FIRST LOOK - URBAN DECAY NAKED 3 PALETTE

It was announced officially just under a week ago, and already Urban Decay have released first pictures of the new Naked 3 palette, which features 12 rose-based neutrals, which will be absolutely perfect for me!

Speculation is that it will be available just before Christmas at the usual $50 price point. Having an awesome boyfriend in the states who I can send money to via paypal is a really handy thing, and the fact that he is coming to visit in February means that I'll be able to get my hands on this little beauty for my birthday! Aussie makeup lovers, don't despair, there are plenty of online stores who will ship to Australia, even though Urban Decay won't. ( I was hoping that once they were acquired by L'Oreal that this would change, but it apparently hasn't as yet. Let's keep our fingers crossed.)

So, now all that's left is to show you the colours......drumroll please....

PAMPER WEDNESDAY - NEW CHRISTMAS PRODUCTS FROM LUSH!

I've made no secret of my love for all things Lush, and their new Christmas range is absolutely no exception!

Lush sent me a few things to have a look at, and as soon as I saw them, I promised myself a little mini-spree over there, and picked up a few more things!

I filmed a haul video, which you can see below,and I'll just add a bunch of pics to show you what the products look like up close, and for some of them, what you can expect when you use them!


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Santa Baby Lip Tint

Angel's Delight soap

Candy Mountain Bubble Bar

Shoot for the stars Bath Ballistic

Bubbles from Candy Mountain

Pink water from Candy Mountain

Santa Baby Lip Tint

Ickle Baby Bot Bath Ballistic

Creamy Candy Bubble Bar

Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic

Luxury Pud Bath Ballistic

Golden Wonder as it fizzes

Green water with gold lustre from Golden Wonder

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!

So...most of you know that I've been hinting at some exciting things happening here at KBS HQ on my social networks, and now that all of the paperwork is done, I can finally share it with you guys!

I've partnered my YouTube channel with Boom, a Youtube Network, representing over 350 Australian YouTubers!

So what does this mean? Well, the bottom line is that I can start to earn a few bucks from my YouTube content again, and I will hopefully have some opportunities to bring you guys more and better content, as well as collaborative efforts with some other YouTubers!

Here's why this kind of recognition is important to me: I've said this privately to some of my friends, and I feel like it's something that people should know.

As a blogger/vlogger, there are so many lists and programs that you can buy your way into. If someone has a string of "official blogger" tags and buttons down the side of their blog page, you can almost guarantee that they are paying for the bragging rights. But when someone comes to you and says "Hey, I like your content, and I want to work with you to make sure you get the very most out of it", that's kind of awesome. To be sought out and recognized for the hard work that I have put into my content is a really good feeling.

I'm really looking forward to working with Boom over the next 12 months and beyond!

MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL IS RELOCATING

As you all know, I am having some success with my YouTube channel, and there are some things coming up that I really would love to be a part of. In order to do this, I need to relocate my YouTube content to a new channel.

I'll be slowly moving my more popular videos over there in the next week or so, and I even have some brand new content over there for you guys (an awesome Lush haul that I'll post more of here on my blog later this week!).

What I'd really love is for those of you already subscribed to my YouTube channel to click through the annotation in my video below and subscribe to the new channel, which is where I'll be posting my new content from now on, and for those of you who aren't currently subscribed to go ahead and check out the new channel and see if it's something you'd like to see more of. More subscribers = better opportunities to make amazing videos for you guys!

You can find the new channel at www.youtube.com/katysbeautychannel

Check it out!

PAMPER WEDNESDAY: GATINEAU AQUAMEMORY REVIEW.

 This week, I tried out a product from Gatineau's Aquamemory range. Particularly at this time of year, as the temperature rises, we tend to lose hydration in our skin very quickly. Gatineau's Osmaporine technology helps to quickly restore that hydration and delay the signs of ageing significantly.

The picture on the left here was taken first thing in the morning, after I used Gatineau's Moisture Replenish Mask, which they sent me to try out. I can honestly say that this is the clearest and smoothest my skin has been...ever.


 The mask is fairly translucent, and applies to the skin like a gel. You can expect a little tingling, and it feels quite cool on the skin.

I like to apply a mask, leave it on while I watch an episode of one of the TV shows that I like to watch (around 20 minutes) and then rinse off.

After rinsing, I was left with some reddish patches, as you can see in the bottom picture here, but you can already see that my skin is much smoother. (This picture has not been retouched or had filters applied)

The redness took approximately an hour to go away completely, and I was left with beautiful, soft skin.

I've now added this mask to my regular routine and will continue to use it.

It's a little on the high end of the price tag line, but I think at $65, you really are getting what you've paid for with this product.

You can get your hands on Gatineau's Aquamemory collection at www.gatineau.com.au, or contact their toll free line on 1800 037 076 for your nearest stockist.

Other products in the Aquamemory line include Moisture Replenish Eye Roll-On, Moisture Replenish Concentrate, and Moisture Replenish Cream, all of which incorporate Gatineau's Osmaporine technology, which uses the process of Osmosis to transfer vital moisture to the upper epidermal layers. I love a good bit of science, so here's an awesome video to help explain Osmosis to the unfamiliar (in this case, "permeable membrane" is skin):

Skillz: How to use bobby pins correctly

I know that bobby pins seem like a bit of a no-brainer, but the large majority of people are using them WRONG.

Do you find that your hair styles drop or your bobby pins don't hold in your hair, slipping out and ruining all your hair hard work?

You are probably using them upside-down.

You also probably use your teeth to open them up before sliding them into your hair.

If you use them up the right way, you don't need to do that, because they are designed to slide into the hair without being forced open, compromising the integrity of the "clamp".

Here is a pic, with the correct way to use a bobby pin circled in red.

Mind. Blown.

TAG: 50 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT KATY

I've been meaning to do this tag for ages, and I have struggled coming up with 50 things that I think might be interesting about me, but here goes:

50 random facts about Katy

1. I was born, and lived until I was 6, in the South-West of England.
2. My greatest fears are heights and open water.
3. I am an Atheist.
4. I have two sons, Max (3) and Josh (9).
5. I am (almost) divorced, and have been a single mum for 3 years.
6. I have a wonderful boyfriend, who is my biggest cheerleader, though he swears he'll never wear the outfit.
7. My relationship is very long distance. I'm in Melbourne, Australia, and he is in Austin, Texas.

8. I have suffered with anxiety for as long as I can remember.
9. I love to read, and often get completely lost in a book.
10. I am also very interested in writing, and I am currently involved with NaNoWriMo.
11. I can play any brass instrument with valves (but prefer to play trumper/cornet and Tenor horn or Flugelhorn.)
12. I was born with a heart condition called SupraVentricular Tachycardia.
13. I had surgery to fix my heart problem in 2005, and have been symptom-free ever since.
14. I had chicken pox when I was 19 and it was horrendous.
15. I dropped out of school halfway through year 12 and joined the Navy.
16. My Navy career lasted 17 days, and I was discharged after panic attacks led me to request a dismissal.
17. I have one brother, who is 10 months younger than me.
18. I have travelled around the world several times and visited many countries, but only this year got my first passport. (In the "olden days", children travelled on their parents' passports.)
19. I love to knit, but rarely have the patience to finish a project.
20. I have 9 tattoos, but keep them mostly hidden by my clothing.
21. I have 4 scars caused by piercings (not including my ears).
22. I have a scar on the outer corner of one eye, which makes the eyelid droop. My eyes are never equally open.
23. My family are all involved in furniture manufacturing, and we have a small company that's been around for 14 years.
24. I hate excessive heat, and prefer to be snuggled up in a blanket on a cold night.
25. I love to swim.
26. I don't generally tend to have a "favourite" anything. No favourite band, no favourite colour. Lots of things that I really like, but not one of anything that stands out for me.
27. I'm allergic to penicillin and capsicum.
28. I love spicy foods.
29. I hate olives.
30. Between leaving the Navy and becoming involved with the family business, I was an apprentice chef.
31. I love to cook, and I'm glad it didn't become my job for life.
32. I'm very creative, and seem to do well at most crafty things.
33. Photography is a great passion of mine.
34. When I'm working, I like to listen to classical music, mostly strings.
35. I love to get out and walk, and prior to breaking my ankle 2 months ago, I had walked 250km in 6 months.
36. All of my extended family, beyond my brother and my parents, live overseas.
37. My feet are size 8.5 (aus/9.5US)
38. I love glittery, sparkly things, but I feel like they are too gauche to wear.
39. See 38, but switch sparkly/glittery for neon.
40. I love to dress up in costumes, when the occasion calls for it.
41. I was a Navy cadet for 4 years, and attained the rank of Petty Officer.
42. As a cadet, I was Drum Major, Lead side drum, and Bass drummer, all in one year.
43. I earned a marksman's rate as a cadet for rifle shooting at HMAS Cerberus.
44. I hate cats.
45. I have very little patience for anything. I get that from my father.
46. I am a total spelling and grammar Nazi.
47. I enjoy pretty much any kind of music, with the exception of very loud, "noise" music, which affects fact #48.
48. I become very agitated if there are a lot of conflicting sounds going on (eg. more than one person talking to me at once, or a loud television in the background when someone is talking to me.)
49. I love trying new things, and rarely have a staple product that I'll use for years on end.
50. I love blogging, and appreciate my readers more than I can say. The fact that anyone is interested in reading what I write is very strange to me.