Cosmetic Cupcake

Cosmetic Cupcake turns 2!

2012-02-11T04:09:00.002+11:00

(Image courtesy of http://livelaughlove1820.tumblr.com/)
This week my little part of the blogosphere turned 2. How the time has flown by and what a wonderful 2 years its been here. I started this blog as an outlet to get away from study and work and also at a time when I was down and out. It allowed me to put my energy into something I've always enjoyed but never got a chance to fully. And boy have I enjoyed every minute of it and still continue to! I absolutely LOVE blogging and it's been so much fun sharing it all with you guys!!

Thank you all for your support for my blog. I really appreciate the time you guys take to read my blog, comment, email and tweet me. You guys are awesome! What I've loved most about blogging is that it's allowed me to make so many wonderful friends - some I've had the pleasure and honor of becoming friends with in "real life" and some who I hope to meet some day =)

I had planned to kick off a little birthday giveaway today however I've had to postpone it due to a family emergency here in HK. My grandma suffered a stroke on Chinese New Year Eve and remains in hospital. My grandma is improving but she has a very long recovery ahead. I've stayed on for an extra week here to help out and it's been an exhausting and stressful few weeks with daily visits to the hospital. Hence best laid plans gone and I haven't been able to blog or do much else.. of course I've tried to squeeze in some shopping though hehe. I didn't intend to be away from here for so long but I have lots of exciting things to show you guys very soon so don't worry. I do apologise for the very late reply to emails and tweets and the lack of blogging >.<

I hope you're all doing well =)

I'm going on a summer holiday..

2012-01-15T07:49:00.001+11:00

Today I'm off to Hong Kong for 3 glorious weeks!!! I'll be spending quality time with my family and doing lots of fun things like eating, shopping and celebrating Chinese New Year XD I absolutely cannot wait! Even though I go every year the thrill never dies down haha. Plus I haven't celebrated CNY there in AGES! I'll also be taking time off blogging with the occasional HK update though. I'm going to be FAR too busy eating and shopping to blog sorry! I do have a few posts in draft so if I have some downtime I might post those up.

You can catch me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as always. Normal blogging will resume early February. Cosmetic Cupcake celebrates its 2 year anniversary in February OMG!!! How time flies when you have fun =)

Take care and see you all soon xx

Aldo Nail Lacquers: Deep Barney and Stardust swatches and review

2012-01-12T23:55:00.000+11:00

Aldo shoes recently launched a collection of 9 nail lacquers and today I have two from the collection for you - Deep Barney and Stardust. Keep reading to see swatches and my review!

What they say:

"Like our shoes, ALDO Nail Lacquer is carefully curated to feature the hottest shades and trends of the season. With a range of always-classic nail colours and neon hues fresh off the catwalk to match this season's accessories for a total fashion look.

Made in the USA, the high quality ALDO nail lacquer colour pigments are perfectly calibrated in Germany and assembled in unbreakable bottles, with brushes and caps imported from Italy."

Deep Barney is a beautiful dark royal purple that is almost jelly like in formula. It's somewhere in between a creme and a jelly and dries to a SUPER glossy finish. I LOVE the finish! As it's so glossy, as usual you can see me reflected in my nails haha. Being a purple it was a pain in the you know what to capture on camera so I had to tweak the colours to show you the colour accurately. 2 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Stardust is a sparse silver glitter in a clear base. It contains fine glitter as well as some slightly larger pieces. It dried to a glossy finish also. 2 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Overall: Deep Barney was a little tricky to apply as I experienced some balding. I suggest using a thicker 2nd coat (which I did) or a 3rd thin coat. The finish is just stunning. LOVE.

Stardust is a wonderful glitter topper and I'm going to be reaching for it a lot I predict! It's quite a sparse glitter and I often reach for something like this to give a mani a final glittery touch. It'd also be fantastic for a glitter gradient nail! It applies very smoothly and the glitter applies perfectly evenly on the nail which is fantastic. I'm itching to try out the other glitter in the collection Gold Digger.

These are wonderful lacquers and I really enjoyed using them!! I found the formulas very good ( Deep Barney a bit tricky but still ok) and I love the high shine finish. The brush was great to use and no clean up was required at all. I'm digging the names ie. Gold Digger for a gold glitter, Type O for a dark blood red polish as it sure beats a numbering system that other accessory stores who venture into nail polish seem to do. The price point is very reasonable too which is great news for polish lovers. Aldo you've done a great job with your foray into nail polish!

Details: Aldo nail lacquers are available in 9 shades from Aldo stores for $9.95.

The products featured in this post were 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.

Groomy giveaway winners!!

2012-01-12T00:49:00.003+11:00

Just a quick post to announce the winners of my Groomy giveaway! I had a fantastic response so thank you guys so much! I didn't expect so many people to enter hehe.

Without further ado, the winners are:

tengotreintayuno
Kristen C
Ria
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.. I'm going away at the end of this week so I'd love to get your packages out on Friday!

A huge thank you to Groomy for the wonderful prizes!

If you didn't win this time don't worry! I have more giveaways planned very soon =)

Thanks for looking as always!

A quick pastel manicure

2012-01-11T22:31:00.000+11:00

Ok so I officially suck at naming manis HAHA. However I must say this was a very quick mani! I haven't done a "girlie" mani in a while so I thought I'd break out some pretty pastels and do a skittles =)

Pinky: I used 2 coats of OPI Mermaid's Tears and stamped small bow design from Konad plate m77 using Konad Special polish in white. I then added a silver rhinestone to the centre of the bow!

Ring finger: I used 2 coats of OPI Alpine Snow and stamped double rose design from Konad plate m76 using China Glaze Admire.

Middle finger: I used 2 coats of OPI Steady As She Rose as a base and stamped full bow image from Konad plate m76 using Konad Special polish in white. I added a white heart dazzling and some pink rhinestones too.

Index finger: I used 3 coats of OPI Mermaid's Tears and stamped a design from Konad plate m76 using China Glaze Metallic Muse but it didn't show up doh!

Thumb: I used 2 coats of OPI Steady As She Rose as a base and added 1 coat of Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air.

Topped it all off with my favourite glitter topper China Glaze Fairy Dust!!

My pics aren't the best sorry as I only had time for some quick snaps before the sun went down. What do you think?

Thanks for looking as always!! =)

Picture Polish Festival

2012-01-10T21:02:00.003+11:00

Flakies are my absolute favourite finish IN THE WHOLE WORLD. I've been obsessed with them forever! I remember when they weren't easily accessible and I had to search high and low for these coveted little bottles of flakie goodness. This season, flakie polishes are being embraced by mainstream companies and are making a splash in a big way. Aussie company piCture pOlish have come out with THREE "flakie covers" and I have Festival for you today. WORD OF WARNING: IT'S SO AWESOME!!!!!!!! XD

Festival consists of varying sizes of blue, green, red and orange flakies in a clear base. Here I've layered 3 coats over a black creme (no topcoat) and OMG doesn't it just look fantastic?!!! I absolutely adore the different coloured flakies and the almost duochrome effect it has in different lighting. It makes a nice change from the single coloured flakies. I love them too but a change is always nice!

The flakies apply kind of sparsely so you'll need a few coats for full flakie effect. Because you need a few coats it does take a while to dry but it's so worth it in my opinion. The formula is on the thicker side but very easy to apply and the brush was a pleasure to use too.

Close up:

Overall: You NEED Festival in your life. Get thee onto their website and purchase yourself a bottle. Or 2. Or 3.

Details: piCture pOlish flakie covers can be purchased online from piCturepOlish.com.au for $11.90. They send internationally too!!

For a full list of international stockists you can check it out here.

Are you a fan of flakie polishes? Thanks for looking as always!

The product featured in this post was 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.

A Christmas swap with Aysh!

2012-01-09T15:20:00.000+11:00

Last month I did a lovely Christmas swap with beautiful Aysh! And boy did she spoil me absolutely rotten *cries* You are so very naughty Aysh! I harp on about it like a broken record but blogging has been one of the best things I've ever done. Not only is it an outlet for my beauty obsession but it's enabled me to "meet" so many beautiful ladies who have become wonderful friends =)

The yummy choccies are obviously all gone now! I think I ate about my weight in choccies over the Xmas break haha.

From L - R: Pinky Brown, Emerald Black, Golden Green, Aqua Violet and Purple Blue.
The ENTIRE Models Own Beetlejuice collection!!!!! OH. MY. GOD. And they are every bit as stunning as I imagined!!! I'm currently wearing Purple Blue and it's BEAUTIFUL!!! Swatches will come later as I always have a really hard time capturing duochromes/multichromes etc doh.

From L - R: Green,, Grey and Lilac.
As if the Beetlejuice polishes weren't enough, Aysh sent me 3 17 Magnetized polishes. WHEN I SAW THEM I JUST ABOUT PASSED OUT. I have wanted to try magnetic polishes FOREVER!!! XDDDDD They are SO awesome!!

From L - R: Baked Cherry, Midnight Sapphire and Lilac Storm.
Some cute 17 polishes!!

Collection 2000 polishes in Fruit Loop and BMX Bandit plus Boots Stay Perfect topcoat. The topcoat is Aysh's new favourite (you can read about it here!) so I'm excited to test it out. I've used it once so far and it does dry super quickly yay. Aysh also included a gorgeous Sleek lipstick in her favourite shade and a 17 liquid eyeliner =D

My dearest Aysh thank you so much for your beautiful Christmas package ♥ ♥ ♥ I can't wait to try everything out!

Thanks for looking ladies =) I hope you're all having a good start to the year!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie

2012-01-06T23:50:00.001+11:00

Last year I splurged and finally bought myself the beautiful Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie created by one of my favourite nail bloggers Scrangie. I was so disapppointed that it was discontinued but I nearly passed out when it was brought back!! xD

Scrangie is described as a "medium blue-based purple with green iridescence and green microshimmer". Scrangie combined her two favourite polish colours purple and green to create a colour that mimics the colours of a beetles wing. It is SO beautiful! The shimmer is just amazing!

The formula is on the sheer side so I use 3 coats for opacity. It applies a little unevenly so I get some balding but a thicker final coat usually does the trick. I'm not huge fan of the Rescue Beauty Lounge brushes as they're a little too flexible for me. I prefer my brushes to be firmer to give me better control of the polish but that's just my personal preference ;) It still applies OK but I find I always have to do some cleanup.

I've worn it a quite a few times now but I'm not sure the colour really suits me sadly.. but it's a must have so I'm still going to rock it haha. You can actually purchase Scrangie now as part of Rescue Beauty Lounges Bring It Back colours! It sells for $18US which is on the pricey end of the polish scale but oh so worth it!

Have a great weekend ladies!

Konad lace manicure

2012-01-04T23:32:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! Today I have a konad lace manicure that I've been wanting to try for AAAAAAAGES and I finally got around to doing it yesterday. I saw this mani on Beautopia a while back and knew I had to try it for myself! I am LOVING rocking this mani and I don't want to take it off x)

I used 2 coats of Bloom Toni* (fully swatched here) and then konaded floral design from Konad plate m71 and fishnet design from Konad plate m57 using Konad Special polish in black. Can I just say that stamping with black is a MASSIVE PAIN IN THE FREAKING BUTT. The clean up is terrible!! I would use it more often to stamp if it wasn't for this. The black just gets everywhere on the stamper and scraper and I spent forever cleaning up my cuticles. But I think it was worth it in the end at least!

Beautopia stamped the fishnet design first and then the floral design which I should have done so the floral would stand out more. Oh well!

I stuffed my thumb up =(
Unfortunately most of my nail art for the near future will probably be more on the conservative side. I'm currently filling in for a position at work that needs a more toned down look as it requires going to some "serious" meetings etc! Work want me to apply for the position on a permanent basis in the coming months and while I'm learning the role I want a more tame look. If I do go for the job eventually and get it then I'll go crazy again haha! So expect more konad and demure and less glitter and brights sadly.

What do you think? Thanks for looking as always!

* Product 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.

Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact 13 Milky Strawberry swatches and review

2012-01-03T22:25:00.001+11:00

When I went to Hong Kong last year I FINALLLY picked up a beautiful Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact with help from lovely Jen from Life and Lens of Beauty. Because I'm so indecisive she helped me pick out a colour! We swatched a couple before I finally chose the gorgeous 13 Milky Strawberry. All of the compacts are beautiful but I'm such a sucker for a pretty pink blush! I didn't blog about it sooner because I didn't actually use it for quite some time haha. I just opened it from time to time to admire! x) This post is intended for my awesome friend Tammie who enables me CRAZILY without even trying so it's about time I enabled her back! *YOU NEED A JILL STUART BLUSH TAMMIE...*

What they say:

"Brings a finish to your cheeks to rival that of the greatest of muses. Cheek colour that allows you to enjoy freely mixing four different colours and textures. A quad powder blush with pure luster that blends smoothly and adds a touch of soft colour to your cheeks."

13 Milky Strawberry consists of four shades - a highlighter shade, a light mauve, a bright pink and a light tangerine. The beauty of the Mix Blush Compact is that you can use the shades separately or buff them together. The pigment is quite sheer though so I'd say it's best to wear the colours buffed together. Because it's sheer though you can build up the intensity which is great. You can't go overboard that way! It just gives a beautiful soft glow to your cheeks and lasts all day.

My swatches aren't the best sorry! Below I've swatched the colours individually.

And here buffed together:

It's packaged in the stunning signature Jill Stuart style with a special retractable brush made from 100% natural goat hair that's attached to the compact for ease of use.

It's so darn BEYOOTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! x)

Overall: It's Jill Stuart. It's blush. Of course I'm crazy in love with it!!!!! 13 Milky Strawberry is perfect if you're looking for a lovely soft blush. Unfortunately Jill Stuart beauty products are hard to get your hands on so if you have a friend who's traveling to Hong Kong, Japan or Taiwan I'd suggest you give them your wishlist ;)

Details: Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compacts are available in 9 core variations with limited edition releases from Jill Stuart counters in Hong Kong for $370HK; in Taiwan for $1300NT and in Japan for 4500¥.

Aussie ladies, you can actually purchase this from Yesstyle.com.au for $62. Thank you to Melissa for this info!

I am DYING to try more Jill Stuart products! Have you tried her beauty products before? What would you suggest?

Thanks for looking as always ladies!

Groomy toiletry bags review + giveaway!

2012-01-02T10:28:00.003+11:00

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!
Thank you for entering!
Winner will be announced shortly
Happy 2012 ladies! I hope you all had a fantastic New Year =) I don't know about you but I LOVE toiletry and makeup bags. I love organisational products (hence so many polish storage posts haha!) and I'm always on the lookout for new and improved ways to cart my beauty products around. So I was delighted when the lovely folks at Groomy offered me the chance to review some products. They very kindly sent me the very cute Carousel toiletry bag set to try out.

Groomy travel products range from large makeup bags to tiny makeup pouches and come in three cute designs - Woodland, Carousel and Babushka collections. The designs are just SO ADORABLE!! They are just the type of designs I would be drawn to if I were to come across them in-store. Besides toiletry bags, Groomy also make some lovely handmade items such as hair ties and shower caps.

The Carousel toiletry bag set is a five piece set that contains the travel case toiletry bag, overnight toiletry bag, makeup pouch, mini pouch and beauty tool wallet. The different sized bags are fantastic as you can use them all together if you're travelling or separately for everyday. I keep the overnight toiletry bag at work at the moment as I've been going out a lot after work and need to do my makeup and it's the perfect size for some brushes, blush, highlighter, eyeliner and mascara.

Overnight toiletry bag
The bags are very sturdy and well made and are completely waterproof inside and out which is fantastic. Any spillages can be wiped down very easily! I love that there are so many different sized compartments inside for all your bits and pieces. The zippers are sturdy and the elastics are tight so nothing will move around when you're on the go! The prices are very reasonable starting from just $4.95 for the handmade powder puffs. There's even free shipping within Australia to sweeten the deal! You can purchase Groomy products from groomy.com.au.

When Groomy very kindly sent me over the toiletry bag set to try out they also sent me some products to hold a little giveaway for my lovely readers!! I was hoping to have this as a Christmas giveaway but ran out of time so instead it's a new years giveaway =) What better way to kick off the new year!

There will be THREE lucky winners! Each winner will receive a Carousel beauty tool wallet and Carousel hair tie.

How to enter: Simply be a public follower of Cosmetic Cupcake via GFC and leave me a comment below with your GFC name and email address. You can earn an extra entry by tweeting about my giveaway with link to this post. Don't forget to @cosmeticcupcake and leave the tweet link in your comment!

Giveaway is open internationally and will close on January 11th at 10pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. (It's a strange closing date because I want to post out the prizes before I leave for HK!!!)

GOOD LUCK!! =)

The products featured in this post were 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. The products for the giveaway were also provided by the PR company. My Disclosure Policy can be viewed here.

New Years Eve 2011 manicure fail

2011-12-31T23:58:00.012+11:00

Hi ladies!! Just squeezing in my last post for 2011 to show you my New Years Eve manicure. It's a fail! I had no idea what I wanted and ended up doing a whole load of different things that didn't work. But hey, you see the good and the bad on my blog! I recall my New Years Eve mani last year was a fail too ho hum.. curse of New Year perhaps??!!

Thumb: I used 2 coats of Face of Australia Iron Ore* and stamped firework looking design from Bundle Monster plate BM02 using Konad Special Polishes in yellow, purple, blue and pink. I topped it all off with a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust!

Index finger: I did a purple gradient using Teeez Outta Control on the top 1/3 and some sparse purple glitter on the top 2/3 and a clear glitter over the whole nail.

Middle finger: I used 2 coats of Face of Australia Iron Ore* and stamped star image from Bundle Monster plate BM21 using China Glaze Millenium and added some star dazzlings.

Ring finger: I used 2 coats of Face of Australia Titanium* and added 2 coats of OPI Rainbow Connection*.

Pinky: I used 2 coats of the lovely Teeez Outta Control holo that Marte kindly sent me in our swap.

Thank you all so much for your love and support in 2011. It means the world to me to be able to share my manis and everything in between with you guys. I hope you all have a wonderful, safe and happy New Year! See you in 2012! xx

* Products 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.

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat swatches and review

2011-12-30T16:37:00.001+11:00

Another day, another crackle polish for you all! This time it's Sally Hansen who have released their Crackle Overcoat collection in 8 colourful shades. Today I have two of the shades for you - Fractured Foil and Antiqued Gold.

What they say:

"Crackle Overcoats for endless color effects. Always at the forefront of innovative head to toe beauty, Sally Hansen presents the latest in statement-making nails - the new Crackle Overcoat. Available in eight show-stopping shades, each color offers a custom crackle design for instantly intricate nails, no salon visit necessary.

"With Crackle Overcoat the color combo possibilities are endless!" says Sally Hansen manicurist Alison Bowhill-Hayes. "For daytime I love an understated crackle - think nude nails topped with Antiqued Gold - and at night I take it up a notch topping black polish with Distressed Denim."

Onto the swatches! Here I've swatched them over a black and a white creme with no topcoat. I should have taken some pics with topcoat also as it just makes the crackle sparkle like crazy! On another note, the alternating black and white looks FANTASTIC as a mani. I almost didn't want to cover it up with crackle lol.

Fractured Foil is a sparkly silver foil-ish crackle. It looks a lot like OPI Shatter in Silver but at a more wallet friendly price. I think it looks great over the black and over the white creme gives a nice subtle effect.

Close up:

Antiqued Gold is a very pretty gold crackle. I love the way it looks over the white creme! It looks so elegant and would have made a nice festive manicure.

Close up:

Overall: I am loving this new addition to the Sally Hansen range! This nail art obsessed blogger loves when brands bring out nail art products to their core lines! The Crackle Overcoats applied very easily and crackle quickly leaving a matte finish. Both are very pigmented and a thin to medium coat is all that's needed for a good crackle effect. As with other crackle/shatter polishes, you need to work fairly quickly. To get the best results, apply your desired base colour and wait a few minutes before applying Crackle Overcoat. If not you may get some wrinkling in your base colour which I had on some nails because I was impatient x)

I think the new Crackle Overcoats are very reasonably priced and the large shade range is fantastic. I'm not the biggest fan of Sally Hansen nail polishes to be honest as I think they're just way too overpriced here in Aus for what they are. However I think it's awesome that they've been coming out with more exciting colours, finishes and products lately.

Details: Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoats come in 8 shades and are available now from Target, Kmart, Priceline, Priceline pharmacies and selected pharmacies nationally for $9.95.

Have you tried these new Crackle Overcoats yet? I'm dying to try Distressed Denim and Vintage Violet!

Thanks for looking as always =)

The products featured in this post were 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.

Swap with Marte from Girly - Addictions

2011-12-28T23:03:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! How are you all? I hope you're all doing well! I've been in holiday mode these last few days and haven't really been up for much blogging but I wanted to show you an awesome swap I did recently. I swapped with lovely Marte from **Girly - Addictions** for some polishes and beauty items and her package arrived just before Christmas yay! Swapping with international bloggers is SO much fun and I wish I could do it more often. It's so awesome to try products I otherwise would never be able to get my hands on!

Eeeeeek my first Teeez and Kiko polishes! Oh boy the Teeez holos are gorgeous. I did a quick NOTD last night using one of them and it was just amazing. It applied like butter and dried super fast - it's love! The Catrice polish is from the Sydney collection which is so cool!

THANK YOU so much Marte for fulfilling my longtime lemming of OPI Merry Midnight!!!!! ♥ ♥ ♥ She also included an amazing KOH flakie called Green Stardust. It comes in this awesome looking case too hehe.

Some adorable Hello Kitty nail stickers and Essence nail plates!

Catrice Sydney collection eye and cheek palette and a Hema Metallic Shine eyeshadow cream. The shades in the Sydney palette are named after Sydney landmarks like Taronga Zoo, Town Hall and Bondi Beach and the shades are lovely!

Some skincare products!

Marte also included a pair of her favourite and very cute house socks for me as well as some perfume samples and a handy mirror. A girl can never have enough pocket sized mirrors in my opinion because I always seem to misplace mine! Lastly some yummy sweets and cute Hello Kitty items!!! The Hello Kitty Pez is soooooo adorable!

Thank you so much Marte for your lovely package!!! I cannot wait to try all the polishes and makeup ^__^

Have you done any swaps lately? Thanks for looking as always!! =)

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T23:55:00.001+11:00

Merry Christmas my lovely readers!! I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by loved ones and filled with great food and lots of pressies.

I had a quiet Christmas lunch and gift opening session at home with my family before going to D's. We had a cold lunch of ham, prawns etc with pavlova of course to finish! Then I headed off to D's for dinner with his family. D made Singapore chilli crab for everyone and some roti to go with it but as I can't eat crab I had oysters mornay mmmmm.

D's sisters friend made some yummy creme brulee for dessert too!

Some pressies from my family and a friend. My sis had ordered the Deborah Lippmann Get This Party Started set for me but unfortunately it didn't arrive in time. But I have something to look forward to after Christmas at least!!!

Pressie from D =) I have Benefit Watts Up YAY!!!!!!!!!!

I'll leave you with some pics of our gingerbread house. The sis and I decorated it (next year we're going to bake our own!) very late one night last week and we reckon we did a pretty damn good job if I do say so myself! We're super proud of it lol. We look forward to doing it every year and it's an awesome sisterly bonding session for us too xp

Front of house
Back of house
What did you get up to today? Thanks for looking as always!!

Face of Australia Christmas manicure guest post!

2011-12-24T23:58:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! Happy Christmas Eve! Just a super quick post to let you know that I guest posted over on the Face of Australia blog this week. I was so thrilled to be asked to do a Christmas manicure using the wonderful range of Face of Australia polishes!

I hope you check out my post as well as the great tutorials on the blog using Face of Australia products! Thanks for looking as always =)

Bloom Classic mini nail polish collection swatches and review

2011-12-23T23:55:00.009+11:00

Hi ladies!! How have you all been? I hope you're all in a festive mood and getting ready for a well deserved break (for those who aren't working!). Today I have for you some quick swatches and my review of a lovely mini Christmas nail polish set from Bloom - the Classic mini nail polish collection.

What they say:

"Four classic must-have mini Nail Polish shades in our famous high-shine, chip resistant formula. Contains: Millie, Kim, Edie and Toni."

Millie is a beautiful vampy dark wine jelly. I adore jelly polishes as you might know! I love the colour of Millie but I found application somewhat difficult so please excuse the crappy application and the weird lump on my middle finger. I think it might be the brush for my bottle that made application difficult..? I'm not sure but the formula was OK and like other jellies dried to an amazing shine. You can see my reflection in my nails! 2 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Kim is a classic mushroom creme. It's very opaque and applied wonderfully. I always say this with these shades but it's a very work appropriate colour! 2 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Edie is a stunning orange based red creme. It is absolutely STUNNING! I did not want to take it off. It's super pigmented and applied like an absolute dream. 2 coats is pictured but only 1 is really needed.

Close up:

Toni is a very chic seashell coloured creme (that's what wikipedia says!). This one took me totally by surprise - I didn't expect to like it and it's my favourite colour of the four. It's just beautiful and looks so so elegant. There was some slight balding but it leveled out nicely and dried to a glossy finish. 3 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Overall: These are 4 gorgeous classic shades from Bloom! The colours aren't earth shattering but it's a classic collection so of course it's to be expected ;) The formulas on these were very good and apart from Milllie they applied well for me. They dried quickly and to a very glossy shine. For a mini collection the bottle size is the best I've come across! They're really well sized and the brush is very reasonable.

The mini collection would make a fantastic Christmas gift or stocking stuffer so if you need a last minute gift idea I definitely recommend you pick this up! It doesn't break the bank and the shades can be worn all year round which is great. They are perfect work colours which make a great staple for any polish collection!

Details: The Bloom Classic mini nail polish collection can be purchased from Myer and David Jones stores and Bloom online store for $24.95.

The products featured in this post were 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.

Christmas gift ideas 2011: face and body

2011-12-20T20:42:00.001+11:00

Today's quick Christmas gift idea post features face and body products that I'm lemming! Only one of the products I've tried myself and the others are on my wishlist. Here we go!

Bobbi Brown Party Shimmer Brick: This limited edition Party Shimmer Brick is dressed up in silver and gold and is just so festive and gorgeous. It's even embossed with a martini glass and shaker! WANT.
Available from Myer and David Jones for $85.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush: Tammie helped me get my hands on two a while back and they are the must have blush for the year. Long lasting, super pigmented and gorgeous matte colours. I have Natural Beauty and Dollface and I can't recommend them enough!
Available from Sephora for $25US.

Stella McCartney Lily perfume: I only read about this new addition to Stella McCartney's perfume range the other day and I know I already want it without smelling it! The Stella perfumes are my absolute favourite perfumes in the entire world and are my signature scent. NEED.

Benefit Watts Up highlighter: I LOVE highlighters and I've fallen for this new addition to the Benefit highlighter family. Everyone is raving about it and I really want to try it!
Available from Myer and Adore Beauty for $53.

Kiehl's Crème de Corps limited edition trio: A special limited edition version of the well known Crème de Corps. Kiehl's have collaborated with Australian designers Sass & Bide, Zimmerman & Ksubi for Kiehls and 7.4% of all sales will be donated to Australian children’s charities – THE SHINE COLLECTIVE, a sass & bide and Barnardo’s initiative, for sass & bide; the Starlight Children’s Foundation for Zimmermann, and War Child Australia for ksubi.
Available from Myer and Kiehl's online store for $45.

Have you tried any of these products? What face and body products are on your wishlist this year?

Thanks for looking as always!

Another simple Christmas manicure

2011-12-19T15:56:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! Today I have another super simple Christmas manicure for you all. Instagram pics will have to suffice as I didn't get around to taking proper mani pics unfortunately. I had a few late nights in a row last week which totally interfered with my nail schedule!

For my pinky, I used 2 coats of China Glaze Poinsettia and added candy cane stripes using Kiss Nail Art striper in white. For ring fingers and thumbs, I used 2 coats of China Glaze Midnight Kiss (from last years CG holiday collection) and added a present nail decal to my ring finger. For my middle fingers I used 2 coats of China Glaze Glittering Garland which is such a gorgeous shimmery green! Lastly for my index finger I used 2 coats of China Glaze Poinsettia and added 1 coat of China Glaze Snow Globe.

Very simple to do but super fun and festive! I hope you're all having a wonderful start to the week!

Thanks for looking as always =)

Christmas gift ideas 2011: nails

2011-12-18T23:50:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! Can you believe it's only a week until Christmas?? Where on earth has the year gone! Each year seems to fly by SO much faster than the last. If you're anything like me, you'll have left most of your Christmas shopping til the last minute. Those were the days when I was so organised I had everything all ready by the start of December! I'm late as usual but today I'm kicking off a few posts on my picks for Christmas gifts for this year. Some items I am crazily lemming myself and others I've tried and tested and highly recommend to my lovely readers. Today's post focuses on my favourite beauty item - nail polishes of course! You'll sense a theme here though haha, I realised afterwards that it's a lot of glitter polishes lol.

Deborah Lippmann Get This Party Started gift set: A gift pack consisting of three of Deborah Lippmann's absolutely freaking amazing glitters - Happy Birthday, Candy Shop and Forget You. NEED I SAY MORE!!!
Availalbe from KissandMakeupNY for $42US and Nordstrom for $52US.

China Glaze Holiday 2011 collection: You all know I ADORE China Glaze and this is the the collection I look forward to the most every year. The colours are always perfect for festive manis and this years colours are wonderful! My top picks are Twinkle Lights, Snow Globe and Poisnetta. You can check out my simple Christmas mani and glittery snowflake mani using the polishes.
Available from Crush Cosmetics. The sets range from $14.95 to $16.95.

OPI Muppets collection: OPI's holiday collection for the year is a winner. 12 polishes consisting of which 6 are awesome glitters = AWESOME. You can check out my swatches of three of the glitters here. My top picks are Rainbow Connection, Gone Gonzo, and Excuse Moi!.
Available from David Jones and selected salons for $19.95.

Milani Jewel FX glitters: These awesome glitters still remain one of my absolute favourite glitters and are perfect for the festive season. Any girl would be stoked to have these in their stocking on Christmas morning!
Available from Cherry Culture for $3.99US (sale price) and Nonpareil Boutique for $4.99US.

Essie Luxeffects glitter topcoat collection: Essie's holiday collection that consists of 5 very droolworthy glitters! These are a really pleasant change from their usual cremes. I'm in love with A Cut Above, Set In Stones and Shine Of The Times.
Available from Transdesign and Aveyou for $8US. Santa please bring me some!!

I've just signed up to Polyvore and created the set using it but I don't really know how to use it haha so bear with me!

What's on your nail wishlist for Christmas?

Thanks for looking as always ladies!!

Review: November 2011 Glossybox

2011-12-15T22:49:00.000+11:00

I LOVE samples and I was super envious when I read all about the sample beauty boxes in the US like Birchbox. Finally it's caught on in Aus and one of these boxes is the new Glossybox (previously known as the Beauty Box). I was very excited to be given the opportunity to receive the first box and here's my review for you today.

A box within a box! You won't believe how excited I was to open it and see what was inside!

Glossybox has such pretty packaging and is packaged super well. It's wrapped prettily and tied up with a ribbon with a card explaining the products.

Surprise!

Goodies!

What you get:

Jurilique Purely Age-Defying Ultra Firm & Lift Cream - sample size: "This high performance anti-aging cream is designed to help promote the regeneration of elastin, collagen and new skin cells."
The full size product retails for $90.

Bio Oil - full size: "Bio-Oil is a specialist skincare oil that is effective for aging as well as dehydrated skin. Also applicable for scars, stretch marks ad uneven skin tones."
It retails for $14.95 for a 60ml bottle.

Essie Summer Nail colour in Meet Me at Sunset - sample size: "It's all about daring, sexy colour with thus super shuck collection inspired by the seductive beauty of Brazil."
The full size polish retails for $18.95.

Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss in Geisha - full size: "Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss is filled with botanical moisturizers and antioxidants to give you hydrated and beautiful cushioned lips day and night."
The gloss retails for $39.95.

Lily Loves Pearl Eco mascara: "This 100% natural, Vegan friendly mascara is formulated l nourish, thicken & lengthen lashes. If you want brilliant amazing lashes this is a must-have." Now I believe it's the full size product that's included but I'm not 100% sure as it doesn't say on the tube.
The full size product retails for $36.

Also a packet of jelly beans and a Jurilique 15% off storewide voucher.

Overall: The full size Bio Oil and Mirenesse 3D gloss makes the monthly subscription fee of $14.95 very worthwhile. I'm such a sucker for packaging and Glossybox delivers! I love the pretty packaging and the fact that it has 2 boxes for safe transit. The variety of products is quite reasonable - you get a nail, eye, skincare, body, lip product and some yummy jellybeans too.

While I liked the range of products, I'm not blown away by the first Glossybox. I buy a LOT of products and the items seem to be too readily available to spark a real interest for me. I'd love to try brands I don't see everyday to discover new products. The first box should be an indication of what brands they'll be working with and what future boxes will contain and unfortunately I'm not that excited. The majority of the products are kind of your everyday brands and also in comparison to other beauty sample boxes the product number seems to be slightly less.

I'm also not entirely sure that sample boxes are the right fit for me personally. I just have way too many products and need to use. Sample beauty boxes would be perfect for those just starting out in makeup (eg. my sister) or those who don't have a lot to spend on makeup and want to try before they commit to full size. It would also make a fantastic gift also - it beats the old magazine subscription ANY day! Imagine receiving one every month! I love the surprise element as you have no idea what will be included in the box for that month.

Details: You can subscribe to Glossybox online and costs $14.95 per month which includes delivery.

Have you tried a beauty sample box? What do you think?

Thanks for looking as always!

The product featured in this post was 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.

Glittery snowflake manicure

2011-12-14T21:38:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! How have you all been? Please excuse the lack of posts this week. I've been super busy and just haven't been up for blogging much. Unfortunately my blogging mojo leaves me sometimes! As always I have so much to show you but so little time - I must time manage outside of work better next year! Today I have a quick snowflake manicure that I did very late last night. You can tell because I left such a huge gap between my cuticle and the nail bed but you can't really see it in my photos thankfully x)

I started off with 1 coat of Misa High Waist Hue as underwear to prevent staining. I then used 2 coats of China Glaze Blue Year's Eve which is a gorgeous sparkly dark blue polish. I stamped snowflakes from Konad plate m59 using Konad Special Polish in white and added a coat of China Glaze Snowglobe to top it all off for some glitter and sparkle.

Snowglobe is sooooooooooooooo awesome!! It's been on my wishlist FOREVER and I'm so glad they repromoted it xD Below ~~is a dodgy blurry photo I took~~ I've purposely blurred it so you can see the gorgeous multicoloured glitter. You NEED SNOWGLOBE!!

I'm running out of time for Xmas manis doh! Are you rocking something festive on your nails today?

Thanks for looking as always =)

Simple Christmas manicure

2011-12-09T18:53:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! Here's my first Christmas manicure of the year which I did a few days ago. It's just very simple as I've just been so super busy! But what's new right??! All the polishes are from the China Glaze holiday collection which I look forward to the most every year. Oh how you do holiday collections so well China Glaze!!!!!!

For my pinky and index finger I used 2 coats of China Glaze Holly-Day. For accent finger I used 2 coats of China Glaze Midnight Kiss (from last years holiday collection) and 1 coat of China Glaze Twinkle Lights. For middle finger and thumb I used 2 coats of China Glaze Poinsettia.

Simple but festive and it took me less than 10 minutes to do =) What's not to love about Christmas!

Thanks for looking as always!

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors swatches and review

2011-12-08T23:49:00.004+11:00

Today I have some swatches for you from the Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors collection for Holiday 2011. I haven't seen all that many episodes of the Kardashians but I was pretty excited for this collection because it contains glitters!!! GLITTER!! Plus I just love holiday collections. There are 14 polishes in the collection and I have swatches of four for you - Kendall on the Katwalk, Kim-pletely in Love, Disco Dolls and All Kendall-ed Up today. All swatches are without topcoat.

What they say:

"Nicole by OPI joins the Kardashian family in announcing the launch of the Kardashian Kolor range; 14 effervescent shades inspired by each six members of this TV family.

Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie, Kendall and Kris, each recognised for their fashion forward style, have chosen their favourite colour shade which best reflect their personalities. If these girls are not featuring in the social pages, twittering or staring their reality TV show, they are getting their nails done.

Kardashian Kolor offers a diverse collection of shades, ranging from high-shine and sparkly hues; from frosty white to dark chocolate brown, from a blue-green shimmer to a lipstick red, to neutral taupe to a pinkish coral. The names alone are enough to make your spell-check spontaneously combust."

Kendall on the Katwalk is a stunning blue, purple and green glitter. I adore blue glitters and this one is so unique as it has blue and purple in it too. It is just so gorgeous I didn't want to take it off! Definitely my favourite. It's on the sheer side and 3 coats was needed for opacity which is pictured.

Close up:

Kim-pletely in Love is a sheer light pink with subtle blue microglitter through it. It is SOOOOOO pretty! It looks like a boring pink but the microglitter makes it special. It would be a perfect wedding colour! Unfortunately my camera wouldn't pick up the microglitter properly. I found application a little difficult as the formula is a little on the thin side - I experienced some cuticle flooding and I also had some major dragging but a few coats did the trick. 3 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Disco Dolls is a gold glitter with silver, purple and bronze hex glitter in a bronzey gold base. It's a very unique glitter and is very holiday inspired which I love. It's super opaque and 1 thick coat would be enough however I used 2 coats which is pictured.

Close up:

All Kendall-ed Up is a super bright pink creme. It's slightly darker in real life than my pics but you get the picture. It's not the most unique colour but it's bright and fun and perfect for summer. I'm currently wearing it as my pedi colour with some Nicole by OPI Love Your Life glitter hearts ;) I experienced some dragging so I needed 3 coats which is pictured. It dries super glossy!

Close up:

Overall: I really enjoyed the polishes! Kendall on the Katwalk and Disco Dolls are obviously my favourites as I can't go past glitter! I love that they're unique glitter colours and the formula is excellent and dried very smooth.

I had some dragging issues with Kim-pletely in Love and All Kendall-ed Up but all in all they applied reasonably. I find with sheer pinks and certain cremes there is always some degree of dragging sadly. Dry time for the lacquers was good and the brush was easy to use. I REALLY dislike the "Perfect Stroke" brush they had for some polishes - it nearly gave me a stroke using it!!

I'm not sure how holiday some colours are for example All Kendall-ed Up but the pretty glitters make the collection. I would have loved an entire collection of glitters!

Details: Kardashian Kolor collection will be available soon at selected pharmacies and Terry White Chemists and The Nail File Shop for $14.95. For stockists contact 1800 358 999 or visit www.nicolebyopi.com.

Do you like holiday collections as much as I do? Will you be purchasing any of these colours? Thanks for looking as always!

The products featured in this post were 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.

Review and swatches: Smashbox Girls on Film Limited Edition Blush Rush in Pose

2011-12-07T21:14:00.000+11:00

Today I have my review for you of the limited edition Smashbox Girls on Film Blush Rush in Pose. If you've been reading my blog for a while then you'll know I love blush and that I love limited edition products - so you can't get a better combination!

What they say:

"Be the first snap up the NEW and limited edition Girls on Film Colour Collection from Smashbox, exclusive to KIT. Smashbox is bringing you on set with this film-worthy collection inspired by the magic that happens when you capture the perfect shot. Get in on the studio party. Your closeup is calling.

Get cover-worthy cheekbones with an instant rush of colour, thanks to this ultra-luxe long-wearing blush. The compact also features a cool swivel mirror for easy touch-ups on the go!"

Pose is a gorgeous matte rose pink blush. It's highly pigmented and very little is needed for my fair skin. It blends wonderfully so even if you are a bit heavy handed it's ok!

It's packaged in a compact with a clear insert and the bottom has a swivel mirror which is great for on the go.

Swatches:

Overall: I'd definitely recommend purchasing Smashbox Girls on Film Blush Rush in Pose! I love that it's super pigmented and very easy to blend. It lasts all day on me too which is a must as I'm lazy to reapply blush! It's a gorgeous rosy pink colour and I think a good basic colour for every blush collection.

I find it's a bit warm on me at the moment so I can see myself wearing it a lot in the cooler months. I have 2 older Smashbox blushes which I love and it's great to see that the quality has remained the same over the years. The swivel mirror is a great addition to the packaging!

Details: Smashbox Girls on Film Limited Edition Blush Rush in Pose is available now from Kit Cosmetics counters and online store for $34.95.

For international ladies, you can purchase it from the Smashbox online store for $24US.

Have you tried Smashbox blushes? Thanks for looking as always!

The product featured in this post was 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.

Anniversary manicure

2011-12-06T00:14:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! I'm nearly back to normal posting =) I have so many things to post about but so little time argh! Today I have the mani I did to celebrate my anniversary last week. I struggled to do something less crazy (like what I usually do!) so I still had to do an accent finger with some stamping lol.

I used 3 coats of Barry M Strawberry ice-cream on all fingers except accent finger and sponged Color Club Sex Symbol* on the tips. For my accent fingers, I used 2 coats of Ulta 3 party shoes and then stamped bird and hearts image (isn't it adorable!) from Konad plate m83 using Konad Special polish in white.

Simple but still with my touch ;) I love doing gradient glitter nails. It looks fantastic and it's so easy to do! I can also get my glitter fix without such a painful removal too lol!

Thanks for looking as always ladies!

* 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.

Momofuku Seiōbo 2011

2011-12-05T14:23:00.001+11:00

Before I show you the culinary delights from Momofuku Seiōbo, I want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to you all for all the wonderful, sweet and heartwarming congratulatory messages on our happy news!! We are so so touched ♥ I'm sending you all virtual hugs right now!

Momofuku Seiōbo is David Chang's first Momofuku restaurant outside of New York. It's a 15 course tasting menu ($175 currently, $95 extra with beverage tasting) that is inspired by Australian ingredients. It's located at the newly renovated The Star and with it's discrete entrance marked by the lucky peach is actually a little hard to find and we needed to ask directions! We were so lucky to get a reservation for our anniversary night as the online reservation system is a pain to use. D was all prepared when reservations opened online for that day with four windows open and could only get the 8pm sitting after only a minute. Crazy!

Tables of two get to sit at the counter/bar which for me was the highlight of the night (food wise anyway! Getting engaged was the highlight obviously haha). I absolutely LOVED watching the chefs prep and plate the food in the open kitchen and then have them serve it to you. It was simply fascinating to watch them.

Onto the food!!

It starts off with snacks of shiitake chip, nori, mochi and smoked potato. The shiitake chips were delicious and D and I could literally have polished off a whole plate! The mochi "lollipops" were so yummy too. One each wasn't enough!

David Chang's famous pork bun!! This was D's favourite dish of the night and a close favourite for me. He told the waitress that he wanted another 5 buns LOL. The steamed bun was as soft as a baby's bottom and the pork belly was so tender and delicious. Mmmmmmm I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! It comes with a small bottle Siracha chilli to add a little kick.

Striped trumpeter raw with blood orange, olive oil and powdered green tea. 3 pieces WAS NOT enough - it was so delicious!

Marron with white asparagus and szechuan pepper. Absolutely delicious!! The marron just melted in your mouth and worked wonderfully with the asparagus.

Wagyu beef with radish, fermented black bean and burnt watermelon oil. Such a gorgeously presented dish! However the flavours were quite unusual to be honest. The sauce was very smokey and quite strong.

Smoked eel with Jerusalem artichoke and pink grapegruit and eel dashi. I'm not a huge fan of eel but I couldn't even tell I was eating eel! It paired wonderfully with the delicious Jerusalem artichokes and the eel dashi was light and warming on a cold night.

2 types of crab with butter, pepper and yorkshire pudding. One of my favourite dishes of the night! The crab was SO flavoursome and fresh. The yorkshire pudding was delicious and great to soak up the crab sauce.

Slow cooked egg with toasted rice and brown butter. The egg was lovely and velvety the pops of toasted rice were a nice contrast.

Hand torn pasta with goats cheese, chilli, pickled cherry tomatoes and mint. Another favourite! I could literally eat this every night. The pasta mixed with the goats cheese was so silky smooth and just melted in your mouth. I've never had such delicious pasta! The cherry tomatoes were a flavour explosion in your mouth and the crispy basil was delicious. Such a wonderful combination!

Striped trumpeter with fennel, wakame and aniseed sauce. I'm not a fan of aniseed at all so I had to eat around the sauce. Striped trumpeter was lovely but was not a fan of this dish.

Lamb neck with daikon and pink turnips. I was getting very full by now and actually had to give D half of my lamb neck as I didn't want to miss out on dessert! The lamb neck was so tender and delicious and the turnips were awesome!

Pecorino cheese with honey licorice, jelly and bee pollen. The pecorino cheese hides small pieces of jelly and it's slightly unusual but very tasty! We had to ponder the taste for a while lol.

Wattle seed meringues with malt ice cream and crispy milk skin. I had to ask the chef to repeat "crispy milk skin" when he described the dish as I thought I was hearing wrong lol. It was super crunchy and added great texture to the dish. The meringues were divine! Little crunchy morsels of goodness x) I could have eaten a tub of the malt ice-cream too!

Miso ice-cream with toasted rice pudding, pickled fruits and mochi. The miso ice-cream was very unusual and we both didn't know what to make of it! Quite a strange combination for ice-cream! I don't really like rice pudding but this one was lovely with the pickled fruits.

The last course of the night is the famed candied pork shoulder. They took it out of the oven and let it rest under the lamps for a good while just sitting there and teasing us! At one point D said to me that if the fire alarm went off that night he would jump the counter and grab the pork shoulder first before evacuting LOL xp Here's Chef Benjamin Greeno carving it!!

Said candied pork shoulder. By this time D and I were full to bursting but IT WAS OH SO DAMN GOOD. The pork was so tender and melt in your mouth. I'd love the whole shoulder thanks!

The service was fantastic and the staff were very attentive and professional. The atmosphere is buzzy and cool (no other way to describe it!) with a soundtrack that includes ACDC and Notorious B.I.G. and the chefs wear baseball caps. What other fine dining place would have this??! All in all it was such an amazing evening. Definitely a dining experience I will never forget! And of course a night I'll never forget either ;)

If you've made it through the 15 courses with me thank you! Thanks for looking as always!

A proposal..

2011-12-01T23:56:00.005+11:00

On Monday night D and I celebrated 7 wonderful years together. We like to splurge and go somewhere extra nice for dinner and this year he decided to keep where we were going a surprise. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy surprises but I really like to know what's happening! I kept bugging him to tell me where we were going but all he would do was drop false hints - like we were going to Sutherland, the cuisine was Turkish contemporary and that he hoped I liked entertainment with my meal lol.

I rushed home after work that day and got ready in lightning speed. I still had no idea where we were going but we were headed to the city as far as I could tell (NOT Sutherland) and Pyrmont way too. As we were early for our 8pm reservation we took a walk around Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour holds a lot of special memories for us as we used to go there a lot for dates ♥ Of course we stopped at nearly every restaurant along the way and he pretended it was the restaurant we were going to x)

I've been wanting to check out The Star (Sydney's casino) since they renovated so we head there and have a look around as we've still got time to kill. He pretends to look for a another restaurant and then reveals that we're going to Momofuku Seiōbo for dinner!! OMG!!!!!!!!! I've been so out of the foodie loop I didn't even know that David Chang had expanded Momofuku to Sydney let alone that they had opened up already!! XDDD

Of course Momofuku Seiōbo was absolutely wonderful - 15 courses of food heaven. We were lucky enough to sit at the chefs counter/bench and it was amazing to watch the chefs cook. I'll be doing a separate post about Momofuku Seiōbo later. D couldn't have chosen a better restaurant and it was SUCH a wonderful surprise. We do love our food so very much!

Since it was a work night I was getting pretty tired by the end of the meal and I suggested we head home to exchange gifts. He insisted we go for a short walk to Darling Harbour to walk to the food off. I'm absolutely full to bursting so I don't complain! We take a stroll and find a quiet spot and sit down to exchange gifts.

D tells me to close my eyes while he gets my present out. I open my eyes and he places a large blue Tiffany's box in my lap and turns to me.. this is for you..

I open the box and inside I find a small porcelain Tiffany Blue Box that I have been coveting since forever..

I open the lid and I find a velvet ring insert in it which is not how it comes... but it's empty.. because it needs something in it.. and D reaches into his pocket.. and pulls out a ring.

It's all not really sinking in at this point yet..

I start crying as he stands up to place himself in front of me and gets down on bended knee. He looks into my eyes.. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.. And then he asks me those four little words - Will you marry me?

I'm a mess at this point - a mixture of tears, mascara and eyeliner is running down my face and I'm too choked for words. Of course I say yes (I think I just managed a tearful nod) and he slides the ring onto my finger. It's a perfect fit.

I'm still in shock and quite emotional at the moment. I am so completely and utterly happy. I cannot believe that D is my fiance and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him. He's my best friend, my rock and my soulmate. Yes it's cliche but dammit it's true. We've been together through the good, the bad, the ugly and the amazing with so much more to come. I can't imagine life without my D and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us! I've been smiling like an idiot since Monday night xD

Enough sentimental stuff, I know you'll be interested in the ring! My absolutely breathtaking and very special engagement ring:

After I'd finished crying I got a proper look at my ring and it took my breath away. It still does! I can only describe it as absolutely perfect in every single way. D designed the ring himself down to the very last minute detail over a few months. It's a 1.01ct diamond in a platinum setting with a white gold band.

The small details he requested from the jeweler are so touching. Our initials are engraved inside the band by the engraver that engraves for Tiffany (I adore Tiffany & Co!!). The bottom prong is heart shaped as well as the prong setting (sorry I don't know the correct terms!). As one of my close friends said it's so very me. I am never ever taking this baby off!

We are SO happy and excited to start this new chapter of our life together! We don't know when we'll get married just yet as there's loads to do 1st. Of course you can expect wedding inspired manicures and other related posts in the coming months though =)

A HUGE thank you to all my tweeps and Instagram buddies for all your congratulatory messages!

At Momofuku Seiōbo on our happy night!

Normal posting will resume soon. I'm still just floating on cloud nine at the moment and haven't been able to concentrate on much! Thanks for looking as always =)

Dior Addict in Model 564 swatches

2011-11-29T21:32:00.000+11:00

The Dior Addict lipsticks are one of my favourites. The colours in the collection are gorgeous and they feel just AMAZING. Not to mention the pretty packaging! I LOVE them to pieces and it was all thanks to Tammie that I wanted them and now have them xp I have some quick swatches of Model 564 today which I showed you in my latest Sephora haul on Sunday. You can check out my full review of the Dior Addict lipsticks here.

Model is a Sephora exclusive shade and is described as a "sheer warm pink". I ADORE shades like this! I do have some bold lippies but the majority of the time I reach for pinks and nudes.

As with the other Dior Addicts I own, it applied beautifully and feels wonderful on. It lasts quite a decent time on me before I need to reapply. I have quite pigmented lips so the colour is very subtle on my lips but I like that as it means I can use it everyday.

Swatches:

Details: Dior Addict in Model is only available from Sephora for $28US. Other shades can be purchased from the Dior online store.

Dior Addict lipsticks are available from Myer and David Jones stores for $49Aus.

Have you tried Dior Addict lipsticks? If you haven't, I really suggest you splurge and try one!!

Thanks for looking as always =)

November Sephora haul thanks to Tammie!

2011-11-27T21:52:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend =) Today I have a quick haul post for you courtesy of the awesome Tammie. Sephora unfortunately doesn't ship to us Aussie ladies (BOO!!) so lovely Tammie is my US enabler! I haven't been doing many haul posts lately.. lots of people are really struggling at the moment so I don't really feel comfortable doing my monthly haul posts (I haven't hauled TOO much recently) but the occasional haul post is OK I think as I know you guys enjoy them.

So many goodies!!!! xD It was great to open up the package hehe. Tammie also helped some of my friends get some items too which was so nice.

NARS Sea of Love set containing full size Illuminator in Laguna, lip gloss in Turkish Delight, The Multiple in Orgasm and blush in Super Orgasm.

Look how cute the mini NARS blush is! Here it is next to my full size Orgasm blush hehe.

Some Urban Decay goodies!! 24/7 Shadow Pencil Stash, 24/7 liner in Yeyo and Grind House pencil sharpener. I mainly got the pencils to try the teal colour because I want to add some colour to my makeup ;)

I've been loving cream eyeshadows lately because they're so simple and quick to use! I've been itching to try the Benefit Creaseless Creams ever since I saw them over on Emily's Anthology. She raves about Strut and she did a great tutorial on how to take your makeup from day to night using it so I thought I'd get a few to try out. I got Birthday Suit, RSVP and Strut.

And last but not least my HG eye makeup remover Lancôme Bi-Facil and another Sephora exclusive Dior Addict lipstick in Model.

Tammie also helped me get something for my sis which isn't pictured because it's part of her Xmas present and hidden at the moment from her prying eyes ;) Thank you once again for helping me get my hands on Sephora items Tammie!! I seriously would have a lot less make up (and lemmings you huge enabler!) if it weren't for your generosity in helping me custom purchase ♥

What have you hauled lately? Thanks for looking as always!

White Ribbon Day 2011 manicure

2011-11-25T07:15:00.001+11:00

November 25th is declared as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the White Ribbon has become the symbol of it. All violence is unacceptable and the White Ribbon campaign aims to prevent the most common form of male violence which is against women. Through it's yearly campaign and prevention initiatives, it hopes to change the attitudes and behaviours of men towards women and prevent violence. Far too many women are affected by violence - statistics show that 1 in 3 women in Australia over the age of 15 have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence at some time in their lives. With the patient group I work with, I witness the result of violence 1 time too many. It needs to end.

I have for you today my White Ribbon Day manicure in support of the White Ribbon campaign.

I used 2 coats of Face of Australia Titanium* on all fingers as a base and then used Kiss nail art striper in white to freehand the ribbon.

Show your support today by wearing a White Ribbon, buying White Ribbon merchandise or making a donation. For the men in your lives, they can show their support by swearing the White Ribbon Oath. The campaign is now the largest global male-led movement to stop men's violence against women. White Ribbon encourages Aussie men and boys to take the oath and to help make a positive change. It's a symbol of commitment to change and challenge attitudes that contribute to violence against women.

Stop violence against women.

* 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.

Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 giveaway winners!

2011-11-23T23:37:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! Today I have the winners of my Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion giveaway for you. The 5 lucky winners will each receive a 375ml bottle of Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 to try out!

I loved reading your sun care tips - I really wish I'd been told so many of those things when I was a teenager!! That way I wouldn't be trying to repair the damage now but oh well =(

Without further ado the winners are:

Tinny
Lauren
Prettymom
Ritat
Beautysnippets
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..

If you didn't win this time don't worry!! I still have one more little giveaway planned before the year ends ;)

Thanks for looking as always!

Review and swatches: Arbonne Lip Polish in Coral

2011-11-22T23:43:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! I have another lovely Arbonne product for you today - this time it's their Lip Polish in Coral. Before I discovered the joys of lipstick I only really wore lip glosses exclusively so I'm always very excited to try out a new gloss!

What they say:

"Arbonne’s Lip Polish is a fun and sexy lip product for women who are after superior shine, without the unwanted stickiness. Each shade of Lip Polish glides on with ease, and leave lips feeling silky and smooth. With 7 available shades, there is an ideal colour for every occasion.

Suitable for all skin tips, the Lip Polish can be worn day or night for the perfect lip shine."

Coral is a dark coral shade with a hint of shimmer. As it's Spring right now in Aus I am getting right into my coral shades! Coral is a very pigmented and is very glossy. The Lip Polishes are packaged with the same sleek dark brown Arbonne packaging which I really like it as it looks so stylish! I prefer using glosses with sponge applicators and the lip polishes have a clear wand with a sponge applicator.

Swatches:

Overall: Arbonne Lip Polish in Coral is a gorgeous gloss. It feels fantastic on the lips without a trace of stickiness (I HATE sticky glosses!) and feels smooth and moisturising on the lips. The coral colour is perfect for the warmer months and I think a very flattering colour for most ladies. It's very glossy and pigmented which is great! The sleek packaging is a major plus too. Wear time is quite reasonable I found - about 2-3 hours on me before I have to reapply.

The only negative I have is the price. $36 for a lip gloss is a little pricey in my book but I haven't really seen many coral lip glosses around so it'd definitely be a gloss to check out.

Details: Arbonne Lip Polishes are available in 7 shades from the Aus Arbonne International online store for $36.

I'm very interested in trying the other shades now! Have you tried the Arbonne Lip Polishes before?

Thanks for looking as always ladies!

For international ladies, they can be purchased from the US Arbonne International online store for $22US and the UK Arbonne International online store for £17.00.

The product featured in this post was provided to me for consideration at an event 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.

Bumblebee manicure

2011-11-21T23:16:00.002+11:00

Hi ladies! I've wanted to do a bumbleebee mani for ages now and I finally got a chance to last night! Unfortunately it kinda sucks *hangs head* But woohoo for the awesomeness of DSLR cameras so it doesn't look as crap as it does in real life haha. I need to get better at freehand! Here's my crappy attempt for you.

I used 2 coats of Barry M Blueberry ice-cream as a base. For the trails, I used a small nail art brush* from Born Pretty Store and Kiss nail art striper in black to draw short lines. For the bee, I used a small nail art brush* to draw an oval using China Glaze Happy Go Lucky for the body and added lines and outline using Kiss nail art striper in black. For the wings I used a large dotting tool* also from Born Pretty Store and Kiss nail art striper in white.

For my thumb I wanted clouds! I stamped full cloud design from Konad plate m79 using Konad Special polish in white. Topped it all with a coat of Konad Special topcoat and then a coat of my HG Color Club Vivid Color Intensifying topcoat.

You can't really see from my pics but my Konad topcoat makes my mani bubble!! GAH. But unfortunately when I do nail art using black I almost always tend to be too heavy handed when applying topcoat and end up smearing a finger or two so I need to use the Konad topcoat..

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

* 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.

Cult Nails Devious Nature

2011-11-19T23:52:00.000+11:00

A super quick swatch post for you tonight! I have for you the gorgeous Cult Nails Devious Nature. My swatches aren't the best unfortunately as I did my nails very quickly the other night xp

Devious Nature is a straight up gorgeous hot pink creme. You guys know I love pinks and this is definitely no exception! It is slightly darker that what is pictured in my pics as it has some berry tones in it. I think Teacup described it nicely on twitter the other night as a "grown up barbie pink". It applied like a dream and dried very quickly. 2 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Details: Cult Nails polishes can be purchased from the Cult Nails online store for $10US.

Thanks for looking ladies! Aussie ladies don't forget to enter my Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 giveaway here!

Guest review: Arbonne Perfecting Liquid Foundation SPF 15

2011-11-17T22:43:00.003+11:00

Today I have another guest review from P! I was very fortunate to attend an event a while ago where I was introduced to Arbonne cosmetics. One of the products I got to try out was the Arbonne Perfecting Liquid foundation SPF 15 and I was so super impressed with it just from one swatch. Coverage was absolutely fantastic from a small pump and it covered all manner of redness. The PR company very kindly sent me over a bottle to try out but alas the shade I chose was totally the wrong shade for me which I was very disappointed about. Luckily the shade suited P perfectly so I was able to pass it on to her!

What they say:

"Arbonne's Perfecting Liquid Foundation SPF 15 is the ultimate in liquid foundation technology with polypeptides, gliding seamlessly onto the skin creating an even smooth tone.

The Perfecting Liquid Foundation SPF 15 with light reflecting properties is delivered effortlessly through the airless pump, resulting in a flawless finish, whilst maintaining moisture levels for a smooth and healthy skin tone.

The exclusive Optilight Technology helps ensure that the product is non-comodogenic, enhancing breathability and reducing the chance of pore clogging and skin issues."

The review:

Hello again ladies! I'm slowly making my way through cosmetics that don't suit 'chelle's beautiful porcelain face. These are all the dark shades which seem to be in plenty supply which is lucky for me.

Here's the next tried and tested face improvement product - Arbonne Perfecting Liquid Foundation SPF 15 in Rosy Beige:

Before trying this foundation I hadn't even heard of Arbonne. Sounded like a famous french philosopher. Or a soccer player. Now I know better, after googling this brand. ('chelle: I'd never heard of Arbonne either don't worry!)

I thought the Clinique moisturiser had great coverage, until I tried this one out. The tiniest pump covered one cheek! I was impressed. My skin tones were even, and blemishes gone - all with quick flicks of the fingers. Very light and non greasy. This foundation passed the 1 minute application and removal tests. Although slightly more cleanser was required to remove it all.

I prefer this foundation for going out at night, when I need a slightly heavier base. This foundation smells great too. Always a plus for me, as I'm sure that if a product stinks, others will smell the stink too. The only thing is the dispenser is a bit too long for my liking and doesn't fit in my bag (basketball shoes and lunch get first priority) so I have to leave this one at home.

I would also recommend this to anyone looking for a reliable, long lasting, easy to apply and smooth foundation.

I've got to head now - basketball, sweaty nose and sweat moustache all call.

Thanks for sticking with me!

Details: Arbonne Perfecting Liquid Foundation SPF 15 is available in 15 shades from Arbonne International online store for $55.

For international ladies, it can be purchased from the US Arbonne International online store for $40US and the UK Arbonne International online store for £30.00GBP

The product featured in this post was provided to me for consideration and I then passed it on to P. As always, reviews on Cosmetic Cupcake are 100% honest opinion. My Disclosure Policy can be viewed here.

Butter London All Hail the Queen

2011-11-16T22:23:00.003+11:00

Hi ladies! Just a super quick swatch for you of Butter London All Hail the Queen today. I picked this up a little while ago when Ozsale had a Butter London sale and the polishes were VERY reasonably priced so I picked up a few lemmings! I also got No More Waity Katie and Victoriana but unfortunately the bottle of No More Waity Katie came a bit smashed.

All Hail the Queen (or All Hail McQueen as it was previously known as) is a very subtle beige holographic polish. It is such a work appropriate colour to the point it's not bright enough for me LOL. It applied wonderfully and dried quickly to a glossy finish. The brush was easy to use but I prefer to use a slightly firmer brush, nil clean up needed. 2 coats pictured.

Close up:

As you can see it's a very subtle holographic. I do wish it were more noticeable! I'm glad I finally fulfilled my lemming though =)

Unfortunately I haven't had much time for nail art this week so check out my nail art gallery for my previous manis! Thanks for looking as always ladies!

Aussie ladies don't forget to enter my Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 giveaway here!

Lancôme 29, Saint Honoré Maison Lancôme blush

2011-11-15T22:47:00.002+11:00

Breathtaking. Stunning. Beautiful. Collectors item. These are the words you will use to describe the blusher I have the pleasure of showing you today. It holds pride of place in my blusher collection and I open it up and just stare at it I kid you not! It took me forever to even swatch it because I didn't want to touch it but alas I must for blogging purposes. I have for you today the Lancôme 29, Saint Honoré Maison Lancôme blush.

A while back I had the pleasure of attending the Lancôme launch event for the Lancôme 29, Saint Honoré collection at an exclusive Sydney mansion. This beautiful collection is created by Lancôme's leading makeup artist Aaron De Mey and is inspired by the late 1940s fatale chic trend. It celebrates the ultimate feminine woman and her willingness to express her femininity through makeup.

What they say:

"The very essence of Paris has been infused into this season’s blush to represent the historical Lancôme institute at 29, Faubourg, Saint Honoré.

Created as a true work of art, this blush has all the allure of a pretty vintage postcard, telling the beautiful tale of Paris at the end of the 1940s. Its case is engraved with a golden plaque, reminiscent of the Capital’s most distinguished addresses. Discover the universal harmony of tender rose, decorated with a delicate sprinkling of gold."

Isn't it absolutely beautiful? The blush consists of a dark pink, a light pink and a beigy peach with some gold overspray on the Eiffel Tower and lampost. To apply, Aaron De Mey recommends "blending the three shades with a brush, then use generous movements to sweep them up towards the temples, sculpting cheekbones and brightening the complexion." It gives a nice soft matte pink colour to my cheeks, like a subtle glow. It is VERY sheer but is somewhat buildable to a certain degree.

It's a very pale colour so it swatches quite light on me:

When applied quite heavily (sorry for the bare minimum makeup look):

You can really see my pigmentation here =(

Overall: Maison Lancôme blush is a simply stunning blush. No doubt about it. It is definitely a collectors item that is a must for blusher fiends like yours truly! However it's not a product that is a must for the everyday makeup collection. I do wish it was more pigmented - even though I apply with a very heavy hand it still only just shows on my cheeks. I guess this is a positive in that you can apply in the dark without a mirror and still achieve the perfect natural flush!

Details: Lancôme 29, Saint Honoré Maison Lancôme blush is available now for a limited time only from Adore Beauty and David Jones and Myer stores nationally for $75.

US ladies can purchase it online from Lancome USA and Sephora for $40US.

Now that I've swatched it for you it's going back in my dresser not to be touched again x) Thanks for looking as always! Aussie ladies don't forget to enter my Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 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.

Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 review and Skin Savers squad

2011-11-14T18:43:00.002+11:00

Did you know that as much as a short walk from the train to work can cause incidental sun exposure? And that in Summer UVB rays can cause a fair skinned person to burn in as little as 15 minutes! Scary. Also considering I'm one of those fair skinned girls who burns very easily! In my teens I didn't pay much attention to sun protection but now I really try to apply suncreens and the like. UV rays can harm your skin no matter the season and it's SO super important to protect your skin all year round. Over a long period, incidental exposure to the sun can have devastating effects on the skin such as skin cancers, sunburn, premature aging and wrinkling of the skin.

Vaseline's Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF15 can help you prevent incidental sun exposure! Read on for my review of the product as well as an exciting event and giveaway =)

What they say:

"Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 is a light, quick absorbing moisturising body lotion enriched with moisturising Aloe Vera, blocking more than 93% of UVA & UVB and leaving skin silky smooth and hydrated. Apply regularly in all seasons for best results."

I've been using Vaseline products for years and years so I was very excited to hear about this inclusion to their body lotion line. The SPF factor alone had me interested! The lotion is white with a medium consistency and applies wonderfully. It sinks in to the skin pretty much immediately leaving no sticky residue and it feels hydrating. One of the things I absolutely detest in a body lotion is if it's sticky! I had no issues with Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 which is what I find with other Vaseline body lotions I've tried before (why I love using them!). The lotion doesn't smell like sunscreen like at all and has a light aloe vera scent.

Overall: Aloe Fresh Lotion SPF 15 is a definite winner in my book. It's hydrating, non-sticky and I love the fact that it contains SPF 15 so you don't have to moisturise and ALSO apply sunscreen! I would love a higher SPF though as the Aussie sun can be very harsh. It would also be great if it came in a travel size for touch ups on the go ;)

Details: Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 can be purchased now from supermarkets and pharmacies nationwide starting from a low price of $7.68 for a 200ml bottle. The 375ml bottle I've featured retails for $11.59. For stockist info, please call 1800 061 027.

On to the event! This week, Vaseline Skin Saver squads will be out in force in city locations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to help protect us Aussie ladies this Summer! The very buff (AND SHIRTLESS!!!) male squad will be out in force with umbrellas and full size bottles of Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion with SPF 15 to help protect Aussie skin. The first 200 Sydney ladies who head down to Wynyard Park on the day will score a free coffee from the delicious Bertoni Café on Kent Street! If you're in the area on the day make sure you pop by. I wish I could go but unfortunately I'm working doh!

The lovely Ms Kate Ritchie with the Vaseline Skin Saver squad!
Event details:

What: Vaseline “skin saver” squads
When: Wednesday 16th of November in Brisbane; Thursday 17th of November in Sydney and Friday 18th of November in Melbourne.
Time: 11.00am – 2.00pm
Location:: Brisbane at King George Square; Sydney at Wynyard Park and Melbourne at Southern Cross Station.
Cost: Free!

Edit 18/11/11: Please note that the Melbourne Skin Savers event has had to be postponed today due to unforeseen circumstances.

Now for ladies who can't make it down on the day, no need to worry! Vaseline have very kindly offered 5 375ml bottles of Aloe Fresh lotion in SPF 15 (pictured below) to give away to 5 of my lucky Aussie readers!! How awesome is that!

How to enter: Simply be a public follower of Cosmetic Cupcake via GFC and leave me a comment below with your email address, what state or territory you reside in, and your no.1 sun protection tip. It can be anything! You can earn an extra entry by tweeting about my giveaway with link to this post. Don't forget to @cosmeticcupcake!

Please note this giveaway is open to Australian residents only. Giveaway will end in just under a week on Sunday 20th November 2011 at 10pm EST.

Good luck! Thanks for looking as always =)

The product featured in this post was 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.

Pink for October 2011 giveaway winner

2011-11-13T23:55:00.005+11:00

Before I get onto announcing the lucky winner of my Pink for October 2011 giveaway, I'd like to say a few words. I like to keep things nice and lighthearted on my blog but seeing as it's my blog I can darn well say what I like! I really enjoy holding giveaways for you guys to show my thanks for all of the AMAZING support and love you show for me and my blog. I am truly humbled by it. I never expected people to read it and you guys make it extra special for me. I love blogging and sharing my passion for all things beauty with you. Giveaways allow me to say a huge thank you and it feels awesome to be able to send something special out to one of you from time to time!

So I DO NOT appreciate being hassled numerous times about who the winner of my giveaway is via emails, Facebook messages or comments on posts that have NOTHING to do with the giveaway.

I mean seriously???? Some people even did it via TWO different mediums! With this giveaway in particular it's been quite unrelenting and I just couldn't let it pass. I am lucky to be given the opportunity to hold giveaways with products kindly donated by companies however the majority of the time I = me = 'chelle buy all the products myself with my hard earned nursing $$ to give back to you guys. I put a lot of time and thought into choosing the products for my giveaways and I also pay for postage mind you. So again, I REALLY do not appreciate being hassled. Obviously if there is no blog post announcing the giveaway winner then I haven't drawn it yet!! I am hassled enough by my patients and others at work that I do not want it in my creative outlet and escape from work. Clearly these people do not read my blog normally and are only looking for that post that says "giveaway winner".

I'm not sure that some of you are aware just how much work goes into blogging and also holding giveaways. My blog isn't all that I do even though I spend in excess of 32hours per week working on it AFTER I COME HOME FROM WORK. There is swatching, taking photos, editing photos, writing etc. BUT it is a labour of love that I absolutely adore and wouldn't give up for the world.

I work full time and have a life outside of blogging too. I would love to spend more time working on my blog but this isn't possible. I often have a fantastic response to my giveaways and this time I had 558 entries to go through. It does take quite some time to go through entries and I do try and go through them as people enter but real life comes first so it isn't always possible. Therefore of course there is always some delay in drawing the winner for my giveaways. If you don't like to wait, then do not enter my giveaways.

I hate to do this but I am considering null and voiding entries for people who do this for future giveaways. My giveaways therefore my rules. Bear in mind this is only a handful of people. The rest of you lovely readers are FREAKING AWESOME.

So with my little soapbox over, the lucky winner of my giveaway is:

Akuma Kanji!!
Congratulations!! I've just sent you an email 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 winner..

I enjoyed reading all your lovely comments ladies and hope you all support Breast Cancer awareness and other great causes throughout the rest of the year. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Thanks for looking and for your support =)

Tiffany & Co manicure - take 2

2011-11-10T23:46:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! Just a quick post for you tonight. I'm going to be redoing some of my favourite manicures that I did when I first started my blog. They were kinda dodgy so now that my skills have improved I thought I'd redo them! Plus I have a better camera now so better pics. Today is take 2 of my Tiffany & Co manicure and you can see my original manicure here. Because I'm tired tonight this post is going to be a light on words. I hope you guys don't mind seeing a few more pics of this mani =)

I used a coat of Eyeko Petite Polish as a sheer base on all fingers except ring fingers. I freehanded a French tip using China Glaze For Audrey on all fingers except ring fingers where I used 2 coats for the entire finger instead. I then stamped bow designs using Konad plate m59 and Konad Special polish in white and added a silver rhinestone to the middle of the bows. I topped it off with a coat of Konad Special polish topcoat to prevent any streaks and a coat of Color Club Vivid Intensifying topcoat. Unfortunately my topcoats dried bubbly but you can't really tell in my pics.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this mani take 2! I loved this mani first time around and I love it even more this time =D Looking at my old mani, I realise that my stamping and polishing skills have improved OUT OF THIS WORLD which is nice! Plus the condition of my nails is a lot better too.

What manis would you like to see me redo? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for looking as always ladies!

OPI Muppets collection: Rainbow Connection, Excuse Moi! and Gone Gonzo! swatches

2011-11-08T22:29:00.001+11:00

Today I have some swatches for you from the highly anticipated OPI Muppets collection! This is OPI's holiday collection for 2011 and this year they've given us yet another fabulous collection. This year they've collaborated with The Muppets and the upcoming The Muppets movie with 12 amazing polishes - and 6 of them are GLITTERS!! I've been waiting for The Muppets collection to come out for sooooo long and I couldn't wait to swatch them! Today I have Rainbow Connection, Excuse Moi! and Gone Gonzo! for you.

What they say:

"The dazzling Muppets lacquer collection is not something to miss, featuring 6 bright sequined glittery lacquers, four metallic shades and 2 rich shades of burgundy red.

The partnership between The Muppets and OPI, both icon brands, is in their ability to be fun, creative, quirky and passionate. The collection is an epic spray of colour, glitter and fantasy, in true Muppet style, OPI’s The Muppet Collection will not disappoint."

Onto the swatches!

Rainbow Connection is a rainbow glitter suspended in a clear base. It contains multicoloured hex and small round glitters and is a GLITTER PARTY IN A BOTTLE! This was the glitter I was most hoping to own as I LOVE glitters like this. The formula is a little thick so the glitter doesn't glide onto the nail easily. I use what I call the "splat method" to apply where I basically get the brush and "splat" the glitters on haha. I use this method to apply other hex glitters too like the Milani Jewel Fx glitters. It's somewhat difficult to wear Rainbow Connection alone as it would become quite thick so I'd suggest layering it over a base colour. If you'd like to see Rainbow Connection alone have a look at my post here. I've layered a few coats here over a silver foil and I think it looks amazing. I'm wearing it as my NOTD right now because I couldn't bear to take it off!

Close up:

Excuse Moi! is a very pretty warm pink glitter. It contains medium round rainbow glitter with silver microglitter suspended in a warm pink base. It is so pretty and quite unusual. It is nearly completely opaque in 1 coat which I'm amazed at! 2 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Gone Gonzo! is a sparkly aqua glitter. It contains aqua glitter with silver hex glitters suspended in a clear base. It applies quite sheer so a few coats is needed to reach opacity. The formula is a little on the thick side so I'd recommend waiting a good few minutes before applying more coats or it will clump. My pictures don't do this polish justice - in real life Gone Gonzo just dazzles!! 3 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Overall: These glitters are just amazing and absolutely perfect for the upcoming party season! I know I'll be rocking at least one of these glitters on NYE this year! Yes glitters are a pain to remove but oh so worth it in my book for the sparkle and fun that comes from wearing them. I DESPERATELY need the rest of the OPI Muppets collection. YOU need them. Your sister needs them. Your mum needs them too. Enough said.

Details: The limited edition OPI Muppets collection is available now at selected salons and David Jones store nationally for $19.95.

What colours will you hauling from this collection? May I suggest ALL of them??!! Xp Thanks for looking as always! =)

The products featured in this post were 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.

Glitter Gal 3D Holographic Lizard Belly

2011-11-07T21:42:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! I have a quick swatch for you of one of the new Glitter Gal polishes I hauled a little while ago. Kerry and Anna released three new polishes in their 3D Holographic range a little while ago and of course I just had to have them x) A few clicks later and three little beauties were in my hot little hands! Today I have Lizard Belly for you.

Lizard Belly is a very dark green almost black linear holographic polish. It's so awesome!! I'm going to sound like a broken record but as with other Glitter Gal polishes it's very opaque and it applied flawlessly. I did 2 coats out of habit which is pictured with no topcoat. It dried quickly to a very glossy finish.

Close up:

LOOK AT THAT HOLO GOODNESS!!!!!! It almost looks fake!

In artificial light and blurred:

You can purchase Glitter Gal polishes from the Glitter Gal online store for $11.95. You can see a full list of international stockists here.

What do you think of this dark green holo? Thanks for looking as always! =)

Revlon New Complexion foundation review and a blogger make-over!

2011-11-06T23:06:00.002+11:00

Hi ladies! A few weekends ago, a few beauty bloggers and I were invited to have makeovers done by the Revlon team at the iconic Bondi Icebergs using the new Revlon New Complexion foundation. We were told to arrive with no makeup on (I nearly fainted when I read this!) so we could have before and after pics taken. Keep reading below for my review of the foundation and a few pics from the event!

Boy was it a gorgeous day to be at Bondi!! Perfect Sydney weather and the perfect location - if you come to Sydney you definitely need to visit Icebergs! We were treated to yummy brunch which included delicious smoked salmon tarlets and yoghurt before being pampered by the lovely Revlon makeup artists.

Photo courtesy of Matthew Di Muro Photo courtesy of Matthew Di Muro
I've now had a proper chance to road test the New Complexion foundation and I am LOVING IT!

What they say:

"A shiny face can be a problem for all of us – but not any more with new Revlon New Complexion® Oil-Control Makeup, perfect for giving you a fresh look that is shine free! Revlon introduces New Complexion® Oil-Control Makeup with an oil-controlling benefit that addresses the needs of younger women who want to wear a makeup that is suitable for their skins. Oil and clogged pores is one of their top concerns, especially in warmer temperatures.

Containing oil-absorbing spheres that put an end to shine once and for all, Revlon New Complexion® Oil-Control Makeup will leave you feeling confident and shine free, all day long. This advanced oil-free formula won’t clog your pores and will leave your skin with a soft luminous finish so you can say goodbye to shine!"

I was kindly sent the New Complextion foundation in Natural Beige to try out and it matches my NC20 skin very well. The makeup artist actually used Sand Beige on me on the day which is more yellow toned but I like the way Natural Beige looks on me. The formula is very lightweight and quite runny so it blends like an absolute dream. I find it gives medium coverage but is easily buildable and it feels wonderful on the skin. It comes packaged in a round glass bottle and contains SPF 20.

Overall: Revlon New Complexion foundation has become my new everyday foundation and my HG drugstore foundation!! It is hands down a winner in my book and the price point for us Aussie ladies is EXTREMELY reasonable. I can't believe I haven't tried Revlon foundations before.

I am loving the way New Complexion makes my skin look - it's very natural and it feels fantastic on the skin. I hate foundations that feel heavy and this feels like you're wearing nothing at all! I am going to be wearing this a lot in Summer because of this. I love that I can build the coverage up and you don't need to use much at all for a full face. It blends like an absolute dream and lasts a whole day of work for me. I have combination skin and I find it controls my oiliness very well yet doesn't feel drying on my cheeks. I also find it doesn't fade which I'm very impressed about because my more expensive foundations do tend to wear after a long day especially in my dry spots whereas New Complexion doesn't at all.

The only negative is the packaging. I am not a fan of it AT ALL. A glass bottle with a huge opening? Mess galore! Especially if you're as clumsy as I am x) If I'm not concentrating I end up tipping more than I need onto my hand which is waste. Please Revlon - change it to a pump or squeezy bottle!

Will I repurchase? A definite YES.

Details: Revlon New Complexion foundation is available now in 6 shades from leading department stores and pharmacies for $24.95.

You can take a look at my before and after photos (and pics of the other gorgeous bloggers!) on the ninemsn Your Beauty Spot site - I'm blogger number 4!

A bonus shot for you of Lilit, me and Anita after our makeovers!

Photo courtesy of Matthew Di Muro
Have you tried the Revlon New Complexion foundation? What other Revlon foundations would you recommend?

Thanks for looking as always! =)

I was invited to the event as a guest of Revlon. The product featured in this post was 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.

Priceline Hello Kitty nail polish in Violet Salome

2011-11-05T23:01:00.002+11:00

Priceline very recently brought out a makeup collection featuring none other than everyone's (well a lot of peoples!) favourite kitty Hello Kitty. I'm a HUGE Hello Kitty fan so of course I had to get my hands on one or two of the products! I had to visit three Priceline stores before I finally encountered a stand but it paid off! I encountered a full stand hehe. The range includes eyeshadows, blush, mascara, eyeliner etc and most importantly nail polish! x) I only picked up one polish in Violet Salome as the other colours were quite boring to be honest. Your usual pastel purples, pinks and reds which are lovely but as someone who desperately needs another helmer I have to be quite choosy these days with what I purchase!

Violet Salome is a sparkly medium purple polish with light purple microglitter. In the bottle it looks like it might be a duochrome with hints of gold but alas it doesn't translate on the nail. Formula was good however a little sheer so 3 coats is needed for opacity which is pictured. Violet Salome applied well and dry time was reasonable and it dried to a roughish texture because of the microglitter so I'd recommend a coat of topcoat. Wear time is not that great - I starting getting tipwear and chips on about day 2 but it's a very pretty polish so I'll put up with it!

Close up:

Here's a quick Instagram pic I took of the nail polishes in the display - it's so cute!

They also had a promotion going at the time where you could receive a Hello Kitty plushie if you purchased 2 or more products from the range! Of course I couldn't resist and bought another bottle of Violet Salome for a swap hehe. I'm not sure this promotion is still going but be sure to check it out if you can Aussie ladies! The polishes are available now from Priceline stores Australia wide for $9.95.

Will you be trying these? Thanks for looking as always! I hope you're all having a lovely weekend =)

Glitter Gal 15ml bottle launch - name that polish!

2011-11-04T22:33:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! Just a quick post tonday to let you all know about some very exciting news from awesome holo brand Glitter Gal plus an exciting competition.

Kerry and Anna are re-branding Glitter Gal and launching larger 15ml bottles!! This is seriously the best news I've heard all week! I'm always saying how teeny the bottles are and wishing they could be bigger x) To launch this exciting news, Kerry and Anna want YOU to help name some of the 3D holographic and Sparkle nail polishes! Best of all the winning entries each recieve a full range of 3D holographic and Sparkle nail polishes in their new larger bottles!

To enter, simply watch the video above for all competition details. Competition is open now and ends on November 11 2011. So what are you waiting for? GET NAMING!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend =) Thanks for looking as always!

Guest review: Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15

2011-11-03T20:01:00.004+11:00

Hi ladies! Earlier in the year I was very fortunate to receive a sample of the Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 in beige when I attended a sneak preview at Clinique HQ but unfortunately it was too dark for me. It was such a shame because I really enjoy the products from the Moisture Surge range and I love tinted moisturizer so I really wanted to try the combination of them both. Luckily I was able to pass it onto D's sister P who will be guest reviewing the product for me today. This is the first guest review on Cosmetic Cupcake and it hopefully won't be the last!

I have to refer to D's sister as P because her name is quite unusual. She's a super lawyer by trade and is a HUGE basketball lover and plays whenever she can. She isn't all that into makeup at all and when she does she uses mainly drugstore products. I'm trying to get her into more beauty related things!

Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 in 04 Beige:

What they say:

"A super hydrating, lightweight modern gel-cream, this tinted moisturiser offers just enough coverage to create an even, flawless complexion. The smooth texture blends evenly and effortlessly, leaving skin feeling cool, refreshed and completely hydrated. Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser delivers all day colour, provides an immediate boost of moisturisation and strengthens skin's moisture barrier, bringing dry and delicate skin back into a health balance. Perfect for all foundation-phobes, it's appropriate for all skin type and provides a hint of skin-perfecting colour with just enough coverage to make the appearance of imperfections disappear providing a naturally pretty look."

The review:

Hi ladies! It seems that poor 'chelle is still trying to get her health back so I thought that I would try and help out with a few product reviews. I'm not a big cosmetics fan for 3 reasons:

One, I don't know how to apply make up properly. Sometimes I go to make up stores / sections and hesitantly pick up a product. "Can I help you Miss?" "yes, um... what is this?" "That's loose powder". "Oh... ok, thanks" I didn't buy it. Because I don't know what loose powder is. Maybe it's the opposite of tight powder.

Two, I'm lazy (see One). I can't even expand on the reason, I'm that lazy.

Three, I don't have time. I can't believe I even have time to write this. I'd normally be working. Or studying. Or playing basketball. Did I ever tell you that basketball is my passion?

So when 'chelle asked me to road test some cosmetics that she was unable to try (because I'm so much darker than her), I said I'd definitely try - as she explained to me what tinted moisturiser was and handed me my first product.

When I think of Clinique I think of old women. No offence to 'chelle cos I know how much she swears by Clinique. ('chelle: I'm slightly obsessed with Clinique, must be the pastel packaging haha.) But I'm definitely seeing a younger market appeal with this foundation.

Quick application is essential for me - less than 1 minute at most, for the entire face (mind you I have a tiny face). This moisturiser definitely met that test. Very smooth, light and fantastic coverage with fingers. It didn't feel oily and I hardly had to use much. It even smelt fresh. A good size in this cute 30ml bottle, perfect to take around in my bag already full of basketball shoes, gym gear and lunch. Another essential is fast removal, without residue. Again - tick. I only use Cetaphil to wash my face, and this moisturiser came off easily with this trusty cleanser, in no time. It covers blemishes well and doesn't rub off or flake like other tinted moisturisers. This can be worn on its own (which I do as I don't have time to apply tight or loose powder on top) or under make up.

I use this straight after I have played ball. The coverage lasts even though I haven't quite cooled down yet and end up with a sweaty nose and a sweat moustache.

My only reservation would be cost, so I'd wait to see just how long this bottle lasted and if I thought it was really worth the Clinique price tag, which I assume to be about $50. ('chelle: Good guess!) However, overall I would definitely recommend Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15.

Details: Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 is available in 6 shades from www.clinique.com.au and Clinique counters nationally for $50.

It is available for purchase in the US from www.clinique.com for $24.50US.

The product featured in this post was provided to me for consideration and I then passed it on to D's sister. As always, reviews on Cosmetic Cupcake are 100% honest. My Disclosure Policy can be viewed here.

OPI Designer Series Coronation

2011-11-02T21:39:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! A quick NOTD for you today. My nail polish twin Christina sent me her spare bottle of OPI Designer Series (DS) Coronation in our last swap and IT IS SO DARN BEE-YOO-TI-FUL x) Holo party in a bottle!! I need more Designer Series polishes STAT.

DS Corononation is a beautiful scattered silver holographic. It's not an in your face holo but I love my scattered holos just as much as my linear ones. I find scattered holos look quite elegant yet still lots of fun. Coronation is quite sheer so I used 3 coats to reach opacity which is pictured. Application was perfect and it dried quickly to a very smooth finish.

Close up:

Isn't it gorgeous? I could only take pics at night so I had to run all over the house and snap pics under different lighting to get the best holo effect!

Thank you for sending Coronation my way Christina! ♥ Thanks for looking as always ladies!

Review: Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color in Orange Blossom

2011-11-01T22:33:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! Today I have for you the second product that Adore Beauty very kindly sent over for me to try a little while ago - Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color in Orange Blossom. I haven't tried Laura Mercier products before so I very excited as I've heard many good things about the face products. Plus it's blush - I love blush! As it's getting warm here, I decided to choose a peachy colour to try out.

What they say:

"Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour is a sheer light blush that easily glides on your cheeks to create a flawless naturally blushing look. Infused with natural botanicals, this product will soften and nourish your skin. With light-diffusing properties the Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour ensures easy and even application every time."

The blush is packaged in a sturdy dark brown case and includes a mirror which is always extremely handy in my opinion.

Orange Blossom is a light pinky peach shade with fine golden shimmer through it. It reminds me of a lighter and less glittery version of the popular NARS Orgasm - think of it as the daytime version of Orgasm! I didn't swatch it heavily in the pic below so it appears quite light on me (I'm NC20) so you can probably just make out my swatch. Don't be fooled by the "Orange" in the name though as it's not orangey at all but a peachy pink.

Swatch:

When applied:

A recent FOTD using Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color in Orange Blossom:

Products I used:

Face:
Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 06
YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch in 1
Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color in Orange Blossom*

Eyes:
elf eyelid primer
MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
Stila eye shadow trio in gold glow
Face of Australia liquid eyeliner in black*
Fiberwig Paint-On False Lashes Extra Long mascara

Lips:
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Evasion

Overall: Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in Orange Blossom is a gorgeous blush that's perfect for the warmer months! It's a very flattering shade and I think it would look great on all skintones. I really like that Orange Blossom is light giving me a lovely natural flush of colour - it gives a nice healthy glow. Alternatively, you can build up the colour very easily too if you want a stronger cheek colour. In spring and summer I prefer a more natural look but I don't want to look like a ghost either so this is perfect. Orange Blossom applies nicely and blends well.

The downside is the size of the product. It's actually a lot smaller in size to what I expected and also in comparison to other blushes containing only 3.6g of product. However it should last you a while! Because Orange Blossom is so light, I found a sheer application will start to fade after a few hours unfortunately.

Details: Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colors are available in 8 shades and can be purchased online from Adore Beauty and Myer and David Jones stores nationally for $48.

For US ladies, Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colors are available in 14 shades and can be purchased from the Laura Mercier online store for $24US.

Have you tried Laura Mercier products before? Let me know in the comments below what you'd recommend me to try next! Thanks for looking as always ladies =)

*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.

Halloween manicure 2011

2011-10-31T21:37:00.002+11:00

Happy Halloween ladies!! Here is my Halloween mani for 2011. Halloween is definitely getting a lot more popular here in Aus. The stores are filled with costumes, props etc and most importantly there's heaps of limited edition Halloween food products available eeeeeeeek! I'm such a sucker haha. Now I only started my mani at like 10:30pm last night so my mani was a very last minute job but I think it turned out ok! I hadn't really thought out my mani properly (usually I plan a day or 2 before!) so I sort of just hoped for the best x) Frankenstein looks a little angry and cross-eyed but oh well haha!

Here's what I used:

Pinky: I used 2 coats of Color Club Wild at Heart and added Pa pumpkin Halloween sticker and silver Essence nail art glitter mix star dazzling gifted to me by my dear Christina.

Ring finger: Frankenstein nail! I used 3 coats of Sinful Colors Mint Apple and used Kiss nail art striper in black and a small nail art brush for Frankenstein's hair and mouth. For the eyes I used 2 different sized dotting tools* from Born Pretty Store and OPI Alpine Snow and Ulta 3 Black Satin.

Middle finger: Spider nail! I used 2 coats of Sinful Colors Cloud 9 as a base. I then freehanded the spider web using Kiss nail art striper in white and konaded spider design from Bundle Monster plate BM13 using Konad Special polish in black. Topped it off with a coat of my favourite China Glaze Fairy Dust!

Index finger: I used 2 coats of Ulta 3 Black Satin as a base and added a line of gold glitter down the middle using Art Deco striper in gold glitter. I then added Pa evil pumpkin and red ghost nail sticker and Essence nail art glitter mix silver star dazzling from Christina.

Thumb: Mummy nail! I used 3 coats of Color Club Who are you Wearing? as a base. I then used a small nail art brush to draw an oval using Kiss nail art striper in black and then used the striper to draw the lines. For the eyes I used 2 different sized dotting tools* from Born Pretty Store and OPI Alpine Snow and China Glaze Phat Santa.

How cute is this pumpkin lollipop! It was sent as part of a PR pack hehe

What do you think? What will you be rocking on your nails? If you're celebrating I hope you have a fabulous time!!

Thanks for looking as always! =)

* 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.

b collection Crackle Top Coat in white swatches and review

2011-10-30T22:30:00.000+11:00

Today I have swatches and my review of the new Crackle Top Coat from Aussie brand b collection. b collection is the sister brand of Bloom cosmetics and is available exclusively from Target stores. They have a great selection of colours in their collection so I was super excited to hear they were releasing two new crackle polishes! They are available in black and white and I have the white crackle top coat for you today. On another note, I just realised that this is the 3rd crackle/shatter polish I've shown you in the last week. I hope you ladies don't mind! I haven't really had time to do nail art so this is the next best thing ;)

What they say:

"b collection’s Crackle Top Coat is your essential tool for express nail art! Available in black or white, Crackle Top Coat lets your fingers do the talking with a show-stopping cracked finish.

Achieving an on-trend nail art look is easy. Simply apply Crackle Top Coat over your favourite b collection nail polish shade and watch as the top coat contracts and shatters appear - allowing your base shade to peek through."

Crackle Top Coat in white has a somewhat unusual formula. It's somewhat on the thin side but also a little gluggy which sounds extremely strange but the only way I can explain it! It applied well though and crackled quickly into thickish cracks. Here I've applied 1 thin coat to my previous Essie Van D'Go NOTD. It dries to a satin finish and I haven't applied topcoat in my pictures. I actually usually prefer my crackle/shatter manicures without topcoat as I like the roughish texture.

Overall: I love that b collection have made crackle polish a lot more accessible to everyone now! Your everyday nail polish lover (ie non polish crazed ladies!) may not know about other brands like OPI, China Glaze etc that have crackle but b collection is readily available at Target stores and at a much lower price point which is excellent. Polish wise, it crackled well and looks great. This is the first white crackle I've tried and I like that it's nicely opaque.

Details: b collection Crackle Top Coat is available now in black and white exclusively from Target stores Australia wide for $12.95.

Will you be checking out these new addictions to the crackle market? Thanks for looking as always! Don't forget to enter my Pink for October giveaway here =)

The product featured in this post was 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.

Essie Van D'Go swatches

2011-10-27T22:09:00.001+11:00

Today I have swatches for you of Essie Van D'Go (as seen in my Spring fever manicure ) which is from the Essie Spring 2010 collection. Adore Beauty very kindly allowed me to choose two products to review a few weeks back and I took the opportunity to choose some Spring colours! Essie do some of the best girlie colours out there in my opinion and I always covert their Spring collections as the shades are just so sweet. You know me and pretty pastels!

Van D'Go is a gorgeous pinky peach creme. I think it's just perfect for Spring! I love the hint of pink in it as it softens the colour. Application was to be expected - as it's a pastel colour the 1st two coats were streaky but evened out with a thicker 3rd coat. With three coats the colour is somewhat darker than the bottle colour though. Dry time was OK and it dried to a high gloss finish as most Essie polishes do.

Close up:

Details: Essie nail polishes can be purchased online from Adore Beauty and Myer and Hairhouse Warehouse stores nationally for $18.95.

US ladies can purchase Essie nail polishes from the Essie online store for $8US.

I know Van D'Go is going to be a colour I'll be wearing a lot for Spring/Summer! What's your must have colours for the warmer seasons?

Thanks for looking as always! Don't forget to enter my Pink for October giveaway here!

The product featured in this post was 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.

Clinique Great lips, Great cause Mini Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 swatches and review

2011-10-26T22:43:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! Continuing with the Breast Cancer Awareness month products, I have for you today some quick swatches of the limited edition Clinique Great lips, Great cause Mini Long Last Glosswear SPF 15. I am such a sucker for pretty key rings so how could I resist purchasing it?? Plus it's for a great cause =)

What they say:

"Treat your lips to glistening, juiced-up colour and help a great cause too! $5.00 from your purchase helps support The National Breast Cancer Foundation. Our limited-edition Long Last Glosswear SPF15 trio of minis in Air Kiss, Clearly Pink and Cabana Crush 1ml on a keychain come with a Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon Key ring."

The key ring features a pink heart shaped ribbon charm that is a mirror on the reverse side, a Clinique "C" charm and three mini-Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 glosses. It's a VERY sturdy key ring and I nearly broke a few fingernails trying to get my keys on it!

The three mini Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 are Clearly Pink, Air Kiss and Cabana Crush. These colours are permanent colours in the Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 range and are very flattering shades.

From top - bottom: Clinique Clearly Pink, Air Kiss and Cabana Crush.

Cabana Crush is a medium pink with gorgeous gold shimmer through it; Air Kiss is a pretty peachy pink with subtle shimmer and an old favourite of mine - it was one of my very first Clinique glosses I owned many years ago! - and Clearly Pink is a clear light pink gloss.

From L - R: Clinique Cabana Crush, Air Kiss and Clearly Pink.

Overall: I love this cute key ring! I never have to worry about being without lip products when I'm out and about again which is great! The Long Last Glosswears are somewhat sticky in texture but are SUPER glossy which is what I like about them. They wear for a considerable time on me also. The colours they've included in this trio are very flattering and girlie too!

Details: Clinique will donate $5 per product from the sale of each Clinique Great lips, Great cause Mini Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It is available exclusively online from www.clinique.com.au for a limited time for $35.

Unfortunately I believe it's no longer available (oh the downfall of LE products doh!) but you can win your very own in my Pink for October giveaway here along with other pink products! For more Breast Cancer Awareness products for 2011 check out my post here.

Have you tried the Clinique Long Last Glosswears? What do you think?

Thanks for looking as always ladies!

Barry M Instant Nail Effects in Pink Fizz

2011-10-25T23:55:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! Just a super quick pink NOTD for you today. Lovely Christina kindly sent me two Barry M Instant Nail Effects in our last swap and one of them is Pink Fizz. I love that crackle polishes are such a quick and easy form of nail art. It's a bonus that it looks awesome too!

Barry M Instant Nail Effects Pink Fizz is a hot pink crackle polish. In real life the pink is quite a bit brighter - my camera wouldn't capture it properly unfortunately! It's a really girly bright pink which is just the way I love my pinks hehe. Here I've used one coat of Pink Fizz over one coat of Face of Australia Titanium.

Close up:

It applied well and it crackled very quickly! It dried to a matte finish and my pics are all without topcoat. The way these shatter remind me a lot of the Isadora Graffiti Nails (you can read my post here) which I really like. Christina ALSO sent me that polish too! I have the most wonderful friends who indulge my nail art passion ♥

Have you tried Barry M Instant Nail Effects? What do you think? Are you a fan of crackle/shatter?

Thanks for looking as always ladies! Don't forget to enter my Pink for October giveaway here!

OPI Pink Shatter swatches and review

2011-10-24T23:45:00.038+11:00

During September and October each year, OPI joins forces with the National Breast Cancer Foundation in which they donate 100% of the profits from the sale of a limited edition pink polish to the Foundation. This is OPI's 7th year as silver sponsors and they've brought out a shimmering Pink Shatter! Today I have swatches and my review for you. I apologise in advance for my very crappy swatches!

What they say:

"The revolutionary new Pink Ribbon Shatter is a texturing treatment formula that transforms as it dries on your nails. When applied, OPI's Pink Shatter begins to shatter and disappear, leaving behind a shattered effect in matte within minutes of it being applied onto an OPI lacquer shade. For a high gloss finish, seal the shatter effect by applying another coat of OPI top coat."

OPI Pink Shatter looks quite red in the bottle and in my swatches but on the nail it's definitely pink. It has a hint of shimmer through it which is so gorgeous! My pictures don't do it justice. Here I've used one coat of Pink Shatter over 2 coats of OPI Alpine Snow.

Close up:

Overall: Pink Shatter is a gorgeous addition to the OPI Shatter family and very fitting for Breast Cancer Awareness month! The shimmer isn't visible in my pictures but in real life it gives it a little extra something. Unfortunately I had real difficulties with the application making it a very difficult polish for me to apply.

The formula is very thin and it shattered inconsistently even during the same use. For example, in my above pictures you can see that the shatter effect is very different on both hands. The shatter effect on my left hand (last pic) is all vertical whereas the shatter on my right hand is more of the usual shatter effect. I ensured that my base colour was completely dry before applying Pink Shatter and I applied it with varying degrees of thickness however it just would not work properly for me like the other Shatters I have. I attempted on more than 3 occasions to swatch Pink Shatter and this was the most successful attempt.

Other reviews I've read have not had the same issues I've experienced so I hope it's my bottle and me that is a bit wonky! I really enjoy the colour and the fact that 100% of profits from the sale of OPI Pink Shatter go towards helping fund research programs into the prevention and cure of breast cancer that affect so many woman across the globe.

Details: OPI Pink Ribbon Shatter is available throughout October at David Jones stores, selected beauty salons and spas nationally for $19.95.

Have you tried OPI Pink Shatter? Thanks for looking as always!

The product featured in this post was 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.

Spring fever manicure

2011-10-23T23:52:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! I had no idea what on earth to call this mani so "Spring fever" it is haha. The weather has FINALLY warmed up here in Sydney so I needed a mani to go with the warmer weather. I'm so sick of the cold!

Here's what I used:

Pinky: I used 3 coats of Essie Van D' Go* as a base and added a bow nail sticker I bought in HK.

Ring finger: I used 1 coat of OPI Glitzerland and added a few coats of Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow. Unfortunately Boom Boom Pow isn't as opaque as I had hoped even after a few coats but it's still another gorgeous glitter from the awesome Deborah Lippmann!!

Middle finger: I used 2 coats of Barry M Berry Ice cream.

Index finger: I used 3 coats of China Glaze Empowerment as a base. I think Empowerment is one of my favourite pink polishes seriously! I then konaded full dot image from Konad plate m79 using Konad Special polish in white.

Thumb: I used 3 coats of Essie Van D'Go* as a base. I then konaded bow design from Konad plate m59 using Konad Special polish in white and finished off by adding a silver rhinestone to the centre of the bow.

I forgot how much I loved this Konad bow design! It looks so sweet paired with Van D'Go and is a perfect combination for Spring/Summer in my opinion. Full swatch and review of Van D'Go to come ;)

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. I'll leave you with a quick pic of beautiful Bondi Beach I took on Saturday - I had the pleasure of attending an event at Bondi Icebergs and this was the awesome view from the balcony!

Thanks for looking as always! Don't forget to enter my Pink for October 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.

Pink glitter gradient manicure

2011-10-17T22:29:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies! Just a very quick post for you today. I'm sick once AGAIN hence the lack of posts over the last week. Being sick is CRAP. I'm overdoing things at the moment so blogging will have to be put on the back burner until I'm 100% recovered. Blogging takes a heck of a lot of time, preparation and energy that I just don't have at the moment unfortunately.

Here's a quick pink manicure I did sometime last week. I've been feeling a bit nail art uninspired lately so Moni suggested I do just do something pink seeing as I haven't done any this month yet. I had to add glitter of course ;)

I used 2 coats of Nicole by OPI Reach Out first which is a medium pink jelly. It's kind of sheer so I'd recommend 3 coats to get rid of VNL. I then sponged Visee RO 602 which is a very pretty pink and silver glitter suspended in a red jelly base onto the tips.

Thanks for looking! Don't forget to enter my Pink for October giveaway here!

Pink for October 2011 giveaway!

2011-10-11T22:02:00.005+11:00

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!
Thank you for entering!
Winner will be announced shortly
Today I'm kicking off my annual Pink for October giveaway to help spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness month!! I would have had it up and running sooner but unfortunately things got in the way doh. Just like last year, my giveaway features all pink products with a little Hello Kitty thrown in for you too!

One lucky winner will receive the following:

A limited edition Clinique Mini Long Last Gloss Wear SPF 15 with pink key chain. I purchased one for myself and one to giveaway! I'm such a sucker for key chains xp This limited edition set includes three Long Last Gloss Wears on a pink Clinique key chain with mirror. It's only available online and I think it may be sold out in Australia. The one I'm giving away is unopened in the box on the left. Full review to come!

BYS Colour Change in bright pink (you can check out my swatch here), b collection by bloom in Vancouver, Flormar Supermatte in M116 and Flormar Super Neon Colors in N001.

A limited edition Maybelline Hello Kitty Volume Express Cat eyes mascara. How freaking adorable is it!! This Asia exclusive mascara came out a while ago and teams the ever cute Hello Kitty with Maybelline's Volum’ Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes mascara. I purchased this especially for this giveaway in mind during my last trip to HK in May =)

Lastly some cute lip balms! Lip Hop Hello Kitty lip balm in Strawberry and Bloom Boost lip balm in Strawberry Squeeze. You can read my full review of the Bloom Boost lip balms here.

Here's how to enter!

*Please be a public follower of Cosmetic Cupcake via Google Friends Connect. (3 entries)

* Post about my Pink for October giveaway on your blog – either in a separate post or on a sidebar with the first photo from this post. (2 entries)

* Tweet about my Pink for October giveaway with a link to this post - don't forget to @cosmeticcupcake! (1 entry)

Giveaway is open internationally and will close on October 31st at 10pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Please fill out the form below with all your entries once to enter!

Good luck!

Breast cancer awareness products for 2011

2011-10-10T22:16:00.002+11:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and it's a cause that is very close to my heart. My awesome aunty is a breast cancer survivor and due to early detection she has beaten it twice. 1 in 9 women are diagnosed with breast cancer which is so so scary. Each year, beauty brands bring out limited edition Pink Ribbon products in support of this great cause and here are a few for you to keep an eye out for! I wanted to have this post up at the start of October but alas I am so so behind in posting. Better late than never I guess! All products mentioned in this post are available now =)

OPI Pink Shatter:
Pink Shatter is a limited edition shimmery pink addition to the crackle collection. A must for shatter lovers! In their 7th year as silver sponsors of, OPI again are donating 100% of profits from the sale of Pink Shatter to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It can be purchased from David Jones and selected beauty salons and spas for $19.95. I'll be showing you swatches of this gorgeous shatter very soon!

Clinique Mini Long Last Gloss Wear SPF 15:
This is SO adorable! This limited edition set includes three adorable Long Last Gloss Wears on a pink Clinique key chain with mirror. Clinique will donate $5 per product to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It is available exclusively online from www.clinique.com.au for a limited time for $35.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion:
The best selling Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (DDML) is offered in a special limited edition bottle which features a miniature picture frame key chain adorned with a heart-shaped ribbon charm. One of their most popular products, Clinique is making use of DDML's popularity by donating $20 from each sale to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It can be purchased from Myer, David Jones stores and online from www.clinique.com.au for $110.

Aveda Hand Relief™ for Breast Cancer Awareness 2011:
For the month of October, Aveda Hand Relief™ is packaged in a limited edition pink ribbon design. Aveda will donate $4US from the sale of each Breast Cancer Awareness Hand Relief™ to fund cruelty free research through the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It is available from Aveda stores and spa locations for a limited time for $44.95.

Dove Pink Beauty Body Wash:
Dove's Body Wash range is a favourite of mine and what better excuse than to purchase it during October when it's for a good cause! Dove's donations to the National Breast Cancer Foundation are expected to reach $1 million. It can be purchased from supermarkets, pharmacies and Priceline for $7.36.

Dove Pink Beauty Cream Bar:
This pack comes with two of Doves Beauty Cream Bars containing their signature 1/4 moisturising cream. Dove's donations to the National Breast Cancer Foundation are expected to reach $1 million! It can be purchased from supermarkets, pharmacies and Priceline for $4.49.

Estée Lauder Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum with Pink Keychain:
For the month of October, the powerful Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum comes with a limited-edition reusable pink keychain to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Estée Lauder will donate $20 from the sale of each product to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It is available from Myer and David Jones stores for a limited time for $168.

Bobbi Brown Pink Ribbon Collection High Shimmer Lip Gloss and Lip Color:
Bobbi Brown have created a limited edition lip set featuring a Bellini High Shimmer Lip Gloss and Pink Lip Color to help you go from pretty to pretty powerful. Bobbi Brown is donating 100% of the profits from the sale of each limited edition set to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The set is available for a limited time exclusively from www.bobbibrown.com.au for $86. Enjoy free standard shipping during the month of October on any order when you purchase this set too!

Will you be supporting Breast Cancer Awareness this month? What Pink Ribbon products will you be purchasing?

Stay tuned for my annual Pink for October giveaway which will be kicking off tomorrow featuring one of the products I've shown you in this post and Hello Kitty! (Again better late than never Xp!). Thanks for looking as always!

Clinique Chubby Stick swatches

2011-10-06T22:45:00.000+11:00

Hi ladies!! How are you all? Today I have swatches of three Clinique Chubby Sticks that I hauled in my last trip to Hong Kong. I absolutely LOVE my Chubby Sticks!!! They are without a doubt my product of the year. I searched high and low in HK to get these and I'm so happy I managed to pick my favourites up. The ones I'll be showing you today are Woppin Watermelon, Super Strawberry and Mega Melon!

For the uninitiated, Clinique Chubby Sticks are a chunky lip crayon that give a sheer tint to the lips. They contain Shea Butter, Mango Seed Butter and Jojoba Seed Oil and feel wonderful on! I reviewed another shade Whole Lotta Honey earlier and you can read the full review here.

Clinique Chubby Sticks in Woppin Watermelon, Super Strawberry and Mega Melon.
Woppin' Watermelon is a very sweet medium pink shade and is my favourite. It goes with everything and is so foolproof you can apply it without a mirror! My lips are pretty pigmented so it gives me a nice pinky tint.

Super Strawberry is a sheer crimson red shade. Great for a light pop of red when you don't want something too out there for eg. work!

Mega Melon is a warm brick red shade and is quite unique in my collection.

Details: Clinique Chubby Sticks are available in 8 shades. They can be purchased from www.clinique.com.au and Clinique counters Australia wide for $35. David Jones currently have Gift With Product (GWP) so with any purchase of over $60 you receive a nine-piece gift set!

They are available for purchase in the US from www.clinique.com for $15US and in Hong Kong from www.clinique.com.hk and Clinique counters for $130HK.

What can I say but that I ♥ them =) Have you tried Chubby Sticks out? I also have Chunky Cherry to swatch for you all later too!

Thanks for looking as always!

My ABBW manicure!

2011-10-04T22:52:00.000+11:00

I'm currently still compiling my ABBW post for you which is going to take a while so I thought I'd show you the mani I rocked for the weekend first =) My blogging backlog is CRAZY at the moment due to my darn flu so please bear with me!

I didn't know what I wanted so I actually brainstormed mani ideas a few nights before - something I never get around to doing! My sis always tells me to trial manis first on a nail wheel or paper because she's the one who has to help me remove polish if a design goes pear shaped haha! Pic below is what I instagram-ed during my brainstorming ;) (I LURVE instagram so if you have it please let me know! You can follow me too - cosmeticcupcake).

Here's what I used for my mani:

Thumb: I used 2 coats of China Glaze Empowerment as a base and added vertical stripes using Kiss nail art striper in white.

Index finger: I used 2 coats of American Apparel Office and stamped full dot design from Konad plate m79 using Konad Special polish in white.

Middle finger: I used 3 coats of Ulta 3 lily white and stamped full roses design from Konad plate m65 (one of my favourites!) using China Glaze Admire. This colour combo is one of my absolutel favourites. It works EVERY time!

Ring finger: My cupcake! I used 1 coat of Butter London Pink Ribbon for a sheer base. For the cupcake liner, I used China Glaze Empowerment to freehand a thick french tip and added white lines using Kiss nail art striper in white. For the cupcake, I used Ulta 3 chocolate cake and added red bullions for the sprinkles and a pink half pearl as the cherry. Unfortunately the bullions bled!

Pinky: I used 2 coats of OPI Glitzerland and a few coats of Milani Jewel FX in Gold for some bling.

I LOVED how this mani turned out but it didn't last very long due to the excitement of ABBW! I had to do quite a few dodgy touch-up jobs unfortunately and I also broke 2 nails wrestling with suitcases and gift bags xp

What do you think? Thanks for looking as always ladies!

Revlon Top Speed™ fast dry nail enamels - swatches and review

2011-10-03T23:52:00.002+11:00

Today I have swatches for you from the new Revlon Top Speed™ fast dry nail enamel range. I must admit I haven't tried too many Revlon polishes so I was excited to be given the opportunity to try these out! Especially after seeing the bright colours in the collection and also the fact that these claim to dry in 60 seconds. I am ALWAYS up for fast dry nail polish!

What they say:

"These days, who can spare more than 60 seconds? Revlon believes that looking glamorous doesn’t need to take all day. Revlon Top Speed™ Nail Enamel contains a patented formula which gives an amazingly quick, smooth lay down of colour for a gorgeous, super shiny finish in only a minute.

With a revolutionary ColorPrecise™ Brush that is engineered to work seamlessly with the one coat, fast dry formula, Revlon Top Speed™ promises a salon-quality application every time – in half the drying time. And with the gorgeous array of runway-worthy shades, it will be 60 seconds worth sparing!"

Onto the swatches!

Electric is is an absolutely gorgeous shimmery yellow polish. To be completely honest I didn't have high hopes for this one as most yellows are a streaky mess. But boy was I wrong! It applied VERY well and I experienced no baldness or streakiness whatsoever. My favourite of the ones I was sent to try out by far. 3 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Sheer Cotton is a very pretty milky pink sheer. This indeed was a VERY sheer polish and unfortunately it was rather a pain to apply. It dragged terribly and therefore needed 4 coats which is pictured. I really like the colour though - it's a great cleanser colour if you need something toned down after wearing too many bright colours or something.

Close up:

Chili is an almost neon orangey-red polish. It has an almost jelly-like formula and is super opaque. It was wonderful to apply and is just such a HOT colour! It really reminds me of chilli sauce! 2 coats is pictured however 1 would be enough.

Close up:

Jelly is a gorgeous pinkish red creme. In my swatches it leans more pink however in real life it's somewhat more red. It's super opaque and application was OK. 3 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Sheer Pearl is a very pretty pearly shimmer polish. Because it has "sheer" in the name I didn't have high hopes but again I was wrong! It's very pretty and application was surprisingly good - it was opaque in 3 coats which is pictured. This is actually my 2nd favourite of the colours I was sent.

Close up:

Royal is a gorgeous royal blue creme. The first time I applied Royal it was an absolute mess!! I couldn't get the brush to work for me and I flooded nearly every cuticle. When it came to actually swatching the polish however I had no issues with application at all but the formula is a little on the thin side. It's quite opaque and 2 coats is pictured and it dried to a semi-matte finish.

Close up:

Overall: I enjoyed trying out the Revlon Top Speed™ fast dry nail enamels. The colours in the range are fantastic and there are 32 amazing shades to choose from! Being a colour person (when it comes to nails anyway!) I love that they have everything from pastels to reds to greens and vampy shades.

There was some inconsistency with the formulas but I guess with 32 different shades in a collection you can't have everything ;) Dry time wasn't 60 seconds flat like it claims (I didn't time it down to the second) but it was definitely fast which is great. I did wear test a few of the colours and unfortunately they didn't seem to last all that long me. Royal chipped barely 12hours after application which was disappointing and Jelly and Electric lasted about 2 days.

Details: Revlon Top Speed™ fast dry nail enamels are available now from leading department stores and pharmacies for $15.95. You can check out the shades on the Revlon Australia site.

Have you tried these out yet? Have you got any favourite colours you can recommend?

Thanks for looking as always!

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.

Review: Bloom Boost lip balms

2011-10-02T21:22:00.001+11:00

Hi ladies! How have you all been? I hope you're all having a lovely weekend =) I've mentioned before that I LOVE fruity lip balms so of course I was super excited to hear about the recent collaboration between Aussie brands Bloom cosmetics and Boost Juice in the form of six mouth watering lip balms! I love Boost Juice and in summer I often get one at least three times a week! There's nothing better than a fruity smoothie!

What they say:

"Give your lips a Boost with six mouth-watering new Bloom Lip Balms packed full of Boost flavour! We’ve taken your favourite Boost Juice smoothies and combined them in the beauty blender with soothing beeswax, nourishing jojoba seed oil and moisturising vitamin E. These naturally flavoured lip balms are almost good enough to eat!"

They come in six yummy smelling flavours - Strawberry Squeeze, Watermelon Crush*, Berry Bang, Mango Tango*, Banana Buzz* and Tropical Storm*. The balms are all natural containing soothing beeswax, nourishing jojoba seed oil and moisturising vitamin E. I was very kindly sent four to review by the PR company and I bought the other 2 myself as I enjoy them so much!

The packaging of these balms is a little different from your average lip balm as they come in a flat oval tube. Each tube is coloured the same as the lip balm colour and they feel nice and sturdy.

Overall: A great lip balm that's become a staple in my handbag! They smell yummy and fruity and feel moisturising. They smell just like their corresponding Boost Juice smoothie so they're good enough to eat! They don't taste fruity though unfortunately xp I like the unusual shape as they fit nicely into my pocket to reapply while I'm at work and most importantly they are priced quite reasonably and don't break the bank. My favourite is Berry Bang and Mango Tango as those are my favourite smoothies!

Details: Bloom Boost lipbalms are available now from bloomcosmetics.com, Myer and David Jones stores nationally and selected Boost Juice Bars for $6.95.

Have you tried the Bloom Boost lip balms? Which is your favourite?

Thanks for looking as always!! =)

* 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.

A quick update

2011-09-27T22:03:00.002+10:00

Photo in bottom left corner courtesy of Tara from Keeping Up With Me
Hi ladies!! My apologies for my unexplained absence over the last week. I've been out with a nasty cold since last Monday and being the weakling that I am I'm STILL sick! I also attended the inaugural and absolutely AWESOME Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend (ABBW) over the weekend so it has been pretty darn hectic hence the lack of posts! Normal posting will resume once I'm recovered with a recap of ABBW of course. Hopefully this will be very soon but I'm just too exhausted at the moment to do anything. I do tweet very regularly so follow me on Twitter if you don't already ;)

Thank you all for reading my blog as always ♥

An apple a day keeps the doctor away..

2011-09-18T00:54:00.001+10:00

I have a thing for fruit manicures for some reason - see some old manis here, here and here - and today I have an inspired apple manicure for you all! I saw this beautiful apple manicure on Pretty Project tumblr (a fantastic source for nail inspiration) submitted by Rexi Nails and just knew I had to try it out myself. It is so freaking cute!! You can check out Rexi's tumblr here. ~~I've tried googling Rexi Nails but to no avail unfortunately. If someone knows the creator of this pretty manicure please point me to them/their blog/tumblr!!~~. Here is my version =)

I started off with a base coat of Eyeko Nude polish. I then used a small nail art brush from Born Pretty Store to draw the tops of the apples using China Glaze Phat Santa. I don't have OPI Big Apple Red unfortunately! I then filled in the remainder of the apples using Phat Santa.

For accent ring finger and thumb I added a coat of sparkly China Glaze Ruby Pumps. I used the small nail art brush from Born Pretty Store again and Ulta 3 chocolate cake to draw the stalks. I added a green teardrop rhinestone for the leaf. Final touch was the shine spots which I did using a dotting tool from Born Pretty Store and Kiss nail art striper in white.

Close up of accent ring finger:

My pictures in this post you may notice are from two different cameras. My sister was very nice to help me take some shots using her DSLR! We had a good time doing a little "photo shoot" haha. And gosh you can really notice the difference in quality between the two cameras! I love my camera to pieces but boy do I need to learn how to use a DSLR..

I absolutely love doing inspired nails. I'm not the most imaginative person and I struggle for ideas at times so attempting to recreate a nail masterpiece is always fun and gives me an excellent challenge! It also allows me to link to great blogs and nail enthusiasts!

Where do you get nail inspiration from? Thanks for looking as always!! =)

Scunci hair giveaway winner!!

2011-09-15T21:34:00.000+10:00

Oops I totally forgot to announce the winner of my Scunci hair giveaway!! Without further ado, the winner is:

Jasmine!!
Congratulations Jasmine!! I've just sent you an email 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 winner..

Thank you to everyone who entered - if you didn't win this time don't be disappointed! I will be holding giveaways in the near future ^_^

Thanks for looking!!

Nicole by OPI My Lifesaver NOTD

2011-09-14T16:14:00.000+10:00

Hi ladies!! A super quick NOTD for you today using one of the Nicole by OPI lacquers I picked up in HK. My Lifesaver is from the Justin Beiber One Less Lonely Girl collection and although I'm not a Beiber fan, darn some of the colours in the collection are pretty!!

My Lifesaver is a gorgeous turquoise cream that reminds me of China Glaze For Audrey. I ADORE colours like this but my camera just hates them ARGH! My camera made the colour look way too blue and I had to tweak the colours to make them even close to accurate. I don't want to show swatches that aren't correct.

It applied relatively well - I don't think I waited long enough between coats so I had some dragging. I must say I am not a fan of the Nicole by OPI brushes and I had some difficulty using it. It's curved and just strange to me! I guess I'll have to get some more polishes so I can practise using the brush ;) 3 coats is pictured and I added a nail sticker for some quick nail art!

Do you love these turquoise colours as much as I do? Thanks for looking as always!!

Top Speed by Revlon - Lights, Camera, Colour! fashion show

2011-09-13T21:42:00.000+10:00

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Top Speed by Revlon - Lights, Camera, Colour! fashion show for 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty 2011. I was invited along with other bloggers to sit in the front row which was super exciting!! The show was to showcase the gorgeous range of shades in the Top Speed collection that only take 60seconds to dry to go with the season's hottest trend colour blocking.

Now for some shots from the show! Unfortunately these aren't the best shots but I'm sure you'll get the picture ;)

Show stylist Nicole Adolphe with make up artist Elsa Morgan describing the products used for the show and the trends. It's all about colour this season!!

Outfits by Seduce and Dotti, jewellery by Pandora, shoes by Siren and Lipstick, bags by Olga Berg, makeup by REVLON and models from Chic Management.

There are 32 gorgeous shades in the new Revlon Top Speed Quick Dry range and I'll be showing you swatches in the coming days. If you're in Sydney, you can get a super quick Revlon manicure using the new colours in the coming days! The Revlon Top Speed Glam Vans will appear in 4 popular Sydney locations and will be offering free mini manis - as well as giving away full size nail polishes to everyone who ‘checks in’ via Facebook! You can check out the event details here.

The Revlon Glam Vans will be located at:

Customs House Forecourt, Alfred Street - Friday 16 September 4:00- 8:00pm
Bondi Pavilion Forecourt - Sunday 18 September, 12:00- 4:00pm
Cockle Bay Wharf - Friday 23 September, 5:00- 9:00pm
Cockle Bay Wharf - Friday 30 September, 5:00- 9:00pm

Cost is FREE and make sure to turn up early to the Glam Vans and book your appointment. Appointments are approximately 20mins so get in early to avoid disappointment!

Will you be working the colour this season?? I know I'll be trying!! Thanks for looking as always =)

Cosmetic Cupcake business cards by The Distillery!

2011-09-09T01:43:00.001+10:00

If you follow me on Twitter then you'll have seen my twitpics last week of my ABSOLUTELY beautiful/stunning/adorable business cards created by the awesome team at The Distillery. I was as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve when I went to pick up my cards!! I'm sure you'll understand why after I show you pics ;)

I had been toying with the idea of getting blog business cards made up for a long time and the upcoming Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend 2011 (ABBW aka the most hotly anticipated weekend packed with beauty EVER!) finally got me into action. I wanted something different for my cards and D sent me links to cards done using letterpress printing. WELL! After seeing pictures of cards made this way I feel in love and set about sourcing myself a place to custom design my cards. I got quotes from a couple of places online - some didn't reply while some were far too expensive at a crazy starting price of $1000 and I didn't really want to go with Etsy. I decided to go with the Aussie team at the The Distillery.

The Distillery are based in North Sydney and are a small team that design and produce letterpress printed products. They specialise in custom design letterpress wedding invitations, business cards and also provide commercial letterpress products to industries around the country. The Distillery are passionate about design and letterpress and it definitely showed in my experience with them. Their products are simply stunning.

Stationary letterpress printed on display at the studio

Right from the start I was super impressed with the team at The Distillery. My emails were answered promptly, the team are very friendly and extremely helpful - things that are super important to me. Designer Christine helped me throughout the whole process and she was just fantastic!! She is so lovely and was so patient when I bombarded her with a million and one silly questions!

I decided to go ahead with The Distillery after checking out their prices. For letterpress printing, the prices are obviously higher than your average stationary because you pay for the craftsmanship, design and attention to detail. There's no question that you pay for quality and in my opinion worth every single penny! Prices for business cards start at $1.60 for a small order of 150 cards to 35cents for larger orders. There are three types of luxury paper stocks to choose from and I decided to go with off-white coaster board for 500 cards using 2 colours (brown and pink obviously as those are my blog "colours"!!).

A business card designed by The Distillery
I utilised their design services for an extra fee and I let Christine know exactly what sort of design I wanted for my card; the details and provided her with a high-res image of my logo. D absolutely insisted I include a QR code which luckily could be accommodated! I also requested rounded corners for another additional fee. I took advantage of their "2-up" offer which means you can get 2 designs printed for the price of 1! Woot! Christine came up with some designs for me and I did not need many changes, just a tweak here and there before I was utterly happy with my intended card. I double and triple checked that my design was what I wanted and that it was spelled correctly and then paid a 50% deposit which was the go ahead to start printing my card!!!

A card designed by The Distillery
So, what IS letterpress? From Wikipedia, letterpress printing is "relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image." Letterpress is described by The Distillery as a labour of love - it requires tender loving care! Each piece of letterpress stationary is handfed into the press, they create their own printing plates and the ink colours must be carefully mixed and then set manually.

Below are the polymer plates of my digital design created by Christine - I required two plates as I used two colours.

I believe there are three different types of letterpress printing and at The Distillery they use platen letterpress printing. The machine is called the Heidelberg "Windmill".

Unfortunately the machine wasn't setup to print on the day I visited so I couldn't see it in all it's inky glory doh!

Adam with the Heidelberg "Windmill" platen press
My cards took about 10 working days to print and I opted to pick them up from the studio directly to not only save on postage but also to see the studio ;) My cards were wrapped carefully in brown paper and tied up with string ready for me to cart home!

500 beautiful Cosmetic Cupcake business cards all in neat boxes!!!!!

I am head over heels in ♥ with my cards - they are absolutely "me" and reflect my blog so unbelievably well. They are unique and OMG have I told you how much I love them??! I could not be happier with my business cards and also my experience with the team. I am like a proud parent when I give my card out haha! If you're pondering whether or not to get business cards - in particular girls attending ABBW - I highly recommend checking out letterpress business cards from The Distillery.

Besides raving about my beautiful cards today, I have a special offer for you ladies!! The Distillery team have very generously offered an exclusive 10% discount for Cosmetic Cupcake readers for having business cards made with them for the month of September!! How awesome is that! Just let them know that you're a Cosmetic Cupcake reader and that Michelle sent you ;)

A MASSIVE thank you to the team at The Distillery for my beautiful cards and for having me at the studio. You can find them at Studio 1, 247 Pacific Hwy, North Sydney NSW 2060, alternatively you can phone them on 02 8021 1286. You can check out their site here for more details.

What do you think? Thanks for looking! =)

Disclosure:
I have no affilation with The Distillery nor was I compensated to write about my experience. When I come across a service/product I genuinely love I am most definitely going to share with you all! I received the same 10% discount on my cards as is offered to my readers.

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless collection - Kink and Ambition swatches

2011-09-07T22:17:00.001+10:00

Yesterday I showed you some pictures from the Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless collection launch and as promised I have swatches of two of the products for you today. I couldn't resist purchasing two products and Illamasqua were very kind to send us lucky bloggers home with some goodies too! =)

The pretty products I took home! You all know I FREAKING adore blush so I just had to take home the Illamasqua Shimmer Blusher in Ambition. I also purchased the much raved about Skin Base Foundation in 07 and received nail polish in Kink* and False Eye Lashes in Weimar*.

The nail varnishes in this collection are inspired by the Wittenberg Platz's Boot Girls colour-coded specialities (so ummm.. girls who wore different coloured boots so people knew what they specialised in xp). They have a "rubber-look" finish which is somewhere in between a matte and a gloss finish. The caps are also rubber finished to distinguish between the normal gloss finish polishes!

Illamasqua Kink is described as a "bottle green" and is a tad darker in real life. It's very different to any other greens I own and I love the "rubber-look" finish! 2 coats pictured.

Close up:

As always, application and pigmentation was perfect and it was opaque in 2 smooth coats.

I was very kindly given the False Eye Lashes in Weimar which are just stunning. I don't want to use them!!

The Shimmer Blusher in Ambition is Illamasqua's first shimmer powder blusher and I fell head over heels with it when Mikele tried it on me! Egged on by all the lovely ladies I just had to pick it up!

Ambition is a super pretty shimmery neutral blush. It is very pigmented and gives a gorgeous glow to my cheeks ♥

Illamasqua Shimmer Blusher in Ambition

I was colour matched for Skin Base foundation and just had to pick it up too. I love BB creams and Skin Base is inspired by them but better! I also needed another foundation with SPF xp

I hope you enjoyed my quick swatches and review! What do you think of the new "rubber-look" finish? Will you be trying any of the products?

Thanks for looking as always! =)

* Product(s) 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.

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless collection launch

2011-09-06T23:53:00.005+10:00

I was very fortunate to attend the launch of the Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless collection last night. As always with Illamasqua, the collection is just stunning! The collection is inspired by 1920s Berlin and the underworld subcultures that filled its nightlife - exotic dancers, actors and performers, nudists and Boot Girls. The tones are dark and sophisticated in a modern interpretation of the era.

Photo courtesy of Illamasqua
What they say:

"Theatre of the Nameless is a heady mixture of opulent hues, decadent pigments and fearless application. A bruised and burnished pallet that gives a sensual slip that bleeds colour into colour, worn through and kissed off" - Alex Box, Illamasqua Creative Director."

The new Theatre of the Nameless collection consists of:

Two new Intense Lipglosses in Facade (grey pink) and Violate (dark green shimmer) as well as two Lipsticks in Verboten (deep claret) and Kontrol (blue violet).

Four new nail polishes inspired by the Wittenberg Platz's Boot Girls colour-coded specialities - Kink (bottle green), Vice (deep cerise), Faux Pas (blue violet) and Taint (stone brown). These have an awesome new waxy "rubber look" finish!

The polishes as modeled on lovely Mandi:

There are two new Cream Pigments in Androgen and Depravity and three new Pure Pigments in Zeitgeist, Beguile and Berber. Also two beautiful Shimmer blushers in Ambition (which I purchased!) and Morale which ~~unfortunately won't be released in Aus~~ is available now!

Lastly, a new Masquara in Raven (midnight black) and Precision Ink in Havoc (aubergine) and two sets of new false eyelashes named Grandeur and Weimar.

Some of the fabulous products used for a look on gorgeous Francis:

I'm not into dark hues all that much so I won't be getting the lip products but I am really loving the cream pigments, shimmer blushers, polishes and pure pigments in this collection!! Such pretty colours and so versatile too as with other Illamasqua products.

The Theatre of the Nameless collection is available from September 8th 2011 for Aussie ladies and available from Myer.

What do you think of the collection? See anything you fancy? Come back tomorrow to see some swatches from the collection!! Hint: A gorgeous blusher and a Kink-y polish ;)

Thanks for looking as always =)

* I attended the launch as a guest of Illamasqua.

Art Deco 275 purple and silver manicure

2011-09-05T23:58:00.000+10:00

Hi ladies!! A super quick post for you all today so apologies for the very unimaginative title xp Here's a mani I did a few days ago using one of the AWESOME Art Deco polishes my dear Christina sent me a few swaps back. You can check out the other stunning Art Deco polish she sent me in my birthday card inspired mani here.

Art Deco 275 is a medium purple polish with microglitter. It also looks like a duochrome in the bottle with flashes of gold and green however it doesn't translate on the nail unfortunately. It was slightly sheer so 3 coats was needed. Application and formula were great!! Dry time is super quick for these polishes too. EEK I so need more of these beauties from this range!

I added an accent nail of Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance and stamped full lace (sort of) design from Konad plate m71 using China Glaze Millenium.

Thanks for looking!!

OPI Merry Midnight's younger sister - Sasatinnie FCGL002

2011-09-04T22:40:00.000+10:00

Hi ladies!! Today I have another gem of a polish I picked up from HK!! Sasatinnie FCGL002 is a very similar to OPI Merry Midnight but not a dupe which is why I'm calling it Merry Midnight's younger sister as it has one of those stupid Asian number names. I discovered this polish when awesome Abby (aka the blog ninja!! xp) from Nothing Personail did a great comparison of the two polishes which you can check out here. After reading her post I knew I had to hunt for it when I went to HK this year!

My swatch pics are a bit below standard from my usual I'm afraid as I did these very late at night x( FCGL002 is a blue/purple based polish with red flakies and blue and silver glitter. The polish is quite sheer so three coats was needed for opacity which is pictured here. It applied reasonably well however the brush is ridiculously short which took a second to get used to!

Close up:

OPI Merry Midnight is one of those polishes I wish I owned that wouldn't set me back some ridiculous $30+ on eBay. There's the new Orly Fowl Play which is touted as a dupe but I've yet to get my hands on it. So does FCGL002 satisfy my lemming for Merry Midnight? Yes pretty much seeing as I'm sure I won't get my hands on an elusive bottle anytime soon. And it was only a fraction of the price too!

Have you tried any or know of any Merry Midnight dupes? Let me know!! I also may have purchased one or two bottles to give away to some loyal readers too in the future.. ;)

Thanks for looking as always =)

Spring is in the air! Striped Spring nails

2011-09-02T20:34:00.002+10:00

It's officially SPRING in Australia!!! WOOT!! I just love Spring as it's not too hot and not too cold - perfect for my temperamental skin. It also means bright colours, pastels, pretty dresses and pretty heels!! I don't really follow seasons when it comes to my manicures (I wear brights in Winter and dark colours in Summer!) but the start of Spring calls for pastel polishes to be broken out. Not like I EVER need any excuse to haha. Here's my striped Spring manicure to get you in the mood for warmer weather!!

For my pinkys, I used 2 coats of China Glaze Light As Air; for ring fingers I used 3 coats of OPI What's with the Cattitude; for middle fingers I used 2 coats of China Glaze Lemon Fizz; for index fingers I used 2 coats of China Glaze Peachy Keen and thumbs I used 2 coats of China Glaze Something Sweet. PHEW!!

I then used Kiss nail art striper in white to draw about 4- 5 vertical lines on each nail and added a corresponding coloured fimo slice. You can check out my fimo tutorial here.

If you'd like to find out how I achieved this look, you can check out my step by step tutorial for this manicure which I did as part of the 2threads Dove Diaries campaign as their featured beauty blogger this week!

What's your must have colour for Spring this year? Thanks for looking as always ladies!! =) Have a wonderful weekend!

Apothica $50 giftcard giveaway winner!

2011-09-01T23:44:00.006+10:00

Hi ladies!! Time to announce the winner of my $50 Apothica giftcard giveaway! Without further ado, the winner is:

Bhumika!!
Congratulations Bhumika!! I've just sent you an email 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 winner..

Thank you to everyone who entered - if you didn't win this time don't be disappointed! I will be holding giveaways in the near future ^_^

Thanks for looking!!

Essie Winter collection 2010 swatches and review

2011-08-31T21:40:00.002+10:00

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:

Hot Coco is a sepia taupe creme. A great work appropriate colour! 3 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Silken Cord is a stunning bright coral candy red. Essie do sexy reds like no other brand I've come across and Silken Cord is just perfection. I wish I had this polish when I met D - I'm sure I would have won his heart faster haha!

Close up:

Masquerade Belle is a deep red wine jelly. The ultimate vampy shade! 3 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Smokin' Hot is described as "stone-cold fox gray". It's a tough colour to describe and I'd say its a purplish grey creme. My apologies for the dodgy swatch pics here, I am not made for swatching and I was getting quite restless at this stage! The first picture below is most colour accurate - my camera wouldn't pick up the colour properly. 2 coats is pictured.

Close up:

Overall: A gorgeous collection from Essie! The colours are perfect for the colder months (or anytime of the year for that matter!) and there is a great selection of colours and finishes. I'm so happy there are three jelly finishes included! My must haves for this collection would be Going Incognito, Silken Cord and Luxedo.

I found the formulas on these excellent albeit on the thinner side. I found I had to apply more carefully so as to not flood my cuticle but this wasn't too much of an issue. The polishes are highly pigmented and applied like an absolute dream! Most only needed 2 coats for opacity and had I been more careful I could have gotten away with 2 coats for all colours. The finish of these is just so unbelievably glossy - you can see my reflection in almost all my pictures! Dry time was excellent too.

Details: The Essie Winter collection 2010 can be purchased now from Myer stores and Hairhouse Warehouse stores nationally for $18.95.

US ladies can purchase Essie nail polishes from the Essie online store for $8US.

What's your favourite from the collection? Thanks for looking as always ladies!

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.

Review: Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara

2011-08-30T22:25:00.000+10:00

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!

2011-08-29T22:36:00.000+10:00

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

2011-08-28T15:47:00.001+10:00

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

2011-08-25T19:55:00.002+10:00

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!!

2011-08-24T23:43:00.002+10:00

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

2011-08-23T23:48:00.000+10:00

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

2011-08-21T23:52:00.009+10:00

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!

2011-08-19T22:02:00.003+10:00

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!

2011-08-18T22:51:00.000+10:00

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 =)

Purple floral manicure

2011-08-17T20:51:00.001+10:00

Hiya ladies! Here's a quick mani I did on the weekend. I did it literally 30 minutes before I jumped into bed! Lol. I didn't get a chance to take proper photos so some Instagram pics that I took at work will have to suffice ;)

I used 2 coats of OPI Steady as She Rose (a gorgeous grey lavender I've been wanting to add to my collection for ages!) on all fingers except ring finger and thumb as a base. I then used Bundle Monster plate BM-205 to stamp full floral design using Konad Special Polish in purple.

On ring fingers and thumbs, I used 2 coats of Illamasqua Baptiste (dark purple shimmer) as a base and stamped the same Bundle Monster image but using China Glaze Passion. Topped it all off with a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust for some sparkle!!

Sorry for the lack of proper photos but I LOVE INSTAGRAM!! If you have an iPhone you NEED to get the app, it's so awesome! Follow me if like - my username is cosmeticcupcake.

Thanks for looking as always!! Don't forget to enter my Apothica $50 giftcard giveaway here!

Kit Cosmetics Viva La Color Chiquita Pink swatches and review

2011-08-16T20:41:00.002+10:00

I have for you today one of the polishes from the limited edition Kit Cosmetics Viva La Color make up collection. The colours in the Viva La Color collection are inspired by Mexican delights and all things bright! The collection includes some very cute palettes and sets in gorgeous bright colours. I love me a good bright polish so I was very excited to be given the opportunity to try 2 of the colours! There are 5 full size polishes and a mini nail polish kit in limited edition shades featuring Kit's signature nail polish formula in the collection.

I'm going to show you Chiquita Pink today. Chiquita Pink is a gorgeous dark pinkish red shade. It's a gorgeous pink and because it's on the darker side works very well in Winter! The formula is fantastic so the polish just glides onto the nail. The brush is firm yet flexible and easy to handle. It dries to a semi matte finish and pictured is 2 coats with no topcoat.

Close up:

The only downside to this gorgeous pink polish is that it wears terribly unfortunately. The polish lasted barely 12 hours on me before I started getting tipwear and small chips! =( I think I may try a different base and topcoat combo next time I use it and make sure I wrap my tips properly.

Details: The Kit Cosmetics Viva La Color limited edition nail polishes are available now from Kit counters at Myer or online at Kit Cosmetics for $15.95.

Thanks for looking!! Don't forget to enter my Apothica $50 giftcard 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.