Tribal Nail Art Stamping

So it's safe to say that I am in love with my new toy! To the point where a manicure doesn't last more then about two days because I already have a new idea for what I want on my nails. Addict.
Here is what I'm wearing now, I used plate QA15. I originally bought it for the cute little kittens on it, but the tribal patterns are pretty spot on the trend money right now too. Alpine skiing anyone?

Polish used: Kleancolor in Mocha and Konad Special Polish in black. Stamp QA15

Bought! John Freida Salon Shape Air Styler

Hands up who wants an easier way to blow dry at home? I should be seeing a lot of hands in the air! Priceline are doing a fantastic deal in the last week where if you spent $40 on products across ten or so ranges you got a goodie bag packed with almost $200 worth of product! Since I missed the beauty version of this the other month I was dying to get my paws on this one, and lucky me, the new John Freida air styler was just around $50. You can check out more details about the bag deal here!

I've been stalking this kind of product since I spotted it come out around a year ago, but I couldn't justify the near $100 price tag that came with it. So I decided to wait until something more thrifty came out, and I love it. Instead of juggling a brush and a blow-dryer and still quite frankly needing another hand to assist to get a good result at home, this type of tool combines the dryer and brush in one. I have my hair styled in less then ten minutes (excluding prior drying time) and don't get so frustrated with my hair not doing what I want.
The styler comes with three settings; low temp, high temp and a cold shot to set your style. The end result was that I have shiny, bouncy, oomphy, straight hair with a nice sense of movement through the ends. Perfect.
While I don't have any real problems with the styler, I did buy it thinking that the brush head would rotate, it doesn't, but it's still very user friendly and easy to use without this feature.

Have you tried this product or something similar before? What did you think?

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?