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Sunday, April 8, 2012

NOTD: OPI Pink Shatter

I couldn't resist picking up another shatter from CatchOfTheDay - this time I got a range of colours from navy, blue, turquoise & pink! I decided to try pink, being the most "work friendly" shatter.

How to use it?

I've had issues with some of the shatter colours (white & red - I'm looking at you!) but pink went on like a dream. Very similar to black shatter, it worked very well.

What does it look like?

A thin layer seemed to work better for me (like the silver, gold & black shatters). The colour is a super bright pink.

I haven't tried pink over a dark colour as of yet. It seems quite opaque however as per my experience with the red shatter, a dark colour beneath may darken the pink - I will give it a go & report back.

In the picture to the right I have:

2 x coats of Ulta3's Lily White
1 x thin coat of OPI's Pink Shatter
1 x coat of Ulta3's clear Non Chip Clear polish.

Verdict

Pink Shatter is a lot of fun to wear, eye catching & works really well! No hard work or redos here.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Review: Twilight by LUSH Cosmetics

I'm a big fan of the Lush Twilight bath ballistic (as well as the Shower Gel) & although I adore it, it's a lot of money for something you use for a few minutes then wash down the drain. Still, I think it's worth it as an occassional treat. I love the smell so much that I have wished it would last longer.

Needless to say, when I found out Lush make a Twilight perfume - I knew I HAD to have it.

Notes:

Top Note: Lavender oil
Middle Note: Ylang ylang Absolute
Base Note: Tonka bean Absolute

How does it smell?

The notes in Twilight are basic - Lavender, Ylang Ylang & Tonka Bean. These 3 simple notes go so well together & create a very luxurious scent. The bath ballistic has a lovely malty quality & I wondered if the translation from bath product to perfume would work?
Twilight perfume 30ml

At first spray, you get a strong waft of Lavender. It smells so distant from the Twilight bath ballistic I immeditely thought that it was going to be a fail. Good try Lush.

Not long after however, the Ylang Ylang comes through & soon after the Tonka Bean. The Lavender steps back & it turns into the creamy Twilight I know & love. Phew!

You don't have to be a big lavender or ylang ylang fan to love this. They are both more supporting scents rather than standout florals.

Twilight is very very comforting. I find myself smelling my wrists throughout the day. Lasting power is great. One spray on each arm remains for 12+ hours, after which it's still there - but lies close to the skin.

The Bottle

The only thing I dislike about this perfume is the bottle. The black bottle seems to be thick glass covered in black colour which I admit, will protect the perfume from light. The issue is however that you can't see inside & the weight makes it very hard to tell how much perfume is left in the 30ml bottle.

Also, one tip is make sure you don't get any perfume on the bottle, as the alcohol will disolve the black dye & it will run - dying anything in its path black - including your fingers. I found this the hard way when another Lush perfume I purchased leaked a little during transit.

I realise that this is the new way Lush/Gorilla Perfumes are packaging their product, but if I had my way I would get them to go back to the glass bottles they had previously. At least you could see how much perfume is left.

Conclusion:

I'm very happy to say that YES - the transition from bath ballistic to perfume was successful! I'm ecstatic that it's just like the bath ballistic. Twilight is a great perfume & it lasts longer than some of my more expensive perfumes. At $50US for 30ml it's not the cheapest fragrance, however I feel that it's worth it.

So, my advice is - if you love the Twilight Bath Ballistic, don't even think about it - buy this NOW! You won't regret it!

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Recommended for: Winter, cooler days.
Where to buy: Twilight is a limited edition perfume released in the UK & US, unfortunately at this time it is not available for purchase @ Lush Australia.
Cost: Usually about $50USD + delivery (I purchased my Twilight on eBay)

My Rating: 8/10 (2 points taken off because of the bottle)