Cosmetic Cupcake

Hi ladies! I'm still in HK at the moment so there hasn't been much time for me to blog unfortunately. I've been catching up with family and basically eating nearly every hour of the day! Plus some shopping of course! Here is a purple gradient manicure I did last week using a gradient kit I found here.


I used the purple gradient kit pictured below by Beauty World to create the look. These kits come in other great colours such as red and blue too. I couldn't resist picking one up as I LOVE gradient manis but am lazy to do them =p


You get 3 colours in this purple kit - a dark purple, a purple/blue glitter suspended in a purple jelly and a clear glitter.


Instructions on the back:


Pretty simple huh? Just layer the polishes on following the instructions and add topcoat and it should look like below.


The polishes applied well and the brushes were good even though they are small bottles. Drying time was decent and I didn't have to wait too long in between coats. I don't think I did my mani very well though because it doesn't look very blended but oh well!


On another note, I found a simple online photo editor called Picnik to edit photos while I'm here. It's no Photoshop and the lighting is still yellow but I just had to tweak and watermark my photos.

Thanks for looking!

Hi ladies! I'm finally nearly all better from my cold so I've been able to head out and about for some shopping. I've hauled a bit of stuff in the last few days but today I had the pleasure of meeting up with the very lovely Jennifer from life and lens of beauty for some beauty shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui! She very kindly showed me around lots of awesome places for beauty items - most of the places I never would have known contained beauty items at such great prices!

Once again, please excuse the crappy photos while I'm in HK. The lighting at my grandparents place is very yellow and there isn't much room to take good photos so don't mind the piles of stuff in the background of my shots =p


Jennifer very generously gave me a gift of Lush shower gel in Snow Fairy. Thank you so very much Jennifer - it smells absolutely DIVINE! You really should not have =) I can't wait to try it out, I'm going to smell good enough to eat hehe.


I tried (not very hard HA!) to limit the damage to my wallet today by only purchasing a few things. I picked up my first NARS goodies today from Facesss!! WOOT! Thank you Jennifer for allowing me to use your members card ;) I had to get Orgasm blush and also Pokerface limited edition polish from their Holiday 2010 collection.



How darn beautiful is this lilac???!!!! It contains a beautiful silver shimmer through it. The price wasn't so nice (I hate having to pay more than $15 for a polish) but compared to Aussie prices it was OK.


I picked up Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in 21 for a bargain price at a great hidden beauty shop that sold lots of great brands and products. I'm thinking I should have bought more from there!! I tried a sample of this back home but held off purchasing from the Aussie Missha store, I'm SO glad I did because it was a steal.

Very crappy photo sorry!
Some Skinfood polishes! i had a hard time choosing from the different colours, they were all so pretty! The pic below is not colour accurate though I'm afraid. The polish on the left is a gorgeous teal colour but it looks more blue here.


Jennifer highly recommended I try Laneige Water Sleeping Pack so I bought a small sample of it. I'll be trying it tonight!! On another note, I love all the sample size items you can buy in HK! Great way to test before you take the plunge with a full size product.


Jennifer and I were both curious about Vitacreme B 12 Regenerative Cream. We'd both read good things about it but had no experience with it so we got teeny tiny sample tubes to try! Can anyone enlighten us on the proper way of using it please..?? Thanks in advance!


I got some spare hair velcro clips. I have a fringe and these are fantastic for keeping hair off my face when getting ready.


Jennifer had to rush off for class so I went back to one of the stores to get some Golden Rose polishes. I take aaaaaaaaages choosing colours when faced with a tub full of choice so I didn't want Jennifer to have wait around for me! =p Since I started reading blogs and becoming more aware of the international brands out there, I am amazed at the range of international polish brands available in HK. I never expected to find Golden Rose polishes here!


I also purchased Lioele Triple Beyond Solution BB cream. The sales lady was very good in selling it! I've been making the transition to BB creams so I'm looking forward to road testing this. If not my sis can have it!


Thank you for a wonderful outing Jennifer! It was lovely meeting you! I wish we had more time to shop but there is always next year =) I will definitely be bringing you over some Aussie goodies to try next year!

Thank you for looking!

Greetings from HK ladies! Hope you're all well =) I wasn't expecting to be able to blog so soon but I've been kept inside most of the day because of my darned sickness. My nose is running like a tap and I'm coughing like mad so I played it safe today. I'm a terrible flyer (air sickness plus a mild fear of flying) so the 9hour flight didn't help make me feel any better. Lets just say I could not WAIT to land!

It's been wonderful seeing my family, even though I have to keep my distance so I don't infect them all haha. It's extra nice this year too because I came with my mum and sis too who haven't been to HK for 2 years AND the boy will be joining us later. Normally we go at different times - I go with the boy at the start of the year and mum and sis at the end of the year so it's nice to be all together even though it can be annoying too hehe. A year goes by so quickly in some ways yet so slowly in others. It's been a year since I last saw my beloved grandparents yet it felt like only yesterday I was having yumcha with them!

Even though I didn't go out today except to the local shopping centre for some snacks, I still have a mini haul to show you courtesy of my awesome aunty. My aunty is one of the best shoppers and she is always happy to hunt down limited edition stuff for me during the year. I only asked for 2 things and I got them today! Word of warning for posts while I'm in HK - my pics will be of substandard quality because I don't have proper lighting or photoshop for my pics.


As soon as I saw the press release for the Jill Stuart Sweet Bride Collection I was head over heels in love. I knew I HAD to get my hands on the Double Ring nail collection Diamond and Pearl - it is simply too beautiful for words! I really wanted the mirror too but it was completely sold out by the time my aunty got to the store which was only something like 5 hours after it was released! Insane I tell you.


My crappy pics don't do it justice - it is sooooo pretty! I am so happy to have this set =) It's so sweet and feminine and I can so see myself using these if/when I get married! The set includes 2 beautiful lacquers and 3D nail stickers contained in a ring pillow pouch. It's so nice I don't want to use it =p


MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose - my 1st one yay! I think at the time this was released in Aus I had assessments so I didn't have a chance to check out Myer. Can't wait to try it out!


I normally go to HK during Chinese New Year but I didn't get to this year unfortunately. And it just happened to be my year too - Year of the Tiger!! Argh. I love everything about New Year in HK - the festivities, the food, the atmosphere and of course the red packets! One of the highlights is going to the Lunar New Year Fair at Victoria Park to browse and purchase the plushies and knick knacks. My cousin kindly bought these 2 cute tiger plushies for me early in the year!


My grandparents cooked dinner tonight and we had some of my favourite foods which included seafood, veges and quail eggs! I love it when my grandpa cooks =)


One of my uncles then stopped by with some yummy desserts. Sydney desperately needs an awesome dessert place - dessert places in HK are like no other! We have Meet Fresh but we need MORE! I couldn't have anything cold (darn being sick!) so I had glutinous rice balls with black sesame while my sis had strawberry shaved ice dessert with dragon fruit. Mmmmmmm!


Thanks for looking ladies!

I'm off to Hong Kong for 3 weeks from today so I will be MIA for some days while I catch up with my family =) I most likely won't have any NOTD posts as I won't be bringing my nail stuff with me - I will be too busy shopping, eating and doing more browsing! Expect some haul posts and also foodie pics here and there though. I plan on hitting up Sasa, Sephora, Watson, Facesss etc like a mad woman haha. Don't know if I'll actually buy that much but I'll browse like no tomorrow anyway! I also really want to check out Lanvin for H & M as it will be released when I'm there! Woot! Last year I was in HK, Jimmy Choo for H & M was released and I managed to snag a pair of gorgeous red heels so maybe I'll have the same luck this year. Just have to sweet talk my cousin again in to lining up for half a day with me..!

Happy polishing ladies! See ya in a few days!

My gosh time is just running away from me! I leave for HK next week and there's just so much to do before I go and not enough time as always. I have had weddings, engagement parties to attend and most exciting of all the boy's sister in law had a little baby girl! I spent ages cooing over the newest addition to his family =) Also had to play with his 2 and half year old niece who was becoming jealous of all the attention on her baby sister lol.

Today I have for you a super quick NOTD using another holo polish by Aussie brand Glitter Gal. I was a little disappointed with the 1st one I tried here and was hoping I would have a better experience this time. So how did I go this time round? Read on to find out!


I'm happy to say that I was so much more pleased this time! Not Another Red is a red holo with a lovely rainbow sparkle and is very pretty. It applied very smoothly and easily and the tiny brush was much more manageable 2nd time around. The polish is SUPER pigmented and 1 coat would have been enough but I wanted a deeper red so did 2 which is pictured below. All photos have no topcoat by the way. The polish dried quickly and lasted a good 2 and a bit days without topcoat and lots of wear and tear at work.


It’s one of those polishes that looks different in different lighting – sometimes it’s more of a pinky red and other times its a very intense red.

Artificial light:

In some sunlight (taken while at work!):


Close-up:


I find the Glitter Gal holos seem to be more a little more subtle than other brands I’ve tried but this is different to other swatches and posts I’ve seen. Maybe I got a different batch..? Anyway, it’s still a lovely polish however I just wish it was more in your face holo! You can purchase Glitter Gal polishes from their website .

Thanks for looking!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my latest giveaway! I hope that my giveaway and pink manicures during October may have inspired you to donate and support Breast Cancer Awareness. Thank you for all the wonderful comments and suggestions for my blog. I've already tried to incorporate a few suggestions already (featuring more Aussie brands, haul posts to name a few) but I will endeavour to use some of the other suggestions. Thank you also for sharing some of your stories with me - it is heart breaking that cancer affects so many people.

On to the winner! There were 401 valid entries which took me FOREVER to count lol. I put the names in to the random fruit picker to choose a winner.

The lucky winner is:

Original Wacky!

Congratulations Original Wacky! I've just sent you an email requesting your details. Please respond within 48hours! If I don't receive a response in that time period I will draw another winner.

Thanks ladies!

This post is a little late but better late than never I say! I did quite a bit of hauling as the exchange rate is just too awesome not to take advantage of at the moment. I consider it saving money in the long run by buying now because I'll purchase them anyway so I may as well do it now!


I did a small haul from Transdesign in early October and a bigger haul from 8ty8beauty towards the end of October. It was my 1st time ordering from both and customer service was mixed but in the end my polishes arrived in good condition which is the main thing!

From L-R: China Glaze Party Hearty set, Frosty and Merry Mint set
As soon I saw the 1st pics of the China Glaze 2010 Holiday collection I knew I had to add some to my collection. I wanted every polish but I'm trying to limit myself on the polishes I get so I just picked up the ones I most wanted. I also picked up the Fight like a Woman collection too which I featured in my pinktacular mani here.


My 1st Misa polish Dirty, Sexy, Money and China Glaze Millenium. Two polishes I have been wanting for AGES!

From L-R: Color Club polishes in Fashion Addict, Revvvolution and Wild at Heart
I've been lemming these for ages too and finally have them in my hot little hands! Color Club polishes ROCK.

From L-R: OPI Glitzerland and Diva of Geneva
I wanted a lot more from the Swiss collection but I limited myself to the ones I really wanted and to the colours I didn't have many of in my collection.

From L-R: OPI Extra-va-vaganza, Bring on the Bling, Show it and Glow it!, Sparkle-icious and Shimmer & Shimmer
I'm not sure I'll watch the movie but the polishes from the OPI Burlesque collection just looked divine. I looooove glitter and the swatches I saw of these looked amazing. Of course I couldn't resist and ended up with 5 from the collection. It would have been more but my self control won!


I also managed to purchase a GHD IV hair straightener from Catch Of The Day for an absolute steal! For international ladies, Catch Of The Day is an Aussie site that has a great deal every day available only for 24hrs. Every so often they do Catchathons where they do amazing deals on PS3s, PSPs, iPod touches etc. which are released every hour. Basically for these days you have to be waiting there on the hour every hour to see what is released and then snap it up right away. The site often crashes on these days due to the number of people trying to get a bargain. My sister - who mind you was supposed to be studying for exams - spent practically the whole day waiting around for the straightener to be released and managed to score one for me! I saved more than $80 so I am very happy indeed =D

What have you hauled recently? Thanks for looking!

Thank you ladies for your kind words and for all your support in my last post. It was a particularly rough week and your words helped lift me when I was down. It is so wonderful being part of a community of wonderful ladies who care and to hear about your experiences too. It is disappointing to know that others are in the same situations. I have to remind myself that I don't have it that bad - I have a job at least, I get paid on time and I work with wonderful team members. Just wish the management was better but one can only hope! I really appreciate the advice from fellow nurses and healthcare workers who are experienced with these kinds of situations. You guys are AWESOME!

Here is a quick NOTD I did to help brighten my mood. Bright colours don't seem to be really appropriate at the moment because the weather has been pretty miserable in Sydney lately so I should be wearing fall colours instead! It did clear up today so I hope it stays this way so I can use bright polishes!

I used China Glaze Sugar High which is a bright pink creme which has tones of coral. It's so bright and gorgeous and would be perfect for a pedicure! My bottle was a little thick but application was manageable. Below is 2 coats and it dried very glossy.


I then added 2 fimo flowers to middle and ring finger and topped it with a coat of Poshe topcoat. Quick and simple but effective.


Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend and thanks for looking =)

I think this is the longest I haven't blogged for! But I have good reason which I will get into later. Nail stuff first! I have for you a super quick NOTD using Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish in Black Cherries. I did it about 15mins before I had to head out the door to attend a wedding last weekend and there was a huge risk I would ruin it before I even got there! But it is a beautiful polish so there was no worry at all =)

Black Cherries is a stunning deep red/purple, almost black polish. It has bronzey shimmer through it and is a perfect vampy colour for night time. I wore a black dress with lace and it went wonderfully together. I love Rimmel polishes and this one definitely didn't disappoint. It applied smoothly in 2 coats with very minimal cleanup and dried to a very glossy finish. What's not to love!


Close-up so you can see the shimmer:


I normally try to keep things on my blog light hearted and nail and beauty related however the last week has quite possibly been the crappiest in a very very long time which meant I didn't get a chance to blog or count up entries for my giveaway. I had my final assessment for uni which was a take home exam and it stressed the crap out of me. On top of that, work has been absolutely shocking and the worst week in the 2 years I've worked there I thought I would give you a little insight.

As you may know, I am a nurse and am also studying full time. I love being a nurse and I'm very passionate about my job, but some days I really question why I do it. The pay is crappy for the responsibility, the work is not the best and there is little recognition of the work we do. I work in a drug and alcohol outpatient unit with some extremely challenging patients (clients). It was not by choice that I chose to work in this setting however health issues beyond my control dictated this for me and I'm happy most of the time.

Most of the patients I work with are absolutely lovely people who have made mistakes in their past and are working hard to make a change in their lives. Many of them have shocking family backgrounds filled with abuse and you can see why they chose to take drugs to escape. A lot of my patients are polite and appreciative of the work we do for them however of course many of them have extremely low frustration levels and can be very rude and demanding. It's also extremely full on dealing with intoxicated people and having abuse hurled at you on a regular basis. The last few weeks patients have been so angry and unsettled that it really affects you.

Today I was ready to walk out of work and never come back. We had virtually no nursing staff on and from the moment I walked in to work I was flat out dealing with scripts, phone calls, doctors who needed my help, patients etc. I was completely and utterly drowning and nearly in tears trying to sort everything out as quickly as I could by myself. I called my manager for help as a new patient who was psychotic was hurtling abuse at me telling me over and over again to "hurry the f*** up" and that I was "completely useless" and calling me all sorts of other lovely things in front of a room full of patients.

Now I am a very capable nurse and can normally handle these situations with no problems because I'm so used to them. I get out there with my game face on and don't take any nonsense, but I just wasn't in the mindset to deal with it today after being stressed out and sleep deprived. Do you know what my manager did to help me? Nothing. Nada. Zip. She chose to walk away from me knowing I had all this crap to complete while the psychotic patient yelled abuse at me. Of course he was completely stark raving mad but words do hurt. So does not having support when you're drowning. This isn't the 1st time she's been useless in situations but I was at my wits end today.

Do you want to know the lovely part to the story though? That one of the tough guy patient's in the room stepped in and told the abusive patient that he didn't like the way he was speaking to me and to "calm the hell down because 'chelle is a lovely nurse" and that if he didn't stop he would "deal with him outside". LOL! I was touched and chose not to hear the end bit haha.

So I do apologise for not replying to emails and comments yet. I will hopefully get round to replying in the next few days and have the winner of my giveaway for you by the end of the week or early next week. I hope to do some manis once I get my mojo back too.

Hope you're all having a better week and thanks for listening to me rant!