Epic Nail Foils - Where I Tried To Get A Bit Festive

Ok, so I may be a little late with getting this post up but you could also look at it the other way where I am just super early with getting in with the Christmas themed stuff for next year :-)

A little while ago I was approached by Epic Nail to try out their new Nail Foils and being a bit of a nail junkie I just couldn't resist saying yes.

I was lucky enough to be sent the Kaleidoscope kit which contains 6 gorgeous foil colours. There is Date Night (purple), Bonfire (red), Irish Flair (green), Karat (gold), The Deep (blue), and All Dolled Up (pink).

The kit also contains some instructions on two methods to try out using the foils (as above) as well as some glue and cuticle sticks.

I have never used nail foils before but love some of the effects I have seen others get when using them. I have to admit that it took me quite a few goes to get used to applying the foils and I found that it was best to wait around five minutes for the glue to dry before applying the foils even though the instructions say to wait around 1 minute.


Here is a look I decided to do for Christmas this year using Irish Flair, Karat and Bonfire:

Out of all of them Karat seemed to be the easiest to apply and it was also the most spectacular gold I have ever seen! Irish Flair applied a bit patchy but it was hard to tell if you didn't know because I used a similar green polish as an undercoat. 

Bonfire was also a little bit patchy but again I used a red polish underneath which made it hard to tell it wasn't all that even.

It is recommended to apply a top coat over the foils to give them a longer life but I tried out all four top coats that I own and every single one of them kept removing the finish from the foil and ruining the look. I did read somewhere that a water based top coast is recommended to stop this from happening but I obviously don't own one of these. I ended up opting for no top coat but unfortunately this meant the foils only lasted around 24 hours before started to show a lot of wear and tear. 

These foils are definitely a fun way to jazz up a regular manicure and you could get heaps of applications from each foil roll. To find out more about Epic Nail Foils you can visit their website here.

As a special treat for my dear readers, if you use the coupon code 'BLOGSPACE' prior to checkout you can get free standard shipping on all orders with a product spend of $30 or more. This offer will expire on the 31st of December.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!

Michelle xx 

November 2013 Favourites

So, I usually don't worry about posting about the products I used the most during a month because a lot of the time I mix things up so much that I tend to forget what I have loved more than others.

But, the month of November was just so hectic that I don't even really remember much of it and I found myself really using the above products practically every day because it meant that there was less for me to try and think about when I was getting ready.

Anyway, here is a break down of the products that kept me sane during the month of November.

Face
* Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation in Vanilla - I have had this foundation tucked up in the back of my makeup cabinet for ages and finally cracked it open last month and instantly fell in love. I can't believe how gorgeous and lovely the texture is of this foundation and the coverage is perfect for my skin.
* Nude by Nature Soft Focus Illuminator - I found this to be the perfect partner for the Bourjois foundation when I wanted a bit more of a glow to my skin.
* Savoir Faire Cconcealer in Light - I've been really needing a bit more coverage under the eyes lately as sleep has been eluding me and for some reason I've had a lot of breakouts around my chin area since the weather has warmed up. This concealer blends perfectly with my skin tone and gives just the right amount of coverage.
* MAC Blush in Formal - This was a recent acquisition during November- in the Stroke of Midnight Lip & Cheek bag I reviewed a few days ago and I've just loved how versatile this pink is and how well it blends onto my cheeks to give a nice healthy glow.

Eyes/Brows
* Elizabeth Arden Colour Palette - I think I have shown this before a very long time ago. I always seem to break this old faithful out when I'm in a hurry because the two Graphite and Platinum eyeshadow shades gives a great quick and easy eye look that goes with practically everything. The blush in Sunblush makes a great bronzer too when I really want to get out the door quickly.  
* Calvin Klein Intense Eyeshadow in Aqua Shimmer - I seem to gravitate towards green eye makeup when the weather warms up and I just love this shade blended into the crease lightly to brighten up the eye area when I really feel like just going back to bed.
* Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in Black - This is one of my favourtie all-time mascaras and I always break it out when I want one that I can rely on without wondering whether it will be halfway down my face by the end of the day.
* Mirenesse Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl in Osiris - I love the shade of this eyeliner as it's a dark gunmetal grey and therefore not as intense as black. These eyeliners are great and I have every shade but I don't recommend using them on a very hot day as they can get extremely soft which makes them a bit harder to apply accurately.
* Ardell Brow Defining Kit - If you saw my recent review of this product it won't be any surprise as to why this has become a daily necessity for me. I just love it.
* Models Prefer Brow Highlighter - I've been using this mostly as a highlighter for the inner corners of the eyes to wake me up a bit more and it's definitely grown more on me for use as a brow highlighter too when I'm in a hurry. It also makes a great cheekbone highlighter in a pinch too.

Lips
* Models Prefer Ultra Lipgloss Pencil in Perfectly Polished - These pencils are so easy to apply when in a hurry and give a really great amount of colour on the lips.
* MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling! - You would have seen that this was only a recent aquisition for me during November and I have been obsessed with the milky pinkness ever since.

Hair/Body
* Evodia Coconut & Lime Fragrance Roll-On - I thought I would hate this when I got it as I'm normally not the biggest fan of fake coconut scents but when we flew to Tasmania for our holiday I took it due to it being nice and small to fit into my makeup bag and I kind of became a bit obsessed with it.
* Schwarzkopf Dry Shampoo - I received this to trial from Beautyheaven and can't get enough of it. I just love the fresh scent and it makes my hair feel really nice and clean in between shampoos.  

So those are the products I loved and lived with during the month of November.

What were some of your favourites during the month?

Michelle..

Natures Beauty Bag - November 2013

So there's a new subscription service in town called Natures Beauty Bag, and being the subscription junkie that I am I couldn't help but subscribe and see what it was like for myself.

Natures Beauty Bag specialises in organic and natural products which is something that I personally am so excited about. Here is a little bit about them which I grabbed from their website:

'We launched Natures Beauty Bag because we feel that everyone should experience quality natural and organic beauty products.

We strive to provide a variety of beauty product samples which benefit your health, beauty and general wellbeing and we believe in only providing our customers with the best.

We only provide products samples that we honestly and truly take pride in and every product is something that we ourselves would use.'

So, here is what came in the November bag:

1)  Ultra C Radiance Serum - This is a Rosehip Oil based serum rich in Vitamin C, Goji Berry, Co Enzyme Q10 & Chia Seed. I can't wait to try this out!

2) Rebifresh Cleansing Oil - This is a blend of Olive, Citrus and Apricot oils, plus certified organic lemon-scented Tea Tree. I've never had the greatest experiences with cleansing oil but will certainly give this one a go.

3) Australian Bush Essence Intensive Eye Serum - This is an organic eye serum which contains Australian Bush Flower Essences and Rose Stem Cells to care for the delicate tissue around the eyes. I've been paying particular attention to ensuring I am vigilent with applying an eye cream on a daily basis lately so will be interested to see how this one goes.

4) Maeve Mineral Vitality Face Serum - This serum contains regenerative and anti-inflammatory ingredients and is said to be perfect for environmentally stressed and mature skin. That's me in a nutshell so this is definitely on my 'try next' list.

5) Cherry Brown Natural Mineral Lipstick - These lipsticks are made with pure ingredients including apricot kernel oil and extra virgin macadamia oil. They are free from animal testing, petroleum products, palm oil in any form, animal ingredients, chemical additives, parabens, preservatives, synthetic dyes and colours, micronised ingredients and nanoparticles (Phew!) I received one in the shade 'Hot Pink' and it sure is what the name suggests, a super duper bright pink. I'll give a separate review and show some swatches in a future post so stay tuned.

6) Absolutely Gorgeous Organic Lip Balm - I have used a lot of Absolutely Gorgeous products in the past and have always been impressed. This lip balm is 100% organic and is in the flavour 'Coconut & Lime' which isn't too overpowering or sickly at all. I am a bit of a lip balm addict so will definitely get a lot of use out of this.

7) Morlife Greens Rush Bar - These bars contain a serve of Alkalising Greens pH7.3 powder and give an antioxidant equivalent of 5 serves of vegetables and fruit. They come in three different flavours being Banana Tropicana, Pineapple Zest and Cacao Mint. I received the Cacao Mint one and am intrigued enough to try it out soon.

 The list of included products comes on lovely recycled paper as shown above.

There was also a huge amount of product brochures and discount vouchers included as well to give you all the information you could want on the products received.

Overall I'm very happy with the Natures Beauty Bag and will definitely continue subscribing for the near future. It only comes every two months as well which I guess is a bit more practical as you get a bit more time to use each product before being bombarded with more.

Natures Beauty Bag is $29.95 every two months and you can either purchase a one-off bag is you like or purchase am ongoing subscription.

What does everyone think of the Natures Beauty Bag? Has anyone else subscribed to it yet?


Have a great weekend.

Michelle xx 

MAC Stroke of Midnight Lip & Cheek Bag in Pink - The Perfect Gift From a Guilty Husband

So my husband had to go to Macau for a week on a work trip a couple of weeks ago and unfortunately it just topped off a bit of a crappy time where he'd been away an awful lot for work. For any new readers that don't know about me, I work as an Accountant two days a week, run my own Bookkeeping business on the side from home the rest of the week all while juggling the care of our very active toddler. I pretty much work 7 days a week sometimes. 

Now, I admit that I do love being busy as I get too restless when I don't have much on, but sometimes this means that when hubby has to go away a lot for work I tend to get very frazzled and exhausted trying to keep up with everything that needs to be done on my own. As a way to say sorry and reduce my frazzledness this time my lovely man decided to buy me some MAC as a surprise in the form of the Stroke of Midnight Lip & Cheek Bag in Pink, as well as the Stroke of Midnight Eye Palette in Cool (due to not wanting this post to be too photo heavy I'll be showing this one separately in the next couple of days).

I do think he's a keeper!

Firstly, the bag you get with this set is so fancy looking that it could almost be used as a small clutch for a night out if one was so inclined. I'll definitely be swapping my normal overnight makeup bag for this one next time we go anywhere.

 

Inside the bag is an assortment of goodies as follows:

* Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling!

* Lipglass in Soft Spoken

* Beauty Powder Blush in Formal

* 129SE Blush Brush; and

* Mirror

First up, I have to admit one dirty little secret........ This is the first time I have ever used any MAC products! Yep, for some reason I have just never bought anything from them before. Mainly because they're not easily accessible from where I live and I never really worried about going out of my way for it.

So, being that these products are my first ever experience with the brand, I have to say that I definitely am impressed.

The Cremesheen lipstick in How Darling! is a lovely shade of pink that is so versatile and wearable for everyday use.

I've been wearing this quite a lot over the past couple of weeks as it's not too drying on my lips and seems to last a good three to four hours before fading away. It doesn't bleed into my lip lines and has a yummy vanilla scent and taste.

The Lipglass in Soft Spoken is a very subtle pink shimmer in a clear gloss base. It doesn't really give the lips any colour but imparts a lovely shine instead and looks really nice when worn over How Darling! It also has a yummy vanilla scent and taste to it.

The Beauty Powder Blush in Formal is a gorgeous rosy pink that looks really natural on my pale skin. It's quite pigmented though so I only need to apply a very small amount but others might be able to get away with a bit more than me if their skintone isn't so pale. It's really easy to blend and lasts an entire workday without really fading too much.

The Blush Brush and Mirror are both very useful, although I wish to mirror had a frame around it as it gets very smudged with fingerprints the way it is. The brush is so super soft and really good for blending.

Last but not least are the swatches....

From Left to Right: Lipglass in Soft Spoken, Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling! and Beauty Powder Blush in Formal (With Flash)

From Left to Right: Lipglass in Soft Spoken, Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling! and Beauty Powder Blush in Formal (Without Flash)

So I am proud to say that my MAC virginity has finally been broken and I'm definitely more interested in trying out a lot more from this brand now. I just can't believe it took me so long to finally get on the bandwagon!

Has anyone else bought this set or any of the others from the Stroke of Midnight range yet?

I hope everyone has a great week!

Michelle xx

Ardell Brow Defining Kit - Changing The Way I Feel About My Brows!

Ok, I'll admit it. I've never really been much into defining my brows. It's always something I was too scared to do because of my inbuilt fear of having two big furry caterpillars on my face rather than nicely, defined brows. So, usually I just left my brows as they were with maybe a little bit of brushing into place or I used a tiny bit of pencil to fill them in a bit.

Also, I'm a chronic face toucher. No matter how much I try to stop I touch my face, rub my eyes and lean my chin on my hands all day long when I'm in deep thought. So, having brown smudges around my eyebrow area is a high risk for me.

But, after receiving this Ardell Brow Defining Kit in a previous Her Fashion Box, I've now become a bit of a brow defining convert.

Included in the kit is the Brow Defining Palette, a Wax Grooming Pencil and a Duo Brow Brush.

 The Brow Defining Palette consists of four shades and a small angled brush. The top right shade is for highlighting and the other three are for colouring and defining the brows. I don't think there is any way you couldn't match your perfect shade with this palette, as if one of the shades isn't right for you it's so easy to blend two or three of them together to make a custom shade. The small slanted brush is what I use to apply the highlighting powder.

(No flash)

(With Flash)

The Duo Brow Brush is great. The slanted brush end is what I use to apply the brow powders and then I tidy everything up with the spooly end.



The Wax Grooming Pencil  is supposed to be applied after defining the brows with the powder to groom and set the brows in place. It's not too sticky at all and comes with an inbuilt sharpener in the lid which is just awesome. 

Now, here are some before and after photos of the difference using this kit makes to my brows (please bear in mind that I don't go too heavy handed as I'm still getting over my previously mentioned furry caterpillar fear. Baby steps!)

(No makeup, lots of awful freckles and sparse brows!)

(Defined brows using a combination of the top right shade and the bottom left shade blended together)

So yes, I finally am starting to see what everyone is raving about when they say that a good set of brows balances and frames the whole face. I have received several compliments from family and friends since making the extra effort to use this kit and that's the best motivation ever to add the extra couple of minutes a day to my usual routine.

Has anyone else used this kit before? Are there any other awesome brow kits I absolutely need to try now??

Nails of the Week - Camouflage Colours Nail Lacquer in Blackened Brown

So it has been ages since I have done a nails of the week post. Almost a couple of months I think! I seemed to have been through a phase it was just always too much trouble to sit down and paint my nails and it's probably the longest I have ever gone in my life without having nail polish on.

I finally broke the drought by trying out this polish which I think I got in a past Bellabox a while ago. When I first looked at it I thought 'hmmm, who in their right mind would want their nails to look like dirt?' as the colour looks just awful in the bottle.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really change much once applied to the nails.

This shade is a very plain, dark brown with no shimmer or anything else at all to make it special. It's definitely not a shade that I would rave about which is a bit of a shame really.

I also needed three coats to completely cover my nails and then it chipped the next day!

Camouflage Colours are an Australian brand and you can find out more about their nail lacquers here. There are so many other gorgeous shades in the range too.

Has anyone else tried these before? 


Michelle xx

Australis Creme Colour for Cheeks & Lips in Dusky Rose

Now I know these have been around for quite a while already but I've only become a recent owner of this after a trip to Priceline a couple of weeks ago and have since fallen in love.

The Australis Creme Colours are supposed to be used on either the lips or the cheeks, but I really only use mine as a blush as I found it a little bit too drying on my lips.

I find this product has a lovely, easy to blend formula and you really only need to use the absolute teeniest amount, especially this shade, because it packs a huge punch and can look a bit clown-like if overapplied.

I have to admit that although I loved this shade when I picked it up off the shelf to bring home, I was totally horrified at how bright it actually ended up being when I first swatched it. I was thinking there was no way in hell I was ever going to be able to work with a shade so bright! But, luckily I soon found out that as long as you go light handed and blend, blend, blend, it gives such a pretty looking flush to the cheeks that does end up looking quite natural.

Australis Creme Colour in Dusky Rose

It's fairly long lasting too and seems to get through a normal work day for me without fading too much at all. Also, because you do only have to use the tiniest amount, this little pot should last forever.

Overall, I'm definitely in love with this as a blush and have nothing like it in my makeup kit already which is always nice.

Has anyone else used one of these before? Do you also find it a bit drying on the lips but a great blush?

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Michelle xx

Bloom Lip Stain in Wine

I acquired this Lip Stain a little while ago in one of the monthly sample boxes that are around. At first I didn't think it was going to be something I could wear being that the 'Wine' shade looks extremely dark in the packaging, but I was luckily enough to be pleasantly surprised when I got up the courage to try using it.

These lip stains are like a marker pen which makes application so dead easy. It goes on quite sheer to start with but can be layered as much as you like to build it up to the intensity that you want. It dries really quickly and does not budge once it has dried.

In the below pictures I have drawn a line using one stroke of the pen on the left, and then have built up the colour to a more darker shade with around three layers on the right.

(Bloom Lip Stain in Wine - With flash)

(Bloom Lip Stain in Wine - Without Flash)

I love the way this stain doesn't creep out of the lip lines like others I have used. It seems to last a good 3-4 hours on me before fading away with normal eating and drinking throughout the day.

One thing I have to mention though is that it can be quite drying on the lips if you don't apply a lip balm first.

 (Bloom Lip Stain in Wine - One Coat)

You can find out more about these lip stains and the other shades in the range from the Bloom website.

Has anyone else used these stains before?

Have a great week!

Michelle xx

Her Fashion Box - September 2013

 

 

I have been getting a Her Fashion Box delivery ever since it started but for some reason I keep forgetting to post about it before I pull it all apart.

Not this month though!

For the September box (I get the classic version) we got the following items:

1) Black clutch - I love this clutch and will get a huge amount of use out of it. The gold studs look really cool and it will go with pretty much any outfit.

2) Gold Plated ID Bracelet - This is quite a chunky bracelet that makes me feel a little bit masculine but I'll still have a go at wearing it anyway.

3) Gold Plated Ring - This ring is really pretty but way too big for any of my fingers (even my thumb!). I need to try and get the hubby to pinch it in a little bit before I can have any hope of wearing it.

4) Maybeline Colour Show Nail Polish in Iced Queen (light lilac colour) and Onyx Rush (deep black) - I'm quite excited that there were two nail polishes and both of these colours are one's that I will get heaps of wear out of.

5) Designer Brands Chubby Lip Crayon in Enchanted Rose - This seems to be a nice smooth crayon in a pretty dusty pink shade. I'll be interested to see how these compare to the Clinique Chubby Sticks and my favourite Models Prefer Lip Crayons.

6) Designer Brands Kohl Pencil in Black - Black eyeliner is probably the shade I use the least as being so pale I prefer to use either brown or a pop of colour but it will always come in handy I guess.

7) LonVitalite Collagen Firming & Moisturising Facial Mask - I tried the LonVitalite 24K Gold mask a while ago and loved it so am excited to try out this one too.

8) PureTan Pure Moisture Coconut Body Creme - I'm probably the only person on earth who isn't a fan of coconut scented products. I love real coconut but the artificial scent used in a lot of products really bothers me. I'll still give this a go and see what it's like and being only a 15ml sample I won't have to be bothered by it for too long anyway.

As always there was also the Her Fashion Magazine included with tips and details about all of the products received in the box and there was also a bonus Designer Beauty magazine this month too full of makeup tips and looks to try out.

Out of all the monthly subscription boxes I have to say that Her Fashion Box is definitely my favourite. It is a bit more expensive at $39.95 a month but I have never been very good at accessorising and it's amazing how much getting this box each month with a new piece of jewerly, scarf or belt has taken me out of my comfort zone and forced me to try and wear new things other than my usual staples.

What does everyone else think of Her Fashion Box?

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

Michelle xx