Blogmas Day 20 | My Favourite "Christmas" Films

Oops! I missed publishing on a day of Blogmas! I think I'd feel much better about it if it were intentional, because doing Blogmas has had to have been one of the craziest schemes I've decided to participate in! I had this post all ready to go when my Wi-Fi conked out. By that stage it was 11pm and I was exhausted -- so I went to sleep instead.

But anyway.

You say Christmas. I say "Christmas". It seems that there are many films that I watch which are considered Christmas films, and yet I just don't see it -- I think it comes down to interpretation. If a film is set around Christmastime but isn't about Christmas, I don't really consider it a Christmas film. Even so, there are actual Christmas films that I enjoy watching from time to time, albeit rarely. I decided that I would do a Top 3 of both my favourite Christmas and "Christmas" films.

Top 3 Christmas Films

1. Nativity! || I love this film. It happened to just start playing on TV when I first watched it, and naturally I was sceptical, but it's great. This year I've felt a lot like Paul Maddens, who really doesn't get all that excited when it comes to Christmas -- but in the film he eventually learns to. Besides, what is cuter than a heap of small children trying their best to sing and dance?

2. The Santa Clause || This used to be a favourite of mine as a kid. It was on TV recently, and I actually kind of regret not watching it. I enjoyed the second and third films as well, but there's nothing quite like the shock that comes with an original film, is there?

3. Miracle on 34th Street || A lot of people prefer the original film from the 30s, but the one from the 90s is the only one I've ever seen, so I'm kind of obliged to roll with that. There are few old man cuter than Richard Attenborough, especially Richard Attenborough in the role of Santa Claus.

Top 3 "Christmas" Films

1. Love Actually || I do not feel I need to justify this. This film was designed to spread happy feelings among the masses and by Jove it works.

2. Home Alone || I can almost hear the gasps of those who fervently believe that Home Alone is a Christmas classic. Sure, it is, but it's about a boy who gets left home alone over the Christmas holidays -- it could've happened during the American summertime and it would've made sense.

3. Die Hard || I don't think I've heard anyone call this a Christmas film, but it does take place during Christmas, so it fits, right? This is one of my favourite films of all time -- whether I decide to sit down and watch or play it just to have some background noise, it's a great movie.

That's it for this short little list of my favourite Christmassy films to watch -- whether it's at Christmastime or any other time of the year! Which are your favourites?

Sarah xo

Blogmas Day 19 | My Mascara Collection

I don't have as much mascara as I do lipstick -- but then again I'm not totally sure that that many mascaras exist. I've wanted to do a post on my mascara collection for a while, but for whatever reason, it never eventuated! My ideal mascara packs on loads of volume -- length is nice too, but I'm mostly concerned with have lashes thicker than an Amazonian forest. Rather than organising my mascaras based on what "finish" they're supposed to give me, I've organised them into categories based on either preference (e.g. favourites) or function (e.g. colour).

Yeah, I have a lot of mascara -- and I think I need to throw out and/or replace some of them soon. Let's get to it!

The Angelina Jolies and George Clooneys

A-Lister Mascaras

• Too Faced Better Than Sex || My favourite mascara of all time. When I first looked at it at Mecca Maxima, I asked the girl what she thought and she swore that it was the best she'd ever used. I was sceptical but I bought it anyway -- and she was right. It packs on a heck tonne of volume onto my lashes, so that they look nice and thick and fluffy like a Pomeranian. It's the first mascara that I've bought which immediately impressed me on first use.
• L'Oreal Paris False Lash Butterfly Wings || This was my favourite before I discovered Better Than Sex. I get a great amount of volume, length and curl from this product -- they're about a step down or two from Too Faced, but you can't go wrong with it.
• L'Oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes || I originally wasn't too hot on this because it provides me with more length than volume, but it really has grown on me. Sometimes I find I want a bit of length if I'm doing a bold liner, and this usually does the trick.
• Revlon Bold Lacquer by Grow Luscious || I had zero expectations for this mascara when I got it (for free, I might add), but I was actually pleasantly surprised! I'm not 100% sure, but I think it contains fibres -- not a huge amount, but enough to add a nice amount of length and volume. I am a little careful with this because I think it may have the potential to create clumps, but I quite like it.
• Rimmel Wonder'full || Ahh, I love this. It contains Argan oil, which sent the beauty world gaga for a while, but I personally don't know that it does anything. I really like this amount of volume it gives to my lashes; it's a solid dependable.
• Benefit They're Real! || A lot of people seem to either love or hate this mascara -- I'm in the former category. Despite it being built in the shape of a medieval weapon of incredible damage, I find that it does give me a nice amount of volume and length if I'm careful enough with it. Let me tell you, the risk of stabbing yourself increases by 500% -- you'd want it to be good.

The Rosamund Pikes and Katherine Heigls

Mascaras That Do A Pretty Good Job

• ModelCo Fat Lash || I think this is supposed to dupe the Benefit They're Real! mascara, because the mascara wand shares some similarities in appearance, but I don't think it really is. It does a good job of delivering volume that isn't as "out there" as others -- think of a copse of trees instead of a forest.
• CoverGirl Bombshell Volume by LashBlast || While it doesn't provide anything outstanding, this is a really dependable mascara, especially if you want an everyday or no-makeup look with lashes that have a bit more volume than normal. If you want to wear lashes and want a mascara that will give you great volume without being too much for them, this is the one to go for.
• Max Factor Excess Volume Extreme Impact || This is an exact dupe for the CoverGirl Bombshell -- if you live in the UK (where CoverGirl is not available), this is what you'd get instead. I'm not even kidding, I wrote a post about this. They're exactly the same.
• CoverGirl LashBlast Volume || Ahh, this the mascara that I bought when I was brave enough to start wearing it! It delivers a great punch of volume, but next to no length -- it was great for what I wanted all the way back then, but now I like it for simple looks.
• Rimmel Extra Wow Lash || I was initially disappointed when I first purchased this product -- back then, I only had one mascara at a time! -- but it slowly grew on me until I couldn't be without it! I think it delivers a bit less volume than you might expect, but it nevertheless does a good job. If you want a mascara that gives you volume, but nothing too much, and length, but nothing too much, this is the one you want.

The Katy Perry

AKA Coloured Mascaras

• Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils in "Blue" || Called the Katy Perry simply because that girl has different hair colours all the time -- and some people either like that, or think it's bloody weird. I bought this because I wanted a blue mascara for my Keira Knightley look, and I figured that this matched what I wanted the closest. It delivers an amazing amount of volume and length, and I'd totally wear it more often if it weren't so expensive.

Baywatch Ready

AKA Waterproof Mascaras

• Maybelline The Mega Plush Volum' Express || I bought this when my cat died, because I was damned if I was going to work without mascara, but neither did I want streaks of black running down my face if I suddenly burst into tears. This does a really good job -- I don't think it really provides too much volume, and I think that's because of the bendiness of the brush, but I do feel like it kind of gives something of a "plush" effect. Contrary to opinions about waterproof mascaras, it's not all too hard to take off.

Mediocre "Celebrities" Who Wreck The Good Name Of The Human Race

Rubbish Mascaras

• Revlon Lash Potion by Grow Luscious || I bought this because it promised volume and length -- in fact, I was a bit worried when I bought it, because with a name like "Lash Potion" I wasn't sure if it was some kind of serum that would make them grow sky high. Well, it didn't. It did barely anything. It's okay if you want a little mascara before you put on lashes, but otherwise it's a complete disappointment for me.
• W7 Magic Eyes || I don't think I've ever been so disappointed by a mascara in my life, and given all of the others on this list, that's saying something. The wand looks like a cheap pipe cleaner, and even though it promises "no more clumpy lashes", I actually feel like I'm in more danger of getting them! What's the point in voluminous lashes if you're going to stick them all together? Ugh. No. Get out of my collection.
• Too Faced Lash Injection || I got this "deluxe sized" mascara with the Pardon My French kit and it's rubbish. It may just be because of the wand, because it's one of those crappy generic wire spoolies, but it does absolutely zero for me. I get barely anything on my lashes.
• Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color || This is not a coloured mascara, so I'm not quite sure what's happening with the name. All I know is that it's relatively crap -- and again, I think it comes down to the cheap and nasty wire spooley. I think it might work better if it had a different brush, but I haven't seen the full size product to check and see. If the original does have a different brush, why change it? It Benefit can use their original brush, sure Elizabeth Arden can. As you can see, I've got two of these. I hate to waste mascara, so I'm trying to use them up for when I put on false lashes.

That is my mascara collection, done and dusted! Let me know if you have any of these mascara, and what your thoughts were. Alternatively, let me know about some of your favourite mascaras, because I'll be on the hunt to replace the fails in my collection!

Sarah xo

Blogmas Day 18 | FOTD: Jena Malone for The Shoe's Merchandise Launch

How much do I love Jena Malone? Loads. I don't know how many times I've mentioned her, how many times I've watched her movies, listened to her band's album, admired her makeup -- but it's been a lot. A while ago (and we're talking maybe six months, in classic Sarah style), there was some merchandise released for Jena's band, The Shoe and their album I'm Okay. There were a few shirts, a tote bag -- the style of the crop tops were my favourite, but crop tops don't suit me, so I only bought the CD, but I did really like Jena's makeup!

I've played around with this look before, and it's really easy to do. My skin's been looking pretty good lately, so I didn't want to go to heavy with the foundation -- not when I want to keep it in good condition for Christmas!

For my face, I used the Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector in "Light" all over my face. While letting it set, I primed my eyelids with Benefit Stay Don't Stray (not pictured because I may or may not have forgotten about it). Jena has some serious turquoise going on, so I used the Max Factor Max Effect Dip-In Eye Shadow in "Vibrant Turquoise". I feel like the colour for this is dead-on, but I'm not actually a fan of the product itself. It creases, it transfers... But if you do want it, you can get it at Priceline.

I apply the shadow all over my lid, but I stop before I get to the crease, to minimise the risk of creasing. I also kind of winged it out, making it more exaggerated than I would for eyeliner -- simply because eyeliner is the next step, and we want to see both the eyeliner and the shadow in the wing. I then applied some of the shadow across my lower lashline.

For eyeliner, I used my Maybelline Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner -- you could use whichever you like, but I prefer this because I don't have to worry so much about the Max Factor shadow transferring to the applicator. You really want a liner that is solid and dependable for that reason; you don't want transfer, but you want to cover the shadow! I created a wing, joining it to my lower lashline so as to create more of a cat-eye (that is right, right?). The liner is quite bold -- which is my favourite way to do it! -- and as you can't really see too much of the turquoise on Jena's lids, I figured this was the way to do it. Ideally, the tip of your wing should meet the end point of the shadow, if you get what I mean -- hopefully the picture will make more sense!

Then comes mascara. I used ModelCo Fat Lash Mascara -- it's not my favourite, but it does a good job. You want a mascara that will give you some length as well as volume, because the liner is so thick -- we wanna see those lashes!

For a change, I left the rest of my face the way it was -- I didn't powder, blush or contour -- and for lipstick I went with Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipstick in "Rose". It's a natural lip colour, which is not only what Jena has, but is also the best choice for an eye look like this.

And then that's it!

Here are a few additional suggestions...

• Max Factor, I know, is not available in the US -- it's basically the UK version of CoverGirl. Looking at the US site, the closest product I can find is the Flamed Out Shadow Pot in "Turquoise Glow" -- if this is a normal shadow, it might be work even better than what I have!
• If for whatever reason you can't get your hands on the shadow pot -- or if the Max Factor shadow I used it too expensive for your taste, I recommend the Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Tenacious Teal". It's what I used before I found the Max Factor product, and although the colour isn't right, it works really, really well. I use a concealer brush to apply it, just because I think it allows me more pigmentation and precision.
• If you want to do a full face, I'd recommend using a primer that promises to do something as 'illuminate the skin' -- you know the kind. Jena's face is glowing, and that might be something to help mimic that.
• I didn't contour, but Jena did -- hers isn't too heavy, however. I can't detect any blush, but that just could be my lack of skill -- in which, just pick a light, natural colour!

This isn't really a difficult look to do, and I'm sure many ladies could do it with their eyes closed, but I think it's a nice, almost frosty look that could work summer or winter!

Sarah xo

Blogmas Day 17 | My Lipstick Collection

I have wanted to do a post like this ever since Danielle did one back in June, but as I had lip products that I was always just about to buy, I continually put it off until I did the Padawan thing and completely forgot about it altogether. Partaking in the blogging hell that is Blogmas this year has forced me to up my game a little with cracking out posts, and so the ever un-reliable synapses fired up and magically conjured this back to the forefront of my brain!

Here's the thing: I have a lot of lipstick. What I'm about to show you isn't even my entire lip collection -- there are many lip balms, glosses and lacquers that I chose to leave out because it would render the size of this post from ridiculous to unthinkable. I realised while swatching that somehow two lip lacquers did make it into this post, but then I remembered the following Ancient Chinese proverb: YOLO.

For even all that included in this, however, I feel obliged to say that this isn't my entire collection. Like an idiot, I missed out on four lipsticks because -- for some reason that still eludes me -- I didn't have them with the rest of my collection. One of them is in the hands of my mother, something that I hadn't realised despite the little niggly feeling in my stomach that my Rimmel collection felt a little smaller than normal.

I've tried my best to categorise all of my shades into colour groups, but you may notice a little disparity. After all, sometimes pinks look red, reds look pink, purples look pink, browns look red, purples look brown -- basically every lipstick looks like the colour it's not supposed to be.

The Curse of the Padawan strikes again.

However, I've done my best -- and at the end of the day, that's all you can ask for, so here's my lipstick collection!

Aaaaall the pink lipsticks!

...and their swatches.

Pinks (+ "Pinks")

• Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in "Piccadilly Pink" || This is a really great natural-ish pink that always seems more pink than natural when on my lips. It's a great colour for day something if you want some colour without the Skittles rainbow, or for night if you want to keep your look a little more simple and sweet.
• Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in "As You Want Victoria" || I bought this lipstick because it has the name Victoria in it, because nothing says impulse buy like a shade with the name of one of your favourite monarchs. This is a sassy, blue-toned pink that looks great day in the daytime especially.
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss in "106" || This isn't a lipstick that I wear often, but it's great for days when you want matte, vibrant colours. It's a little lighter than "As You Want Victoria", and I feel like it's the midway between MAC "Damn Glamorous" and MAC "Good Kisser".
• Elizabeth Arden Exceptional Lipstick in "Fiesta" || I kind of "inherited" this lipstick when I got into makeup, in that it was in the top drawer of the bathroom and had been for some unknown period of time. It was brand new, however, and it hadn't dried out, so I've held onto it. It is possible to get this lipstick, but the packaging is different -- my thought is that my mum probably got this as part of a promotional deal once upon a time.
• Maybelline Color Elixir in "Fuchsia Flourish" || Given that this is a lip lacquer, I'm not sure why a swatch of this made it onto my arm. (It's possible that I just really, really wanted to swatch it.) Danielle sent me this in our beauty swap and I actually really like wearing it -- it doesn't bleed on me, which is great!
• Butter London Lippy in "Primrose Hill Picnic" || Apparently the synapses in my brain weren't working properly, because I've named this product incorrectly on my swatch. The tricky thing about Butter London is that although they have a variety of lip colours and glosses, it seems difficult to tell which is which. My bet is that this is one of their liquid lipsticks, although never does it ever say on the packaging what it actually is. I really love this colour, it kind of reminds me of Barbie pink -- and me and Barbie pink aren't two things which always get along.
• Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipstick in "Olympia" || This is another inherited lipstick. It used to belong to my mum, but I borrowed it off her once and decided to never give it back. The colour is very similar to "Piccadilly Pink", but the texture is a bit creamier and not as "slippery" as the Moisture Renew lipsticks. The packaging for the current DeVine Goddess lipsticks is different to what I have.
• Klara Kiss Proof Lips Liquid Lipstick in "Neon Hot Pink" || This looks like a brighter, super matte version of "Primrose Hill Picnic", but I'm kind of not really fond of this. I got a sample at the Beautiful You expo in September, but I haven't properly tested it yet because the colour kind of puts me off. It's a bit too blue and a bit too matte for my current liking -- and of course it doesn't help that my brain keeps referring to it as a hooker pink. I think all this probably needs is a slick of gloss over the top to make it more agreeable.
• MAC "Yield to Love" || From the limited edition Novel Romance collection, this pink is kind of a "my lips but better" shade, and I like applying it when I want a light wash of colour with a dark eye look. It's not quite even in its application, but because it's not a strong colour, it's not such a big deal.
• MAC "No Faux Pas" || This is a hot pink from the limited edition Heirloom Mix collection and I think it looks beautiful, although perhaps more pink in person than it looks in swatch. It lasts well during the day, even through light eating and drinking!
• MAC "Damn Glamorous" || Is it a pink? Is it a red? I would swear that this is a very red-looking pink, but a pink nonetheless. It's from the limited edition Matte Lip collection, which just goes to show how many matte lipsticks are in my collection.
• MAC "Good Kisser" || Ugh, I think this must be my favourite of all my pinks, if only because somehow the lipstick inside looks a little bit scraggly (if you see my review, you'll know what I mean). I find that this tends to be the pink that I reach for most.

Nudes & Naturals (or whatever they are)

Swatchity-swatchin'.

Nudes & Naturals (aka What Does That Even Look Like?)

• Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Mosturizing Lipstick in "Desert Rose" || I really feel like this kind of shimmery peach-toned dusty rose gives my lips a natural look, which is great for if I'm doing some kind of full-on eye makeup. I find that this is also an appropriate lipstick for the workplace -- and naturally that means I ignore it in favour of super bright colours. I got this in like a promotional pack of goodies for spending over a certain amount at Elizabeth Arden, so the actual proper tube looks much prettier.
• Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipstick in "Rose" || The perfect workplace pink, it's noticeably subtle. If I want something low-key but more pink than "Desert Rose", this is what I go for.

Brown-ish colours

Swatches that prove my dubious colour assignments.

Browns (+ "Brown-ish")

• Maybelline Creamy Mattes Lipstick in "Divine Wine" || Danielle gave me this and I looove it! It's out of season for me right now, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be busting it out come autumn. (Plus, marsala anyone?) This is definitely the oxymoron that it promises to be: a lipstick that looks matte but feels creamy on the lips! I can't wait for this collection to get to Australia -- I WILL BUY THEM ALL.
• MAC "Hearts Aflame" || So maybe this should've gone in with my collection of reds, but it did seem kinda brownish! I always get so many compliments when I wear this colour, so, naturally, it is a favourite of mine in the colder months.
• Estée Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in "Shimmer" || I love this lipstick, but it seems as though you can't get it in anymore -- I'm not too surprised, because this was a lipstick I inherited/stole from my mother, so it was likely in our house for a while. There is, however, always the possibility that it was renamed as something else, so when my bank account fattens up in the new year, I'm going to go into Estée Lauder and try and see if they have something similar. This golden brown is actually really nice to wear whether you choose it for day or night, and it's really comfortable on the lips.

Corals

Definitely corals.

Corals

• Maybelline Creamy Mattes Lipstick in "Craving Coral" || Perfect for if you want a matte finish with a creamy texture, I really feel like I need to bust this out more often. It doesn't apply as evenly as "Divine Wine", but I feel that it's fixable and, as such, not really a big deal.
• Maybelline SuperStay 14HR MegaWatt Lipstick in "Burst of Coral" || I was expecting this to be more orange when I bought it (because coral naturally means orange), but that it's a bright pinky coral is both surprising and refreshing. It looks quite pink in the tube and I haven't tested it out yet, but I'm interested to see if it will last the 14 hours.
• Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in "12" || Story time: this was the first lipstick that I ever bought, and I hated it. Despite not being a huge lipstick person at the time, I decided to go for it because it was incredibly cheap at the time, but the first time I wore it, I could not wait to get it off. Corals make my skin look darker -- I feel like they bring out the yellow tone, and I was not a fan of that. Now, however, it's rather grown on me.

Purples

Purples and berry swatches

Purples & Berries (Probably)

• Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipstick in "Hot Plum" || I bought this on a whim when I saw this it was reduced to clear at my local Woolworths -- and I think it was the first kind of bright, neon colour I ever had. It was definitely a step out of my comfort zone, but I was determined that I could make it work. Doing so basically means putting it on and feeling fabulous no matter what anyone might say.
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in "Amethyst Shimmer" || This is a kind of pinky-purple that's a smidgen lighter than the same in "Sugar Plum". I really like this line, the colours fade really well into a sort of "my lips but better" shade after a few hours. Can't complain!
• Avon Simply Pretty ColorBliss Lipstick in "True Rose" || I got this as a present a few years ago, before I got into makeup and became the lipstick fiend that I am today. It was subsequently shoved to the back of the bathroom cupboard until I took everything apart and rediscovered it -- and it's actually a really nice colour! It's similar to the Lasting Finish lipsticks that I have, but with perhaps a little more shimmer.
• MAC "Lingering Kiss" || I put Hearts Aflame in with the "browns" and not this? What's the matter with me? This did seem a bit more purple than brown in my initial swatchings, and it was only when I swatched it up against the rest of them that I looked at it and went, "Hmm."
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in "Sugar Plum" || A lighter version of "Amethyst Shimmer", this could probably have been passed off as a pink. Oh well. Padawan skills 4 lyf.
• MAC "Rebel" || I bought this because I was seeking to recreate a look (and still am). It's not one that I often wear on its own because I find that can cling to dry patches and make them worse, but I like it layered with the MAC "Talk Sexy" lipglass.
• MeMeMe Long Wear Stain Lip Cream in "Morello Silk" || The packaging for this product drew me in, with Greek muses and intriguing names. It was hard to pick one colour, so I ended up with going for "Morello Silk" but a) Chloe Morello; and b) I'd always seen it out of stock before. The shade is between MAC Rebel and MAC Lingering Kiss, but I'm not overly fond of how it applies from the tube. I think a lip brush may work a bit better.

A whole lotta reds.

Swatches of reds!

Reds

• MAC "Sparks of Romance" || This is one of my favourite red lipsticks, although for whatever reason, I don't wear it too often. It's a beautiful red with a little bit of gold shimmer.
• Klara Kiss Proof Lips Liquid Lipstick in "Flaming Red" || I haven't yet dabbled in this Klara product either, but I feel like careful application would be key. These do dry down to a very, very matte finish and it would be a disaster if it was misapplied, because it was quite difficult to get off my arm.
• Maybelline Color Elixir in "Signature Scarlet" || This really doesn't belong here seeing as it's more of a gloss, but here it is! Unfortunately this colour bleeds and feathers on me after a bit, making the edges of my lips look a little fuzzy and blurred. I'm trying to work out a way to get it to stop bleeding, but so far no luck.
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss in "107" || This was among the first of the lipsticks that I bought but then left alone because I thought the colour didn't suit me. I tend to wear it sometimes anyway, because these days I quite like it -- it's matte, but not uncomfortably so.
• MAC "Salon Rouge" || This is a nice pinkish red, but I haven't had much of an opportunity to wear it lately. It's a classic colour that I think will look on any skin tone.
• Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in "Red To Wear" || This is similar to, but a little lighter than, MAC Salon Rouge. It's a good red to have if you want one that's not too over the top or bright.
• Maybelline Color Whisper in "Who Wore It Red-er" || I'm not actually too keen on this shade. For whatever reason, I thought this would be a sheer colour, more towards the lip balm end of things -- it is compared to most of my other lipsticks, but I feel like it's in a weird stage of opacity where it doesn't seem to work on me.
• MAC "Viva Glam Rihanna 1" || I think this was the first MAC lipstick I ever bought, after wanting a red that was, in one word, brilliant. This is probably my favourite lipstick of all time -- I love the colour, I love the shimmer, I love the finish.
• MAC "La Vie En Rouge" || This red has a little bit of orange in it -- or so far as I can tell. I think this is a nice colour for those who want a red that's one step short of vibrant.
• Lipstick Queen Medieval Tinted Treatment || This probably could've been left out as it's kind of more of a lip balm type product, but whatever. This product is marketed as the red that everyone can wear, as you can wear it sheer or build it up (to a point). I love this on my "no make-up" if I just want a tiny hint of colour on my lips. Also it has the word "medieval" in it, and that automatically gets it bonus points.
• Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in "Icon" || I think this was the first high end lip product that I ever purchased. It's a beautiful blue-toned red that will, hands down, look gorgeous on everyone. Unfortunately, it feels a little heavy on my lips, but I can usually ignore it for the greater good.
• Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in "Raven" || I was unsure about this shade originally, as it's more orange-based than Icon, but I find that I really like to wear it. It's not as heavy on the lips as "Icon", so I feel less self-conscious when I wear it.
• Rimmel Provocalips in "Play With Fire" || If you're looking for a deep red that won't budge, this is the one you want. No joke, once this product sets it is game over -- no changing your mind, no take backs. You need to apply it carefully, but it's such a beautiful colour that if you get it right, you'll look smashing.

The Ones That I Forgot

• MAC "Ruby Woo" || Forgotten because I had it in my cupboard and not in my lipstick shoebox! I bought the Heirloom Mix Red Lip Bag a little while ago and thus acquired the Ruby Woo set!
• Bésamé Classic Color Lipstick in "Red Hot Red" || This is supposed to be the shade wore by Marilyn Monroe -- it's a beautiful blue-based red in vintage-style packaging.
• Bésamé Classic Color Lipstick in "Cherry Red" || I forgot about this lipstick and the other Bésamé lipstick because we weren't supposed to get this one -- we'd asked for two "Red Hot Red" but got this instead of one of them. As I'd intended to swap this one at a salon, I kept the bag at the back of the bathroom cupboard, thus forgetting about it. It has been a long time, however, so I think I might actually keep the both of them. Sorry, Ma!
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in "Starry-Eyed" || My mum borrowed this because she was after a dark colourer, but she's pulled Sarah and not given it back to me. I'm not in any hurry to get it back though -- I think I may have one or, dare I say, a dozen other lipsticks that can keep me occupied!

That's it for my lipstick collection! As I mentioned at the start, this isn't my entire lip collection -- although I can assure you that it's not a whole lot bigger. I think.

Let me know which lipsticks are your favourites! Do you have any suggestions? I want to know those too! (Because I am absolutely most definitely not going to buy any more.)

Sarah xo

Blogmas Day 16 | You're It! The Wishes Tag

When I saw that Arianne from Ayre had posted her more heartfelt rendition of this tag (which was created, she tells me, by CutiePieMarzia), I thought, 'Well hey, this is cool!' After all, it turns out that some of our answers are somewhat similar, and nothing makes me more excited to do a tag than being able to saying, "LOOK, WE GOT THE SAME RESULTS ON OUR QUIZ!" (Calm down, Sarah.)

My face wearing makeup that Danielle sent me because I wished upon a star for it.

I had originally intended to hold this post back awhile, but one post in particular (which should hopefully be up tomorrow) has taken me so long to write that about 10pm I gave up on it for the day. Huzzah for difficult posts!

1. What do you wish you knew when you were younger?

I wish I'd known that I had the power to take opportunities. I've let a few of them stare me in the face and then walk away, and I think my life would be different if I'd been able to carpe diem like a boss. That's not to say that I regret any of the decisions that I've made in my life, but I know that I could've made ones which were better again.

2. Where do you wish you could live?

Oh Cornwall, in England, without a doubt! I could then perhaps retire in Malta.

3. What is one thing you wish you could do?

I wish I could run at least as fast as the average person. The Pokémon Slowpoke was, in fact, named after me. (No it wasn't.)

4. What would you wish to be better at?

Getting myself organised. I always try, but I can never seem to pull it together. I'm really not sure how everyone else is able to do it. It's probably because I'm Slowpoke, Slowbro and Slowking all rolled up in one human.

5. What do you wish to become when you were little?

A writer! From the time I was 7 up until I was 12, I loved reading so much that I wanted to be an author. Books like What's the Matter, Kelly Bean? and Harry Potter had a huge part to play in it. From then, I wanted to teach: first primary school (because I thought it would be easy), then secondary (because I then realised that I was wrong), at first teaching Japanese but then to teach English in Japan -- and it was only when I had a horrible time in my final year of school that I decided to throw away the whole teaching scheme and become an archaeologist.

Ironically, I'm now back on the path of teaching.

6. Is there anything you wish you could change about the world?

If I could change anything, I'd try to put an end to hunger. I'm honestly not sure how I'd go about doing it, because these things are always more complicated than they ever seem to be, but I honestly feel like nobody should go hungry. Not those in third-world countries, not those living on the streets, not those in low economic areas.

I would also make makeup cheaper in Australia. Ain't nobody got time for $36 MAC lipsticks.

7. What is your "biggest wish"?

I want to be happy. I want to not feel alone. I wish to have my cat back. Life the last few years has felt like it's been a lot of "one step forward, three steps back" and it's quite exhausting.

That's about it for this mini-tag! If you'd like to have a crack it, do so and send me your link so that I can read your answers.

Sarah xo

Blogmas Day 15 | Compare the Pair: Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette vs I ♡ Makeup I Heart Chocolate Palette

One is an icon, the other is a new-age remake -- I'm not talking about When A Stranger Calls, I'm talking about the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and its not-quite doppelgänger, the I ♡ Makeup I Heart Chocolate Palette! The huge price difference had a lot of people talking about the dupable shades as well as the affordability -- but just how similar are they? In Australia, cheap often means rubbish -- hell, sometimes cheapish can mean rubbish -- but high end can easily break the bank, so when the opportunity to compare these palettes presented itself, I was all over it like pirates on booty.

Packaging

The packaging for the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette is designed to draw your eye. It's cute, it's pink and it's pretty -- whether you're a girly girl or moderately so, you will most likely feel drawn to it. By comparison, the packaging for the I ♡ Makeup I Heart Chocolate palette is somewhat less pretty. It's a shiny brown cardboard with a clear plastic window so that you can see the palette inside. Both are easy to open, and both have an indication of the shades on the bottom side.

As far as the palettes go, the Chocolate Bar palette certainly resembles a chocolate bar -- that of the 70% Lindt variety. The brand and product names are printed on the lid. The I Heart Chocolate palette looks more like the chocolate bar than the Chocolate Bar; it starts as a chocolate bar and then graduates into a melty chocolate mess that makes me wish I had some to drizzle on some ice cream.

The Chocolate Bar palette is about 50% thicker than the I Heart Chocolate and a little longer, but I'm not necessarily sure that there's more shadow. The mirror is much, much smaller than that of the I Heart Chocolate palette. Both have plastic sheets with the shade names written on them, and both are easy to read. The I Heart Chocolate palette comes with a dual-ended sponge applicator, whereas the Chocolate Bar palette comes with a "Glamour Guide" of look suggestions -- you may find one or the other more useful to your needs.

Scent

One of the big selling points of the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette is that it is made with, and thus smells like, cocoa powder. This is true -- it does smell deliciously of cocoa powder, and you can get a whiff as soon as you open it up. The I Heart Chocolate palette does not smell of chocolate and is not made with cocoa powder, but then it does not claim to.

Shades

On a surface level, the shades do look dupable. There are a lot of colour similarities, but there is enough disparity to wonder if it really is a direct dupe. I found the only way to address this was to compare the shades side by side.

"Gilded Ganache" vs "Piece Me Together" || Gilded Ganache is a great deal lighter than Piece Me Together; indeed, Piece Me Together feels like it might be closer off to Triple Fudge. Both were slightly gritty to the touch -- Piece Me Together perhaps being the grittier -- and although Gilded Ganache swatched more sheer, it is an easier blending colour than Piece Me Together for this reason.

"White Chocolate" vs "You Need Love" || While they look very similar in the pan, White Chocolate is a deeper cream than You Need Love, which is whiter. Both make great highlight shades, but White Chocolate feels creamy and buttery to the touch, whereas You Need Love is thinner and silkier.

"Milk Chocolate" vs "One More Piece" || Both are quite similar in colour, but Milk Chocolate is a little darker. That being said, One More Piece packs onto the lid really well, perhaps even a little better than Milk Chocolate. I have sometimes experienced a little creasing with Milk Chocolate on days where my oil glands decide that they know no bounds, but I haven't had that problem at all with One More Piece. Milk Chocolate is buttery and creamy to the touch; One More Piece is thinner and silkier.

"Black Forest Truffle" vs "Love Torn" || Love Torn leans more towards the purplish/reddish/aubergine side than Black Forest Truffle, which is a bit more brown-based in its purple. Both have golden glitter, but Black Forest Truffle seems to have more of it evenly dispersed. Both are somewhat dry and rather gritty to the touch, Love Torn especially. Love Torn seems more sheer when swatched, but you need a light hand if you're going to apply it into your crease.

"Triple Fudge" vs "Stolen Chocolate" || These look very, very similar when swatched. Triple Fudge has a little more visual appeal than Stolen Chocolate, and it is a just a tiny bit lighter. Despite being somewhat dry to the touch and sheer to swatch, both build up easily. I could definitely say that these are dupable shades.

"Salted Caramel" vs "Thank Friday" || Both are quite velvety to the touch, but Thank Friday feels a bit less creamy. Salted Caramel is a little more orange-toned, where as Thank Friday seems to be neutral. Although much more sheer than Salted Caramel, Thank Friday still builds very well. I haven't experienced any creasing with either of these shades.

"Marzipan" vs "More!" || There is a noticeable difference in pan appearance for these shades -- More! looks shimmery, but Marzipan looks frosted. They both give off a frosted finish when swatched, but the colours are not dupes of each other either, as More! leans towards a light champagne gold and Marzipan looks more golden-orange.

"Semi-Sweet" vs "Pleasure Girl" || These two aren't dupes either, and this is noticeable in the pan. Pleasure Girl is lighter than Semi-Sweet, and seems more between Semi-Sweet and Milk Chocolate. Pleasure Girl was silky to the touch, whereas Semi-Sweet was creamier.

"Strawberry Bon Bon" vs "Meet Chocolate" || These are very similar, but the winner for me is Meet Chocolate. It builds colour easier and looks warm-toned next to Strawberry Bon Bon, which looks a bit cooler and blue-toned. Meet Chocolate looks like strawberry Nesquick and I love strawberry Nesquick like nothing else.

"Candied Violet" vs "Unforgivable" || These shades aren't dupes of each other. Candied Violet is a more brownish dark purple, whereas Unforgivable does have more of the violet-purple colour. Both were slightly gritty to the touch and had pink glitter, although in Candied Violet the glitter is less finely milled.

"Amaretto" vs "Love Divine" || Neither are these dupes. Both are shades of bronze, but Love Divine is lighter and golden; Amaretto, by comparison, is rather dark. Amaretto has a kind of frosty finish, whereas Love Divine is a bit more shimmery and metallic; Love Divine, however, swatches better.

"Hazelnut" vs "Smooth Criminal" || Once again, these colours are not dupes. Hazelnut is actually more similar to Love Divine than Smooth Criminal, with the latter going more into gold territory than dark bronze. Like before, Smooth Criminal swatches a little more than Hazelnut, but the colour is softer.

"Crème Brulee" vs "Chocolate Love" || Now these two are slightly more dupable, but only slightly. Both are beautifully gorgeous antique gold shades, with Chocolate Love being lighter and more yellow than Crème Brulee. The two of them are silky to the touch and swatch beautifully.

"Haute Chocolate" vs "You Need More" || These two shades are really, really similar. You Need More leans a bit more to the bronze age of shade. Both it and Haute Chocolate are really beautiful to swatch and easy to apply. I'd be a little bit careful when applying You Need More, because it has the potential to not go where you want it if you're impatient.

"Cherry Cordial" vs "What A Way To Go" || These two shades are definitely not dupes. They look similar in the pan, but they don't swatch like each other at all. Cherry Cordial is a brown-toned purple with some iridescent glitter; on the other hand, What A Way To Go is a kind of berry wine colour with glitter. They're both very beautiful shades, but absolutely not dupes.

"Champagne Truffle" vs "Endorphins Ready!" || Woo hoo, some dupable shades! Champagne Truffle is a little more pink than Endorphins Ready!, which is slightly more natural. The former is creamier than the latter, which has a satiny touch. They apply evenly but build nicely -- and I sometimes use them as a cheek highlighter because I have no shame.

Value

The Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette is a little cheaper now than it was when I bought it earlier this year, but at $65 it will still make a hefty dent in your bank account. You can buy them at selected Mecca Maxima or Kit Cosmetics store, or try and hunt them down online -- the Too Faced website does not ship directly to Australia. At time of writing, Beauty Bay currently has the palette on sale for $59.30, which may be a more palatable price tag -- but it's normally almost $80 (I think their prices may have gone up.)

By comparison, the I ♡ Makeup I Heart Chocolate palette will only set you back $14.82 -- a definite bargain! You can only purchase it from the Makeup Revolution website, and they do charge for shipping, but it's only around $15 for standard.

Both palettes, as you've been able to see, have the same numbers of eye shadows, and although there doesn't seem to be any way for me to find out, I think there's a similar amount of product.

The Roadtest

The only way to roadtest shadows is by wearing them! The Chocolate Bar palette is my default palette -- it's the one I reach for most, so I know really well how good it is. As I've mentioned on this blog in the past, I feel like my eyelids sometimes produce more oil than a canola plantation, so I like to look for an eye shadow that will last with as minimal creasing as possible.

Having bought the Chocolate Bar palette in about March or April, I haven't yet been able to test it properly in the hot Australian weather. I do know that has the tendency to crease on me particularly if my face gets warm, but I think that there are a range of other factors contributing to it at the same time, such as weather, duration, skin condition, the type of primer I used, etc. I find that, despite the nice range of colours, the palette seems to consist of mainly brown-toned shades, so really pretty colours like Candied Violet and Cherry Cordial can sometimes lose their nice purple or burgundy -- or so it seems to me.

A look I did in June with the Chocolate Bar palette -- it has my old watermark!

Even so, it is possible to achieve a number of different varieties of looks with the palette -- my favourite being the birthday look I did inspired by Karlie Kloss -- and the creasing is rarely major. The shadows apply well -- I only seem to have a little trouble packing on Strawberry Bon Bon -- and I haven't experienced any fall out. The colours usually blend together well, although I have sometimes had a little trouble with blending -- but we can chalk that up with my dodgy Padawan skills.

How well the I Heart Chocolate will work under the stresses of the sun also remains to be seen, but if my previous uses are anything to go by, it seems like it will be very promising. The metallic shades mostly swatch up beautifully, but the mattes are rather sheer and disappointing -- to my surprise, however, they actually build up very well.

A look I did recently with the I Heart Chocolate palette.

You do, however, need to be more careful when applying the shades from the I Heart Chocolate palette. While not the chalkiest shadows I've had to deal with, they do tend to be a little on the powdery side, it can be easy to put too much on your brush and make a mess of it -- especially if you have serious Padawan-level skills. I noticed that sometimes a little powder would get kicked up from the pan when I dipped my brush into it, and while I haven't noticed any real fall out, I have on occasion noticed traces of shadow on my nose -- and I have no idea how it got there! I think initial fall out may occur if you put too much shadow on the brush, but once it gets on your lid, it stays there.

I had expected a cheap price to come with relatively cheap quality, as although the swatches had seemed promising, I'd thought they would probably crease like tissue paper! To my delight, at this stage I have experienced zero creasing! I've done looks that I would normally do with the Chocolate Bar palette and it's lasted on me all day. The shades all blend quite well with each other, almost -- dare I say it -- like they were designed for each other. For the most part, they seem to work with each other in a way that those in the Chocolate Bar palette do not, and I think it might come down to some of the colours being less brown-based. Then again, I could be entirely wrong.

And the winner is...

While the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette remains my favourite for the most sentimental of reasons, I honestly think most would agree that the I ♡ Makeup I Heart Chocolate Palette has it in the bag! It's much cheaper than the Chocolate Bar as well, so if you were looking for a more affordable alternative then you really can't go wrong. I would not call it an exact dupe for the Chocolate Bar, however a lot of the shades are relatively similar -- or, at least, they belong to the same colour family. I doubt there's anything the Chocolate Bar can do that the I Heart Chocolate can't.

Already have the Chocolate Bar? Curious about the I Heart Chocolate anyway? There's no reason why you can't have both! I think you could take it or leave it either way; I feel like the decisive factors would be whether or not you feel that shades like "Unforgivable" and "What A Way To Go" contain more of the vibrant colour that they appear to have.

If you're a Padawan tossing up between buying the two palettes, I Heart Chocolate would be a great place to start for its price -- and if you then decide you want the luxury of the Chocolate Bar, there's no reason why you shouldn't go for it, although I'd suggest really thinking it through to make sure that you're buying it for the colours and not for the name. $65 is a lot of money to pay for a name.

Do you have either of these palettes? Do you have both? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Sarah xo