Purple ombré manicure

Hi ladies! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. I don't have time at the moment for fancy nail art so ombré manicures to the rescue! Today's is purple using some of my favourite purples in my collection.


Starting from my pinky, I used 2 coats each of China Glaze Light As Air, Barry M Berry Ice-Cream, Color Club Pucci-licious, Barry M Dusky Mauve and Illamasqua Baptiste.


Pucci-licious unfortunately is a blurple so it comes out way more blue in my pics than it is in real life.



Ombré manicures are so quick and easy! It's one of the easiest manicures to do but it's still something different ;) I might do up some colour combos later when I have time!

Thanks for looking as always!

Sally Hansen Gem Crush Nail Color in Be-Jeweled and Showgirl Chic swatches and review

I am a glitter polish fiend so I was extremely excited to be given the opportunity to try some of the polishes in the new Sally Hansen Gem Crush nail color collection recently! A collection of 8 pretty glitter polishes? OH YES! I have swatches for you today of Be-Jeweled and Showgirl Chic.


What they say:

"Always at the forefront of nail innovation, Sally Hansen presents the latest in statement-making manicures - the new Gem Crush Nail Color; high impact bling and full coverage glitter polish. Unlike other glitter formulas, Gem Crush Nail Color delivers high-intensity sparkle for a brilliant, multi-dimensional manicure that simply glimmers. Available in eight daring shades, each color brings a major dose of glitz and glamour to your nails."


Be-Jeweled is contains small light purple glitter with larger round pink glitter in a clear base. 3 coats is pictured.


Close up:



Showgirl Chic contains small bright silver glitter with larger medium blue glitter pieces in a clear base. This is super sparkly and looks fantastic! 3 coats if pictured.


Close up:



Overall: Being glitters they are SUPER annoying to remove but well worth the effort! They are super fun and sparkly and there's a great selection of shades in the range - there are bright reds to blues and purple. The formula could be a tiny bit thicker so you don't need as many coats but they dry quickly so it's not too much of an issue. They applied smoothly overall - no clumping or anything and were opaque in 3 coats. The finish is very gritty so I'd suggest a thick topcoat for a smooth finish.

Details: The Sally Hansen Gem Crush nail color collection is available now in 8 shades from Target, Kmart, Priceline, Priceline Pharmacy and selected pharmacies nationally for $9.95. Selected shades are available from Coles and Woolworths.


Will you try these out? Thanks for looking!

The products featured in this post were provided 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.

A simple Tiffany blue NOTD

When I'm short on time for a mani I always go back to tried and tested colours. The other day I used an oldie but a goodie for a quick NOTD - China Glaze For Audrey and then added some stamping. I haven't done any stamping in a while!


I used 2 coats of China Glaze For Audrey and stamped designs from Konad plates m71, m76, m65 and m59 using Konad Special Polish in white and covered it all in a coat of Fairy Dust. I added a heart dazzling from the Essence nail art glitter mix in style it up! and some rhinestones to my accent finger.



I've used this polish so much the lettering on the bottle is rubbing off haha!
Thanks for looking =)

Lynnderella Ruby Red Ruby

Hi ladies! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend =) My weekend has been absolutely jam packed and will be for the next few weeks! Looking for a place, wedding planning, dinners and other exciting things etc so posting may be a little sporadic and light on words for a while I'm afraid! I have some quick swatches for you today of another gorgeous Lynnderella - Ruby Red Ruby.


Ruby Red Ruby contains hex and square red glitter packed in a red glitter base. Here I've layered 2 coats of Ruby Red Ruby over 2 coats of China Glaze Poinsetta. It's kind of hard to see the glitter in my pics but trust me it's fabulous!!


Close up:



What do you think? Thanks for looking as always =)

Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Runway Coral swatches and review

Clinique debuted the latest addition to their Long Last Lipstick collection during New York Fashion Week this year. The bright coral shade Runway Coral was inspired by the makeup look created for Karen Walker's Spring/Summer 2012 runway show by Clinique's Global Colour Artist Jenna Menard and has been been turned into an online exclusive shade.


What they say:

"Direct from Fashion Week in NYC! Get the look - and the vibrant coral lip colour - created by Jenna Menard, for Karen Walker's Spring/Summer 2012 runway show. Here for a limited time - and just in time for Autumn too.

“Karen wanted the models to look youthful and feminine with a sophisticated twist,” explains Jenna Menard. “So I kept the eye very simple, the cheeks healthy and then went for a strong, vibrant lip. I chose bright coral because it’s less expected than red, and I went to the Clinique lab to create exactly the right shade. It worked with Karen's entire collection as well as all the model's skin tones.”

Essie Fall 2012 collection: Glamour Purse, Lady Like and Power Clutch swatches and review

Today I have some quick swatches for you from the Essie Fall 2012 collection which was released last month here in Australia. I was very kindly sent Glamour Purse, Lady Like and Power Clutch to try out and show you!


What they say:

"Elegant, sophisticated and mixed with the right amount of fun, this season Essie’s inspiration stems from designer handbags and powerful business women - think Mad Men! The mix of velvety hues and lady like nudes makes Essie’s Fall 2012 Collection an easy choice for those women who mix business and pleasure.

Easy to apply and chip safe, Essie Fall 2012 collection has fingers and toes covered for work, play and everything in between."

Hello Kitty Cosmetics giveaway winners!

Just a quick post to announce the winners of my Hello Kitty Cosmetics giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered =) Without further ado, the winners are:

Tina
Jennifer
Wendy
Genevieve
Catherine
Congratulations ladies! I've just sent you all emails requesting your details and please respond in the next 48 hours or I'll have to redraw the winners..

A huge thank you to the PR for the wonderful prizes! If you didn't win this time don't worry, I'll have more giveaways coming up.

Thanks for looking as always!

Tom Ford Spring 2012 nail lacquer in Silver Smoke swatches and review

Tom Ford Beauty recently released their Spring 2012 collection containing smouldering molten-toned hues inspired by the beauty of a natural glowing and radiant bronzed face. The collection introduces the Tom Ford Cream Color For Eyes (I have one to show you later!); a new shade of Ultra Shine Lip Gloss and my favourite - four new additions to the Nail Lacquer range. Today I have my swatches and review of Silver Smoke for you.


What they say:

"Four new shades of Tom Ford Nail Lacquer complete the look. Silver Smoke, Gold Haze, Burnished Rouge and Burnt Topaz are extra-amplified colors formulated with unique mirror pearls to maximize their metal effect and create a molten mirror look. The groundbreaking, high-performance formula with bendable coating delivers high coverage and shine while staying colour true throughout wear."


Silver Smoke is a cool gold metallic with bronze and silver microshimmer through it. Unfortunately the shimmer doesn't translate too well on the nail so it's very subtle but it's just beautiful! 3 coats is pictured.


Close up:



Overall: Silver Smoke is a gorgeous and elegant metallic polish that makes a great addition to the Tom Ford Nail Lacquer range. The formula was slightly sheer but excellent - it applied SUPER smoothly. Dry time was excellent and the brush was great to use. The cap of Tom Ford polishes comes off to reveal a smaller cap which makes it slightly easier to use as the cap is quite large. I love the square shape of these bottles as they line up so well in my helmer!

Being Tom Ford Beauty, the price of these lacquers is at the VERY high end of the scale. But, you pay for quality and you can see that clearly in this beautiful lacquer - from the elegant packaging to the fantastic formula. If you can afford Tom Ford Beauty definitely get yourself the lacquers!!! Silver Smoke isn't an exceptional shade colour wise but in my opinion every collection needs at least one metallic polish.

Details: The Tom Ford Beauty Spring 2012 nail lacquers are available now exclusively for a limited time at David Jones Elizabeth St, Sydney and Bourke St, Melbourne stores for $45.

They are available in the US from Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus for $30US.

The product featured in this post was provided 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.

Guerlain Rouge G de Guerlain Jewel Lipstick Compact in Gabrielle 60 swatches and review

I've had my eye on the Guerlain Rouge G de Guerlain lipsticks (enabled by Tammie of course!) for a while now but the Aus RRP of $70 held me back. I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on a single lipstick no matter how luxurious and beautiful it is. But then I popped into Cosmo Cosmetics at Wynyard last month and lo and behold they had the exact shade that I wanted for only $34.95!!!! HALF PRICE!!! You bet I snapped it up straight away =D I love a good bargain and it's even better when it's a luxury bargain. I have Gabrielle 60 for you today!


What they say:

A jewel lipstick compact with a white gold shimmer designed by Lorenz Bäumer, the young and talented jeweller in Place Vendôme. A horizontal design with feminine curves that houses a secret: a mirror automatically appears when the compact is opened. The lipstick has a pure elegant, contemporary design, and closes magnetically.

This exceptional object boasts a comprehensive, premium formula containing a star ingredient: ruby powder, which acts as an optical whitener to bring out the colour and shine of the shades. The blend of natural active ingredients (Tiger Grass, wild mango butter, Gugul resin, used in Ayurvedic medicine) complete the formula to plump up, smooth and bring moisture and softness to your lips. Available in 25 shades."

The packaging is where the Rouge G de Guerlain lipsticks set themselves apart from others. The lipstick is housed in an elegant silver case that contains a mirror which opens up when you pull the lipstick out.


Sleek, functional and so so luxe. It saves having to carry around another mirror for touch ups on the go! I can never apply lippie properly without a mirror haha. I LOVE the packaging and I feel like a million bucks when I take this out to use xp


Gabrielle 60 is a pretty pink nude with shimmer. It's on the sheer side but still pigmented and gives my lips a lovely glossy pink tint. The formula is creamy and feels fantastic! I find it very moisturising and it lasts a good 6 hours on me. The fragrance is also really lovely - its a violet scent and quite light.




Swatch:




Overall: Why did I wait so long to try Guerlain lipsticks?!!! This has become my new favourite nude pink lipstick and I am DYING to try more.

Details: The Guerlain Rouge G de Guerlain lipsticks are available from Myer and David Jones stores Australia wide for $70 and from Cosmo Cosmetics at Wynyard for $34.95. Cosmo Cosmetics also have stores in Parramatta and Merrylands but I'm not sure if they're available there as well.

You can purchase then in the US for $45US.

Have you tried the Rouge G de Guerlain Jewel Lipsticks?? What other colours would you suggest?

Thanks for looking as always!

Monkey nail dryer from Born Pretty Store

The lovely folks at Born Pretty Store kindly sent me over THE cutest nail dryer to try out last month! It's in the shape of a monkey! I polish my nails late at night so a nail dryer is a must for me or else it takes forever to do my nails. I currently use one by Manicare (you can see it in my nail storage post here) which has served me well for many years.


The dryer is in the shape of a monkey (obviously) and has a small grey disc with a bunch of bananas painted on it. It runs on 2AA batteries (which are not included) that go in the back.


To use it, you place 2-3 fingers on the grey disc and press down lightly. The air blows from a small hole just above the disc which I've circled in the pic below (where the monkeys hands meet) and not from the mouth like you'd expect.



Overall: Because the air blows from such a low point, I don't find the dryer really all that effective. The angle just isn't enough to dry more than one finger and the fan is not that strong either. However, is this not the most adorable nail dryer you've seen?! My sister is born in the Year of the Monkey and although she doesn't like polish she tried to claim the dryer as soon as I opened the package lol xp I help run a mother's group at work and one of the little girls that attends LOVES nail polish so I paint her nails whenever she goes to the group. I brought the dryer in one week and she actually stood still for her nails to "dry"!

Details: The monkey nail dryer is available from Born Pretty Store for $8.15 You can use the code MICHELLEW21 to receive 5% off your order! Code is valid until April 30th 2012 =)

Do you use a nail dryer? Thanks for looking as always! Don't forget to enter my Hello Kitty Cosmetics giveaway here!

The product featured in this post was provided 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.

Lynnderella Matter of the Heart

I was lucky enough to score myself some gorgeous Lynnderella polishes last month! There's been drama regarding these polishes but I really don't give a damn and I ain't going to buy into it - they are amazing glitters and I'm so happy to finally own some! As you may know I am SLIGHTLY obsessed with glitter haha. I was most excited to try out the pretty Matter of the Heart and I had to try it the night they arrived. My pics aren't they great unfortunately as I took them late at night =(

Matter of the Heart is made up of different sized silver, purple and pink hex, square and heart glitters all in a pink base. Whew! I layered it over 3 coats of pretty rose plum Essie Neo Whimsical and it's every bit as pretty as I thought it would be! It would make a great Valentines Day mani or mani for any day actually lol.


Close up:


Application was a bit of a pain though. Because the glitters are mostly on the larger size, I had to get the glitters off the brush and push them around on the nail using a cuticle stick. I also had to apply about 3 coats of top coat as they don't dry smoothly so my mani was pretty thick by the end. It was well worth the trouble though!!


The Lynnderella's I bought! This is only about half my order as the rest are on back order. Not all are for me though!!


Ordering details: Some of you have asked how to order them. Currently they are only available through private order so you need to email lalas.lynn.network@gmail.com and go on the waitlist.

Do you love glitter as much as I do? Thanks for looking as always! Aussie ladies don't forget to enter my Hello Kitty Cosmetics giveaway here!

Bloom Sparkle Top Coat in Silver swatches and review

Hi ladies! Today I have some quick swatches for you from awesome Aussie brand Bloom cosmetics. They recently released four new Top Coat polishes to their range which consist of two glitter and two crackle polishes. I have the Sparkle Top Coat in Silver for you and also Flamingo Sands I.


Bloom Sparkle Top Coat in Silver contains large silver holographic hex glitters and small round glitters suspended in a clear base. The holographic glitters look fantastic and they slide onto the nail easily. It dries to a glossy finish (although the last pic looks matte for some reason!) and dry time was reasonable. 2 coats is pictured.

March package love!

Hi ladies! Last month I received some lovely packages from 2 of my awesome blogger friends and it's about time I shared them with you! The first package was a wonderful (and very naughty!) surprise birthday package from my gorgeous British pal Aysh!! ♥


Not only did Aysh include a very sweet card and 2 packs of delicious Hotel Chocolat choccies (polished off very quickly by my family!) but yes you see right - she gifted me the amazing MAX Factor Fantasy Fire and also Meteorite!!!! *faints*


The 2nd package was from lovely Monika who sent me an awesome New Year/Chinese New Year package from sunny Singapore!


Nail polish!!!! Some fabulous polishes from Sasatinnie, Canmake, Etude House, Flormar, Disney Villians and my first Paul & Joe! Eeeeek! The Paul & Joe polish is from their Meow! collection and is sooooooo pretty. I had to use it the night I received Moni's package! I still haven't posted swatches though doh. Also a pretty purple Za lipstick and a Konad plate. It was all wrapped so nicely too =)


Moni also included some great skincare for me! The masks are too cute to use lol.


Thank you both SO MUCH for your wonderful packages =) It really brightened my month!