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.