IndieAna- In Search of the HolyGrail

It really doesn't seem like a month since my last Empties post! Oh well, here goes.. A little bit of everything in this empties posts, except for perfume samples. Yeah, there's a lot of those! Masque-ology Brightening Mask- I bought some of these cloth masks online from Ozsale. It was very wet, but clung to my face well. There was a lot of product in this cloth mask. I removed after around 30 minutes. I then massaged the remaining serum into my skin. Repurchase? I didn't really see any changes in regards to whitening of my skin, which I could really use with all the pigmentation I have. However, I did find it soothing and very hydrating. I do have a couple of others that I am happy to use, but don't feel the need to seek them out to replace. Ciencia8 Preparation8 - This product takes the place of a toner. I would pump twice into the palm of my hand, then apply to my face and neck. It gently exfoliates so that it can be used everyday (am and pm) allo...

My skin care routine always includes an eye cream. I often get dehydrated around my area, my lines are deepening and I have always had terrible dark circles.  Taken from RawSkinCeuticals - " Concentrated blend of omega fatty acids rich in vitamin C including rosehip seed, hemp seed, tamanu, and Evening Primrose replenish, restore, rehydrate and bring life back around the eye. The goal of the eye cream is to deposit fatty acids directly into the skin to encourage healing and collagen production. Provides a deep intense rehydration to brighten and even skin around the eye." 15 ml jar Thick, creamy consistency. This eye cream is jam packed full of great ingredients to treat the delicate eye area. That's what I love about RawSkinCeuticals, natural and hand picked ingredients. When I lightly dipped my finger into this cream, I was taken aback by the strange feel. It has kind of a spongey feel. My finger picks up product, but just a light layer.  A li...

Description- " ...fruity strawberry notes, intensive green aroma of violet leaf and spicy sparkling pink grapefruit. Its heart beats in floral rhythm, composed of silky and intoxicating gardenia, delicate violet, and jasmine petals. The powdery soft dry down is composed of white woods, vanilla and musk." "Daisy" is such a popular perfume. I just had to sample it to see what all the fuss was about.  On me, the perfume begins as a green scent. Not bitter, but fresh and sweet. There is a slight fruity element, but it's mostly floral. During wear, the fragrance blooms into more of a yellow, just like a daisy. It becomes softer and creamy, yet still fresh. It makes me long for warm Spring weather. I can see the appeal of this pretty perfume. I like more depth in my fragrances, however, I am more than happy to continue using this sample.

As promised, I have part 2 of my ColourPop Lippie Stix haul. I won't go into to too much detail, but if you wish you can read my thoughts of these lipsticks here . Oh, and as a side note, please excuse my Winter attire in the following photos, I am catching up on the backlog of product reviews... Bossy Lip Pencil - " Classic blue red pencil." I applied the lip pencil to my entire lip to show you the colour on its own. This pencil would be perfect for the many reds that I own. It is the perfect consistency to line the lips. Creamy enough to not tug and skip during application, yet firm enough for great control. A great pencil to prevent lipstick bleeding into lines. Frenchie - " Bright, warm, neon red in a matte finish." I Heart This - " Red based fuchsia in a matte finish." Heart On - " Bright cool toned magenta in a matte finish." Bichette - " Deep red wine i...

I'm sure you have heard of ColourPop, if not I will apologize for disturbing you under that rock. Of course, when there is hype around a beauty product, I have to own it, especially when it's in an affordable range. I've made 2 orders with ColourPop so far, the first being only a few items, 2 eye shadows, lippie pencil and a lip primer. The high postage cost discouraged me, as it increases with the amount of products ordered. The second order I threw caution to the wind and ordered much more. It was my Mother's Day present to myself, so I was willing to use my set budget. This post I will concentrate on the lip products. Cake - " Bright pastel peachy shade in a satin finish." Cookie - " True nude beige in a matte finish." Frida - " A warm mid tone nude pink with a satin finish." Brunch - " Bright mid tone coral in a satin finish." Chi Chi - " Brigh...

I'm not that creative when it comes to clever titles, that's why I am giving the nail art that I do a really lame name. "Nail Art Wednesday" is so much easier than taking more time to come up with a title than what it does to actually write the blog post, lol. Not that you'd think it with my past efforts! On Instagram, I get so many great ideas for my nails with the many talented people I follow. More often than not, my attempts turn out nothing like them. Thankfully, it's still decent enough to post. And if not, you'll never know anyway, lol. Models Inc "Fluro Pink" and Models Prefer "Trendy" When it comes to nail polish I love so many shades, especially brights. I thought that "Fluro Pink" and "Trendy" would make for a wonderful combination for what I had in mind. I wanted the pink to be my base colour. Before my second coat had a chance to dry, I dotted about 4 drops of orange on each nail, working...

The vitamin A derivative, Retinol, is a well known active to help prevent skin issues related to ageing skin. In an attempt to add a retinol based product into my skincare routine, I started using a cheaper alternative to Retin A. In Australia it is only accessible with a doctor's prescription.  Normally it takes a lot for my combination skin to react, unless a product is causing a break-out. Before I had a chance to notice results, my skin became very dry to the point of flaking. This is to be expected, but the itchy dry feel was just too much for me so I didn't get a replacement. After this experience, I then purchased from Avibon, a well known French brand. Being a thick ointment, I hated using it because it became too greasy on my skin, even using a little. You can read my review here . I had pretty much given up on finding a decent retinol based product that would fit in my budget. But then I started reading positive things about the brand Indeed Labs. I just ...

Description- " Top notes bring a breeze of bergamot, mandarin, black currant, magnolia, lily of the valley, orange, tarragon and citruses. Settled at the heart of the perfume are jasmine, rosemary, wooden accords, rose and violet, while the base brings dark and milky caress of sandalwood and velvety vanilla, musk and amber." Very Valentino greets the wearer with light florals and a hint of fruit. I also get the herbal notes, but they are subtle, not too green. The deep notes emerge, not to overpower the initial notes, but gives the fragrance a powdery musk quality. This perfume is soft and pretty. She is mature, yet so soft-spoken that this would make for a great work perfume, or for perfume wearers who prefer a fragrance for only them to enjoy. This one doesn't seem to last long on me. I will try transferring the sample vial of perfume into an atomizer to see if spraying on my clothes makes a difference in longevity.

 I bought this little itty bitty Max Factor mini from a discounted stand (my favourite kind!) at Priceline. For the low price, I couldn't resist the metallic shimmery polish that is Max Effect "Bronze". Golden Copper shade. Even after 3 coats, this nail polish isn't completely opaque. Although, I do prefer a more opaque colour, I must say that this nail polish is stunning under direct light. It is so shimmery and pretty. I think it would be great to use as a topper. My mind is already spinning thinking of the colours I could paint this golden shimmer over.

I enjoy checking out the latest Aldi catalog to see what random release is going to be available. I get especially interested when it is beauty related. The Lacura Anti Ageing Slim Lipsticks caught my eye because the packaging reminded me somewhat of ColourPop. Not the look exactly, but the actual lipstick container, with its slim plastic casing. I figured that for a few dollars, it was worth trying one..I liked the shade Nude so much that I ended up getting the other 2 on my next Aldi shopping day. "Nude"  "Dark Rose" "Pastel Rose" The selection is crap, but the actual lipstick is really good. So moisturising on the lips, and has decent longevity for a lipstick with such a creamy finish.  "Nude" is by far my favourite, I actually wasn't keen on the others, unfortunately. I was a bit meh about "Dark Rose", and I don't think "Pastel Rose" looked good on my lips at all. ...