Six O'Clock Swatch - OPI Teal the Cows Come Home

Today's swatch is OPI Teal the Cows Come Home.  It's an iridescent sky blue, more blue than teal to my eye, but a beautiful colour nonetheless. 
This is a bright attention getting colour with a lot of pep. 

Review: Brauer Paw Paw Lip Shimmer

Brauer sent me a full set of their paw paw lip shimmers - with my lip balm extravaganza this winter it was perfect timing!
These are beauties - unlike some other lip balms on the market (even ones that say "paw paw" on the packaging) these have no nasty petrochemicals in them and are really gentle and hydrating on the lips. There's lots of colours to choose from too  - in this range there is something for everyone.
If you want something with no colour at all , then Pink Diamond is the one for you.  If you want light pink, then French Rose is your shade, or if you prefer a darker pink, try Blush. If purple is your thing, there's Luscious Lilac and if like me you can't resist red, then Ruby is the one you'll want. There's also a great brown tone as well, Toffee. 
Surprise, surprise, I have been wearing Ruby the most, it gives me a subtle but glossy look that still tones in with my red outfits. I credit the lack of chapped and dry lips this winter to my balm use, and since using these I have noticed an improvement in the small lines around my lipline as well. There's definitely going to be one or two of there rattling around in my pockets and purses from now on. 

Six O'Clock Swatch - Nicole by OPI Aquamarine Texture Nail Polish

Today's swatch is Nicole by OPI's Aquamarine Texture nail polish. This is meant to be a glitter crackle polish, but I haven't been able to get the sample I've got to "crack". 
I've enjoyed using as a glitter polish despite this, it's full of tiny bright blue flecks of glitter, really pretty. 

Review: Caroline's Wash

If you like products that are all-natural and really simple.. this is one you will want to keep on your radar. It's Caroline's Wash. I have to say when this arrived in the mail for me to review, I wasn't hugely impressed, the packaging is pretty plain and the lack of ingredients on the tube had me raising a skeptical eyebrow. 

After using it for a couple of weeks though, I went and looked up the ingredients on the maker's website, because I was really fascinated by what was in this stuff. My digging revealed that it's got all sorts of botanicals in it, from borage seed oil to all the usual suspects - avocado, jojoba, rosehip and lots more. It's made here in Australia. 
It's unfragranced, clear, it smells of nothing, but it really does the trick. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean and I've definitely noticed my skin seems less prone to breakouts.  It claims to treat all sorts of stuff, Eczema, Psoriasis and Dermatitis, and I can't speak to any of that, but the lack of irritants in this stuff has got to be a good start. If you want a product that just quietly does a good job with no fancy frills, you'll want to get your hands on this. 

Six O'Clock Swatch - Pretty Serious Tux Nail Polish

Today's Swatch is Tux by Pretty Serious. It is a really dark, so dark is is almost black teal colour. 
It has a faint purple shimmer in it that is quite obvious in the bottle, subtle on the nail and almost impossible to capture in a photo. 
If you love black polish and want something a bit different, you'd like this. 

Review: Violet Box Sample Box June 2013

There's a new sample box on the scene.. it's The Violet Box. They've obviously taken the maxim "Start as you mean to go on" to heart because they have come out of the gate with a very strong offering indeed.

What did I get?

Six O'Clock Swatch - OPI Last Friday Night

Today's swatch is Last Friday Night from OPI, part of the Katy Perry collection.

This is a translucent blue with glitter and foil in it, the foil is tiny circles in a bright blue, silver and dark blue.

This really catches the light with the silver flecks tending to predominate.

Six O'Clock Swatch: Illamasqua Serenity

 Today's swatch is Serenity from Illamasqua. I've no idea if the Firefly reference is intentional or not, but I can tell you this is a cool polish.

It comes in Illamasqua's "Rubber" finish, which is almost-but-not-quite matte, and it is a bright and brilliant no-compromises turquoise colour.

Six O'Clock Swatch - Sally Hansen Mermaid's Tale

Today's swatch is Mermaid's Tale from the Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure Range. This is a translucent blue with flecks of peacock coloured flakes in it. 
There's a range of blue and green circular flecks along with finer glitter/foil pieces that catch the light. 
It's a really spectacular polish - perfect for you if you love peacock coloured things and sparkles! 

Six O'Clock Swatch - OPI Tomorrow Never Dies - James Bond Collection

Today's swatch is from the James  Bond collection OPI put out some time ago - this one is "Tomorrow Never Dies" and it is a beautiful dark blue colour.
 The press picture of the bottle looks quite purple to my eyes but on the nail it's most definitely blue. 
Lighter than navy, darker than cerulean, it's a really lovely colour that won't leave you feeling blue at all! 

Aussie Curves: Feminine

So, as is usual, when a new Aussie Curves theme rolls around I do a lot of thinking about the theme and how I might interpret it.. I have to be honest with you, the more I thought about this one, the madder I got. 

What is "Feminine"? What's a "feminine look?" Whenever I have heard this word used, especially in regards to fashion - it's usually all about how men think women ought to look (and be) and not really much about how women themselves want to be. Be quiet, be demure, wear florals, and pearls, and high heels that make you less able to run away. Be grateful for earning less and getting beat up more - yeah, thanks but no thanks. 

The word "feminine" doesn't really resonate with me - but "Femme" definitely does.. "Hard Femme" even more.  What's "hard femme", you say? Well, I liked this definition from the author of the hardfemmemusic tumblr a lot: 

To me, it is taking the traditionally “feminine” and re-creating it in your own way. It is taking leather and massive metal studs to that flowery summer dress. It is kicking patriarchy’s ass and leaving a big lipstick mark on the remains as you walk away in towering heels. It is being sexy, knowing it, and making no apologies. It is glamour, colours, leather, lace and the underlying threat of violence if you dare suppress us in any way.

So, here I am, perhaps not "feminine" but definitely femme. I am wearing a long sleeved hoodie that never fails to make me smile. I'm not a socialist but this is was just too funny not to add to my wardrobe. Here's what it says:

I could explain the joke to you, but I'd have to charge. 

The red shrug and the animal print skirt are both from City Chic. My Autograph boots are just the thing for stomping the patriarchy, and a red bandana from Canteen adds a "Rosie the Riveter" vibe that pleases me. 

 My makeup is "classic with a twist" - iridescent peacock eyeliner from Lush adds something a bit different to the old-fashioned cats eye.

The red lipstick is a gorgeous matte from Morgana Cryptoria, called "The It Girl". Both the colour and the formulation are really vintage.

So, what do you think? Does the idea of being "Hard Femme" appeal to you?