It's ALIVE!!!

My new blog is officially LIVE!  Hussah!!
Aside from some small tweaking to happen in the next few weeks I'm finally settled at my own domain, which is very exciting :)

Come and check it out, and don't forget that you will need to re-subscribe - www.counterobsession.com

And look out very soon for a giveaway to celebrate!!

What's going on??

You may have noticed it's been a bit quiet around here at Counter Obsession... well, I can tell you I'm in the middle of a war.  With Wordpress.  My big plans to revamp the blog at its own domain are in its final stages, but Wordpress and I aren't seeing eye to eye.  If we were dating I would have broken up with him about two weeks ago.  But instead we've been seeing a counsellor, talking through our problems and working on our relationship.

So I just wanted to say STAY TUNED for an all new, super-fabulous relaunch of COUNTER OBSESSION!! I've got some great products to review, and maybe even a giveaway to celebrate!!

xoxo

Burt's Bees Essential Body Kit - Part 2

Four products down, four to go!  See part 1 here.

Peppermint Foot Lotion - I'm not a fan of peppermint scented foot products.  I understand the peppermint is cooling and all that, but you usually put it on after they've been washed, so wouldn't they be cool anyway?  It's lightly moisturising, and non-greasy.  It's ok.

Extra Energising Body Wash - It's nice enough - not a strong lather but enough, the scent is nice and refreshing but faded quickly so it didn't clash with my perfume.  Wouldn't buy again as I don't see anything particularly special, but I'll keep it for when I travel.

Naturally Nourishing Body Lotion - The big thing to note here is that it's a lotion, not a cream.  As my skin is drying out with the seasonal change it wasn't hydrating enough for my tastes, but if you just want something light it's quite nice.  The smell wasn't offputting but also something I wouldn't specifically choose.

Radiance Day Creme (with royal jelly) - My clear favourite out of these four!  Again it's a lighter formulation, but I still found it really hydrating.  Makeup application was also nice and smooth.  I'd consider buying this again for my day cream, if I had a richer moisturiser at night.  I wish I'd known about this one in summer!

So overall I think it's a great deal for only $24.95!  Some products were great, some weren't to my fancy but I'm glad I tried them out.  And it's really piqued my interest for the rest of the Burt's Bees products - will see what else I can pick up!

NOTD - Three colours from OPI

Just thought I'd show you some of the new OPI nail polish colours that have appeared in my collection lately!

Don't Know... Beets Me!

I really like this pink!  It's fun and bright, without being too fluoro and tacky.  The creamy consistency was easy to work with, and the brush was nice and wide for foolproof application.  Not something I would choose to wear on my fingers, but would be great for a 'secret' pedicure - you know, the pedicure you get when you know you'll be wearing closed shoes and you're the only one who knows your toenails are pretty?  It's your girly little secret :)

I'd Like To Thank...

Sparkly!  The bottle shows pink, bronze and gold reflects but the photos bring out the bronze.  I gave my mum a pedicure with this colour and it really highlighted her (very faint, Australian winter) tan!  Would look great on the beach or in fabulous sandals - pity it's getting cold here  :( the Prowide brush was wide (funny about that!) but also really strong, so I felt like I had great control.  I'll be looking for that brush in future polishes.


Over The Taupe

I caved to peer pressure and bought this colour - and I have to say, I'm not a fan.  I don't think the colour does anything for me, but more annoying was the really watery texture of the polish itself.  You can see in the pic that it's a bit uneven in coverage, which is probably because it's still a bit wet but I had to work a lot to get it as non-streaky as this.  I expect more from OPI polishes.

Next on the shopping list - grey polish.  Maybe it's to match my new grey handbag, but I'm obsessed.  What is everybody else coveting?  Do you like the idea of the 'secret' pedicure?

Burt's Bees Essential Body Kit - Part 1

I've decided that I need a new skincare regime.  My skin is really suffering with the change in the weather, and this gives me a perfect chance to test out some new products - from my local health food store!

Natural skincare isn't revolutionary, but I've never made a conscious effort to use it.  But it makes a lot of sense, and the environmental benefits are great as well.

I was surprised by the range of skincare lines that my local store carried!  There's so many products that got me excited, but since I was after an exfoliater to start with and my hands need some love, I found a pack that had it all - Burt's Bees Essential Body Kit.

Contents - Replenishing Lip Balm, Peppermint Foot Lotion, Extra Energising Body Wash, Deep Pore Scrub, Radiance Day Creme, Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme, Hand Salve and Naturally Nourishing Body Lotion.  8 products for $24.95.  Pretty nifty, huh!

Since it's late at night I tested out half the products now, and I'll review the others when I use them tomorrow morning.

Replenishing Lip Balm (with pomegranate oil) - nice!  Really smooth texture, and moisturised my lips without feeling too waxy.  I really like the pomegranate scent too!

Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme - I expected this to be 'creamy', but it was more like a gel/balm.  I had to warm the product up before I could apply it, but it was quickly absorbed and surprised me with how moisturising it was.  Lemon smell was really refreshing too.  Another thumbs up.

Hand Salve - I'm actually not too sure what to do with this.  Like the cuticle cream the texture is like a balm, and it smells like eucalyptus.  It doesn't really work as a hand cream because of the consistency.  Maybe it could be a spot treatment, but because I have the cuticle creme I don't really have a use for it.

Deep Pore Scrub (peach and willowbark) - this disappointed me to start with.  My first thought was that the grains were way too large for a facial scrub - they feel like they're scratching my skin rather than buffing it smooth.  And the grains felt too few and far between, so it took more product than I would like in order to feel like I had enough.  What I did love was the 'waxy' residue that was left behind - it wasn't actually wax, but more like a moisturising 'barrier' which meant I could get out of the shower and not make my skin feel tight and make me run for the moisturiser.  Now, after my moisturiser has absorbed my skin feels much more hydrated than normal, and very soft.  Maybe it will win me over with time?

Interesting results so far... wonder how the other products will perform?

Fyrinnae - Lip Lustres

I received my first Fyrinnae order two days ago, and I've been busting to show you all!  I'm still playing with the shadows, but I wanted to show you all the Lip Lustres I picked up.  These really surprised me - I wasn't prepared for the texture at all!  Imagine a liquid lipstick, but with a 'dry' feeling.  That's the best I can describe it. They feel 'dry' to wear as well, and although the stronger colours leave a stain you will still see a transfer onto your coffee cup (or Diet Coke bottle if you're like me!).  They've packed a lot of pigment into these tubes though, so what you see is what you get on your lips.

The other surprise was the scent - some were barely fragrant, some were so strong they made me sick.  If you're sensitive to scented products I'd be wary.

First up - Bare Shoulders.

This was pretty, a bit of a mauve/pink shimmer through what otherwise would just be a nude.  I could wear this easily, except for one thing - the Cafe Au Lait smell.  Oh god, it's gross.  My stomach was churning as I put it on.  And then the smell lingered as I wore it.  Such a shame.

Next, let me introduce you to Lollipop-Pop.

Pretty in pink with a blue shimmer twist.  I'm not a pink kinda gal, but this will be pretty to layer over others.  The scent was lychee - not bad, it was bearable.  Very strong again.  Why does it have to be so strong?  :(

Now it's Meloncholy.

It's a strong coral, which the site warns can lean to orange but almost brings out brown tones on my lips.  Too strong for me, but I'm going to sheer this down and I think I'll be onto a winner.  Scent is melon (funny about that), but was nowhere near as strong as the first two.  Thank god.

Aah, my favourite - Romantique.

Oh god, this is so pretty.  So pretty!  Described on the site as a 'semi-sheer soft warm pink with gold shimmer', it's just gorgeous.  I'd wear this with other colours, but just as easily on its own.  Would be interesting on the cheeks too... must try that out!  Toasted Marshmallow scent smelt more like coffee, but wasn't as potent as Bare Shoulders and disappeared quickly.

Now, to cross over to the dark side!  I grabbed some vampy shades to test out application as well as to compare to the Lip Tars (which many bloggers have drawn similarities between the two).

This is Diabolical Masquerade.

Disappointed.  I was hoping for a stronger red or glitter component, but in real life it just looks black.  And the application was pretty patchy.  The worst part?  THIS was the unscented one!  WHY couldn't it have been Bare Shoulders?

Lastly, it's the jet-black Monochrome.

Again - patchy application, even worse than before.  Once the gloss dries a bit it's rather unremarkable.  If I want jet-black lips I'll go for Tarred Lip Tar every time.  I'll use this to layer perhaps, but otherwise I don't recommend.

Overall there were some winners and losers, but the biggest request I have of Fyrinnae would to be make ALL the Lustres unscented.  It's so offputting.  And I'll steer clear of any of the darker colours.  I'll only purchase these if I see a really unique colour, but otherwise a traditional lipstick or gloss would be more comfortable to wear.

Keep an eye out for my Fyrinnae shadow swatches - no disappointments there!
Which one was your favourite?

Breaking News - MAC and Disney's Venomous Villains Collection

Wow!  MAC and Disney have joined forces to announce the venomous Villains collection, to be released worldwide in September!  This is the first collection in a LONG time that I've been so excited about!

Four villains will be featured (which ones?  They're not telling us yet!) and the collection will have lipstick, lip gloss, powder and blush shades.  I'm thinking dark and vampy...

Check out the teaser trailer here - now, who might those villains be.... let me know your guesses!