August Lunacy

Here are the nail polishes I acquired this month:


ChiChi:
Only Girl In The World

China Glaze:
Deviantly Daring
No Plain Jane
Rare and Radiant
Swanky Silk
Unpredictable
Want My Bawdy

Breakin
Entourage
Happy Go Lucky
Sky High-Top

Cult Nails:
Enigmatic
Enticing
I Got Distracted
Manipulative
Seduction
Wicked Fast

Darling Diva:
Bitches Have Birthdays
Soft Kitty

Essence:
A Lovely Secret
Viva La Green
Wanna Be Your Sunshine

Joe Fresh:
Twilight

Max Factor:
Fantasy Fire

Mode Cosmetics:
Kiss and Tell

OPI:
A-Rose From The Dead
Candlelight
Hi Pumpkin
Mourning Glory

Wet N Wild:
Unnamed hot pink

Zoya:
Julieanne

Cult Nails - Manipulative and some beautiful nail mail

I love receiving nail mail and I especially love receiving nail mail from Cult. They always pack things so beautifully and cleverly. No bubble wrap in this package! Instead, the individual bottles are safely wrapped in soft brown crepe paper and cushioned by a layer of cotton balls. It's a great idea and I get a little kick out of using the packaging to remove my previous manicure.

In this order I got five polishes and a topcoat. I bought these at their recent Birthday Sale. I now have my hands on:

Enigmatic
Enticing
I Got Distracted
Manipulative
Seduction
Wicked Fast topcoat

Today I'm wearing Manipulative, a gorgeous duck egg blue with a hint of shimmer. This polish looked lovely in the bottle and as soon as I got it onto my nails I adored it. I think it's elegant yet still a little fun. It's also a very near dupe for China Glaze - For Audrey, a polish I pick up almost every time I go to nail heaven (aka Pro Nail Supply) but for some reason never bought.

LOVE IT!

Lust Have It - August 2012

Happy 1st Birthday Lust Have It!

Lust Have It have made it through their first year of business, no small accomplishment in this market. We've seen other beauty boxes disappear, some merge together. The fact that this box has stayed around is no accident, the quality of items included is generally very good. However, there has been drama. Anyone following the Lust Have It facebook page has read about at least some of it. With the Glossybox merger and the collapse of ILoveThisBox occurring around the same time I think the Lusty crew have had trouble keeping up with demand. The boxes have been going out a little later in the last couple of months and customer service was slipping. I think the quality of this months box and the activation of  VIP membership benefits signals that things are looking up, that the crew are getting on top of the logistics of moving so many boxes.

Some of the user comments on Lust Have Its facebook page were getting very ugly and to me they didn't all seem justified. I guess peoples anxiety about the status of their boxes is in a way a compliment to the business. Ladies are wanting their goodies so badly that they forget their manners.

I usually receive my box in the last half of the month. It just appears at my doorstep with no warning. I wish they would bring back postal tracking, I liked it a lot.

This month I was sent:

tanGo Tan Removal Cloth
Full size
Apparently this cloth is good for removing fake tan. I will never use it for that purpose as I don't use fake tan. However, microfibre cloths are great for skincare and I'll be using this one for that. I think I tried my first microfibre facecloth about 5 years ago, so this isn't a new concept but I certainly welcome a brand new one. You can buy similar items in the cleaning section of the supermarket for only a few dollars.

Bioderma Atoderm Cream
sachet 8ml
A body moisturiser. Fragrance free, hypoallergenic. I look forward to trying this out.

Tigi Catwalk Sessions Series: True Wax
Full size 50g
I have never used hair wax before. I'm not really sure if it will be a good product for my curly hair, heavy products tend to make it look limp. I also have no idea how I'm supposed to use it. Any ideas? This product smells lovely.

Aromatherapy Associates:
Rose Hydrating Face Mask
sample 5ml
Triple Renewing Moisturiser
sample 5ml
These both smell very feminine and pretty. The moisturising properties of these products will be very welcome at this time of year. I'm going to try these out tonight.

Shisedo Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte Lipstick
Mini 2.5g
This mini lipstick is adorable! When I first saw the coral colour of this I thought I'd never wear it, but when I tried it on it actually looks quite good if applied with a light hand. Win!

Wet n Wild Nail Colour
Full size 10ml
Nail Polish!! I could get nail polish every moth and still love it.I haven't tried this brand before. A vibrant hot pink creme, I have several shades in my collection that are very similar. I still love it. I'll swatch it soon.

Bonus Item:
Pearl stud earrings by Style Rocks.
This was a bonus item in celebration of Lust Have Its first birthday. Only VIP subscribers received them. They are lovely, a very elegant and classic look. Thanks Lust Have It.

I'm very happy with my box this month. What did you get?

China Glaze - No Plain Jane. Bohemian Collection.

My last swatch of the Bohemian Collection!

No Plain Jane is a mid purple/pink/orange colour shifting polish. It's a little bit frosty, a lot metallic and one of my favourites of this collection.

Which is your fav?

Ozotic - Elytra 528 and 529 over Butter London - Royal Navy

Butter London - Royal Navy is a beautiful navy blue creme, perfectly shiny and opaque in two coats. It's topped with Ozotic Elytra 528 and 529, which turned beautiful into AMAZING!

Why does Elytra hate my camera? I tried and tried to get a picture that does justice to this stunning layered mani, but it just wasn't to be. In reality this is far more sparkly and gorgeous, but you get the idea.

Any tips on photographing this type of polish?

Nail Art - Green and Copper Striping tape

I'm trying to branch out a little with my nail art. I figure that if I don't practice and try new things I'll never get any better. So today I've tried a manicure with striping tape. I bought a bunch of different colours on EBay recently and this seemed like a great opportunity to try them out.

This is what I did:

Apply base coat and colour. Base - Nail Tek II. Colour - Essence Viva La Green.
Allow to thoroughly dry.
Apply tape ( I use low tack decorators tape ) then apply contrasting colour. Tip colour - Ulta3 Antique Copper.  Carefully peel off tape before contrast colour dries.
Allow to thoroughly dry.
Apply striping tape in desired pattern, pressing down firmly. Use scissors to trim tape to size.
Top coat - Out the Door.

I like how this turned out. I'll definitely use striping tape again.

What do you think?

Please feel free to comment or follow me. I'd love to hear from other lacquered lunatics.

China Glaze - Want My Bawdy. Bohemian Collection.

Second last polish of the Bohemian Collection by China Glaze.

This one is not a colour shifter, but it's a lovely shade. More purple than it appears here, with a metallic finish and brushstrokes only slightly visivle in strong light. Opaque in two coats.

Lovely.

OPI - So So Skullicious Swatches.

I finally received my OPI mini set. This Halloween 2012 offering has a cute Day of the Dead theme. The shades (left to right) are:

Candlelight: bright yellow creme, somewhat sheer. I gave up after four coats.

A-Rose From The Dead: hot pink creme. Lovely bright colour, but very similar to other pinks I've gotten in other OPI mini sets. Is it an OPI rule that this colour must be included in sets?

Hi Pumpkin!: Bright orange creme. Nice application.

Mourning Glory: Black creme. Opaque in one coat. Very shiny.

This set also comes with ten sugar skull themed water transfers. They are adorable. I will definitely wear these a little closer to Halloween.

What do you think?

Please feel free to comment on any of my posts, or follow my blog. Starting to feel a little lonely out here :)

OPI - So So Skullicious mini set

OPI - So So Skullicious Swatches

OPI - So So Skullicious Swatches

OPI - So So Skullicious. Cute nail transfers.

Bellabox - August 2012

I love beauty sample boxes. Every month you get sent a beautifully packaged bunch of items you have probably never tried to test out in your own home. There's no salespeople pressuring you to buy things you're not sure you like yet, letting you and your goodies get better acquainted before you commit to any of them. It's a lovely little treat for yourself each month.

If companies opened up selling monthly sample boxes in areas other than beauty, I'd probably buy them too.

By the time I get my Bellabox tracking email I've probably been stalking their Facebook page for at least a few days, seeing if there's any hint of packages leaving their hands. I am a big fan of postal tracking. You know where your item is all the time. At work? You can easily see if a bundle of surprises will be waiting at your front door when you get home. I hope Bellabox don't ever stop having trackable postage.

If you can manage not to peek at blog posts like this one :) the contents of your box are completely unknown, a mystery. If, like me, you aren't very good at waiting, you will have some idea of what others have received, but not which version of the box YOU will get. More mystery!

This month Bellabox have sent me their 'Go Green' box. My version contains:

Phytocare:
Daily C 2 x 3.7g sachet
Vitamin C powder. This tastes a bit like Tang. It's quite yummy and the extra antioxidants are a welcome addition at this time of year.

Emerginc Skincare:
Kombucha Cleanser 3ml sample
Phytocell Cream 3ml sample
I haven't tried these yet but the sample packaging is cute.

Aveeno:
Daily Moisturizing Lotion 29ml sample
Contains oatmeal to protect skin and is fragrance free. This absorbed quickly into my hands, leaving them looking smooth, soft and feeling moisturized. A generous size, I look forward to using this again.

Luk:
Beautifood Lip Nourish 3g full size
I got the Lime and Ginger version, which is great as I love the smell of ginger! A neutral shade, this gave my lips a hint of colour and a subtle shine. I love this product.

Aurora Spa Rituals:
Rose Otto and Nettle Clarifying Shampoo 50ml mini bottle
Burdock and Rose Revitalising Conditioner 50ml mini bottle
These smell divine! I'm yet to try them and I hope they suit my hair. I have curly hair that looks like I've been electrocuted if I use the wrong products. I have my fingers crossed that these babies are friends with my moody hair.

Lush:
Ro's Argan Body Conditioner 45g tin
Packed with moisturizing oils and butters, this product is perfect for pampering winter-dry skin. I'm not usually a fan of creams with cocoa butter in them, as I find the chocolatey smell a bit overpowering but this one smells lovely. Not particularly rosey or lemony but still a very good smell. This one's a winner.

There is also a bonus offer in the box. Buy anything from the Bellabox shop in August and get a free 250ml handwash by You, Me and Everybody.

Bellabox have once again produced a fantastic box full of products. I love everything this month!

I'm already looking forward to what goodies might be in next months box.

Did you get something different in your box? What items are your favorites?

China Glaze - Rare and Radiant, Deviantly Daring

I love accent manicures. I love any excuse to wear more than one colour at one time.

Today I'm wearing China Glaze - Rare and Radiant and Deviantly Daring.

Rare and Radiant is a rich gold and green shifting duochrone. It's a tiny bit brush stroky, but it doesn't matter to me. There are at least three other polishes available that are near dupes for this one. Chanel - Peridot, Catrice - Genius in the Bottle and OPI - Just Sotted The Lizard are all very similar.

I don't own any other gold polishes. I like this one.

Im also wearing China Glaze - Deviantly Daring, a beautiful teal green metallic. I don't want to call this one a duochrome as I can't see any colour shift, even in the bottle. This polish is beautiful.

I love these two shades together. I think they compliment each other nicely. What do you think?

Glittery Goodness: Lush Lacquer - Lite Brite over China Glaze - HappyGo Lucky

China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky, 2 coats with 1 coat of Lush Lacquer - Lite Brite + topcoat.

Happy go lucky really is primary yellow. It's such a cheerful colour. It also stains your nails and cuticles a little. Lite Brite is a clear base packed with glitter. There's some ?silver microglitter. Orange, blue and red hex glitter. Purple and green square glitter. Yellow and pink large hex glitter.

I added some thinner to all my Lush Lacquer bottles and I think it has really improved application.

Happy nails.

Nail Art - Water Marbling Rainbow

There are plenty of tutorials out there on water marbling. It's not a hard technique but it is also not easy to get the beautiful results you see online. It's also a fairly time consuming exercise. I attempted this on four nails but only got a satisfactory result on one so I painted the others in rainbow skittles.

The colors I used here are:
OPI: Red Light District
China Glaze:
Breakin
Happy Go Lucky
Entourage
Sky High-Tops

Sorry about the cuticles/fingers. I should have washed the acetone off before I took the picture.

China Glaze - Swanky Silk. Bohemian Collection

The second polish I'm trying from the new Bohemian Collection. This one is a light pink/gold metallic duochrome. It's a bit sheer, needing 3 coats for opacity. Somewhat brushstrokey, but this did reduce as the polish dried, leaving minor, but slightly visible strokes. Dare I call this polish a frost?

Swanky Silk is an understated, flattering colour. It's interesting without screaming LOOK AT ME! I will definitely wear this polish again.

Ozotic - 520

Ozotic. Any lacquer lunatic that isn't living under a rock has at least seen swatches of their divine polishes. If you are lucky enough to live in Australia, where they are made, or willing to pay high postage prices you probably have at least one shade.

When I heard that the multichrome 500 series was being discontinued I stocked up. 520 is a dark red, orange and gold colour shifting beauty. In direct, bright light it mostly appears a lovely burnt orange but in indirect sunlight there are so many facets of colour it's distracting, in a great way.
The picture below is in indirect sunlight.

As always, this is two coats of 520 layered over a dark base. I used China Glaze - Midnight Ride this time as it is opaque in one coat and one of those 'almost always looks black' shades.

Beautiful.

Cult Nails Birthday Sale

On August 7 - 12 Cult Nails will be having a birthday sale, with all lacquers $7.00.

Some of the current shades will be discontinued. Grab your favourite Cult polishes while you still can!

http://shop.cultnails.com/

China Glaze - Unpredictable. Bohemian Collection

My order of the entire Bohemian Collection arrived about an hour ago. I had just done my nails. Hmmm, what to do?

Needless to say, I got my acetone out and changed my polish of course!

The first colour I'm wearing as a full manicure is Unpredictable. It is a gold/green/teal/blue multichrome and it's beautiful.

This is 3 coats of Unpredictable. It does take a few coats to build up colour, but the result is well worth it. It looked a little streaky going on, but that faded with drying.

I'll probably post the rest of this collection over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned...

Essie - Shine of the Times, Essence - Sweet As Candy

Shine Of The Times is quite a versatile polish. It looks fabulous over black (google it if you haven't seen it already) but looks equally gorgeous over lighter colours or nudes. It's effect is very striking over black, but is much more subtle over sheer pink. I think this subtleness makes it more wearable as a day to day shade. I've only worn Shine Of The Times a few times over black but I've worn it many times over Essence - Sweet As Candy, a sheer, pale pink.

Sweet As Candy is a great shade for giving a naked look while covering the unattractive yellowing that comes with being a nail polish addict. VNL is obvious. Layering Essie - Shine Of The Times over the top makes a natural (read boring) polish into something more special.

A green/gold/orange shifting flakie in a clear lacquer, SOTT adds interest to this manicure without being overpowering.

I love it. What do you think?

Nail Art - Newsprint Nails

Newsprint nails. So simple. Even nail art noobs like me can do it!

First, assemble your supplies:
Base colour (I used Essence - Got A Secret)
Top coat
Shot glass
Alcohol (I used medical grade methylated spirits, but rubbing alcohol or vodka also apparently work well)
Newspaper, cut into bits big enough to cover your nail.


Apply base colour and allow to dry thoroughly.

Dip nail in shot glass half filled with alcohol for 10 seconds or so.

While nail is still wet press newspaper, print side down onto nail. Press firmly, so that the ink transfers well to nail.

Peel newspaper off carefully.

When dry gently apply topcoat.

Clean up.

Admire nails.

Additional step:
Post about it on your blog/Facebook/twitter etc. Or comment here. I'd love to know if anyone gives it a go (or actually reads my posts).

ChiChi - Only Girl In The World

ChiChi is an Australian brand that can be found at Target, Myer, Gloss and on the ChiChi website. I love this brand. They have some fantastic trendy shades and a good range of more classic tones, often with a twist. Full size bottles are AUD $12.95, mini bottles are a measly AUD$5! Target often has them on sale. Yesterday they were 40% off and I picked up this beautiful, soft pink with subtle shimmer.

This is 3 coats, plus 2 thin coats of Out The Door. Application was good, but I think I rushed my third coat and ended up with a little unevenness, hence the double layer of topcoat. This smoothed everything out nicely.

What ChiChi polishes do you own?

ChiChi - Only Girl In The World. Direct sunlight

Indoor light

Outdoors in shade

Glittery Goodness: ChiChi - Capital H.I.M. and Ulta3 - Confetti

I love glittery nails as much as the next lacquer addict.

Here is Ulta3 -Confetti, a clear topcoat with pink and blue small hex glitter over ChiChi - Capital H.I.M, a bright purple with subtle blue shimmer.

A fun combination.

Chi Chi - Capital H.I.M with Ulta3 - Confetti

Bellabox July 2012

I've subscribed to a variety of beauty subscription boxes in the past. For those who don't know, you pay a monthly fee and get sent a box of beauty samples to try.

Currently I'm subscribed to two boxes, LustHaveIt and Bellabox.

This is my first package from Bellabox and I must say that I'm impressed not only with the selection of goodies but also with their excellent customer service.

This is the July box. The theme is Essential Beauty Buys. It contains:

Neutrogena:
Invigorating ultra-foam cleanser.
Full size 175ml.

Deep clean gentle scrub.
Sample size 15ml.

You, Me & Everybody:
Shady lady daily face milk SPF 30+
Full size 75ml

Almay:
Get up and grow mascara - black
Full size 6.2ml

Carmex:
Lip balm
Full size 10g

Bourjois:
Effet smoky eyeliner with brush - dark purple
Full size 0.89g

Body Shop:
2 x Chocomania body butter
Sample sachet 8ml each

Givenchy:
Neo eau de toilette (men)
Sample sachet 1ml

Mode Cosmetics:
Glitter nail polish - kiss and tell
Full size 15ml

Bellabox bag

What a huge amount of great stuff to try for only $15!

Looking forward to testing these babies out.

Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes?

Lush Lacquer - Birthday Cake

After receiving my order from Lush Lacquer yesterday I developed a big problem.

Which one to wear first?!

I decided to go for Birthday Cake.

I applied a Essence - Got a Secret, a very pale grey, as a base coat. Two coats of Birthday Cake and two coats of Out The Door topcoat.

Lush Lacquer - Birthday Cake is a creamy white jelly with a whole load of glitter. I see medium silver holo hex, small orange, purple, pink and pale blue hex. Also pale green, pale blue, pale pink and pale yellow bar glitter.

That's a lot of glitter!

I am NOT a fan of bar glitter, but I don't mind it in this polish. I would have bought more shades from the Lush Lacquer Etsy shop, but the other ones I liked all had bar glitter in them.

Application was smooth, no digging around the bottle for glitter, just a good shake and the bottle left upside down for 15 minutes. Two coats of topcoat left my nails smooth.

I love this polish and I can't wait to try out some more.