Yesterday was one of my favourite days of the year, Soundwave! Soundwave is a music festival I attend around this time every year. It's my favourite music festival to attend and I've been going for the past 5 or so years. I won't go into any detail because I have a blog post coming up about that with pictures from the day and my FOTD, OOTD etc etc.
Onto the nails! I wanted to go with something fun and bright so I knew it had to be fluro! I ended up deciding on a base of OPI Samoan Sand with a pop of Orly Glowstick. For this look I just freehanded and it looks "rustic" (my way of saying messy).
This look can really be achieved with a variety of colours and is quite easy, even if you aren't good at nail art (ahem! poster child for not great nail art right here).
Product Disclosure: Both polishes were bought by me
Another day, another bright lipstick to show you. I am obsessed, truly obsessed.
The other week my beloved Priceline had a deal on 2 products for 30% off and I wanted to test out the new Models Prefer BB Cream (which I did and reviewed). So I was under the pump to pick up something else, i'm not one to pass up a deal! So lipstick it was... why? I don't know I just mother freaking love lipstick right now.
Have you heard me bang on about one of my fave limited edition lippies Revlon Melonade? Well i'm kinda obsessed with it and obsessed with finding dupes because it's kind of impossible to find. So anything corally red will always be on my radar. Hoping for a dupe...this is not a dupe FYI so that whole paragraph was kind of pointless!
Hand full of swatches later I picked up Models Prefer Lipstick in After Party - RRP $9.99AUD
The colour is bright, leaning more towards an orange based coral red (do they give awards for colour descriptions? I'd totes get one... ). It's one of those brighten up the face shades that I lurrrrrve.
The formula of the lipstick is actually pretty impressive for the price, nice and creamy. Wear is also good lasting through my morning coffee with no issues, after that would be time to re-apply.
Okay so something I really really dislike is the packaging, mainly the lid and that little button type thing you can see in my picture above... Pretty sure I broke it the first day I got it, it's really useless and makes absolutely no sense to me why it's there? I'm guessing they are trying to look fancy with the packaging but this really brings it down in my opinion and the fact that I now can't close it properly because of my fumbly fingers makes me use this lipstick less then others in my collection. *RANT OVER*.
Let's look at swatches because I know that's why your really here!
Looking up into the sky, wishing for better packaging....
Now a glimpse into the #lifeofabeautyblogger ... sometimes you swatch things really late at night (for your reference I did these at around 2am one morning). So occasionally things will get a little crazy and the following may happen.
Have you guys tried Models Prefer lipsticks? Thoughts on the packaging or am I the only one irritated?
You can buy Models Prefer Lipsticks from Priceline for $9.99AUD, or if you want to check out the Priceline Online Store for purchasing from your couch!
This is totally my dads influence, he is a total astronomy nerd but I love all things nebula/space print. Hence my logo and my love of my Black Milk Galaxy Tights even my background on my laptop is a seahorse nebula.
So when I saw this new Australis nail polish in Space Jam had a nebula/galaxy/space feel to it, I knew I had to own it.
I finally found it over the weekend for a total price of $7.95AUD (barrrrrrgain!).
In the bottle this is beautiful, a dark plummy base with tiny pink micro glitter and various sized blue circular and hexagonal glitters. I was so excited that I had to get it on my nails straight away.
First application of this I decided to just do 2 coats of the polish on it's own and since i'm all about honesty on my blog I have to say, this formula is shit. 2 coats of it made it clumpy & gluggy. It chipped on my nails almost instantly and the little glitters kept lifting and getting caught on things all day (even with the addition of a top coat). Just really terrible.
Not being one to give up on a polish and discard it right away, I took it off this afternoon (painful in itself, even the foil method was lost and I had to chip off the remaining larger pieces of glitter). I decided to try putting a base colour and just 1 coat of this polish on top and let me just say while it's still not a perfect formula it's vastly improved.
Below is my redo of the nails with a base of Illamasqua Phallic (odd name but one of my favourite blue nail polishes). Scuse the messy application but I wanted to show the redo tonight :).
Australis Cosmetics are available from Kmart, Big W & Priceline and this particular polish has a RRP of $7.95AUD.
This was uploaded to YouTube awhile ago but I thought i'd also do a little matching blog post as well! Here are the things I was loving in January -
Nature's Way Multi-Vitamin - VitaGummies - RRP $22.95AUD
I hate swallowing tablets and have you seen the size of regular multi vitamins? Nah Uh! These are like a little treat twice a day and are beneficial for you. I'll be honest the after taste is freakin rancid but I can deal.
MAC Creme Blush (Now known as Cremeblend) - Ladyblush - RRP $41.00AUD
This is an old favourite of mine and the old formula. I haven't tried the new ones to see if they are any different but I love this! However for a cheaper option check out the NYX Cream Blushes, for the price they are amaaaaaze.
Go buy this now! This stuff is an absolute bargain and gives the most natural finish. It also has a little coverage so I find it nice over my tinted moisturisers/BB creams I wear on weekends. It also photographs well (must for any beauty blogger). This has been likened as a dupe for the MAC Studio Fix powder, I used to use MAC Mineralize Skin Finish and thought that was the bomb.com but this baby is my new holy grail.
OPI Nail Lacquer - Samoan Sand - RRP $19.95AUD
I never thought i'd be into nude polishes, but after Chelle recommend this to me I feel I might sway towards more nudes. Looks amazing on my pale skin and is such a nice base for gradient nails/nail features etc.
Urban Decay Naked 2 - Tease - Unavailable in Australia but you can purchase from http://www.beautybay.com
I don't really need to say much because most people own this palette. I'm loving Tease at the moment in my crease, it's such a gorgeous taupe that leans towards purple and brings out my blue eyes.
Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids - RRP $16.95AUD
You might want to check out my review and then go and try these. Since then I've also managed to pick up another 2 colours (hooked!). I'll post swatches etc on here soon because I know these are going to be popular lippies, I want them all!!
Too Faced Foil Liner - Black Beauty - (I don't think this is available in Australia anymore :( )
This is my go-to waterline liner, it stays put and is a very black black. I've been lining my upper waterline and the difference it makes to my eyes is amazing. I do want to try the Urban Decay liner in Perversion so once this one goes to the beauty box in the sky i'll try that next.
Face of Australia Face Base Primer - RRP $11.95AUD
I've been getting into primers again of late and have found this really moisturises my dry skin and helps my foundation glide on smoothly. This is always a staple in my makeup collection and I think will be forever (unless they change the formula and it's shit).
Royal & Langnickel Green Line Powder Brush*
I only recently cracked open my set of green line brushes from ABBW... yeah over a year later! I can't wait to try the others because this powder brush is perfection. I use it to apply my Fresh & Flawless powder.
Also feel free to check out my video below for a visual of me talking about the same thing!
Hope you've enjoyed my January favourites, I'm really going to try and do these monthly as I am a fan of reading/watching them myself.
What did you love last month? Anything I should try for February? (even though it's halfway over!)
*products marked with a * were provided for my consideration. I am always honest in my reviews.
I decided to try and use my dotting tool again, this time I wanted to create a simple and easy look for Valentines Day.
All you need to do is use the dotting tool (or bobby pin, toothpick, plastic fork...in joke right there) whatever you have on hand really. You need to create two dots side by side and then pull down to form the bottom of the heart.
To say I didn't struggle would be a complete and utter lie, I did my right hand 3 times to get it right and they both still aren't perfect. I will never be a nail art girl, let's face it!.
I used OPI You Red My Fortune Cookie for the heart feature & OPI Skull & Glossbones for the base colour on each nail. A little unconventional using a grey/greige but I think these colours work beautifully together and again i'm showcasing a couple of favourite shades from my polish collection.
Now for the result!
So not perfect but i'm happy with them. I actually stuffed up and put my top coat on a bit early on one hand and the result was what I like to call the bleeding heart effect, something you could actually do! I tidied it up but thought I would show it here anyway (crappy iphone photo, made better by me playing with my photo editing website lol!).
I hope everyone has a lovely Valentines Day, remember it's just another day really but the heart shit is kinda cute :)
At the moment I am having a secret love affair with Australis! Don't tell the fiancee okay :)
I've tried Australis nail polishes before and enjoyed them but I saw #totesamaze being talked about by Shaaanxo on YouTube and went searching, that's when I also found Rose Tattoo.
Australis Nail Colour in #TOTESAMAZE - RRP $7.95AUD
I think the name says it all really, this is a beautiful summery neon pink. My photo does not do this colour justice at all. This polish applied beautifully but honestly it's all about the colour. You need to go see this in person. I *think* this might be limited edition so make sure you get your manicured fingers on it ASAP!
Australis Nail Colour in Rose Tattoo - RRP $7.95AUD
I'll admit i've fallen hard into the rose gold bandwagon of late, and when I saw this polish was just that colour I was loving I had to have it for my collection, I don't have any other rose gold nail polishes so it was very welcomed.
Holy staying power! This polish lasted me days before it began to chip, and if we're being honest my polish usually chips after the first day of wear (being in admin can suck!).
When I first wore this I wasn't sure that it was really rose gold so I grabbed one of my rose gold accessories to put it up against, and well it is rose gold :)
Any new Australis products you've tried that I must have? Loving them as much as I am lately?
Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogging for? I started my old blog - lovevulcanella back in January 2010 and haven't looked back since, oh except when I moved to my new home here :)
Whose blog did you fall in love with first?
I'd have to say Scrangie & Temptalia were my first blog loves. They are still must reads of mine to this day!
What was the first blogosphere hyped about product you bought and was it worth the hype? Ohhh most recently it'd have to be the Maybelline Vivids but I also think the Revlon Lip Butters were a great release and worth it.
What are your favourite five things about blogging and being a beauty blogger? 1. The amazing friends i've made that I know are going to be with me for a lifetime, and they know exactly who they are :) <3
2. Talking to other people about something you give a shit about and they do as well!
3. Learning about new products and finding that Holy Grail
4. Being so excited about a product you've bought you stop everything to blog about it
5. It's time consuming but knowing people are enjoying what your saying, this makes it all worth it.
What have you learnt from being a beauty blogger? Honesty 100%. People can see through you if your transparent (duh!). Write about what you love and not what your obliged to write about, you will find it will flow easier.
Have you changed anything since being a beauty blogger? I've become a little more daring with my makeup, bright lips are now my go-to and previously I was always just a boring lip gloss girl. I also have learnt to love blush, something I thought I could never wear with the redness in my cheeks.
What advice would you give to a beauty blogger just starting out? Start for the right reasons and write about what you want to write about. Be your own voice not what you think you should be.
Name your top five brands! 1. Illamasqua
2. Australis
3. Maybelline
4. Urban Decay
5. Revlon
Recommend your top five favourite beauty products! 1. Rosehip Oil
If you were to look at my current favourite makeup prodz you'd find Australis are having quite a moment with me, there are some products of theirs I am absolutely loving at the moment and you'll be hearing about all of them!
Let's start with this amazing mascara. This is Australis Multi Mega Lash.
I'm not gonna lie the brush kinda freaked me out to begin with, it's huge!
Looking past that, this makes my lashes the blackest black, super long and voluminous.
Removal of this mascara is a breeze, a bit of warm water on your lashes and then gently slide it off your lashes, does anyone else remove mascara this way or is it just me?
Wanna know the price? a measly RRP $12.95AUD
Australis products are available at Kmart, Target & Priceline stores nationally.
If you happened to be in the Parramatta area last weekend you may have heard some crazy girls screaming like banshees in Westfield, not need to be alarmed it was just two beauty fanatics a little over excited about finding these lipsticks.
If you'd like to hear more about this, go check out Ange's blog post :)
There was a special on with 3 for the price of 2, and who would pass that up? So I picked up Fuchsia Flash, Shocking Coral & Hot Plum.
Can we just talk for a moment about how sexy the packaging is! I love the neon casing and the usual Maybelline Color Sensational silver tubes... smack on trend Maybelline.
So happy with my choices, these lipsticks are pigmented like crazy, feel smooth, have a little gloss to them and are just beautiful.
The only negative I have is that they do slip a little on the lips so wearing a lip liner is advisable & the fact we only get 8 out of the 10 shades in Australia :(. I've had to put an order in online for Brazen Berry which is the one I really really wanted and isn't available here.
I think pictures really speak for how amazing these are, so see below and watch my video for a demo of me putting them on (I'm getting fancy with my YouTube video editing aren't I!)
These babies retail for RRP $16.95AUD and can be found at all the good Maybelline stockists, however they are still being dwindled into stores at the moment so hopefully in a few weeks they should be readily available.
