Share the Happy with Clarins

Don't you just love that feeling when you get a compliment or a lovely comment from a complete stranger? It makes you smile right? Well not to be too corny corn but everytime I get a comment here I get that smile because people I haven't even met take the time to say something lovely to me.... I appreciate it.

So when I was contacted to tell you all about this new campaign by Clarins, I couldn't resist because it's right up my alley! In conjuction with the launch of their new Daily Energising skincare line they have created a website



Share the Happy - go on click it, I dare you!

What you do is give a compliment to a random person, and Share The Happy. Go on do it, even if you just read the compliments already on the website i'm sure you'll get warm and fuzzies in no time. You can also go on there and grab a free sample of the new Daily Energiser Products!

I have also been using one of the products from the line, the Clarins Daily Energiser Cream-Gel to be specific. These products are targeted for younger skin, so ages 17-25... yes I am a little older then that bracket but this moisturiser has actually been great on my few years older then that skin :).

First off the bat, the smell... Love it! It's fruity and well, energising! The actual product is quite light so it sinks into the skin quickly which for me is a must because I don't have the time in the morning to wait for my moisturiser to sink in. It makes my skin glow! Yes my slightly older then 25 skin is glowing without the use of an illuminating product, I even got commented on it the other day (not by a stranger, but I still smiled at the compliment.. They were Sharing The Happy though!)

This product reminds me of a Nivea moisturiser I used years and years ago that has since been discontinued (like my head at the moment because I can't remember the name of it!) The price of the Clarins Daily Energiser Cream-Gel is a quite affordable $38AUD and can be purchased from any Clarins counters (think Myer, DJ's etc) and www.adorebeauty.com.au

There are also cleansers and a toner in this range, so check them out too.







So don't forget to Share The Happy :)

*This product was sent to me for consideration

Loving... Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Coral Crush

Firstly... I know it's colour.... but for search terms etc when referring to these lipsticks i'll have to use color.

So one thing I noticed when seeing looks from NYFW (New York Fashion Week of course darlings!) and you know I was there right next to Anna.... no not really but lets pretend I was. One of the big trends was a bright lip and for us Aussies going into the warmer weather a bright lip is perfect!

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Fendi Spring 2011 (image taken from style.com)"][/caption]

I've said it before i'm kinda new to the whole lipstick thing, being such a lipgloss girl for so long i've only found my true love of a great lippie in the past year. I'm also not that experimental either, always sticking for neutrals and muted colours..... that's changed a little... I will declare it before each and everyone of you (5 people or so who read my blog haha) I LOVE A BRIGHT LIP! It makes you look more awake, makes you stand out and just looks awesome.

I was in my home away from home the other day... aka Priceline and wandering through the aisles looking for something fabulous to share with you all. I stumbled upon one of my favourite range of lipsticks (Maybelline Color Sensational) with a 2 for 1 offer. YAY!. So into my shopping basket I popped Pink Me Up which i've been lusting after for awhile and went away merrily swatching finding another colour to get. This is where I found Coral Crush.... It's a perfect spring colour pop shade! It's quite sheer so you can layer it on lightly or go for a more dramatic look with a few layers (my pictures are a few layers). It's not too bright that it looks like you've slapped some fluro zinc cream onto your lips but it just has that amazing pop of colour that is begging to be worn right now and coming into summer.







These lipsticks retail for $16.95AUD but I believe the 2 for 1 offer is still on until Thursday. I just checked the Priceline catalogue and next week they have $3 off Maybelline products. FYI Rimmel have a 2 for 1 lipstick offer next week too....so I may check those out too :)

NOTW - Ulta3 Mulberry & Scandal Blue Pearl

From now on i'm going to just do an update (usually on a Sunday) with pictures of what nail colours I wore during the week. I generally change my polish between 2 - 3 times (depending on how my chipping goes!)

The first polish I wore this week was Ulta3 Mulberry. You know i'm a big fan of these polishes... $2AUD each! amazing! This colour is no exception it's a vampy dark plum/purple. This one was a great formula too, creamy and opaque in 1 coat, I like doing 2 but that's just a force of habit more then anything.



The next colour is another from the Scandal polishes I picked up in Melbourne. This Scandal Blue Pearl is GLITTERAMA!!! :) So of course I love it. I had to do 3 coats with this one so it was opaque but it's packed with glitter... Sooo pretty. It's a blue jelly like base with silver and blue glitter in all different sizes. However, one day in and i've already got chipping.

Review: Make Up Forever HD Foundation

Last week when I went to IMATS Sydney I was looking forward to seeing the Make Up Forever stand to see this foundation in person and maybe get myself colour matched. I decided to bite the bullet and just buy it there and then (it was at a discount too, so that helped the deciding of course!) I've been wearing it all week and in the worst element possible... the office I work in! Our air conditioning is the worst and dries my skin out like nothing else, makes my makeup cakey and blah. So I knew if it can withstand the conditions of the office, it can withstand anything.

Let's talk good and bad here shall we..

Good

The foundation blends easily

Feels weightless, like i'm not wearing makeup (LOOOOVE THIS)

Does look good in photos, I took a couple of vanity shots to see... sorry not posting them because 1. they are posey and blah 2. My hair really needs to be dyed and I feel yuck in photos 3. I can't be bothered uploading

Colour match is perfect that I only really need to put it on my face where I need coverage

okay and now for the ....

Bad

It's a little sheer for my liking, doesn't cover my redness enough. They say it's a medium to full coverage i'd say it's medium at best

The wear of it isn't great, I find it's basically slipped off my face by lunch time (I did try it with various primers as well, and it made no difference)

Overall - It is a nice foundation, but for the price we pay for it in Australia I don't think it's really great enough to justify. I'm not sure i'd repurchase in fact. So on my ever ending quest to find a great foundation that looks natural, covers my redness, doesn't go cakey during the day and lasts throughout the day this one didn't make the cut. I will use the bottle up though because I hate wasting product!

FYI I used various methods each day as well of applying... fingers, brush, sponge (beauty pod...review coming soon!) I think I got the best coverage and look from using the brush or beauty pod. I also used the HD Powder to set it but i'll do a seperate review on this product (I want to try it with some other foundations as well... ). I am also in shade #117 and I range in MAC from NC20-25.

The only place to get this in Australia is from Media Makeup. I do suggest getting a couple of samples to try out before forking out the RRP $75AUD. I only paid $60 for it at IMATS.

TAG! from Jademusing :)

I've been tagged by Jade to do this little question doobie thing. Of course I will :)

I'm bad at tagging people so whoever wants to do it, I tag you... and you can use Jades questions..I'm meant to make some up... but yes I'm also lazy :)

1. What is your current favourite makeup item? Do I have to say just 1? At the moment i'm loving my NYX blush in Peach

2. What is your current favourite nail polish? Turquois & Caicos by Essie.. the perfect light greeny blue! I wish I could wear it everyday because looking at it makes me happy :)

3. What is your current favourite item of clothing? I love my SES shirts I mentioned in an earlier post, and also this dress I bought from Barkins to wear to my mums party (I haven't worn it yet, but can't wait) http://www.barkins.com.au/dresses/belle-du-jour-print-dress/w1/i2374613_1026599/

4. Current favourite shoes? My lace up combat boots :)

5. General dreams and aspirations for the future? Happiness I think is my main dream and aspiration. As long as your happy you can do anything and be anything. I'd also love to go to work everyday and not see it as a chore (which I do now...)

6. Favourite animal? My dogs! Other then my dogs I love tigers!

7. Favourite jewellery accessory? Karen Walker bow necklace and my pandora bracelet (mainly because of the charms, I haven't bought any for myself they have all been gifts so are all significant)

Springtime Ramble

We are starting to settle into Spring now, it's a few weeks in and i've noticed the familiar smells of springtime are becoming more abundent. So to compliment the current spring scents I decided to wear an old favourite of mine Marc Jacobs Blush. It the most amazing Jasmine scent, I did google for the complete list of notes though for everyones information -

Top notes of jasmine nectar, fresh air accord, and Italian bergamot. • Heart notes of star jasmine, jasmine breeze accord, pink freesia, orange flower, and Japanese honeysuckle. • Dry notes of pink musk, cashmere wood, and sandalwood.

It's just such a pretty fragrance and as always the bottle is gorgeous! I love displaying my bottles on my dresser and this is often one of the ones at the front :) I've seen so many different prices around for this perfume but generally it's around $100AUD in Myer. You can get it also on Strawberry Net for $63.50 (depends on the exchange rate too)

The other thing that seems to be the trend for Spring is a bright bold lip. I'm a fan of this and I think that shows with the colours of the OCC Lip Tars I purchased in my IMATS Haul. However I'm not sure a bright bold lip is always a good choice for the office, I think i'd get likened to a clown perhaps (and let's be honest, i'm a little scared of clowns). So today i'm wearing my version of a toned down bright bold lip which seems pretty on-trend for spring. It's also a good one to purchase because it goes to a good cause... I'm talking about MAC Viva Glam Cyndi (don't tell me just wearing this lipstick doesn't make you want to burst out and sing OH OH OH GIRRRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUUUUUUN... just me? surely not!) Viva Glam Cyndi (RRP $35AUD) is a very wearable muted red/watermelon colour, it's the bright pop of colour you want without being too OTT (Over The Top). It's only available for a year though so get onto it, I may need to pick up a 2nd tube actually.

Not a lipstick gal? Don't be ashamed, I wasn't really one until quite recently..... now I embrace lipstick wholeheartedly! There is an option for you! The newly released Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass! (RRP $34AUD) It's the same colour packaged into a super shiny lipglass!

Mascara Showdown! Max Factor False Lash Effect vs Covergirl Lash Blast

As you may already know, Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara is my holy grail Mascara.. love it like a fat kid loves cake kinda love :) Recently on a trip to Priceline with Jade we noticed how similar the Max Factor Falsh Lash Effect looks to the Lash Blast. Not one to shy away from trying and comparing something I grabbed a tube of Falsh Lash Effect to try and find a difference between the two.

Here are my pictures comparing the two.. see much difference? I don't. Just a note that the brown mascara is Lash Blast and the Black is False Lash Effect.







I have been wearing the False Lash Effect since I purchased it and while the look on my lashes is exactly the same as when i'm wearing Lash Blast there is no difference in the volume and length. I did notice more flaking with the Falsh Lash Effect, so this puts Lash Blast out in front of this race.

The other thing is the price, Max Factor False Lash Effect retails for a RRP $24.95 AUD and Covergirl Lash Blast retails for RRP $17.95. Of course savvy shoppers can find them cheaper at times but generally CG Lash Blast will always be the cheaper and in my opinion the better option.

IMATS Sydney 2010

IMATS (International Makeup Artists Trade Show) hit Sydney again this weekend. Being the makeup lover (not artist) I am I attended, yep you can go even if you don't do makeup for a living!

I went early to get in as soon as doors opened because I had a purpose... OCC LIP TARS!! I scouted out where they would be and knew they'd be my first stop, they were, I purchased and I knew the day was going to be great.

I then looked around at all the other stalls. So many exciting things to be seen especially the cool Special Effect makeup stuffs, I don't think i'd look too normal going to work with a big scar or some blood on me...so I didn't buy from them but it was awesome seeing all the stuff that makes the stuff in movies look so realistic.

After I finished my shopping and had a look at everything (twice... IMATS Sydney isn't too big so you can get around and look at everything pretty quickly) I went and watched Enkore Makeups little talk about brushes, check out his youtube channel it's really great! The great tip I learnt from this was when applying your lipstick with a brush, do one swipe in one direction as it will ensure the product gets into all the cracks and crevices of your lips!



Then I went to watch Nicole Thompson from MAC do her thing, she did 2 amazing kind of Sci Fi looks... she really is a master of makeup, see her looks below! The tip I got from her is that Groundwork Paint Pot is an amazing product to use as a contour.... yep it's now on my MAC wishlist! I love products that can be used in more then 1 way.





Here are some random pictures of the day, as well as pictures of my haul! You can also check out my YouTube video below to see me talking about my haul :)













After IMATS I went and got myself a Konad starter kit, so expect to see some Konadicures on here soon. I thought I'd give you all a laugh and show you my first Konadicure... be kind it was my first attempt!



Here is my YouTube haul video... enjoy! :)

The Winner Is....

My giveaway has now closed, for those of you who entered.. THANK YOU!! I appreciate the effort everyone has gone to :)

To make this fair, I put all the entries onto an excel spreadsheet with the type of entry next to it (twitter, follower etc) All together there were 82 entries!

To be fair I picked a random number





Congratulations Nat, I will be contacting you shortly to get your details to send out your prize!

This was fun so I think I will need to organize another one soon :)

Wipes Wednesday!!! Feat. Biore, Nivea & Swisspers

On Saturday I had the pleasure of going with Jade of Jade Musing (did you click? well you should have!) to the PRIMPED event at David Jones in the city. It was informative and we got a great goodie bag! However my only gripe with the whole thing is how blah we both felt after seeing Yaz Turkers amazing skin!! not one single blemish, smooth as silk and just perfection!

So after we had a look around in the big smoke (ie the city) we headed back to our little suburb, did I mention we live in the same suburb? yay! As always we declared our love for Priceline and had a bit of a looksie.

This is where Wipes Wednesday came into play, we both bought wipes and thought why not? So once again click on Jade Musings blog to see her take on Wipes Wednesday!

Wipes... what can I say they are an everyday part of my routine and I know when I go into the bathroom at night and use my wipes to remove my makeup that the day is well and truly over. It gives me such satisfaction to look down at the previously white wipe and see my slap on it because I know it's doing the job it's meant to be doing. Fear not I also cleanse with a normal cleanser after using my wipes... I believe your face can never be too clean.

There are so many different types on the market now they basically need their own section in Priceline. I've been using a few and there are some on my wishlist (Hello Yes To Carrots! and Simple) that I'm planning on getting to try next (There may be Wipes Wednesday Part Deux!) 

Nivea Visage Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes (RRP $7.50AUD)



I bought these on a whim, I was in Melbourne and forgot my regular wipes and needed some more... yes needed! I couldn't find my regular brand so decided to try something new (ahh the life of a beauty blogger!) I really like nivea products and my skin was feeling a little dry and unhappy thanks to the cold I was getting over so these seemed perfect. I used them while I was away and they were okay, but not great. They removed my makeup effectively but they felt a little dryer then what I am used to and I didn't feel I was getting a really good clean from them. I also didn't find that they helped my dry skin much at all. I've still got some left at home but I don't find myself reaching for them all that often which really I should do because i'm concerned they'll dry out quicker then any others I have on the go.

Swisspers Cleansing Eye Makeup Remover Pads (RRP $4.95AUD)



These are a new type of wipe i've been using. Funny fact though when I was cleaning out my makeup room and sorting it all on the weekend I found another unopened packet of these that I must have bought awhile ago and never used... oops! These are great! They are soft, gentle and remove my eye makeup really easily. During the week i'm pretty plain jane and just wear a little black eyeliner and mascara but on the weekend when things get a little more exciting and I do proper eye look one swipe and it's gone! I don't really recommend using regular makeup wipes to remove eye makeup as they may be a litte harsh.

 Biore Daily Deep Pore Cleansing Wipes (RRP $8.99AUD)



LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! These are my daily go-to wipes and I love them so much... can you tell? They really feel like they clean my face completely (again, I still do use a regular cleanser afterwards) but these seem to take off every little trace of my makeup and make my skin feel smooth, and refreshed they claim they cleanse, tone and exfoliate (I wish they'd also do my dishes but we can't have everything right?). The towels are moist (I hate using that word... but that's the only way to describe them) and they have little ridges or something that seem to help with the cleaning (or they are a gimmick? I don't know) The only flaw I have with these is that they smell a little chemically for my liking, but they work so I ignore that and it's really not that bad anyway! Please please please please never ever discontinue these Biore people!

Don't forget to check out Jade Musing for her take on Wipes Wednesday!

As always don't forget my Giveaway!! you only have until Sunday to be entered, so get crack a lackin!

Ax

All products were purchased by me. Images are from www.beautydirectory.com.au

Nails! Essie - Lapis of Luxury

Here is another nail swatch. I recently purchased some Essie polishes and this was part of my haul. I love this blue it's what I would call a cornflower blue but upon close inspection it has a kind of lavender quality to it to. This is a definite spring colour for me!

In other news, I went out for my birthday lunch today (belated..yes) and on our way there I spotted the Pro Nail Store and since we were having lunch so close I went for a walk and had a look after lunch :) Yep I bought stuff...of course! They had China Glaze for $5, OPI for $10, Essie for $8 (i think) and Orly around the same price. I also picked up some more Seche Vite! Mine was running a little thick and being a PITA (Pain In The Ass) to apply. I can't wait to get back to that place and buy more!!

Anyway back to the point of the post... Lapis of Luxury, here is the picture. Enjoy!



Don't forget my giveaway is still going for another week, Enter Here!

I can't just stop at one...

This could be applied to many things... chocolate, lipsticks, cupcakes but today i'm applying it to my new favourite basic top! I now have 4 of these tops in my wardrobe and was thinking last night I need the blue one and the white one as well so no doubt by the end of this weekend there will be 6 in my wardrobe.

Finding a good fitting basic top that is comfortable is to me like finding the perfect fitting jeans. I went out of my comfort zone and stepped into SES the other week, no i'm not a snob but if I do ever buy anything there it's usually on the front racks because I hate trawling through 1000's of things to find stuff! I had a bit of time and decided to trawl and so glad I did! I found these amazing jersey tops for $12.95 a piece, bought one wore it the next day... looooooooove! So last night went back and got 3 other colours :)

So if your in the market for good basic shirts for summer go and check out your local SES store or order online on their new online store http://www.sesfashion.com.au/ 

Here are some pictures of said holy grail shirt (can a clothing item be a holy grail? Oh well I break rules so it is here!)

images from SES website

Loving... Hair Products!

I am often in a war with my hair it's a big ol curly frizzy boofy mess and being a bottle blonde. This screams dry damaged and blah hair and the cold winter weather hasn't helped at all!

So fed up I decided to try out the raved about Moroccan Oil, i'm a sucker where there is hype around a product and get really dissapointed when it's not all it cracked up to be. I can happily say that Moroccan Oil and I are getting along swimmingly! My hair is soft and quite a bit more shiny (cue Vanessa Amarosi singing a song about my hair... oh... right it was about something else? Move along!). It also reduces drying time, well sort of... I found it didn't reduce drying time when I naturally air dryed my hair but when I got my Parlux onto it I was dried off and right to go to bed in less then 10mins. Cue morning when my hair is often a big boofy mess and I look like a backup singer for an 80s glam metal band, using the Moroccan Oil it's been a wavy smooth mess which is presentable enough to go out in public with and I don't even have to GHD it to have a poker straight do (I'm embracing the wave people!!)

So where do you get this fine product? I found mine in Hairhouse Warehouse but you can also find it at Salons and online. Be careful though because I have heard of fakes doing the rounds! It's priced at around $50 but you can find it a little cheaper if you look hard enough :) Just remember a bottle of this will last aaaages, you only need the tiniest amount and it goes a long long way!



The next product, is one I have been looking to buy for so long but it's never in stock or maybe it wasn't released? Not sure. Anywho it's the Herbal Essences None Of Your Frizness Hair Serum. Let's think back to where I said I wake up in the morning with boofy hair looking like a backup singer of an 80s glam metal band... This also helps that! It's my current favourite product to slap onto my hair after straightening it, or even when i'm embracing the wave. It smooths, It shines (dammit Vanessa Amorosi, stop singing about my hair!) it smells delicious! Kind of like watermelon? It's not heavy or greasy either. So for this wonder product you'd expect to be paying upwards of $20 right? Put away that credit card lovely and rummage through your coins because it's under $10! Mine cost me $7.99 at Coles.  

It also has this anti humidity technology which will be put to the test come summer! Humidity is not my friend!

This one can be purchased at pharmacies & supermarkets and anywhere you can find that stocks Herbal Essences products. It's worth trying to find!



Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Glitter!!!! Scandal Nail Polish in Amoled Glam

Right off the bat, thank you to the amazing Jacie for telling me where to find these polishes in Melbourne when I visited last weekend. Check out her wonderful blogs at You've Got Nail & You've Got Face. She is an absolute sweetheart :)

The polishes in question are by a brand called Scandal, there isn't a lot of information out there on this brand. They are quite distinctive, just check out the schmexy bottle! woot woot! They had quite a range of colours when I picked up 5 the other weekend but all I wanted was the glitters!!

This colour did not disappoint, Amoled Glam (wtf is Amoled? someone? anyone? A Mole verb?) This is an amazing packed glitter in a champagne colour with a hint of pink... I call this work wearable glitter! It's shiny and is one of those need to look at your nails all the time colours, made even better with a shiny top coat like Seche Vite.

As always, pictures tell the real story!

This was applied with 2 coats, and top coat of course.





So where can you also get this little gem of a nail polish brand! There is a little store on Lonsdale Street in Melbourne (Melbourne Central side) it's a little Korean store and they are in the window...go in and have a look! They also had some Konad products but not the starter kit which is what I was more looking for.

The price of these polishes were Black Lid Ladies $5.50 and Silver & Gold Lid Ladies $7.50

Giveaway Time!!

This is my first ever giveaway! Remember how I said it was Liptember? I thought it'd be a great time to have a Lip only giveaway!

First the prize...or prizes even!

• Pocket Companion Cherry Lip Balm (had to get it because of the cute bulldog :) )


• Paul Frank for Lipsmackers Liquid Lip Gloss in Fried Ice Cream (yum)


• Face of Australia Divine Shine Lip Lacquer in Island Retreat


• Covergirl Outlast Lipstain in 415 Teasing Blush (MY HOLY GRAIL!!)

So what do you need to do!

1. Follow this blog with google connect, look in the sidebar where it says "Join Me" and join. If you are already a follower you already have 2 entries! Yes following the blog gives you 2 entries!

2. Tweet Tweet! Post the following tweet on twitter for an entry! I am entering the giveaway at www.lovevulcanella.com. Don't forget my entry please @vulcanella !! You need to mention both the website and my twitter account for it to be eligible (and for me to see it of course!) This will give you 1 entry

3. Blog about it, make sure if you do that you leave me a comment with a link to the post. This will give you 2 entries for all of your hard work!

Remember you can do all 3 methods of entry and get 5 entries, I believe that's pretty good odds!

This competition will end at 5pm on Sunday 19th September 2010. So get crack a lackin :) Competition will be drawn after this and winner contacted.

This is open internationally :)

Any questions, comment below or send me a message on Twitter!

GOOD LUCK!!

La La Love #2

It's Friday!!

I'm sitting here at work... bored... We are so quiet at the moment which is really the worst and makes my days drag on like nothing else, I literally have nothing to do. So i've been of course bugging everyone on Twitter and collecting photos and bits and bobs (haha I first wrote boobs!) for my what I like to refer to as my whatever I feel like posting post.

In Australia this week we saw the start of spring, it started off lovely on the 1st (my birthday! wooo!) but since then it's gone back to winter type weather. I'm looking forward to a little sunshine, not a lot but enough so I can wear pretty dresses, eat ice cream and be able to wear 2 different nail polish colours that people can see! (one on my toes, one on my nails).



















So I hope everyone is looking forward to a wonderful weekend! The problem is they go way too quickly and we find ourselves back in the grind again before we know it. So try and enjoy it as much as possible.. laugh, smile and be silly.

I'll leave you with something very dear and important to me, a song.. well not really it's more the entire album it comes from. This album just does something to me it always makes me feel better when i'm down and if i'm shuffling songs on my iphone and one of the songs from it comes on, I smile, even if i'm in public and people can see me. The album i'm talking about is My Dinosaur Life by Motion City Soundtrack and I urge you to at least listen to this song, the film clip is cute too :)