Artsy Wednesday - New Years

New Years Eve can be a wonderful time, full of excitement and promise. Unless you're working in an Emergency Department, like I will be this year. The only promise will be that some of my patients will be drunk. My excitement will likely consist of trying to avoid being vomited, bled or spat on. Oh the joy!

My New Year mani today is rather uninspired. I used a couple of coats of Ozotic 526, which is their black holo. I think it's appropriately sparkly for New Years and it certainly looks prettier than I can capture with my camera. 

 

 

Check out this weeks awesome manis from the Artsy Wednesday ladies

 

 

Lab Muffin

Pretty Purple Polish

Maria's Nail Art

POLiSHED*GENiUS

Unnaked Nails

Nail and Polish

Beauty Gnome

An Accent Nail

Valiantly Varnished

Artsy Wednesday - Christmas Edition

This year I bought a bunch of Xmas lights to decorate the house. My kids love them.

My nails this week are an attempt at recreating the lights. Little hanging strings of multi coloured lights twinkling in the night.

 

 

I wish I had done the lights a bit smaller, but time has not been on my side this week.

Merry Christmas all.

 

Lab Muffin

Pretty Purple Polish

Maria's Nail Art

POLiSHED*GENiUS

Unnaked Nails

Nail and Polish

Beauty Gnome

An Accent Nail

Valiantly Varnished

Artsy Wednesday - Glitter Gradient

Wow life is busy at this time of year! Lots of parties and end of year activities happening. Work, family, kids, friends, shopping. Sometimes there just isn't time for nail fun. Last week I missed the tape manicure but I've managed to put something together for this week.

I don't think there are many nail junkies who don't like glitter. There are so many beautiful offerings from both major and independent brands.
 

This week I've used a black base and topped it with three polishes from Australian brand Femme Fatale. At the tips I have Hydraxia, then Glinting Lodestone and Eternium Dreams. A nice thick coat of Seche Vite gave it all a nice shine.
 

Check out the other glittery manis from the Artsy Wednesday girls.

Lab Muffin

Pretty Purple Polish

Maria's Nail Art

POLiSHED*GENiUS

Unnaked Nails

Nail and Polish

Beauty Gnome

An Accent Nail

Valiantly Varnished

Bellabox - November 2012

My Bellabox took ages to arrive this month. I got the tracking email on the 15th and didn't receive the box til the 21st. I think I may have been dropped from the first shipment which is sad for me as I loved being able to share the contents straight away, letting the impatient among you get a sneek peak.

Anyway......

The contents of this months box were worth the wait. There so much value here.

This month I received:

Bioderma:
Sebium H2O Cleansing Water
20ml mini
I am not really a fan of cleansers that you don't wash off your skin. Aren't you just leaving a film of cleanser, make up and dirt on your face that you could easily have rinsed off? I gave this product a try and it did a very good job of removing make up but my face felt much cleaner once I'd splashed some water on it.

4me:
Nail Polish Remover Pads
30 full size
A very convenient way to carry some nail polish remover and a good size for traveling. The acetone free formula is gentle on nails and cuticles but probably wouldn't cope with glitter polish removal. It is very oily.

I wonder if I could reuse the packaging with my own remover and pads inside?

David Jones:
Beauty Radiant Moisture Day Cream
30ml full size
I tried this as a night cream as it doesn't contain a sunscreen. I find it surprising that an Australian brand would leave sun protection out of a moisturiser marketed for daytime use. Regardless, this smells lovely and absorbs nicely into the skin.

Rose-Hip Vital:
Rosehip Oil
30ml full size
Certified organic cold pressed rosehip oil.
If you haven't included rosehip oil in your beauty routine already, you should. I've been using it for about a year and it is fantastic. Full of vitamins, antioxidants and fatty acids this might be the best thing you ever do for your skin. Mix a few drops with your favourite moisturiser or apply alone after cleansing. Massage it on your cuticles, hands or to fade scars. A truly multipurpose product. I love rosehip oil.
This product is a very generous size at a reasonable price.

I may have to do a post on rosehip oil.

Swisse:
Hand Cream with Vitamin F and Pomegranate
30ml mini
Lovely. Watch for a post soon in my hand cream review series.

Palmolive:
Luscious Mango Body Butter Body Wash
50ml mini
Smells delicious! Not overly drying on the skin. Is there much else to say about a product like this? I wouldn't really consider it a luxury product but I am very happy to receive it. A great size for travel.

Bloom B Collection:
col-lecta colour cheek tint
Full size 5g
A shimmery cheek tint in a neutral shade. Perfect for the current party season.

What a fantastic box this month. I can't wait for the xmas edition!

Artsy Wednesday - Movember

The men I work with have been right into Movember this year. It's been like working on the set of a bad 70s porn movie. I will be very glad when they all shave as I have been finding it hard to take them seriously when they look so silly.

Today I've used Models Own - Jade Stone as my base colour and a permanent marker for the stache.

Check out the other Movember Manis from the Artsy Wednesday girls

Lab Muffin

Pretty Purple Polish

Maria's Nail Art

POLiSHED*GENiUS

Unnaked Nails

Nail and Polish

Beauty Gnome

An Accent Nail

Valiantly Varnished

Review: Neutrogena Deep Moisture Butter Cream

Neutrogena Deep Moisture Butter Cream

For: Extra Dry Hands
Volume: 56g
Price: $9.99
Claim To Fame: Turns dry hands into 'touchable hands'. Non greasy after feel.
Scent: Cocoa Butter.
Texture: Thick and voluptuous. Softly holds its shape but slides off your hand if you tilt it.

Application:
Initial: This cream absorbs quickly when massaged into hands. My hands don't appear dry afterwards and feel soft. Absorbs so quickly that a good cuticle massage is difficult. My hands and nails are left feeling slightly tacky, almost sticky.
10 minutes: My hands no longer feel tacky but my palms and fingers are a bit slippery. Skin on the back of the hand feels and looks soft and smooth. There is a matte quality to the skin.

Verdict:
This cream has been in my little handbag (as opposed to my bigger work bag) for awhile and I've finally finished it. It provides a nice, long lasting moisturizing effect that does indeed make my hands look touchable. The initial tackiness I experienced does fade and my hands felt protected and smooth.

I would consider buying this again.

Artsy Wednesday - Jelly Sandwich

This week for Artsy Wednesday we are trying the jelly sandwich manicure.

 

 A jelly sandwich manicure is when you put a layer of glitter polish in between two layers of a jelly polish. I generally don't tend to wear this style of mani as I like the shininess of the glitter on it's own. I also don't own a lot of jelly polishes.

 

For this manicure I used two coats of Ulta 3 - Frog Prince, one coat of Glimmer by Erica - Punky Patty and one coat of a jelly I frankened for the occasion. I mixed a few drops of Essence - Gel-Look topcoat with one drop of China Glaze - Entourage. On it's own Entourage was just too opaque so I thinned it down with the clear topcoat.

 

I like this look but I still prefer shiny glitter :)

 

Check out the (way better) jelly sandwiches from the other Artsy Wednesday contributors:

 

Lab Muffin

Pretty Purple Polish

Maria's Nail Art

POLiSHED*GENiUS

Unnaked Nails

Nail and Polish

Beauty Gnome

An Accent Nail

Valiantly Varnished

 

Lust Have It - November 2012

Today I received my Lust Have It pack for November! It sure seemed to arrive quickly this month.

The LHI Facebook feed has been packing with interesting things this week and I loved the warehouse sneak peaks and newsletter. Well done LHI!

Now on to the goodies.

 

This month I received:

ModelCo:

Fibre Lashxtend Mascara

Full size

 

 

This is a new release product that claims to give a false lash effect. It has a handy little mirror on the back of the tube. This product applies easily and the brush separates the lashes perfectly. I like this a lot and will definitely use it.

Evodia:

Coconut and Lime Roll On Fragrance

15ml full size

 

 

This cute little fragrance is a good size to fit in your bag. I got the Coconut and Lime variety but there was also a SummerTime and a Mango and Pink Grapefruit version. This has a pleasing scent that makes me want a Pina Colada. I would have likely chosen one of the other varieties if I had chosen this for myself. Anyone want to swap?

 

A buy one get one free voucher was included for the Evodia website.

GKMBJ:

One Minute Treatment

30g mini

 

 

A one minute hair treatment that claims to repair, restructure, nourish and moisturise hair. I think scent is really important with hair products and this one has a chemical, sunscreen odour. This may be a fantastic product but I don't really want my hair to smell like that.

Aviva Inspires:

Skin Glow Light Tan Extender

30ml mini

 

 

I don't use sunless tanning products. I find that once they've been on my skin longer than a couple of hours they develop an odour I find unpleasant. Does anyone else get this?

Star & Rose:

Hologram Tweezer

Full size

 

 

The soap roses from last month may have been a bit of a dud but these cute tweezers are great. They have a shiny shiny pattern and a good grip. I tidied up my brows with these today and they did a nice job of grasping even very short hairs.

Everything came packaged in another purple make up bag. The product card says that this is the last month that we will get the bags, with a new range of collectible packaging out next month.

I feel that there is a good amount of value this month, even if I won't use all the products. What do you think? What did you receive this month?

Ulta3 - Earl Grey

There's a reason why this polish has a cult following. This is a very flattering neutral shade. A mushroomy, taupey bottle of loveliness that I gave up looking for in the ulta3 bins and then found when I was looking for something else.

Who can pass up a polish this beautiful, especially at the bargain price of $2? Certainly not me.

Ozotic: 505

I can't believe I haven't posted about this polish before! This is my hands down favourite shade of my entire collection. This uninspiringly named offering is from the multichrome masters at Ozotic.

This is a true multichrome, shifting from deep green through to blue, purple and even pinkish and goldish tones at an extreme angle. It is the most beautiful polish I own.

505 requires black or 'almost always looks black' underwear to show its true beauty. I usually apply two coats to make the colours appear more intense.

Like a lot of multichromes this is quite difficult to photograph well. There are plenty of blogs out there with better pictures than these ones but I think I've at least given a hint of 505's gorgeousness.

This polish was tragically discontinued recently and is no longer available from Picture Polish, although they have many other lovely shades.

What is your all time fav polish?

Artsy Wednedsay - Drag Marble

One of the great things about being a part of the Artsy Wednesday group is being pushed to try techniques you'd usually avoid because they seem a bit difficult. Also, it gives me another excuse to play with my polishes.

This week we are trying out drag marbling. I used Cult - Vicious and Models Own - Lilac Dream to create my mani. I painted a thick coat of each colour onto half of a nail, then swirled with a toothpick until I was happy with the effect. I think it turned out alright but I probably won't try this again.

Check out the marbled manis from the other contributors to Artsy Wednesday

 

Lab Muffin

Pretty Purple Polish

Maria's Nail Art

Unnaked Nails

Nail and Polish

Beauty Gnome

An Accent Nail

Valiantly Varnished

Artsy Wednesday - Creative Crackle

When I saw the theme for this week I was a bit dismayed. Crackle?! oh no. I'm really not a fan of crackle nail polish. I have a bottle that I've used once and then never had the desire to use again. Creative for me is actually using my crackle polish.

In the spirit of making the best of things and not neglecting even the unloved polishes my stash I got 'cracking' and created a pastel rainbow underneath black crackle. It's not really that creative but it's the best I could do.

I'm sure all the other bloggers did a way better job than I did today. Check out their creative crackle manis.

 

 

Lab Muffin

Pretty Purple Polish

Maria's Nail Art

POLiSHED*GENiUS

Unnaked Nails

Nail and Polish

Beauty Gnome

An Accent Nail

Valiantly Varnished

 

 

Artsy Wednesday - Halloween Nails

I am a big fan of the supernatural genre. TV, movies, books, I love them all. There's a lot of vampire based offerings around at the moment and I've based my Halloween mani on that theme.

Dripping blood, a scary red iris, puncture wounds and a bloody fang.

I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out and I'm keen to give the dripping blood and the eyeball another try in the future.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what awesome manis the other Artsy Wednesday girls came up with. Check them out!

 

Lab Muffin

 

Pretty Purple Polish

 

Maria's Nail Art

POLiSHED*GENiUS

Unnaked Nails

 

Nail and Polish 

Beauty Gnome

 

An Accent Nail

 

Valiantly Varnished

 

October Lunacy

Here are the polishes I acquired this month

 

oops!

BYS:

Glow in the Dark

Chi Chi:

My Bad

China Glaze:

Afterglow

For Audrey

Pelican Gray

Glimmer By Erica:

Punky Patty

Rainbow Star Sprinkles

Satellite Shine

 

Hello Kitty:

Firegirl

Rose Eden

Kleancolor:

Afternoon Picnic

Chunky Holo Black

Sugarcoat

 

Models Own:

Beth's Blue

Edamame

Fuzzy Peach

Ibiza Mix

Jade Stone

Lemon Meringue

Lilac Dream

Pink Blush

Prussian Blue

Thunder and Lightning

 

Loreal:

Magic Croisette

Mystic Blue

 

Rimmel:

Bonzai

 

Sally Hansen:

Sonic Bloom

 

Seche:

Vite

Restore

Soft

 

Ulta 3:

Earl Grey

Models Own - Beth's Blue and Ibiza Mix

I'm so happy to finally have my hands on my new polishes from Models Own. They'll probably feature quite heavily over the next few weeks!

This is 2 coats of Beth's Blue and 1 coat of Ibiza Mix. I love the different colored and sized glitter in Ibiza Mix. I can see myself using it over many base colours.

Have you used Ibiza Mix? What's you favourite combination?

Models Own Haul

I recently got a bunch of polishes from the Models Own Sale. What a bunch of beautiful shades. I can't wait to try them out!

Artsy Wednesday - Cling Wrap Nails

I am very excited to be joining the Artsy Wednesday group this week! I enquired about joining a month or so ago and was put on their waiting list. Last week I got the good news that there's a space available. Yay! I'm very excited to be on board with this great bunch of nail bloggers.

Every week each member of the group posts a manicure based around a set theme. This week we are doing Cling wrap/Saran wrap/plastic wrap manicures. Here is mine.

 
I have never tried this technique before. I spent a bit of time looking at tutorials and discovered that there are a few different methods. I experimented a bit and settled on the following:

1. Apply base colour. I used Chi Chi - Show Me The Money, a dark metallic green.

2. I couldn't help myself and so I added a coat of Kleancolor - Sugarcoat.

3. Allow to dry completely.

4. Scrunch a bit of cling wrap into a loose ball, making sure there are some interesting looking folds.

5. Paint your secondary colour roughly onto a section of the cling wrap. I used Models Own - Golden Green.

6. Splodge it onto a bit of paper to remove excess polish.

7. Splodge artistically onto your nail.

8. Apply topcoat.

9. Admire :)

I love the way the glitter peeks through.

 

Thanks for welcoming me on board ladies!

Check out posts from the other Artsy Wednesday contributors!

Lab Muffin

Pretty Purple Polish

Maria's Nail Art

POLiSHED*GENiUS

Unnaked Nails

Nail and Polish  

Beauty Gnome

An Accent Nail

Valiantly Varnished

Lust Have It - October 2012

Ahh, the long awaited LHI box has arrived!

This month I received:

Waxaway:
Ready To Use Strips
Sample. 4 strips and 1 aftercare wipe.
Hypoallergenic, ready to go wax strips. I don't really know what else to say about these.

Elizabeth Arden:
Red Door Aura EDT
5ml mini
Scent is a very personal thing and is difficult to choose for someone else, even if its someone you know well. This fragrance is pleasant enough, but it isn't for me. The description on the card is quite accurate, it is a 'bright floral'. I have had enough of fragrance samples lately. I wish LHI would give them a rest for awhile.


Say It With Scent:
Rose Hand and Body Lotion
30ml mini
I will review this properly as part of my hand cream series. Smells lovely, if you like roses. Lightly moisturizing.

Star & Rose:
Rose Confetti Soap Petals
3 x 4g. Full size.
Lovely rosey scent. I will probably give this to my mum, along with the Red Door.

Montaser:
Renitence Eye Revival Cream
Unknown size mini.
Claims to visibly reduce dark circles, wrinkles and puffiness in 14 days. I don't like the look of this product, but I will try it anyway. The cream is a yellowish brown colour that looks yuk. Like the last eye cream I received in a beauty box, I'll be trying it on one eye only. If it works I will post about it again. The little container it came in is cute, but the labeling could do with a more professional finish.

I also received two promotional cards. I don't really like getting these cards, it seems like a cheat to boost the value of the box. Just my opinion.

I did not receive additional products with my VIP membership this month.

I'm a bit disappointed again this month. When you compare the contents of recent LHI boxes to some of the older ones the quality just isn't the same. The insert this month focused very strongly on the Pink Ribbon Hamper, not the box itself. I wish LHI would focus more on their core business. The Pink Ribbon Hamper was also sold out before any monthly boxes were received.

There is a growing degree of negativity on their Facebook page that I believe LHI needs to address immediately if they want to remain a major player. Bad publicity is bad.

What did you get this month? Did you like your selection? What would you like to see more or less of in your box?

Bellabox - October 2012

This month is the first birthday of Bellabox! Congratulations ladies, you've made it through your first year.

Of all the beauty subscription services that have come and gone this year it's no surprise to me that Bellabox are still going strong. Their customer service is impeccable, their products are high quality and their team is fantastic. I have never had a negative interaction with this company. I hope they continue to provide a premium service for many years to come. I'd also love to see some more specialized boxes come out like a hand and nail box, hair care boxes where you can specify your hair type, or a dedicated fragrance box.

I've decided to post about boxes a little later this month, once I've had a chance to try all the goodies out properly.

This month I received:

Chocolatier:
Pink Heart Chocolate
This was the first item I tried from this months box. Delicious! It was very good motivation to get the photo done so that I could eat the chocolate ASAP.

Sally Hansen:
Insta-Dri Nail Polish - Sonic Bloom
9ml full size
Nail polish! Woot! I love getting polishes. Sonic Bloom is a BRIGHT neon pink. Good coverage, smooth application. The pic below is two coats.

Carmex:
Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm in Sheer Pink
2g Full size
I'm not usually a big Carmex fan because of its fragrance but this pretty, soft pink balm may just have converted me. It applies smoothly, leaving a hint of gorgeousness and just the right amount of shine. Beautiful.

DKNY:
Fresh Blossom Eau So Intense
1.5ml sample
Floral, citrus and apple blossom notes in this fragrance sample. Whenever I try new scents I tend to find them very strong and this one is no exception. Considering the name it's not really surprising. Having said that, I quite like this fragrance and will definitely use this sample to the end.

E.L.F:
Essential Brightening Eye Colour - Nouveau Neutralis
Full size
A neutral eyeshadow quad. If I hadn't just bought a bunch of NYX eyeshadows (which are amazing!) I'd probably be more impressed with this. The glitter particles in two of the shades are a bit large for my taste and the colours are not quite as highly pigmented as they could be, but at $3.99 you cant expect perfection. The other two shades apply nicely with a brush and are useable daily colours. I think this product is good value and a nice addition to your neutral palette.

Estée Lauder:
Resilience Lift instant Action Lift Treatment
5ml mini
Claims to lift and firm skin, boost collagen production and elastin retention. To be honest, I don't have any areas on my face that need lifting and firming, so I can't really comment on those claims. However, this cream makes my skin feel very smooth, it's not too heavy and it absorbs rapidly. As it isn't really suitable for my skin and the full size product costs is quite expensive I will not be buying this item in the near future.

Clinique:
Turnaround Concentrate Radiance Renewer
7ml mini
I'm excited to see Clinique featured in this months box and I hope to see more samples from them in the near future. After using this product for the past 5 days I think my skin feels softer and smoother. I will probably buy this product next time Clinique have a gift with purchase promo.

Cedel:
Blow Dry Faster Heat Protector
165ml full size
I don't blow dry my hair. I don't even own a blowdryer, so you'll have to look elsewhere for a proper review of this product. The can was also dented, but as I won't be using it I'm not really that fussed.

So many goodies! I am very pleased with this months box.

What did you get this month? Were you pleased with your pack?

Polish Us Pink - Glitter Bomb

It's week 3 of Polish Us Pink!

I almost couldn't write this post. My computer is dead, my Internet has gone down. I'm reduced to writing solely on my iPhone. So there's no links, no fancy pics, just a quick post.

This week I have gone for a glittery mani. I used 2 coats of Sally Hansen Insta Dry in Sonic Bloom as my base colour. It's really, really bright neon pink. I topped it with 1 coat of Kleancolor - Afternoon Picnic and 2 coats of Glimmer By Erica - Rainbow Star Sprinkles.

Sparkle, sparkle. My partner said it hurts his eyes! Thanks honey.