Cosmetic Cupcake

Hello! How has everyone's week been?

For today's NOTD I decided to use Bloom Kylie - the 2nd polish I got from the Bloom trade in (see my previous post)

Kylie is described as “A zesty shade of lipstick pink that takes it up a notch with its shimmery finish”. The colour is a nice bright shade of pink however I don’t think it really goes with my skin tone.


Above is 2 coats topped with Seche Vite. The 1st coat was very streaky and had bald spots galore but a thick 2nd coat fixed it.

I then decided to do some konading so I went with the French tip bows from plate m56 with Konad special polish in white and silver diamantes.


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I had my makeup done at the Estee Lauder Facebook event yesterday at Myer Sydney City. It involved a 30minute makeover and then their professional photographer takes a photo for you to use for your Facebook or website which is then redeemable for 2 products on the day. I love getting my makeup done and this was just too good to resist!!

I had my makeup done by MUA Phil who was a very nice. I went for a matte foundation and a brown smokey eye, something “sophisticated” for high tea with the girls! I think it turned out really nice (if I do say so myself!) and I felt super glam too =p


What was used:

All items by Estee Lauder

Face:
Advanced Night repair
Idealist
Double wear Stay in Place foundation
Nutritious Vita-Mineral Loose powder

Cheeks:
Signature Silky Powder blush in Rosewood

Eyes:
Silky EyeShadow duo in Mocha
TurboLash All Effects Motion mascara in Black

Lips:
Unsure


The photos were taken by photographer Cameron Mills and I absolutely love how they turned out!! Cameron was lovely and really put me at ease which I think is really important when getting photos done. I feel kind of awkward getting photos done, but Cameron was super friendly and professional and we chatted about what kind of shots I wanted and what I would use them for and stuff. He took at least a dozen shots and then let me choose the ones I liked so he could email them to me. I also got a print of the photo I liked most which was the 1st photo! Even though it was only a very short photo session, I really enjoyed it and I would definitely consider using Cameron in the future to capture a special occasion for me.

I really wanted the blush in Peach Nuance but they had sold out so I redeemed 2 lippies. I purchased the Signature Hydra Lustre Lipstick LOVE in Lustrous Pink and Pure Colour Crystal lipstick in Tiramisu.



Estee Lauder's Facebook Event is available at selected Myer stores until 1st May 2010. For details click here.

My french manicure NOTD with a twist - using OPI Passion as base and China Glaze 5 Golden Rings for the tips topped with Seche Vite.


I needed something a bit more demure and sophisticated as I had high tea with girlfriends at the Swissôtel this afternoon!

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A very unimaginative blog title I know but to the point! I decided to do a quick manicure tonight using Bys Black Satin for my base. Bys is a little Aussie brand that sells very affordable yet reasonable cosmetics. Some of their products look a bit hit and miss however their polishes have a reputation for being pretty darned good and for a fraction of the price.

Without top coat
I picked up Black Satin for only $3.75 from Kmart but I have seen it a little cheaper at dollar stores. It’s a black crème that only needs 2 coats for a perfect finish. It applied smoothly and I didn’t have any problems with it except for me getting it all over my hands LOL. Oops!

I then Konaded using a fairy like design from GCOCL plate D02 and
China Glaze Admire.


Now its times like these I wish I was ambidextrous. My konad-ing on my right hand turned out smudgy and very dodgy so I added some flowers also from GCOCL plate D02 using Ulta 3 Silver Grey and topped with Seche Vite.


Ulta 3 is another great little Aussie brand that does fantastic polishes and for only $2!!! I bought Silver Grey hoping to use it for konad-ing as it looks chrome in the bottle, but when I swatched it came out VERY sheer. However it actually konads great so I’m very pleased! =)

Hope you like it!

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Hi ladies!
Late last night, my mum came rushing into my room to tell me about an ad she saw in the free MX newspaper which is handed out at the city train stations. It turns out that Aussie brand Bloom Cosmetics is giving away a FREE nail polish when you trade in any polish for today only at Myer Sydney City!! So this morning my sis and I treked out to the city to do some shopping.

The offer:


You can trade in any old crumby polish and you can pick any shade you like from their extensive range of 80+ polishes! How awesome is that?? I traded in a near new Rimmel polish which I didn't like the colour of and my sis traded in a dodgy Korean brand glitter polish and we got Bloom Ava and Kylie in exchange.


Ava is a gorgeous mulberry creme while Kylie is a lovely pink shimmer. I haven't tried Bloom polishes before however I've walked past them many times and admired the colours so I was very excited to try the polishes.

I decided to do my NOTD using just Ava. The colour is very pigmented however I found the formula a little thick, but still easy to apply. The pic below is 2 coats with a coat of Seche Vite. It was *@$%ing hard and darn near impossible for me to capture the true colour of Ava properly so here is the photo that is most similar. I even asked my sis to take photos with her SLR but it still didn't capture the colour properly. NOT HAPPY!


My sis and I are going to the Kelly Clarkson concert tonight and I really wanted to do a "All I Ever Wanted" inspired manicure however I don't have the right colours for it! Doh. Which means I need to expand my polish collection ;) I am super duper excited about the concert tonight, I am unashamed to say I am a lover of pop and Kelly ROCKS!! This will be the 3rd time I've seen her in concert actually =p

We also stopped by Lush and we got ambushed by the lovely sales assistants! They spent at least 15mins showing us different cleansers, scrubs and moisturisers for our skin and what would work best for us. Their enthusiasm was a little overwhelming for 10am in the morning actually! But they were so lovely and helpful =)

I ended up purchasing the Lemony Flutter Cuticle butter which I've been lemming for quite some time but put off since i still had others. It smells sooooooooo divine. I still love my Essie Apricot cuticle oil however on the go it's not very convenient for obvious reasons. I plan on dividing the cuticle butter into little tubs so I can have some to use at work, put one in my makeup bag etc.


The Bloom free polish offer is available for one day only on Saturday 17 April 2010.

For today’s NOTD I decided to go for something pastel and glittery so I decided to try out Essie Bike Ride with a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust on top.

Essie Bike Ride is a pink pastel with slight purple undertones to it. It was kind of a pain to apply as it streaks like crazy and is definitely a 3 coater. Having said that though I’m digging the colour and it’s worth the trouble.

Without top coat
Before I applied glitter, I added a nail decal to accent fingers using Pink Fin nail decals which I purchased from my local shopping centre. These decals are what got me interested and hooked on nail art last year!!! The girls at the stands are super friendly and they give you a free sample (1 nail decal on your nail) whenever you walk past. They also have nail wheels with different designs using the decals and I love to see what they have to get inspiration for my nail art. These decals are fantastic and last until you take your manicure off and even then I struggle to get them off sometimes! They come in a million different designs and retail for I think $4 each or 3 for $10. They’re great for a quick manicure and seriously you can buy them all. And I love the fact that it’s a little Aussie brand =)


I then applied a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust which unfortunately is a bit hard to see in the pic below. I then sealed it all with a coat of Seche Vite.


What's your NOTD?

Catch of the Day is an awesome Aussie site that has a new bargain deal available everyday at 12 midday and is available for 24hrs only. Some of the bargains include phones, laptops, Fererro Rocher chocolates and heaps of other great bargains. Last week they had some makeup bargains and I got a Boots 17 makeup pack and a L’oreal skincare pack for the boy. I’ve always wanted to try Boots products as it’s got a reputation for being a good drugstore brand however of course they aren’t available in Aus. I only paid $12.95 for 11 products so even if they suck it was still a bargain!


What I got:

Boots 17 Instant Glow shimmer dust; Instant Glow wash off leg bronzer and Instant Glow wash off self tan shimmer powder in Aztec Gold.



Now I’m not too sure I’ll use these products.. I’m not really into tanning products and since Winter is coming up here I won’t get a chance to. The shimmer dust looks really cool though with the puff applicator.

Boots 17 Sheer Shine Eye cream in Cream Cake and White Rabbit


Boots 17 Limited Edition Jonathon Saunders lipsticks in Tourney and Elia



According to Google, Jonathon Saunders is a Scottish fashion designer and this makeup collaboration was released sometime in 2007. Now quick question: do any of you ladies know how long BRAND NEW sealed makeup is OK for..???
The lippies are quite cute and come packaged in cardboard which is quite unusual.

Boots 17 Limited Edition Jonathon Saunders eyeshadows in Elador; Vodence; Favia and Selwyn



A nice combination of colours! Great for a smoky eye I think. These are also packaged in cardboard with a magnetic close.

I can’t wait to try these out!

Since I'm naturally quite pale (I'm a NC20), blush is a must have product for me otherwise I look sickly (until the afternoon when I get naturally rosy cheeks). I have quite a few blushes and one of my faves is Nyx powder blushes. It's cheap and works wonderfully but unfortunately it isn't readily available in stores in Aus =( Some of the dollar ships do stock the round lipsticks but not many.


I picked up 2 of the powder blushes last week in Terracotta and Angel from Paddy's Market. Both blushes are very pigmented and last reasonably long for me. I actually reach for these more often than my Smashbox or Clinique blushes or my 28 blush palette.

Terracotta is a bronzey colour which could be used a bronzer too. It gives my cheeks a lovely sun kissed glow which I love. Meanwhile Angel is a light pink shade which gives my cheeks a very natural pink glow perfect for any occasion. I already own 2 other powder blushes in Sand (bronzey shade) and Natural (light pink shade) so I'm starting a collection now!

The stall I purchase them from also stock a limited range of the Nyx Jumbo eye pencils and some LA colour products which I refrained from purchasing! Any Sydneysiders know of anywhere else you can purchase Nyx products besides online?


What's YOUR favourite blush?

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Hello ladies!!
How has everyone’s week been? I am mightily relieved because I have completed and submitted 2 assignments this week! YAY!! So I thought I would celebrate by trying out 2 new polishes I purchased from Orly’s Once Upon A Time collection. Click the pic below to see the colours and fashion inspirations for the collection.


I saw these a while back and fell in love with each and every colour. The colours are absolutely gorgeous and the names are wonderful – Think Prince Charming, Enchanted Forest etc. They also come with a charm to correspond with the colour name, how awesome is that! Plus I love fairytales and when I see the colours I think Snow White I only purchased Happily Ever After and Mirror Mirror even though I wanted the whole collection which is unusual for me but I just love this collection. However I had self crontol and only purchased 2 =(



Orly Happily Ever After is described as a "deep berry creme" and is my current favourite! It's a dark berry colour with little flecks of purple and blue shimmer which is just gorgeous. The shimmer is subtle but in direct light it just pops. It was very smooth to apply and was opaque in 2 coats.

Orly Mirror Mirror (accent nail above) is described as a "creamy grey neutral". In real life it's a light grey colour and is a nice grey to add to my collection as my 1st grey polish. It was a little streaky on the 1st coat but the 2nd coat smoothed it right out. I was wary of Mirror Mirror after reading reviews but I didn't experience any lumps or bumps. I'm trying really hard to fight the urge to buy the other colours but I think I may give in soon!

Here's a close-up of Happily Ever After so you can see the flecks of shimmer:

Geez this pic makes my finger look really wrinkly!! I did just get out of a long shower though o_O
Now we come to the fail part of this NOTD. I wanted to do a fairytale manicure and konad the stars design using China Glaze Passion and GCOCL plate K05. For some reason it just would not behave and it refused to pick up the stars so I swtiched to the heart design on GCOCL plate A01 because happily ever after means eternal love etc etc. Because I haven't used plate A01 before I had to peel the plastic film off and I cut myself on the edge of the plate!!! F@#$ it was sharp! And it wasn't even the corner of the plate! The moral of my pain is to please be careful when peeling the plastic off your new plates.

Then to top it off I just could not get the placement right and smudged a few nails. Oh well, here is my attempt below and please excuse the bandaid on my rude finger!

Fairytale manicure
Lastly I'll leave you with today's afternoon tea which happens to be one of my favourite foods - pacific oysters - which my fab mum thoughtfully brought home as I'd been busy finishing my assignment!


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I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter long weekend! Yesterday the boy and I were in the north shore area so we took the opportunity to visit Chatswood and have lunch and do some shopping. We had a quick lunch at one of the Chinese restaurants and headed to Westfield to do some quick browsing. I haven't been to Chatswood in ages and boy has it changed! Alot of new shops have opened up including one of my favourites Cupcakes on Pitt which I discovered in Westfield.

I absolutely love love LOVE cupcakes and I haven't had one in well over 2-3months, since before I started my blog! I can't believe this is only my 1st post about cupcakes! But I just haven't had time to bake any or cart any home so I greedily jumped at the opportunity to get some yesterday.


The size of their cupcakes were alot bigger a few years ago but they still hit the spot even though they're gone in 2 mouthfuls. They're visually pleasing and come in an assortment of flavours like peppermint; rocky road; lemon meringue; cheesecake and they put out seasonal ones too for Easter and Xmas etc. I've found on occasions when buying from the Pitt St store in the city that the cupcakes can be a bit hit and miss sometimes as they can be a bit dry, but these ones were lovely and moist. I got 6 cupcakes and I'll let the pics speak for themselves =)


Continuing with the sugarfest, I've wanted to try San Churro in Westfield many times as it's on the same level as Kam Fook Chinese restaurant where we like to go for yumcha given the chance (which isn't often).


I LOVE churros but I've found them difficult to find in Sydney just as a snack. Some Spanish restaurants have them on the dessert menu but they aren't always available plus after Tapas it's hard to fit anything else in! There used to be a little churros place on top of Market City but they closed down not long after opening =(

Fondue for Two
We got the Fondue for Two to share and it did not dissapoint! It came with 6 mini churros; little bowls of strawberries, bananas, caramel popcorn and chopped peanuts; 2 brownies; pretzels and marshmallows with a pot of melted chocolate to cover everything in. San Churro reminded me alot of Max Brenner but with a Spanish twist. And I just discovered on their website that they have a store in Glebe!

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Last November when I was in Hongkong visiting family, I ummmed and ahhed about getting coloured contact lens that are all the rage in Asia worn by Kawaii stars and everyday girls who want the "doll" look. I already wear contacts so it was no big deal but I wondered about the safety and comfort of the lens etc. I decided to just go for it! because I think the Kawaii/Gyaru look is gorgeous and bought myself 2 pairs of Geo Circle colour lens.

Geo Circle lens
What the company says:
"Magic Color Soft Contact Lens
GEO Magic Color soft contact lens provides variety of design patterns and colors to meet the needs of global customers both of Western and Oriental.
These lenses will present you wonderful, mysterious and attractive eyes of which you can be proud." - LOVE the engrish!! =p

I got 2 pairs - a grey pair and a green pair (as pictured). I purchased them from one of the many sellers from the CTMA Centre in Mongkok. CTMA Centre is one of the MUST shop places everytime for me and the boy when we visit HK each year. For him it's for the hobby stuff while I go for the little shops filled with boxes containing all sorts of beauty products and knick knacks.

The pair below are from the "Angel colour" range in CM-833. I haven't opened these ones yet (only my grey ones) but I wanted to show you guys how they're packaged. I can't remember the price I got them for exactly but they set me back only about $100Hk (about $13Aus at the time) or 2 for $160Hk (about $22 at the time)+ free contact lens case for each pair I THINK . Please excuse the poor memory! But nonetheless they were a steal compared to the ridiculous prices I have seen around Sydney - $40 or something a pair at one place in Chinatown and $35 from Asianfashioncity site!!


The pair below are what I've been wearing and they're from the "Magic colour 3-tone" range in CM -901. Before wearing them, you need to get rid of the solution the lens come in and soak the lens in regular contact lens solution for about 6hrs. I soaked them overnight just to be safe.


The contacts are pretty comfy to wear and feel just like normal soft contact lens. You can still see my natural eye colour with the lens on though. Do they make my eyes look bigger??


Now I was told by the sales girl when I bought them that the lens last about 6 months, however on Asianfashioncity they say they can last for 1yr. I am very sceptical about them lasting 1yr. Please correct me if I'm wrong as I'm not an optometrist - these contacts may very well be made of some super special material allowing them to last a year however I doubt that. I've worn soft contacts for more than 5yrs now and soft contacts usually need to be changed every month.

I know that with Orthokeratology(Ortho K) though where you wear hard contact lens, that they can last more than 2yrs with special care as my sister has had this treatment for 8+yrs. I will most likely wear these until they feel uncomfortable and then try my green ones out!

My face of the day (FOTD) yesterday where you can see the Geo lens better:


To see the full range of Geo lens click here. I know next time I visit HK i will be purchasing other colours if not ALL! I regret not buying more when I was over there. I think they're a great way of achieving the "doll" look and it's a different way of accessorising in a sense. Plus I think they look great!

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Confused by the title?!!! My NOTD today is inspired by one of the awesome manicures by the lovely Jacie over at You've Got Nail. A while ago Jacie did a Ke$ha inspired manicure for a friend and I fell in love with it. I'm not particularly a fan of Ke$ha (the $ in her name is ANNOYING) but this manicure is HOT! So I decided to do my own inspired by Jacie's inspired nail =p

For the manicure I of course needed a dense glitterly silver polish and a black matte polish. I don't have either so I decided to go shopping! I picked up Orly White Tips; Matte Vinyl and Tiara which I've had my eye on for quite some time.

L - R: Orly White Tips; Matte Vinyl and Tiara
I used Seche Clear as base (not pictured) and then Tiara.

Orly Tiara
Pictured above is after 3 coats of Tiara and it still didn't fully cover my nail as you can still see my nail tips. Besides sucky coverage I found the application disappointing (may be due to my skills) because I kept getting bald spots. I haven't had any real difficulties with other glitters I've tried before so I'm rather disappointed with this polish. It looked nice in the bottle!! Any recommendations on a good dense glitter that covers nicely in 1-2 coats??

I then applied a coat of Seche Vite (not pictured) to get a smooth base just like Jacie did. I then freehanded Matte Vinyl on the tips and didn't apply top coat to maintain the matte finish.

Ke$ha inspired manicure inspired by Jacie at YGN!
With Matte Vinyl, I found I had to work fast because the polish was drying on the brush in the middle of me applying it! Because I applied it over glitter I can't say whether it applied smoothly as there were still some bumps after a coat of Seche Vite.

Hope you like it! Please check out Jacie's version (link above) and her blog, i check it daily.

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Just a very short post today as I'm madly trying to finish off 2 assignments due next week!

I want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe Easter holiday! Hope you're all having fun and not doing assignments! =)

My Lindt Easter bunny from the boy!
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