Happy Days, Sad Days

Yesterday was supe busy and long, but really enjoyable. First I had an amazing day out with an old friend. We knew each other in high school here in Darwin, then lost touch for many years. When we reconnected via Facebook we were both living in Sydney, but soon after I came back to Darwin. Now he's up for about two months visiting family so I spent a few hours yesterday hanging out with him and his gorgeous kids. I love hanging out with him and I have a real soft spot for his three little ones. They're so adorable! His kids and mine haven't met yet so I'm hoping we can arrange a play date for next week. It will be a cute overload!

In addition to spending several hours with him and his kiddies, I also hung out with extended family, did some shopping, went over my sister-in-law's place for dinner and had uni squished in there somewhere. I left the house at 9am and didn't get home until about 10:30pm so I was pretty exhausted.

I actually feel really low today. I guess after all the fun an excitement yesterday, sitting at home is pretty boring! Fortunately a package arrived yesterday with some lipsticks I ordered from Priceline while they were having a sale. I decided, in an effort to improve my mood, to make myself up and try them on!

Brand: Savvy
Shade: Blushing Pink
This isn't quite the shade I was expecting, I was hoping for something a little brighter. But this is the risk you take when you order using only swatches as a guide. Its alright though, it is a nice colour. Its a very natural pink on me, quite similar to the natural colour of my lips, but a little more vibrant and pearlized. I'm not sure how often I'll wear this as I don't love pearl, but I'll see how it goes. Might come in handy when I least expect.







Brand: Savvy
Shade: Mocha
This one was actually pretty damn close to the online swatch. I had a really hard time choosing colours for the Savvy lipsticks. They had a three for the price of two deal and I changed my mind about shades so many times before submitting my order. I think it looks nice, not too brown, though I do prefer the brighter reds on me.









Brand: Savvy
Shade: Cherry
This was the one that stayed in my basket no matter how many times I changed my mind about colours. I really like it! Its a gorgeous classic red, exactly what I was hoping it would be. I'm pretty happy with these Savvy lipsticks. I haven't tried them before, but I've used their nail polishes and been pretty satisfied. For their price (which is $4.99 regular price) they're definitely worth it.









Brand: Rimmel
Shade: Show Stopper
I have a few Rimmel lipsticks now and I really like them. They go on super smooth and creamy, they last well and they smell delicious. They're also a really good price, especially when you get them for 50% off! I really love this shade. Its a nice glamorous red.











Brand: Rimmel
Shade: Starry Eyed
This is the shade that started me shopping online in the first place. I went to my local Priceline store while they were having a sale on Rimmel cosmetics. They had a tester of this shade and I loved it, but they didn't have any left for sale. So I went online, and didn't want to pay shipping on just one item, so I ended up buying five! I'm getting pretty happy with my lipstick collection now. I'm starting to wonder how I lived without it!





I do feel much better after doing my makeup and getting pretty. It really does help boost my mood. Now I'm off to continue playing my game. I'm playing Limbo right now. I resisted HUGE temptation yesterday and didn't buy a game I really wanted when it went on sale. I'll get it one day when I've played a few more of the games I already own. BUT I WANT IT NOW!

Colours and Compliments

Its such a nice feeling when strangers pay you a compliment, and even more when they actually want to take time to talk to you about it. I've been receiving a lot of compliments on my purple hair, and many people wanting to pull me aside and ask me if I do it myself and how its done. I tried getting some pictures of my hair in the sunlight, but we only get a tiny little patch of sun in our yard, so I was very restricted in where I could take photos from. I literally had to stand in one spot and not move to take all of these.

I'm loving red lipstick so much lately. I'm not sure if I've said it previously, but I was never brave enough to wear it before. I've tried wearing it a few times over the years and always felt overdressed and ridiculous. I'm not sure if its that red lipsticks seem much more commonly worn now, or if its a change in my perception of myself (probably a bit of both), but I'm wearing it every day. I can fast see it becoming an addiction as I've ordered a few more lipsticks online on the weekend! I blame Priceline for having irresistible bargains! I got an email today saying they've been dispatched and I'm super excited to receive them.

I went to karaoke on Saturday with a friend. We used to go every week (sometimes even twice weekly) but we haven't been in ages. We got there and our usual DJ guy wasn't there, which made us both a little sad. I'm not sure if he doesn't do that venue at all anymore or if he was just off for the night or something. But once we got past that initial disappointment, everything went well. We took our daughters with us and we all sang, it was so much fun. I think we both probably forgot how much fun we have there, but we're going to try and make it there more regularly again.

I have a friend who is moving up here next week. I'm really looking forward to it, he has three young kids too and its nice to be able to hang out with other parents. He and I were friends in high school, then lost touch for years, and coincidentally we were both living in Sydney later when we reconnected. I moved up here soon after that, so we haven't seen each other in awhile. His kids are absolutely adorable so I'm happy I'll get to fawn over them again. And it will be nice to have another friend in town.

Friday Fun

Last year I went a few times to a swing dancing group that met at a local club on Wednesday nights. I moved out of that area though and getting there is quite a hassle now so I haven't been in probably about a year. Last night they came to do a demonstration at the weekly markets near where I live, so I went along to watch and maybe join in. It was so much fun. I'm really not a good dancer, I get all tangled up in arms when it comes to doing spins and turns, but its fun and there were loads of other amateurs too so we all had a good laugh. I'd really like to start going again. I don't do much these days in terms of opportunities to meet new people so I feel like it would be a positive step for me. My kids also joined in at the end and had an awesome time, so I'd  love to take them along too. I think dancing is a dying art and I'd  love to help preserve it. Getting there is still a problem. I don't have my own car and the buses here are often full of people who smell like they're allergic to basic personal hygiene, but I'll try to work something out.
All of the regulars were remarking on how nice it was that I got all dressed up for the occasion. I thanked them and internally giggled to myself because I just showed up in the outfit I'd worn out shopping with my best friend. I wore the tablecloth skirt that I made with my spotty halter top that I haven't worn in ages due to lack of anything to wear it with.

Please excuse the blurriness of the full body pic.
Didn't realise it was blurry until I saw it on the big screen!

Speaking of red lipstick. While shopping today I went to Priceline to look at makeup, and they had 50% off all their Rimmel cosmetics. WOOT! I would have gone nuts but most of the things I liked were already sold out! I did buy a new red lipstick though. Its a really nice purpley red. The reds I have are all on the lighter side, so I wanted something darker for when the mood strikes. The shade is #120 - Cutting Edge. I had A look on Priceline's website and the swatch they have for it shows a bright fuschia, but its really quite a lot darker than their swatch would have you believe.

Rimmel Lasting Finish - #120 Cutting Edge

I've also dyed my hair again. I've done purple again, although I tried a different shade this time. It was meant to be much MUCH lighter than it actually turned out. I always go too dark! But I'm not too concerned as these sorts of dyes fade quickly, so in a week or so it will probably be something around the shade I wanted anyway. I didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to photos today so they're not the best.

Purple hair! And my new Rimmel lipstick ;)

Red Lipstick and More Bikes

Seriously, I am so tired. Went shopping with the kids tonight to buy my oldest daughter her new bike. The majority of the assembly took about 2 hours, then we encountered a problem with the brakes. I won't bore you with the details, but after several more hours and countless expletives, she now has a working bike.
Again I didn't finish assemble until it was almost dark so unfortunately a family bike ride wasn't possible today. Its on the cards for tomorrow though.

Now, onto other fun things! The other day I decided to buy two cheap lipsticks, and some matching cheap lip liners and test them out. I've been looking for "the perfect red" on and off for years, but never found anything quite right. My taste has changed a little since I started my search and now I'm comfortable wearing brighter, more orangey reds than I would have been previously, so that has helped widen my options. Anyway, I thought I'd share my finds with you, because they really are great value for money for those not wanting to spend much.

First, the lip liners:

Essence lip liner - Femme Fatale

Brand: Essence
Shade: Femme Fatale
Cost: $1.95
I got this to match one of the shades of lipstick I bought, but tested it alone. I'm sure these aren't the best lip liners in the world, but they're great for the price. They applied nicely, not terribly creamy, but fine, obviously if you find it dry you can apply it over a lip balm. There was little to no feathering and it lasted well. I really liked the colour, especially when paired with lipstick.

Essence lip liner - Red Blush

Brand: Essence
Shade: Red Blush
Cost: $1.95
Much like Femme Fatale, its pretty damn good for 2 bucks. I've used quite a few Essence products now, including blush and nail polish, and they're decent. I really like my Essence blush, and the nail polishes tend to chip fairly quickly but they have a great range of colours for an awesome price. Back to the lip liner! It applies pretty well and has some staying power. Its a nice browny red colour.


Lipsticks:

Beauty Attitude - Racing Red

Brand: Beauty Attitude
Shade: Racing Red
Cost: $3.00
This lipstick looked quite bright in the tube, but came out a little bit darker than I expected. It applied quite smoothly. As far as longevity goes, this one rubbed off the fastest, but wearing it over a lip liner would probably go a long way toward helping it last longer. It goes pretty well with the Red Blush lip liner and should be modeled with duckface for best results!

Beauty Attitude - Dragon

Brand: Beauty Attitude
Shade: Dragon
Cost: $3.00
This was my favourite. I never used to be a fan of these sorts of shades, and when I first put it on, my immediate reaction was "whoa, that's bright!". After wearing it for a few minutes though I found I really liked it and it now lives in my handbag and is getting regular wear. It isn't very creamy or moisturizing, but that's easily fixed by applying balm first. Its has a nice matte finish and looks awesome with the Femme Fatale liner.

Gratuitous selfie
Dragon lipstick over Femme Fatale liner with a touch of gloss to finish

And some mess :)