October 2013 Violet Box Review!

Hi lovelies,

I got to work today to find my Violet Box waiting on my desk! What I found when I opened it completely blew me away, so I just had to share it straight away! I'm uploading from mobile and having trouble loading the photos properly, so please bear with me and I will edit it tonight when I get home.

VB have changed their boxes, so while they retain the lovely matte black and violet colours, the box itself is a little bit smaller. I know this month's box was slightly delayed while they waited for the Be A Bombshell product to arrive, but it was well worth the wait in my humble opinion!

Here's what I found in this month's box!

Bodyography Oxyplex Loose Complexion Powder in Almond (Mineral Foundation) (full sized)

APIVITA Face Masks 2 Dose Sachet Express Beauty with Orange (full sized)

Savoir Faire Lipgloss in Rapture (full sized)

John Plunkett Cosmeceuticals Super Wrinkle Cream (deluxe sample)

Be A Bombshell Eye Shadow in Money Money (full sized)

On to photos!

October 2013 Violet Box (new packaging)

Keep reading after the jump!

Halloween 2013 Nail Art #1 - A Jack-O'-Lantern Manicure.

Hi lovelies!

I think I've lost my Halloween mojo, because I managed to do several Halloween makeup looks and nail art for last year's Halloween (check them out here), but this is the first one I've found time to create this year, and seeing as it's four days away,  I'm really running out of time!

Anyhow, I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to create something Halloween themed. It was a bit of fail but I decided to share it anyway (maybe that's a lesson not to try something creative at 2 am when you can't sleep?). I was also struggling to get decent photos of it today as it was really overcast, so you will have to forgive the less-than-stellar photography.

It's just a simple look featuring several jack-o'-lanterns. I was going for more cute than scary, so I painted my nails black using Orly Liquid Vinyl, used OPI Hot & Spicy for the pumpkins and my Sally Hansen nail art pen in black for the jack-o'-lantern features. Leaves were dabbed on using NYC Color in Limelight, but I think I should've left them off as they looked better without.

\Keep reading after the jump!

October 2013 Lust Have It Review!

Hi lovelies,

It was a very happy mail day for me today with both my Lust Have It and Her Fashion Box subscriptions arriving today! I will have my HFB post up in a day or two, but in the meantime, here is my LHI box review! This month's LHI was packaged in a gorgeous floral box that matches their new logo. I received the following items in my October box:

Le Tan Wash Off Spray Tan (deluxe sample)

Inika Loose Mineral Eyeshadow in Gold Dust (full sized)

Paula's Choice Oil Blotting Papers (deluxe sample)

Evo Salvation Care Shampoo and Conditioner (deluxe sample)

Princesse Skincare Hyaluronic Acid Mask (deluxe sample)

Smitten Whipped Tinted Mousse Moisturiser in Cappuccino (deluxe sample - I think, I forgot to check so I will get back to you)

There was also a handful of discount vouchers. On to photos!

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The new packaging - isn't it adorable?

Keep reading after the jump!

Product Review: theBalm INSTAIN Long-Wearing Powder Staining Blush in Pinstripe and Swiss Dot (and Swatches).

Hi lovelies!

Happy Monday (not)! On the plus side, we survived it and it's only four short sleeps to the next weekend!

I have two pretty blushers from theBalm to show you today, in Pinstripe and Swiss Dot*. The INSTAIN blushers are innovative, long-wearing powders with staining properties. Swiss Dot* was sent to me for consideration, and I liked it so much that I went out and purchased Pinstripe!

theBalm INSTAIN blushes in Pinstripe (left) and Swiss Dot (right).

Keep reading after the jump!

Five minutes with...Raylene Barton from 1 Skin Solution and a GIVEAWAY (Open Internationally)!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the latest post in my interview series, a little chat with the gorgeous Raylene Barton, owner of 1 Skin Solution! If you haven't heard of 1 Skin Solution before, Raylene makes the most gorgeous, natural bath and body products,including a lovely lip balm that is my current holy grail lip product (the only thing that helps my insanely dry lips, and comes in vanilla as well as a yummy mojito flavour). There are also tinted lip balms, body lotion, bath crystals and the most divine candles (a review will be forthcoming shortly)! Not only does she make the most gorgeous products, but she's also an amazing person I'm so proud to call a friend!

Raylene from 1 Skin Solution.

1) Hi Raylene, welcome to The Made Up Maiden and thank you for answering all my questions! Can you tell us a little about how you came up with the inspiration for starting your own business, and how you chose the products associated with 1Skin Solution?
Hello, and thank you so much for having me! I have actually been making my own products for years. It started when I was a Personal Trainer and one of my lovely clients gifted me a little pack from The Perfect Potion. It had a base cream and some essential oils so I could create my own scented body cream. I loved the idea and went into Perfect Potion to look around. I purchased a book called Do It Yourself Skincare and that’s how it all started. I was making skincare and soaps and selling them at markets and also giving them to friends. It was only a hobby, and I was not making any money (in fact, I was actually losing money), but that was not the point. Once I decided I wanted to make it my business, I started up the custom lip balms. It was a great way to generate income to finance my own skincare line. It is a slower process but very rewarding. That decision was made 2 years ago. 

2) Where are your products manufactured?
All of my products are made here in Australia. I personally make all the lip products, candles and the Bath & Shower Crystals. I have a contract manufacturer who makes the other body products.

Keep reading after the jump!

September 2013 Lust Have It Review!

Hi lovelies,

I'm a bit (okay, a LOT) late with this one, but a lot of the subscription boxes arrived at the same time and I didn't want to flood you all with review posts! Then I was a bit under the weather so this got a bit delayed...still, better late than never, right?

On to what I received in my September LHI box, which was chock-full of amazing goodies, including:

WOTNOT Organic Facial Wipes (deluxe sample)

Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover (deluxe sample)

L'Oreal Base Magique Primer (deluxe sample)

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream (sachet)

MONTEIL Le Nouveau Parfum (deluxe sample)

GKMBJ Soothing and Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner (deluxe sample)

Lust Have It Pencil Brush (full sized)

BAJI Kakadu Plum Face Scrub (full sized)

Bonus Tom Organic tampons (deluxe sample)

There was also a Karpati Bio-Cellulose Sensitive Mask (deluxe sample)

If you're thinking that's a lot of stuff, that's exactly what I thought! There was also a sneak peek teaser of an upcoming Inika product in the next box...we all know how much I love mineral makeup, and Inika, so I'm pretty excited for that! I won't give too much away so as not to spoil it for anyone, but I will say it is a makeup product and I assure you that you'll love it!

On to photos, before I share my thoughts...

September 2013 LHI box.

Keep reading after the jump!