IndieAna- In Search of the HolyGrail

Another month, another empties post, and have I got a lot of empties! Are you in the mood for some reading? If so, grab yourself a cuppa, you might need it ;) Cutex nail polish remover- Being an avid nail polish wearer, remover is a must. On the other hand, the brand is not that important to me. Remove my polish, and I'm happy :) Repurchase? Most likely. I generally buy whatever is cheapest. TN Dickinson's Witch Hazel - A friend of mine who suffers rosacea recommended this toner to me. I figured if she could use it on her sensitive skin, I needed to try it for myself.  Repurchase? That's a hard one. Yes, I was happy using this toner, but at the moment I am using another product that I love. So, I wouldn't rule it out, but I'm not in a hurry to replace it. Skin B5 Skin Purifying Mask - This is a wonderful clay mask. Easy to apply, easy to wash off and no drying, scared-to-move-or-I'll-crack feeling. It cleanses the pores, whilst nourishing the skin. R

A sale is hard to resist at the best of times, but when it's a whopping 40% off cosmetics at Priceline, I end up with more products added to my collection. Nail polish is the last thing I need, but at such a reduced price, I couldn't go past the already budget friendly FOA lacquers from the Dark Side collection. "Magneto" is a polish with a metallic finish. Not just any metallicc polish, but duo chrome. Shifting from slate to purple and green. Gorgeous! "Darth Vader" is black and purple glitter pieces suspended in a clear base. Unique to anything that I have in my nail polish stash. Believe me when I say that this nail polish looks MUCH better IRL. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to catch any of the colours, apart from the grey! I hope you enjoy your Sunday :)

Another Saturday, another SOTD post for you. Today I review Jean Paul Gaultier "Classique X" Described as "gentle orange blossom lying on woody accords." I like a simple, easy to decipher perfume description. This perfume is very fresh and "green", but not with the sharp, and sometimes pungent note that woody scents can have. The orange blossom provides a tart note that just blends effortlessly in this fragrance. This perfume reminds me a little of a light aftershave. It's not terrible by any means, but I'm not a fan of "green" woody scents.

I've always loved polka-dot manis. I thought it was about time to create my own version. Dots might be dots, but there are so many combinations, sizes and placement, that the possibilities are endless. My first step was choosing the colours, then the tool.  I have so many Ulta3 polishes. It's just too much temptation when they are cheap as chips with so many shades and finishes to choose from. Anyway, I decided to use "Purple Pumps", "Stardust" and "Honolulu". The sheer pink pearl "Stardust" is my base colour. Using a double ended dotting tool I applied "Purple Pumps" dots, with smaller ones using "Honolulu". I find the easiest way to create the dots is to dab polish on paper or plastic, then lightly push the ball of the dotting tool into the polish, and then simply apply to the nails. I thought this turned out to be a fun mani, and not as difficult as I thought it would be.

If you've seen my other FOTD posts, you'd notice that I'm more inclined to play up my eyes, rather than my lips. Don't get me wrong I really like lip products, but my first love is eye shadows. Today's post came about because I was running out of time to get ready. Eye shadow application can really take quite some time when getting ready. A simple neutral brown cream shadow on my lid, some gel liner and mascara, my eye look was done! ...and this is the hero of my makeup look. Ulta3 lipstick in "Cherry Wine" Moisturising, pigmented and very budget friendly, this lipstick was a great buy! Do you concentrate on emphasizing the eyes or the lips? Maybe both? :)

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "It's a crime not to prime". I no longer apply foundation without a primer, and this is also the case with my lids and eye shadow. My all time favourite lid primer is my Silk Naturals one. This is a sticky base that ensures loose shadows adhere. The primer is clear, so does not offer an even coloured base. I am finding this necessary, as my lids' skintone is quite uneven. I haven't had a lot of experience with the Elf range, but being such a budget brand, I decided to give their eyelid primers a try. The eyelid primer offers lid preparation to not only make a smoother surface for even makeup application, but also increase longevity.  I am using the shade "Pearl" in the attempt to give my eye shadows more vibrancy. The primer comes in a handy sized tube. The product is a lot thicker than I expected.  To apply, I simply use the included doe foot wand, then blend out with my finger. It

I'm a sucker for textured nail polish, especially when painting a one colour mani. China Glaze Crinkled Chrome polishes offer a metallic colour with an effect that reminds me of crushed foil. It is achieved with tiny threads that are suspended in the polish. "Crush Crush Baby" is a silvery pale pink. One coat is all you need to achieve this look. It makes me wonder what nail polish brands will think of next. I'm sure whatever it is, I will have to have it! :)

Aaaah, Possets, one of my fave indie perfume oil seller. OMG, they're foodie based fragrances are one of the best I've tried. This brand has a collection called "The Girls Love..." they are all honey based, mixed with other various single notes. " The Girls Love Leather " is described as "The girls have discovered the fun of leather, the smell of leather, the sensuality of leather. Leather and honey. Wow. Just wow. This is not just any old leather, this is the superb stuff which you find in the church shops of Florence, dripping with honey from Malta. Just the apex of the apiary. Yummmmm. Not for the faint of heart, not for the pure of soul." Yep, I get leather alright. I find leather is a sexy note, but often being on the more masculine side for me to be the wearer.  The warm, sticky, sweet, sweet honey certainly makes it more wearable, but I still wouldn't class this one as a feminine scent. It has a raw sexiness, animalistic in nat

I love this time of year. Christmas, New Year, my birthday, fun festivities, great weather, they're all something to look forward to and enjoy BUT, what gets me really excited is all the sales. My low-buys are definitely put on hold. Mind you, I haven't gone too crazy...yet.  Recently Big W had 50% off Maybelline cosmetics. I was looking at all the temptation, but surprisingly only walked away with 2 beauty items. I had not even noticed Maybelline Color Show Crayo Khol Liners before, but when I saw a select few in a bargain bin, the blue and purple shades stood out to me. For just over $3 each, they were going to be mine! I bought the shades Beauty Blue and Vibrant Violet.  These pencils are creamy, and quite pigmented. They're so nice to use, just gliding across the skin, leaving a trail of smoothly applied colour.  Although, I don't really like to use a pencil liner on my upper lashline, rather the lower lashline or waterline, but thought I wo

With my dry, sometimes chapped lips, lip balm is essential. I have a few in my room, including my bedside table, and there is always one in my handbag. Carmex is well known for their lip treatments. Something that I had been aware of, but until now, hadn't actually experienced for myself. I have the Moisture Plus Sheer Peach version. It comes in a long, narrow tube. This lip balm has been formulated to hydrate lips to make them smoother, softer and more supple. As the name suggests, there is a hint of peach to the lip balm. I find on my dark coloured lips it's only barely noticeable, which is nice for when I'm not wearing lipstick. I love that it just glides on my lips, without being a heavy product. The sweet, syrupy peach scent is divine.  Camphor and Menthol give a cooling effect to the lips, I really like the sensation as it adds to the soothing effect. This lip balm has been a constant companion of late, hydrating my lips every where I go. It

"Come Play With Me" is a fun way to interact with fellow bloggers who love creating makeup/nail looks. I love checking out other's creations just as much as I love diving into my own stash to try my hand at interpreting a selected theme. Yes, I still love playing "dress ups"! Lol. Seeing that we still have a couple of weeks left of Spring, I decided on a flower theme for this installment of "Come Play With Me".   My favourite flowers would have to be sunflowers. There are so many beautiful exotic flowers, but I just love the simplicity of a this golden flower. The yellow colour is an obvious reminder of the sunshine, and the happiness it makes me feel.  Yellow is not a colour I'd reach for normally to put on my lids. Although, this look was a bit of fun, I actually am loving the shade! Kat's inspiration is the beautiful Fuchsia.  What's your favourite flower? Better still, show me with your own interpret

 I never thought I'd apply a brown polish to my nails, look at them, and think that the colour looked elegant. But, that's what came to mind when I applied Maybelline "Tasseled Taupe  Ok, so it's not just a brown. More of a mocha with a golden glow. I actually found myself constantly looking at my nails. I'm really loving this neutral hue. The Express Finish polish applied streaky at first, but 2 coats gave me this opaque finish I desired. I love how quickly it dries, great for impatient polish lovers like me. What nail colour has surprised you recently?

FCUK For Her (which reads so wrong, doesn't? lol) is described as "sandalwood, jasmine and Barringtonia flower from Madagascar with its intense sensual scent. The new, modern harmony of aquatic iris and citrus is in the top. The heart is sensual, sexy and provocative thanks to the rich intense bouquet Barringtonia, peony, violet and jasmine. The base is warm and inviting sandalwood, cedar, amber and vanilla. " A complex list of notes, but it is certainly not a complex fragrance. At first spray, I wasn't impressed. For want of a better word, the perfume smelled cheap and almost nasty.  BUT, with wear (not too long) this softens to become the sweet, warm, oriental floral I was hoping for. It's not overly intense, in fact it is rather light, only enveloping the wearer, not the whole room.  FCUK is a simple fragrance that will suit any occasion. The oblong shaped, glass and metal bottle is supposed to represent a modern fragrance, but I loathe the bottle.

I have been trying not to buy more nail polishes, but a colour will often catch my eye. Sometimes I can resist, a lot of the time I just can't. I was enamoured by "Let's Talk" and "Endless Blue", 2 Sinful Colors polishes that I just needed. Just look at those stunning colours, can you blame me?? ;) Mind you, "Let's Talk" is a vibrant metallic purple, not blue! Ugh. Well, because I could not choose which pretty to apply to my nails, my other option was to use both.  I began with a coat of "Let's Talk", I wish you could see the actual metallic purple, it's divine!  After a second coat of "Let's Talk", whilst wet, along both sides of the nail, I applied "Endless Blue" and Ulta3 "Crystallina" for a touch of sparkle. Then I simple ran a cuticle stick across my nail to swirl the polishes.  I found the technique effective in showcasing both polishes, and well, who doesn

Tags are so much fun, and I love that it is an easy way for you to get to know more about me. Hailey from The Beauty in Life was kind enough to tag me to do the 30 Questions of Beauty . Here goes! 1. Do you remember your first makeup item?  Nope, but I'd be almost certain that it was a mascara. 2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found one that fits your specifications? My perfect mascara would give me lashes that were twice as long, twice as thick. Oh, and doesn't smudge. Obviously I haven't found this mascara. I always return to Mirenesse mascaras, I love the tubing formula...no panda eyes! 3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundations?  I like medium coverage. I like to see my skin, but better :) 4. Favourite high end brand?  Of the limited experience that I've had with high end brands, I've adored the Elizabeth Arden Prevage range. 5. What cosmetic brands have you wanted to try, but still haven't?  Sugarpill and Inglot.

I love my mascara to be black, very black, so when I found Prestige "My Blackest Lashes" mascara, I couldn't wait to try it. Now when I say found, I really don't remember how I ended up with this in my collection, but I was sure going to apply it to my lashes.   The formula contains beeswax, which is known to give lashes volume with no clumping, smudging or flaking.                                        The mascara comes in a typical tube. The packaging isn't anything fancy, which isn't something concerns me, anyway. It's the inside that counts, right?                                           The brush is long and thin, with many bristles. Similar to many that I have used in the past. To be honest, when I first began applying this mascara, I really wasn't too keen on the brush. I found that because there were so many bristles, I didn't feel that I could really get in there and wiggle between the lashes as I like to do with mascara.

Searching through my polish stash to do this post, I decided to bypass the typical bright, intense colour, and thought I'd apply a dark colour for a change. Of course it couldn't be just any dark shade. A little shimmer drew me to China Glaze "Cast a Spell".  Mega flash pic to capture the golden shimmer. I adore this chic black gold. The shimmer is so beautiful and adds an elegance to the polish. Let's talk nail polish colour, what's your favourite shades? :)

I'm slowly getting through my remaining indie perfume oil samples. I'm sure my stash will be renewed in due time, but so far I'm sticking to my plan to use some product up first. From Haus of Glois I have " Imp " for review. Described as "Passion fruit, sun cured apricots, pink grapefruit juice and innocent mimosa blossoms". This reminds me of apricot jam. Rich, syrupy, fruity. The pink grapefruit tartness gets a little lost in the sweetness, though it's not too cloyingly sweet. This is a rather simple scent, and really doesn't last long on my skin.  No full size for me, even if it had more longevity, I see it as a nice perfume, but nothing more.

Brows are now a part of my makeup routine that had always been neglected. If anything, I thought that they were a nuisance at the rate I had to pluck them. Fast forward (quite) a few years, and I long for thicker brows, hating just how sparse my brows now are. Thank goodness there's plenty of products to enhance my sad brows. I was sent Mirenesse 24 Hr Brow Lift & Shape Mascara as part of their makeup beauty box that I had once subscribed to.  The brow mascara has been designed to smooth, fill, colour and shape brows. The product is smudge-proof, promising to stay put for 24 hours. The applicator that comes in the tube appears to be the similar to a mascara wand. The product is a creamy consistency that gets brushed onto the brows.  It really does fill and colour, adding to each hair, making sparse areas look fuller.  Once set, they feel a little like gel has been applied, ensuring brows are tamed.  I need to take care during application to make sure I get the