I picked up a sample of this a little while ago, and I’m finally getting around to using it (Bad Tia!).

It goes on very smoothly, and takes little ‘rubbing’ in for it to spread well, and doesn’t go white and streaky. Once on, it doesn’t have a greasy feel, like a lot of sunscreens have. The smell is pleasant, if not a little soapy. But there is no weight to it. I am going without makeup today, but I think that it would work very well under makeup as there is no feel to it.

I would like to try the spray on for a body sunscreen, as I think it would be much easier for application.

Just a little catch up.

I have successfully worn makeup at least 5 days out of 7 for the past month. I like to give my skin a breathe, or if I plan on getting sweaty or dirty, I don’t bother, but will face up once I’ve showered afterwards. I’m enjoying my CoverGirl foundation, and the eyeshadows are proving to be very versatile. I’m not getting as much wear out of the lip stain as I thought I would. I really just prefer to throw on a lipstick it seems, and my current ‘every day’ fave is a Natio Lipstick in Spring. I’d like to find the Rush too, just to see it’s potential as a great red.

The red in my hair is fading, so I think while the colour works, it just isn’t holding. I think I’ll be needing a rinse refresh at around 3-4 weeks for the red factor. So I picked one up and I’ll throw that in tomorrow. I’m playing with a few semi-sets, and pinning techniques at the moment, to best take advantage of my natural curl, and the length of my hair. It’s above my shoulders, and there is a huge hole in “how to’s” for shorter vintage hair. So maybe I’ll get a couple of things mastered and do a couple of tutorials myself.

The red on my nails, however, is awesome! I picked up a cheapie polish from a Chemist Warehouse for $2.50. Brand is “Totally Beautiful Nails”, and they are SO right! I am wearing “Raspberries & Cream” and it is just PERFECT! It’s really a vintage style red, but still blue based. Perfect for an every day wear red. It only requires 2 coats for a good coverage, a 3rd gives it a bit of extra deepness of colour. I also picked up a petal pink, black and white (which I think will be a sheerer colour), and I’m considering going back and getting some more for that price.

I’ve started back at dance classes on Tuesday nights with Issy. It’s been good to get back and get my face seen around again. Probably won’t start up social outings until after Easter, but it’s good to see some of the old faces at class, too.

Not much happening on the clothing front. I’m dealing with wardrobe the best I can with what I have. I did pick up a new pattern for a plain winter dress. Nothing fancy, just something that will be easy to make, and easy to wear. I hope to get a fitting for that done before it gets too cold, because that takes the longest. It’s not a very ‘vintage’ dress (well.. it could be channeling some 70’s vibes), but it will be comfortable, stylish and a dress…

Also, now that it’s starting to cool down on the occasional day, I’m going to get my walking shoes back on and start hitting that pavement! I really enjoy walking by myself, with music or an audio book, just getting out there and not having to think about … well, anything.

That’s pretty much it, really.

I love OPI colours! I really do! Vibrant and something for every mood.

But today? I’m just not feeling the love. I wanted something strong, but neutral. So I pulled out the Chocolate Moose. I HATE the sheerness of it. Four coats to get decent coverage!!

ACK.

While there are some polishes I prefer a little sheer (french mani pink for example), I really prefer a two coat maximum in a colour for a solid.

I’m just in a mood, because i love the colour, but am narked at the amount I have to use..

The Mister, of all people, alerted me to this segment that was on the Today Morning Show this morning.

This is not a new debate.  Melbourne Fashion Blogger, Super Kawaii Mama, delved into this subject last September from the point of view that it only matters if you make it matter.

What gets me, is that there are some mothers paying a consultant $150 an hour to find out what they “should” wear!!  Really?  $150??  Surely there are better things to be spending your money on?  Like a new pair of shoes?? (tongue in cheek there)

Apparantly there are only three pigeon holed groups you can belong to.  The chic & stylish “Yummy” mummy, the crisp & smart “Sporty” mummy, or the Tracky Dacker “Slummy” mummy… C’mon.. are we in high school here?  Surely at our age we should be beyond “I look, like, SOOOO much hotter than… y’know.. you”.

If you want to get glammed in the morning, do it … FOR YOURSELF… if you just aren’t able to pull anything together and love your jeans/trackies and comfy Tee .. DO IT!  Who cares what you’re wearing?  I don’t care what you’re wearing .. I have enough to worry about caring about what I dress my family in.

One thing that I haven’t blogged about so far on my journey is about clothes and the like.  Mainly because I haven’t started re-populating it yet.  Why?  Because it can be an expensive exercise, or at the very least, a time consuming one.

I’m not a fashion blogger, I’m certainly in no position to be.  I’m overweight, and under supply in the fashion department.  I do tend to prefer to maky my own clothes, but I’m not really doing any of that at the moment, due to the fact that THIS size isn’t what I want to dress.  So I’m satisfying myself with my makeup, hair and nails until such a time as I want to start actively working on what I’m wearing.

So what is “my preferred style”?  Well, I’m a little ecclectic, but I have a Polyvore set that will help you see the things I really like.  Can be anything from cute and funky, to elegant black tie.  Everything that I love does have a vintage feel or twist to it though.

All a bit different, and I love them all. There are more in my Polyvore set, and I go in and play with ‘dream looks’ when I get a chance.

Why don’t I dress like this now?  Because it doesn’t look any good on me right now.  And I would feel like proverbial mutton if I tried to pull anything like this off at the moment.

I will get my opportunity to dress the way I want, just not yet.  But that’s ok.  When I start reaching the weight/size that I am feeling I could be happy with, then I’ll whip out the machine and get cracking on some new looks.

But for right now, I wear what I have, and I make the best of what I’ve got.

Back in the 30’s women wore their nailpolish differently. Called a ‘half-moon manicure’, it was supposed to show your good health to those who took notice of your hands.  But these days it’s just another cool nail look.  Glamazon Burlesque queen  Dita Von Teese is often seen sporting the look.  It really isn’t a “new’ thing, per se, but it is being revitalised.

Melbournite Glamour Girl Super Kawaii Mama has a great You Tube tutorial on how you can do an authentic 30’s look, which incorporates the double half moon (base and tips).

I was not so sure of my painting abilities, and have no stickers to help, so I have done a handpainted ‘faux-Dita’ half moon.  I applied 2 coats of OPI Nail Envy (favourite nail hardener), then a single coat of a great white shimmer polish that I got from Petit Ange (they have stalls in a few shopping centres in Sydney), and then two coats of OPI Edin-Burgundy after painting a guide line with a very finebrush to creat the half moon.  What I love is that the shimmer is so strong in the white, and this OPI isn’t overly opaque, that there’s a hit on the shimmer THROUGH the red.  Finished off with a couple of coats of Nail Envy (I haven’t got any top coat yet), it’s a lovely finish.

I think next time I’ll get some stickers to help (some people have had great success with hole punch reinforcers from stationery departments) get the shape right.

I really do like the look. It’s simple, elegant, but still a little bit of fun.  And I think with some practice, and sticker-aid I could really have some fun with different combinations!

Last week I bought myself some new makeup for my ‘every day’ makeup.

Priceline was having a 3 for 2 sale, so I picked me up some lovely Covergirl products.

First was some base. I didn’t want uber heavy daytime makeup, and thought that the name of the foundation was exactly what I wanted it to be. “Clean”. Something fresh, light but with good coverage. I got the Creamy Natural, which is the 2nd to lightest shade. RRP is $15.50

First impression: I LOVE the fragrance this has. Very herbal, almost aromatherapeutic! Easy glide on with a damp sponge, I think it would be good with a good foundation brush too. Can be layered for more coverage too. The rest of my makeup goes on very easily over the top of it too. It does require a bit of a finish though, so a good translucent powder would be a good idea.. So far the staying power is excellent. I’ve worn it to a dance class and not felt like it needed touching up at all afterwards. I do think, however, that getting the pressed powder for any emergency touch up needs might be a good idea for those days that are uber hot, or you feel smudging may happen.

Next some lovely lip colour. I didn’t want another gloss, as I’m not really a fan of heavily pigmented glosses, and I didn’t want a lipstick that would need refreshing every couple of hours. So I got the Outlast lip stain in Bit of Blossom. This is a lovely ‘just been kissed’ pink/berry colour. RRP is $17.95.

First impression: The first application I did I tried to put WAY too much on. It’s not meant to be an opaque cover, so when I figured that out, I liked it much better. The texta like application is great as it gives you control over lip contour, but unless your lips are in great condition, it can look streaky. I do still put a gloss over the top of this, just because my lips are a little dry naturally, and I like to wear a balm or gloss all of the time. I do love the colour, and only wish that their red was not so orangey.

And finally some new, non-shimmery eye shadow. My ‘base pink’ from Napoleon is just too darn shimmery for me to wear everyday and be comfortable. I also can’t wear brown shadows as they tend to go orange on me if I get too warm. So lovely neutral pink based colours were in order. I got the 4 Kit Eyeshadow in Berries & Cream. RRP is $13.95.

First impression: This is not my first covergirl eyeshadow experience. They are good wearing eyeshadows with lovely colours. I have found these shades are ideal for me, for both day and night wear. I’m also pretty sure that this colourway is a standard, so I don’t have to worry too much about not being able to get it in the future (disappointment at limited edition colours is something I don’t enjoy at all!).

All in all I’m VERY happy with my latest makeup purchase! I’ve even worn makeup almost every day since I bought them too!

Way back on the 10th (my birthday and a bit of a messy afternoon), I lost my glasses in all the hub-ub of the day.  I was in dire need of new ones asap, as not wearing glasses gives me all kinds of nasty headaches.  I knew I had an un-lensed pair at home (somewhere), that I had bought because I just HAD to have the frames.  Very kitsch, very neo-retro, and VERY me.

Well, one long week later, and I finally have them!

I love, love, love, LOVE them!  I can see again, and they are gorgeous!

Maybe my losing my glasses was a way that the universe was telling me that it was time to break these babies out?

Wouldn’t you know it, but my lovely Blue Curacao nails did not last long.  It seems that if you grab your washing out of the dryer the moment it ‘bings’ at you, then your nail polish is likely to melt.  EEK!

At 4:30ish in the afternoon, I didn’ t have enough time to do any more colour work.  So I got a little inventive, as I am getting to like having ’special’ nails.

So I put my Nail Envy on, and pulled out some decals.  Nothing hugely fancy as the decals are doing all the work.  But it’s a nice way of having fancy nails that aren’t OTT.

I painted my nails blue this morning.  Chi Chi “Toy Boy” in fact.  It’s very much a Blue Curacao blue.  I was marvelling at the colour and slight sparkle, when it hit me.  As pretty as the polish was, plain nails seemed boring.  Seems that I’ve been looking at too much nail art.

I have dance class tonight, so no time for lots of painting, so I pulled out the decals and thought I’d go for a tipped look.  Not quite a proper French Manicure.. but it’s certainly in the spirit..

I’m quite shocked that my nails have lasted this long, really.  They usually break or split well before this length.  But thanks to my OPI Nail Envy, they’re doing really well.  I’m certainly not being precious with them at all, and I think that they’re really loving the attention.

One thing is for sure, though.  I certainly need more colours than what I have.  More pinks, and a ligher blue-red as a start!