On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Ruby Sparkle lippie

• Mistletoe? - check
• A loved one to kiss on the cheek? - check
• A sparkly red lipstick? - *cue record scratch sound*

Need to complete your seasonal look on the cheap, but aren't sure how to add that unexpected bit of pizazz? The Body Shop has got you covered this holiday season!

The Body Shop's (limited edition) Colourglide Shine in Ruby Sparkle

Label

Ruby Sparkle with flash

Swatch of Ruby Sparkle

Ruby Sparkle* comes in a bullet shaped tube and delivers a shot of cherry red infused with a subtle shimmer to the lips. The scent is light yet slightly fruity, but I suspect you won't notice it after application. Colour opacity was achieved after two passes in the swatch above. The only thing I can't comment about is wear time, however I will update you about this aspect in my final Body Shop Holiday beauty look.

Aside from the beautiful colour, you can expect to have soft and smooth lips thanks to marula oil and beeswax -- my lips can't wait!

Colourglide Shine retails for $24.95 AUS / $12.50 USD. Go to your local Body Shop before stocks run out!

*PR sample provided -  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

Christmas Inspired Mani

Christmas mani

Christmas is nearly upon us! I love painting my nails for holidays and other special events and I decided to do a Christmas manicure. The more I look at my nails, the more I can see it also working for a Chinese New Year manicure (it reminds me of the red envelopes that children receive!) I used two coats of Essence's Nail Polish in 01 Snow White from the Snow White collection topped with one coat of Australis' Nail Glitter Top Coat in Eureka.

Snow White has a flat, wide brush that I'm not yet accustomed to using; I made quite the mess around my nails and cuticles. The formula was good -- it was almost opaque in one coat, but had a bit of a visible nail line so I decided to paint on a second coat. The finish on its own is quite shiny and almost looks like a jelly polish but isn't as sheer as other jelly polishes. Eureka was easy to apply; it wasn't thick and distributing the glitter particles evenly was not a problem.

Essence's Snow White

Australis's Eureka

I purchased Snow White from Target for $2.62. Essence is available at Target as well as select Priceline stores.

I purchased Eureka from Priceline (on sale) for  $4.95 (full priced it is $7.95). Australis is available at Target, Priceline, Kmart, and Big W.

Both Essence and Australis are cruelty free :)

Australis sale at Priceline

Australis Priceline Sale

Priceline is currently having a sale on Australis products - buy one, get one free for all eye and lip products until 17 Dec 2012. I thought it would be a great time to try some Australis products and picked up a couple of items to do a complete eye and lip look. I haven't gotten a chance to play with everything yet, but here are some swatches in case anyone is interested in the same products I am..

Australis swatches in indirect sunlight

Australis swatches in direct sunlight

Australis products

Eyeshadow Primer, 10HR Wear Pencil in Bombastic Bronze, Brow Pencil in Light Brown, Colour Inject Lipstick in Salsa, Multi Mega Lash Mascara, Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Eyeshadow Compact  in A-Lister Sista (on the compact it says "Sista" but on both Priceline's and Australis' websites, it says "Sister").

Did anyone haul anything? Or do you have any recommendations?

Australis is cruelty free :)

On the road review: Essie's lil' boa peep

lil' boa peep

Magnetic nail polish is a novelty in my book -- read tons of reviews, but never executed the effect on myself until tonight. Let's just say the experience conjured up memories from the movie Gremlins, you know, "never feed him after midnight!" The polish perked up in some areas of the nail as it gravitated towards the magnet; however, the "effect" was patchy at best. Some nails responded well and the rest fell flat.

Magnet

Wearing lil' boa peep

Essie's lil' boa peep leaves a lot of room for improvement. The formula was thick, yet glided on smoothly; it also dried quickly, but failed to perform its magic. I even applied clear nail polish atop two coats of lil' boa peep in order to reactivate the magnetic polish, but most nails really weren't having it.

For those who are wondering how the magnet comes into play.. the bulky cover as seen above pops off and reveals the usual Essie cap/applicator. The superficial cover holds the magnet and is meant to hover ever so closely above a freshly painted nail. The experience is scientific at best!

Oh and the Gremlins reference, that had to do with my left index nail; whenever I look at it I think of that moment when the multiplied demonic, furry creatures mutate into torcherous, ankle biting hellions. That sums up the effect on my nail -- blech!

In other news: I've missed you! Yes, lots and lots of shopping has taken place, but it doesn't make up for the fact that we haven't hung out in a while. So, what's new in your world?  And, what do you think of this polish? I figure if I can't get it to work, at least I have a pretty metallic copper shade on my hands. Right?!

If you're interested in a totally newish Essie adventure, get on over to your local CVS and grab one or all six shades. The Repstyle collection retails for approximately $11.99 USD per bottle.