Review: Hello Kitty Memoirs of a Kitty Say Hello Palette

Here is the Hello Kitty palette I got from Sephora recently :)

This palette is to die for. It literally speaks to every aspect of my personality (well, certain ridiculously girly aspects anyway). It’s sweet, it’s cute, it has cherry blossoms on it, it’s shaped like a kitty head, it’s pink and white and all things delicious! I am a self confessed Hello Kitty fanatic, so I HAD to have something from the Sephora Hello Kitty collection... and this was the cutest!

NOTD: Hello Kitty plate & Sinful Colors Boom Boom

Just wanted to show you the stamping I did today.. My first successful stamping mani!





I used Sinful Colors Boom Boom, which is a beautiful bright pink jelly. Here are some swatches of Boom Boom on it's own :)

Natural light



With flash (more true to actual colour)



Products used:
Hello Kitty plate by Born Pretty
m31 plate by Konad
Konad white polish
Sinful Colors Boom Boom
LA Colors Art Deco in yellow
Rush topcoat

I am giving away one of the Hello Kitty nail stamping plates, as well as the stamper and scraper (and a bunch of other great products) in my

GIVEAWAY!!

Click HERE to enter!

Ishah xx

e.l.f., Urban Decay and nail art giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Thank you!

--------------------------------------------------

It’s finally here, Beauties!!

My first giveaway :)

I promised a giveaway once I reached either 50 Facebook fans or 50 GFC followers. Well, the Facebook community has been kind to me and I have reached 50 fans! :)


 
e.l.f. Beauty Book; Smoky Eye Edition
Urban Decay Smoke Out Eye Pencil; Mary Jane
Urban Decay Primer Potion Mini; Sin
Born Pretty Nail Stamping Kit; Stamper, Scraper & Hello Kitty plate
Milani Nail Art polish; Orange Graph & Green Sketch
NOTE: All items are new and unused.
 

 
RULES:

YOU MUST
Be a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect (GFC)
OR
Like the Beauty Mamas Facebook page
Each one will give you one entry (so if you do both, you get 2 entries!)
 
OPTIONAL ENTRIES
For optional extra entries you can do the following -
Tweet about the giveaway, linking back to this post (1 extra entry)
Post on Facebook, linking back to this post (1 extra entry)
Post a blog entry or on your blog’s sidebar, linking back to this post (1 extra entry)
That gives you a total of 5 possible entries :)
 
YOU MUST
Post a separate comment for each entry

This giveaway is open internationally!! So all you overseas Beauties have a chance to get in on the free goodies ;)

Closes on May 12th, 2011 at 11.59pm PST.

On May 13th I will use RANDOM.ORG to pick ONE winner!

Good luck!

Sephora Haul (more Hello Kitty!)

Well only one of the products is Hello Kitty… But it has a cuteness factor of like… 100000000!

This is my recent haul from Sephora (3 items.. does that qualify as a haul?) which I got using a giftcard I had (so it totally doesn’t count towards my no-buy).

I love the feeling of opening a box with goodies in it… it’s like Christmas came early!



I’m loving that Harajuku Lovers fragrance sampler :)

Review: Purederm Makeup Cleansing Tissues

If there’s one thing I need before I go to bed, it’s a clean face.

Yeah, I cleanse in the shower and all that, but sometimes you need to get all that panda eye and residual foundation. Enter the cleansing wipe.

Silent Sunday

Hello Kitty randomness

Hey Beauties!

I'm out and about today (posting from my galaxy s) and just wanted to show you guys the cute Hello Kitty stuff I bought from Frank n Son's in the City of Industry. Frank n Son's is a huge collectible swap meet that has everything from Hello Kitty and comic book merchandise to sports memorabilia.

My husband is a huge comic book buff, I love my manga and cutesy japanese trinkets and the kids love to see all the Hot Wheels and super hero toys, so it's an outing we all enjoy.

So here's what I got!

Super super cute phone charms, 3 for $5

This one is blurry because I had already attached it to my phone and then tried to take a picture of it... with my phone. Uber-fail. This is the cutest one, Hello Kitty hugging a ginormous strawberry >w<~~!!!

Cutest Hello Kitty Lakers shirt EVER! Purple is my favourite colour, I love Hello Kitty and my husband is a huge Lakers fan... what more could you ask in a t-shirt?? This was $12.

Lovin' my little HK haul and the fact that it was so cheap! Frank n Son's is such a goldmine for this kind of stuff, but you have to kinda trawl through all the stalls to find it.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend so far!

Ishah xx

Forever 21 mini haul & new Falsies mascara

Morning! Just a quick post on some little things I purchased this week.

I was in Forever 21 looking for spring dresses, but it’s so crowded in there with all the racks that I gave up and decided I’d get some online.

I did, however, get these little things in the accessories section:

Review: Urban Decay Summer Of Love Palette & FOTD

Hey Beauties!

I’m still adjusting to my little man being 3. It’s a difficult thing, coming to terms with the fact he’s no longer a baby. Makes me feel like I’m getting old too! Haha.

I got the palette on HauteLook for $15 (steal, what?) and it has such cute packaging!






L to R: Flash, Maui Wowie, Chopper and Smog
and mini 24/7 glide on eyeliner in Bronze.

L: Natural lighting, R: With flash. Click to see the shades up close!

It also has a mini sized Primer Potion in Sin, the gold bottle (which I forgot to take a picture of individually).

I thought the purple would be the most pigmented, but sadly, I was wrong..

L to R: Smog, Chopper, Maui Wowie, Flash


All the other colours I only had to swatch once, the purple required numerous swipes to be that opaque. It’s a pity, because in the pan it’s my favourite out of the shades

Smog and Flash have a slight shimmer to them, while Chopper and Maui Wowie have chunks of sparkly glitter. Maui Wowie is PACKED with glitter, but it doesn’t feel too gritty or anything which is a plus.

This is the 24/7 Glide On eyeliner in Bourbon and the Primer Potion in Sin:

L: Natural lighting, R: With flash

Some people don’t like this primer because of the frosty champagne colour, but I just blend it really well so it’s not as obvious. When using it with this palette it’s not really an issue anyway, since the shadows are shimmery gold and bronzey colours.

The eyeliner is smooth and creamy and very pigmented on bare skin. I had a few issues getting it to show up as well over the shadows though.

Quick PROS/CONS
PROS: Smooth, long wearing, product is a good size
CONS: Purple not as pigmented as I hoped, eyeliner not as pigmented over the shadows, some glitter fallout
MONEYSAVER: Yes! $15, thanks HauteLook
TIMESAVER: Pretty much, you can use the whole palette for your eyes, from priming to lining and in between I will probably use the shades separately though.

My FOTD!

   



As you can see, the purple is very muted

Face:
Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in No. 31
LORAC Box Office Hit palette Bronzer
Urban Decay Afterglow Powder Blush in Quickie

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
Urban Decay Smog on lid
Urban Decay Chopper in crease
Urban Decay Maui Wowie in centre of lid and blended on browbone
Urban Decay Flash on top and bottom lashline
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in Bourbon on top lashline and waterline
Maybelline The Falsies mascara

Lips:
I did have on one of the lip colours from the Lorac Box Office Hit palette, but my #2 son CA decided to smooch it off!


They’re so sweet when they’re this age! He'll be 2 in July, that's when they start being terrors LOL!

Anyway, I just put some Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush lipgloss in Sugar High on, but I must have still had some of the lip colour on because it looks strangely dark around the outside of my lips and then lighter on the inside.

How do you like the shades? Do you think they are still relevant for this summer, or are they outdated?

Personally I think they still look great and I’m definitely going to be wearing them this summer!

Ishah xx

Urban Decay Haul

Happy Tuesday, Beauties!

My Urban Decay stuff from HauteLook arrived last week!



These are: from 2010, the Summer of Love eyeshadow palette and Afterglow powder blush in Quickie and from 2009, the Apocalyptic nail polish set.

The shipping was fast, however one of the polish bottles had leaked a little and pooled at the bottom of the bag



It’s only a small amount of polish and taped up, it’s usable, but this isn’t what you expect when you buy something that’s supposed to be brand new (no matter whether it’s full retail price or sold on HauteLook). Luckily, the customer service rep I spoke to was really helpful and refunded me the amount I paid for it straight away ($10). So I got 6 perfectly good polishes and one salvageable one for free! That is the kind of customer service that keeps me going back to an online store.

I can’t wait to try all these products out, so stay tuned for some reviews and swatches (and maybe a FOTD/NOTD )

It's my son's birthday today, so I'm going to take him out and spoil him with some yummy ice cream. He's only 3 and doesn't usually get junk food and sweets so it's a big deal! Lol

Ishah xx

Zoya Earth Day Polish Exchange

Good news on a Monday ;)

The Nail Polish Exchange program for Earth Day last year was huge! It's where you ship them your old nail polish for them to properly dispose of, in exchange for some new Zoya 3-Free nail polish. If you have old, unusable polishes, or shades you're just not that into, you can exchange them and let Zoya handle the disposal!

(Last year's image)

This is the info from last year, I assume it should be the same:

Do you have old bottles of nail polish , used or unused, laying around, collecting dust and tying up your valuable money? If you do, and we know you do, then this is the perfect program for you.

For a limited time, kicking off in April, in time for Earth Day 2010, Zoya will replace your old nail polish (any brand other than Zoya, Qtica or Nocti) with any brand new Zoya Nail Polish shade and properly dispose of your old polish according EPA guidelines. Choose from over 300 ready-to-wear, formaldehyde, toluene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate free, award winning colors (Zoya Nail Polish was awarded the longest wearing nail polish in Women’s Helath magazine)! Yep, an offer that’s as good for the planet as it is for your beauty budget – Wow!There is a minimum of 6 bottles and no maximum (exchange as many bottles as you want as often as you would like)

On their Facebook, Zoya have just announced that they are bringing it back again this year, IF (that is one big if!) this video of a dancing chick gets 20,000 views.

Yes, you heard me. A dancing chick.

It's just a fun little promo video, but if you'd like to participate in the Earth Day Polish Exchange, take 2 minutes out of your day and watch it.

I love Zoya polishes, so I do hope they meet their target.. I have a few old Rimmel 60 sec polishes and some cheapie generic ones I want to exchange for new colours!

What are your favourite Zoya colours?

Ishah xx

Silent Sunday

Review: LORAC Box Office Hit palette & FOTD Friday

Happy Friday Beauties!

I've been so uninspired to take photos lately :( I think I need to get out of the house and do makeup photoshoots in the great outdoors or something. I had been meaning to do this palette for ages, but I just didn't feel like taking photos for some reason.

This is the last of my LORAC haul posts. Every time I think about how cheap the high end make up I bought on HauteLook was, I get happy :D If only they had sales like that all the time.

This was released around Christmas last year, as a limited edition exclusive at Ulta. It is such a cute little palette, the wine coloured faux croc skin oozes chic. It's a good size to pop into your purse and not have to worry about taking any other products (except brushes.. this palette really could have used some brushes!).

The colours are all really wearable, so I will definitely be getting a lot of use out of it. The powders all have a slight shimmer, the more neutral shades have barely any but the darker shades have quite a bit.

The powder is quite soft, so you have to be a bit careful not to get too much on the brush or you will get fallout. I am far from being an expert with eyeshadow, so I usually like to keep it simple and these colours are just right for that. They are super-blendable and sheer, but can be used wet for more opacity. The lip shades are also pretty sheer, and go on smoothly. They don’t dry out and leave your lips feeling pretty hydrated, more like a tinted gloss than a lipstick. The soft shades are good for spring and perfect for work or school, or anywhere you want to be a bit more neutral/conservative (Grandma's house maybe? Meeting your boyfriend's parents?). The only really pigmented shade is the pink blush, but it goes on sheer and can be built up to a bright pink pop.

PROS:

• Pretty, soft shades
• Good for neutral looks, work/school/shopping/beach etc
• All in one palette, easy to take on trips
• Great quality, long lasting formula

CONS:

• Not for someone who prefers very pigmented colour
• Soft powder can leave some fallout
• No brushes

TIMESAVER:

Yes, it’s great because you could take it to work or on a weekend trip and you basically have everything you need to create a few different looks. Just remember to take along a few brushes

MONEYSAVER:

Yes. I got this from HauteLook for $15.

WANT/NEED/NO THANKS:

This is a NEED for me. I have used it more since I bought it than most of my other eyeshadows, blushes etc. The neutral look is good for me, since I have the kids.. don’t want to look like I’m going to a nightclub!

This is a really simple FOTD using some of the colours from the palette.

Face

• Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in No. 31
• Avon Smooth Minerals Powder in Shell
• Pink Blush from the LORAC Box Office Hit palette

Eyes

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
• Highlighter shade, first column, second row from the palette
• Lid shade, second column, third row from the palette
• Crease shade, second column, second row from the palette
• Brown eyeliner from the palette
• LORAC Lashes Volumizing and Thickening Mascara in Brown

Lips

• Natural rosy pink shade, top row, third across in the palette

Do you like to invest in palettes or prefer individual products? Neutral vs showstopping?

Ishah xx

...wow... looking at that photo for a while... I think I need botox in my forehead ;_;

Ok, I feel silly.... plus a new handbag!

Morning Beauties :)

So I log onto Blogger today after a busy weekend out and about, and I realise that I had accidentally scheduled a Silent Sunday post... that was the EXACT SAME picture I posted last week!  How did this happen? Well, I had posted a different picture last week... and then got a comment on it that made me feel unsure about it and so I changed the pic to the one I had planned to post this week. Without changing my scheduled post. Moral of the story? Don't let other people make you feel insecure about your photos and posts!

Onto today's post! I want to share with you the new handbag I bought recently. I am also trying out a new style for my reviews, something a little more organised ;)

I used to have a bag in every different colour, changing bags when I changed outfits. Now that I have two crazy energetic toddler boys it's like.. WHY would I put myself through the extra time and effort to change bags all the time? I already have enough to do when we get ready to go out, I don't need to add to my to-do list.

I was at Ross the other day and saw this Nine West bag in Greige.

Notd: Black Shatter & Sinful Colors Boom Boom

My first ever crackle polish mani! Apologies for the bad quality picture, I only had my Galaxy S to work with.

My sister sent me O.P.I. Black Shatter and I layered it over Sinful Colors Boom Boom, a jelly polish I've been lemming for ages. I definitely need more practice with applying the Black Shatter, as I like the look of the thicker pieces of black and thinner cracks (leopard style). Even so, I still think it looks cute!

Thanks to my lovely sister Tc for sending me this. Now I'm going to have top head over to Sally and see if they have the China Glaze crackles yet!

Ishah xx

Review: Avon Beyond Color Plumping Lip Color

Whew, that's a mouthful! And that's not even the full name... It's actually Avon Beyond Color Plumping Lip Color SPF 15 with Double the Retinol. Ok, I'm done.

I bought it when they had a promotion for $4.99, but it's only $8.00 normally. Right now you can get 3 for $11.99, which is a really good deal. I love the promos Avon has, there's always a way to get a good price on a product.

This is the shade 'Uptown Pink'.

Uptown Pink is a really pretty bright pink that suits my skintone well. It goes on very opaque, so you don't need too much. I am such a sucker for pinks.

From the Avon website:
2X the Retinol for smoother-than-ever lips. Retinol is formulated to minimize wrinkles and boost collagen so lips appear more full & lush. Now we’ve doubled the retinol for greater results.

What can I say? It's rich, it's creamy, it's pigmented, it doesn't dry out on your lips. It doesn't so much make your lips fuller as smooth out any fine lines and wrinkles, and that's great for me! I don't really want bigger lips, just smooth, lush, moisturised lips! I actually have the older formula in the clear/nude colour (Beyond Color Plumping Lip Conditioner, which is now discontinued) and I think the new formula is better. The older one tended to leave clumps of product on my lips after a wearing it a while, this one does not.

I can't express just how much I LOVE this lipstick, it really delivers on its promises. It's almost like a lip balm/lipstick lovechild. Most lipsticks tend to dry out on my lips, get clumpy and settle into the lines, but this one is a lovely texture. It doesn't bleed, stays moisturised and creamy for hours and the colour is pretty long wearing. It won't last through a meal and it will transfer onto your significant other, but for the price you're paying it is a really good quality lipstick. My only complaint is that it doesn't come in a wider variety of shades. There are only two pinks and the nudes seem to be the shimmery kind.. I would like a nice matte nude and a baby pink.. maybe a pretty, neutral rose. Oh well, maybe they'll release some new colours *hint hint Avon!* ;)

This is a great, high quality lower priced lipstick, definitely a money saver.

Have you tried any Avon lipsticks? Good/bad experiences?

Ishah xx

NOTE: I have not been paid or given any incentives for this review, product was bought with my own money. This is entirely my own opinion.

EOTD: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil

It's Thursday, Beauties! Only one more day til the weekend :)

People must think "UHM, you're a stay at home mama, why do you care about the weekend?". One reason, my dears... My husband is at home! I love having family time and it's so nice for the kids to spend time with Daddy. Plus we always try to get out and about and do something fun!

Just wanted to show you me my(omg almost used bogan slang) Eye Of The Day :)

In particular the eye pencil, which is Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Deviant. I LOVE this pencil, it is so easy to use, highly pigmented and the application is very smooth. And once it's on, it does not budge. I'm so excited about the new 24/7 Shadow Pencils too, they look soooo good!

These are the products I used:

Urban Decay Loose Pigment in Asphyxia
Urban Decay Deluxe E/S in Ransom
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Deviant 
LORAC Eyeliner from the Box Office Hit Palette in Black
e.l.f. Eyeshadow Palette in Butternut, lightest shade
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

Hope you guys are having a great week so far!

Ishah xx