Dupe battle: Eyeko Fat Balm vs Silk Naturals & Sobe Botanicals!

This is gonna be a long one! I purchased Eyeko Fat Balm in Frosting, which is a multi-purpose lip and cheek product, from a blog sale quite a while ago. I used it several times before I got around to doing a review - and while doing research for said review, discovered that the FatBalms had been discontinued. OOPS.

So instead of just reviewing a blush that nobody will be able to buy (I'm not Pink Sith, come on!) I decided to review the Fat Balm AND purchase a similar product from two indie companies to see if I could find a dupe for it!

Review and swatches: Models Prefer Moisture Lust Lipsticks

The shades I have to show you today are Cupcake and Salted Caramel. I was interested in a few other shades as well, but these were the only two left at the Priceline I visited!

Swatches: Smitten Polish Bluebird II

I don't remember where I first saw this polish. It may have been in a blog or it may have been on Etsy. I DO remember that it was lust at first sight. I didn't look at it and think, "Oh, pretty!" or even "How unusual!" My eyes widened and my brain screeched "WANT!" Capitalism at its finest :P

I don't normally like brown polishes, but the contrast between the dark chocolatey base and the green and blue hex glitter had me wiping drool off my chin.

NotD: Smoke and flakies

Revlon Perplex. I've no idea how long I've had this polish for - months, definitely - and not touched it. I know it's a gorgeous polish but I never bothered swatching it because it's one of those polishes nearly everybody owns or knows about. Even if you don't own Perplex itself, you probably own a dupe from another brand.

Review and swatches: Mode Cosmetics Beat the Blah

I apologise in advance - what I thought was going to be a straightforward swatching session of a neutral, work-safe polish turned into one of those colour-accuracy nightmares.

Review: Sukin Hand & Nail Cream

Sukin is an all-natural, vegan, paraben-free Aussie brand that has been garnering a lot of attention in the blogosphere lately, due to its amazingly affordable products. Lured in by a spate of positive reviews and by a large display in a local chemist, I ended up purchasing two products to try.

Swatches: Mode Cosmetics Face Gone Purple

Don't ask me what's up with this name because I don't bloody know. I thought it was a weird typo when I saw it, but then I checked a few other bottles and they were all the same! What I do know is that when I saw this, I was reminded of Illamasqua's Velocity. I don't have it to compare them, but it's similar enough to squash my lemming for a polish that has been discontinued.

Review and haul: Candy Envy Alternative Accessories

This is a bit out of my normal purview, but I've had a really good experience with this company and she's local, so I thought a review would only be proper :)

Swatches: Mode Cosmetics Vicious Venom

Because Mode is such a small, budget brand, it's hard to keep up with the new releases unless you're a regular visitor of one of their stockists - and I'm not! As such, getting ahold of their glitters was a bit of a quest for me. I saw this colour twice before I actually purchased it, and it sat in my bathroom cupboard for several weeks before trying it. I knew it was going to be a bitch to remove, so I waited until I got Picture Polish revolution in the mail before I used it.

Review: Essence Maximum Definition Volume Mascara

This is the second Essence mascara I've tried. The first one was OK upon application, but by the end of the day my curled lashes had drooped to the point where you couldn't even tell I was wearing mascara. However, Essence products are so cheap, I decided there was no harm in trying out a different one.