Cosmetic Cupcake

Earlier this year I got married and as promised I said I'd share the whole experience with you all. These posts have been a long time in the making but I've finally gotten them done!! I blame newly married life lol. I'll be splitting our wedding day into a few posts as there's just so much to cover so be prepared! And yes it's such a cliche but it truly was the most amazing and happiest day of our lives. We had such an absolute blast sharing our special day with our nearest and dearest family and friends. We got engaged in November 2011 and planned our wedding over an 18 month period which I think was fantastic as it gave us plenty of time to plan, organise and save up to make our day exactly how we wanted it.

Our theme for our wedding was "modern Asian" and we couldn't have achieved it without the services of our amazing vendors. I'll do a separate post on them afterwards but I have to give a special mention from the start for Anni Lam and her amazing team from Colour 18 Wedding (Shop 3, 431 Sussex St, NSW 2000) who were absolutely fantastic and went above and beyond to make our wedding amazing!

I hope my posts will be helpful for Sydney brides as I didn't really find all that much info relevant for Sydney brides when we were researching. Weddings can be so confusing with SO much stuff aimed at brides that is really quite unnecessary! We didn't follow those guides that say "Oh it's 6 months before your wedding you need to order your shoes" etc as we did lots of things out of order. But of course they're helpful to check that you haven't missed anything ;) I love love LOVE reading about weddings and I hope you'll all enjoy my posts =) If you don't it's all good and just come back tomorrow then!!

For my wedding series posts there'll be a mix of professional photos by our absolutely amazing photographers Joel and Renata from Tealily Photography and some pics my bridesmaids and I took (watermarked ones).

WARNING: THIS POST IS SUPER PIC HEAVY.

I've mentioned before on my blog that I'm not a fan of subscription boxes. The beauty subscription boxes I've tried in the past contained products I would never use or buy (such as tanning products!) and the samples were TEENY tiny which didn't impress me at all. So I was a very hesitant when the September Her Fashion Box landed on my doorstop a fortnight ago but I was super surprised with what I found inside!!!


Her Fashion Box is a little different from other subscription boxes. For $39.95 each month, you'll receive a box filled with 2-3 on trend fashion accessories which are tailored to your style - classic, feminine or trendy. You'll also receive 4 full size or deluxe sample sized beauty and lifestyle products which can include makeup, skincare, fragrance, hair and my favourite nails of course! Inside September's box:


I'm quite accessory challenged so this little magazine is handy as it contains tips and styling for the products which are included in each months box for each style.


I have a collection of clutches so I'm pretty happy to add this Memories of McQueen clutch (RRP $39.95) to my collection! It's a classic black clutch with gold baubles and different to what I own which is great.


There were 2 pieces of jewellery included - The Midas Touch ring (RRP $24.94) and the Androgychic ID bracelet (RRP $29.95). I LOVE the ring and it's something I would buy if I saw in the shops myself and I've already worn it out to my friend's wedding!! It's plated with gold and has little diamantes and adds a nice bit of understated bling to any outfit. The bracelet is also plated with gold but it's not my style so I've passed it on to my sis.


The way to my heart is through polish and the September box included 2 Maybelline Color Show polishes (RRP $5.95)!! I received Onyx Rush and Iced Queen. You can never go wrong with a classic black and blurple creme!


Also included is a deluxe sample sized pot of PureTAN Pure Moisture Organic Extra Virgin 100% Coconut oil (65ml RRP $11.95 and 125ml RRP $23.95). I've been wanting to try coconut oil for ages now so this is perfect!! My sis raves about it but I never got off my butt to try it too as I've been finishing up lots of body moisturisers before I try anything new. I love these little pots as they're great for travelling and I'll definitely be taking it to road test when I'm off to HK next month!


Some makeup! Designer Brands Chubby Lip Crayon in Dollface Pink (RRP $$7.99) and Kohl Pencil in Black (RRP $4.99). Designer Brands is a super affordable Aussie brand which I haven't tried before and these look promising. I had no idea they had a chubby lip product!


And lastly is a C2 Collagen firming and moisturising facial mask (RRP $29 for 5 masks). I have quite a collection of sheet masks and I love trying new brands and adding to my neverending stash lol.


Overall: I am really really pleasantly surprised at how much I like the products included in my first Her Fashion Box. Like I said earlier I was very wary when I received it as I've been very underwhelmed with past subscription boxes. The products are ones I would actually purchase myself so I am pretty impressed. I love accessories but I'm so accessory challenged it's not funny lol. I go into Colette or Lovisa intending to grab myself a few items and almost always walk out totally overwhelmed by the choices so I think it's a fantastic idea to have them selected for you in the style you like!!

For me, I think more accessories and less beauty products would actually be better since I'm quite picky with my beauty products whereas I'd love the surprise of new accessories each month. The ring and clutch are fun and one can never have too many for each occasion! I like that full size beauty and skincare products are included instead of teeny sample sizes. I also love that they include polish!!

Is it worth the monthly $39.95 subscription fee? It's on the pricier side for a subscription box but from this box I think it is as the clutch alone retails for $39.95 already. However it's really dependent on the products included for each months box so it would vary from month to month and that's the gamble you take with subscription boxes.

Details: Her Fashion Box is available from www.herfashionbox.com for $39.95 per month for 2-3 fashion accessories and 4 beauty and lifestyle products. You can also purchase Her Fashion Boxette for $24.94 for 2 fashion accessories and 2 beauty products.

Have you tried Her Fashion Box or other subscription boxes like it? Thanks for looking as always!! =)

The products featured in this post were 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.

Sooooooooo this manicure is inspired by my favourite Samantha Wills Bohemian Bardot ring in turquoise gunmetal. Unfortunately it was a fail so it's a VERY loosely inspired manicure! I probably should have used a lighter shade to stamp with and also because it's not really a splatter design AT ALL but once I'd started I couldn't be bothered to take it all off and do it again LOL. Oh well!


I used 2 coats of Hema Long Lasting in 81 and stamped the splatter design from Konad plate m70 using Konad Special polish in black.




It was still a fun mani to rock with my gorgeous ring but not the exact look I was after!! Thanks for looking as always!

Today I have swatches of the Kester Black Sweet Shop collection for you! As you can tell from my blog I obviously love sweet things so this collection is right up my alley! I love the names and the shades =)


Kester Black polishes are 5 Free which means that they're free of Toluene, DBP, Formaldehyde, Formeheldyde Resin and Camphor. They're also carcinogen free so are safe for chemotherapy patients, expectant mothers and children. The polishes are Australian made and owned and is an accredited Cruelty-Free company which is absolutely fantastic!!

WARNING: this post is picture heavy!!

Full swatches and review after the jump!