IndieAna- In Search of the HolyGrail

During last year's Black Friday sales Deciem had a sale that I just couldn't resist. I actually didn't go too crazy as I'm pretty stocked up on skincare and don't like having too many products waiting to be used. The NIOD Flavanone Mud was in a pack that I bought. Taken from Deciem - "Myrrh Clay is a treatment masque that visibly firms the skin, borrowing from a triangle of Ayurvedic, Unani and traditional Chinese studies of medicine. Myrrh Clay offers an instant and visible tightening of the skin immediately and without forming a noticeable film on the surface of the skin as is common with modern skin firming formulations." The mask is packaged in a glass jar, I quite like it. The mouth of the jar is wide enough to fit wandering fingers inside to scoop out product. The mask is thick like clay, fancy that! It has a rich scent that reminds me a little of vegemite, as you can see it looks like it, too. Although it's thick it does have som...

I bought two MBA Cosmetics Metallic Matte Liquid Lipsticks during last year's Black Friday sale. I was very restrained as there are quite a few gorgeous lipstick shades to choose from. Taken from MBA Cosmetics - "Our Metallic Matte Liquid Lip Color glides on like a liquid and dries down to a long lasting matte finish without dehydrating the lips. Full coverage color for extended wear." The lipsticks are packaged in square shaped plastic tubes, I love the sleek look. They have a typical doe foot applicator. The consistency of these lipsticks are more creamy than a liquid that the description describes. I found the shades easy to apply. Plum Berry was not as opaque as Pink Cherry, so I had to apply a second coat. This is not unusual for darker liquid lipsticks. These lipsticks felt very comfortable on the lips and are beautifully pigmented. I wish I could stop there because as someone who doesn't like giving a negative review, these are the only p...

I was lucky enough to receive the YSL Baby Doll perfume, thanks to Kat from Kats Colourings and one of her many fabulous giveaways. I must say that it was not on my radar, but being a lover of perfume, I was quick to spray it on. Taken from Fragrantica - "Top notes are fresh and full of zest with the notes of blackcurrant, orange, apple and pineapple. Heart notes include a feminine floral bouquet made of rose, freesia, lily of the valley and heliotrope. Base notes are warm and incensy, cedar, sandal, tonka and vanilla." The bottle is gorgeous. I love that from the rounded glass to the gold lid, it is all faceted like a diamond. The perfume itself is a pale pink shade. Looks very special. The perfume is a fruity floral that is quite light.. It is very well blended with the zesty fruit and bouquet of fresh flowers, no note trying to outdo another.  I must say that the first time I tried this perfume, I was not wowed by it, but the more I use the more I like i...

An eye product is an absolute must in my skincare routine. Currently taking that role is Skinn Crease Release Triple-Advanced Contour Serum, wow that's a mouthful! This ended up in my collection after buying an Skinn eye care pack from Australian shopping network TVSN. Taken from Skinn "Concentrated with double the wrinkle fighting peptides, Crease Release Triple Advanced Eye Contour Serum with Omega Plus smooths, firms and hydrates the delicate area around the eyes. Packed with essential fatty acids, Renovage and Dermaxyl to diminish and prevent signs of aging while improving elasticity for visibly more supple younger skin." The eye serum comes in a simple, yet nice looking bottle.  Removing the cap reveals a pump top dispenser. The consistency of the serum is quite thick with a silicone feel yet is quite lightweight. I use half a pump between each eye area. Pumping onto the tip of my ring finger, transferring some onto the other then massaging...

It's probably no secret that I love shimmery eye shadows, so it's no surprise that I just had to add the BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes palette to my collection. Taken from BH Cosmetics - "Tune into heavy metal with our striking Foil Eyes 28 Color Eyeshadow Palette, a collection of shocking, pigment-packed, multi-dimensional metallics..." With that description, how could I not? Of course, shopping with BH Cosmetics means an affordable palette! I appreciate the clear lid, allowing the shades to be visible. It was love at first sight! Of course, I had to swatch these glorious shades. Check them out! These eye shadows are swatched with my finger on bare skin. Applying over a primer would have really shown their true potential, but for the sake of keeping my swatching universal, I went with my regular method. This palette speaks to me, not only gorgeous vibrant colours, but metallic too! I love that there's also some shades that allow f...

I'm obsessed with following Youtubers and bloggers who participate in "Pan That Palette" or "Project Pans". I find them not only interesting to watch, but it prompts me to use my products more, not just getting stuck in a rut. If you don't know, a Pan That Palette simply means finishing a selected palette. Not an easy task, but I find it oddly rewarding hitting pan (or the bottom) of my eye shadows. For some this may be devastating, but I have so many that it feels good to know I am actually using a product than have it sitting there collecting dust. On my Instagram back in February of last year I started showing my progress of a palette that I had decided to pan. Of course, I started big. An 88 palette. I had already finished 8 pans and by my last update at the end of November I had finished 28 eye shadows. Obviously, I'm still not finished, so have decided to carry the project into 2017. This is the 88 Warm palette. It is a little worse for we...

We all know that using a sunscreen is important. Choosing the one that works for you is not an easy task. There are so many that it can be rather daunting. My preference is a zinc based sunscreen, I believe they are better for the skin. The issue with zinc based is that they can be very greasy and difficult to wear, especially on the face. Upon recommendation, I decided to give the Sunsense Sensitive Invisible SPF 50+ a try. Taken from Sunsense - "Specially designed for sensitive skin, this gentle lotion helps protect sensitive skin from the sun's harmful rays. Suitable for babies and those with sensitive skin." The sunscreen comes in a standard tube, I do prefer this packaging for a sunscreen. It has a flip-top lid. For some reason my tube does not snap shut, so I just store it lid side down to seal it. The small hole dispenser only allows a small amount of product out at a time which is good because I only need to use about a pea size for face and neck. ...

As soon as I saw that Makeup Revolution had a cheeky little dupe of the TF Peach Palette, I knew it had to mine. Plus I have the other MR Chocolate Palettes so I now feel the need to buy every palette release. I was good waiting until my Christmas/birthday haul before purchasing. You can check out my entire haul here . I love the peachy colour of the chocolate bar packaging. The shades are similar to the original Too Faced version, but obviously not the same, because there's less shadows in total in this palette. Oh, and there's no peach scent either. A huge sniff of the shadows only provided me with that generic eye shadow smell, slightly chemical, not something I am a huge fan of sniffing, lol. Not a fan of the applicator, but that's no surprise. I generally throw sponge applicators away. Now onto the swatches! I am impressed with this palette! The shimmers are beautiful and pigmented. The mattes are great to use as they are smooth ...