whipped Colorstay foundation among the many goodies. I remember the original Colorstay foundation from too many years ago. It was popular. I didn't like it. So, if it hadn't been for the lucky win, I would never have even tried this  version of the foundation. Taken from the Revlon website- " ...offers ultimate performance. The mousse like texture feels like silk on your skin, and the time release formula balances your skin for a flawless look. All day flexible wear, without flaking, caking or feeling heavy." The foundation comes in a sturdy glass jar. Included is a plastic protector cap, I love that there is a tab that you can grab making it easier to remove. The consistency is like creamy chocolate mousse, ...

I purchased nail polish during Priceline's 40% off cosmetics sale. I didn't need more nail polish, but I just couldn't go past buying Australis nail colour from the AC/ME collection. I adore metallics, and the red goodness of "Red Hot Chili Pepper" was calling my name!  Isn't that metallic red colour just gorgeous!!

I have a few eye shadow sticks, but to be honest, I don't reach for them much. More often than not, reaching for loose eye shadows. A Skinn pack that contained a few skin care items that I had been wanting to try was being offered on TVSN (I am so addicted to that shopping channel, can you tell??), included were 3 Smudge Sticks. Taken from the Skinn website- " Line, smudge, shadow or color- Smudge Sticks do it all. This incredible water-resistant, transfer-resistant... lasts all day, including through a dip in the pool." The Smudge Sticks come in a pencil form, which are retractable, yessssss! They have such a smooth consistency. These pencils just glide across the skin, consistency wise, they remind my of Urban Decay 24/7 liners. Beautiful pigmentation, and no skipping across the skin. I found that once applied, there was ample time to smudge out if desired. I actually used a brush to blend into my crease, and it worked very well.  One of the t...

Description- "... The fresh scent of lotus hidden behind lightly scented flowers, amber and citrus " At first application, this perfume was rather sweet but pungent, there's a promise of fruity goodness. It's just begging you to wait.  Upon drydown, it is reminiscent of Juicy Fruit, as in the gum. After some time, I notice a little of the blooming florals, and it's a little tangy like citrus, on me its more warm and syrupy, a lot like mango. If it weren't for the headache that come with the fragrance, I may have enjoyed it more.  Unfortunately, I will have to say goodbye to this sample. Normally I'f persevere some more, but headache causing perfumes have to go. What perfume have you had to bin before finishing?

I was feeling rather uninspired when it came to nail art. Instead of the design usually being the first thing I considered, I went with whatever nail polishes took my fancy. I figured that the bright cerise pink Maybelline Color Show "Crushed Candy" paired with the bronze flakie of Glam Polish "Eternity Dragon" would make for an interesting combination. Beginning with the pink as a base colour, on 2 of the nails, I used some striping tape to create a design, then applied a coat of Glam Polish. On the remaining nails, instead of the striping tape, I tried to create an ombre effect with the flakie. I took a bazillion shots of my nails, but just could not capture either the true brightness of the pink, or the gorgeous complexity of the bronze flakie, ugh! Believe me, especially in natural daylight, it was such a vibrant sparkling mani. What are you wearing on your nails at the moment? :)

Not long ago I posted a makeup look using some Silk Naturals face products that I had purchased. Reading that the cream products were similar to Eve Pearl's, I included some samples of this concealer to try. Unlike most over the counter face products, HD Peach Concealer is an all-natural vegan option. It is super pigmented to target the eye area. The formula includes ceramic microspheres, used for their line blurring benefits. When it comes to sample cream products I much prefer them in a clam shell like this one. The peach hued concealer is a great consistency for a cream product, not too thick to become cakey, but enough firmness so that it can help to hide imperfections. I found that the application that works best for me is to use my fingers, then blend out with a concealer brush. I find that using my fingers initially, helps to warm the product, making applying easier. The concealer is a great product for under eye use, to help reduce the look of my dark, d...

How do you dress up a gloomy colour like grey? Well, with some sparkle of course!  "Multi-Faceted" is a clear polish full of multi coloured glitter, that look like little gem stones. I think the grey background really showcases those beautiful gem like glitters.  Thanks for joining me, have a wonderful Sunday! :)

I'd heard good things about "Wish" by Chopard, so when I saw it for sale at Chemist Warehouse for a great price, I snapped it up. I don't really encourage blind perfume buys, but I figured this perfume has been out since 1999, and is the fave of many a perfume wearer. Plus, for the price, I could just pass it on if I wasn't a fan. Description- " Top notes are honeysuckle, wild strawberry, black locust, orange blossom, coconut, gooseberry, Brazilian rosewood, pear, black currant and yuzu. Middle notes are honey, violet, orchid, milk, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, magnolia and osmanthus. Base notes are sandalwood, amber, patchouli, vanilla, caramel, incense, tonka bean and toffee"  Totally need a breather after that list of notes! Sounds totally divine, combining a blend of a lot of my favourite notes. "Wish" does have an appealing oriental spicy touch. Perfectly matched with patchouli and sandalwood to give this fragrance richne...

I went into more detail of the lip hybrids in my last blog post . I thought for this post that I would get straight into the lip swatches. Oh, and please forgive my lack of application skill! Autumn - Metallic copper. 24K-   Liquid gold.   Miami - Creamy pink coral. Ravishing - Creamy true red.   Paradise - Slightly metallic pale gold. Charmed - Slightly metallic deep plum. Taupe - A rich, creamy neutral brown. In Love - Slightly metallic burgundy. Earthlink - Iridescent lilac with a hint of blue. Lotus - Iridescent pinky red. Oh, those close ups of my lips are brutal, lol. Unless you have people coming close to study your lips, I don't think a perfect application is imperative to a decent lip look. The photos of my face show that I can get away with slightly messy lips. Believe me I did try. By the end of trying on the different lip hybrids (on different days, my lips...