Friday 27 April 2012

NOTW - Mecca - Love

This weeks Nail Of The Week is a delightful red shade from Mecca called 'Love'. 

This colour was available from Mecca Cosmetics in a cute little 2 pack called 'From Paris With Love' around February 2011, so unfortunately I don't think it's available to buy anymore (unless you can find it hidden somewhere in the big world of the internet or ebay - sorry readers). But despite that, it's definitely one of my favourite reds that I own. 

It's a step under a bright red, and has a little hint of a creamy coral in direct sunlight. So pretty! And the formula with Mecca nail polish is always perfect. It's not too thick like some of the Kit nail polish can be, but I still got the colour above with only one coat believe it or not! 

I also got a little bored yesterday and layered some Essie - As Gold As It gets over the top as can be seen in the picture below. 

It's a nice little combination, but definitely not a favourite for me. It feels a little too much like a Christmas nail personally with the gold and red combination, but a nice way to soften such a bold colour if that's what you're after. :)  


























Mecca nail polish is available in Mecca Cosmetica stores Australia wide for $22 for a single bottle and their colour range is not huge, but I love every single colour they produce I swear. For your nearest store you can check here, or you can order online from their website here too

The Essie nail polish is part of the Luxe Effects collection, and I purchased mine from mbeautylounge.com. They're a great website for cheaper nail polish, but the postage does take a long time and we've had a few orders come back wrong now, so just keep that in mind. Maybe you might be able to find them on ebay under a more reputable seller? 

What do you think of these colours? Have you tried Mecca Nail Polish before? x

Thursday 26 April 2012

Lush - Cosmetic Warrior fresh face mask


If you're not too familiar with the brand Lush it's a handmade cosmetic company headquartered in the UK that produces and sells a variety of products made from fresh organic ingredients, and that do not test or buy from companies that test on animals. It's a great brand with some great ideas and although I avoided the shop for a long time due to the intense smell that usually emanates within a 5 metre radius of the shop, I'm so glad I finally bit the bullet a little while ago and ventured inside!

As you can see in the photos above, the ingredients really are fresh. Each batch comes with a sticker for when it was packaged (and by whom, how cute!), and for when the product will expire. Because the ingredients in these masks are of a nature to expire quite quickly (fresh organic eggs for example) the masks have to be kept in the fridge and do have a bit of a short expiry date, but it just gives you more of a reason to be treating your skin on an even more regular basis like it deserves.

This mask is described by Lush as "A superhero face mask to combat spots, cleanse dirt, calm and soothe all troubled skins. " I have previously tried the brazened honey mask which has a bit better smell than this mask as this one contains more potent ingredients like garlic and tea tree oil to help soothe troubled skin, but once it's on your face it's nothing noticeable at all. 

You apply a fairly thick layer of the mask and it dries within 5 - 10 minutes, then rinse clean with warm water leaving a fresh smooth surface. I'm not particularly prone to acne, but I do have a few spots here and there, and this mask does soothe my skin like it describes. It's not drying at all which I love, and my skin looks instantly brighter and more energised once I'm done with the mask. 

For me not being too prone to acne I don't know that I would use this particular mask again, but I would definitely recommend it for anyone who does suffer these issues. Your face will love it! I did see benefits from this mask even though my skin is pretty clear though so give it a try if you like how it sounds and see how you like it. :)

LUSH products are available to order online from www.lush.com.au, and this mask is online here for $15.95. Lush is also available throughout Australia in Lush shops, so if you're looking to head in and check out their range you can see where your closest shop is on the store locator here.

What's your favourite Lush product? Have you used this mask before? x

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Wishlist #1


1. I have been wanting to try this ever since I saw it recommended on another blog that I read. Peter Thomas Roth describe it as " Reveal smoother, younger looking, radiant and revitalized skin. Triple action dermal resurfacer helps even out skin tone, smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, and clarify skin. This powerful and highly effective exfoliating treatment addresses dull, aging, and congested complexion in three different ways peels with alpha hydroxy acid, exfoliates with pumpkin enzyme and polishes with aluminum oxide."
It's a little pricey though which has put me off thus far at around $50-$60 . Hopefully I can get it soon to try though as I don't have an awesome permanent exfoliator/peel in my skin care routine yet. I'm not worried about fine lines at my age, but prevention is the best cure as they say! 
The best price I have seen so far that ship this to Aus for free is BeautyBay - link here for $51.60 or if you prefer Strawberrynet have it for $59 here


2. My hair is probably the most neglected in my beauty routine at the moment. I use a good shampoo and conditioner (red colour treated, and Moroccan Oil plus a mask every so often), then before my hair dries I use the Moroccan Oil brand Oil to protect my hair from day to day nasties. I don't often blow dry my hair, so it usually dries naturally and it's got a nice curl to it generally when it does. The thing I hate is that I often have small fly away hairs on the top of my head that never want to play nice! My hair dresser suggested I try this to keep my curls in even better condition.  Can't wait to get it and try it out. 
The best price I have seen for this product was on Feel Unique website  for $38.85 with free postage link here  or it's available at most local salons that stock Moroccan Oil products.

3. In the same theme, I am also after a decent hairspray as I currently only have a cheap supermarket hairspray that leaves my hair crunchy and hardly even holds after that mess! Yuck. This was also suggested to me by my hairdresser and as I love all of their products that I've tried so far I'm super keen to try it out. This product is described as "Luminous Hairspray Strong Flexible Hold. The lightweight formula of this spray locks in your style without leaving your hair feeling stiff – the perfect tool to help you achieve a natural look."
Being a hairspray it might be best to try to find this at your local salon. I am unsure about which Aus stockist would be best to buy this from online as I've never bought from them, but I did find this site pretty good - Adore Beauty Aus - $34.95 link here

4. This product I already own in the colour 'Illusoire' and adore it. It's not like any other eye product I own, and they're so easy to apply with just your finger. Chanel describe these as “This intensely shimmering long-wear eyeshadow offers true versatility. An innovative gel texture that is both soft and cushiony allows it to be worn as eyeshadow or eyeliner.”
I really don't get enough wear out of my shade as it's a bit full on for wear at work being a deep dark purple shimmer, but the shade Emerville should definitely accommodate me for a quick easy shade that's perfect for every day use.
The best price I have found these online for is from Strawberrynet for $43.50 - link here but they are also available at David Jones and Myer in the Chanel department.

5. These look insanely cool in all of the swatches I've seen. Really highly pigmented just like their lipsticks, and the packaging is just way too cute to pass up! They're currently on special too for $64.99 instead of the usual $85 on their website, so I might have to get them quick while they're on sale I think. Link here

6. I've wanted the leopard print Wheels & Dollbaby cardi since I tried it on whilst on holiday in Perth, and now it's back with the cute bluebird logo! The only thing holding me back is that it's $198.00, and I've already bought too much for myself this month. haha. I'll keep wishing for it instead.
You can buy this online from Wheels & Dollbaby directly here.


What's on your wishlist currently? Anything seen here take your fancy, or have you already got some of these goodies? x




Monday 23 April 2012

Thursday 19 April 2012

NOTW - OPI - Midnight In Moscow


















Nails of the week!



This weeks nail of the week is O.P.I. - Midnight In Moscow. An all time favourite from the brand for me, and a colour that I come back to more than any other colour I own. 

This nail polish is a deep dark brown, with teeny tiny red glitter undertones which make the nails shine an awesome red burgandy in the sun. 

I love the contrast of this nail colour against my pale skin, and it's a classic classy colour to suit every occasion and outfit. 

The formula is a generous thickness and so easy to apply perfectly every time. I used 2 coats to get the look achieved above. It doesn't really need a top coat as it dries to a nice shiny finish, but as with most nail polishes the top coat will really bring out the best in the nail colour.

O.P.I Midnight In Moscow is available in Australia in David Jones, and other general retailers that stock the O.P.I. brand (see here for stockists Australia wide) for around $19.95 I believe (I bought mine a while ago sorry!). 

What do you think of O.P.I.'s Midnight In Moscow? Or do you already have this gem in your collection? x 


<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3665928/ahoy-deer?claim=uxe44hx2qab">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Everyday Essentials: Soap & Glory - Hand Food



After a long tiring search for a hand cream that could combat the awful drying soap at my work, I finally found the answer in the Soap & Glory Hand Food.

This product applies easily to your hands providing instant comfort and softness, and perfectly absorbs into the skin just as quickly. Within a minute the product is completely soaked in leaving my hands supple and grease free.

As with all Soap & Glory products it is quite heavily scented, but I really enjoy this sweet scent. I can see this may turn some people off, but although it is quite strong, it's not irritating to me in the slightest. This is no easy task either as I'm quite prone to getting headaches from heavy scents.

This is definitely a product I will purchase again, and at such a great price tag it's perfect for every day use. It even comes in a smaller size which is perfect to keep in your bag. Such cute packaging too. What a gem!


Soap & Glory Hand Food is available for purchase from Kit Cosmetics, and Mecca Cosmetica, or online at their respective websites: Kit and Mecca for $11.95.


Have you tried Soap & Glory - Hand Food? What's your favourite hand cream? x

Monday 16 April 2012

Kit Limited Edition Rock & Romance Nail Polish Kit








I'm a huge fan of Kit Nail Polishes, so when I saw this 4 pack of minis it was something I just couldn't say no to! The colours are so striking and unique that I knew I'd find a place for them within my already vast collection. You can never have enough pinks right?


Kit describes this collection as "Inspired by fashions new love for floral, lace and all things flirty..." and it includes 4 new colours in "good-to-go sizes". 


Despite the small size of the bottles, the brushes are still easy to work with. I've had trouble with the OPI minis before having tiny brushes, so it's good to see that there was no compromise in this mini pack.


The formula on these nail polishes is just like every other Kit Nail Polish I've tried - thick and opaque - just the way I like it. Although the thickness can be a little hard to manage at times (2 thin layers usually works best) the payoff is more than worth it in my opinion. In the swatches above I only needed one thick layer of each colour to get easy great results.


- The pink is a little hard to photograph, but it's a bright pink with a fuchsia tinge to it. It's not quite hot pink, but it's close.
- The navy is noticeably blue in the bottle, and it translates the same on the nail. Despite looking almost a black on the nail in the picture above, in the light you can definitely see the blue.
- The next shade is a bright turquoise that's almost neon. I certainly don't have anything like this in my collection to date, quite an exciting addition. So perky and bright, I think it'd be a perfect colour to brighten up any outfit.
- The glitter is a round rainbow glitter set in a light pink sheer polish. It applied really easily, and layered well without looking chunky or overdone. It was easy to create a light wash of glitter with one stroke, or build to make a rainbow confetti on the nails. I thought this would be comparable to the muppets OPI collection 'Rainbow Connection' but the glitter in this is all one size and in my opinion a lot neater looking. 


I decided to do my nails for the week in the below combination. It wore well for a full week without any major chips, but just started to chip on the ends as most normal nail polish will do. This was worn with a base and top coat for extra strength. 





The Kit Cosmetics Limited Edition 'Rock & Romance' collection is available for a limited time now in Myer Kit Stores, in Mecca Cosmetica stores or online at Kit Cosmetics for $29.95. I don't know that these are in or will be added to the permanent collection, although I know I've seen the glitter in a bigger bottle, so if you like what you see make sure you grab it before they're all sold out. :)

Overall I'm quite happy I bought this collection. Such cute packaging, and great colour payoff made it all worth my while. 

What do you think of the new Kit Nail Polish Kit? Any shades you're loving and haven't seen before?  

Sunday 15 April 2012

Ahoy!


Hello and welcome to my new blog. I'm a self confessed beauty addict with too many great products to keep to myself, so I thought it'd be a good idea to share what I know and love with you guys! 

To give you a bit of a quick run down, I'm 24 years old and living just out of Melbourne. I work for an IT company, but I have a lust for travel, fashion, fitness and all things beauty. Instead of boring my boyfriend, who is completely uninterested in my ridiculous nail polish collection by now, I thought this would be a much better forum to rave and review about everything I use. ..And maybe it'll give me a better reason to justify my ever growing makeup collection! Haha

Over my posts I hope to give you a deeper insight to Australian available products that I think you'd be interested in, and keep you up to date with what's new too! I hope to keep my posts quite regular, so feel free to follow my blog and comment with any ideas for posts or products that you'd think would be good for me to try. 

Thanks for visiting my page, and keep checking back for more posts soon. x