How to be thrifty with Nail strips

Nails art was something I admit that I always thought was trashy. Those long, decorated talons always signified someone who wasn't very desirable to me. Just like sweaters and bold shoulders before them it amazes me just how our opinion can be swayed.
So I'm into nail art now. I don't grow my nails out long, and I don't cover every nail until it is encrusted with a mass of crap like some others I've seen, but a cute watercolour mani, or half moon style, or a feature nail with a cute motif? Yes, that is cute and chic to me
For more then one reason should you keep your nails short. They are far lower maintenance then long nails, and in my opinion, its the long length that makes them trashy. If you look at the tips of your fingers from the palm side of your hands you should either not see your nails or they should be just peeking over the top.
Also, they help you get more out of nail strips and wraps!
With the style of wrap sold by Sally Hansen and Manicare, the strips are double sided, and not something I'd consider cheap! Store bought strips can vary between $5-$15 (Aus) depending on the brand and discounts. That's almost a dollar per strip at the higher end! But if you're careful you can easily use one strip to do two nails if they're on the short side. Just cut it in half before you peel the backing strip off.
Another method you could use is to use the strips as a feature nail. By using only one strip per hand on your ring finger (my favourite to emphasise) per polish job, you get a more unique look too.
I've used this technique with the Manicare Glamnails range, and Sally Hansen, and found that the glitter strips in both brands are really very comparable.

Cloud Nail Stamp Art

Just a quickie, the more I practise with the Salon Express I bought the other day the better the results have been. I have bought a stack of plates including one with this cute cloud motif.
Also slowly building up an arsenal of colours to play with. I find it funny that my right hand turned out so much better then my left considering I'm right handed.
The plate used is Konad M79  and the colours used were Party Blue in Maybelline's mini Colorama range, and the white is a cheap one that I bought months ago, not the proper stamping polish. So it has shown up not as opaque as I would've liked, but it's a first attempt!

Have to keep my nails this short for training, sadface. I think it's a really cute design though, and it's been pretty cheap to try out, costing less then a salon manicure to get everything to set up.

Bought! Trilogy Rosehip Oil

It's been kind of hard to miss the hype that has become a deafening roar in the beauty industry about Rosehip oil. It's about time I gave it a try really! After hunting around for a brand that wouldn't break the bank without compromising on quality I decided to buy from the brand Trilogy, you really can't do much better when a label states only one ingredient in the product! Also it's kind of hard to ignore the masses of awards the product has won.
As someone with rather oily skin I have to admit I'm sceptical about whether the benefits will outweigh the fact that I'm putting oil on my skin, even if it is just 3 drops twice a day. However, I'm sad to admit that I look my age and could look younger, it's time to try something new!
The biggest boasts about Rosehip oil are the ability to improve skin texture and moisture levels, as well as aid in prevention of lines and wrinkles. it also contains antioxidants and all the good fatty acids and omegas that aid in healthy supple and youthful skin. What have I got to lose?

Have you tried Rosehip Oil before? How did it work for you?

Make up in your 20's

Ladies of the world I have a gripe. Time after time I read in magazines and articles the advice that 'during your twenties is the ideal time to try it all, neon lipstick with crazy eye-shadow? Go for it!'
No, no, oh dear god, NO.
What they don't go into to explain normally is that yes, your twenties is indeed the time to experiment and try it all, but for goodness sake, try one thing at a time! You may feel invincible  but you are still very susceptible to look like a drag queen, in fact, the idea that if you overdo it you could look like a drag queen will continue your entire life really ...
Ultimately, do try it all. Smoky eyes, contoured eyes, different colours and intensities, eye-liner, strong brows, bleached brows. Bronzer to contour, bronzer to tan, peach blush, tones of red, pink and coral and your cheeks. bold lips, pale lips, glosses, butters, everything! So long as you only highlight one feature at a time do it, but please, please don't do it all at once!
Also, your twenties is the best time to try trends. The best example I can think of right now is of course the massively popular nail art trend. In your twenties you can get away with crazy designs, but once you hit thirty or even forty, anything beyond a gorgeous slick of colour and maybe a feature nail is starting to head into scary territory.
In closing, try things in your twenties, but not all at once!

Product Review: Salon Express Nail stamper

You know those intricate designs you see advertised in nail bars? You know the ones, too delicate to possibly imagine doing with a brush? I've always been too scared to ask for them, and being a massive fan of DIY I was stoked when I found this kit. I picked one up from eBay the other week and now that I have had a good chance to play around with it, I thought I'd tell you guys about it. Admittedly, the ads for this product are frightening in their zeal, once you get past that though, the product is actually pretty nifty.
Salon express is a lot like the brand called Konad, from Korea I think that have the original version of this DIY style of nail stamping, I thought I'd give the cheaper one a go and see how I like it before I commit to the original.
The kit comes with five plates with a myriad of more then 40 designs, I read that you can get different designs in different kits but these are the ones I received, not the cutest unfortunately but you can buy additional plates online:

Salon Express complete kit contents

After just a few goes I was pretty happy with my results. My best piece of advice for you is to make sure you REALLY get the angle right when you are scraping off the extra nail polish. I found tilting the scraper at about 45 degrees made all the difference.
One negative I did find is that the whole nail designs that came with the kit were too small to cover my entire nails. it covered my pinky fine but there is a hope in hell it would fit my thumb!
Like all things in life it takes a bit of practise and the right tools to get it right. You can use normal nail polish with the kit, but I highly recommend to use the highly pigmented colours sold by Konad and other brands. I found that the white polish sold for use in French Manicures comes up nicely though.
If you're interested in buying more plates for your kit, I have found a store online that stocks Konad and other plates and special polishes. I have to say now that I haven't bought from them yet but I'm in the process of putting an order through now, I'll let you know how it goes! They also have an eBay store that sells stock for a little more but gives you the peace of mind that comes from eBay shopping.

Have you tried at home nail stamping? How did you go?

Bought! Pre-Foundation Primer by Set NP

I'm quite the fan of diffusion lines, what isn't to love about a great brand name at a price more suited to my feeble budget? Set NP has been created by Napoleon Perdis to help introduce his range of make-up to a broader audience, and what's my favourte product? The Primer!

I thought it would be hard to improve upon the great primer in his original collection, Auto Pilot. Pre-Foundation Primer creates a smooth base that helps bind your make-up to your skin and helps it last longer. The best way to use it is to make sure that you let your moisturiser dry for a minute before you apply and let the primer dry for another minute before you smooth over your foundation. For added fusion you can also mix a tiny bot of it with your foundaion before application.

Another thing I love about this primer is the subtle pink shade helps to wake up dull skin, making you appear more wake then you might feel!

Pre-Foundation Primer by Set NP

Link Love: April 16 2012

The best kept braid secret - Kristen Ess from The Beauty Department gives us her take on how to create the ideal messy braid (or plait in Australia).

Repair a shattered eye-shadow - You can also use this method for any broken compact, an invaluable make up trick.

Mamamia's wardrobe week - I'm so glad to see I'm not the only person who wants to see more everyday girls and their style.

Etsy Wednesdays: anothersoul

So who else has ever had the problem of having far too many little eye-shadows, blushes, foundation cakes etc all in their own packaging and taking up too much space? My bathroom is tiny, feeble and with next to no storage space. Space is a premium, so I like to keep an eye out for anything that will help me stretch the space further.
Depotting products and putting them in a magnetic palette is a great idea, you only require the product and not all the superfluous packaging after all. It's much easier then you'd think as well! This brings me to anothersoul run by Lynn, who makes magnetised palettes (book of shadows) with a massive range of covers, and even better prices! There are literally dozens of different designs so you should find something to suit anyone's tastes, they also make a great gift idea too.

Open view

 I love this one! 

Check out her store anothersoul to see the full range.

Link Love: April 10 2012

12 ways to style your scarf - Because we don't like style ruts! Some ideas for your winter scarves.

How to be a Redhead - Totally cute website with an emphasis on working with glorious red hair.

Chalk it up - Lauren Conrad's coloured hair-tips for the commitment shy.

Link Love: April 3 2012

Sometimes you just have to share the love.

How to deflate puffy eyes - Has anyone else been having these issues lately? I get seasonal allergies every Autumn, which is a pain because it's my favourite season. (Who doesn't like the colour of the leaves and the extra excuse to buy warm and new clothes?) Katrina Lawrence of Primped shows you how to fix them up.

Mad Men Makeover: You work hard for the wolf whistles - Journalist Marion Power tries out dressing up like they did back in the day to see what it's like how how the public react. It's not as easy as it looks!

Ten uses for Coconut Oil - Coconut oil is becoming a buzzword in the beauty and food industries, here Siobhan O'Connor talks you through ten uses she's found and whether she rates them or not.

Galactic Manicure - Love this look, and it's super easy too! Check out how Adiel does it.

Even easier half moon nails

Ah, the benefits of working in an office don't normally enter my thought process while I type up a post but in this rare case it does.
I posted months ago about a way to get that half moon nail look, Dita Von Teese is usually spotted with this style of polish on her nails, and now I've found an even easier tool you can use to do it at home.
The thing was, those little paper strips you use for French tips were always too straight, and didn't give a nice curved line you need to cover up the base of your nail while you apply your main colour to the rest of the nail, but you know what does work nicely? Binder hole reinforcers.
You can pick them up at stacks of stationery shops, but best to go for the bigger "We have everything!" ones for a better chance of finding them. Yes you do get some strange look asking for them, and if you decide to tell your friends about them (and me!) they'll probably crack up laughing.
To use them for this manner it's much better to go for the opaque white ones and not the transparent ones, as I found the sticker did a better job of adhering to the nail bed.

Want to have a peek at how I did them?

Maybelline Mascaras: The Falsies v. One by One

I have to say that I really can't go past Maybelline for mascaras. The formulas are impeccable, the effects are numerous and they last and last. I love discovering the new ones too!
In the last year or so the ones of note here in Australia would have to be The Falsies, and One by One, both are variations of their Volum' Express range, which is easily their most dramatic range.
I have been using The Falsies as my staple for months now, using it to build on top of a lengthening formula to give really knock out lashes, I have even had strangers come up to me on the street and ask what I use! The brush is terrific to wield, with the spoon shape helping to grip and coat each lash like no other brush I've used. I had fat, long and smooth lashes, and I love them.
So understandably when I picked up a tube of One by One my expectations were going to be incredibly high. One by One had a mission on its hands!
Firstly, the brush, it's not anything exciting but it is one of the newer technologically advanced rubber ones, with loads of tiny little rubber bristles coming off it, while The Falsies employs the traditional pipecleaner style bristles.

When putting on this mascara is where things start to get interesting, as I found it hard to apply without making a mess! The shape of the brush is a bit of a hinderance in this regard as it seems to pick up too much product at the end. I found I couldn't get a good application unless I cleaned a good amount of the product off with a tissue before applying. But my god when I did!
Beautiful! My lashes looked amazing, long, dramatic and stop-you-in-the-street good. But in the same breathe the volume just wasn't there like it is with The Falsies. This can be good or bad depending on the look you're going for. The gorgeous, doe-eyed "I wake up looking like this" effect was certainly perfect but for anyone looking for traffic stopping oomph and thick fat lashes I'd pick The Falsies.
Another point I'd like to make is that I would usually never use The Falsies without a base lengthening formula beforehand, while One by One works perfectly by itself, I wouldn't recommend a second coat of One by One as this was another time it started to get messy and the end effect didn't come off as lovely. This also makes One by One the choice to go for if you're racing the clock.

I hope I've helped you make up your mind between these two great mascaras, Let me know what you thought of them in the comments!

Polish your buns!

Tehheh, I just had to with that title. Of course I am talking about the buns you have on your head!
So I've found an awesome trick to give your buns a more polished look. Without doing this, you can get ends that stick out awkwardly and can ruin the look, and date it back to the nineties.
When you are prepping your hair, heat yourself up your curling iron and curl the very ends of your hair, for the sake of ease it's good to take a wide barrel with the wider bar to hold in the ends. Otherwise use your straightening iron to flick the ends.
What you'll find this does is help your hair shape itself back into your your bun a sleeker bun or topknot. Giving you a more polished and perfect look.
Give it a try next time you put your hair up!

Mix your Foundation and Primer

I have issues with Foundation, major issues. While the fact remains that I still haven't found anything that will get me through an entire day without sliding off my oily nose, there are still tricks I regularly hunt down to try and improve the durability. One of the goodies being Primer.
Primer creates a barrier between your skin and your make-up and gives the make-up something to adhere to. I've been using it for a few years now, but it was only recently that I've started mixing it with my mousse foundation, as well as applying a layer beforehand.
The benefits I'm finding with this technique is that my foundation doesn't cake, and it's lasting longer. I'm still applying it with a damp sponge because of the coverage it gives me over my nose, it melts over my skin without making my pores obvious to everyone.
It also doesn't take anything away from the coverage, which is also important for my skin, of course this depends on the ratios you use, you can up the amount of primer you mix with foundation to create a more sheer coverage too.

Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner

Eyeliner can be a tricky makeup tool to use, with many girls I know shying away from it because they can never seem to get it even in both eyes or presentable. Over the years though I have found that new products come out that make it just that little bit easier, with Maybelline's new eyeliner being quite a goodie.
I have tried it a few times since I bought it the other day and if ladies out there want to dip their toe into the lined sixties looks that are hot right now I'd recommend this product as a great start. Because you apply it in an almost identical way as you would a pencil, it is surprisingly easy to use. The tip is ultra fine, and gentle, applying an opaque black line with little effort. You can have as dramatic a look as you want, but I do think it would be hard to do the design the American model has, Maybelline have also created an interactive Facebook page where you can doodle design ideas and submit them for a competition here. not a bad place to check out for inspiration!
I am fearful that this product would have a limited shelf life though, as other marker type eyeliners I have used in the past have worked great for a few months before the 'ink' started to apply thinly and required a few layers to achieve the same opacity it did when it was fresh. However for the price I don't think I would have a problem with replacing it a little more frequently. I also have a fondness for pencil shaped products as they're easy to use and easy to store, taking up very little space.
Also a bonus, it lasted like no eye product I have ever used! There was next to no bleeding which is quite an effort with my oily skin. Though at the end of the day when I took it off, it did take a bit of extra effort.

Have you tired this product? tell me what you thought about it in the comments!

How to make your eyes brighter

Eyes are one of the features that we notice first on each other, but unfortunately because of their fragility they're also the first to show when you're tired, and the first to age.
There's a few tricks you can employ to make your eyes pop, making them sparkle will lift up your whole look. These are just some quick cosmetic tricks, nothing will still beat good sleep and an effective skincare routine in the long term.

Eye Drops: When I went to an optometrist late last year to get some new specs and lenses I didn't expect him to comment on how dry my eyes are. Have you ever thought about how dry yours are? So I started using eye drops regularly and it's improved not only the moisture, but I look and feel more awake if I have used them in my morning routine. This step can go quite nicely with my saving time routine post from a few months back. It's a little tricky to learn to apply them but as with anything practise makes perfect, it's also a trick they use backstage on models. I'd recommend asking someone at your local pharmacy too recommend eye drops for your needs.

White eye pencil: While it can be hard to find one that will last all day and go the distance, this is one beauty booty product that I don't mind touching up throughout the day. Just lining the inner rim of your eyes will help make them completely pop and give you more of a doe-eyed Zooey Deschanel eye shape, find me someone who isn't startled by and adoring of her eyes!

Pop!

Opposite complementary colours: Back in art class we learnt all about how opposite colours work with each other to make the other colour stand out. This can easily be applied to your eyes too by using eye-shadows and liners. Make up Brand Almey has a range specifically created for this theory, with the idea that blue eyes suit brown shadows, brown suit purples, etc. they also have kits that follow the same colours as your eyes to complement eyes too, but for real  "Notice me!" eyes I'd recommend the Intense i-color satin-i kits. Just select the kit that is recommended for your eye colour and give it a try.

Almey Intense i-color satin-i kits

The colour wheel

Have you ever tried these ideas before? What do you find works for you?

Sources: Go4celebrity & Almey

Product review: Veet Wax Strips with Easygrips

I have no problems admitting that I am one of the unlucky ones that includes hair removal as a major part of my beauty routine. It's just part and parcel with being a pale-skin-with-dark-features beauty. Shaving just doesn't do the trick but will work as a stop gap in Summer when I want to wear that skirt today, but ultimately, waxing and my epilator are my true year round fail-safes.
Wax strips are too damn easy to say no to just because they're much less messy then ye olde wax pots. Veet strips are the most commonly available ones and used to be pretty awesome to use, before they created the stupid 'easygrip's.
You see, you used to be able to use them over and over with little worry. The wax would gradually warm and spread about the strip without going too close to the edges. Hell, at my most thrifty I think I managed to use one pair of strips to do half a leg. But now because of the extra tab on one side, the chance of creating a mess on the other end is too high and I find myself going through strips much quicker. The direction you rub the strip in drags it a little each time, bringing the wax to the edge and before you could flip the strips around easily. Not anymore.

Despite this, the formulas are still great and effective with a nice range for dry, sensitive and other skin types, and they all come with finishing oil wipes to help remove excess wax once you're done. That hasn't changed, and that's still great.
I'm really hoping they bring back the old style soon, because I'm just not impressed. I feel that they've ruined a product that was great to start with, with a gimmick that makes them more profitable.

Veet EasyGrip Wax Strips Sensitive formula.

Product Review: Garnier BB Cream - Miracle skin perfecter

It's sort of hard to miss the bombardment of advertising for Garnier's latest skin saviour, the BB cream, but if you're anything like me, all you thought was "The heck is a BB cream and why do I want one?"

Well for starters BB creams (or blemish balm creams) were originally used in the treatment of laser surgery patients. The skin is ultra sensitive after the treatment and a special product was created to both protect and soothe.

Flash forward some time and you'd find that BB cream have slowly infiltrated the beauty market as a new must have item that 'does it all', particularly in Asian countries.

Garnier's BB Cream is the first to be marketed to the masses in Australia and comes with five main beauty concern fixes. Garnier claims it takes care of the following:

1. Hydrates for 24hrs.
2. Evens tone.
3. Corrects blemishes.
4. Boosts healthy glow.
5. UV Protection SPF 15.

I have been trying the cream for a little while now, and while it's not all bad news, I didn't find anything truly exciting about it. The look is a simple tube package while the formula is like a thick tinted moisturiser, a fresh smell greets you on application but the fragrance may not agree with those who have sensitive skin issues (part of the target market). I did find it does hydrate nicely, but with my oily skin I need very little help. I found it to have next to no coverage (I'd say about 5%) and would still need to use a foundation to provide any evening of my skin-tone. There was no difference to  my skins glowing, asides from the usual "I have moisturised" sheen, and to be honest SPF 15+ is next to nothing. In our climate you really need an SPF of at least 30+.

I don't have terribly sensitive skin, and could possibly suggest the product those who have and can't use much else. I would recommend it as a product to use on the weekends lounging about at home when a full face of make up isn't required in the least, perhaps if you start with already fantastic skin tone the product would be more favourable. One thing is that it doesn't aggravate existing skin blemishes, I found that it was quite soothing on an inflamed patch of dry skin. I also think that it is certainly more recommendable to drier skin types, and would like the product more if it had better coverage in a wider range of shades (only two shades does no one justice). 'Miracle skin perfecter' really is too far fetched a title for this product too, perhaps just skin perfecter.

Recap: January 2012

Wear it first:

Twin bag Trend

Wish granted: 

De-Slick in a Tube

Cheeks to die for: 

Benefit Hervana

Make it flattering: 

Quick fix a bad neckline

What stories did you enjoy this month?

Tip of the day: Saving time in the morning

I'm not a morning person. At. All. So any time I can save in the morning is something I try to improve upon wherever I can, and it's not just for any who isn't a morning person. Just for the sake of getting out the door without wasting time is a huge help for anyone time poor too.
Tying in with this are a stack of little odd tasks in your routine that can overlap. Did you know that it is ideal to let your layers of make-up set between applying the next? Moisturiser, serums, primers, foundations, concealers That's five minutes of waiting just there! So here are some things you can do while you're waiting.

• Brush your teeth - This one is ideal for the earlier stages where you won't ruin your make up, just after moisturiser is ideal.
• Moisturise your legs - Takes two minutes if that.
• Apply deodorant and perfume - Something away for your face for a minute.
• Brush your hair/comb through any product - Rid your hair of its overnight tangles and apply any product you desire.

Another complete favourite of mine is during your shower, while you wait for your conditioner to develop (which is recommended by most brands for at least a couple of minutes) I find it good to cleanse your face, and either shave your legs or completely exfoliate your body with a pair of scrub gloves. Perfect amount of time!