Manicure Monday: Swatching Illamasqua Rubber Brights in Nurture & Serenity

Something slightly different for this weeks Manicure Monday, I'm showing you some swatches of some new polishes recently released by one of my favourite makeup brands Illamasqua.

The Rubber Brights range is a new addition with the finish being a matte rubber like finish which is inspired by the dominatrix rubber boot girls of the 1920's. I first saw this finish in the Theatre of the Nameless collection which I previously reviewed.

If you know me and know my blog, you will know that I loooove brights, be it nails or lips i'm all over it! So I was super excited to see that I had received the shades Nurture (bright green) & Serenity (turquoise blue). These shades are so up my alley.

I've swatched them below without a topcoat and with a topcoat so you can see the difference, I actually like them both ways and think you could do some fun nail art by just playing with a top coat on these polishes.

Maybe not the best colours going into the cooler months, but I kind of like rocking a bright nail in the colder months.

You can purchase Illamasqua from major Myer centres in Australia or online and these polishes will set you back RRP $21.00AUD (Thanks again for the amazing price drop Illamasqua!).

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | bloglovin' | pinterest |

Disclosure Policy: These products were provided for my consideration, honesty as always.  For further information please read my full disclosure policy.

The week that was... #3

It's the end of another week, I was lucky enough to have a 4 day weekend being able to take the Friday off after Anzac day so I was quite active on Instagram this week! 

Instagram

Penny Lane was quite the #instadog this week, she had a few new jumpers come in the post that i'd ordered including the absolutely adorable Bunny hoodie... I call her Bunny so it is perfection.

- Brunch @ Circa Espresso on Anzac Day, it was quite warm so this iced tea was just what was needed.

- Found the new Essence collection at my local Target, the stand had been raided but I managed to pick up this blush.

- Baking! I wonder what it could be.... 

- If you guessed Anzac Biscuits, you'd be dead on.. Chewy deliciousness!

- Wearing my pug that doesn't really look like a pug jumper

- Annual leave days with scrambled eggs & The Carrie Diaries before my hair appointment

- Friday nights out with friends and their dogs! What a cute group :) (my 2 are in the middle)

- Makeup for a very special occasion, I went with false lashes again and if I could be assed i'd wear them more often! They make such a difference.

- My gorgeous friend Michelle got married! I was lucky enough to get to share her special day with her and her new husband.. that's sounds weird right Chelle? :)

- Much needed Sunday Big Breakfast and a delicious Caramel Latte..mmm mmm mmm

On The Blog

I was pretty excited to wake up to a tweet on Saturday Morning that my blog had been featured on Primped's Beauty Blogosphere Goss this week. Yay!

Blog posts from this week -

Nail Stuff I Like - Nail tools and nail care items that I enjoy using, in lieu of Manicure Monday this week.

Beauty Things I Suck At - A tag video doing the rounds on YouTube, I love watching these and decided to give it a shot!

Random Thoughts

- Keeping in with the theme of lasts weeks first random thought... My Kitchen Rules! I am so happy with the outcome! Dan & Steph are so deserving of the win!

- I'm 3 episodes behind on The Vampire Diaries, this is usually unheard of for me. I'm not really feeling it as much this season.. I've heard the last few eps have been good so hopefully it will reel me in again. I still think Stefan or Damon will take the cure and become human, unless this has happened already!

- Currently obsessed with the new Fall Out Boy album, I think i've listened to it countless times over the past week. 

- I can't wait to try the new Face of Australia glitter polishes, so many pretty ones!! I keep stalking my local Priceline but no bueno.

Source - Tumblr...great for all Ian Somerhalder goodness! 

I hope everyone has had a good week!

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | bloglovin' | pinterest |

VIDEO: Beauty Things I Suck At Tag

I've been enjoying watching this tag video on YouTube so decided to do it myself.

All about the things I struggle with when it comes to beauty shizz..

As usual would be awesome if you could open this in YouTube and give me a thumbs up! 

Do you struggle with any of these things too? Or what is it that you can never get right?

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | bloglovin' | pinterest |

Nail Stuff I Like...

Wow, very creative with the title of this one! Since I didn't do a Manicure Monday post yesterday I thought i'd do a Tool Tuesday, then I realised how lame that sounded and just decided to let you know a few things I enjoy using to prep my hands and nails for impending polish doom...well not doom.

Soap & Glory Hand Food - RRP $11.95AUD - This is a new addition and has just topped my list of favourite hand creams, it sinks into the skin nicely and smells incredible (Miss Dior Cherie anyone?). I pop this onto my hands every night before bed and though I can't say i've noticed a dramatic difference in my hands/nails it's become one of my favourite nightly rituals.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - RRP $14.95AUD - I go between this and Lush's Lemony Flutter Cuticle butter because I feel they are very similar, and both amazing. The one I have is just a little sample size but I have used the full size and finished it before. It smells like lemon pie and is so nourishing on the cuticles. A must for me since I don't really look after my nails as I should.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - RRP $14.95AUD  - I'm pretty sure this is my most mentioned product on my blog but I absolutely love it! It's a bugger to try and get in Australia and the only local online stockist I could find was Crush Cosmetics. I buy mine from a nail supply store in Sydney. I live for this stuff, it dries my polish super fast and provides a great shine. People have mentioned shrinkage with it but it's not something i've really experienced/bothered me at all. There is one downfall...see next product.

Seche Vite Restore - RRP $13.95AUD - A must buy if you use Seche Vite Top Coat, as the product will get really thick and gluggy halfway through the bottle. This is a general nail polish thinner so will work with all your thickened polishes. 

Nail File - Okay so I don't have a holy grail, I do want a glass file though and maybe then i'll love my nail file. I just use what I have but they are essential!

EcoTools Recycled Stainless Steel Nail Care Set - RRP $24.95AUD - I've had this little set for years and never had a problem with the tools breaking or going blunt. The tools I use the most are the hang nail clippers (I don't know the official name...cuticle cutters?) and nail scissors. Highly recommend this set if your just getting into looking after your nails because it contains everything you need. Pretty impressive EcoTools!

My nail routine is pretty basic but these are the things I use constantly to keep my nails in some sort of presentable shape, I don't actually use base coats...though I should. I've just never had any success with them. Can anyone recommend me one?

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | bloglovin' | pinterest |

The Week That Was... #2

So what happened this week?

Instagram

 1. Obsessed with the new Covergirl Outlast nail polishes and the fact this is after 5 days wear, including a lot of filing at work.

2. FOTN - heading out to dinner for a friends birthday, wearing Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Hot Plum

3. ERMAHGAHHHD PEEERRRK KNNERRRKLE! Pork Knuckle @ Rhinedorf German Restaurant, one of my favourite things to eat on a cold night. It's massive!

4. Revlon Justin Bitten Kissable Lip Stain in Rendevous is mine! Thanks to my friend Hayley who picked it up for me while she was honeymooning in Hawaii! Swatches etc to come soon!

5. I attended my first blogger event in a long long time! The Maxted Thomas Blogger Event was full of brand information and catching up with bloggers! I had my manicure jazzed up with a coat of Orly Spasmatic... gahhhh so pretty!

6. Still at the Maxted Thomas Blogger Event looking at the goods from Molton Brown, a brand i've heard of but never really tried out myself. The Pink Pepper showergel smells so much like Marc Jacobs Bang!

7. Ange getting colour matched for the new Jane Iredale BB Cream @ Maxted Thomas Blogger event, apparently this is full coverage! Yipeeeeee!

8. Much needed coffee and cake break on the way home from the event with my faves Ange & Chelle.

On The Blog

I was a busy little bee this week on my blog, and I think it's because i've tidied up my space where I keep all my makeup and blog from, highly recommend doing this if you need a bit of a kickstarter!

Stuff I put up on the blog this week were -

Manicure Monday - Covergirl Outlast Nail Polish in Mint Mojito

Autumn & Winter Beauty Picks - Video - I posted this on YouTube about a week before.

The Makeup Edit - April 2013 - A new thing i'm trying out on my blog and in my life to try and use makeup that tends to be pushed aside and go to the makeup graveyard that is my storage system.

Covergirl Outlast Nail Polish in Out of The Blue - to say I was midly impressed with these polishes would be an understatement! GET ME MOOOOORE!

Random Stuff...

- My Kitchen Rules.... SPOILER ALERT! So happy that Ashlee and Sophia were eliminated but boo to the fact they have a chance to come back :( I kind of think the whole Comeback Kitchen thing is a bit shit, how come the teams that have been fighting for a spot from the start have to cook each week and the newer eliminated contestants get a step closer to getting in the finale? Unless they have something up their sleeve I think this is kind of wrong.

Source - Facebook

- I am also obsessed with The Voice and I have developed a bit of a crush on Ricky Martin... what a sweetheart!

Please take a minute and look at this video.... I love sloths and this is just hilarious (I hope it works because I got it from Facebook)

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | bloglovin' | pinterest |

Covergirl Outlast Nail Polish - Out Of The Blue

So i'm literally meant to be running out the door to meet a friend for dinner, but I had to share the swatch of the polish first... If you saw my previous Manicure Monday I talked about the new Covergirl Outlast Nail Polishes I bought this week that have only just been released in Australia.

I finally put Out Of The Blue on and it's everything I wanted it to be and more, it applies like a dream... a sweet sweet dream.

The colour, just see for yourself.

Ignore my little broken nail (always happens to the swatching hand!).

Let me tell you the Mint Mojito polish held up 5 strong days, I wasn't delicate either with tonnes of filing being done at work, washing up the dishes without gloves & all topless (no not like that, no topcoat!).

Again I went with no topcoat and it dried quickly and retains the shine... I am officially obsessed.

So i'm now off to gorge myself on some German Food (Pretzels & Pork Knuckles come at me!).

You can purchase the Covergirl Outlast Nail Polishes at all the regular Covergirl stockists and they'll set you back RRP $6.95AUD (there are a heap of discounts on them this week because their new so have a look around for those.)

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | bloglovin' | pinterest |

The Makeup Edit - April 2013

On the weekend I did a massive clean and organise of the room I keep all my makeup, film my videos and try to blog from (when it's not covered in shit!).

I'm going to do a post soon on the stuff I bought to tidy it all up and organise it a bit better, so stay tuned for that. I love a good organisational post!

One of the things I bought was what i'd like to call a "dupe" for the popular MakeUp Box or the clear boxes the Kardashians are always using, however mine cost me $16 from Officeworks (I love that place!).

So i've decided to keep this on my dressing table and only put in it things I plan to wear as my everyday makeup, then I decided it would be fun to do this as a series and every month I swap things around and update you guys. It keeps me using different products and stepping outside my comfort zone.

So after that long intro, welcome to the makeup edit!

Rules

• Some products won't be rotated, this is could be because either they are HG items or I simply don't have something to swap them out with
• If i'm doing makeup for a special occasion I can dip into my regular collection, what I select for the edit is mainly for my everyday makeup.
• I will try and rotate around mid month, it works better for my editorial calendar (haha that sounds so pro...) but mainly because beginning of the month is reserved for my favourites.
• I will always note products that i'm trialling etc and let me know if you'd like a review! I'll also link to any reviews/swatches I may have already done for any products already in the edit.

Skin/Prep Drawer

DermaVeen Everyday Moisturiser 

Dermalogica Total Eye Care 

Pelactiv Hydra Daily Defense (Sample)

Face of Australia Face Base

Avene Ystheal+ Creme (Sample)

Jack Black Lip Balm - Sweet Mint

Swisspers Cucumber Facial Cleansing Wipes

Base Drawer

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - Light | Review

TheBalm Mary Lou-Manizer

Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder - Natural

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - 100 Ivory | Review

Benefit Hoola Bronzer*

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer - Brightening

Models Prefer All-In-One BB Cream - Light | Review

Eyes & Cheeks

NYX Powder Blush - Pinched

NYX Powder Blush - Angel

NYX Cream Blush - Rose Petal (with glitter from my old iPad case..grrrrr)

Too Faced Foiled Liner - Black Beauty (discontinued... :( )

Models Prefer Retractable Eyebrow Pencil - Light

Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen - Blackest Black

Australis Multi Mega Lash Mascara - Blackest Black* | Review

Australis Extender Lash & Brow - Clear*

MAC Eyeshadow - Blanc Type

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo - Bad to the Bronze

Stila Palette... No idea of the name! Picture of shades inside below :)

Lips

Australis Pout Pastes - Pash Me Pink, Berry Nice Kiss & Love Bite* | Review

Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayon - Macaron | Review

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Darling, Smitten & Romantic | Darling Review

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids - Hot Plum | Review

Revlon Lip Butter - Lollipop | Review

Maybelline Color Sensational - Pink Me Up

Face of Australia Lip Quench - Malibu Barbie

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate - #111 Kiss of Life

MAC - Sweetie (Lustre)

MAC - Viva Glam Cyndi (Lustre)

Hope you guys like these posts, and if you plan on doing something similar or already are i'd love to see what you've been using!

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | bloglovin' | pinterest |

PRODUCT DISCLOSURE: Products marked with an * have been provided for my consideration, please read my disclosure policy for further information. 

VIDEO: Autumn & Winter Beauty Picks

Check out my latest video with my beauty picks for the upcoming cooler months.

Also, this one is worth watching just for the Penny Lane cameo & farting...yep my dog has no manners, but she's cute so who cares! 

Would be awesome if you open this in YouTube & click "Like" and Subscribe to my channel. xx

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | pinterest |

Manicure Monday: Covergirl Outlast Nail Gloss in Mint Mojito

I have been so excited about the release of the Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss (Polishes). I blame EleventhGorgeous!

When I saw on Instagram that Priceline were selling these this week for $6.95 with a BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) deal I knew i'd be looking for these on the weekend. Lucky for me I found them at the first Priceline I visited. 

Along with Mint Mojito I purchased Out Of The Blue which I am OBSESSED with already (I haven't even worn it). I think you'll be seeing it on a Manicure Monday or another post on here soon enough!

So Mint Mojito, I personally wouldn't really call this mint.. maybe seafoam? It leans a little blue. 

The formula on this.... OH...MY...GOD. I could have probably gone 1 coat but I was applying it pretty haphazardly so added a 2nd coat to make it look more "polished". I've also done something unheard of.... I'm not wearing a top coat. Apparently this polish has a top coat in built so even though it was hard to not put a coat of Seche Vite on top, I resisted. It's still shiny and didn't even take too long to dry.

I think I'll be picking up a few more of these!

You can pick up these amazing new nail polishes from all the regular outlets that sell Covergirl, and if your quick there are quite a few deals on these babies. The RRP is $6.95AUD.

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | pinterest |

The week that was... #1

This week was pretty bland to be honest! 

This weekend S and I headed out to a plant collectors fair, he loves plants/gardening etc and likes to visit every year. We left with 2 apple tree's! Today I've spent the entire day organizing/cleaning my room I use for makeup/blogging etc. It's been quite a task and I'm beyond exhausted.

Also, It's clean sheet day! Hooray!

Instagram

Makeup for Michelle's Hens Night, I'm getting used to false lashes!

Bacon & Eggs made by my mama! Just the way I like them.

Getting back into crochet while watching The Voice, this was my ritual last year.

This is how I sometimes have to watch television.

Watching Angela on YouTube and loving the "recommendations".

New Covergirl nail polishes! Can't wait to try the blue one out :).

Arabella Ramsay for Bambi @ Target, I may have made a sneaky lay by of this PJ set.

Getting my organisation on! I built drawers myself and now have a tidy beauty/blog room.

Minnie helping me clean but looking oh so cute.

Blog Posts

This week I was a bit slack on the blogging front only posting about the new Australis Pout Pastes, which are phenomenal!

This weeks obsessions

In the world of blogging etc i'm really obsessed with British YouTubers & Bloggers. Any recommendations for anyone I should be watching/reading would be appreciated!

Lindt Peanut Butter Balls...nuff said

The Amity Afflication album Chasing Ghosts, currently on repeat in ol' Jane Honda.

How was your week? If you do similar posts to this i'd love to see them! I'll try and add/change things as I go along each week and will really try and be good and update every week. Life happens sometimes though as I'm sure you can understand.

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | pinterest |

LIP LOVE: Australis Pout Paste...OCC Dupe?

I was so looking forward to the release of the Australis Pout Pastes, I was practically stalking their Instagram, Facebook & Twitter daily to find out when these little tubes of liquid lipstick were being released. I was lucky enough to be sent these for review, but honestly I was going to buy them in the store (was just waiting for an Australis deal at Priceline... as always!)

From the Instagram picture I thought it was going to be a total dupe for the OCC Lip Tars which I love & have reviewed before. 

They are quite similar in that they are a highly pigmented liquid lipstick but there are a few features that set these Pout Pastes away from the OCC Lip Tars.

The main difference I find is that they have a little doe foot applicator making for a much easier and less messy application!

The consistency is very similar to the OCC Lip Tars however I find these to be much more glossy, like the Lip Tars these will bleed because they are a liquid lipstick. So I suggest using a straw when drinking and don't go downing a burger or you'll possibly look like an extra from a Vampire movie (particularly if your rocking the red).

The Australis Pout Pastes come in 3 shades only, I'm hoping they release a few more in the future but I think the 3 shades chosen are on trend at the moment and everyone will pick a favourite.

Pash Me Pink - This is a more neutral pink, leaning warmer on my skin. Out of the 3 this was my least favourite shade but out of the 3 is probably the most wearable on a day to day basis.

Love Bites - Is a hot tomato red shade, certainly not out of place with a nice flick of black winged liner and a matte finished face. The shine is serious business, this was one of those colours that I had to keep looking at in the mirror because it is just perfection. Does anyone else do this or am I just a bit vain? lol! This is my pick of the bunch.

Berry Nice Kiss - Thank you Australis! A purple shade! If your a regular reader of my blog or watch my YouTube videos you will know I have a slight obsession with purple shades on my lips at the moment. I was so keen to get this on my lips and it didn't disappoint. For the Aussies this is a must have for the upcoming cooler months ahead. Lurrrrrrrrve!

I think we can all agree that this is what I would call a rave review. I think i've mentioned this before but Australis are absolutely knocking it out of the park and then some for me lately.

Something else that's awesome is the price, only RRP $12.95AUD. Keep an eye out at your local stockists though because there are always deals on Australis prodz!

Which would you pick? Do you keep checking out your lip colour in the mirror when your rocking a new shade? No? Okay... moving along.

Product Disclosure: These items were sent to me for review, this does not affect my thoughts and you can read my disclosure policy for more info. I would have purchased these myself to be honest!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!! 

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | pinterest |

REVIEW: Arbonne Eyeshadows in Lilac & Indigo.. Stepping outside of my neutral comfort zone!

When it comes to eyeshadows it's generally my Naked Palette or something neutral, I do have a few eyeshadows that are a bit out there but I find it hard to wear them/not look like I am doing clown makeup.

I was contacted by the PR for Arbonne Cosmetics to try out a few products from their range; and having not heard of the brand I thought i'd give them a go. 

The shades they sent me to try were Lilac which is a bright purple......well lilac shade with some silver shimmer running throughout and the other shade is called Indigo which I would describe as a shimmery taupe which leans purple, it's actually very wearable and I think will be a shade that will fit in nicely with my regular routine with the Naked Palette. 

To be honest I was kind of excited because I thought this will be a challenge doing a look for the blog and stepping outside my comfort zone of neutrals.

In terms of formula, I found the Lilac shade to be a little chalky (as you can see in my swatch above). However I loved the formula of the Indigo shade, smooth and easily blended. Both shades are nicely pigmented and were long wearing, I did however have an eyeshadow primer on my eyes. I do recommend always using an eyeshadow primer to get the best and richest shades and keep your shadows longlasting.

For this look I used the NYX Jumbo Pencil in Lavender for a base to let the Arbonne Eyeshadow in Lilac shadow pop when i put it over the lid, I put the Arbonne Eyeshadow in Indigo into my crease and blended it all together with MAC Blanc Type.

What do you think? This isn't overly cray cray...let's be honest but it is definitely a step away from my usual bronzes and browns! 

Arbonne Cosmetics can be purchased online from http://www.arbonneinternational.com.au these eyeshadows can be purchased for RRP $26AUD from the website.

Product Disclosure: The Arbonne Eyeshadows were provided for my consideration, opinions are all my own. Please read my disclosure policy for more details.

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | pinterest |

March Favourites

It's monthly favourites time again!

Check out my video to see what I was enjoying using in the month of March.

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | pinterest |

Manicure Monday - OPI Just Spotted The Lizard

Sorry for the lack of manicure monday last week guys, I was off seeing Fall Out Boy and totally forgot...then the week slipped by me (insert lame excuses here).

HOWEVER! I have a doozy for you today, this is one of those polishes I purchased due to the hype of it being a dupe for Chanel Peridot and honestly when I bought this I threw into my helmer and have never worn it. I don't even know why I picked it this week... being easter I was actually leaning towards a light blue and this is completely different.

OPI Just Spotted The Lizard is a green/yellow/gold duochrome so it flecks a different colour depending on the light, hand position etc. This baby is a bit of a confidence booster too because I have had so many compliments and comments wearing this polish!

Wear time has been phenomenal! I painted this on my fingers on Thursday night and just took the swatch photo today (Monday!). I do find though any metallic finish polish always last longer on my digits.

OPI can be purchased in Australia from David Jones, Myer & Adore Beauty for a RRP $19.95AUD. This shade is from the Spiderman collection but can still be sourced.

| twitter | youtube | instagram | facebook | pinterest |