Outfit Of The Day Post and Best Australian Blog Competition

Before I get into the special outfit post of the day I just wanted to put in a little announcement. I’ve been nominated for the Sydney Writer’s Centre “Best Australian Blogs Competition”! Very exciting 😀 I’m not sure the category I’m up for but as well as the regular awards I’ve been nominated for the People’s Choice Award!

If you would like to vote in the awards (not just for me, there are lots of other amazing bloggers nominated too) just click the banner below to be taken to the form. If you want to vote for me I’m on the 3rd page of blogs under V for Violet ^_^

So yeah I just wanted to say thank you to all of you reading this because when I started this blog years ago I had no idea the awesome places it would take me or the wonderful people I would meet, so THANK YOU for reading!!!

People's Choice Award

Now on to today’s outfit post! This is a special version of this too because the outfit was a huge surprise ^_^ You remember last year when I held the One Day in Paradise competition for their 1 year anniversary? I found a beautiful Jesus Diamate dress and debated with you guys in the comments and on Twitter whether I should buy it. Well last week a package turned up in my letterbox. Turns out Marie (who is the incredibly sweet owner of One Day in Paradise) sent it to me as a present *_*I just about had a heart attack when I opened the box!!

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So ruffly and pretty!

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I wore this outfit to meet Thomas and Sakie who are lovely bloggers from Japan. So happy because I finally got an excuse to try Max Brenner too XD Photos of that to come in the next edition of snapshots.

This is the kind of dress you just want to spin in XD

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Totally love it, can’t wait to try out different ways to coordinate it!

One Day in Paradise info:

Shop is located at Visage n Vice Boutique, 248 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, Victoria.

Open Fridays 11am-7pm and Saturdays 11am-6pm or by appointment. Shop online anytime.

One Day in Paradise, Visage n Vice Boutique and Petticoats and Gallantry also do various markets and stalls so please check their websites for more information on time and dates. A big thank you goes to Laura from Petticoats and Gallantry for including the leopard print shower cap I had my eye on at the store too 😀 Showering in style=win! Thank you girls!!

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Now back to video editing for me 😀

Face of Australia Nail Polish Swatches

Following on from yesterday’s post on Face of Australia’s cosmetics, here are my swatches of the polishes I was sent. I’ve done the new collection Molten Metalics and a couple from Luxe which is the previous collection.

Brand: Face of Australia

From: Priceline, Big W, Kmart (I think they are currently looking for a place to sell online too)

Price: Around the $5 mark from Priceline.

Volume: 13ml

Bottle: Square with a tall, shiny, thin, black lid. Easy to store and stack, no complaints here.

Brush: Average size, maybe a little thicker and very flexible. Some of the brushes had loose/long bristles which I had to trim before attempting to use them which was a bit annoying.

Drying Time: Roughly the same for all of them. Nice and quick drying time.

Colour Name: Beauty Queen

Description: Good old fashioned Barbie pink.

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Thoughts: Nice fresh bright pink. Opaque in 2 coats with a really nice shiny finish. You can probably guess that I really like this one 😉VioletLeBeauxDSC_0628_1493Good for: -Work friendly manicures with a bit of extra pop -Sweet cutesy designs, perfect base for Hime and Lolita -Might be good for konad over light designs as it’s fairly opaque.Bad for: – Non-girly designs. I don’t think there’s a way to un-girly this shade of pink!

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Colour Name: Private Jet

Description: Matte dark purple.

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Thoughts: I do love matte purples, I have quite a few of them, when I swatched this one I just wasn’t particularly excited by it. It’s not that there’s anything particularly wrong with it, I just think it’s too similar to other polishes I’ve got. Still, looking at it by itself it’s got a nice smooth finish to it.

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Good for: -Dark midnight themed designs -Might make interesting konads as it’s pretty opaque and matte konad=win.

Bad for: – Shininess XD Obviously this could be fixed with a top coat though!! -Being the same colour as in the bottle, obviously because it’s a matte shade it comes out a lot darker when it dries.

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Colour Name: Summer Spice

Description: Super bright orangey red.

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Thoughts: Oh my god this shade required sunglasses to look at for long periods of time!! It’s a nice matte finish the same as Private Jet but I found this one a much more interesting colour. It really smacks you in the face with it’s awesome brightness!

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Good for: -Spring/Summerish manicures designed to stand out

Bad for: – Subtlety

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Colour Name: Bronze

Description: A redish bronze with gold shimmer.

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Thoughts: I really liked this one, I could totally see it being used in some awesomely shiny leopard print designs. It’s a very reddish bronze which I think makes it nice and versatile.

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Good for: -Jazzed up leopard print or other animal print designs -Probably good for konad because of the high concentrate of shimmer

Bad for: – Rushed one coat manicures, really needs a second coat.

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Colour Name: Verdigris

Description: Greenish gold.

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Thoughts: I think this is the weirdest colour I own, it’s not quite gold but it’s not quite green but in other light it’s not quite whatever colour is reflecting off it. I honestly didn’t really like this colour, something about it just didn’t sit right, on my hands it just looked a little sickly. It might look nicer on someone with a more olive complexion? The colour change between the different coats was quite interesting too.

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Good for: -Swirly 1970’s themed manicures

Bad for: – My skin tone -Consistant colour

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Colour Name: Titanium

Description: Silver with a silver shimmer.

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Thoughts: This one is a really intense silver packed with shimmer. Only needs one coat and shines like hell in the sun. No complaints about this one at all, goes on smooth and and is so versatile.

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Good for: -Probably konad as it’s super shimmery and opaque -Adding a little bling to a standard design -Awesomely shiny french tips

Bad for: – Natural looks. Seriously it’s not a subtle finish at all.

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Colour Name: Iron Ore

Description: Black with a beautiful silver shimmer.

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Thoughts: This is probably my favorite of the whole collection. The silver shimmer really gives it an extra edge and the finish is kind of satin-ish. When I applied a top coat it was like looking into the far reaches of the galaxy XD It has a really nice depth to it and while not completely opaque in 1 coat it is still enough that I would wear it with one coat just for a change.

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Good for: -A nice twist on gothic themed manicures -Maybe good for konad as it’s pretty opaque

Bad for: – Light girly themed manicures, though if paired with the Beauty Queen pink that could be a really interesting combination!

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Colour Name: White Gold

Description: A nice light gold with silver shimmer.

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Thoughts: Now pair this with the Bronze and you’ve got yourself a fairly impressive leopard print! By itself though, the colour didn’t thrill me. I’m not one for tans or neutral colours so I think there are other girls that could rock this look way better than me! The finish was really nice though, true to its name it really did look like white gold.

My bad for loosing the photo with the main swatch but you can pretty much see the finish from the bottle. It really does look exactly the same.

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Good for: -Natural work friendly manicures with a little punch -Probably another one which is good for konad because it’s nice and opaque which hell of a shimmer

Bad for: -Standing out in a crowd

 

Colour Name: Gold

Description: Bronzey base with a LOT of gold shimmer.

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Thoughts: This is the third colour I would use in my awesomely shiny leopard print of doom 😉 The bottle really doesn’t do justice to how this looks on, once it dries it’s *really* shiny. In the bottle the tan/bronzey base looks like it’s in main colour but once it’s on the nail the gold shimmer works its magic and it’s like looking at foolsgold/pyrite. Opaque in one coat, what more do you need?

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Good for: -Natural work friendly manicures with extra bling (I’m noticing that’s a theme with the this collection) -Using as a little accent to cute girly manicures

Bad for: – Probably wouldn’t look good with some skin tones as it’s very yellow.

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Colour Name: Amethyst

Description: Deep pinkish purple with a silver shimmer.

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Thoughts: Another of my favorites from the collection. I do love a good pink/purple and the shimmer just makes it really versatile. It needs two coats to be opaque and it a tiny bit streaky but I still love it because it has a lot of depth.

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Good for: -Darker gothic  designs -Add a little silver accent and you’ve got something cute and girly too

Bad for: – Probably bad for konad as it’s not very opaque first go.

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Colour Name: Flaming Lava

Description: Red with a deep red shimmer.

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Thoughts: LOVE this one too. It’s another one that I could spend hours staring at because of the depth of colour. The shimmer really amps up the colour so in the light it’s a little hypnotic. Opaque in one coat is really nice for a red this pretty too.

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Good for: -Nice twist on really sexy traditional red manicures -Probably good for konad as it’s nice and opaque

Bad for: – Super sweet designs, this one is just plain sexy.

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So overall? A lot of the colours I loved, some were ok but not for me. I probably wouldn’t buy the whole collection but I would definitely buy my favorites individually. At $4.95 each you can’t really go wrong with some of them. Molten Metallics is definitely an interesting collection so I can’t wait to see where Face of Australia go next!

 

Face of Australia Review Range

I’ve been chatting on and off with Tina from Face of Australia on twitter for a while now and having used some of their products before I was really excited when she offered to send me a care package. Face of Australia is one of those brands which is completely underrated in my opinion. I’ve used their products in the past and really liked them and I always check them out when I head into a Priceline but you never really hear people talking about them much. Recently they have delved into the land of social media and now everyone is talking about them which is great! It’s really nice to see an Australian brand succeeding and doing social media the right way for a change rather than just begging for retweets.

So on to the reviews! I have an entire collection of polishes which will be up in tomorrow’s post but for now let’s talk make up. It was a mixed bag and some things I absolutely loved while others were nice but not for me.

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Pressed Bronzer $11.95 and Instant Tan Bronzer Mouse $11.95 I’m the first to admit I know nothing about bronzers, mostly because I never use them and have no desire to be any shade of tan, so it’s hard for me to really comment on these. I did swatch them quickly on my arm for the sake of trying something new but having nothing to compare the experience to I wont make any judgements!Straight on my arm, pressed bronzer on the left, mouse on the right.VioletLeBeauxDSC_0013_1560

Rubbed in:

VioletLeBeauxDSC_0014_1561 SPF 30+ Coconut Spray $12.99 I like the bottle the sunscreen comes in, it’s big but not so big it would be hard to take out with you. It has a nifty little black clicky thing which is attached to the spray part that folds up and down to prevent it from spraying all over the inside of your bag! The smell is quite realistically coconut rather than that generic smell a lot of coconut beauty products have. I personally hate coconut so it didn’t do it for me but James loves it! The spray itself is fairly watery and rubs in nice and easily. While I don’t like the smell, that’s just personal preference so because of the clever bottle I would definitely buy it with a different scent. DO WANT (but for James) VioletLeBeauxDSC_0523_1398 Face Base Primer $11.95 I love this primer. It’s oil free, light and has vitamin E and chamomile. My favorite part is how light it is when applied to the skin, it feels almost like silk. There isn’t any strong smell, so it doesn’t compete with other products either. Best of all it works! I could really tell the difference in longevity when I used it on a daily basis. DO WANT. VioletLeBeauxDSC_0016_1563 Gentle Make Up Remover. $8.95 Love this too, works like a charm. It’s the typical 2 part solution that you shake together to activate and then press on with a cotton pad and smooth away make up. Doesn’t feel sticky, just feels like water. I think it felt a little more harsh than my Neutroena one but still worked well. One plus (in my eyes anyway!) is that when you shake the two solutions together it looks like the bottle has sparkles in it! The only thing I didn’t like was the tiny opening in the bottle top but that’s just personal preference. Big thumbs up on this one. DO WANT. Anti-Ageing Stick Foundation in Outback Ivory. $11.95 I think this is the lightest shade in this range available but it was way too dark and orange for me, then again the “outback” part in the name is probably a giveaway. I’m quite pale with pink undertones so anything even remotely orangey doesn’t look good on my skin. Texture- wise it’s quite thick and heavy so you could get some really heavy duty coverage out of it. I like lighter coverage so I found that using it as a concealer rather than whole foundation was perfect. Covered my dark circles like a dream and then with my lighter foundation over the top it was able to get the right tone. If it came in a shade that matched me a bit better I would buy again for use as a concealer. DO WANT (but not this colour) VioletLeBeauxDSC_0536_1409 Mineral Therapy Liquid Foundation in Ivory $15.95 I found this one much more my style foundation- wise. It was nice coverage without being too weighed down at all. Again this is the lightest shade that FOA makes in this product. I thought the colour suited me when I swatched a little of it but when I did a whole face full in the morning I discovered that this too is a bit on the orange side for me, I could probably get away with it but I just didn’t feel like myself. It’s a pity because the texture and everything about it is wonderful! I love the level of coverage, I love how light it feels and I love it has vitamins c and e as well as jojoba. Again if this was in my shade I would definitely look at trying it again. DO WANT (but not this colour)

From left to right, stick foundation, mineral liquid, mineral powder, translucent powder

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Rubbed in:

VioletLeBeauxDSC_0008_1555 Mineral Therapy Foundation in Natural Ivory $16.95 Again lots of vitamins and good things in this powder but matching the mineral foundation, it’s just a touch to orange for my skin. Looks fantastic on though because it’s got a pretty intense shimmer to it. Shimmers in foundation are something you either love or hate and while I adore it I know others who will only use this as a highlighter because it’s too intense. The powder itself is very nice and smooth so the only thing preventing me from purchasing is the slight mismatch in colour for my skin. I like the little brush attached to the package as well from a convenience point of view. DO WANT (but not this colour) Translucent Loose Powder in Outback Translucent $11.95 This one I absolutely loved. Perfect colour for me and applies like a dream. It seals in foundation really well and unlike the mineral therapy, it doesn’t have a shimmer to it. This has made it’s way into my every day make up routine and there’s not much of a better endorsement from me! XD A little bit goes a long way and it comes in a nice big jar too so I think it will last forever. DO WANT. VioletLeBeauxDSC_0542_1415 Devine Shine Lip Plumper in Lavish Impact $10.95 The colour of this one is more brown than I’m used to wearing but once on the lips it gave a quite nice natural colour. The texture is nice and fairly standard for a lip gloss and I did experience a small plumping of my lips but nothing too crazy. The thing I couldn’t get past on this was the smell. You can really smell the menthol, cinnamon and ginger. To be honest it smelled like euky bear/vaporub *_* every time I applied it all I could do was thinking of being sick in bed drowning in tissues and Vic’s vaporub. That’s just my weird hang up but it was enough for me to not want to use it regularly XD I think it was a perfectly fine gloss but definitely check in store and smell it before you buy. MEH. VioletLeBeauxDSC_0017_1564 Mineral Lip Shine in Fairy Floss $12.95 I’ve been trying more nude colours lately so this really appealed to me. The colour is a really nice nude with a hint of light pink and shimmer. It looks very natural on and while not particularly pigmented it’s still very pretty. The fact that it’s not very opaque makes it quite a versatile shade in my opinion, I think it could be worn with a variety of colours. Soft and very moisturing, I would definitely look at getting this in lots of different colours. DO WANT. Liquid eyeliner in Black. $8.95 Hands down this is my favorite liquid eyeliner ever. I’ve been allergic to a lot of eyeliners in the past, one particularly bad reaction left me with red liner burns for weeks. This is the first one I’ve tried in years that gave me absolutely no reaction whatsoever. To top it all off the brush is also the easiest I’ve ever used. It is long and thin which makes it really easy to maneuver into both long and thin lines as well as creating really nice side flicks. It lasts fairly well, not quite as long as my Bobbi Brown gel liner but still pretty good. The only places that really wore out during the day were the inner corners of my eyes. This is another product that has made it’s way into my every day basket, I would absolutely replace this once it runs out. DO WANT.

So verdict? While some things didn’t really suit me due to the colours, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t look at again should they come in different colours. The quality was great considering the prices and I am totally looking forward to seeing what comes out from the brand next.

Do you guys have any favorite product/brand which rocks but don’t seem to get much attention?

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