September Lunacy

Here are the polishes I acquired this month.

Australis:
Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Face Shop:
Pink Glitter Hearts - WH003
Pale Lilac - PP405

Rimmel:
Cranberry Zest
Lemon Drop
Man Overboard
Strawberry Fizz

Revlon:
Black With Envy

Tips n Toes:
Black - 58
Dark Purple - 46

Ulta3:
Earl Grey

PVA glue

I didn't buy many polishes this month, but I do have a few on the way. Did you have a huge haul this month?

Nail Art - Purple Waves

I got the idea for this design from a blog that I thought I saved to my favourites and now can't find. I've googled and googled and can't see the tutorial pictures that inspired me anywhere. If YOU know where to find pictures of manicures that look similar to this one please leave a message in the comments section. Please don't leave a link, just the name of the blog where you found the pictures.

That said, I love this manicure! It was surprisingly easy to do and looks great!

I started with two coats of Face Shop - pale lilac. For anyone reading this from Sydney there is now a Faceshop store on Hurstville Westfields. Polishes start at $3.

After the base colour dried I added a diagonal strip of Zoya - Julieanne. I needed two coats for good coverage.

I then used small and medium dotting tools to add the wavy bits. If anyone is interested in a tutorial just let me know and I'll be happy to create one.

What do you think of this pattern?

Nail Art - Cupcake nails

I did this manicure while I was waiting for the Models Own 50% Off Sale to go live. They currently have almost everything in their store at half price!

I may have bought a 'few' polishes.

I started here with a my Sunshine Gradient as a base, painted mid purple on the tips, then freehanded the 'icing' in white. I used a fine brush and some dark purple for the stripes and a dotting tool for the .... dots.

I didn't use a topcoat. I tried, but got some pretty bad streaking from the dark purple, even when I let my polish dry for a good hour. You can see it a little on my index finger.

I think this is a very cute manicure and would also look good as an accent nail. What do you think?

I appreciate any feedback on my blog. Please feel free to comment below.

Nail Art - Sunshine Yellow Gradient

I've recently bought a few yellow polishes. Before purchasing them I thought that yellow wasn't for me but after giving them a go I have changed my mind. Such a happy, warm colour.

Today I've created a yellow gradient by using Essence - Wanna Be Your Sunshine as a base. Then I sponged Rimmel - Lemon Drop about halfway up the nail and then China Glaze - Snow on the tips. Top coat with Cult Nails - Wicked Fast.

I really like the way this turned out.

What do you think?

I encourage any geniune comments, I love to hear from you! Please feel free to follow my blog here or on Bloglovin.

Lust Have It - September 2012

This months Lust Have It goodies come packaged in a pretty silver makeup bag. This is my favourite of all the coloured bags I've received so far, but honestly, how many bags does one woman need? I'd much rather get another item in my box than another bag.

I get sent the Luxe and Luscious pack and it's usually great. This month I'm not as impressed as I have been.

This month I received:

Aum:
Gentle Facial Foam Cleanser
20ml mini
This cleanser smells lovely, flowery and herbal at the same time. I will give this a try but I'm quite happy with the skincare routine I currently have and I already have a bunch of items to try. Unless this cleanser is AMAZING I most likely won't buy it.

A $10 off voucher when purchasing two Aum products from Myer was included.

YSL:
Opium Vapeurs De Parfum
1.5ml sample
I hate this. I sprayed it once and threw it away. I will never buy it. It is a very mature scent, something I'd expect a grandmother to wear.

There was a voucher included for a complimentary YSL makeover. I will not use it.

Mirenesse:
Icon Sealer 24hr Concealer
1.5g mini
This was listed as 'Ace of Base' on the information card but is actually called Icon Sealer on the tube and the Mirenesse website. It's very pale, even for my fair skin but it's a decent concealer. It blends well on the skin and provided good coverage. Personally, I thought it accentuated fine lines around the eye, so I wouldn't use it as a lid primer but I would definitely use it elsewhere on my face.

There was a voucher included for the first 1000 people to receive a Cats Eyes eyeliner. I will update this post if I get one. I don't think it's very fair to the people who always receive their packs much later to include offers like this.

Davroe:
Colour Senses Ends Repair
50ml mini
A leave in conditioner that protects coloured hair, seals the hair cuticle and promotes shine. This smells lovely and I will certainly try it but I sure do end up with a lot of hair products from monthly boxes!

A voucher was included for a free Davroe styling product. I registered at the website but have no idea how I was meant to 'select my favourite stockist' or redeem the offer. I give up.

Morrissey:
Body Balm
40ml mini
The info card listed a hand and body lotion but I got this body balm. Fragranced with blood orange and lime this left my skin feeling soft and smelling beautiful. It absorbed quickly into my skin and didn't leave a sticky residue. I'm not a fan of the chrome coloured plastic lid though. It makes this luxury brand look a little cheap.

In all, there are a couple of products here that I will use but the majority are a flop this month. I do NOT like getting a bunch of vouchers, I want products! That's what this subscription box idea is all about isn't it? Products.

Oh well, there's always next month.

What did you think of your box? I welcome all genuine comments.

Butter London - Knees Up

This is such a cheerful shade of red, it's impossible not to feel happier when you look at it. A strong metallic finish that with careful application is not at all streaky, leaving you with a 'glowing from within' sheen.

A happy, bright colour for a beautifully bright spring day here in Sydney.

Glittery Goodness: Darling Diva - Soft Kitty over Cult Nails - Manipulative

I admit it, I bought this polish partly (mostly) because I am a big fan of Big Bang Theory. However this is also a beautiful and versatile polish that looks great over a variety of base colours. It contains small and medium hex glitter in pastel shades. These are suspended in a clear base with bluish shimmer.

Today I'm wearing it over Cult Nails - Manipulative but I recently wore it over Chi Chi - Only Girl In The World. I couldn't manage to get a good picture of it then, but the glitteriness seemed much more pink then than it does here. I think I'll try it over a dark shade next.

Do you like BBT?

Bellabox - September 2012

 

This month I did it! I didn't peek at the Facebook page or hunt down any blog posts on what might be on the way in my Bellabox! I did stalk the tracking site, but only a little :)

I just had a shower and used most of these products, my comments are below.

This month Bellabox have sent me:

Bioderma:
Sebium Foaming Gel
Sample 10ml
Facial cleansing gel. Soap and alcohol free, good for sensitive skin. There is probably 3 or 4 uses in this sample. It felt nice on my skin, wasn't too drying but I'm not willing to make a decision based on one use.

Sebium AKN Purifying Corrective Care
Sample 5ml
A moisturizing cream that helps clear the skin. I'm looking forward to trying this, but as it doesn't contain sunscreen it will be a night time only cream for me.

Benefit:
It's Potent! Eye Cream
Sample 3g

Adorable little pot and luxe packaging. This cream is meant to fade dark circles and smooth fine lines. I've had dark circles forever and have tried many creams with little to no success, so I'm very skeptical about claims to lighten them. However, I am more than willing to give this a go. I tried it on one eye only so I can see if there is any visible difference before I consider buying a full size version. I'll post about this again if it's a winner.

Savior Faire:
Concealer Kit
Sample palette
4 shades of concealer and 2 of powder in this credit card sized sample. Apparently you can also use this after foundation to sculpt your face, highlighting and darkening different areas, then finishing with powder. I tried this as a concealer but I'm far too lazy to sculpt myself with it. I used the two lightest shades with a concealer brush before applying foundation. I like this product a lot. It went on smoothly, not too thick as some concealers can be, blended easily and looked very natural.

USPA:
Beehold Gel
Sample 30ml
A gorgeous smelling hair product that creates body, enhances curls and provides humidity resistance. I have curly hair so I was very happy to receive a product that I may be able to use. This product does what it claims, my hair feels and looks bouncy. It's not the right weather to test out the humidity resistance.

You, Me & Everybody:
Sumptuous Skin Mousse
Full size 75ml
Fragrance free, non greasy moisturizer in a foaming formula. This was fun to use and is a nice, light moisturizer that soaked in very quickly. I wouldn't use it on my face and it's not really enough for my dry hands but this mousse is lovely on the rest of me. This goes further than you think so use a medium sized blob at a time. I can't help but wish this product DID have a fragrance. While there was no lasting scent from the propellants it did smell a bit 'chemical' as it went on. I would definitely buy this product.

Nail art - French Tips

I recently bought this dark grey creme and thought it might look nice paired with a bright colour. When I started looking through my nail wheels there were so many colours that looked great with the grey that I had trouble deciding which one to use.

Two coats of Rimmel - Man Overboard

I freehand painted the tips with one coat of China Glaze - Sky Hightop, which was easier than I expected. I would have used tip tapes but I didn't have any.

Sealed it all with a generous coat of Out The Door topcoat.

I've had a bunch of compliments on this mani and I personally love it! It's not very 'spring' but it is gorgeous.

I'll be trying this again in a variety of colours.

Lush Lacquer - Dreamsicle

Three coats of pale blue polish here. It's still a bit sheer but I like it, very fresh and fun for springtime.

This polish has some shimmer, some holo hex glitter and some bar glitter.

I love it

Nail Art - Blue Dot Gradient

It's been a little while since I posted anything. I've worn a few lovely manicures but I have been having NO luck photographing them.

Tonight I've done a blue dot gradient.

Base coat:
China Glaze - Snow

Dots (darkest to lightest):
NYC - Rhythm n Blues
China Glaze - Sky High-top
Chi Chi - Boys Boys Boys

Such a fun combination.