I swear, I was only intending to buy a neutral shadow from MAC and, SOMEHOW, I ended up with Chanel’s new Ombres Pearlees palette AND Black Pearl.

I haven’t had a good chance to put this through its paces but I have taken a slew of photos and some thumb nails of the colours for you guys to see.  I did swatch some on the back of my hand in the department store and they lasted, without primer, all day without fading.  Super pigmented. Super creamy.  Super Chanel.

The shop assistant told me that these break easily (you’re not supposed to tell me that lady!) but I’ve dropped it twice and it has suffered no ill effects.

All up, no regrets so far, other than the $100 I had to pay for it. I haven’t told Brett yet.  Suggestions on how to break the news in the comments would be gratefully received.

I wanted to use this post to give you some more information about what is going to happen to the site in March and the exciting new developments for April.

March

I have one more post to go live tomorrow before my hiatus kicks in. It’s a Chanel haul post and you will love it!

My blogsale will go live on Saturday March 5th 2011 at 10am Australian Daylight Saving Time. 300 lacquers are up for grabs – from Illamasqua to BYS to China Glaze to Mecca Cosmetics. Grab yourself a bargain and support a great cause (all proceeds from sold lacquers that were sent to me for review are going to Autism Victoria).

Also, there will be an AMAZING giveaway running for the month of March. It is nail polish and – yes – I’ve been able to secure an international shipping option so my international ladies will be able to participate. Now I’m feeling so fly like a G6 and I won’t be going to jail.

April

Regular posting will resume on Monday April 4th 2011.

I have made the decision to merge You’ve Got Nail and You’ve Got Face together. Truth be told, running two sites (in addition to my full time work and children) just isn’t working. So, from April onwards, You’ve Got Nail will be a nail and beauty related site.

What that means is that YGN will go back to being an updated seven days a week site, with lots of nail and beauty goodness. Fresh swatches, beauty reviews, opinion posts, naily news (which I have really missed doing)… seriously, you won’t be able to keep up.

In short, I think YGN will just take an exponential leap into awesomesauce overtime.

Thanks to everyone for your lovely comments and support so far. It’s strange that, as I’m preparing to go on hiatus, I’m starting to get my mojo back. I probably could keep going. But I am going to force myself to take a break. I’m looking forward to playing with my accumulated CND Shellac colours, doing some YouTube tutorials and generally just enjoying my love of nails and beauty rather than only blogging about it.

I will still be around on Twitter and, of course, I’ll be running both the Giveaway and the BlogSale so I’m not disappearing entirely. If anyone wants to take me out for dinner, I will accept so long as the venue has fried ice-cream.

The banner picture? I just love Lee Pace.

I was thinking of lightening my hair so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to live on the edge a little.

Palty hair dyes are legendary in Asian countries. Just Google ‘Palty’ and you will find forums dedicated to how to use Palty dyes.  I was a little scared doing this – I normally get my hair dyed professionally – but I figured, what the hey.

Packaging

Ok, first things first.  The packaging is all sorts of adorable.  And in Japanese.  You can kinda figure out what is going on but I would HIGHLY recommend reading forums as well.

The other notable thing about this packaging is the comb applicator. This is, quite possible, the greatest innovation in home hair dyes ever. Basically, as soon as you’ve mixed the colour together, this comb screw onto the top. Just squeeze out the product and comb through your hair. GENIUS. Absolute GENIUS.

Product

Ok, this stings. Like a mother. For the first five minutes, my scalp was really tingling. It calmed down after five minutes but, if you are a sensitive sort, you should be warned that this does have bleach in it.

I got a wee bit scared and only had this on for 15 minutes instead of the recommended 20. I’m kinda glad I cut it short as the colour really worked to lighten my hair!

Here is the before (goddamn my skin was bad – this was taken in December):

And now the after (sorry, I have no idea why the photo is rotating):

As you can see, it has been significantly lightened. Mostly around the roots (that’s the bleach working on the virgin hair) but hair is definitely lighter all round.

Although this doesn’t look much like the colour on the box, I really love how this worked. It was fast, effective and, despite the industrial strength bleach, my hair feels as soft as it normally does.

Price

Here in Australia, this costs an eye watering $38. It is much cheaper in Asia and/or on eBay.

Would I repurchase?

Definitely. The bleach is strong but that is what makes these work so well. So impressed it’s not funny.

Whatever you think of Paula Begoun – and I do find her method of assessing products solely on ingredients to be a tad one dimensional – there is no doubt this woman provides food for thought about the mechanics of the beauty industry. Personally, I think the industry needs someone like her because it provides a great counter balance to highly seductive marketing.  I don’t believe everything she says but I do  enjoy reading her work and then making informed decisions.

So, check out the site and let me know in the comments how your favourites stack up against Ms Begoun’s assessment!  Personally, I’ve been heartbroken that she hates some of my favourites but quietly thrilled when her opinion agreed with mine.

Lendan’s Redensifying Mask with Beta-Endorphins is:

designed to wake-up the skin and the senses, its formula contains pro-endorphin substances with a strong, instantly redensifying and cryo-tensifying effect for the face, neck and decollete. Formulated using film delivery system.

Did this mask deliver on its promises? Read on to find out. And don’t forget that, if you are chosen as the winner of my Lendan Giveaway, you will win this mask!

Packaging

This comes in a sealed foiled sachet.  Open the sachet and the mask reveals itself.

I like the packaging on this.  It’s hygenic and the foil ensures the product stays fresh right up until the time you apply it.

Product

This is the type of mask where it fits over your face like Jason from Friday 13th.  Behold my scary visage!

(Please excuse the bad photography here. This was late on a Friday AFTER I had had drinks with friends. Yay for drunken escapades with face masks!)

Applying this is super easy. Just place over your face and adjust until it fits. Then sit back and relax.

I found this tingled a little bit on application, but that sensation quickly disappeared. The instructions say to leave on for 20 minutes but I actually left mine on for 30 minutes because I live on the edge.

Afterwards, my skin felt… I can’t really describe it. Plump. Soft. Supple. It was the strangest thing.

AND the moisture surge it delivered to my dry Retin-A infused skin was nothing short of miraculous. I literally haven’t had any flaking since I used this, and I had been flaking since December. For that reason alone, this is worth the admission price for me.

Price

This will set you back $36.95.  Definitely high end. Not an everyday item, but worth it if you want a pick me up / rejuvenation.

Would I repurchase?

For the moisture surge alone, absolutely. It’s phenomenal.

I need a tester.  Could you be that person?

The good people at Proactiv have given me a month’s supply of Proactive for one lucky You’ve Got Face reader to trial.

All you have to do is:

a) be an Australian citizen

b) be prepared to trial this amazing product for a month; and

c) write about your experiences for publishing here on You’ve Got Face.

If you are interested, please email me at jacie at youvegotface dot com.  First in best dressed, so don’t delay!

It may have taken years, and I may have spent thousands  in my journey to this place, but MAC’s Face and Body could very well be the Holy Grail foundation for me.

Read on to see why.

Packaging

This comes in a HUGE 120ml bottle.  Considering that most foundations are a quarter of that size, this is just enormous in comparison.

The bottle itself is plastic with a small nozzle at the top.  The nozzle itself can be removed if you want to get product out faster.

Product

This is effectively a ‘wash’.  It’s very runny – almost water like – and has only the fainted amount of colour.  So why does this work as a foundation, and – seriously – why does it work on someone like me with acne scarred skin?

A number of reasons, really.

Firstly, it’s totally buildable.  You can apply one layer, leave to dry for a couple of minutes and then come back and do another layer.  I usually end up doing three layers, followed by concealer and powder. 

Which sounds like alot but here is the second reason why this works.  It never ever feels cakey or heavy.  I’m wearing it right now and it feels like my face normally feels when I just have moisturiser on.  This is so light weight that I don’t even notice that it’s there.

Thirdly, this is water based, which is perfect for pretty much all skin types.  I have an oily t-zone but this doesn’t exacerbate that, so long as I powder and ‘set’ the foundation.  Where I have flaky dry skin, this doesn’t exacerbate the flakes.  It just seems to moisturise them.

If I do need more coverage, I use Bobbi Brown’s tinted moisturiser as a base, and then add a couple layers of this.  In the end I, literally, have a flawless face.  And I haven’t had to resort to heavy foundations to get it.  Glorious.

To apply, you can use a brush or sponge but I prefer to use my fingers.  I smooth a small amount of my face and then, whilst it is still wet, I just pat with my fingers and gently massage it in.  Applying this way gives me a more ‘airbrushed’ finish.

Price

$60 for 30ml.  I think this could be the best priced product in MAC’s range.

Would I repurchase?

Absolutely love.  Absolutely recommend.  You will not be disappointed with this one. I promise.

The short story is…. I’m burnt out and need a break.

The long story is…. life is just a little overwhelming at the moment.

I recently went for a role that was, literally, my dream role. And I got it. But I can’t take it for a huge host of reasons. And that has, just quietly, devastated me as it was perfect for me.

I’m exhausted from taking care of my aunt. I do everything for her. I have no family support to assist me – so I do her washing, her banking, her affairs. Everything. And it’s taking its toll on me both physically and mentally. She is demanding and insistent and I’m soft, which means she gets away with far more than she should.

There’s a couple, more personal, issues that I am dealing with. I won’t go into details here.

Both sites will go on hiatus in March, which means no new posts for that month. During March, I will take a break, re-evaluate and determine what form both sites will take in the future. I’m also going to work on some product design ideas I’ve had but have just had no time to do.

I will use March, however, as an opportunity to have my blog sale. I will be selling over 100 (maybe even 200) nail polishes. So stay tuned for that. Mama wants needs a new laptop so the blog sale will help to make that happen.

Posting will continue for the rest of February as normal. I have some amazing lacquers this week including another Inglot mashup. And I have new piCture pOlish coming up for the last day in February. And don’t forget to enter the Lendan Giveaway.

Thank you for your support. This isn’t the end. It’s just a little tea-break. I’ll be back, complete with a-grade smack talk.

A soft daily caress, this gentle cream helps even the most sensitive skin. Day after day, redness is minimized and skin is more comfortable and resistant to environmental stress.

Sounds nice, right?

But how does it bear up under Jacie scrutiny?

Packaging

Like all L’Occitane, the packaging on this is very simple and classic.  I actually really like the aesthetics of L’Occitane.  It’s clean and easy.

BUT, the pump on this is diabolical.  It gets clogged, resulting in the product either not coming out at all and/or the product shooting out at a strange angle.  L’Occitane really need to work on this aspect of their packaging as this is the second time I’ve had trouble with their pumps.

Product

I did not like this for the first week I was using it. I felt it was insipid and somewhat pointless.  At one stage, I actually took it to the rubbish bin to throw it out.

But, as my skin adjusted, it started to respond to the cream.  To the point where my skin, after two weeks of use, feels as soft as Chuff’s beautiful five year old skin.  Even Brett, when touching my face, said ‘Your face feels beautiful’.  He then proceeded to paw at my face for the next five minutes, marvelling at the softness.

This is beautifully light and easy to work with.  It massages easily into the skin and the softness is almost instant.

If you want a moisturiser that just makes your skin feel beautiful, this is it.  I don’t see it doing anything else.  I don’t feel younger and my skin doesn’t look brighter.  But, then, I don’t expect nor want this moisturiser to do that.  I just want moisturising and this fulfills that brief beautifully.

Price

This will set you back $40.

Would I repurchase?

It’s still early days but yes yes yes yes.  This is just a lovely cream.

I heard a very funny joke recently.

‘What’s the one thing you would take if you were trapped on a desert island’.

‘A book on how to build rafts’.

Ha! Made me laugh.

Today’s topic for discussion is, if you were trapped on a desert island, what one beauty item would you take?  What couldn’t you live without?

For me, it would be Lanolips.  I don’t just love that product. I literally can’t live without it.  I have a tube in my bathroom, one next to my bed in my bedside drawer, one in my handbag and two at work.  I’m obsessed.

Go on, tell me in the comments your can’t live without product.