Essie Winter collection 2010 swatches and review

I was very kindly sent the Essie Winter 2010 collection to try out recently and being the last day of Winter today here in Aus I thought I'd better get my swatches up quick smart for you ladies!! This collection was released internationally some time ago but was only released here in Aus a few months ago. Onto the swatches!


Going Incognito is described as "deep emerald green". To me it's more of a forest green and the formula is of a jelly like creme. It's ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! I don't have enough greens in my collection and this is SO welcome! 2 coats is pictured.


Close up:



Luxedo is a deep plum jelly that looks almost black on the nail. I love jelly polishes and this is no exception. Luxedo is fantastic when you want a dark polish but don't want to go with black. 2 coats is pictured.


Close up:

Review: Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara

As an Asian girl, I am unfortunately not blessed with long luscious eyelashes. It’s not so dire that I have non-existent eyelashes but I would absolutely die to have gorgeous thick lashes without the aid of falsies or lashings of mascara! It seems to be a never ending quest for the Holy Grail mascara that can tick all the boxes for volume, length and curl. Lancôme have just released the very 1st doll lash mascara aimed to achieve a wide-eye look and today I have my review for you!


What they say:

"Hypnôse Doll Eyes takes its inspiration from every young girl's dream to reinvent a fringe of separated, thick, long, 'nylon' shine lashes: true doll lashes! The new Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara lengthens, curls, volumises and separates for the ultimate wide-eye look."


The mascara is packed in a gorgeous black tube with Lancôme's signature roses printed in grey on the side. It's so pretty!


The hybrid nylon wand is protected by a trio of patents and took Lancôme laboratories 7 years to perfect! It has a conical shaped tip so that it can easily get even the tiniest lashes in the corner of your eyes. Below is one coat of Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara with lashes curled prior to application.


I really dislike posting up closeups of my eyes because my eyes look terrible. But you can see the length and volume it gives my lashes!!


Overall: Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara is a winner in my book especially for Asian ladies like myself! I absolutely adore the conical wand - the thin tip lives up to it's promise and really gets in to coat those tiny corner lashes for me. I find most other mascara wands are too big for my eyes to really get in to the corners unfortunately.

Hypnôse Doll Eyes definitely gave my lashes volume and length and kept my lashes curled giving them a full look. I experienced no clumping whatsoever and there was no need to comb my lashes out either. It grabbed nearly every lash and defined them!

So is it Holy Grail for me?? For volume, curl and length YES! However on a few days I've worn it I've had some smudging after a few hours and I'm not sure if it was user error. I'm loving it so far anyway and will monitor how the smudging goes.

Details: Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara is available now at leading Myer and David Jones stores and selected pharmacies for $52. For stockists contact 02 9931 888.

Have you tried Lancôme mascaras before? Will you be trying it?

Thanks for looking as always! Aussie ladies, don't forget to enter my Scunci hair giveaway here!

Product(s) sent to me for consideration but this in no way influenced my review in any way. As always, my reviews are my 100% honest opinion. My Disclosure Policy can be viewed here.

Vernis á ongles eclair 18 holo and a feature!

Today's swatch is a holo that I bought last year in HK which I actually swatched a while ago but didn't get around to posting oops! It's a Japanese brand that seems to be called Vernis á ongles eclair which translates literally to "nail polish eclair". They also have the typical Asian naming system which is just a number much to my dislike. Why can't they give them a name??! I can't seem to find any info on this brand either but we'll make do ;) I have 18 for you today.


Vernis á ongles eclair in 18 is a light dusty pink holo that has a somewhat scattered effect. Unfortunately I couldn't get a sunlight shot! It's a very work appropriate holo and it was easy to apply - no balding at all. I used 2 coats and some VNL (visible nail line) is there but I liked it at 2 coats. It dried super quickly too which was great!




I'm pretty excited today as I'm being featured on 2threads.com as the lucky last beauty blogger as part of the Dove Diaries campaign. 2threads is an Australian fashion and lifestyle site with great fashion tips, runway coverage, how-to's and competitions.

This week I'm providing a few posts including a nail tutorial! It kicks off today with a profile of me which you can check out here. I hope you head on over there to have a read =)


Thanks for looking! Aussie ladies, don't forget to enter my Scunci hair giveaway here!

It's a dotty kind of day manicure

Hi ladies! Here's a quick mani I did last night. I had a freehand heart manicure all imagined but the hearts just didn't work out at ALL so I took it all off and did some trusty polka dots. I am slightly obsessed with polka dot manis!


What I used:

Pink and index fingers: I used 2 coats of Ulta 3 black satin and then stamped full polka dot image from Konad plate m79 using Konad Special Polish in white. I topped it off with a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust.

Ring fingers: I started off with 2 coats of BYS Pink with a Punch. I then added 1 coat Catherine Arley 670 (a gorgeous light pink holo!) and 1 coat Essence nail art special effect! topper in 01 purplicious. Both the Catherine Arley and Essence topper were both given to me by lovely Christina =D

Middle fingers: I used 2 coats of Ulta 3 lily white as a base. I then stamped bow with hearts design from Konad plate m76 using China Glaze Admire and added a silver rhinestone. Topped it off with a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust.

Thumbs: I used 2 coats BYS Pink with a Punch and then stamped full polka dots image from Konad plate m79 using Konad Special Polish in white. I topped it off with a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust.


Here's a close up of the Essence nail art special effect! topper in 01 purplicious. It applied really well and I love the square pink and purple glitter!


I was playing around with my sister's DLSR and the pic below shows just how nice the holographic effect of China Glaze Fairy Dust gives as a topper. I love Fairy Dust and EVERYONE NEEDS IT IN THEIR COLLECTION!! XD


Thanks for looking as always! Aussie ladies, don't forget to enter my Scunci hair giveaway here!

Dior Addict lipstick in Diorkiss and Urban: swatches and review

Last week I showed you the little haul that Tammie kindly helped me purchase from the US. I couldn't wait to try out the Dior Addict lipsticks she sent me and I've been using them nearly every day. Today I have swatches and my review of Dior Addict lipsticks in Diorkiss and Urban!


What they say:

"The new Dior Addict Lipstick is a declaration of love between beauty and style, color and couture, and Dior and its addicts. A dazzling array of shades for runway-ready lips. Easy to wear, these shades dress the lips with a veil of color and spectacular shine.

With 25% less wax than a classic lipstick, this formula contains an extraordinary reflecting gel. The result is modern transparency, intense plumping hydration and a magnifying glass effect to intensify shine, plump the lips and above all, enhance color."


The Dior Addict lipsticks are packaged in a cool looking silver case with Dior etched onto the front. They look very pretty however the downside is that they can't stand up on their own due to the tip which is rounded. Only a small thing when you need to take photos of the product ;)


Dior Addict Diorkiss is described as a sheer dark pink and is the shade that Kate Moss wears in all the promo pictures ;) It looks much darker in the tube and when it's swatched than it does on my lips. I guess it also depends how pigmented your lips are too. Diorkiss makes my lips that extra bit pinker! I got a few compliments when I first wore this shade too x)





Dior Addict Urban is a Sephora exclusive shade. I LURVE exclusive/limited edition products so of course I had to ask Tammie to pick one up for me x) It's described as a sheer pale pink and it has some tiny bits of glitter in it too. It is the perfect pinky nude shade for everyday wear!!


My skin looks really scaly and icky here sorry. Winter has not been good to my hands!! *cries*

Overall: It was love at first swatch! Not only are the colours gorgeous but the formula is fantastic. They feel quite similar to the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks in the way that they are not your traditional lipstick formula. They feel very lightweight on the lips and aren't drying at all which is great if you're making the initial transition from lip gloss to lip stick.

I love that there are SO many shades in the collection but this also makes choosing a shade much more difficult! I am sucker for pinks and nudes and there are plenty to choose from as well as darker hues too.

Wear time is excellent but varied for both colours. I find Diorkiss lasts longer as it's a darker shade and even when it's worn off there's a slight pink stain to my lips which is nice. Urban doesn't last AS long but it's still decent on me. Approx a few hours before I have to reapply for both.

The price point for these are quite expensive but a girl has to splurge on a pricey lippie every so often right?? Plus when you consider drugstore lippies in Aus are sometimes around the $20 mark the price isn't too bad..


Would I repurchase?: YES!!!! I'm trying to decide what Sephora exclusive shades I'd like to try next for Tammie to help me purchase xD

Details: Dior Addict lipsticks can be purchased from Myer and David Jones stores for $49Aus.

For international ladies, Dior Addict lipsticks can be purchased from the Dior online store or from Sephora for $28US.

Have you tried the Dior Addict lipsticks? What shades would you recommend?

Thanks for looking! Aussie ladies, don't forget to enter my Scunci hair giveaway here!

Scunci hair giveaway!!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!

Thank you for entering!

Winner will be announced shortly
I am very excited today to bring you a giveaway featuring some awesome products kindly donated by the lovely people at Scunci! I jumped at the chance to have this giveaway for you guys as I’ve been using Scunci hair accessories for many years now and I absolutely love their products.


As a Registered Nurse, I have to keep my long hair tied up and out of the way so the No Damage Thin Hair Elastics are a must have for me. I add the No Slip Grip Split Band with Cushion Tips (I use the black one!) and not a strand of hair strays out of place all day! I work in community health now so I can get away with wearing my hair half up half down on Fridays which is great. The new Scunci Expandable Jaw Clip makes this super easy and cute too!


Onto the giveaway! One lucky reader will win:

Scunci Knit Pony Wraps
Scunci No Damage Thin Hair Elastics
Scunci No Slip Grip Split Band with Cushion Tips
Scunci Grooming Compact Mirror

It's super easy to enter! Simply be a public follower of Cosmetic Cupcake via Google Friends Connect and leave a comment below telling me what your must have hair accessory is. One entry for completing both!

This giveaway will be open to Australian residents only unfortunately. Giveaway is open for one week and will close on August 31st 2011 at 11pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Good luck!!

Models Own WAH Nails Silver Smash-Up

A few months ago WAH nails teamed up with Models Own to create a version of crackle polish with a "graffiti twist" called Smash-Up. I think everyone has heard of the absolute AWESOMENESS that is WAH nails!!! The nail salons seem so fun and they do the BEST designs out there. Plus they are just so darn cool! It’s hard to come by Models Own polishes in Aus and yet again lovely Christina is my polish saviour!!! *happy dance* I decided to layer Silver Smash-Up it over my last manicure using Accessorize Pink Spice.


I think Silver Smash-Up has become my new favourite crackle polish. How freaking awesome does it look????!! The texture of Smash-Up is quite unusual and different to others – it has a somewhat gritty finish hence the graffiti twist. It dries to a matte finish and it's super pigmented and very easy to apply. 1 coat is pictured with no topcoat.

Close up:


There is some tip wear in my pics I apologise. I only took these pics after wearing this mani to work!


Models Own WAH Nails Silver Smash-Up can be purchased from the Models Own online store for £6.

Have you tried the Smash-Up crackles? Thanks for looking as always! =)

Accessorize Pink Spice

Hi ladies! Just a very quick post for you today featuring a new favourite polish of mine. I was sent this beauty (along with so many others!!) by dear Christina and man oh man it is a WINNER!! This is Accessorize Pink Spice which is a dupe of MAC Bad Fairy. I completely missed the boat with Bad Fairy so I'm over the moon to have own Pink Spice!


Pink Spice is a stunning pinky orange duochrome foil. It applied very smoothly and 3 coats is pictured. You can get away with less but I felt there were some teeny bald spots. Picture spam below!!






It was kind of hard to capture the polish in it's different forms at night but believe me it is just stunning the way it looks in different lighting!! Thank you so much Christina for sending it my way ♥

Thanks for looking as always!!

Dior, Tarte and e.l.f haul thanks to Tammie!

I've complained about it before but the lack of access to make up brands in Australia drives me crazy. Plus the fact that the brands we DO have access to are ridiculously marked up! Many ladies use parcel forwarding services to purchase products from Sephora but I can never be bothered to. I've been wanting to get my hands on the Tarte Amazonian clay long-wear blush that have been all over beauty blogs for ages now. The lovely Tammie from Fad Hamburger very generously offered to pick them up for me along with some other make up lemmings!! She is such a sweetheart and it's been so nice getting to know her! ^_^ She's also terrible at enabling me so she also helped me get my first Dior Addict lipsticks which she loves and e.l.f eye primer too. The package took a while getting here but it finally arrived this week!!! Yay for new makeup in time for the weekend =D


Tarte Amazonian clay long-wear blush in dollface and natural beauty! Oh my these are just beautiful ♥ Look at that embossing!! I haven't used these just yet (had to take photos first of course being a beauty blogger!) but I have high hopes for them =)


My very first Dior Addict lipsticks!! *happy dance*


Dior Addict in Diorkiss and Urban which is a Sephora exclusive. I tried these quickly today and I know why Tammie raves about them. The colours are gorgeous and they feel fantastic! My wallet is weeping already because I know I'll have to get more!


Tammie also helped me purchase the e.l.f eyelid primer and she very sweetly included the e.l.f all over color stick in Golden Peach for me to try too!


Thank you so much for helping me fulfill these lemmings Tammie!! I think I'll be asking you to help me get more items in the near future Xp

What items are you currently lemming ladies?

Thanks for looking as always! Have a lovely weekend =)

Beautysnapz giveaway winners!

Hi ladies! I've finally drawn the 3 winners from my Beautysnapz giveaway!! Without further ado, the winners are:

Jette!
Jessica!
Madeline!
Congratulations ladies!! I've just sent emails requesting your details and please respond within 48hours! If I don't receive a response in that time period I will need to redraw the winners..

It was great hearing about your favourite nail treatments. Lush Lemony Flutter seems to be very popular and also Burt's Bees cuticle cream. I swear by Lemony Flutter but I'll have to look in to the Burt's Bees one!

Thank you to everyone who entered - if you didn't win this time don't be disappointed! You still have time to enter my Apothica $50 giftcard giveaway here! It ends tomorrow night so hop to it!

Thanks for looking as always =)