New In: Nail Polish

This summer I have been absolutely loving playing with nail polish, switching up colours every two or three days! So lately whenever I pop into Priceline I can't help but pick up some new shades. Here are the latest additions to my collection:

Firstly, I picked up two shades from the new Essence Beach Cruisers trend edition. I always love the Essence limited edition collections and both 02 Girls Just Wanna Have Sun! and 03 Keep Calm and Go to the Beach! are absolutely perfect for summer. They also have a pretty gold shimmer throughout the which is something unique to my collection.

I've been meaning to try more polishes from Essie and when I received a $5 off coupon I jumped at the chance and picked up Spaghetti Strap. It is such a gorgeous pastel pink and perfect for everyday or as a base for glitter top coats.

My next pick is a gorgeous shade, but a bit of a disappointment. I bought Up the Ante from the Revlon Colourstay Gel Envy range after seeing Estée from Essie Button wearing it in a few of her videos. I hope hoping this shade would be a little more unique than others in my collection but unfortunately it is almost exactly the same as Essence 'Break Through'. However, after initially hating the Revlon Gel polishes I've found by applying thin coats and at least two layers of the top coat the finish is so glossy and really does last ages on the nails!

Finally, all the shades in the Maybelline Super Stay 7 Day Gel Nail collection are really unique and I can't believe I've been able to show some restraint and only pick up one! I bought Forever Green which i have been loving throughout summer on the toes.

What's your favourite nail polish colour for summer?

xx Catherine

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October & November Favourites

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog which has definitely not been ideal for me. I've been struggling with my health and after spending three weeks in hospital It's taken me another month just to get back into the hang of everyday life. I hope to do a more in depth post later on, or even starting another blog to document my experience of struggling with mental illness.

As we get closer to the end of the year, I have a new goal of posting every day in December! There are lots of things to be excited for (it's my birthday tomorrow!!) and I'm really happy to be diving head first into my writing again, and of course sharing my love of beauty with you.

I thought to best way to start off would be to take you through both my beauty and non-beauty favourites from the last couple of months!

Beauty

Two of my most recent beauty favourites are both new finds for my base - and are definitely on the other ends of the spectrum when it comes to coverage. Firstly, is the Super BB Cream by ChiChi ($22.95). I've heard a lot of reviews impressed with this BB cream's coverage but to be honest I find it to be pretty similar to other light coverage products on the market. The reason I've been reaching for this a lot is that it lasts SO LONG! In this Australian heat, a long wearing base is essential for any makeup look and this will last all day when set with a little bit of powder. Such a fantastic everyday base and is also great value as you get 50mL.

My other favourite is another base product, again in the drugstore price range. I picked up the Australis Full on Foundation ($12.95) in the recent Priceline 40% off sale and I have been very impressed. This foundation, marketed as "heavy coverage" is so easy to apply, blend and covers imperfections flawlessly. I swiped the product straight onto my face and then blended out with a fluffy brush and that was it! I have tried Australis face products before and they really did not work for me so I was pleasantly surprised, especially as the shade 'Nude' was the perfect shade for me. Another great affordable foundation!

My final two favourites also fall into the same category - nails! I've been really enjoying painting my nails as a little motivation to grow them out after my anxiety resulted in the total destruction of my nails. My favourite nail treatment is the Ultra Strong Nail Hardener by Essence ($4.10) and I was so excited to see that it was back in Essence stands as part of their Australian range. I always use this as a base coat and it keeps my nails nice and strong as well as preventing staining. Essence is available at Target and in Priceline.

Finally, after lots of trial and error, I have finally found my perfect top coat and my no.1 essential for doing manicures at home. The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat ($15.45) ticks all the boxes: fast drying, glossy gel-like finish and makes a huge difference in extending the life of your manicure. Whilst I do think it's a little pricey, I always stock up at either Chemist Warehouse or Priceline when they have their big sales as I do go through this quickly!

Non-Beauty

Having some extra time on my hands meant I have been able to spend some more time exploring Youtube. I have been particularly loving watching daily vlogs and a few favourites include Zoella and Lindsey from BeautyBaby44. 

My favourite beauty guru of the moment is the incredible Tati of GlamLifeGuru. She is just amazing, posts videos five times a week and gives amazing tips and reviews. She is currently planning her wedding and has started a 'Wedding Wednesday' series including little vlogs of all the wedding craziness!

I've also been obsessed with the Divergent trilogy and can hardly put them down! They are a great easy read and a must if you have enjoyed the Hunger Games series.

And finally, I hate to admit it but I have been slightly addicted to the new Candy Crush Soda Saga app. I'm really terrible at computer games at general but really like those type of puzzle games. I hate how it drains the battery on my phone though! 

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I hope you all enjoy my presence back in the online beauty world and I am very excited to be back! One of my favourite beauty bloggers' Sarah from More Than Adored is hosting another photo challenge on instagram which I will also be taking part of every day in December so don't forget to follow me there and definitely get involved too!

                                  

Happy 1st Day of Summer! 

xx Catherine

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Products to Pass Up - Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Polish

I am definitely one to fall for the hype of new exciting products, particularly products that claim to do things better. One of the recent products I picked up for this reason - as well as the fact that they were on sale at Priceline - was the Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy nail polishes. I picked up the shade #440 Wild Card as well as the Diamond Top Coat which is meant to create the gel like effect without a lamp.

I was initially impressed with these as the application was fantastic. The applicator has two little brushes so you get a nice even coverage with one swipe. As well as this, the opaqueness of this shade meant that you only needed one coat. Once I applied the top coat my nails dried really fast and the whole process probably took less than 15 minutes. My nails looked shiny and the colour was great, however, by the end of the day I had already experienced chipping.

I was patient letting the polish dry and definitely wasn't doing any strenuous activity that would lead to chipping. Two days after application I had chipping at the top of nearly all my nails and two had completely peeled off. For me, the marketing of nail polishes as being similar to gel leads me to believe they will be long lasting and that's why I was really disappointed.

The price of these is really expensive as well, retailing for $16.95 EACH which is ridiculous. I was lucky to pick up mine 2 for $20 but to pay $10 for a polish and not get results is also disappointing. Other polishes at a much lower price point including the Rimmel London Salon Pro range last much longer even without a top coat and retail for $8.95, nearly half the price.

I know Sally Hansen has come out with a similar product that claims up to 14 days wear, so I'll be interested to try those out and see how they compare.

Overall, unfortunately I can't recommend the Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Polishes. If you were to buy one polish and the top coat, you would be paying as much as it costs to get a gel manicure at a salon, revealing that it is just not worth the price.

All Revlon products are currently 40% off at Priceline.

What are some new releases that disappointed you?
xx Catherine

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Face of Australia Limited Edition Screen Siren Nail Polish

I could not go past these limited edition nail polishes from Face of Australia who have recently released the 'Screen Siren' collection featuring four nude shades and three beautiful bright shades. I picked up the nude shades 'No Angel' and 'Travilla'.

These lasted so well on my nails and definitely win the non-chip award out of my drugstore nail polishes. With my Ulta 3 top coat they lasted a good four days without chipping! I was also very impressed how the high shine finish of these polishes also lasted throughout wear. The polish itself is quite easy to apply with a regular sized brush (unfortunately not as easy as the Essence nail polishes) and come up opaque in 2-3 coats as suggested on the packaging.

No Angel is a gorgeous pink based nude

Travilla is a more grey based nude

I absolutely love wearing nude shades on my nails as I think it is so sophisticated and this limited edition collection has come out just in time for autumn/winter where understated, sophisticated nails are very on trend. They are fantastic not only for everyday where because they really lengthen your fingers but add real sophistication to any outfit.

I was pretty interested to learn that the 'Screen Siren' collection was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, with each shade name having a specific meaning. For example, Travilla was the name of the costume designer who designed her famous white dress that blew up when she stood over the subway grate.The product description on the Priceline website states:

"Marilyn Monroe famously slept in the nude. As an ode to her, we have come up with four perfect nudes to suit any skin tone".

There are also three bright colours inspired by Marilyn's love of bright costumes and makeup which I am very tempted to go and add to my collection.

Overall I am super impressed with these polishes. The shades, wear time and glossy finish prove that these polishes are of excellent quality and for less than $5 they are a must have!

Available from Priceline for AUD$4.95.

Hope you have all had a beautiful start to the week!
xx Catherine

Mid-Week Update

Don't forget today is the last day of the Priceline 40% off sale and while most of the stores are a mess you can still shop online until midnight to get the discount. I will definitely have a haul coming up soon!

Also I have recently been receiving emails from Myer One which is Myer's loyalty programs with beauty newsletters called Beauty Talks. The newsletter features the latest in beauty trends as well as the current deals on beauty.

• Until Sunday save 10% on beauty products online when you use the code BEAUTYW14 at the checkout.

Also there are gift with purchase deals for Napoleon Perdis and Elizabeth Arden

• When you spend $79 at Napoleon Perdis you receive a 7 piece gift set valued at $230 - this gift set looks beautiful!
• When you spend $70 at Elizabeth Arden you receive a 9 piece gift set including skincare and beauty products valued at $219.
• Both offers are available until the end of the month.

Since I buy a lot of my makeup from Myer as well as get my brows done at Benefit all the time, the Myer One program is a fantastic way to earn points and get vouchers when you reach a certain amount of points. I also can use this card when I fill up at some petrol stations so I earn points pretty fast! Definitely a must have if you shop a lot of  high-end beauty or just at Myer in general :)

I also wanted to share with you my mani - I was just going to do a simple, pinky nude but lets be real I can never resist a bit of glitter! The pink shade I used underneath is OPI colour that I don't know the name of and the gorgeous rose gold glitter on top is 'Haley Good Lookin'' by Nicole by OPI the Modern Family Collection.

                         

Happy shopping!

xx Catherine

My Go-To Mani

I absolutely love doing my nails! However, the practicality of having a fabulous manicure while I'm working is practically zero as they crack after one shift. Lately I've been loving Revlon's Brilliant Strength Nail Enamel - I have the shade 080 Enchant which is a gorgeous ballet pink with a bit of shimmer. This is a perfect everyday colour to wear to uni and lasts an extra few days without chipping - even at work which makes me so happy! I love the formulation and the applicator, making it really easy to apply. Will definitely be going back to get more colours!

xx Cat ^.^

My Favourite Beauty Tools

Long before I started really exploring the world of makeup I was always interested in beauty in general. I liked to keep my eyebrows waxed and shaped, hair and skin healthy and enjoyed doing my own manicures and pedicures. Here are a few of my must have beauty tools to keep you looking fab all the time. Its so easy to do things like pluck your eyebrows and do your own manicures in between seeing a professional, extending the life of your beauty treatments and making your money go that little bit further.

My absolute favourite beauty tool EVER is the La-Tweez Professional illuminating tweezers. After experiencing a horrific burning incident when getting my eyebrows waxed a few years ago resulting in awful blisters all over my eyes I swore to never get an eyebrow wax again and learnt how to shape my own eyebrows. I am so lucky I found these tweezers because I really wouldn't have been able to keep my eyebrows in acceptable condition without them. The best part is the little light that is positioned really well in between the two arms of the tweezers, giving the perfect angle and brightness of light onto your eyebrows making it super easy to see all the little hairs that you wouldn't be able to see in natural light. They are available online from a variety of different sellers, so your best bet would be to search around for the best prices and shipping options to your part of the world.

I always have a hairbrush with me wherever I go and am definitely one of those people who obsessively brush their hair. Something that I only got my hands on very recently but have already fallen in love with is the Tangle Teezer Compact Styler and it and has made my life so much easier as I don't have to carry around my full size brush in my bag! It actually is so fantastic at detangling hair without any pain or discomfort at all and definitely doesn't make you feel like you are pulling your hair out of your head. In Australia you can purchase the Tangle Teezer range from http://www.tangle-teezer.com.au/.

This is more of a novelty item, but just makes doing my own manicures at home so much more fun! The Sportsgirl Mini Nail Dryer is a mini fan that you place your hand under and when you press down the fan starts and dries your nails! I love using this especially if I'm a little bit rushed because it saves me flapping my hands about and looking silly! Although its sold out online, I have seen it in stores recently and you can pick it up for $14.95 AUD.

Finally, for my pedicures, I like to keep my feet nice and smooth with the Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi. I was absolutely so excited when I received this as a gift because I never need to go to a salon to get a pedicure again! It works really well to buff away the hard skin on the bottom of your feet leaving them so smooth and it doesn't hurt at all - way easier than an old school pumice stone. You can purchase this from Priceline for $49.99 AUD.

xx Cat ^.^