Cosmetic Cupcake

I received the STUNNING Kiko 255 Violet Microglitter from my dear friend Christina last Christmas and I finally tried it out this week. We share a mutual love of many things and purple nail polish is one of them!! Some super quick swatches of this beauty for you all today.


255 Violet Microglitter is a gorgeous dark violet filled with holographic microglitter. Isn't it just absolutely beautiful?? It has a great depth to it and lots of microglitter through it which isn't all that visible in the sun but very noticeable in the shade. You can really see the holo in the bottle! It applied well but it has a really gritty finish so I needed 2 coats of topcoat to smooth it all. 2 coats of 255 is pictured.


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Thank you lovely Christina for this beauty!! I'm off to Europe next month for my belated honeymoon and I can't wait to check out a Kiko store for myself when I'm in London and Rome!

Have you tried Kiko polishes? What's your favourite purple polish? Thanks for looking as always!

Sephora came out with the FORMULA X collection last year and my friend A very kindly lent me her bottle of Out of Sight from the Transformers Top Coats collection to swatch. As usual it's only available exclusively through Sephora boo. I've read good things about the range so of course I immediately took up her offer to try it!


What they say:

"An innovative top coat for layering over any nail color, transforming your manicure into something striking and completely new.. This savvy alternative to your traditional topcoat transforms any nail color with innovative textures and stunning effects. Dabble with color and texture options, or play with dimension by layering over your favorite shades."

The bottles are rounded and chunky with an outer cap that comes off to reveal a ribbed cap.


Out of Sight is a chunky warm gold fleck glitter. I was surprised at how well it applied since the glitter is so chunky! I had no issues getting the glitters out of the bottle and they lay flat on the nail without any coaxing. Here I've layered 2 coats over Hello Darling Oops.




Details: Out of Sight is available exclusively from Sephora stores and online for $12.50US. I definitely want to try out other shades! Thanks A for letting me try it!

What do you think of these chunky glitters? Thanks for looking as always!

I'm slowly working through my huge pile of untried polishes at the moment and I've been reaching for blues lately. I don't have that many blues in my collection yet I always seem to buy similar ones doh! It always happens with pinks and purples too. Today I've got Hello Darling Wading Pool for you which is a blue that's worth dipping your toes into!


Wading Pool is a straight up sky blue creme. Ahhhhhhh I love these types of blue! My camera makes it appear slightly brighter than it is though - it's more muted and pastel in real life. Like the other Hello Darling shades I own it's super opaque, applies like butter and dries to a high gloss shine. Love love LOVE. 2 coats is pictured.


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Details: Hello Darling Wading Pool is available from the Hello Darling online store for $14.95. Hello Darling is one of my fave Aussie brands and I keep quite a few of their shades in my kit as they're so pigmented and apply darn well so they're a perfect base for nail art. I'm aiming to own their entire collection!

What do you think? Thanks for looking as always!

Today I have the latest essence trend edition collection for you - the metal glam collection! From the name it obviously contains metallic hues. I have a love hate relationship with essence LE products because they always sell out so darn quickly before I can get my hands on the products. I have seen the collection in stores recently so you should still be able to get your hands on the collection ;) The metal glam collection consists of metallic polishes, eyeshadows, lipgloss, a highlighter, cream blush, stick on nail stickers and stick on eyeliner. I was sent a selection of the products to try out so keep reading to see my swatches and review after the jump!


What they say:

"Metallic glam slam! the fall season is going to be dramatic, sparkly and metallic with essence. The trend edition “metal glam” creates awesome beauty looks with a true glamour factor! During the run up to the festive season, it’s ok to go a little over the top – and you’re sure to sparkle with this world of colors consisting of gold, silver, bronze, purple, apricot and green – all with a metallic effect.

In addition to a touch of shimmer for your eyes, lips, face and nails, this trend edition offers highlights like the stick on eyeliner in dramatic rosé-gold and silver, a blush with a surprising powdery-metallic finish and the stick on jewels for an amazingly glamorous look on your body!"

As a teen I was obsessed with 2 things - boys and makeup because I was never allowed to date or use makeup! I loved pop music and teen heartthrobs like Leonardo Dicaprio and would collect posters of my favourite actors like no tomorrow. I was never allowed to use makeup or nail polish much to my annoyance though except on the very rare occasion like school formals. It didn't help that I bought Girlfriend magazine religiously each month to get my beauty fix which just made me want to wear makeup more and buy products! For my overseas readers, Girlfriend is an Aussie magazine aimed at 12-17 year old teenage girls and I loved the beauty recommendations, hair how tos, fashion tips and of course the handy advice on dealing with boys ;) I'm pretty sure the mag set off my beauty addiction! I would sneakily buy makeup to wear (hello Bonnebell and Red Earth products!) when going out with friends and then I'd remove it before I got home - oh the rebellious teen I was ha.

So I am very very excited today to share the news that I'm collaborating with Girlfriend Magazine for 3 upcoming issues in their Social Network series! It's kicking off in May's issue which goes on sale this Thursday 24th 2014 with an introduction to myself and other bloggers also collaborating in the series. I'll be sharing exclusive nail related content like nail art tutorials, nail care tips and what I'm loving each month!


I am so crazy thankful for this amazing opportunity so please make sure to check me out in the magazine! Keep an eye out on my social media - Instagram, twitter, Facebook etc. - for sneak peeks at what I'm working on for the magazine!

Helloooooo everyone! Happy Easter! I've been super good this year and I haven't eaten many Easter eggs at all but one thing I couldn't resist indulging in was the new limited edition Ulta 3 Speckled Egg nail collection. A beauty treat is nearly as good as a chocolate-ly one sometimes ;) The speckled glitter look is so adorable but I wasn't sure I loved it enough to get the Illamasqua ones at $22.50 a pop though so these are perfect! I've got my quick review for you today but please excuse the condition of my skin at the moment - my eczema is playing up big time at the moment and I can't seem to get it under control no matter how much cream I'm using =(


The Speckled Egg collection consists of 6 super cute Easter shades with adorable Easter inspired names containing tiny black glitter and larger black hex glitters just like speckled eggs.

Photos and review after the jump!

I'm always on the hunt for Holy Grail shades especially when it comes to black and white. I purchased Hello Darling Oops... from the Crazy in Love collection some time ago in the hopes it would be an opaque white and while it doesn't fit the bill it's a gorgeous white and a nice accidental find. My go to stark white these days is Cult Nails Tempest but Oops... is great when you need something soft and delicate.


Oops... is a milky marshmallow white jelly. I love how soft and squishy it is!! The formula isn't the easiest to work with and if you're impatient like me you'll have to go back in to cover bald spots - you can see some unevenness on my ring finger. Definitely take your time with application. 3 coats is pictured.


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Details: Hello Darling Oops... is available from the Hello Darling online store for $14.95.

What's your favourite white? Thanks for looking as always!