Quay, Sydney
Hi ladies! A little bit of food porn for you today =) One of my foodie friends and I went to Quay last weekend for a long awaited dinner! I have wanted to try it out for SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long and finally made it there! You may know Quay because of the famous "snow egg" created by executive chef Peter Gilmore which was featured on Masterchef Australia season 2. We went for the 4 course dinner menu ($165) and oh it was just fabulous. My pictures are instagram pics so they aren't the best but you get the gist I'm sure ;)
Gorgeous view!
Gorgeous view!
Pretty in purple manicure
As you may know I do love my pastels/bows/polka dots and I haven't done a "girlie" mani in AGES so I made time to do one the other night ;) Only problem is I never know what to name these types of manicures each time I do one! Any suggestions?
What I used:
Pinky: 3 coats of OPI Alpine Snow as base colour, I then stamped diagonal full image from Konad plate m65 using China Glaze Millenium.
Ring finger: 2 coats of China Glaze Light as Air and 2 coats of Lynnderella Nosegay. I saw this combo over on The Polish Well and knew I had to try my bottle out ASAP with the combo. (I DO NOT CARE FOR THE LYNNDERELLA DRAMA BTW).
Middle finger: 3 coats of OPI Alpine Snow as base, I then stamped bow image from Konad plate m59 using China Glaze Harmony and added a silver rhinestone.
Index finger: 2 coats of China Glaze Light as Air, I then stamped full polka dot image from Konad plate m79 using Konad Special polish in black
Thumb: 2 coats of Glitter Gal Serpent Black and 1 coat of Essie Luxeffects Set in Stones.
My photos are too yellow here but oh well. I just don't get enough time in to take photos in natural light especially during winter! I really should look into a lightbox but the problem is a) I have no where to put it, b) I'm lazy to make one and c) I'm too cheap to buy one haha!
Hope you like this mani =) Thanks for looking!
What I used:
Pinky: 3 coats of OPI Alpine Snow as base colour, I then stamped diagonal full image from Konad plate m65 using China Glaze Millenium.
Ring finger: 2 coats of China Glaze Light as Air and 2 coats of Lynnderella Nosegay. I saw this combo over on The Polish Well and knew I had to try my bottle out ASAP with the combo. (I DO NOT CARE FOR THE LYNNDERELLA DRAMA BTW).
Middle finger: 3 coats of OPI Alpine Snow as base, I then stamped bow image from Konad plate m59 using China Glaze Harmony and added a silver rhinestone.
Index finger: 2 coats of China Glaze Light as Air, I then stamped full polka dot image from Konad plate m79 using Konad Special polish in black
Thumb: 2 coats of Glitter Gal Serpent Black and 1 coat of Essie Luxeffects Set in Stones.
My photos are too yellow here but oh well. I just don't get enough time in to take photos in natural light especially during winter! I really should look into a lightbox but the problem is a) I have no where to put it, b) I'm lazy to make one and c) I'm too cheap to buy one haha!
Hope you like this mani =) Thanks for looking!
Glitter Gal Serpent Black
Here's my quick swatches of Glitter Gal Serpent Black for you as promised. I layered the amazing Duo Chromes I showed you yesterday over this gorgeous black.
Serpent Black is a super black jelly and creme hybrid. It's not quite either one! It is VERY glossy and dries extremely quickly which is fantastic. I used 2 thinnish coats for opacity which is pictured here. You could probably get away with 1 thick coat actually!
Details: Glitter Gal Serpent Black can be purchased from glittergal.com.au for $14.95.
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.
Serpent Black is a super black jelly and creme hybrid. It's not quite either one! It is VERY glossy and dries extremely quickly which is fantastic. I used 2 thinnish coats for opacity which is pictured here. You could probably get away with 1 thick coat actually!
Details: Glitter Gal Serpent Black can be purchased from glittergal.com.au for $14.95.
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.
Glitter Gal Duo Chromes collection swatches and review
Today I am so excited to show you my swatches and review of the brand new Glitter Gal Duo Chromes collection which is released today. I have been a fan of Glitter Gal polishes since I began my nail addiction so you can imagine just how honored I was when lovely Kerry and Anna asked me to help them swatch the collection for them!
The Duo Chromes collection is 5 Free which means they contain NO Formaldehyde, NO DBP, NO Toluene, NO Formaldehyde Resin and NO Camphor which is absolutely fantastic. For reference I've swatched the collection over 2 thin coats of Glitter Gal Serpent Black with no top coat.
What they say:
"Multi-dimensional metallic special effect nail polish which shows a “Metallic Chrome” like finish which changes colour when viewed from different angles. They can be worn by themselves for a soft look or for a more dynamic strong look layer over Serpent Black for a full Metallic appeal. They're Gem Stone Top coat compatible if you wish but not necessary."
The Duo Chromes collection is 5 Free which means they contain NO Formaldehyde, NO DBP, NO Toluene, NO Formaldehyde Resin and NO Camphor which is absolutely fantastic. For reference I've swatched the collection over 2 thin coats of Glitter Gal Serpent Black with no top coat.
What they say:
Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation
My time management at work is pretty good (if I do say so myself!) but after work I just never seem to find the time to finish everything I want! I often only end up getting 4-5hours of sleep a night so I look and feel like a zombie the next morning. Rimmel recently released the Wake Me Up foundation to their make up range and I couldn't go past the claim that it would make me look radiant even with only a few hours sleep. Here's my swatches and review for you today!
What they say:
"Rimmel’s Wake Me Up liquid foundation instantly re-awakens skin with a healthy, radiant looking glow,whilst also helping to minimise signs of premature ageing. No matter how late you got home last night, this anti-fatigue foundation immediately helps to eliminate visible signs of tiredness so skin looks rejuvenated. No one need know you were partying ‘till 3am!
The foundation’s light, smooth texture glides on easily to give a 100% pore-less coverage with an even, flawless, natural-looking finish. It it contains radiance pearls to help illuminate skin with a gorgeous, healthy-looking glow. The high-tech formulation features peptides, which helps increasing skin elasticity, so it can recover and bounce back more quickly. As a result, skin looks more radiant and fresh. Finally because the future beauty of your skin is all-important, Wake Me Up Foundation is the first Rimmel foundation containing an SPF 15 to help protect it from the sun’s damaging rays."
The foundation is packaged in a glass bottle with a handy pump which is great. The formula is light and smooth and aims to give a 100% pore-less coverage for a flawless and natural looking finish. The formulation of the foundation contains peptides to help increase skin elasticity so it can recover quickly. There are 5 shades available and True Ivory suited me best.
Swatch - the shade doesn't look like it matches my colour but my face is more tan:
FOTD using just Wake Me Up foundation, some mascara, blush and pink lippie on 4 hours sleep (!!!):
The left side of my face looks so weird in this pic!
Overall: I am really enjoying the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation! I don't really know how "awake" it makes me look as I still look sleepy haha but it definitely gives me a really lovely glow and gives my skin a wonderful dewy finish. It is very natural looking and I'd say gives a medium to full coverage. I don't need concealer with it if I'm having a good skin day either!
It blends beautifully and True Ivory is a very good match for my skintone. I like that it contains SPF (the first Rimmel foundation to!) and the wear is excellent for me - it consistently lasted 10+ hours for me so basically a full work day plus dinner. I am loving the price point for the foundation too, $20 is EXCELLENT!
The major downside is the CRAZY amount of shimmer through it. In sunlight I feel like a vampire from Twilight! All sparkly like the gorgeous Edward Cullen haha. If there was less shimmer it would be an overall winner but it's just way too shimmery. There's a slight scent to it which isn't too overpowering but some people may find it annoying. The shade range is very limited so for very fair and darker skin ladies you'll have a hard time finding a shade unfortunately. That's what I dislike the most about drugstore foundations.
Details: The Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation is available now from David Jones, Kmart, Target, Coles, Big W, Woolworths, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Priceline pharmacy and selected pharmacies nationally for $19.95.
Have you tried it out yet? How to combat the shimmery-ness? Thanks for looking as always!
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.
What they say:
The foundation’s light, smooth texture glides on easily to give a 100% pore-less coverage with an even, flawless, natural-looking finish. It it contains radiance pearls to help illuminate skin with a gorgeous, healthy-looking glow. The high-tech formulation features peptides, which helps increasing skin elasticity, so it can recover and bounce back more quickly. As a result, skin looks more radiant and fresh. Finally because the future beauty of your skin is all-important, Wake Me Up Foundation is the first Rimmel foundation containing an SPF 15 to help protect it from the sun’s damaging rays."
The foundation is packaged in a glass bottle with a handy pump which is great. The formula is light and smooth and aims to give a 100% pore-less coverage for a flawless and natural looking finish. The formulation of the foundation contains peptides to help increase skin elasticity so it can recover quickly. There are 5 shades available and True Ivory suited me best.
Swatch - the shade doesn't look like it matches my colour but my face is more tan:
FOTD using just Wake Me Up foundation, some mascara, blush and pink lippie on 4 hours sleep (!!!):
Overall: I am really enjoying the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation! I don't really know how "awake" it makes me look as I still look sleepy haha but it definitely gives me a really lovely glow and gives my skin a wonderful dewy finish. It is very natural looking and I'd say gives a medium to full coverage. I don't need concealer with it if I'm having a good skin day either!
It blends beautifully and True Ivory is a very good match for my skintone. I like that it contains SPF (the first Rimmel foundation to!) and the wear is excellent for me - it consistently lasted 10+ hours for me so basically a full work day plus dinner. I am loving the price point for the foundation too, $20 is EXCELLENT!
The major downside is the CRAZY amount of shimmer through it. In sunlight I feel like a vampire from Twilight! All sparkly like the gorgeous Edward Cullen haha. If there was less shimmer it would be an overall winner but it's just way too shimmery. There's a slight scent to it which isn't too overpowering but some people may find it annoying. The shade range is very limited so for very fair and darker skin ladies you'll have a hard time finding a shade unfortunately. That's what I dislike the most about drugstore foundations.
Details: The Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation is available now from David Jones, Kmart, Target, Coles, Big W, Woolworths, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Priceline pharmacy and selected pharmacies nationally for $19.95.
Have you tried it out yet? How to combat the shimmery-ness? Thanks for looking as always!
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.
Review: ghd air professional hairdryer
Wouldn't it be awesome to be one of those girls who just tumbles out of bed with perfect hair every morning? Sadly I am not one of those girls and I need help in the styling department! Luckily with the help of the recently released ghd air professional hairdryer it's easy and quick to do!
What they say:
"Established as a professional stylists’ must have styling tool for over 10 years, ghd has revolutionised the way in which we style our hair. Now ghd, the world’s leading luxury haircare brand brings you its first salon strength hairdryer that will blow you away - ghd air.
ghd CEO Paul Stoneham says: ‘We’re extremely proud to be launching ghd air, especially in our 10th anniversary year. An incredible amount of research, development and testing has gone into producing such a high caliber, salon strength hairdryer. ghd air will leave consumers literally blown away”."
I was sent the ghd air professional hairdryer to try recently and I've been using it over the last few weeks with great results. It features a professional (and powerful!) 2,100 Watt AC motor and uses advanced ionic technology to reduce frizz for a smoother and softer finish.
The ghd air includes the lightweight dryer and also two concentrator nozzles to create different styles. Because my hair is so thick I tend to just use the larger nozzle though. The dryer has an ergonomic design for easy handling and maximum control.
It has variable temperature and power controls and a cool shot button for a blast of cool air to fix your hair in place!
Overall: I am loving the ghd air professional hairdryer! My hair is long and thick and even in Summer I rarely let it air dry so I spend quite a bit of time blow drying my hair. The ghd air cuts down significantly on dry time for me which is absolutely fantastic - from a minumum of 15mins down to probably about 5 mins. Time is precious for me and a saving of 10mins is HUGE especially in the morning! I get a bit of frizz plus flyaways and my hair looks and feels smoother after using the ghd air.
Like all ghd products, the design of the ghd air is very sexy and sleek! It's easy to handle making it easy to use in both the right and left hand. It's quite light as well and is much lighter than my current hair dryer and also much quieter too. This is very handy when I either wash my hair late at night or 1st thing in the morning because both times are when my family don't like to be woken up by a noisy hair appliance!
With a RRP of $199.95 it's pricier than your standard hair dryer. However it's not too far off a Parlux hairdryer which I've been considering purchasing for quite some time now as it has a professional motor too and also cuts down on dry time. The main thing is you pay for what you get and you have to pay for quality. I use my hair dryer LOTS more than my ghd hair straightener which I paid more than $200 for so the ghd air professional hairdryer is a worthy investment in my book.
Details: The ghd air professional hairdryer can be purchased from ghd Australia and all good hair salons for $199.95. Shipping is free in Australia!
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.
What they say:
ghd CEO Paul Stoneham says: ‘We’re extremely proud to be launching ghd air, especially in our 10th anniversary year. An incredible amount of research, development and testing has gone into producing such a high caliber, salon strength hairdryer. ghd air will leave consumers literally blown away”."
I was sent the ghd air professional hairdryer to try recently and I've been using it over the last few weeks with great results. It features a professional (and powerful!) 2,100 Watt AC motor and uses advanced ionic technology to reduce frizz for a smoother and softer finish.
The ghd air includes the lightweight dryer and also two concentrator nozzles to create different styles. Because my hair is so thick I tend to just use the larger nozzle though. The dryer has an ergonomic design for easy handling and maximum control.
It has variable temperature and power controls and a cool shot button for a blast of cool air to fix your hair in place!
Overall: I am loving the ghd air professional hairdryer! My hair is long and thick and even in Summer I rarely let it air dry so I spend quite a bit of time blow drying my hair. The ghd air cuts down significantly on dry time for me which is absolutely fantastic - from a minumum of 15mins down to probably about 5 mins. Time is precious for me and a saving of 10mins is HUGE especially in the morning! I get a bit of frizz plus flyaways and my hair looks and feels smoother after using the ghd air.
Like all ghd products, the design of the ghd air is very sexy and sleek! It's easy to handle making it easy to use in both the right and left hand. It's quite light as well and is much lighter than my current hair dryer and also much quieter too. This is very handy when I either wash my hair late at night or 1st thing in the morning because both times are when my family don't like to be woken up by a noisy hair appliance!
With a RRP of $199.95 it's pricier than your standard hair dryer. However it's not too far off a Parlux hairdryer which I've been considering purchasing for quite some time now as it has a professional motor too and also cuts down on dry time. The main thing is you pay for what you get and you have to pay for quality. I use my hair dryer LOTS more than my ghd hair straightener which I paid more than $200 for so the ghd air professional hairdryer is a worthy investment in my book.
Details: The ghd air professional hairdryer can be purchased from ghd Australia and all good hair salons for $199.95. Shipping is free in Australia!
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.
Tony Moly GS09 Shooting Star glitter sandwich
A few days ago I received another AMAZING care package from my nail polish dealer amazing friend Christina containing a multitude of jaw dropping polishes and accessories! I'll share pics with you shortly ;) In it she included the beautiful Tony Moly GS jelly glitters for me and I was so excited I had to try one out that very night! I used GS09 Shooting Star for a quick NOTD.
GS09 Shooting Star contains multicoloured hex and small round glitters in a pastel purple jelly base. For my base I used 2 coats of China Glaze Light As Air and then 2 coats of GS09 Shooting Star followed by 1 coat of OPI Care to Danse?*.
Close up - it's winter here in Sydney so my hands are suffering. They look so wrinkly in this pic!
The glitter applies pretty easily on the nail but I did have to use the "splat" technique a few times to get nice coverage for the larger glitters. I love how this mani turned out and I've actually worn it for 4 days! Very unheard of for me. It wore really well too considering it's 6 layers of polish altogether (including topcoat) and I took these pics on day 3.
Bonus bottle shot!
Thank you SO MUCH for sending this beauty my way Christina!! *HUGS* Thanks for looking as always ladies! =)
* 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.
GS09 Shooting Star contains multicoloured hex and small round glitters in a pastel purple jelly base. For my base I used 2 coats of China Glaze Light As Air and then 2 coats of GS09 Shooting Star followed by 1 coat of OPI Care to Danse?*.
Close up - it's winter here in Sydney so my hands are suffering. They look so wrinkly in this pic!
The glitter applies pretty easily on the nail but I did have to use the "splat" technique a few times to get nice coverage for the larger glitters. I love how this mani turned out and I've actually worn it for 4 days! Very unheard of for me. It wore really well too considering it's 6 layers of polish altogether (including topcoat) and I took these pics on day 3.
Bonus bottle shot!
Thank you SO MUCH for sending this beauty my way Christina!! *HUGS* Thanks for looking as always ladies! =)
* 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.
Skinny Cow biggest indulgence giveaway winner!
Nuffnang and Skinny Cow have chosen a winner for my biggest indulgence giveaway! The lucky winner of a $150 Westfield voucher is:
CONGRATULATIONS! I've just sent you an email requesting your address details =)
Thank you to everyone who entered and a huge thank you also to Nuffnang and Skinny Cow for giving me the opportunity to hold this giveaway!
Anna Sui 108
A quick NOTD for you today from the always fabulous Anna Sui. Oh how I love the products! The rose scent! The packaging! I picked up this gorgeous Anna Sui 108 flakie a few trips back to HK and I'm finally showing you today. Better late than never haha. And it's worth the wait too - it is AH-MAZING!!
Anna Sui 108 is an amazing polish that contains large flakie pieces suspended in a light blue glitter base. The base looks dark in the bottle but it's light blue when swatched. The flakie pieces are quite large actually and border on being actual iridescent glitter pieces. A cross between the two I guess??!! Here I've layered 2 coats over 1 coat of Misa High Waist Hue as underwear and 1 coat of Laka 81.
Close up:
Bonus bottle shot!
Off to sniff my lovely rose smelling fingers now haha. I love this combo so much!! What do you think?
Thanks for looking as always!
Anna Sui 108 is an amazing polish that contains large flakie pieces suspended in a light blue glitter base. The base looks dark in the bottle but it's light blue when swatched. The flakie pieces are quite large actually and border on being actual iridescent glitter pieces. A cross between the two I guess??!! Here I've layered 2 coats over 1 coat of Misa High Waist Hue as underwear and 1 coat of Laka 81.
Close up:
Bonus bottle shot!
Off to sniff my lovely rose smelling fingers now haha. I love this combo so much!! What do you think?
Thanks for looking as always!
Lynnderella Gotta Love Brains
Yes I've been MIA again. It seems like I've bitten off more than I can chew just at the moment and I'm not really in the mood to blog much either! Oh well. I have a quick swatch today of another gorgeous Lynnderella polish - Gotta Love Brains. I really liked the look of the swatches I saw online and I'm happy that it doesn't disappoint in real life! Love the name too xp
Gotta Love Brains is made up of small silver, blue and purple hex glitters; silver and pink square glitter; silver bar glitter and larger hex glitters all in a milky grey base with subtle purple and silver shimmer. I used 3 coats over 1 coat of Rescue Beauty Lounge Concrete Jungle (which is an awesome opaque grey by itself already) for this NOTD.
Close up:
Concrete Jungle a bit darker in real life - unfortunately my camera washed the colour out a bit. I love this combo!
To order Lynnderella polishes: They are only available via wish list. Sign up for email alerts on http://shop.llarowe.com to be sent a wish list when they accept them again!
Hope you've all been well. Thanks for looking as always =)
Gotta Love Brains is made up of small silver, blue and purple hex glitters; silver and pink square glitter; silver bar glitter and larger hex glitters all in a milky grey base with subtle purple and silver shimmer. I used 3 coats over 1 coat of Rescue Beauty Lounge Concrete Jungle (which is an awesome opaque grey by itself already) for this NOTD.
Close up:
Concrete Jungle a bit darker in real life - unfortunately my camera washed the colour out a bit. I love this combo!
To order Lynnderella polishes: They are only available via wish list. Sign up for email alerts on http://shop.llarowe.com to be sent a wish list when they accept them again!
Hope you've all been well. Thanks for looking as always =)
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