Nails of the Week - Dito Karpati Nail Lacquer in Kiss Me Red

It feels so long since I've done a nails of the week post. For some reason my nails haven't been playing nice lately and have been splitting and chipping all over the place so I've been too ashamed to even paint them let alone do a nail polish post. I've been hanging out too because I've acquired so many new polishes lately that I haven't had the chance to use yet!

Firstly, how cool is this Dito Karpati nail polish design? It's specially designed so you can put the bottle between your fingers kind of like wearing a big bulky ring which aids in applying your polish. I actually found this design awesome and it made applying the polish so damn easy.

The only thing you need to be aware of is if you are a bit of a clumsy person like me who tends to move without thinking. There were a couple of times where I nearly covered myself in polish because I kind of forgot I had this on top of my hand and almost turned my hand upside down with it still there. Luckily the brain kicked in at the right time and the unthinkable didn't happen. Something to remember next time though........

Here are some photos of this colour, Kiss Me Red:

This is a gorgeous bright ruby red that would look good on anyone. I don't think you can really go past red nail polish and I have about 10 different reds in my collection and this one would have to be up there as one of the best ones.

This polish goes on almost opaque in just one coat which was really surprising. In these photos I have on two coats. It doesn't streak at all and is virtually a dream to apply as the consistency is not too thick or not too runny but just right.

I found it dried quite fast too which was an added bonus and so far I've had this on for three days without any chips and only a hint of wear on the tips.

Has anyone else tried this polish yet?

Michelle xx

Review - Models Prefer Ultra Lipgloss Pencils

I love, love, love these Lipgloss Pencils. I have two in the colours Kiss and Make Up and Pefectly Polished and they have become my most reached for lip colour lately, especially when I'm in a hurry.

They have the benefits of applying like a gloss which is nice and smooth and not too opaque but they have the staying power of a lipstick. To me, these are a cheaper and pretty much identical duplicate for the Clinique Chubby Sticks. I was so happy when I came across these in Priceline one day and discovered how nice they were.

They don't dry my lips out at all and wear off nice and evenly so you don't have any funny looking lip lines or coloured patches after a few hours. I have found that I can get around 3 hours of wear from one of these (without eating) before I need to reapply.

They also have a lovely shine to them which does make it look like you've applied a lip gloss.

From the above picture you can see that Kiss and Make Up is a really pretty bright pink and Pefectly Polished is a more darker nude beige with a hint of red.

These are also so convenient to keep in the handbag as they can't leak and are almost foolproof to apply but you just have to be careful that the lid is always on tight as the pencil itself is very soft and would cover everything if the lid came off.

They don't seem to stray into the lip lines either which is a great bonus.

I'm thinking of trying out another colour or two the next time I'm out and about because for the price (around $9.95 I think) these are just too good to pass up!

Has anyone else tried out these Lipgloss Pencils yet?

Michelle xx

Review - Australis Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Blush in Poser

First up, I really need to apologise for the fact I haven't been posting much lately and also for the fact that what I have been has been a bit sporadic as well. My CPA exam for this semester is coming up on the 2nd May and I have officially hit panic/stressed-out mode and am not coping well with concentrating on anything other than studying right now. I always get like this a couple of weeks prior to my exams and I guess it's my way of getting in the exam zone so that I feel prepared enough on the day.

Therefore I have to admit that I won't be posting too much at all over the next couple of weeks until this exam is over and I can do other activities again without feeling guilty (at least for a couple of months until the next damn one starts!)

Anyway, onto the main reason for this post, the Australis Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Blush in the shade Poser.

What the product claims:
'Australis Paparazzi Perfect Blush is a multi-coloured palette, formulated with light reflecting and balancing photochromatic pigments allowing for instant camera-ready photos. The technology blurs pores, fine lines and other imperfections. The formula is also enriched with jojoba and grape seed oil to lock in skin moisture.'

Isn't it pretty? I just love the marbled effect of this blush which was one of the main reasons for me purchasing it. It's almost in that 'too pretty to use' category as far as I'm concerned.

I have to say one thing straight up about this blush and that is it is the most pigmented product I think I have ever come across. When I first brought it home I got all excited and decided to have a play with it and started applying it the same way that I do with my other powder blushes and I ended up with the darkest cheeks you have ever seen. It was hilarious! I have since learnt that you only just have to touch your blush brush to the product in the softest manner to get the right amount of product to apply.

It also has a very subtle shimmer to it which I like as it works to help highlight the cheekbones.

The above photo is taken with a flash and gives a pretty good indication of the colour of this blush. On the left is a swatch of all the colours together and on the right it has been blended out.

I didn't realise until I got this baby home that it was so dominantly brown and have since decided to use it as a bronzer/contouring powder rather than a blush which is suits me better because of my pale skin. It's really easy to blend out as long as you don't apply too much, otherwise it can make the face look a little dirty.

Frankly I think I will die with this product. There is no way I will ever hit pan on this as the amount you have to use is so miniscule. If I was part of the product development team at Australis I'd be expecting a bit of a berating from management because if they develop too many more of these types of products Australis will most definitely go out of business because we just won't need to replace anything ever again!

I'm definitely interested in trying one of the more pinker shades and then I will be set for blush for the rest of my life!

Has anyone else tried one of these blushes yet?

Michelle xx

April Bellabox - Be Fashion Forward

I'm a little bit late posting about the April Bellabox as I must admit that I almost forgot I even received it (shows you how great it must have been this month, hey?)

Anyway, the Bellabox for this month was based around celebrating the lead up to Mecedes Benz Fashion Week with the theme of the box 'around the world in fashion'.

Well, I really don't get how this theme ties into what we actually received in the box. I don't know if I'm just a bit slow but none of the items we received really scream out to me as a celebration to fashion.

Oh well, lets move on to the contents for the April Bellabox:

1) Comvita Brightening Range - Exfoliant, Serum & Moisturiser (1 x 1.5ml sample of each, RRP $45-$79) - These are tiny sachets and I think it would have been nice to get at least 2-3 of each instead of just one to give a better idea of the product.

2) Ulta3 Nail Polish in Enchanted (Full size, RRP $2.00) - Enchanted is a dark pearly green with purple through it. It's a really pretty colour but I kind of expect a bit more than a polish which I constantly see in a $2.00 bargain box at Coles when I do my grocery shopping.

3) Benefit 'Hello Flawless' Foundation in Petal (5ml sample, RRP $55 for 30mls) - I must admit that I'm a Benefit virgin and have never tried any products from them before. This foundation seems to blend nicely and gives medium coverage on my skin but the shade I got is a bit too dark and yellow toned for me (I'm usually an ivory or porcelain gal when it comes to foundation shades).

4) Pure DKNY Verbena (1.5ml sample, RRP $80 for 30mls) - I really, really, really like this scent. It's refreshing and kind of floral without being too overpowering. This may go on my wishlist for my birthday or xmas this year.

5) OP Therapy Body Hydrator (75ml Full size, RRP $19.00) - This seems like a really nice moisturiser that smoothes on well and sinks in fast without leaving any greasy residue. It's unscented and ideal for dry sensitive skin which is exactly what I usually have so hopefully I'll see results from using this.

6) Hollywood Feet Heel Cushions (2 pairs, RRP $9.95) - Hmmmm, not really the sort of thing I'd expect to see in a monthly beauty sample box. I find that when I wear heels for too long I get pain in the ball of my foot, not my heels so these will probably never get used.

So there you have it. Nothing terrible exciting in the box for this month. So much so that it's been sitting on my dining table for over a week now because I pretty much forgot it was even there!

I'd love to know whether everyone else got the same things as me this month or anything better/different?

Michelle xx

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick - True Red

So, for some reason while we were our grocery shopping the other day I decided that I just had to have another red lipstick. Don't ask me why, but I did. Red is probably the lip colour that I wear the least because with my pale skin and red/brown hair I feel that it just doesn't suit me for some reason. I always aboslutely adore the colour when someone else wears it and get a bit of 'red lip envy' and today I decided I wanted to have a reason to be more brave with this colour.

Enter Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in True Red. After swatching about 30 (this is NOT an exaggeration) red lipsticks in Priceline today while the wonderful hubby thought he was in heaven with a free pass to go an explore JB Hi Fi on his own, I finally settled on True Red.

To me it's exactly what the name suggest, a definite true red. It's certainly not a red that won't get noticed and it doesn't border on any plum, maroon or coral shades either. It's a bright, blue based red which also has the added bonus of making my teeth look super duper white. Gotta love that!

The formula is so surprisingly creamy too. I don't even realise I have this lipstick on as it tends to just blend onto the lips magically and doesn't go dry at all as it wears away. It's got great pigment and can be built up from a subtle red tint to being a full-on raving red pout. It tends to leave a slight red tint on the lips too as it wears away which I don't mind.

As you can see I suffer from annoying fine lines around my mouth ( I must pout too much in my sleep or something) and I'm always scared to wear ultra bright lip colours due to the bleeding I can get around my lips if it's not a top-notch formula. I must say that I don't notice any bleeding into the lip lines at all with this lipstick which makes me want to go and buy every colour made.

Now, I just have to convince hubby to take me out to dinner a bit more so I can get some use out of this baby. I'm certainly not brave enough to just wear it out and about (although I really wish I was!)

So, what's your favourite red lipstick?

Michelle xx