#NOTD featuring Femme Fatale {Gilded Rose}

Gilded Rose (right)

The Company: Femme Fatale Cosmetics
The Nail Polish: Gilded Rose [Discontinued]

Actual product description: Gilded Rose is a clear base glitter topper absolutely jam packed full of gold holo, rose and garnet in various shapes/sizes.

This polish was included as a complimentary sample, and at first I wasn't sure I'd ever wear it. It seemed too froofie for me somehow; too much pink and gold for my taste. Originally I had planned on giving it away, however as I was sitting having coffee one afternoon with a friend of mine, we started going through my stash and it dawned on me that I could use it over gold and it might look quite nice. I would not use it over black; that would be too much of a contrast for me, and definitely not my style.

I grabbed my Face of Australia nail polish in Calypso Gold which is an absolutely beautiful pale champagne colour. This was the result:

Over Face of Australia Calypso Gold (indoor lighting)

Not bad, but definitely not my style. I'd tried layering it over lavender as well as a hot pink and neither of those looked particularly good in my opinion. The gold had the most promise, but even still - far too sweet looking; too feminine for my taste.

It applied well, and I didn't find the consistency hard to work with. The glitter did not disperse evenly, so some finagling was required but it's nothing I would consider a deterrent. I also did not find it particularly globby.

On my ring finger you can see where the glitter star has lifted, despite using two coats of Sally Hansen Double Duty. Of course it irritated me as the day wore on, and I was forever playing with it, flicking my fingers across it, until I had driven myself crazy enough to just pull it off altogether. It did not even last a full day.

Unfortunately this polish is a complete miss for me. While it is a lovely blend of pink and gold glitters, it's just not for me. Luckily, I do have a friend who is absolutely in love with it, and who will give it a very well loved home.

Base: Face of Australia "Calypso Gold"
Top: Sally Hansen Double Duty
Glitter: Femme Fatale "Gilded Rose"

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Nail of the Week: Calypso Gold

Face of Australia Barbados Collection

Calypso Gold (2 coats on the acrylic nail)

When I saw this at BigW (months ago), it was the only one on the shelf so I picked it up and literally carried it around the store for the length of time I was there, just trying to decide if I should buy it. I'm pretty sure the price was less than $5 but I didn't know whether or not I would like it. Just looking at the bottle I was sure it was going to be quite sheer, and I didn't want a sheer gold.

But, since it was less than $5 I decided to buy it. It took me months to get around to painting the acrylic nail and when I finally did, I was so happy to see it wasn't sheer at all!

It applies so beautifully and smoothly, and it looks fantastic.

2 coats w/Sally Hansen's "Double Duty" top coat

I've had this on for three days and it's only just started showing signs of wear on two nails though it does seem to "dent" very easily even when dry. I don't like that so much, but I do love the colour and I think the wearability is quite decent!

I have a couple of other colours from this collection, and now I'm excited to see how I go with them!

Aggie x

Review: Face of Australia Lip Crayons

So by now you're probably already aware that Face of Australia have launched their own line of jumbo lip crayons, in similar vein to the Clinique Chubby Sticks, the Tarte Lipsurgences and of course, the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains (boy what a mouthful, Revlon). These are limited edition, and currently only available in three shades: Cupcake, Sundae and Macaron.

Sidenote: I hope they release more colours for Spring/Summer!

Going on, they glide across your lips better than a lip balm does. In fact, they are downright silky in feeling, and incredibly moisturising. Their scent is not overpowering and definitely not something that would make you cringe so that's a big bonus.

Let's take a closer look:

Cheap and unappealing

Packaging: I don't like it at all. It looks cheap and poorly made. If I did not already like FoA, I would not buy these based on the packaging alone. Instead, I would definitely opt for Australis' lip crayons which, despite being pricier, look classier and better over all. Truly, Face of Australia, it's time to step it up.

Wearability: By themselves, they don't last long at all, particularly if you're eating and drinking. You will need to reapply often. I highly recommend using a lip liner as a base to fill in all over your lips, and then applying the crayons over the top for a beautiful glossy finish, that will leave your lips ultra soft.

Swatched L-R: Cupcake, Macaron, Sundae

Colour Payoff: These are not deeply pigmented. They are definitely more of a tinted lip balm in crayon form. This is another reason I highly recommend using a lip liner underneath; this way you can mix it up and make your own colour combinations.

Use: What scored big points for me (sorry, Australis) was the twist-up bottom versus having to use a sharpener. For me, this means extreme ease of use which means I can throw it in my bag and not ever worry about being caught out. Another big bonus is that a mirror really isn't even needed. Because they apply so effortlessly, it really is like using a tinted lip balm and when you're in a hurry or for those times win you  just don't have a mirror, you can glide these on and you're good to go.

Twist-up bottoms score a big thumbs up!

Verdict: I love them. Kudos to you, Face of Australia! For them to be perfect (for me), I would suggest much better, prettier packaging and a bit deeper colour. There is no reason these couldn't easily compete against the Chubby Sticks or Lipsurgences with a few tweaks. I would definitely repurchase these, and in fact I do plan on it if they release more colours, and I would not hesitate to (repackage) and give them as gifts.

Where can I buy these? You can pick these lovelies up from any BigW for $14.95. I've also been told you can pick them up from Kmart (though mine currently do not carry them) and also Priceline. If all else fails, definitely check the website.

I'd love to know your thoughts on these babies! Would you buy them? Have you? What are your thoughts?

Aggie xx