IndieAna- In Search of the HolyGrail

So many ideas came to mind when Beauty Heaven chose the theme black and metallic for their nail comp. It conjures up so many wonderful combinations and designs. I knew I wanted to incorporate silver, gold and black. Water marbling did come to mind, these colours would look amazing done well, hmmmm, the done well part is the bit I struggle with, so I soon forgot that idea.  I began the mani with LA Colors Color Craze "Live". Such a beautiful chrome silver. I used french manicure stickers to create the silver stripe that I wanted. On my tips I painted Orly "Liquid Vinyl". Then used Milani 3D Holographic shade "510". Whilst the polish was still wet, I quickly removed the stickers. As you can see, I added some black dots to finish off the mani :)

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter was really wanting to go to the Essendon DFO. She is on her Ls, and wanted to experience some city driving. Although I would have LOVED to go with her, we both knew that hubby would be the better choice. I am such the stress pot! Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with some nail polish goodies that hubby bought for me! Orly "Purple Poodle" is a gorgeous grape jelly base with pretty mauve shimmer throughout. My camera does not do this polish justice at all!  Hubby has great taste in polish, it seems! :)

At the time I was in need of another facial toner, a good friend of mine told me how much she loved using witch hazel on her skin. Knowing that she had sensitivities, I knew that it would be a gentle product.  A quick search in Priceline brought me to Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner. For many many years, witch hazel has been known for its healing, antibacterial, anti inflammatory and soothing benefits. Wonderful for many ails, including redness and acne, which makes it a wonderful ingredient for the face and body. Although an astringent, it doesn't strip the skin of natural oils.  The toner comes in a 240ml bottle with flip top lid. To apply, I pour some of the liquid on a facial pad, and wipe over my face. It does have a strong astringent smell, but didn't affect me in a bad way like many other alcohol based toners can. Even with break-outs, I haven't experienced any stinging or burning sensations. Would I repurchase? Yes. Normally a toner containing alcohol

Vitamin C is such a crucial ingredient in an anti-ageing routine. Especially good for brightening the skin, I have quite pigmented skin, so this is a must for me! I generally like to incorporate Vitamin C into my skincare regime through serum form. Finding the right product can be a nightmare. Often the content just isn't potent enough, and when it is, the product can get quite expensive. This is when I turned to ebay to check out my options and prices. With my budget I need value for money. My search on ebay brought me to Eternal Beauty 30% Vitamin C Treatment Cream  The listing gave quite a spiel, powerful antioxidant, protects skin from free radicals and sun damage. Improves lines, wrinkles, brown spots and even acne, oh, and best skin cream ever. I should have returned to my search and never looked back, right? Yes, it all sounded too good to be true. But, I decided to check out feedback, which is 100% positive, by the way. When I read that there were repeat customers and

When I came across water spot manis online, I thought they looked good, but was reluctant to try the technique because I totally suck at water marbling. If you haven't heard of water marbling before, give it a google search, there are so many beautiful designs to see. Thanks to a BH comp where you submit a chosen colour scheme each week, I thought I'd try this new design for the orange and red theme.   I decided to use orange for my base colour, Models Prefer "Trendy" is such a lovely shade. My fingers look oily, that is because I slathered them in Vaseline, to make it easier to remove the nail polish from my skin. Keep reading and you'll see why ) Using a cup of water, I then used my red of choice, Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine "Dazzling", and allowed drops of polish to cover the water's surface.   I then sprayed perfume above the polish.  Spraying an alcohol based product separates the polish, putting holes in it. The hair

Piggy Polish is not a nail polish brand that I am familiar with. I bought it from an online blog sale, and am really loving it! "Copper Harbour" is a coppery red. I just love this fun colour, perfect for "spicing" up the nails.

Sweet Anthem  is an online store that sells scented goodies created by Meredith Smith. These perfumed products really show the talent of Meredith, she produces such unique blends, that often have the ability to morph during wear. I have tried many perfumes from Sweet Anthem and totally appreciate the complexity of each. Unfortunately, these fragrances tend to give me a headache, even though I've often enjoyed the actual scent. One that I have been able to wear is Marianne . " Romantic spices, sugared peony blossoms, and tuberose flowers for a lover... Head notes- Pink pepper, fig. Heart notes- Tuberose, peony. Base notes- Leather, mahogany, white patchouli"  Upon application, I get a rich, sweet leather. Leather does appeal to me, but can become too masculine for my taste. This does take me to the point where I'd normally find too much, however, on dry down, the floral, fruity notes begin to emerge. Never becoming a feminine fragrance, more of a boozy, spiced fr

I'll admit that I was pretty disappointed when I had used up the last of the Majolica Majorca lash duo. A primer and mascara that gave my lashes volume and length. Before repurchasing these like I wanted to, I already had mascaras to use, and being determined to use more before replacing, I resorted to the next mascara in line for use. L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara was one I had not bought myself, but I was willing to give it a try. I had been gifted with the colour Extra Black, my favourite mascara shade :) The packaging has been designed in such a way that any excess mascara is removed from the brush, via the opening to ensure no clumping to lashes. The brush was made to add maximum lash coverage, whilst separating lashes. I really like the ergonomically designed mascara tube, easy to hold and the gold/black color scheme is an attractive look. The brush is rubber, so is slightly flexible, yet without too much play, quite a good balance for application.

I'm not sure if you realise it yet, but indie makeup is something that I adore, such a surprise with my blog's name, and all, right? Lol. Any way, I'll get to the point. I am so excited to tell you about an online company that sells reputable mineral makeup brands, fabulous in itself, but this virtual store is an Australian one! I love the name Beauty Bohemia , it totally captures the theme of the store. The website is easy to navigate and very appealing to the eye. Products sold include, eye shadow, lipstick, blush, eye liner, foundation, all catering to the individual tastes of women. Subtle, vibrant, vampy, everything is covered for your desired makeup look. Brands currently available are Concrete Minerals , Espionage Cosmetics, Glamour Doll Eyes, Masquerade Cosmetics, Medusa's Makeup, MeNow, Shiro Cosmetics, Sweet Pea & Faye , Victorian Disco. Products and a website that is easy to use are important, but what about the service?  Owner, Omega, (how cool

Well, we can forget the old saying "Blue and green should never be seen..." Because these colours CAN work together, and quite well. My fave beauty website, Beauty Heaven currently has a comp running on Facebook and Instagram, where there is a colour theme chosen, and the entrants simply post a pic of their creations. I entered last night in the Blue and Green NOTW (nail of the week). I also wanted to share this look with you, too :)  I wanted a cream base for this nail look, so opted for Ulta3 Mojito. I applied 2 coats for starters.  I then worked individually with each nail, quickly. I added another coat of Mojito, then whilst wet, I dotted Models Inc "Ocean" and Nicole By OPI "Kendall On The Katwalk" just with the nail polish brush. Next I used the small end of a dotting tool to swirl through the polish, taking care to not apply too much pressure, as I didn't want to scratch the base colour.  For a little opulence, I applied a c

Shade 53 from the Layla Ceraminc Effect range contains gold flakes suspended in a jelly finish. The sparkly ruby red just makes me want to click my heels. Forget Oz, I want to go to a world of glittery pretty things ;)

Vera Wang "Night Princess" is described as " a blend of exotic, fruits and woody tones. The top oozes with wild berries watermelon and raspberry. The composition's core is formed of jasmine petals, spiced orange blossom and a touch of passionate rose, while the intensively sweet base features, vanilla and musk.  This perfume delivers a perfect floral and fruity balance. It is sweet, tangy and fresh. Exuding elegance, yet managing a girly element that is sure to be a firm favourite among the fans of Vera Wang perfumes. During wear, this scent becomes beautifully soft. It isn't very long-lasting on me, but I am certainly wanting to add a full size of this perfume to my collection, it is worth the need for an extra couple of sprays throughout the day. And that gorgeous bottle, well, 'nuff said :)

The talented and creative Kat  chose such a fitting theme for Come Play With Me, Winter Into Spring. With only days away from being my favourite season, it's the only time of year that I want the time to fly! I am more than happy to say good bye to Winter, and welcome Spring with open arms. I had so many ideas for this theme, beautiful bright colour along with icy white and blue filled my mind, I just couldn't wait to dip my brush into colour. I finally decided on white, thawing into blue, then flourishing into green. It seemed like the perfect way for me to interpret Winter turning into Spring. Apart from some mineral makeup pigments (no longer available, unfortunately) I also used an olive green from the 88 Warm palette for my brows. The white base for my liner was achieved using Face of Australia "White Gold" pencil liner. I also used L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara, which I forgot to photograph, oops.  I did plan more than just an eye look, but

I don't normally review samples, but because this was quite a large size, I thought I would let you know what I think of this Lapurete product.  Lapurete Okuru Resurrection Night Cream contain Okuru, Sweet Pea and Resurrection Plant extracts. These are known for their hydration, ability to target fine lines and sagging skin. All this also prevents dullness of skin.  I received the 15 ml size, which comes in a pump dispenser bottle.  For a night cream, I found the consistency to be quite light. It seemed to have a fresh, "green" scent. Would I repurchase? Probably not. That sounds harsh, because the moisturiser was actually quite lovely on the skin. It seemed to just glide over my face and neck. I actually liked the lighter consistency, as it disappeared into my skin quickly. I did find that it did not seem to give me quite the hydration that I tend to need now.  I did not have any break outs from using the night cream, so I think this could be a wonderful pro

For today's simple nail look, I have used 2 polishes from the Maybelline Color Show range. I just love "Pinkalicious", this shade of pink is so me! As for the splatter effect of "Boom Box", I think the bright base helps to make it stand out. I find this to be such a fun look!

Alkemia is an indie perfume oil that is available on Etsy and is well known in the online community as delivering unique, beautifully crafted perfume oils to suit all tastes. " Burning Roses " is described as " A hypnotic immolation of dark red roses and burning incenses- smouldering frankincense, champa, labdanum. Mesmerising, deep sensual.   Rose is not a scent that I associate with sensuality. Yes, it can be lovely, feminine, but it has to be blended just right to stop it from being "nanna's" perfume. This perfume has a blend that manages to be sexy, heady, intoxicating, with the rose still being a distinctive note. The fragrance is long lasting on my skin. Being quite an incensy blend, it isn't for the faint hearted, but I don't find that it knocks everyone out around me. However, after drydown, the perfume takes on a powdery quality, yet retaining it's sensual quality. I only have this in sample size, although I won't repurchas

I don't know if you love holo nail polishes like I do, well, I hope you so, because I compiled my latest nail looks inspired by the special holo finish. These are the holgraphic polishes in my collection. I used some of these to complete the following nail looks. This is a gradient I created, although the thumb is the typical bottom to top gradient, I thought I'd try something different with my other nails- side to side gradient. This mani I created using the cling wrap method, explained here . Using tape to protect the holo polishes, I was able to paint on black stripes. For this mani, I began with an orange to purple gradient, I then stamped some diamond designs over the top. The holo wasn't as opaque as I had expected, so the design is quite subtle. This design was created quite easily. Over a holo base colour, I used crackle polishes for the effect. Well, that's the holo fun I've been