OPI: Turquoise Shatter + Ski Teal We Drop

Sorry for not posting yesterday - I was really busy trying to cram my full weekend into one day - grocery shopping, laundry, off to see the last Harry Potter instalment at the movies with my family, then out to dinner.  Challenging as you can imagine!

This is a quick post to show you Turquoise Shatter over a dark cream shade.  I decided to try it over Ski Teal We Drop from OPI's Swiss Collection.  STWD is a deep teal cream and I thought this would provide a good base for a tone-on-tone look. 

The different shatter finish is really interesting.  To quote an old Australian candy bar commercial (for Violet Crumble bars I think?), "It's the way it shatters that matters..." and this shattered very differently from my last combo with the silver foil.  When Turquoise Shatter dried over STWD it produced a fault line style of cracking rather than the usual meshy effect.  See here:

Outdoors shade

Full sun

Which finish do you prefer?

Until next time - I'm off to the airport in a few minutes!

Vita :)

Yet another shattering shade: OPI - Turquoise Shatter

I thought I was done with the shatter polish fixation - and then I saw OPI's new range, and was instantly smitten with Turquoise Shatter.

This is the most gorgeous metallic turquoise that would stand on it's own as a 'normal' full coverage polish.  The idea of this as a shatter was definitely seductive to me and I just couldn't resist.  I thought this would be a great partner for my silver Bionic mani and I was really pleased with the look:

 

I think this would make a great summer pedicure on (fake) tanned feet.

That's all for now.  Have a wonderful weekend - mine's gonna be short.  I've got to fly to Brisbane on Sunday for an early Monday workshop.

Vita :)

Nail It: Bionic

Even though I love silver I don't actually have many silver nail polishes.  I don't know, somehow they can all look a bit the same to me and I try to avoid dupes wherever I can. Well, this polish I'm going to share with you is the only silver foil nail polish I own.

Bionic is one of the handful of Sportsgirl's Nail It nail polishes in my stash.  It's a standout silver foil, although my husband was a bit underwhelmed and said, "Boring old silver".  I have to disagree with him because it's a 'look at me' foil and contrasts with my skin.  It was a little brush-strokey but not too bad.   Here 'tis:

Outdoors shade

Full sun

Indoors natural light

 

I've got to admit I didn't leave this mani alone.  You'll have to read my next post to see what I added :)

Until then -

Vita :)

Blog Award: 5 more awards!

I've received a bundle of awards recently that I want to acknowledge and pass on...

Firstly, I was lucky enough to be given the Butterfly Award by two lovely bloggers, thatleanne whose blog is filled with lovely freehand nail art designs and Ageless Secrets which is a lovely beauty blog for those of us (me included) who are a little more mature - just a little over 21 - but still love our beauty.  Thank you both!

Shelley from Ageless Secrets also additionally tagged me for all of these awards:  Stylish Blogger Award, One Lovely Blogger Award, Kreativ Blogger Award and the Versatile Blogger Award:

THE RULES: 

1) Thank the person that gave you the awards, and link back to them. 

2) Post seven things about yourself.
3) Answer The Favourites questions below
3) Pass the love to 15 bloggers.

7 THINGS ABOUT ME

1) I'm addicted to blogging

2) As a child I was able to walk en pointe (like a ballerina) in bare feet

3) I can twist my tongue at right angles!

4) I love seafood but don't like freshwater fish

5) Bananas are my favourite fruit

6) I've been working for the same organisation for over 20 years!

7) I'm trying to get back into running - again!

THE QUESTIONS

1) Name your favorite colour:  Purple - any shade of this is good!

2) Name your favorite song:  Alejandro by Lady Gaga

3) Name your favorite dessert:  Lately I've been making quite a few lemon tarts so I guess that makes it my favourite this winter

4) What pisses you off:  Dishonest people

5) When you're upset you:  Swear @#%!!

6) Your favorite pet:  My two cats <3

7) Black or White:  Black - I live in Melbourne so that's our fashion uniform

8) Biggest Fear:  Global warming destroying the environment for my son's generation

9) Best features:  Eyes

10) Everyday attitude:  Positive - I like to make others around me happy

11) What is perfection:  Having quality time with my family

12) Guilty Pleasure:  Chocolate (& nail polish)

I NOMINATE:
***********************************************************************************

ashashake

BeauTiNique

Blingernails

Crouching Asian, Hidden Polish

GiMikd Girl

hauteandstylish

Keeping up with me

Manicure Addict

Me, my best and I

MsSparkleArkle

Polished Pony

prettymom

Red Lip Gloss

 Superficial Sydney

The Nail Buff

 Enjoy checking out of these great blogs.  I've just found out I've received ANOTHER two awards - Yay!  I'll save those for another post.

That's all for now.

Vita :)

L'Oreal Resist & Shine Titanium #737

This L'Oreal nail polish shade is non-descriptively called 737.  Actually it sounds a bit like a plane really...

I grabbed it from the discount bin at the chemist a few months ago because it's an interesting take on black.  This vampy polish is black with an antique gold shimmer which only reveals itself in full sun and very bright light.  I was a little disappointed it wasn't more obvious.  See what you think:

Outdoors - the shimmer is more apparent in the bottle

Lamplight - you can see the glow here

I'm a little tired so I'll keep this short and sweet.  Nothing more to say really.

Until next time.

Vita :)

Essence: Movie Star

Hello!

I was digging around and found this little Essence polish back from my original haul way back in March (here).  It's the only one I hadn't already worn and the cool grey creme shade matched the skies last week perfectly.  This nail polish offers such good smooth coverage a single coat would have sufficed but I've applied my habitual two.  It dried super quickly and with a high gloss finish.  I loved wearing it to work last week and it drew lots of compliments too - this is definitely a great office-appropriate colour which isn't too safe and boring.  Onto the pics:

Lamplight

 

Outdoors - cloudy

I can't believe that these babies sell at only $2.95AUD, because the overall quality is right up there with some of the more expensive brands.  I just wish Essence was more readily available here in Australia and we had a better range of colours.  I've seen some amazing colours out there in the blogosphere that I desperately want to get my hands on.  In the meantime I'm on a mission to collect the entire range of these little bottles that are available at Priceline - Whew!  Enough raving for now.


Are you an Essence fan too?

Until next time.

Vita :)

100 followers!

Hi everyone

It's been a pretty exciting weekend for me because I've now got just over 100 lovely followers!  I firstly want to say a big...

THANK YOU!! <3

to all of you and also say that my readers are what makes this blogging caper all worthwhile.  I know it sounds pretty cliched but it's all true.  It's wonderful to think that I can have a conversation and share thoughts with great like-minded people around Australia and across the globe.  My world just got that little bit smaller and I've been loving it.  

GIVEAWAY

I'm now gathering some beauty bits and pieces together for a Thank You giveaway.  Just a little something to give back to you lovelies out there.  I want to run an international giveaway and of course I want to include nail polish, but I've read about other bloggers having issues with polish swaps particularly in and out of the US.  Could you please let me know if this is an issue and if nail polish is a no-no for an international giveaway?

Thanks again

Please do let me know in the comments what you think about my giveaway plans - specifically if it's too risky to send nail polish internationally.

Vita :)  xoxo

REVIEW: My lipbalm(y) army

I pull out all the stops to protect my lips from drying out and chapping in winter and because I love lip products I've got enough lip balms and ointments to cater for every different need.  Here's a quick rundown of what's in my current stash - plus one I've grabbed from my lovely husband!

TUBES

essence glossy lipbalm

This one is not strictly a lipbalm but a fun fruity scented gloss, with a high shine and a slight tint.  More suited for the warmer months but I use these occasionally when I want a bit of shine.  For a full review and swatches see here.

Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour

I've been loving this ointment so far this winter because it's so rich and emollient, and it looks and feels like an expensive gloss when I'm wearing it.  It gives a good hit of shiny rosy colour and deeply moisturizes my lips.  For my previous review see here.

Lucas' Papaw Ointment

This lives on my bedside table and I apply it to moisturise my lips every night.  Papaw Ointment is derived from fermented Carica Papaya and has a faint fruity scent.  It's colourless but gives a good shine to the lips so it can also be used as a lipgloss.  This is one of my HG products because it has 101 uses including soothing insect bites and broken skin so it's more than just a beauty product (see here for my original review.)

STICKS

 

L'Occitane Ultra Rich Lip Balm

This is the balm I wear on my lips when I don't want to look like I'm wearing anything - I've been wearing this one a lot too, particularly on the weekends.  This balm swipes onto the lips and leaves them feeling super soft and moisturized but is quite waxy and matte, with no added tint so guys can also wear it.  The main ingredients here are beeswax and shea butter which account for the texture and rich moisturizing feel on the lips.  Because it's not shiny I can use this under lipstick if I need to.  It also has a very subtle slightly sweet scent.

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer

This has been getting a good run this winter too!  Opposite to the L'Occitane lip balm, Burt's Bees is what I wear when I want to dress up my lips and this has enough pigment and coverage so I can wear it as a moisturizing alternative to lipstick.  This contains peppermint oil and cocoa butter and the peppermint initially gives off a very strong cooling sensation on the lips which fortunately fades away after a while.   For my original review click here.

TINS & POTS

[A'kin] Sweet Blossom & Jojoba Pure Essential Lip Balm

I've had this hiding in my stash for some time but have only recently been using it. Waxy in the tin, it melts onto my lips and provides a lovely shine and smoothness.  A'kin is an Australian brand, specializing in natural vegan products so this lip balm is free from animal products and is 100% botanical.  The main ingredients are jojoba seed oil, macadamia oil and shea butter.  It also contains rosehip oil so it has a faint rose scent and taste which is a bit strange but not unpleasant.

Blistex Lip Conditioner

Yep, this one is Hubby's <3.  I occasionally borrow it when we're outdoors together.  I love the butterscotch smell and taste.  I asked my husband for a review and he wasn't too forthcoming other than saying he uses this as a treatment when he has dry lips and he finds it effective.  I say it has a very strong cooling effect on my lips which can be a bit overpowering in the first few minutes but the product does a good job of softening my lips.  This also has the added protection of SPF 20 which makes it a preferred lip treatment if we're at the beach or in the snow.

What's your favourite lip treatment product?

Until my next post.

Vita :)

Starry, starry night...

Happy Friday to everyone :-)

I loved my Midnight Affair mani from yesterday's post but of course I couldn't leave it alone.  I wanted to create the vision of a starry night so I topped it with a single coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust.  I was pretty pleased with the result as it turned just out as I'd imagined.  You get the sense of depth because of the different sized holo glitter - mesmerizing...

I decided to go one step further with a silver shatter accent on my ring finger for a bit more bling...not sure about this one...

Finally I had to show you this accidentally blurred photo which looks amazing.  I love the movement of the glitter in the light:

Have a great weekend!

Vita :)

Vampy blue: Revlon - Midnight Affair

I told you I was craving something vampy.  How about a deep inky blue?

Revlon's Midnight Affair is a deep, ocean blue shimmer that looks just a little bit edgy and pretty classy on short nails.  This polish is in Revlon's core collection and is widely available.  I loved the depth of colour, achieved in two perfectly smooth coats:

Lamplight

Flash

Outdoors

I'm liking the darker colours on my little nails :)

Until my next post.

Vita :)

Please excuse the nubbins!

Say 'Hi' to my little nubbins!

No, I didn't have a major breakage.  The Husband said my nails were getting a bit long so I just went ahead and made a change, and got a bit carried away in the process.  Of course, I've immediately decided to grow them again so they'll be back to their usual length soon(ish).

I'm wearing one coat of China Glaze White Cap over my old OPI Kiss The Bride as they both have that soft gold tone.  I think this look would have worked better on tanned hands because my nails blend too much into my skin.  This picture was taken indoors in lamplight:

Now that I've got shorties I'm craving more vampy colours! 

Until my next post.

Vita :)

Haul post: Avon calling!

I normally restrict my Avon orders to toiletries.  Being a mum I love their large roll-on antiperspirants that sell for $1.99 on special!

My makeup experiences with Avon have been somewhat hit and miss and there have been some disastrous purchases over the years.  However recently there were a few offers that sounded a little too good to refuse and as a curious beauty blogger I thought I'd take the plunge and try some of their eye makeup products.  I bought an eyeshadow quad, self-sharpening eye pencil and waterproof mascara for a total $23AUD which sounded quite reasonable  - particularly the mascara which cost me a tiny $3AUD.

The eyeshadow quad reminds me of a few old Chanel palettes I've still got in my collection...

 Here's a closer view...

 True Color Eyeshadow Quad

(Purple Haze)

Glimmersticks Eye liner

(Black)

Perfect Wear Long Lasting Mascara

(Black)

I did a quick EOTD to road test these products and I found that while the eyeshadows weren't heavily pigmented they were quite buildable in their intensity, but the darker shades were a little difficult to blend after I'd applied them. As a result I ended up with a harder edged finish on my eye crease than I'd normally wear.  However, the eyeshadow stood the all-day wear test with no fading or creasing.

The eyeliner applied effortlessly and would not budge until I removed it at the end of the day - no risk of panda-eyes or smudging with this product.  The mascara did a reasonably good job of thickening my lashes, albeit slightly clumpy, and also due to the waterproof formula didn't budge until I was ready to take it off.  All in all I wasn't over the moon but I think these are reasonable products, and the durability of wear on these was excellent.

What's your experience with Avon products?

Until my next post.

Vita :)

An old OPI: Kiss The Bride

Please indulge me a little with this post.

The colour I'm going to share with you isn't particularly interesting or spectacular but it has sentimental value for me.  I wore OPI's Kiss The Bride to my 40th birthday dinner a few years ago (make that 5 but I'm not counting), and it's going to be the first OPI polish I've used to the bottom of the bottle! 

Kiss The Bride is an old black label OPI from their Sheer Romance Bridal Edition Collection released way back in 2003.  This is a sheer pastel apricot with gold shimmer.  It's a warm toned alternative for French manicures and a bit more interesting than sheer pink.  This is two coats:

Outdoors, cloudy

Full sun

Thanks for reading!  I promise more colourful and interesting posts soon.

Vita :)

Revlon: Pink in the Afternoon

 I hope you're enjoying your Sunday wherever you are.

These photos are from my archives, back before I started this blog.  The weather is cold and grey today but I was looking for something light and cheerful to post and an old Revlon polish by the name Pink in the Afternoon fit the bill nicely.  This vintage Revlon is a very wearable peachy pink shade with an icy shimmer finish which blends in with my skin tone,  pale but with a warm undertone. I suppose it's a bit 'safe' but I still think it's very pretty.  I remember this was another of my discount Revlon finds from a couple of years ago.  Unfortunately it's been discontinued.  

Full sun

 

Flash

Do you have a favourite nail polish shade that's been discontinued?

Until my next post.

Vita :)

OPI: The Show Must Go On

Here's what my nails wore to out to a dinner date last weekend.

I chose The Show Must Go On, an amazing glass-flecked duo-chrome polish from OPI.  The Show Must Go On was released in OPI's 2010 Burlesque Collection, launched at the same time as the movie namesake starring Christina Aguilera and Cher.  This raspberry pink polish flashes orange as you move your hands around in the light.  I've done my best to try and capture this for you with these sunlight pics.

As you tilt the nails they lean towards orange...

...although in direct light they appear a deep raspberry pink shade.

Did you buy any shades from the Burlesque Collection?

Have a great weekend.

Vita :)