Monday 30 September 2013

COMPETITION WINNERS: JOHN FRIEDA PRECISION FOAM HAIR COLOUR

 The first of my birthday competitions has ended, and....drumroll please......

The winners are.....

.....not as many as I thought that there'd be.
I had 5 different hair colours to give away, the winners were randomly selected by Rafflecopter, and we've drawn one winner for 3 of the colours, and another winner for the other two! These girls are going to have so much fun with their hair colour over the next little while!

SO...a big congratulations to Mahdi and Christianne, whose prizes will be with them as soon as I've verified their details.

I want to say another huge thank you to the folks at John Frieda who supplied the prizes for this giveaway free of charge. Why don't you all hop on over to their facebook page and thank them too by hitting that little "like" button? You can find them here:https://www.facebook.com/johnfriedaaus

I'll be announcing the winner of my other birthday giveaway tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!

GET THE LOOK - LIPTEMBER #2

It's the last day of Liptember, and I have one more look to show you guys. I created this simple, soft springtime look around me Revlon Liptember Pink lipstick, and as you can see, it's a perfect daytime look.

I started by using my Almay Blemisheal foundation and Wet'n'Wild Coverall powder, just a hint of Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled, and my Liptember Pink lipstick.


Then, for the eyes, I used Urban Decay Space cowboy all over the lid, right up to the brow bone, Mac Tartan Tale in A wish come true on the lid, and Mac Mega Metal in Spectacle of yourself in the crease and outer corner. Carefully blending them out into a really soft look, I completed the eyes with two coats of Too Faced Better than sex mascara.

Today is the last day of Liptember. I've had a really great time as one of the official bloggers for the cause, and I can't wait to update you guys with how much we've raised for Womens Mental Health.

To check out the cause and get more information, you can head on over to http://www.liptember.com.au, and if you want to sponsor me directly, you can find my donations page at http://www.liptember.com.au/katy.lylak

Friday 27 September 2013

BELLABOX SEPTEMBER 2013 REVIEW


This month, my Bellabox was so huge, it didn't even come in a box! 8 products (including the Cleo Magazine), and 7 of them are full size! With a massive $85 value for an outlay of $14.95, everyone should be more than happy with Bellabox this month, despite the delay, which was due to the Cleo magazine release date. My two favourite items in the box are the asap lip pencil, and the elegant touch nail wraps.


Cleo sponsored the box this month and decided on what should go into the box, a treat for us all, including everyday items most women need/want. I think they got it right. Check out my unboxing video for more!

Thursday 26 September 2013

LUST HAVE IT, SEPTEMBER 2013 - REVIEW

The lovely people at Lust Have It have sent me their box again this month, to have a look at and share with you guys.

With only 2 of the products giving this box a value of $54, and then a massive 7 "filler" items, 4 of which are very good sized samples, I'm really impressed by the box.

Baji are aussie, friendly to all the creatures, and keep all the good stuff in their products by not using big chemicals to make it look and smell pretty, and their full sized Rescue Eye serum is my big ticket item in this box at $39. Along with that, I'm really excited about the Lust Have It synthetic precision pencil brush, which will be an awesome addition to my ever-expanding brush collection. I love my Lust Have It Kabuki, and I use it every single day.

Check out my unboxing video to see the rest of the items, including a brand I haven't seen in a long time, and I'm really happy to see in the box!
Fair and full disclosure: I was sent this box free of charge by Lust Have It for my consideration, and was under no obligation to review it. I always endeavour to bring you open and honest reviews, stating my own opinions.

Wednesday 25 September 2013

MAKEUP SKILLZ: EYESHADOW BLENDING AND CONTOURING

I get asked all the time what my best tips for creating a great eyeshadow look are, and without a doubt, no matter what kind of look you're trying to create, blending and contouring the eye are your best tools. They take some practice to get right, but once you've worked it out, your eyeshadow looks will look more professional, and less like a 10 year old did your makeup (much like mine used to!).

First, let's talk about blending. The trick to blending properly is having the correct tool for the job. I use Real Techniques eye brushes. The shader brush is perfect for applying the colour, then their deluxe crease brush is perfect for all those blending jobs. I got mine at Walmart and they are really, really affordable.

You should start with a crease-free eyeshadow primer, like Urban Decay Primer Potion, or even a gorgeous cream eyeshadow like Maybelline Colour Tattoo. Just make sure whatever you use isn't going to crease up under your shadow. Primer will give you a smooth canvas, and will also provide a base for the colour to stick to.

Using a flat shader brush, be sure to pat the colour onto the lid, instead of sweeping it across the eyelid, to get the best colour payoff from your eyeshadow. We'll go into what kinds of colours to use where in the contouring section later.
The most important thing I can tell you about blending is to ALWAYS USE A CLEAN BRUSH TO BLEND WITH. I like to keep a makeup wipe on my counter top to clean my blending brush with as I go.
Blend in small, circular motions, taking care to work on top of your shadow, and not into it. Don't press down hard, as the eye area is very delicate, and also the crease/blending brush is designed for just the tips of the fibres to be used to gently blend the eyeshadow together.The finished look should be seamless, with no harsh lines of colour anywhere. The more you blend, the smoother the look, and depending how you want your makeup to end up looking will dictate how much time you need to spend on blending it out. You can always go back in with more colour to even out your look as you blend.

Eye contouring is a really great way to create gorgeous eyeshadow looks that really pop, and the basic eye contour has become a staple of makeup culture today.
We start with the lightest colour we're going to use, highlighting under the brow bone, to give depth to the eyes, and into the inner corner, to make the eyes look slightly larger and set wider apart (if you have large, wide-set eyes, this step will be one you'll like to skip). Next, the main colour you would like to feature in the look goes in  the middle of the eyelid. You can see a really great example of this in the purple look here. I also like to use this colour, or a slightly lighter tone, up into and above the crease, blending it into the brow highlight as a "transition" colour.
Last of all, for a simple look with eye contouring, use the darkest colour you're going to use, forming a triangular shape into the outer corner of the eye, and sweeping it up and into the crease, once again to add depth to the eyes and make them pop a little more.

Once you're done with the upper lid, depending on your look, you can also use an eyeliner brush (I prefer to use an angled push liner brush for more precise placement) to place some of your eyeshadow colour along the lower lashline. This is particularly nice if you're going for a nice smoked-out look.

Apply eyeliner and mascara as you wish, and your eyeshadow look is done!

A couple more tips now, to deal with fallout (powder falling from the brush as you use it, onto your cheeks).
If you're using really powdery shadows that do fallout a lot, start with your eye makeup, then do a cleanup with makeup wipes and apply the rest of your face. This isn't hard to do, and once you've tried it a couple of times, you'll find it easy.

Alternately, if we're just dealing with a tiny bit of fallout, use a large, soft brush to gently brush the powder away, being careful not to streak it all over your face. If you do happen to make a mess of it, you can always use makeup remover wipes to clean up and simply reapply makeup over the area.

Practice, practice, practice! It's only makeup! It washes off. If you mess it up you can try again. That's one of my best things about makeup, and why I love it so much. You can do anything you want to do, create anything you want to create, and at the end of the day, the canvas is clean to start again!

Monday 23 September 2013

VIOLET BOX SEPTEMBER 2013 REVIEW

I'm not gonna lie. I'm disappointed in this month's Violet Box. Considering this is the most expensive of the monthly beauty subscription boxes at $22.95, I expect more from it. This month, it was a real let-down.

There is $42 of value in the box, so I did technically get more than my money's worth, but it feels like a box full of fillers. There's no standout product in a box that is usually full of standout products. Stay tuned over the next month and see if they pick up their game, or if Violet Box ran out of steam in their first 3 boxes.

Watch my unboxing video below for more details about exactly what's in here, as well as a massive WTF moment when advertising material from an unrelated brand had me totally confused.


Sunday 15 September 2013

MY TOUGH MUDDER EXPERIENCE.






As you guys all know, I've been training and losing weight for about 8 months, with the goal of completing Tough Mudder. Well, yesterday was the day, and I, along with thousands of others, headed down to Philip Island GP track for the event.
I wore my Liptember lipstick, as promised, and I was ready for the challenge. I even had a Tough "Mudda" manicure in my team colours for the occasion.

We all got signed in, and literally with minutes to spare, made it to our start time. We got fired up, took the Mudder Oath and were on our way!
The first bit of jogging was on the actual GP track. How many people (who haven't done Tough Mudder) get to say they've run on the same track as many famous Grand Prix have been held on?
I struggled a little with shin splints while we were on the hard surface, but after about 1km, we were off track, and into the mud of it all. Slippery, stinky mud, sometimes knee-deep, tested whether our shoes were on tightly enough. We powered through it and got to our first obstacle at the 2km mark. Glory Blades is a series of 8-foot walls, angled so that there's no climbing surface. It's a challenge of either teamwork or sheer upper body strength, and I'm super proud to say I got over both walls, with the help of my awesome teammates. I have a big bruise on my arm to prove it!

Another bit of walking and jogging through mud and along some of the most beautiful scenic trails I've ever been on, and we came to a fence jump. All of the fences are electrified, so an A-frame had been constructed for us to climb up and jump off into ankle-deep mud below. My fear of heights didn't stop me, and I sat in and dropped off with a hand from my brother.

Next up was a tyre run. All of the tyres had sticky mud inside them, so it was important to get good footing. I chose to go between the tyres instead of into the middle of each one, and though it was slippery, I didn't get stuck.

taken after the swelling had gone down.
We had a little over 1km to go between that and the next obstacle, Kiss of Mud, in which you crawl through mud under barbed wire...but my journey ended before we got there. Somewhere after the 4km marker, we had walked for a bit through mud, and decided that a nice flat piece of grass was a good place to take up a jog once more. Two steps into the jogging, I lost my footing, heard a big "crack!" and went down hard on my right ankle.

At first, I thought I'd just rolled it and could go on. I even limped along on it for about 100 metres, while talking to my brother about what obstacles I realistically could and couldn't do on a sore ankle. Eventually the endorphins wore off, the pain kicked in and I conceded defeat and called for a medic.

splint and very muddy leg


A lovely young man named Jacob took care of me out on the field while we waited for the transport to come and take me to the official medical area where I could be examined and finally get some pain meds to take the edge off of what was becoming pretty horrendous pain. The buggy arrived about 30-40 minutes later (they had other proper emergencies to take care of first) and we started back towards the base area. I'm sad that I didn't catch my driver's name. He was really caring and awesome. We had to take the mud track all the way back to the base, and he warned me of bumps coming up and was genuinely concerned for me when I yelled out in pain, though I urged him to "just get us there. It'll be ok when we get there".


We got to the base medical area, and I was seen straight away, given medication for the pain, and examined by a doctor. They kept ice on it, and the doctor asked if I had someone driving me. I knew that they couldn't spare an ambulance for what they thought was a broken ankle, in case a life-threatening injury came up, so we decided that it was better for me to wait for my friends who were spectating to come and drive me to the hospital.
Xray machine!

My friends were amazing, and we got a buggy to take me out to the car, then set off for the hospital. My friend,  Brooke, was driving me, and she drove me to the hospital that was out of her way (because I was guaranteed a much shorter wait time) and stayed with me the whole time. I'm so grateful to have such amazing friends. I can't express my gratitude to everyone who was with me, concerned for me, and taking care of my medical needs yesterday.

My temporary cast
I went to Rosebud hospital Emergency Department, and was taken care of very quickly. I was X-rayed, had my broken ankle confirmed, and had a temporary soft cast applied. The doctor has referred me to Orthopedic Surgeons at a larger hospital next week to be assessed and have either a moon boot or a hard cast applied to my leg.

In the meantime, getting around really sucks. I'm in bunches of pain, and the crutches aren't really allowing me to keep it completely weight-free, so today I'm off to hire a wheelchair, just to get around the house in, and enable me to do things like grocery shopping without too much hassle and pain.

All in all, I'm really disappointed that I didn't get to do the obstacles I'd trained for, the ones I had wanted to do to help me get over some fears, and finally earn that orange headband. I'm proud that I had the balls to sign up, the guts to train for it, and actually got there on the day. I'm happy with the changes that have occurred within my body, both aesthetically and in endurance and fitness, and I'm looking forward to continuing that journey once my leg is healed.

For now, all I can do is put my feet up and rest.


Friday 13 September 2013

REVIEW: Sukin Organics

As you all know, I recently traveled half way around the world to where it was summertime, ]and as it was winter here at home, my skin was unprepared for the heat.
You can see in the photo, our happy smiles and the city of Austin, Texas in the background. It was a wonderful evening, and I don't think I've ever been quite so content in all my life.

When we got home from our evening at the symphony, I decided I needed a bit of relaxing skin care, so I rummaged through my case and found the goodies I had brought with me from Sukin Organics.

Over the course of the next few days, these products kept me hydrated and blemish-free with the different water and harsh sunshine. I was so glad to have taken them with me.

First up, the foaming facial cleanser absolutely smells divine! Most of Sukin's products have amazing botanical scents, but this one in particular is a favourite of mine. It gives a nice amount of lather, and you only have to use a tiny bit to wash your whole face. It removes makeup and clears pores without stripping away moisture from the skin, and did I mention it has an amazing fragrance, which it leaves on your skin?

Next, their facial moisturizer, which has a slightly different scent to the cleanser, but is also really nice. It goes on very nicely, making my skin feel moisturized, but not smothered. I have a sample of an extremely expensive moisturizer, and I would much rather use my Sukin one every day, because it feels so nice on. The fact that these products are affordable, and botanically sourced, kind to the environment and everyone within it, and Australian made and owned, is the icing on the cake of awesome products for me. I really love it when a product has everything going for it.

Last of all, a product which came in very handy while I was away. We got sunburned, and we were in chlorinated pools a lot, and we went out hiking and all sorts, and my boyfriend suffers with back spasms, so I was really pleased to have Sukin's wellbeing body oil on hand. It has a handy pump top and warms very quickly in your hands. Once again, it has that amazing fragrance, and my man was very happy to have his back rubbed and just relax and take in the scent of the oil. It worked wonders for my burned, dried out shoulders, too. It's a must-have product for me now, which I'll always make sure I have in the house.




All in all, I thoroughly recommend the Sukin Organics range. I know I've recommended their rosehip oil to you guys in the past, and these products live up to my expectations of Sukin products completely.

Fair and full disclosure: Sukin Organics sent me the above products free of charge for my consideration. I was under no obligation to review them. I always endeavour to bring you open, honest reviews of products that I have genuinely tried and enjoyed.



Wednesday 11 September 2013

LUST HAVE IT AUGUST 2013 - sorry it's late

This  month, the awesome team at Lust Have It sent me their box for me to have a look at and review. It was sent to me free of charge, and I was under no obligation to give it a great review, but I have to say after unsubscribing to their box several months ago I was really pleasantly surprised.

The review is out a little late because my mail was held while I was away, but as soon as I got it all sorted and had a chance to look over the contents, I filmed an unboxing so that you guys can have a look at what I got.

Lust have it have also given me a unique code that you can use to get $5 off your first Lust Have It box. Use the code KATY at check out when you subscribe and get that discount automatically!

Here's the video:


GIVEAWAY - SUKIN PRIZE PACK VALUED AT OVER $165!

I'm super stoked about this giveaway for my blog birthday. It's a huge skincare pack from Sukin Organics, valued at over $165!!!

I've tried a few of their products now (OMG that body oil is TO DIE FOR), and there are reviews coming soon. I bet all you guys care about right now is HOW CAN I WIN THIS AWESOME PRIZE????

I'm running it as an Instagram comp. On my Instagram account (@katylylak), you'll find a pic (several times, in fact) with instructions on how to enter. You basically take a screen shot of the pic, crop it and repost it with the hashtag #kbsgiveaway, then hit that little follow button on my account, and @sukinskincare (it's only fair!) and you're automatically in the draw! The winner will be drawn, verified and contacted on 1 October, 2013. All contact will come from my Instagram account and my official email address (katysbeautysecrets@gmail.com). You do need to be in Australia to win this one, though.

So head on over to Instagram now and check it out!

While we're talking about giveaways, don't forget about the other one I'm running for my blog's birthday. You can find it right HERE. There will also be another giveaway announced next week!

Tuesday 10 September 2013

HAUL: WHAT I BOUGHT IN THE USA

First of all, I think we need to address the disgusting price differences, particularly in drug store/low end makeup, between the USA and Australia. I don't know what the situation elsewhere is, but to be paying 2-3 times the price for some of these items at home really peeves me right off.

I didn't go too crazy on makeup while I was in Texas, but I did spend a couple of hundred dollars, which is unheard of for me, especially since I've been blogging. Here's a video of all the goodies I picked up, along with some shocking price comparisons on really super-trending items.


Get the look! Liptember is here!

I'm back from Texas feeling refreshed and ready to get on with the business of September. There are a few things going on, but today I wanted to tell you guys some more about Liptember and show you a look I've put together using my Liptember lippie.

I decided to go a bit "full glitz" with this one, and I'll make sure I do a more everyday look later in the month for you. I've used lots of purple, because I have green eyes and purple is one of those colours that just makes my eyes pop.

So here it is, my full glitz/night time makeup look using my Liptember Pink lipstick, the lipstick I'll be wearing all this month to raise funds for womens' mental health. Don't forget to check back on Sunday or Monday to see me wearing my Liptember Pink lipstick whilst running Tough Mudder!

I posted a few weeks ago when I first signed up for Liptember, but I can't stress enough how important this cause is to me. So many women out there are coping with some kind of mental illness, and there really needs to be more research and more resources for us. I'm so happy that the Liptember organization are out there raising funds for such an important cause.

They have partnered with some really awesome brands, and you can even win yourself some prizes just by getting involved in their challenges of facebook and instagram. Check them out at www.liptember.com.au
Their facebook is www.facebook.com/liptember
Follow them on Instagram @liptember

If you want to sponsor me personally, please go check out my donations page at www.liptember.com.au/katy.lylak

You can pick up your own Liptember lippies in 4 different colours, plus super bright challenge colours from Chemist Warehouse, My Chemist and My Beauty Spot all throughout September.

Tuesday 3 September 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KBS!

Today is the first anniversary of this blog, and I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me along the way.

My readers and YouTube audience, my family and friends, the awesome PR people I've had the great fortune to work with, and most of all to my wonderful partner, Christopher, who always shares my posts on facebook, even though it's all girlie stuff, and waits patiently for me outside makeup stores when I'm spending on things to show you guys.

Like I told you, there are several giveaways happening this month, so make sure you check them out. On my Instagram, there is a particularly awesome giveaway from Sukin organics, valued at over $160! Go check it out, my Instagram is @katylylak. I'll be posting the entry pic regularly over the course of the month.

Don't forget Liptember is on right now, so there will be lots of challenges there and things for you to win. Liking their page on facebook is the way to go, to get all the latest.

I'm home from Texas now, and back on track, so you can expect lots of content from me, from the massive makeup haul I splurged on in the USA, to reviews and tutorials.

THANK YOU, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, FOR HELPING TO MAKE KATY'S BEAUTY SECRETS THE SUCCESS THAT IT IS.


Sunday 1 September 2013

GIVEAWAY! JOHN FRIEDA PRECISION FOAM HAIR COLOUR! 5 TO WIN!

I really hope you all liked my review of the John Frieda Precision Foam hair colour as much as I enjoyed reviewing it.

I wanted to give you guys a chance to try it out for yourselves, and see just how awesome it is, and as part of my blog birthday celebrations, I have 5 of these awesome colours in brand new shades to give away!

The competition will be open internationally, and run through rafflecopter. All winners will be announced on the blog and on my YouTube channel on the 1st of October, 2013, and NOT BEFORE. There have been several scams running, especially on YouTube, where people are sent messages from fake accounts claiming to be people running giveaways, saying that they have closed it early and you are the winner, they just need your details. Please do not respond to anything that comes from any YouTube account. I will be contacting you via the email address that you use when you enter on rafflecopter, and the email will come from my official address (katysbeautysecrets@gmail.com). Because I am currently on vacation in Texas, the video announcing this giveaway will be delayed until I get home in a few days, so you guys will get the opportunity to enter first! Comments will be disabled on that video, as that's how the scammers are accessing peoples' usernames there.

So, to enter, just click on the rafflecopter widget that corresponds with your choice of colour, and you'll be taken to the entry page! Good luck everyone!


Colour 10A - Extra Light Ash Blonde









Colour 5C - Medium Copper Brown












Colour 4R - Dark Red Brown








Colour 2A - Luminous Blue Black








Colour 5A - Medium Ash Brown