NOTD | Bend and Snap!

I have a Nail Of The Day from Thursday when I went to see Legally Blonde!

The colours I used for this look were of course inspired by Elle Woods! I used China Glaze Something Sweet with Sportsgirl Ruby Slippers on top.

Something Sweet is the quintessential light, baby pink. It is really nice and creamy. It took two coats for opacity, and it applied slightly streaky on the first coat, but the second coat evened everything out.

Ruby Slippers is a really pretty and blingy chunky glitter topcoat. It has small pink and red hexagonal glitters, larger red and silver hexagonal glitters and finally big diamond shaped glitters. The diamonds are slightly hard to get out but otherwise the glitter applies really nicely!

I really love this polish combo and it's definitely something I would wear again! Legally Blonde was a blast! It was a really funny and happy musical with quite upbeat music! It's probably not my favourite musical, Wicked takes the top spot for me, but it's definitely up there! The costumes (Elle's in particular) and sets were also really nice! Lucy Durack who played Elle was absolutely amazing. I also absolutely loved her in Wicked when she played Glinda!

"Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed."

No Knotts!

Today I have a hair product from the brand Original & Mineral to share. I have their No Knott Conditioning Detangler. 

This detangler contains a "perfect blend of nourishing Australian natural ingredients. Cold-pressed Certified Organic Argan Oil and Macadamia Nut Oil combine to recondition the hair leaving it glossy and knot-free".

 I would say it is quite nourishing but not to the extent if you were to apply a hair oil or leave-in conditioner because it is such a fine mist. Which reminds me, I really love the nozzle on this bottle! It coats the hair really nicely in a mist rather than a spray that only wets one section, if that makes sense? However, I found that on my rather normal/tiny bit oily scalp and dry-ish ends, if I were too trigger-happy it would make my hair feel oilier by the next day. I would advise not to spray this near the roots! My happy medium is around three spritzes for each half of my medium-long length hair.

In terms of detangling, to be honest my hair isn't particularly tangly to begin with. When wet the comb usually glides straight through with only some resistance. When dry though, my hair is quite tangly. For reference, I have thick hair which tends to not get very knotty, but I do have quite damaged ends. The directions of this detangler do, however, state to spray this into wet hair.

While I'm probably not the best person to review this product, I do find it a dream to use! It has a nice scent that is almost citrus-y and hair product-y at the same time? I do think that it helps the comb glide through easier and it helps nourish too!

The Ultimate Nude Palette

Today I have a review on a palette that I have absolutely been loving lately! It's the Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Nude Palette.

This palette contains a collection of matte powders. It has 8 matte eyeshadows, 2 highlighters, 1 bronzer and a blush all with a very neutral and natural tone. The cheek porducts are for the most part matte, they may contain a little shimmer but it's not very evident on the face.

The box also contains some how to's for day and night looks.

The packaging is quite simple but very sleek. It is made of sturdy plastic and the palette has quite a weight to it making it feel quite expensive. It closes very securely but I do wish it had a larger mirror.

I'll swatch the shades numbering them using the guide from the how to's.

L-R: 1, 2, 3, 4

Shade 1 is a light, creamy white. It is slightly chalky and needs a couple of layers to become opaque.

Shade 2 is a light pinky cream colour which has a similar formula to shade 1. Both shades though feel extremely soft.

Shade 3 is a yellow nude. It has a better formula that the two aforementioned shades being more pigmented and less chalky.

Shade 4  is a lovely nude shade with a slightly peach undertone. This also has a great formula being smooth and pigmented.

L-R: 9, 10, 11, 12

Shade 9 is a warm medium brown perfect for blending out in the crease as a transitioning colour. All of the shades on this side of the palette have lovely formulas. Incredibly creamy and have great colour payoff.

Shade 10 is slightly lighter that 9 and more neutral toned.

Shade 11 is a lighter pinky toned brown.

Shade 12 is the darkest shade in the palette and is a dark, cool toned brown,

L-R: 5, 7, 6, 8

Lastly, for the cheek products:

Shade 5 is the blush and it is a very natural shade. It's a warm peach that is very bronzy.

Shade 6 is a light creamy white highlight shade.

Shade 7 is a more yellowy-golden highlighter.

Shade 8 is the bronzer being quite a nice deep warm brown. It's not too orange and can be used for contouring or giving a warm glow to the face.

I really love this palette and have been reaching for it very often when I do choose to wear eyeshadow. It creates very naturally defined looks and it is a great stand alone product or a good addition to collections which may be lacking in matte shadows. The eyeshadow shades remind me a lot of those in the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, though what the Ultimate Nude Palette is lacking in is a deep dark black shade. Other than that the selection is great. It contains shades for different skintones and even some can be used to fill in eyebrows. I also love that the highlighters aren't shimmery so they provide a very natural glow. This palette has definitely earned its place as a staple in my collection!

Lipstick Lineup | Autumn

Today I have another Autumn themed post with regards to the lips! My last post was my top 5 Autumn nail polishes, so today I have my five favourite lipsticks for Autumn to share.

Berry Smoothie, Blushing Nude, Berry Kiss, Soft Amethyst, Desire

I have chosen lippies ranging from wearable nudes to deeper vampy shades. My collection isn't very extensive, but these are just the shades I typically gravitate towards during the cooler months!

Clockwise from top left: Berry Kiss, Soft Amethyst, Desire, Blushing Nude, Berry Smoothie

First up is the Revlon lip butter in the shade 050 Berry Smoothie. I chose this particular product because it is really pretty for everyday wear and it dips your toes into the 'berry' pool with its easy sheer and hydrating formula. I have a full review here.

My Nude pick of the bunch is Clinique's Long Last lipstick in Blushing Nude. It is a deeper nude that is more of a pinky-brown. For my skintone and rather pigmented lips, this is a pretty good nude or MLBB (My Lips But Better) shade. For others this might be nice to switch to during the cooler seasons.

Sadly, I believe this next shade has been discontinued. It's another Long Last lipstick from Clinique, but in the shade 09 Berry Kiss. It's a really pretty berry red and in my eyes very warm, and seasonally appropriate. I do believe this shade is quite common though, so a dupe is probably out there!

Moving into the more purply tones, 21 Soft Amethyst from Estee Lauder's Signature Hydralustre line, is a beautiful deeper lilac shade which pulls quite mauve. It is obviously purple though. I think it is a really pretty and wearable shade perfect for daytime wear. The formula on this lipstick is amazing! It is super creamy and opaque, whilst still being shiny. It's also very comfortable of the lips!

Lastly, rounding off to my deepest lipstick shade is MAC's Desire which has a lustre finish. Keeping in mind that this has a lustre finish, therefore being quite sheer and shiny, it is a lot more wearable than its more opaque counterparts like Rebel or Dark Side. It is a plummy brown which looks really nice on the lips. It can be sheered out or built up, but you won't achieve the colour of the bullet on the lips. It's a really nice option if you're just getting into deeper shades!

Berry Smoothie, Blushing Nude, Berry Kiss, Soft Amethyst, Desire

Hope y'all enjoyed this post! I'm looking forward to slapping some of these shades on my lips for Autumn!

Fresh Nails | Autumn

Hello! With Summer in the past and Autumn rolling around I thought I would do a post on my top 5 favourite Autumnal nail polishes! Of course you can wear whatever colours, whenever but these are just some Autumn 'appropriate' shades in my stash.

First up is Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel in the shade 190 Spanish Moss. It is a really mossy type sage green. It is nicely muted so very, in my opinion, Autumn appropriate and it has an almost 'dusty' quality. It also has a slight silver sheen running throughout but it isn't all too noticeable on the nails. It applies really nicely, opaque in two coats and lasts really well (as the name would suggest...). 

Nicole by OPI Shoot for the Maroon, is a lovely deep maroon with gold shimmer. In the bottle it almost looks duochromatic, but on the nails the shimmer/small glitter particles take on much more of a purple/burgundy shade. Again, lovely formula, two coats to opacity.

OPI Pros and Bronze is an absolutely beautiful bronzey-copper shade. It does not have a base colour but instead is heavily packed with individual shimmer particles of gold, copper and even some pink thrown in. It has an absolutely stunning effect on the nail! It somehow reminds me of the falling leaves, though we don't experience that in Australia! It takes three coats for opacity, there is some Visible Nail Line (VNL) in the photos but that's just macro, it looks great in person!

Next up is Orly Fowl Play. A really complex shade with a deep purple jelly base and a whole bunch of duochromatic flakies thrown in, glitter and shimmer! Quite Autumn and Winter appropriate! Opaque in two coats!

Lastly is a mini Witchery polish which is actually unnamed, it came in a trio which was called Twilight. This is a very common shade and one of the basics for Autumn. It's a maroon-wine shade with a creme finish. Very wearable and it has a lovely formula, almost a one-coater! It also dries very shiny. 

Thumb to pinky: Spanish Moss, Shoot for the Maroon, Pros and Bronze, Fowl Play, Witchery Polish

Those are my picks for Autumn, hope you enjoyed! What shades do you guys like for Autumn?

Most Worn Things TAG | Summer

Today I have a TAG to share with you! I was tagged by Cherie to do the Most Worn Things for Summer Tag. For me, a third of this past summer was spent travelling, and for a lot of the rest of it was pretty dreary! It rained quite a lot over here and it really dampened the Summer! Anyhoo, here are the things I wore most for the past 3 months!

1. Most worn Nail Polish

Being such a nail polish junkie, I couldn't just pick one! Throughout Summer I wore Ulta3 Watermelon (a wonderful pinky-coral), China Glaze For Audrey (Signature Tiffany-blue) and Orly Rage (silvered rose gold) most often. I actually took Watermelon and Rage with me travelling. 

Rage, For Audrey, Watermelon

2. Most worn Hair Product

I don't often style my hair as it is pretty low maintenance but I am all about trying to prevent damage and especially split ends and just making it look smooth and shiny. The Matrix Break Fix Leave-in Elixir was my most used leave-in conditioner. It helped make my hair soft, smooth and just better in general! You obviously can't repair split ends but I think it has helped prevent them.

3. Most worn Bag

My most worn bag is probably this Sportsgirl one. I typically use smaller bags as I don't carry a ton around with me and this is the perfect size and is quite deceiving in how much it can hold! It goes with everything and I actually took it travelling with me.

4. Most worn Shoes

These Studded loafers which I purchased in South Africa are amazing! They're pretty comfy, super cheap and go with most things for a casual but trendy look.

5. Most worn Clothing Item

These are some floral cherry blossom, scalloped, high-waisted shorts from Forever New. I don't believe you can get this print anymore but they always bring back the same style in heaps of different colours. I took these also on my holiday for a casual but also put-together outfit and they are exactly my style.

6. Most worn Accessory

My most worn accessory is probably this rose gold hair cuff from Sportsgirl. I am always wearing my hair in ponytails and this just makes it a bit more snazzy!

7. Most worn Foundation

My most worn 'foundation' is my Garnier BB Cream for oily/combo skin. I really like this for light coverage, matte finish, SPF, and it's just a really nice product.

8. Most worn Bronzer and/or Blush

My most worn Bronzer is the Essence Sun Club Bronzer in 02 Sunny. It's completely matte and nice for natural contouring.

For Blush it has to be my Clinique Young Face Powder blush in Warm Blush/Honey Blush. This product is discontinued but I used this basically everyday also because I took it travelling. It has a shimmery rose pink and a matte, 'dirty' peach. 

9. Most worn Lip Product

Besides lip balm, I wore this Estee Lauder Signature lipstick in Venetian Rose a lot. It is discontinued (I think) but it is a really pretty, dark, 'dirty' peach. I really like it on my skintone.

10. Most worn Mascara

My most worn mascara is probably Maybelline's Volum' Express The Colossal. I really like this mascara, it  gives good length, volume and doesn't clump up my lashes. The wand is a little too big for my liking but it does the job.

11. Most worn Eyeshadow

My go-to is the Clinique colour surge eyeshadow duo in Like Mink. It contains two easy, no-brainer shades. A really pretty champagne and a brown with golden shimmer. This is still available, just in the revamped packaging.

12. Most worn Fragrance

My scent for Summer was definitely MOR Perfume oil in Lychee Flower. I suck at describing scents but it's just a really 'pretty' floral and sweet scent. It is in roller ball form so super easy to apply and throw in your bag, lasts a long time and is pretty cheap considering it doesn't even look like I've used much at all!

Sunny Bronzer, Warm Blush, Honey Blush, Venetian Rose lipstick, Like Mink duo

Hope you guys enjoyed the tag! Thanks Cherie for tagging me and it was really fun to do!

Bronze Ink

Today I have one of the very popular Maybelline Colour Tattoos in the shade 25 Bad to the Bronze. Kmart is currently having $5 off of Maybelline (sale ends March 20th) and my friend managed to pick up the last one for me. It ended up coming down to $6.75 which in my eyes is a total bargain!

The packaging is really nice, coming in a lovely and sturdy glass jar with a twist-off lid. You can easily see the shade of the shadow through the bottom.

Bad to the Bronze is a more cool-toned bronze than it is a coppery bronze. It is almost bordering on taupe. It has a frosty and reflective finish.

The formula is very nice. The only other cream shadow I have to compare it to is the Essence Stay All Day shadow. This formula far surpasses that of the Essence shadow. It is super creamy and very easily applied with fingers. It is very pigmented with excellent colour payoff with one swipe. It sets rather quickly but after which it does not move! It is super long lasting and just an excellent product! This alone on my eyelids it does crease a bit after around 5 hours of wear. For true creaseless wear I would put it over primer or place a powder shadow over top.

Overall this is so worth the hype in terms of the shade itself and its formula! An amazing shadow that I know will be perfect for a go-to shade and being quick and easy to slap on! For 4g of product it retails for around $11.75 depending on where you purchase it.

Wake me up before you go-go!

Hello all! Today I have a review on the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation which I have in the shade 303 True Nude. This is a very highly raved about foundation, not a bad word about it! I definitely think it lives up to the hype!

First up, the packaging. I think its packaging is absolutely great for being a drugstore foundation! It comes in a sleek, glass bottle which is slightly 'cinched' in the middle. It also has 'Rimmel London' embossed on the side, which I think is pretty cool. Also, it comes with a pump! It is so easy to get the right amount of product and most drugstore foundations don't come with one. So, good on ya Rimmel!

The foundation has a really nice consistency, being thicker and creamier than the average liquid foundation. Frankly, I find this texture much easier to work with as it doesn't go running all around the shop. It is super easy to blend with a brush or your fingers. It provides light to medium coverage but it is definitely buildable. I generally use one pump of the product for the whole face and it evens out my skintone, covers redness and gives me just a more awake, glowing face which I love! You will need to go in with a concealer afterward for particular spots. I find it's really nice and moisturising but doesn't make me oily throughout the day, provided I've set with a powder. I find it wears well too. If anything, for me the foundation just ends up looking better as time goes by! It doesn't crease or streak or anything like that, it just provides a wonderfully natural look.

What helps gives this foundation its 'anti-fatigue effect and radiant glow' are the tiny shimmers. Now, don't be scared off by them! They are super finely milled and honestly, even if you were right up in the person's face, you can't see the individual particles of shimmer. What they provide is a lovely luminous sheen to the skin.

I really love this foundation! It is actually one of my all-time favourites as I love the coverage and finish of it. The price tag definitely doesn't hurt either! I would recommend it for anyone with dry to combo skin types. If you are oily, this might be a little too dewy for your liking. For AUD$19.95 you get 1 fl oz or 30ml but Rimmel is often on sale. I'm really excited for the concealer to come to Australia, just might have to pick that one up...

Fuchsia Fusion

Today I have one of the Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate lipsticks to share. I have the shade number 20, they don't have names, only numbers which I'm not sure whether or not I like! This particular shade is from Kate Moss' second collection which I believe was for Spring, containing brighter and fresher shades than her debut range.

The packaging is a sleek black, semi-matte tube with the Rimmel crown embossed on the top. It also has Kate Moss' signature on the lid, this time in pink in contrast to the red from her first collection.

20 is an insanely bright, hot fuchsia shade. It's blue tone also makes your teeth look whiter, which is always a plus! It is unlike any other shade in my collection.

It has a scent that is quite strong. It is very sweet and in my opinion is smells just like Grape Hubba Bubba. The scent doesn't overly linger on the lips after application. The formula is super smooth and very pigmented. It doesn't have a glossy finish but it isn't completely matte either. It isn't exactly a moisturizing lipstick, however it isn't too drying either. It lasts quite a long time and leaves a slight stain on the lips after wear. Also, it doesn't travel all around your mouth!

I really like this lipstick, I think the formula is great and the colour selection of the range is also very nice. I definitely would'nt be hesitant to pick up some more! It retails for AUD$ 11.95 for 4g of product.