Shellac Nail Art

Hi everyone! I hope you are well. Can you believe it's already the 13th of December!? December always comes and goes so quickly. Christmas will be over in a blink of an eye and the new year will be within us sooner than we'd thought! Today I have some shellac nail art to show you. I used, of course, true Shellac by CND and my designs were all done freehand by myself. This is the first time I've done nail art using Shellac and I really love the random mish-mash of designs. Let's see how long I can wear these for (I reckon i'll only last about a week). Let me know if you've tried doing shellac nail art? It is very easy to do - easier than using regular polish I find!

Camille Walala x Gorman Inspired Nail Art

Hi guys! I hope you are having a great weekend. Today I want to share with you some nail art I did last weekend inspired by an Australian illustrator who collaborated with Gorman clothing. I initially saw this print on the pencil skirt. You should definitely check the collection out - it's amazing! I used all Kester Black colours and free handed it all. I hope you like them as much as I loved doing them!

 

First Christmas Nails Of The Year!

Hi guys! How are you going? Can you believe it's already December (Well almost). I've already put my Christmas tree up (I am usually one to wait until December 1st, but for some reason, living here in the UK, everyone is so much more excited about Christmas, very early into the ber months ...So I gave in lol). My snow-flocked tree is from Marks & Spencer and it's super small and very cute. 

My nails matched my tree perfectly with the bauble colours. I'm wearing 2 coats of Max Factor - Burgundy Crush (my absolute favourite winter-y red shade ever) and 1 coat of Mavala - Magic Circus; a glitter mix of red, green, silver and gold glitters, followed by 1 coat of Glisten & Glow topcoat. I love this combination - it's so Christmas-y!

October Favourites

Hi everyone! How are you on this dreary Saturday? I've had a busy week working, and finishing up at work to start my new job on Monday! Exciting times ahead. Today I want to share with you a few favourites of mine that I gathered in my first month living here in London. So let's jump right in!

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo (RRP £2.79 from Boots) - This shampoo was bought on a whim because my old shampoo was making my hair greasy with residue and flat looking. Oh boy did I choose a winner. This smells SO good! It is literally like lathering liquid chocolate into your hair - with a hint of coconut. If there's one shampoo you try next - make it this one! Besides the irresistable smell, it cleans my hair really well and makes it look so shiny and gives it lots of volume too. Win!

Simply Kind To Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion (RRP £3.29 from Boots) - This is obviously not a brand new product to the market, it's been available for as long as I can remember but I was just never drawn to try it. I'm really glad I did. I was in desperate need of a gentle skin cleanser because I was getting some sort of skin allergy/rash on my chin area (just below my lip) and it was so raw and red and looked a bit suspicious (lol) but it was because I was using a very abrasive facial scrub daily. Yep, i'm one of those people who feel like their face isn't cleaned unless i'm scratching it off. This cleanser alleviated my allergy within a week and my skin has been so soft and flawless since using it! The only negative is the bottle design. I have to shake the bottle so much to get product out when i'm more than halfway down. Boo!

Mavala Active Hand Gel (RRP £16.85 online here) - A gel hand cream that refreshes and moisturises. I was skeptical on this product because i'm so used to using creamy hand creams, but as this is a gel it dries super quick - which I love (and I know my mum would love too). At first it's really wet and slimy, like a gel, but after a few minutes it will completely dry and leave a slight stickiness to your hands but after about 5 minutes that sticky residue also disappears! Try using it before bed - I guarantee your hands will feel like a baby's bottom.

Mavala Mavapen Nutritive Oil For Cuticles (RRP £10.40 online here ) - A cuticle oil pen - every nail lover should have one (or two) in every bag they use! I'd rather have one in every bag I use so I don't have to remember to put it in (and risk forgetting it). This is like a felt-tip pen and doesn't over disperse product - making it very cost-effective by lasting longer! It gives great hydration to my cuticles too.

Mavala Mava-White Optical Nail Whitener (RRP £11 online here) - My favourite product from the lot, a nail whitener. It dramatically transforms your nails into a beautiful, natural, healthy looking nail! I'm assuming 90% of my readers will have slightly yellow/stained nails from all the nail polish they use - and i'm no exception either! Look how amazing the results are. It dries to a natural semi-matte finish and dries really fast. Perfect when you're too lazy to paint your nails with colour but want them to look presentable and polished. 

There you have it guys! My monthly favourites! I am loving trying out all the new products here in the UK. Are there any products in particular you think I should try out? Let me know! Have a great weekend!

Mandara Spa Collection

Hi guys! Today I have some bath and body products to share with you from a brand that's new to me called Mandara Spa, inspired by the spa rituals of Bali, Hawaii, Thailand and the Maldives. I have 3 products from the Bali Santi collection, and two creams from their body butter line. I'm in love with the vibrant packaging and the scent in all these products are amazing. It's a fragrant mix of coconut, sweet almond and spice (a bit like cinnamon and sandalwood combined). Mandara Spa is available online here. Let's take a look at the products shall we?!

How cute are my Moroccan inspired candle holders from Tiger!

On the far left we have the Bali Santi Blooming Bath & Shower Oil (RRP £7) - this product is my favourite from the group as I adore oils to cleanse and clean with. It is super nourishing and makes your skin feel incredibly soft afterwards.

Bali Santi Nurturing Body Milk (RRP £5) - This lightweight, but deep moisturising body milk is super creamy and absorbs into the skin very quickly. It does leave a slight stickiness to the skin, but makes you smell divine.

Bali Santi Smoothing Body Polish (RRP £8) - This body polish is almost like a thick moisturiser/yoghurt but with very gentle micro beads to softly and effectively remove dead skin cells. I use this almost daily on my chest, shoulders, outer thighs and butt! Your skin will feel so smooth!

Foot Butter (RRP £4.50) - The skin on my feet are the driest areas on my body so I was in definite need of some TLC there. I've been using this religiously for the past week before bed each night, applying socks afterwards to hold the moisture in and the appearance has dramatically improved! I also really love the smell, kind of like the ocean with citrus and coconut! It is super light weight and absorbs really quickly.

Hand Butter (RRP £4.50) - This hand butter is amazing. It is so rich and thick and is enriched with shea butter so it smells incredible. Not much else I can say on this product, other than it does the job of moisturising and hydrating my hands very well.

I can't wait to get through these products - my body will be loving me (as well as my boyfriend) because it makes me feel so soft and smell magnificent! Have you tried any products from this brand? I'd love to know! Thanks a lot for reading and i'll see you all next time!

 

Subtle Halloween Bones Nail Art

Hi guys! Today I have some Halloween-y type nail art to share with you! This wasn't intended to look like bones but I guess it does in a way! It's a very simple look to achieve - all I used was a dotting tool to do random shapes! I used 2 coats of OPI - Black Onyx and used OPI - Alpine Snow for the white. It would of looked really cool with a matte topcoat too! Hope you are all having a great week so far!

OPI - Venice Floral Nail Art

Hi guys! Sorry it's been so long - a lot has happened. I moved to London! I'm settling in nicely (although missing the heat terribly) and thought i'd share with you some nail art I did before I left Australia using 6 colours from the new OPI Venice collection. The base colour was 2 coats of OPI - My Gondola Or Yours, and then I used all the colours swatched in this post. Followed by 1 coat of Glisten & Glow. I hope you like this nail art and i'll see you all soon!

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Matte Envy - Furious (LE)

Hi guys!! Hope you are having a great week so far! Today I am sharing a new and Limited Edition Pure Colour Matte Envy shade by Estee Lauder to show you called Furious; an absolutely stunning medium coral-orange matte. I was really drawn to this colour everytime I walked past the Estee Lauder counter in Myer and knew I had to have it! It applies effortlessly, is super smooth and creamy and not drying at all. It is actually quite a neon colour against my olive skintone which I love! I applied 1 coat all over the lips. Pure Colour Envy Matte retails for $50 and is available from Myer and David Jones nationally, but be quick as this colour is limited!

Here's a sneaky snapchat selfie wearing Furious :)

Calvin Klein - Eternity Now EDP

Hi guys! Today I have the new Calvin Klein Eternity Now EDP for women to share with you! This gorgeous fragrance is the latest addition to the CK fragrance family for women and it is truly divine. At first scent, it is very fruity with top notes of nectarine, quince and lychee, with underlying notes of peony, peach blossom, neroli and musk. It is a stunning, feminine fragrance that would suit any age, and perfect for Spring/Summer! To be honest this does not last very long on me so I like to reapply twice a day (when I remember). Eternity Now retails for $89 (100ml) and is available from David Jones and Myer nationally. Have you had a smell of this fragrance? What do you think? Thanks for reading!

I've had this bottle for a week and look how much I've used already!?

 

OPI - Venice Collection 2015

Hey guys! Today I have 6 out of 15 shades to show you today from the new OPI Venice Collection 2015. I personally love the look of this collection because of the bright, pastel spring-like colours, but that is only because we are going into the warmer months here in Oz! All swatches show 2 coats with no topcoat. Here are my picks from the collection.

 Purple Palazzo Pants - A pastel lilac purple creme. This is a really beautiful simple colour.

My Gondola or Yours? - A super dark licorice black with very subtle shimmers. It's not quite a jet black, but has a bit of depth to it. It is very unique! 

Gelato On My Mind - A gorgeous pastel light blue creme. This colour seems to be a winner for a lot of people. It is very pretty but nothing special.

I Cannoli Wear OPI - An off grey/white creme. I adore this shade as it is very unique to anything I have in my collection!

Tiramisu For Two - A beige toned creme. To be honest, this doesn't look like anything special, but it is actually my favourite from the collection. It just matched my skintone so well! 

A Great Opera-tunity - A nude/peach creme. This is also another favourite of mine! 

So there are my picks from the Venice collection! Which shade are you eager to try out? Or are you a bit bored of this collection? Would love to know your thoughts! Thanks for reading.

August Favourites

Hi everyone! Today I want to share with you my August favourites because I actually tried a lot of things in the past month and loved them all! There are 8 products I'll be sharing with you today so let's jump right in!

CND Rescue RXx Daily Keratin Treatment (RRP $34.95, find your nearest stockists here) - This has been one of my ultimate favourites this past month. A super nourishing oil treatment that smells like caramel, that helps to restore weak, brittle nails. I haven't had one major breakage since using this treatment that now I actually have to trim my nails myself because they're getting too long! I apply it liberally over all my cuticles before bed, every night. I will definitely be repurchasing this again.

ELEVEN Australia Smooth & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum (RRP $24.95, available online here) - I love all ELEVEN hair products so much because they smell so amazing (like watermellon jelly bellies - droool). Besides the smell their products work really well and this anti-frizz serum has been helping my hair in this humid weather. I apply 1/2 a pump onto my palm and warm it up in my hands and then run it through with my fingers. I find applying it directly onto the hair will weigh it down and you'll lose some of your natural volume so it definitely works best by scrunching the hair or tossing through with your fingers.

A Bee Co Bee Venom Lip Plumper (RRP ~$34, available online here) - I was very intrigued to try this little pot of lip plumper as I had never tried a product like this before. I have quite a thin top lip so was excited to see if it would make a difference! The results are definitely not major but I love the slight tingling sensation and plumpness you get within 2 minutes! It lasts for about 30 minutes on my lips but results will be different for each individual! This is not for anyone allergic to bee's unfortunately.

TLC Nails Base Coat (RRP $25, available online here) - I was a bit skeptical of this product because I'd been using OPI Nail Envy for so long and have loved the results, alas I gave this product a go and I'm so happy I did. In conjunction with the CND Rescue RXx treatment, my nails have been so strong! I even had a bad case of peeling nails over a month ago and they still haven't broken (touch wood) since using this base coat and cuticle oil treatment combo. I apply two coats of the base coat and it dries within 3 minutes. It is very fast drying and somehow makes my nails look less yellow. It also has a semi matte finish which would be perfect for males too!

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser (RRP $17.95, available online here) - This foaming cleanser is gentle even though it smells very strong of tea tree oil. It has helped me maintain clear skin, even before and during my period (which is the worst time for my skin). I use this on my chest and face daily and it does not dry my skin out at all.

A Bee Co Bee Venom Whitening Mask (RRP ~$88, available online here) - This mask is really cool it looks just like shea butter and helps to brighten, illuminate and clear the skin. It can be left on for 20 minutes or overnight but I always stick to the 20 minute time frame. I apply it generously all over my face and it starts to dry out slightly. Once you remove it, you are left with glowing, super soft and smooth skin. 

Molton Brown Stimulating Body Polisher in Eucalyptus (RRP $70, available online here) - This body polisher is heaven. Holy moly. . .after the first use I felt so invigorated and awake. It has quite a subtle smell but it is simply divine. It has quite coarse granules in it but I'm a huge fan of a firm scrub and this works really well at removing dead skin cells. I also use it often after I've waxed my arms to avoid any ingrown hairs. Highly recommend this product, infact this brand is just blowing me away!

Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream (RRP $9.95, available online here) - I was suffering from really bad dry skin on my knuckles (from boxing and winter dryness) and really needed a good, fast absorbing hand cream and I found it! Yay! This Aveeno hand cream is the best hand cream i've tried because it actually works. It got rid of my dry skin and lasts all day and night. It has a beautiful soft oatmeal scent which I really like. If you hate waiting for your hand cream to dry, or you suffer from really dry skin, I highly recommend grabbing this!

So there are my August favourites! They are all fantastic products that I will continue to use for a long time! Have you tried any of these products? Let me know below! Thanks for reading and speak soon.

Wavy Nail Art

It's been a few weeks since my last blog post and I'm sorry! I've moved back to the Gold Coast from Brisbane for my last few weeks in Australia.. Yep, I'm jetting off to live in London! I'm excited, yet nervous and hope I settle in nicely at a cool nail bar somewhere! I have a quick post to share with you - some cool wavy nail art I did a few months ago. All colours used are Kester Black with my Glisten & Glow topcoat. I got so many compliments on this manicure! I need to recreate this in different colours soon!

Sally Hansen Spring Colours 2015

Hi guys! Today I have 5 new colours for Spring from Sally Hansen to share with you from their Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Collection. They are all beautiful pastel/sorbet colours, perfect for the upcoming warmer months! I had a few issues with some of the colours, with the formula being really liquid-y, sheer and unevenness. All swatches show 2 coats and no topcoat. These polishes retail for $6.95 and are available from Priceline, Target, Kmart and selected pharmacies nationally. Here's a look at them all.

Tickled Pink - A very light pale pink. This is super feminine and really lovely but I struggled with the formula the most on this one.

Bare All  - A medium toned beige/skintone colour. 

Giant Peach - One of my favourites from the five colours, a beautiful pink peach. The colour in the bottle translates a bit darker on the nails.

All Bright - My favourite from the collection, a stunning raspberry pink. It's very bright in person!

Babe Blue - This periwinkle blue with subtle blue shimmers reminds me so much of Essie's Bikini So Teeny. It's gorgeous though!

Which one is your favourite? Thanks for reading and see you all next time!

Marc Anthony - Hydrating Coconut Oil & Shea Butter Range

Hi guys! Happy Friday! Today I am reviewing some products by Marc Anthony, in particular the Hydrating Coconut Oil & Shea Butter Shampoo, Conditioner and Conditioning Treatment (RRP $16.99 and $6.99 respectively, available from Target). I was pleasantly surprised how nice these products made my hair feel. After the first use, my hair was super soft, shiny and smelled amazing! It lathers up really nicely, cleans the hair effectively and has made my hair look healthier - in just 4 weeks! I love how thick and creamy the conditioner is - it just locks in so much moisture! Unfortunately I was not impressed with the conditioning treatment. I guess it's hard to tell how good a product is with only using it once - but my hair didn't feel any better than if I were to use just the shampoo and conditioner alone. It really didn't stand out for me at all. I will definitely be trying the other ranges as this one is outstanding! Have any of you tried this brand before?

L'Oreal Collection Exclusive The Reds

Hi guys! How are you? Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been so busy lately! I have some exciting news to share with you soon - but for now I want to show you the limited edition L'Oreal Collection Exclusive Color Riche 'Reds' collection. I'm missing 1 red nail polish (the Doutzen shade). The lipsticks are far more interesting in shades than the nail polishes and the quality is really great on the lipsticks! I had a few issues with the nail polishes; the nail colours didn't really match their corresponding lipstick shade very well and the brushes are cut unevenly which made it hard to paint a perfect shape around the cuticle. The lipsticks retail for $21.95 and the nail polish retail for $7.95 and are available from Priceline. Here's a look at the shades!

Doutzen Shade Number 8 Pure Fire - A bright red-orange

Eva Shade Number 9 Pure Brick - A dark orange-red.

Freida Shade Number 19 Pure Amaranthe - A stunning bright pinky-red. This lipstick is my absolute favourite colour from the red collection.

The corresponding nail polish does not do the lipstick colour justice at all. The nail polish is more like a Christmas shimmery red.


 Jlo Shade Number 11 Pure Rouge - A very true classic red.

 Blake Shade Number 15 Pure Ruby - A slightly darker true red.

 


Laetitia Shade Number 14 Pure Garnet - A deep mulberry colour.

Thanks a lot for reading and I hope you find this post interesting!