OPI Rose Petals + China Glaze Fairy Dust

I'm "romancing" my favorite nail polishes before they are put into storage. Good thing that nail polish has a long shelf life because there's heaps I've only worn once!

This is an old favorite which I wear to job interviews. I bought it online in the hope that it was a dupe for a gorgeous Testimo by Kanebo nail polish. A Japanese friend kindly gave me her bottle (already half empty) because I raved about the colour. I've revived the heck out of it with thinner because I love it so much. The bottle is a keepsake and I dare not use what's left!

While Rose Petals was'nt the perfect dupe, it's still a pretty dusty pink. It's the quintessential bridal french manicure pink. A little sheer as you can see. I applied two coats of Rose Petals and to jazz it up, I applied a coat of Fairy Dust. So sparkly and girly!

Modelco Wonderfull Lip Plumper and BYS Eyeshadows

The weather has'nt been great for the Christmas long weekend so I found mild amusement in David Jones and Kmart.

Check out the token shiny new things I got on sale! I bought Modelco's Wonderfull lip plumper for $18.20 AUD and two BYS metallic eyeshadows for $2.25 AUD.

It turns out the Modelco lip plumper works but not fantastically well. I took before-and-after pictures and the size of my lips looked exactly the same. I felt the tingling reaction straight away and it lasts for 10 minutes. My lips were softer and plumper but no different to using normal lip gloss. The only thing I noticed was that there were less fine lines and my lips were redder than normal. Atleast it smells nice and was'nt sticky. Lipfusion gives better results without the tingling.

The BYS eyeshadows were marked down to $1.50 each and even the checkout chick was surprised when they rang up as $2.25 for the both of them. Bargain!

China Glaze - Flying Dragon

I was inspired to try Flying Dragon from Skye's blog. It's a deep neon purple with tiny blue and red glitter. The name is fitting because it's exactly the colour I'd imagine for a mythical creature. It also reminds me of the children's character, Barney the dinosaur!

The formula is runnier than usual and is extremely streaky. It looked so strange, I took the first attempt off in the hope that it was just a bad fluke. This is three coats but I think four is needed to get it completely opaque. Bizarrely enough, it dries with a matt finish and you can hardly see the glitter. I was so disappointed but when I applied a top coat, it made a huge difference.

The top coat's shine brought out the colour intensity and the glitter becomes visible. This photo does not do the nail polish justice!

Edited to add: This was a pain to remove. The pesky glitter does'nt budge without abrasive treatment on the nails.

Morocco Royal Blue Gathered Top

The salesgirl at the op shop said that she had'nt seen me for a while. It's because I'm moving to London soon and so I'm trying not to buy clothes.

Still, I bought this slinky "Morocco" branded top for only $2.40 AUD. The gathered jersey is so gorgeous. It has an elasticised waist and can be worn with or without a belt. One problem though. Even though it's labeled as small, the neckline was so low, it drooped below the bust! What the?

I used sewing machine to take up the neckline and hand stitched the ends of the seams so it does'nt look like I had folded it up. (Which I did.)

Finally I have a reason to wear my gold vintage necklace and mesh belt. What do you think?

Ulta3 Spring Fling Nail Polish

This will be my last Ulta3 nail polish since I'm moving to the UK in January. Sadly I won't have the luggage space to bring many polishes with me.

Spring Fling is a pastel peach which sometimes can look pale neon. It can be worn as a daring nude for summer. Maybe this is a special edition colour because of the floral design of the bottle?

The colour reminds me of Sherbies, which are the chewy sherbet candies I'm addicted to.

Found this one particularly streaky. I usually apply 2 thick coats to disguise the varying density of colour. Still it dried quickly so it worked out well!

Lancome Virtuôse Black Carat Mascara

This is a deluxe sized freebie sample which I keep in my handbag.

While it takes some time to get used to the curved brush, once mastered, it separates lashes really well. Within two coats, I was clump free and my lashes were noticeably longer. I love it - its one of my favourite mascaras because it lives up to it's promises:

*Bold results with a deep glossy black colour.

*Easily removable. If I'm not applying a heavy coat, it can be removed with soap and warm water.

*Does a great job lengthening and separating lashes. It even curls them a little.

*The brush is perfectly designed for minimal clumping and separation.

*Mascara is build-able for brushing out perfect long lashes.

*Virtually smudgeproof-an optimistic promise but one which it satisfies. I get a few flecks of mascara transferred under my eyes but definitely no smudges.

*Lashes look and feel natural. No stiffness or "spiderlegs"!

It breaks it promises on volumizing lashes though. I get better results with Diorshow or Pupa's Diva Lashes. Also I found that it dries quickly which means a shorter life-span once opened. However this could be because of the small tube and it contains less product.

I still think this is a great mascara. It's worth a try if you want something new and effective!

Ulta3 Spring Fling, China Glaze Flying Dragon and Sportsgirl Nail Polishes

I've been buying nail polish again. It's an addiction. The summer pastel colours are simply begging to be purchased.

Here are my latest acquisitions. From left to right: Ulta3 Spring Fling (pastel peach), China Glaze Flying Dragon (neon purple with blue glitter), Sportsgirl Nail IT in Apple (mint green) and Storm (grey creme).

Can't wait to give these a try. Unfortunately after constantly wearing nail polish and a dud base coat, my nails have turned yellow. It looks like I have a terrible disease!

If anyone has any ideas on getting rid of the yellowness, I'm all ears. In the meantime, I'm giving my nails a break from nail polish for a few weeks.

Parachute Coconut Oil For Hair

Maybe it's a summer thing but I've been shedding alot lately. I hate brushing or even combing my hair with my fingers because strands drop everywhere!

I suffered hair loss last year. You could even see my scalp from the top of my head! I saw a dermatologist who recommended Rogaine and a hormone blocker. Suffered side effects from both so now I'm back to square one.

My hair is super fine, frizzy and dry. The drier it is, the curlier it gets. I even gave away my hair straightener because I did'nt want to damage my hair anymore.

A colleague suggested massaging my scalp with pure coconut oil to stimulate hair growth. Apparently it is a common for Indians and Polynesians to do this and they typically have thick hair.

So I bought a small bottle of Parachute Coconut Oil. The oil is 100% natural (edible in fact) and cheap from an Indian grocer. This 200ml bottle only cost $3.50 AUD.

Instructions on how to use coconut oil as a hair treatment:

1) Fill a small cup with roughly 50ml of oil, more if you have thick or long hair. You can also mix in some Jojoba oil or a few drops of lavender or rosemary essential oil as they also improve the condition of the hair.

2) Microwave the oil until it's hot as your skin can stand it.

3) Massage oil onto to dry hair starting from the roots to the scalp. Gently massage the scalp for 5 minutes. As you can see in the picture, the drops of oil next to the bottle is liquid so application is messy. You'll need to wear a plastic cape or be naked in the bathroom!

4) Wrap a plastic shopping bag over your hair and head. You can also use a shower cap but I prefer to recycle shopping bags. You can secure them with a peg or hairclip. Yes, you will need to do this in private, away from those who will make fun of you!

5) Leave in for 2-3 hours. Or wear it as an overnight treatment but cover your pillow with a towel just in case.

6) Shampoo out thoroughly. You might need to do this twice to ensure the oil is washed out. Conditioning is not necessary.

Make sure you don't comb/brush your hair until it's dry because I found my hair tangles easy while wet and more hair would fall out.

I noticed that it took longer for my hair to air-dry. Normally it's quick because my hair is so damaged and my bone-dry ends zaps up the moisture!

I was amazed by the results. My hair is softer, shinier and frizz free than ever before. Days later and it becomes even softer! Also my hair is wavy rather than curly now and believe it or not, is LESS greasy.

So guys, I highly recommend coconut oil for hair. It is also good as a cuticle oil or moisturiser. I will be doing this treatment once a week and will post in later to see how it works over time. Hopefully my hair will grow thicker!