Metallic Body Art

Today’s post isn’t a review on a specific brand, I just want to tell you about temporary Metallic Tattoos and why I love this Summer trend so much.

When it started trending midway last year, I thought I wouldn’t get into it. They were beautifully placed on model’s arms or backs for bikini shoots and even to compliment low cut evening gowns, but that didn’t appeal to me. However, when I started thinking out of the box and saw the tattoos being used as jewellery on fingers, hands, wrists, necklines and even on feet, I was hooked.

The rebel in me has always wanted a tattoo but I would never dare to ink anything permanent on my body. So these temporary tattoos are great because they will satisfy your inner wild child with no regrets and can also be used as jewellery (they are so pretty)! I know there has always been fake tattoos around but these are the first I’ve seen that are so blingy and feminine.

As seen on ikoala.com

Buy a few sheets of metallic designs and then mix and match them as you please. You apply them the way you applied those bubble-gum tattoos when you were a kid. Measure and cut to size, peel off the plastic layer and press down on your skin with a damp cloth. Voila! As easy as that! As with real jewellery, you can pile on tattoos for a layered look, or apply rings close together to imitate the stacked trend. What better way to bling up at the poolside, the beach or outdoor events without the risk of losing valuable jewels.

Here are a few styles that I really like:



I layered Faux Tattoos with Real Jewellery .



As seen on Poshmark




Love these text tattoos!

This trend is already moving to new levels, with designers creating temporary tattoos with colour images and paintings, which when applied, looks like the real deal.




Temporary watercolour tattoos

The best part? This won’t leave a dent in your wallet and needs no commitment nor any painful laser treatment. It lasts about 6 days and comes off with some baby oil. You can also DIY and make your own tats with metallic liners, nail polish and some stencils.

I have a feeling this trend will carry on long past the summer days, so have fun with it!

♡, Sana xx

Kingsman

Rating: ●●○○○

Certification: Strong Violence, Language

Genre: Over-the-top Action-Comedy

Stars: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Running time: 129 minutes

Alert: NO SPOILERS

Synopsis: A spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. Based on a comic book.

Review: Ulgh. Where do I start? This movie started off just fine. Funny. Entertaining. Then it became tedious (I can list about ten scenes that were unnecessary). Ridiculous amounts of violence and severed limbs which they try to portray in a cartoonish manner. However, the brutal scenes are so long, they stop being comical and become disturbing.

At least there are no gory sex scenes which seems to be the norm onscreen these days. I’m actually surprised the running time is only 129 minutes as it felt much, much longer. I slept on and off through the last 30 minutes and I don’t think I missed a thing.

There were definitely some unique ideas and good concepts in the film. It even gets you thinking about conspiracy theories and government schemes. But it drags on and becomes repetitive while making you wretch at all the glorified violence.

So this is more like a mindless, aggressive zombie movie (think World War Z) than it is an action James-Bond-type one. The trailer is misleading and so are the high ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. People either loved it or hated it. I’m a hater.

Watch at your own discretion.

♡, Sana xx

Because you’re worth it!

Yep you've guessed it, today’s post is about a L’Oreal product.

I have a confession to make... I got sucked in by a TV ad! The commercial was for the L’Oreal Paris Privee Colour Riche Lipstick Collection (Whoa! That’s a mouthful). It features shades that are inspired by a variety of skin tones to give you the perfect nude, natural lip. I think the ad itself is about a year old but the product only launched in Oz recently.



L-R: Freida, Ines, Julianne, Leila, Aishwarya, Liya, Eva and Doutzen

 

L-R: Freida, Ines, Julianne, Jane, Fan, Liya, Eva and Doutzen.

 

Just look at them! Who wouldn’t be totally hypnotized by their grace and beauty?

What’s great is that for once, it features women of my skin tone- and I’m not in India. Yay! The print ads and TV ad differ a bit because they don’t all feature the same celebrities (why?) and JLo doesn’t feature in any of them. You can watch the TV ad here and a bit of the filming here. Gosh, I wish I could speak French like Leïla Bekhti...   

So as I said I was totally captivated by this ad and I couldn’t wait to run out and buy one.

The only shades available in Australia are Doutzen, Eva, Julianne, Freida and JLo, named after the ambassadors who represent the shade. They each chose a shade for their diverse skin tones, resulting in a selection of nude lipsticks that are tailor made to suit every woman. 



Doutzen- Hint of Pink,  Julianne- Rosewood Beige, JLo- Greige Glow, Freida- Mauve Tint and Eva-Peach Skin.

The limited options were quite disappointing but that didn’t stop me.

The L’Oreal Paris website has a quiz you can take to find out which shade is right for you. But they are sneaky because no matter what you click, your result will be limited only to the five available shades, so it’s not accurate. The good news is all five shades are beautiful and you might as well use the testers to figure out which you like. 

Top to Bottom: Freida, Doutzen, JLo, Eva and Julianne.

As you can see from the swatches, Doutzen and JLo were way too light and Freida a bit too purple for my liking. Julianne and Eva were definitely winners for me and luckily the store was having a 2 for 1 sale! The lipsticks feel creamy and just glide on (felt like Vaseline!). They promise to be moisturizing, nourishing and hydrating (with added Omega 3 Oils and Vitamin E) ,which I love because I have super dry lips. They all have a slight shimmer to them and after you apply it doesn’t dry up or look flaky. The packaging is also really pretty.

So I recommend this product, if it’s available in your city, go get it! Perthians, these were available at Priceline but after today I don’t think you will get any. They are all sold out and apparently there are no more coming in because it’s limited stock. I literally looked down at my phone to take one photo and when I glanced up, half the lipsticks were gone. Probably has a lot to do with the buy one get one free special. Good Luck!

 

My two purchases, Eva and Julianne. LOVE!




Left: Eva, Right: Julianne



P.S. Each lipstick has a Le Vernis Nail Polish shade that complements it, also chosen by the ambassadors.

 

♡, Sana xx

Fee Fi Fo Fun!

Over the weekend we experienced something really incredible, thanks to the Perth International Arts Festival and French company Royal de Luxe.

We were visited by two very amazing GIANTS!!!



Little Girl snoozing on her bed.

 

 

 



Diver having a nap outside the train station.

 

 

Royal de Luxe are world leaders in large-scale street theatre and storytelling led by Director Jean-Luc Courcoult. Convinced that it was easier to reach an audience by going outside rather than dragging them into a room, their shows are played on the streets and in public open spaces. In order to be more unique, they developed shows extending over three days: the point was to be able to tell a story to an entire city by adapting it to the city.  The Diver Giant was built in 1993 and the Little Girl Giant in 1997. This company is unusual, unorthodox and extremely fascinating. Have a look at their site http://www.royal-de-luxe.com/



The show in Perth is in commemoration with the centenary of Anzac, so the back story is based on the battle of Gallipoli. In short, the Little Girl has a vision of the Diver trying to save lives of drowning soldiers. He spends his time burying the soldiers who have passed away on the sea bed. She decides to sail to Perth to look for him. You can read the full story by searching for “The Incredible and Phenomenal Journey of the Giants to the Streets of Perth.”

 

I was a little sceptical as to how entertaining this would be. After all, I could see cranes helping the giants along in all the photos, so the impact couldn’t be that great, could it?

It could!


This wasn’t just a case of large puppets being hoisted around. These marionettes were so lifelike and captivating, you had to see it to believe it. They blinked, waved, smiled, yawned, slept, snored, ate, drank, showered, danced, exercised, rode scooters and even peed in public! I don’t think there was a single person out of the 1.5 million crowd that wasn’t enchanted by these colossal “performers”.

Little Girl on her scooter.

Little Girl enjoys a lolly in the Perth heat.



Little Girl plays with little kids.

WA schoolkids made a giant storybook for
Little Girl which she immediately sat down to read.



Uh oh. Little Girl pees on Hay Street.

Little Girl has a shower.

They were brought to life by a small army of puppeteers or “Lilliputians” (after the tiny people in Gulliver’s Travels) who controlled them with a complicated network of ropes and pulleys and a lot of sweat and labour. 

This wasn’t at all what I expected. The details that went into these Giants, from their clothes, features, and quirky characters made me forget they were made of wood!  

Little Girl is about 6 metres in height and Diver a whopping 11 metres and when I saw them in front of me I actually got goosebumps. I felt tiny and a little scared but giddy and mesmerized at the same time. They made everyone feel like little children, clapping and chasing them through the city streets.

They had their separate routes from Friday morning, Little Girl searching for Diver and Diver searching for his anchor, until they were finally united on Saturday night. Cheers and tears erupted at their heartwarming embrace in Langley Park and the Giants settled down for a snooze. According to some reports they are supposed to be Uncle and Niece but I can’t confirm that.

 

Little Girl on her boat, searching for Diver.

Diver searching for his anchor.



Diver's Anchor

United at last!

Diver and Little Girl prepare to sleep.

Having a snooze.

On Sunday they attended an Aboriginal wreath laying ceremony and then walked the streets together, before boarding a barge and sailing off. We were all sad to see them go.

 

Walking the streets together.

Goodbye Giants!

 

Perth International Arts Festival promised this show would steal our hearts and it certainly did. This was a once in a lifetime event and I am grateful to have experienced it!!

I found some of these photos by combing through hashtags on the net, and also used some of my own pictures. Copyright Acknowledged.

 

♥, Sana xx

Makeup Eraser

I have to admit when it comes to removing my makeup at the end of the day I am so lazy!! So the quicker and easier it is the happier I am. I’ve been using makeup wipes for the last few years but recently I’ve come across a new product. It’s called the “Makeup Eraser” and it’s a lush pink cloth with two different sides, one to wipe off makeup and the other to exfoliate with.

It promises to remove your makeup with just water, including waterproof eyeliner & mascara, HD makeup and much more. It’s reusable, no stains remain after washing and it will last 1000 washes. It’s also claims to be all natural and chemical free which is great for my sensitive skin.

You can agree this sounds very appealing especially because it eliminates the cost of makeup removing products and it’s easy to use.

So I ordered one. It came in a cute little box, shaped as an eraser. It’s very plush and soft to the touch, just like those microfiber cloths you use for cleaning.

The instructions say to wash it before use, which I did and the sateen edge kind of ripped a little. Strike one.

I wanted to compare it an ordinary facecloth so I only used the Makeup Eraser on one half of my face and a facecloth on the other half. It said to wet with warm water and gently rub in circular motion then flip to exfoliate. I honestly couldn’t distinguish which side was which but after close examination concluded the side with the label was the exfoliating part (it has longer fibres).
 

It removed my foundation, concealer, blush and eye shadow quite easily. I had to work quite a bit to remove the eye liner and mascara which was uncomfortable- rubbing in a circular motion over your eyes is no joke! Half a strike? After that I used the exfoliating side on my face in the same circular motion.
 

Then I wet my facecloth and used the same method on the other half of my face. My makeup came off just as easily but I struggled much more with my eyes than I did with the Makeup Eraser.

I only used one small section of the cloth, the idea being that you keep using it in sections and throw it in the machine at the end of the week. (Kind of gross, no?) Also not ideal if you are travelling and can't do washing...

I washed the Makeup Eraser to test if all the stains come off as easily as they say, and it did. It looks brand new again. Point for them.

Now for the final test. Whenever I use makeup wipes, I always think my skin is squeaky clean only to wake up with panda eyes the next morning. After using the Makeup Eraser, I went to bed without doing anything else to my face and this morning… panda eyes!!! Strike two.

Look, I wasn’t expecting miracles, and I know how stubborn mascara can be, but the thing is, yesterday was a light makeup day and so I wasn’t even wearing the heavy liner and mascara I usually do on a night out. Wonder what I’d look like then!!

However, removing eye makeup is something I really struggle with. No wipes or liquids or facewash or oils or toners or creams help. It will look clean but I’m always destined for the panda eye. I guess I hoped the Makeup Eraser would be a solution to my problem but it isn’t.

And in conclusion, the Makeup Eraser is no different to wipes or a normal facecloth. In fact a microfiber cloth is exactly the same as the Eraser and will cost you about ten times less…

 

 

Finally, I'd like to add that in comparison to wipes, removing my makeup with a soft cloth left my skin feeling cleaner (wipes tend to leave me feeling a little sticky when I'm done). But because you have to use warm water with the cloth, it leaves the skin very dry . So you will definitely need to moisturize afterwards- which you should be doing anyways! And just to reiterate, I personally don’t think you need to overspend on a Makeup Eraser. The plush microfiber cloths cost me $2.00 for a pack of 3 and they work the same!

 



♡, Sana xx


***UPDATE***
The first time I tested the Makeup Eraser and washed it, I was impressed at how easily the stains came off. However, the next time I used and washed it, hardly anything came off. I had to spray it with Vanish and give it another wash and it still wasn't clean. Not happy about this at all.

 

As you can see, mascara and eye liner stains are still visible.

 

***UPDATE 2***
I am extremely disappointed with the quality of this cloth! 1000 washes my foot!!

After only 5 washes!

 

Brow Drama

I am not one to fall for adverts, I analyse them for authenticity. And if I had seen the commercial for today’s product I definitely wouldn’t have bought it.

Oh, how I wish I saw the ad!

Maybelline has just released a new product: “Brow Drama” a sculpting brow mascara- or so they claim. I purchased this product on a whim when I was at the chemist because they had a good special on and because I have been having “brow drama” of my own recently.

The eyebrow threading in Perth is completely abysmal. I always leave the salon, wanting to choke someone.

In my current state of mismatched eyebrows, one seems to be sparser than the other. Hence my introduction to the world of using eye pencils, clear mascara and brow brushes. I know this is something many people would never leave the house without doing, but it’s new to me. I’ve never had to worry about my eyebrows. In South Africa, my brows were perfect (and at a fraction of the cost!).

So anyways, when I saw this product and read the pamphlet, it was so enticing. An easy avenue to perfectly shaped, sculpted brows!

Now let me tell you, IT DOES NOT WORK!!

If you sweep then sculpt exactly as the instructions tell you to do, you will end up with brown splotches around your eyebrows and that’s frustrating. I basically had to wipe it off and reapply my foundation and eye makeup. It didn't  really fill my eyebrows or give it shape.

I watched some reviews online and one girl did her own thing and used a pencil and her own brush afterwards which I think defeats the purpose and doesn’t fulfil the products’ promise. Another girl cut the ball off the tip of the wand (totally laughing), which again isn’t using the product as it is, or as it's meant to be. in that case why didn't we buy a normal brown mascara and use that instead. Would certainly cost less…

If something claims to work a specific way to make your life easier, that’s the way I would want to use it. And that’s why this product is a letdown for me.

And if I saw the ridiculously CGI effects advert before I bought it, I would have known better. You can clearly see the model isn’t really applying anything. It’s all photoshopped!

I guess I’ll try using it as the girls did, just to finish it up, but I won’t be buying this again!!

Thank God I didn’t pay full price for it.

♡, Sana xx