Coming up: butter London swatches

Smitten by the UK-tastic polish names and gorgeous colours, the only thing holding me back from buying up every shade was my wallet eyeing the $17 CAD pricetag warily. Thanks to a certain Coterie sale not too long ago, I was finally able to snatch up a few butter London polishes for much less.

Because the sale was a choice of three out of six possible shades, I didn't exactly pick the colours I've been wanting the most (Slapper and Lady Muck, I'm looking at you), but it's kind of good to be pushed out of my turquoise comfort zone. All Hail The Queen is a beige beauty that is closest to my usual taste, but is packed with holographic shimmer to give it an interesting twist. Wallis is a metallic olive gold with a darkness and vibrancy that makes it perfect for fall. Pillar Box Red is actually the most out of my comfort zone, and is--believe it or not--my very first red creme.

Did you buy anything from the Coterie butter London sale? Stay tuned for swatches!

On loving LUSH BB Seaweed

After recovering from an eczema flare-up on my face, I set out in search of a mask to pamper my skin and found myself in LUSH at Metrotown. Explaining to a helpful SA that I was looking for something nourishing, we narrowed it down to Love Lettuce, Catastrophe Cosmetic, and BB Seaweed. Although all three masks are suitable for any skin type, I took home BB Seaweed for my dry and sometimes-sensitive skin.

Although a batch of BB Seaweed contains a staggering seven pounds of nourishing seaweed, this mask smells more herby and grassy than oceanic (which is not a bad thing at all). Big chunks of seaweed lurk in the pot, which make this mask extra-fun to slather on and wash off. The texture is quite thick, so there's no risk of dripping seaweed bits all over yourself.

I love this mask for being two skincare steps in one: first, ingredients such as lime tree flower extract, rosemary oil, and honey nourish and condition the skin; afterwards, I massage my face as I slooowly wash off the mask, so that the finely-ground almonds and millet flakes hiding in the mask gently exfoliate away any dry bits. The result: a fresh, soft face free of any rough patches!

Due to the lack of preservative ingredients in LUSH Fresh Face masks, they have a very short shelf life and should be kept chilled. The sticker on my BB Seaweed pot showed a "best before" date that is less than a month after its creation! I did decide to continue using it after this date and was careful of any changes in appearance, smell, or texture--especially very small, green, fuzzy bits (i.e. mold!) Many people see the short shelf life as an inconvenience, but it also motivated me to use it regularly, since I know I can't keep it tucked away forever. As with any exfoliating product I have, I used it only about once or twice a week to avoid the negative effects of over-exfoliating, and probably got at least 5-6 generous uses out of a pot. If the expiry date scares you, try splitting it with some friends or even making a girls' night-in of it.

Have you tried BB Seaweed or any other LUSH Fresh Face masks?

Ingredients: Tilia europaea (lime tree) flower extract, Viola odorata (sweet violet) leaf extract, kaolin, honey, glycerin, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) seed meal, Fucus gardneri (Bladderwrack seaweed) extract, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Panicum miliaceum (millet flakes), Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, bentonite gel, Rosa centifolia flower, Rosa damascena extract, Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil, Fucus vesiculosus (seaweed) extract, citral, geraniol, benzyl benzoate, limonene, linalool, perfume

Available at LUSH (in-store only) - $6.95 CAD / 60g

20/10/12 Link Love

Have you tried the new Burberry Lip Velvets yet? Take a look at Sophie's glowing review at Makeup Wonderland!

Phyrra goes from nude to vampy with her Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars review, part one.

Still on the fence about the whole split-fibre brush trend? Then you can't miss Rae's review of the Sephora + Pantone Universe Enchanting Dual-Sided Brush Set on theNotice -- it might just change your mind.

Bun Bun Makeup Tips shares about her Holy Grail eyelash primer! Find out what she has to say about the Diorshow Lash Plumping Serum!

Addicted to Beauty gets spook-tacular with ten Halloween-themed nail art creations. It's Franken-nails time!

Sometimes, you just have to find the beauty in fitness. Check out Krasey Beauty's experience, doing boot camp with Under Armour.

Ever dreamt up a world without any dark circles and minimized under eye wrinkles? Lancôme Génifique Eye Light-Pearl may be what your dreams are made of! Come check out a before & after at Adorable On Your Vanity.

K from Beautifully Addicted To tries out nail art tattoos.

Not sure what you need now? Gouldylox has a list of beauties you shouldn't pass up!

Fleurissante is comparing the older and newer version of Sisley Phyto Blush Eclat.

This week on Makeup Morsels, MM plays with Illamasqua's Creator nail varnish and imparts a valuable life tip, all in one post.

The Pink Sith takes a trip to Sicily with a single spritz of the new Houbigant Paris Orangers en Fleurs Eau de Parfum. A bottle is certainly less than airfare these days.

Pammy Blogs Beauty might just have found her new favorite scent with Shiseido's Zen Secret Bloom.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed thinks all things in life should be pink and sparkle including her lips! Come check out her swatches and see if they bring you over to the sparkly pink side too!

Beauty Info Zone wants you to go trick or treating with them and LUSH. You'll love what treats you'll get.

It's that time of the year again, so check out which products Anita has hauled from Guerlain's new Holiday 2012 Collection and what she thinks of them!

With the seasons changing, Hellcandy discovers Liz Earle's new fragrance that is perfect for Autumn. Read her review here.

Anastasia's Holiday 2012 collection is all about bringing back 70s glamour. Check out Lydia's review and swatches on Perfectly Imperfect Beauty to see a preview of this limited edition collection.

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Jenn from Spiced Beauty is giving one lucky person the opportunity to win $50 MAC or Sephora e-giftcard. Enter today!

Don't miss the Spook-tacular Halloween Sweepstakes from Prime Beauty and the Beauty Blog Coalition--you could win a $500 VISA gift card!

A Tale of Two Turquoises

I wonder if you can tell anything from looking at a person's nail polish collection? Turquoises, of all other colours, make up the biggest proportion of my collection. Although I thought L'Oreal Club Prive might be too similar to Essie's Turquoise & Caicos to justify buying it, the allure of that gold-capped bottle won me over in the end.

Even the bottles are similar...

Happily, the difference between the two is much clearer when compared side-by-side, as Club Prive leans much more blue. Still, how would it match up to one of my most-loved turquoises?

As it turns out, pretty damn well. Club Prive has that "watery" quality I love about Turquoise & Caicos that makes it so perfect for spring. Shade-wise, it's right in between Turquoise & Caicos and China Glaze's For Audrey, two very popular polishes. In fact, it's probably usurped Turquoise & Caicos' place as my favourite turquoise.

Club Prive went perfectly with some heart-shaped nail art bits I picked up in a set from Daiso recently. At first, I applied the pieces on top of just dabs of Seche Vite before sealing the entire nail with top coat, but I lost all but one after a day of wear. I turned to sticking them on with nail glue (bad idea), which held on really well, but was incredibly stubborn and annoying to remove even with acetone.

What colour dominates your polish stash? And (against my better judgment) what is your favourite turquoise polish?

6/10/12 Link Love

Is that a new review, or are you happy to see me? Check out Krasey Beauty's review of the latest palette from Benefit, along with some awesomely bad pickup lines.

Shu Uemura has exciting collaboration coming up for the holidays this year, complete with a little Mon Shu Girl. Preview the Karl Lagerfeld for shu uemura collection at theNotice.

Phyrra whispers, That is not dead which can eternal lie, so check out the Geek Chic Cosmetics Strange Aeons Collection, inspired by HP Lovecraft.

Your favourite hair noob figures out how to get perfect voluminous curls on My Funny Valentine.

Amy Antoinette features one of Benefit's new kit releases which feature all the best base products in one place - Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything Makeup Kit.

It's a foregone conclusion that Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed with be a crazy old cat lady someday - in the meantime here's a taste of things to come with her Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes!

You better hold on to your socks while Beauty Reflections shows you the new Mark Star Status Eyeshadow Palettes!

Jenn from Spiced Beauty shares her favourite beauty and fashion items for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

After Lancome receives an FDA warning letter, My Lips But Better wonders: has cosmetics marketing gone too far?

Christina the Glitterholic is ready to spread some Holiday cheer again! See how you can help!

Gouldylox turns the returning 90's brown trend around and makes it modern. Get the look for yourself, here!

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Swatches: Annabelle TwistUp Lipstick Crayons

Seems like my current obsession for crayon-like lip products like Revlon's Balm Stain goes deeper than I thought, because I was instantly drawn to the display of Annabelle TwistUp Lipstick Crayons at Shoppers. They have a lot more than shape in common, as both allow you to twist the bottom to push up more product,(rather than having to dig out your sharpener) and seem very moisturizing. I wouldn't be surprised if there are very close dupes between the two shade-wise as well.

Absolute, Bubble, Divine, Mai Tai, Mimosa, Tease

Kiss, Fizz, Kinky Pink, Breeze, Royale

TwistUps are available in 12 shades in total (I'm missing dark pink Flirtini) that seem fairly pigmented and glided on my arm very smooth and creamy, most likely with the help of shea butter in the formula. Tease and Fizz are the only two that are frosty.

Although I have more than enough lip products to last me for years, it's hard to resist the combination of colour and hydration that these crayons offer. I will probably end up buying a shade or two and compare against the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains, of course in the name of science. All for science, honest.

Speaking of swatches, I should really finish my swatches of the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks...