Cosmetic Cupcake

I love my ghd hair products so I jumped at the chance when ghd very kindly got in contact recently to see if I wanted to try their limited edition ghd V opal styler or if I wanted to give one away here. My ghd IV styler is a few years old now but it's still going pretty strong so I'm giving it away to one of my lucky readers! And whoever wins it is in for a treat because it is BEAUTIFUL!


The ghd V opal styler is worth $270 and comes in a matching opalescent box and will have you creating smooth locks, voluminous curls or waves in no time. The styler features contoured plates for easier curls and waves and advanced ceramic heater technology to create the perfect temperature to style your locks.

It also has an extra long and very handy 2.7m swivel cord as well as universal voltage to make travelling with your styler so much easier. It also packs an automatic sleep mode after 30mins without use so no more worrying if you've left the house without turning off your styler!


How to enter:
- simply enter via the Rafflecopter widget thingy below!

Ts & Cs apply:
- open to Australian residents only (sorry international ladies!)
- must be 18 years and over to enter
- ends August 25th 2015
- winner will be chosen at random
- winner must respond to notification email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen

Please note I haven't used the styler at all - I just carefully took photos with it and then placed it right back in the box ;)

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kester Black and Trophy Wife released their new collaboration shades last week so I thought it was about bloody time I showed you last years set - Sugar Daddy and Prenup! I've had this post sitting in my drafts for so long I completely forgot about it. Oops! The polishes are too awesome not to share so some quick swatches and my review for you (finally) are below.

Well it's definitely been a while. I've been in a blogging and nail rut that's lasted longer than normal but I'm slowly coming out of it now I think. I haven't polished my nails in over a month which is really unlike me! Since winter set in my eczema has been absolutely shocking and it's the worst it's been in many many years and the thought of acetone near my dry fingers and hands just turns me off polishing. I did manage to swatch the beautiful Chanel Mediterranée from the Summer 2015 collection though which is a nice way to slowly ease back into blogging.


What they say:

"The vivid skies and blue seas of the Mediterranean inspire a vibrant makeup collection.Bronzed skin and mesmerizing eyes create a radiant Summer look, while bold nails and colourful lips complete the effect."



Mediterranée is a stunning teal creme which instantly puts you in mind of the ocean, sunshine and a summer holiday in Cote d’Azur. Basically the total opposite of today's freezing and windy Sydney weather! 4 shades were released in the collection but Mediterranée is the standout and the only shade I picked up.

As soon as I saw swatches from Michelle at All Lacquered Up I knew I had to own it and I wasn't disappointed at all! The formula (as for most Chanel's I own) was wonderfully opaque, glossy and a dream to apply. I think the polish speaks for itself and 2 coats is pictured.




Bonus shot of the collection at Myer!



Details: The Chanel Makeup Summer 2015 collection is available now and the nail polishes retail for $39.

Did you pick up anything from the collection? Hope you've all been well!

At last count I have waaaay too many nail polishes for one person to ever need so I've been quite selective in what I add to my stash lately. One collection that I've been dying to own though is Victoria Beckham's Limited Edition collaboration with Nails Inc. inspired by her Summer 2015 collection. I searched high and low to get my hands on the collection before the release in Aus but no such luck unfortunately! I loved the look of both Bamboo White and Judo Red so when I found out that they would be available exclusively from Sephora earlier this month off to the city I went!


What they say:

"The collection is said to be the chicest beauty launch of the year - a unique limited edition duo of nail polishes developed to sit alongside the Victoria Beckham Spring Summer 2015 collection. The polishes have been inspired by the feel of the collection and its subtle incorporation of Japanese elements creating THE MUST-HAVE new season nail looks.


The covetable and collectible duo features two new polish shades – Judo Red and Bamboo White - developed with an exclusive formulation featuring Stretch-To-Fit technology and Bamboo Extract with Silica and is presented within a sleek new bottle design."

The new concave glass bottles are made from Venetian glass and designed by Fabien Baron and customised by Victoria Beckham and come packaged in a LE Nails Inc. gift box. The bottles are fully frosted and available in matte black and matte white with matching caps and transparent glass sides that reveal the hidden polish colour.

I haven't bought Nails Inc. in ages and the last time I did they were still in the round bottles! I actually prefer the look of the round bottles but these ones are soooooo much easier to take mani pics with.


The brush is thick and curved which I don't normally like (I find a straight brush gives me more control) however I found it easy to get a clean finish with minimal clean up.





Bamboo White is a pink toned bone creme that is absolutely beautiful and it's already surpassed Bloom Toni and Kester Black Buttercream as my favourite nude shade. The formula is buttery and fully opaque in 2 easy coats drying to a high gloss finish. It's just gorgeous!! 2 coats is pictured.




Judo Red is a tomato red creme that leans very orange and is super opaque and glossy. You could get away with just 1 careful coat however I still prefer doing 2 out of habit. 2 coats is pictured.




Overall: Since leaving behind her "Posh Spice" moniker, Victoria Beckham hasn't put a fashion foot wrong in my eyes and this collection just reaffirms it for me. The formulas are amazingly opaque and I'm loving the chic matte bottles and the new brush as well. I'm such a sucker for LE products and packaging too! I'm picky when it comes to nudes and Bamboo White complements my skintone and is the perfect palette cleanser - definitely the must have.

The shades aren't groundbreaking by any means so it's more for the collectors or if you're wanting great quality basics to start off your collection. I'm hoping Victoria Beckham will release more collab polish collections that are just as amazing!

Details: The Victoria, Victoria Beckham x Nails Inc. collection is available exclusively from Sephora Australia - the duo set retails for $60 or individually for $35. For international ladies the collection is available from nailsinc.com for £25 each or £45 for the duo and $25US each from Sephora.com


Will you be picking up these LE shades? What do you think of them? Thanks for looking as always!

HELLO!!! How have you all been? It's been a crazy few weeks and I can't believe it's nearly halfway through May already. What the heck?!! The husband and I are off to Japan in October (SQUEEEE!) so in preparation we're doing Japanese classes which is giving the old noggin' a good workout. I started yoga classes too which I'm really enjoying and I"m trying to be more active especially as we're heading into Winter and all I want to do is vege out. I also got the AMAZING opportunity to have lunch at The Fat Duck Melbourne last week and flew down just for the day so it's been a little exhausting!

I have a very simple stamped mani today that I did a little while ago. I used 3 coats of Models Own HyperGel Pink Veneer and stamped different designs from Nailz Craze plate NC 04 using China Glaze Millennium.


I love the Nailz Craze plates and I really wish Natalie would release more designs! They stamp so well and the designs are so cute. Who doesn't love a bit of bling right? Thanks for looking!

Today I have some inspired negative space daisy nails! It's a (poor) recreation of the nails created by Sophie Harris-Greenslade from the The Illustrated Nail in this tutorial for Barry M. I really enjoy her tutorials for Barry M but watching them makes me soooooooo wish the brand was more readily available in Aus as I adore their polishes! Unfortunately I don't own the polishes she used in the tutorial so I used Models Own HyperGel White Light for the petals and Catrice Team Lucky Mustards for the centre of the daisies.



Even though it didn't turn out as neat as I wanted I think the mani turned out ok especially if you don't look too closely haha. Thanks for looking!

Happy Easter everyone! I haven't been in the mood for nails or blogging lately and I finally feel like getting back in to it so I'm back today with my Easter mani. The best thing about Easter manis is the excuse to break out the pastels! Not that one really needs any excuse for them haha. I'm pretty happy with how my nails turned out so I think I've got my mojo back!


Here's what I used:


Thumbs: I used 2 coats of Orly Snowcone as my base. For the grass I applied thin stripes of China Glaze Entourage and Nail Star two way nail art pen & brush in Green and created clouds using Cult Nails Tempest and a medium dotting tool. I finished it off by adding butterfly and dragonfly fimo.


Index finger: I used 3 coats of Models Own Speckled Eggs Dove which was a birthday present from my lovely friend Aysh. It's such a great pink and speckled polishes are so darn cute! 

Middle finger: I used 2 coats of Cult Nails Tempest and freehanded the carrots using Bloom Bettina I and Kester Black Peach Melba*. For the leaves I used Revlon Parfumerie Lime Basil.


Ring finger: I used 2 coats of China Glaze Lemon Fizz and Cult Nails Tempest for the polka dots.

Pinky: I used 2 coats of Barry M Gelly and made a decal using bunny design from Bundle Monster plate BM-H10 using Konad Special Polish in white and filled in the ears using Kester Black Lilac and the eye with Cult Nails Nevermore. 


I hope you're all having a lovely Easter! What are you all up to this long weekend?  I've done nothing but eat so far haha.  Thanks for looking as always!

* 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.

I've been lazy over the last fortnight to paint my nails so it was time for some easy nail art with these pyramid point studded nails. I used 2 coats of Kester Black Violet (swatched here) and freehanded the triangles using Kiss Nail Art Striper in black and added a small round gold stud to the top of the triangle.


Hope you've all had a great weekend!

Last year Gucci joined the ever growing designer beauty market with an impressive collection that includes eye, lip, nail, face makeup, brushes and base products. Pairing luxe packaging with high quality formulas and a multitude of shades, it's a winner. I purchased 3 of the Iconic nail polishes while I was in Hong Kong and have swatches and my review of Iconic Ottanio, Iconic Gold and Iconic Red for you today.


What they say:

"The bold high-gloss lacquer combines a state of the art formula and an innovative brush for a luxurious manicure experience. The specialized triangular-bristle brush provides impeccable, even coverage with each stroke, while the pigment-saturated nail polish results in a glossy, high-shine look."

Source

Hope you're all having a good start to the week! A very quick post to show you an awesome package I came home to when I arrived back from Hong Kong. Lovely Dutch blogger Marte from Girly Addictions spoilt with some awesome European goodies!


Beautiful Catrice holos! I actually picked up some of the Haute Future collection when I was in Rome last year but so happy to have backups of these pretty shades.


I love essence limited editions and these Come to Town Christmas sets are so sweet! They weren't available here in Aus either so super happy to add them to my stash.


Ciate Velvet Manicure set and gorgeous glitters. I don't have many Ciate lacquers as they're kind of pricey here so very excited for these.


p2 fluffy spot polish and Revlon Enchanting and Electric. The swatches I've seen of the fluffy spot polish look really interesting as it's meant to give a snowflake look.


I love a good face mask and these sound so good coming in flavours like macaron, bubblegum and cupcake. Love the metallic packaging too!


Delicious Dutch snacks including my absolute favourite stroopwafels! They disappeared in no time and went so well with the green tea lemon macaroon flavour which smells AMAZING. And who doesn't love Hello Kitty candy too!


Thank you Marte for the amazing package!