Exactly what the title says! Essie is on sale at Ozsale until Tuesday the 2nd of October, for $7 a bottle for nail varnish (including Matte About You!) and reduced prices for treatments, lip glosses and lotions. I just bought a bunch of polishes :)
Robyn x
*I am in no way affiliated with Ozsale. I just like buying cheap polish.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Butter LONDON Pillar Box Red + Chi Chi Crystal Top Coat
Hello!
Today I have to show you my first Butter LONDON Polish, Pillar Box Red. This came free with the September Issue of InStyle. I've seen and liked and lusted after a lot of Butter LONDONs but never bought any because of the price.
Pillar Box Red is an orangey red creme. Application was very easy and I got full opacity at two coats.
With Flash - I think this is more colour accurate.
After a couple of days I put Chi Chi Crystal Top Coat on top, a multi coloured flakie. The rainbows were very pretty on the red!
All in all a nice red, but a bit too orange leaning for my tastes. I still prefer my LA Splash red.
Robyn x
Today I have to show you my first Butter LONDON Polish, Pillar Box Red. This came free with the September Issue of InStyle. I've seen and liked and lusted after a lot of Butter LONDONs but never bought any because of the price.
Pillar Box Red is an orangey red creme. Application was very easy and I got full opacity at two coats.
With Flash - I think this is more colour accurate.
After a couple of days I put Chi Chi Crystal Top Coat on top, a multi coloured flakie. The rainbows were very pretty on the red!
All in all a nice red, but a bit too orange leaning for my tastes. I still prefer my LA Splash red.
Robyn x
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Essence Choose Me! + Max Factor Fantasy Fire
Fantasy Fire!
Every nail blogger has been coveting this polish since Max Factor released it last year. Allegedly it's a dupe for the mythical and pretty much impossible to obtain Clarins 230. When FF was originally released it was only available in the UK and many Aussies ponied up ridiculous amounts of money on eBay to grab a bottle (if they didn't have a Brit buddy to send them a bottle). I salivated over hundreds - nay, thousands - of photos of FF but refused to pay a lot of money to get it. Well a few weeks ago I went into a chemist (the same one where I got Ulta3 Magnetic in Hypnotic) and there it was! Turns out Max Factor have now released the line which includes FF in Australia so it's quite widely available here now. I bought two bottles because they're pretty tiny (8ml each) and at $5.95 a bottle they're not the cheapest, but still not as expensive as buying OPI in David Jones here.
For this mani I layered three coats of FF over Essence Choose Me!, a dark blue shimmer. I think next time I might try putting it over a creme, I think the shimmer kind of interfered with FF a bit.
Check out that colour shift! My nails were uber distracting while I wore this.
FF should be available wherever Max Factor is sold - Target, Priceline and many pharmacies.
Robyn x
Every nail blogger has been coveting this polish since Max Factor released it last year. Allegedly it's a dupe for the mythical and pretty much impossible to obtain Clarins 230. When FF was originally released it was only available in the UK and many Aussies ponied up ridiculous amounts of money on eBay to grab a bottle (if they didn't have a Brit buddy to send them a bottle). I salivated over hundreds - nay, thousands - of photos of FF but refused to pay a lot of money to get it. Well a few weeks ago I went into a chemist (the same one where I got Ulta3 Magnetic in Hypnotic) and there it was! Turns out Max Factor have now released the line which includes FF in Australia so it's quite widely available here now. I bought two bottles because they're pretty tiny (8ml each) and at $5.95 a bottle they're not the cheapest, but still not as expensive as buying OPI in David Jones here.
For this mani I layered three coats of FF over Essence Choose Me!, a dark blue shimmer. I think next time I might try putting it over a creme, I think the shimmer kind of interfered with FF a bit.
Check out that colour shift! My nails were uber distracting while I wore this.
FF should be available wherever Max Factor is sold - Target, Priceline and many pharmacies.
Robyn x
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Essie Sand of a Beach
Today I have my first Essie to show you!
I went to Adelaide for my sister's birthday a couple of weeks ago and went into one of those fragrance/cosmetic clearance stores (I'm sure it's a chain and they have a name, but I cannot remember it, sorry!). They had a few brands of polish, mostly Revlon, Maybelline and Sally Hansen, then I spied a little bin of Essies right up the back. I got a mini cube set and two full sized bottles, and today I am showing Sand of a Beach.
Sand of a Beach is a fairly neutral, perhaps ever-so-slightly yellow-leaning nude, with a gorgeous pink shimmer/pearl which refuses to show up in my photos :( It's quite subtle, and sort of appears as a flash depending on the viewing angle.
This polish is quite sheer and I used three coats (and top coat) to get it fully opaque, but this would probably work well as a one-coater for a French Manicure. It's a lovely work appropriate polish and the formula was great - smooth, runny but not too watery, and easy to apply. I think I'll have to start hunting down more Essies!
Robyn x
I went to Adelaide for my sister's birthday a couple of weeks ago and went into one of those fragrance/cosmetic clearance stores (I'm sure it's a chain and they have a name, but I cannot remember it, sorry!). They had a few brands of polish, mostly Revlon, Maybelline and Sally Hansen, then I spied a little bin of Essies right up the back. I got a mini cube set and two full sized bottles, and today I am showing Sand of a Beach.
Sand of a Beach is a fairly neutral, perhaps ever-so-slightly yellow-leaning nude, with a gorgeous pink shimmer/pearl which refuses to show up in my photos :( It's quite subtle, and sort of appears as a flash depending on the viewing angle.
This polish is quite sheer and I used three coats (and top coat) to get it fully opaque, but this would probably work well as a one-coater for a French Manicure. It's a lovely work appropriate polish and the formula was great - smooth, runny but not too watery, and easy to apply. I think I'll have to start hunting down more Essies!
Robyn x
Monday, September 17, 2012
Ulta3 Blossom Fever
Another Ulta3 polish to show you today!
A couple of months ago I bought a bottle of Blossom Fever to use as a work polish. Unfortunately when I got home and opened the bottle, I found this:
D'oh! I've never had this happen with an Ulta3 and I have 30 or so bottles. I posted on the Ulta3 Facebook page and they sent me out a new bottle, which was very nice of them, considering it's only $2.00 I would have just gone out and bought another one :)
Ulta3 recently moved their production from Australia to China, and this means that a lot of the polishes now have a slightly different formulation and look. The bottle I bought was made in China, but the replacement I got was an old made in Australia one. Unfortunately I don't have a comparison yet but will do one when I get a chance. I can see a slight difference in the bottle but am not sure how it will translate on the nail.
Blossom Fever (Aussie version) is a pale, slightly pink-toned nude, with a tiny bit of pink shimmer in it. I think this is three coats plus top coat - it's slightly uneven in application but nothing too tricky. Two thin coats would probably give an even sheer coverage but I prefer the opaque look. This is a perfect work appropriate manicure :)
Robyn x
A couple of months ago I bought a bottle of Blossom Fever to use as a work polish. Unfortunately when I got home and opened the bottle, I found this:
D'oh! I've never had this happen with an Ulta3 and I have 30 or so bottles. I posted on the Ulta3 Facebook page and they sent me out a new bottle, which was very nice of them, considering it's only $2.00 I would have just gone out and bought another one :)
Ulta3 recently moved their production from Australia to China, and this means that a lot of the polishes now have a slightly different formulation and look. The bottle I bought was made in China, but the replacement I got was an old made in Australia one. Unfortunately I don't have a comparison yet but will do one when I get a chance. I can see a slight difference in the bottle but am not sure how it will translate on the nail.
Blossom Fever (Aussie version) is a pale, slightly pink-toned nude, with a tiny bit of pink shimmer in it. I think this is three coats plus top coat - it's slightly uneven in application but nothing too tricky. Two thin coats would probably give an even sheer coverage but I prefer the opaque look. This is a perfect work appropriate manicure :)
Robyn x
Sunday, September 16, 2012
*facepalm*
Oh-kay. So I finally figured out how to add Google Friend Connect to my blog, so now it should be heaps easier to follow me and receive notifications when I post. Also, this means I can start my first follower giveaway - I think once I hit fifty followers I'll have something up for grabs :)
Robyn x
Robyn x
Friday, September 14, 2012
Ulta3 Magnetics - Hypnotic
I finally found Ulta3 magnetics!
I must be the worst nail polish hunter in the world...it has taken me months to find these polishes, then I found them at a chemist which I walk past all the time. I found Hypnotic at the Soul Pattinson Chemist on Bourke Street, near the corner of William Street, in the Melbourne CBD.
Hypnotic is a dark reddish purple in the bottle. Also, check out my "nail board" - it's just a bit of thick cardboard I use to protect my desk when I'm painting. The big splodges are from stamping!
Once magnetised, it goes a gorgeous dark berry sort of colour with loads of shimmer with paler streaks which shift as you move your nails.
This polish is pretty tricky to apply. You have to put down a thickish coat (on top of an already dry coat), then while it's still wet you have to hold the magnet just above the nail. Ulta3 magnets are simply stuck onto a piece of cardboard so it can be tricky to get the magnet at the right height. I had a few mishaps - once I held the magnet too far away and the pattern didn't appear, another time I got polish on the magnet from holding it too close. You also have to do one nail at a time and since I'm a bit of a klutz I did smudge a couple of nails.
The finished result on my nails (with a permanent marker streak on my index finger - oops! I was labelling swatch sticks). You can see how tiny my nails are compared to my swatch stick :) My Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat probably wasn't the best choice for this manicure as you can see it's dragged some of the colour - next time I will probably put a normal top coat and then the Insta Dri. Also, on the nails I fudged, instead of taking everything off and starting again, I just whacked another coat on top and went on my merry way. I think the polish must be quite slow drying because I went to bed five hours later and woke up the next morning with pseudo-sheet marks on those nails (the top coat was dry but the polish underneath was still soft). Next time I won't be so lazy!
What so you guys think of magnetics? I personally quite like the effect. Everyone makes magnetics now so you should be able to find some cool colours out there!
Robyn x
I must be the worst nail polish hunter in the world...it has taken me months to find these polishes, then I found them at a chemist which I walk past all the time. I found Hypnotic at the Soul Pattinson Chemist on Bourke Street, near the corner of William Street, in the Melbourne CBD.
Hypnotic is a dark reddish purple in the bottle. Also, check out my "nail board" - it's just a bit of thick cardboard I use to protect my desk when I'm painting. The big splodges are from stamping!
Once magnetised, it goes a gorgeous dark berry sort of colour with loads of shimmer with paler streaks which shift as you move your nails.
This polish is pretty tricky to apply. You have to put down a thickish coat (on top of an already dry coat), then while it's still wet you have to hold the magnet just above the nail. Ulta3 magnets are simply stuck onto a piece of cardboard so it can be tricky to get the magnet at the right height. I had a few mishaps - once I held the magnet too far away and the pattern didn't appear, another time I got polish on the magnet from holding it too close. You also have to do one nail at a time and since I'm a bit of a klutz I did smudge a couple of nails.
The finished result on my nails (with a permanent marker streak on my index finger - oops! I was labelling swatch sticks). You can see how tiny my nails are compared to my swatch stick :) My Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat probably wasn't the best choice for this manicure as you can see it's dragged some of the colour - next time I will probably put a normal top coat and then the Insta Dri. Also, on the nails I fudged, instead of taking everything off and starting again, I just whacked another coat on top and went on my merry way. I think the polish must be quite slow drying because I went to bed five hours later and woke up the next morning with pseudo-sheet marks on those nails (the top coat was dry but the polish underneath was still soft). Next time I won't be so lazy!
What so you guys think of magnetics? I personally quite like the effect. Everyone makes magnetics now so you should be able to find some cool colours out there!
Robyn x
Friday, September 7, 2012
Color Club Love 'Em Leave 'Em
Hello!
Today, my all-time favourite work appropriate polish, the glorious Color Club Love 'Em Leave 'Em. This is a warm-toned nude/beige with a stunning yet subtle scattered holo effect. Great formula too, smooth and flowy and opaque in two coats. This is two coats topped with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Non Chip Top Coat.
My nails are quite long at the moment - usually I wouldn't let them grow any longer than this because it gets too hard to play guitar and ukulele - but I'm going away for a few days so will let them grow out a bit. My next post will be about base coats and what is my favourite at the moment.
- Robyn x
Today, my all-time favourite work appropriate polish, the glorious Color Club Love 'Em Leave 'Em. This is a warm-toned nude/beige with a stunning yet subtle scattered holo effect. Great formula too, smooth and flowy and opaque in two coats. This is two coats topped with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Non Chip Top Coat.
My nails are quite long at the moment - usually I wouldn't let them grow any longer than this because it gets too hard to play guitar and ukulele - but I'm going away for a few days so will let them grow out a bit. My next post will be about base coats and what is my favourite at the moment.
- Robyn x
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Collection By Bloom Saigon
Hello!
Today I have another Collection By Bloom polish to show you. This is Saigon, a pale lavender with icy white/very pale blue pearl. I did these nails quickly during a break at work, so luckily this polish didn't cause any problems, going opaque in two easy coats. Unfortunately even after wrapping my tips with base coat, the first coat of colour and top coat (my standard Sally Hansen), this chipped after only a day. On the plus side this was the easiest polish to remove EVER and came off with a minimum of fuss.
I think this would be really pretty as the base to some stamping in dark purple, so may try that out some time.
- Robyn x
Today I have another Collection By Bloom polish to show you. This is Saigon, a pale lavender with icy white/very pale blue pearl. I did these nails quickly during a break at work, so luckily this polish didn't cause any problems, going opaque in two easy coats. Unfortunately even after wrapping my tips with base coat, the first coat of colour and top coat (my standard Sally Hansen), this chipped after only a day. On the plus side this was the easiest polish to remove EVER and came off with a minimum of fuss.
I think this would be really pretty as the base to some stamping in dark purple, so may try that out some time.
- Robyn x
Monday, September 3, 2012
Work Appropriate Stamping!
Hello,
Today's post is in response to a request from issta from mel my issta, that I post some Konadicures.
For those not in the know, Konad is a brand which makes a whole bunch of nail art stamps. They're a really easy way to get designs and pictures on your nails without having to rely on a steady hand or wicked brush skills. Lacquerized has a fantastic tutorial on how to Konad your nails, so I'll just show you my efforts. :)
For this manicure I needed to do something work appropriate (my work stipulates "neutral colours" and actually prohibits "multi-coloured nail art" but I made it subtle :) ) so I used colours really similar to each other. The base colour I used is China Glaze Dress Me Up from the Hunger Games Collection. It's a mauvey sort of pinkish beige (yes my skills of description are amazing) creme which is opaque in two coats. For the stamped design I used China Glaze Poetic from the Romantique Collection. Poetic is a rosy metallic chrome. Konad does sell polishes for stamping, but a lot of "normal" polishes are good for stamping too - chromes, metallics, dark cremes, and anything which would be opaque in one coat. For this manicure I used a design from plate m73.
Konading takes a bit of practice, but once you've gotten used to it it's actually really easy, and takes way, waaayyyy less time than painting on nail art. Win!
- Robyn x
Today's post is in response to a request from issta from mel my issta, that I post some Konadicures.
For those not in the know, Konad is a brand which makes a whole bunch of nail art stamps. They're a really easy way to get designs and pictures on your nails without having to rely on a steady hand or wicked brush skills. Lacquerized has a fantastic tutorial on how to Konad your nails, so I'll just show you my efforts. :)
For this manicure I needed to do something work appropriate (my work stipulates "neutral colours" and actually prohibits "multi-coloured nail art" but I made it subtle :) ) so I used colours really similar to each other. The base colour I used is China Glaze Dress Me Up from the Hunger Games Collection. It's a mauvey sort of pinkish beige (yes my skills of description are amazing) creme which is opaque in two coats. For the stamped design I used China Glaze Poetic from the Romantique Collection. Poetic is a rosy metallic chrome. Konad does sell polishes for stamping, but a lot of "normal" polishes are good for stamping too - chromes, metallics, dark cremes, and anything which would be opaque in one coat. For this manicure I used a design from plate m73.
Konading takes a bit of practice, but once you've gotten used to it it's actually really easy, and takes way, waaayyyy less time than painting on nail art. Win!
- Robyn x
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Collection By Bloom Osaka
Hello!
I was in Target a few days ago browsing the cosmetics section (which I do far more often than I'd care to admit) and came across a bunch of Collection by Bloom polishes reduced to $3.56 as the line is being discontinued. I picked up four, and have one of them to show you today.
Osaka is a deep reddish purple glass flecked beauty. In the bottle it seemed like it might have a bit of a duochrome shift to gold going on, but that doesn't appear on the nail. I used three coats to get a completely opaque and glowy look which is super sparkly in the sunlight. One warning, this polish is kind of gritty (it even felt gritty when I was brushing it on) and needed two coats of top coat to be completely smooth.
Pretty! Good formula too, easy to apply and no cuticle flooding (I didn't do any clean up at all for the photo above, and I don't have the world's steadiest hands). I would recommend a bin dive at Target before these are all gone.
- Robyn x
I was in Target a few days ago browsing the cosmetics section (which I do far more often than I'd care to admit) and came across a bunch of Collection by Bloom polishes reduced to $3.56 as the line is being discontinued. I picked up four, and have one of them to show you today.
Osaka is a deep reddish purple glass flecked beauty. In the bottle it seemed like it might have a bit of a duochrome shift to gold going on, but that doesn't appear on the nail. I used three coats to get a completely opaque and glowy look which is super sparkly in the sunlight. One warning, this polish is kind of gritty (it even felt gritty when I was brushing it on) and needed two coats of top coat to be completely smooth.
Pretty! Good formula too, easy to apply and no cuticle flooding (I didn't do any clean up at all for the photo above, and I don't have the world's steadiest hands). I would recommend a bin dive at Target before these are all gone.
- Robyn x
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