NOTD // Accidentally Aussie

When picking out the nail polish shades for this manicure, I didn't realise until they were on my nails that they strongly represented the Australian colours of green and gold. Not the look I was going for! Haha, not that I don't love to be patriotic at times, I don't love the combination. On the nails however, I actually didn't mind it!

The green I used is a deep jade green shade in the form of Sinful Colours Envy. It applied really nicely, opaque in two coats. I generally find the formula of Sinful Colours polishes to be pretty good, and they have a great range of shades, at a great price. The golden yellow, which i actually thought was going to be more mustard-y and more green toned, is Sportsirl Sunflower. I actually have no idea why I bought this shade (it was on sale though) because I actually really don't like it, and I don't know why I thought I might even like it just a little. Mustardy/gold is not the most flattering shade. It also has a fine shimmer running through which I'm not the hugest fan of. The formula isn't too great either, a bit thick and slightly streaky though it does even out mainly with a second coat. I've since decided to get rid of this polish.

The star of this rather lacklustre show though, is the glitter. I used Sportsgirl Galaxy which is a pretty awesome glitter combo. It contains dark green, light green and blue matte glitters of varying sizes, similar to their other glitter Party Popper which I used in a NOTD here. For some reason though, the formula was a bit more gloopy on this one. There are plenty of glitters in there, but the clear base seems to be very thick so a lot of it gets on the nail, creating a few bubbles when it dried. Not a big issue though because I still really like the end result!

Ever accidentally been patriotic?

NOTD // Salmon & Avocado

Y'all know peachy-pink is one of my favourite colours, especially in beauty! I decided to pull out what I declare one of my favourite nail polishes (though I don't wear it enough!) - Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Get Juiced. I decided to pair it with Sinful Colors Pistache and only until they were on my nails did I realise the colour combo was very reminiscent of salmon and avocado! My favourite sushi flavour, mmm...

I decided to do a 'trigger accent' manicure, where the index and middle fingers are painted with a different colour. Although this is a very simple manicure, I really loved it! Both polishes have a creamy finish, and are very Springy shades. 

Pistache is a pistachio-avocado green with a pretty good formula. It takes two coats to reach full opacity, the formula can be a little bit chalky going on and while it dries shiny, I felt like a slick of top coat really finished it off. Get Juiced is a stunning, saturated, juicy peachy pink, that really does look like fleshy salmon (eck, fleshy is a really gross word) haha! The formula of this polish is ace, goes on really smoothly and took two coats for full opacity. It almost looks a bit like a gel manicure? 

I really loved this manicure, it combined so many of my favourite things haha! What are your thoughts on my foodie mani?

NOTD | Dipping into Dots

Today I have a NOTD featuring a bit of nail art! 

For this look, I tried my hand at the Gradient Dot nail art which I first saw on Sarah from Chalkboard Nails. It is just dots that graduate from smaller dots to larger dots.

For the colours, I used Sinful Colors Pistache and Envy and I also used a random black nail polish. For dots I just used some dotting tools which I bought from ebay for a couple of bucks.

Pistache is a really pretty light yellow-toned green that is quite pistachio reminiscent! I've been wanting a pistachio coloured polish for a while and this one fits the bill! Great formula too, opaque in two coats.

Envy is a deep green which is supposedly a dupe of OPI Jade is the New Black which I've been wanting for a while. It is a really pretty shade and again has a very good formula.

The Gradient dot look was very easy to do and this was my first time trying it. I am quite happy with the results, though my right hand didn't turn out as well, haha. I topped it with my Revlon Colorstay topcoat which lasts a really long time, about 5 days without chipping!

I think the Gradient Dot nail art is a very easy look and I'll definitely be doing it again! I also really enjoyed the Sinful Colors polishes and am interested in picking up some more!

Sidenote: I saw Iron Man 3 on Friday and it was amazing! A definite must see!

What nail colours/art looks have you guys been rocking lately?

Collective Haul | February + March 2013

Today I have a collective haul to share that I have been accumulating for around 2 months! I've been buying things here and there so this is what's new!

First up, a few skincare bits:

Yes, the esteemed Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellare Solution. I've been wanting this for a little while and bought a 2 pack from Ebay which I split with my sister. It came to $18 each, which is quite expensive for 250mL of product, in my opinion. I'll have a full review up soon about whether or not I think it's worth it!

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips for $4 (Full price ~$6) from Chemist Warehouse. A lot of mixed and skeptical reviews on this product!

Garnier Pure 3in1 Wash-Scrub-Mask for $7 from Kmart (Full price ~$12).

Origins Super Spot Remover for $19 from Mecca Maxima.

Sportsgirl Nail polished in Galactic Glamour and Ruby Slippers for $3.40 each (Full price $7.95).

Maybelline Color tattoo in Bad to the Bronze for $6.75 (full price $11.75) from Kmart.

Ulta3 lipsticks in Hot Pink Kisses and Sunkiss me for $3.95 and $2.95 respectively from Terry White Chemist.

Sinful Colors Nail polishes in Pistache and Envy for $4 each from Kmart. I would recommend buying these from Kmart as they are 95c cheaper than Target!

Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream for $3.89 (Full price ~$5) from Target.

Essence Lip Liner in Satin Mauve for $1.46 (full price $1.95) from Target.

So those are all my purchases from the past two months! I was actually naughty and bought a couple of things yesterday, but I'll save those for another post!

Haul from Abroad

Recently I returned from my month long adventures in South Africa and a brief four nights in Hong Kong. Of course, I had to do a bit of beauty shopping!

I picked up some things from some brands that you can't get in Australia and also things that were a bit cheaper over there.

From South Africa I picked up:

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Topshop lipstick in Ohh La La

Topshop Cream blush in Head over Heels

Catrice Defining Duo Blush in Peach Sorbet

The Body Shop Eye definer in Moonstone

Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel in Spanish Moss (with free Top coat)

Sinful Colors Cinderella (Which can now be purchased in Priceline and Target stores)

Catrice Genius in the bottle

Yardley Twist nails in Sunset Glaze

From Hong Kong I picked up:

Dolly Wink eyebrow powder in Dark Chocolate

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Mascara

Dolly Wink liquid eyeliner in Black

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers

Skin79 Super BB cream in hot pink

That's it for my haul from abroad and I will have reviews up soon for most of these products so stay tuned!