MAC Saint Germain lipstick vs Savvy High Shine lipgloss

I CAN’T get enough of light, bright pink lip colours right now!
Today I wanted to review two very eye-catching lip products in my collection that are similar shades, MAC’s Saint Germain and Savvy High Shine Paparazzi.
Let’s start with Saint Germain.

MAC Saint Germaine lipstick and Savvy High Shine lipgloss | Extraordinary Days

Can you tell that lipgloss has rolled around in my handbag for a long time?

When I first picked out this colour I was intending to match it to the dress I wore to the Melbourne Cup last year.
Needless to say I should have actually brought the dress with me to the shops that day because while it would have gone well with the fluoro pink (can you tell yet that I’m a huge fan of fluoro?) it’s not quite what I was going for.

Melbourne Cup fluoro pink dress | Extraordinary Days

This was an amazing day!

But I’ve since teamed Saint Germain with other outfits like a little black dress and I really love how bright it is!
As far as lip liners go I’ve worn this shade just by itself with MAC’s lip clear lip primer underneath, with a rose-coloured liner and also with a bit of concealer on my lips to make the colour really pop.
My favourite was the concealer just for that boost to the colour but I really enhancing my Cupid’s bow when I don’t wear lip liner so I’ll probably just continue to change it up depending on how I feel.
I love how bright this is when you first put it on but unfortunately, I’ve found the vibrancy just doesn’t last.
That said, it’s still a lovely rosy colour when it does fade and I think there’d be people out there who would prefer that to how full-on if is when it’s first applied but I’m just not one of them.
Of course, there’s always the option to just keep applying it to keep the colour vibrant but that wouldn’t be my first choice.
Before I found Saint Germain my go-to product for that sort of shade was Savvy High Shine gloss in Paparazzi.

MAC Saint Germaine lipstick and Savvy High Shine lipgloss | Extraordinary Days

These two are a bright pair.

When I first saw the two side by side I thought they were very similar and it wasn’t until I put them together on the back of my hand that I saw Paparazzi is much darker.
Still, I think it gives that punchy colour I was aiming for on my lips and the thicker consistency makes the coverage a bit more even.
In terms of how long they last, in my books a lipstick will usually always win and this is no exception.
While I like lip glosses sometimes, at the end of the day if can’t stand up to me having a meal then it’s probably not going to be one of my favourites.
(My ultimate go-to lipstick/liner combination for THE LONGEST wear in my collection can be found here.)
So for my final verdict, both of these products are great if you bear in mind the colour-fade issue.

Would you wear either of these lip products? Let me know in the comments!

Samantha Wills white howlite necklace

LAST week I celebrated my two-year anniversary with my lovely boyfriend and I was lucky enough to be spoiled with a Samantha Wills necklace!
I’d been eying off this Australian designer’s collection for a while now and there are so many things I want from her collection!

Ready for Mexican food!

Ready for Mexican food!

I chose the White Howlite necklace from the minerals collection – a pendant with a fine rose gold chain and a dainty name plate with the stone’s meaning: calming and stress relief.
I don’t really believe in minerals having real-world applications but it’s still really beautiful.
(And hey, worst case scenario, a little calm is something I could definitely use in my daily life.)

Samantha Wills White Howlite necklace

It’s just so dainty!

The rose gold wouldn’t usually have been my first choice as I mostly wear silver but the only necklace in the collection with a silver chain had a black onyx stone that I felt just didn’t suit me.
But I really like how it looks against a whole range of colours, especially black.
Other stones available included amethyst, rose quartz, lapis and a turquoise stone. (See the collection here.)

Samantha Wills White Howlite necklace

I am drooling.

The chain has two extra rings on it to allow you to wear it shorter if you like – I’ve been wearing it at its longest length.
It came in a beautiful wooden box with flowers stencilled into the top – something I’ll definitely keep on display.
For the rest of the outfit, the Portmans shorts were a gift from my lovely friend Candice. (Similar here and for the heels, see a similar pair here.)

black and white Portmans shorts

I love these shorts so much!

They’re quite fitted at the waist and although I’m always paranoid about spilling something whenever I wear white, the tropical print is fun and I think they’ll feature heavily in the rest of my summer wardrobe.
We took these photos before going out for Mexican at my favourite restaurant – he’s always so patient when taking outfit photos!
I really couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend and we’ve got so many adventures planned for the future.
Here’s to many more years!

Extraordinary Days

Nothing says ‘couple’ like matching floral in a tropical location.

What’s your favourite piece of jewellery? Let me know in the comments!

Review: MAC’s Rebel lipstick

TALK about a bold colour!
I’d been eyeing off New Zealand songstress Lorde’s signature plum lip colour for a while now so I thought I’d give this ago.
While Lorde and MAC collaborated on a similar plum lip colour last year, I’d read that her makeup artist actually used a combination of the Heroine and Cyber lipsticks.

Lorde Rolling Stone magazine cover

Photo by Rolling Stone. Source: http://tinyurl.com/qac68th

To recreate this look I used the colour Rebel paired it with MAC’s Prep and Prime lip primer and a MAC lip pencil in Nightmoth.
Rebel is part of the brand’s satin range and goes on smoothly with a bit of shine.
Nightmoth looks like a really deep, dark purple on the packet and at the tip of the pencil but when applied is almost a brown.
It’s not a colour you can forget you’ve put on, that’s for sure.

Mac Rebel lipstick and Nightmoth lip miner

Mac Rebel lipstick and Nightmoth lip liner.

While I initially balked at how dark Nightmoth was on its own, I really liked the end result when paired with Rebel because it gave it a more plum-coloured shine.
The first time I tried this look it didn’t pass the food test 100 per cent (I ate a jam and cream donut, yum!) and needed touching up, particularly on the middle of my bottom lip.
However, that might have been because I was a bit over-zealous when putting it on and put on too much.
More tries will tell.
I first wore this during the day and it felt a bit heavy for a sunny morning so I might try wearing it again at night and see how it feels then.
I really like it with this collared top – it’s got a bit of a Wednesday Adams feel to it.

MAC Rebel lip 1

Have you tried a dark lip? What do you think of the trend?

Three ways to make your outfit sparkle on NYE

NEW Year’s Eve is almost upon us!
Aside from freaking out about where the year has gone, I’m starting to plan my outfit for the big night.
I’m a huge fan of sequins, glitter any anything else that shines but it can be daunting to put these into an outfit without looking like a walking disco ball, especially for more casual events.
Here are three easy ways to throw in a bit of shine into your look, to get 2015 off to a great start!

blue maxi dress ootd NYE

We’re set for a warm NYE! I’ll be by the pool.

A sequinned belt:
I paired this gold belt with a floaty maxi dress and sandals for a low-key bit of sparkle.
NYE is usually hot even after the sun goes down in Australia so this would be great for a barbecue or a few relaxed drinks with friends.
It’s not too over-the-top but is still fun.
I threw in a plain white clutch so the belt would be the feature and my gold Juicy Couture charm bracelet – a gift from my lovely sister on a recent trip to Hong Kong. (There’s a close-up photo of these jewellery pieces at the bottom of this post.)

blue maxi dress ootd

This outfit is perfect for a more casual shindig.

blue maxi dress ootd NYE

Gold accessories bring the whole thing together.

The showstopper:
This gold sequinned top is definitely in my top ten favourite items in my wardrobe.
You’re not going to be missed in this thing!
This shirt has a black faux-leather (pleather) back and sleeves so it’s not full-on sequins the whole way around.
I paired it with a plain black skirt and minimal accessories – this top does all the talking.

gold sequin top ootd NYE

The faux-leather backing makes this shirt a bit warm, though.

Shiny accessories:
If you’re searching for something minimal to add to your outfit, simple, shiny accessories are always a good option.
This cat ear headband is a bit silly and fun but definitely cute!
Make-up wise I’m going to be keeping things pretty simple – just pink lips and liquid eyeliner.
For this look I used MAC’s Magenta lip liner and Max Factor’s Flipstick Colour Effect in Boreal Mauve 15.

cat ears headband ootd NYE

I love this headband!

Let’s take another look at the accessories I used for these outfits.
The big silver necklace from my dolphin skirt OOTD post would also be a winner, especially if paired with a little black dress.
You can pick up a Juicy Couture charm bracelet just like mine here.

So many shiny things in one image.

So many shiny things in one image.

This bracelet just gets me.

This bracelet just gets me.


What are you wearing on New Year’s Eve? Let me know in the comments!

My favourite dolphin skirt

I LOVE any item of clothing that has animals on it, so this skirt is one of my favourites.
I bought it from a rack of clothes outside a tiny store in Singapore’s Chinatown.

I took this look to a friend’s birthday party this weekend.

I paired the bright skirt with a pop of pink in my handbag and my biggest, shiniest necklace.
The necklace was another travel purchase – I picked it up in Florence in a random boutique.
It was just so over-the-top that I knew I had to buy it!
I’m house-sitting at the moment so today I had a canine helper for my photos!
I also put on Lime Crime’s Centrifuschia lipstick — I can’t get enough of this fun colour. Read my review of it here.

Dolphin skirt ootd

I think he approves of my dolphins.

I'm a cat person but I just can't resist that face!

I’m a cat person but I just can’t resist that face!

Do you have a favourite piece of animal-print clothing? I’d love to hear about it!

Fluoro skirts are hard to miss

I LOVE this bright pink skirt!
While there’s every chance of it searing your retinas, when I spotted it in a Dotti store last year (it was hard to miss) I couldn’t resist snapping it up.

Dotti fluoro pink skirt

I love how bright it this outfit is!

I’m a big fan of fluro pink in everyday outfits – my current handbag is a similar shade to this skirt.
To balance out the crazy colour I paired this with a simple black tee, bag and a dark necklace.
While a lot of style guides may say my sky blue flats are a bit much, they just felt really fun when I put them on with the pink.
I also threw on a faux leather jacket with a studded collar that I picked up for only five dollars at an op shop!
I like the mix of circles on my necklace and squares on the lapel.
To finish it off I chose the brightest pink lipstick I own!

This faux leather jacket was a wardrobe staple for me this winter.

This faux leather jacket has been a wardrobe staple for me.

Top: Zara.
Skirt: Dotti.
Jacket: op shop. Originally Ally.
Shoes: Cotton On.
Necklace: op shop.
Lips: Maybelline Colour Sensational – fuchsia fever.

What’s your favourite bright colour piece in your wardrobe?

A whirlwind weekend in Bali

WHAT a weekend!
I’ve just returned from an amazing three-day weekend in sunny (and stormy) Bali!
My entire family headed over to help my adorable mum celebrate her 60th birthday.
I couldn’t get much time off work so I left on Thursday evening and came back tonight, ready for work on Monday.
The weather was SO HOT, steamy and we saw a few evening storms, but thankfully the rain held off until this morning.
I’ve got another post with more photos here but I wanted to share the outfit I came home in.

Topshop striped cat shirt

I can never resist a shirt with cats on it!

I’d picked up the shirt on Saturday from Topshop and threw in my comfiest pair of shorts while we were packing and heading to the airport. (I had some jeans in my bag for the freezing conditions on the plane.)
I use this fluoro-pink bag as my everyday handbag – it’s big enough to fit everything in and the colour makes me feel happy.
My jelly sandals are never a bad choice and they don’t make my feet hot, even though, being plastic, I thought they would.

Silver glitter jelly sandals

The glitter was an obvious choice for me.

When I fly I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup because I feel my skin suffers enough from the airconditioning and being dehydrated so I went foundation-free today. (I’m actually surprised at how well my skin was behaving — having a relaxing few days definitely helped.)
I just put on mascara, eyeliner, a bit of concealer and an amazing matte lipgloss I picked up on this trip – it’s Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Pink Pong.

Finding good selfie lighting in a hotel room is always a challenge.

Finding good selfie lighting in a hotel room is always a plus.

I’ve never tried matte-finish glosses or lipsticks before but I really love the effect.
The saleswoman billed it as the brand’s 24-hour lip colour and while it didn’t last an entire day, it definitely held up well to food and drinks.
It was great to travel with my entire immediate family (now at 12 people once you count two brothers-in-law, my boyfriend and my brother’s girlfriend) and I’m lucky we get along so well.
I wish I could have stayed longer but at least I got to go at all.
I really wish I was heading to the swim-up bar for cocktails instead of going to work tomorrow, though!

Take me back!

Take me back!

Have you been on a holiday recently? What are your go-to travel outfit choices?
Let me know in the comments!

Review: Lime Crime Centrifuschia

I AM absolutely in love with this lipstick.
This is my first purchase from the brand and if their other products live up to this standard, I will be hooked!

Lime Crime Sephora

I’m not sure if this lip liner was always so tiny? I’ve had it for a while.

The makeup line has been taking stores (and Instagram feeds) by storm with their bold, bright and at times unusual lip colours, including blue and lilac.
I hadn’t tried the Lime Crime range before because I’d only seen them online and was hesitant to try a colour I hadn’t seen in person.
But luckily, I spotted a display in a hairdressers while I was in Melbourne recently and the hot pink Centrifuchsia caught my eye.
I’m really enjoying the bold lip look at the moment, especially since I’ve started using lip liners lately.
I paired this lipstick with MAC’s Prep and Prime lip primer and a Sephora pencil lip liner in Funky Fuschia. (Who else is excited for Sephora to open their first Australian store next month?! I know I am!)

Sephora lip liner funky fuschia

Sephora’s funky fuschia lip liner is almost lovely enough to wear on its own!

This lipstick is creamy and rich, goes on smoothly and keeps my lips moisturised.
The thing I love most is its STICKABILITY.
When applied with a lip primer and a lip liner underneath, Centrifuchsia is not going anywhere, even when you’re eating and drinking.
Lip colour that stays put has been a major draw card for me lately as I was getting really tired of bold lip glosses that just didn’t have any sticking power.

Lime Crime Centrifuschia
In short, I can’t wait to try the rest of the range — especially since I’m not afraid of using crazy colours!
Have you used Lime Crime products before? What are your favourites?

Lime Crime range photo Blog of Shadows

Photo by Blog of Shadows

For the love of summer dresses

THE warm weather is definitely here to stay! (Northern hemisphere notwithstanding.)
I love this silky blue patterned dress – it flows and is light-weight which makes it perfect for any day spent out in the sunshine – preferably with a glass of wine in hand.
I picked it up at Forever 21 a few years ago – the cinched waist and collared top are just perfect.

This might prove tricky on very windy days!

This might prove tricky to manage on very windy days!

Shiny accessories are practically a staple for me.

Shiny accessories are practically a staple for me.

Pink lipgloss brings the whole thing together.

Pink lipgloss brings the whole thing together.

Dress: Forever 21.
Shoes: ASOS.
Clutch: borrowed.
Lips: Savvy High Shine Lip Lacquer – paparazzi.