What's in my bag: Car edition

Today's post is something a little different (for this blog anyway) and it's a What's in My Bag but car edition.

Some might find it a little weird to keep these things in my car but i like to be prepared for any situation and some of it has already come in handy! None of this is actually makeup though.

A little baggie that contains a few miscellaneous things i don't want floating around the big bag - Hair ties, glasses cleaner wipe, nail clippers, bobby pins, nail file and a lip balm. Also, tissues and paracetamol. Two things i can't live without! There is nothing worse for someone with chronic migraines to go with some form of pain relief and tissues come is super handy for helping clean up my makeup when things start running because my contact lenses are giving me hell.

Continuing with the eye theme is some lens cleaner and eye drops. As i said my contacts can be problematic sometimes and i don't actually carry my glasses as well so it's good to have some eye drops to moisten them up. I actually use them to clean them in a tight spot too! The lens cleaner is good if i happen to be wearing my glasses but more often than not i use it to clean my sunglasses which i constantly get finger prints all over! The cotton round, cotton tips and nail file i just threw in because, well they were just lying around.





Moisturiser, hand cream and face cleanser. Face cleanser i hear you say, why the hell? Well, never know when i will want to stay at a friends place last minute or if I'm going to the gym and want to take of my makeup first. Hand cream is reasonably self explanatory isn't it? I don't go anywhere without hand cream because if I'm not using hand cream my cuticles and nails look terrible! For the same reason i have a body moisturiser. It is mostly for my elbows to be honest.







Face wipes, antibacterial wipes and hand sanitiser. The face wipes are for the same reason as the face cleanser above only don't require water obviously. I keep both antibacterial wipes and hand sanitiser so that if my hands are actually really dirty and i want them well and truly clean (before touching my leather steering wheel) i can wipe them off, rather than hand sanitiser which just kills the germs rather than removing the dirt.








Something to know about me is that i hate chipped nails. I paint them so often because once they chip it drives me mad, hence i have nail polish remover in the car. Also, if you have a last minute date you don't want your nails to look all terrible and chipped! Now deodorant and body spray shouldn't need explanation!












And that's what i keep in the car. Most of this has come in pretty handy, especially after a visit to the beach and after eating!

Do you keep a stash of 'in case of an emergency' products in your car? If so let me know what!

Review: Prestige Total Intensity Long Term Relationship eye shadow in Hocus Pocus

This is a post i really wanted to think about before posting, although I've been promising it since the day i got the eye shadow. I already knew the colour and texture was amazing but i wanted to see how it wore before writing a review for you all. 

This product is the Total Intensity Long Term Relationship Fierce Colour eye shadow in Hocus Pocus from Prestige. Wow long name! I happened across this which randomly swatching things in Priceline where it is available for $18.99. The moment i touched it i completely fell in love. 

The colour is a very reddish brown with a teal green duo chrome which shows up really really well. It reminds me of Mac's Club eye shadow but i don't own it so i can't draw a direct comparison for you.

The shadow, when you touch it, is so soft and i want to say almost creamy in texture. I definitely want to go and get a few more of these eye shadows because their texture is really great for a drugstore brand.

As you can see from the swatches to the left, it is really really pigmented. I barely touched my finger to the product!

In the first image the swatch is barely touching the product and swiping it once across my hand. Honestly, the pigmentation is phenomenal.

You may notice though, there is some fallout from this product. It is the only downside I've found for this eye shadow. Whenever i use this shadow i always do my under eye concealer after I've finished doing my eye makeup to avoid the fallout.

The second image is the same swatch from the previous image and then i swiped my hand again a second and third time without going back into the eye shadow.

Obviously, as you can see by the swatches, the duo chrome effect is lessened as you shear out the product. By the third swipe this eye shadow looks like a reddish brown with barely any green duo chrome so really it's like getting two eye shadows for the price of one!

I have been wearing this product every single day since i bought it. It really makes green eyes stand out as you can see from my photos below.

I wear this packed all over my lid with a small shader brush using a patting motion to ensure that it goes on concentrated. I then take a blending brush and blend out the edges. In the end i get a green duo chrome lid with a reddish brown crease with only one eye shadow and two brushes. You could also achieve this with one slightly fluffy shading brush.

Click for larger images

I think i'm going back for Bewitched, Crave, Addiction and Spellbound as soon as i have the disposable income! Bewitched is a taupe-silver, Crave is a gold, Addiction is an iridescent purple and Spellbound is a pink-gold.

Have you tried any of these eye shadows? What is your favourite?

Favourites: September 2013



I can't believe another month has gone by! Here is a few of my favourite things I've been grabbing for a lot this month.

 

Lancome - Hypnose Star mascara - $52

Obviously i only had the same size of this mascara but i liked it. It's not the best mascara that i have ever used, and the brush takes a bit of getting used to but i liked it. Enough to buy it at $52, probably not. I'd compare the effect it has on my lashes to the Almay Get Up and Grow mascara which is one of my all time favourites. The brush has longer bristles on two sides and flat on the other. I use it by brushing up with the flat side initially to get the product on my lashes and then use the longer bristles to comb through. It can be purchased from Lancome, Myer or David Jones.

 

Revlon - Matte Blush in Barely Buff - $10 (normally $25-30)

Now this one i have a feeling has been discontinued but you can buy it online from Glossi. Barely Buff is precisely what it sounds like. It's a very natural pink blush which on most people will be a very subtle colour. On my medium skin tone it only just shows up which is actually the look I've been going for lately. It may show up more on lighter or darker skin tones though. It would be perfect for those that don't like a lot of blush.

 

 

 

Fresh - Sugar Lip Treatment in Honey - $38-42

I actually included one of these in last months favourites and I'm doing it again because they are fantastic! This lip treatment blends a very hydrating balm with a decent amount of pigmentation. The Honey shade is a pinkish nude. It has no taste and a pleasant smell. They are available, in Australia, from StrawberryNet and CosmeticsNow and are worth every cent!!

 

 

 

 

L'Occitane - Shea Butter hand cream - $12-39

This has got to be the most moisturising hand cream I've ever used (and I've used a lot). It apparently has honey, coconut oil and almond extracts in it as well as the shea butter which explains why it's so creamy and works so well. Now it does have a shea butter smell which I'm not crazy about and a couple of times when I've used it on the train the person beside me wasn't crazy about it either. The one I'm using at the moment is a sample size from a gift with purchase. It is available in a 30ml tube for $12 and a 150ml tube for $39. I have a 150ml waiting to be opened and it won't be long!

 

Revlon - Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake - $21.95

Strawberry Shortcake looks to be a very vibrant, slightly blue toned pink in the tube but is in actual fact a more muted colour. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely a pink but it's not quite as bright as it first appears, especially once you get it on the lips. As with most of the lip butters, it goes on smoothly and feels great on the lips. This one in particular is a cream finish with no glitter.

 

 

 

 

Rimmel - Scandal Eyes waterproof eyeliner in Nude - $9.95

This is the most perfect nude eyeliner for the waterline to make you appear more awake. It's waterproof and stay put really well. I often have trouble with any liner i put in the waterline travelling but this one doesn't move. It's also a great shade. It's not too unnaturally bright so it makes you look more awake without looking strange. Also, the price isn't too bad!

Nude by Nature - Application Brush - $14.95
Normally when a company says you need to use their brush to get the best application it's not always true but when it come to Nude By Nature they are spot on. In fact it works brilliantly with any loose (or compact for that matter) powder. The brush is really soft and dense which gives a full coverage while blending well enough that you won't look cakey or overly powdered.

Burberry - Burberry Brit EDT - $70-105
I had always heard a lot about Burberry Brit and figured i wouldn't like it, it wouldn't be my kind of scent. Then i sniffed it while i was on holidays, found a small size at a bargain price and that was that. For the last month i have been wearing it constantly! I pretty much did the same thing for several months when i first got it too. According to Burberry its notes are as follows: Top notes of green almond, icy pear and Italian lime, middle notes of white peony and sugared almond and base notes of mahogany wood, amber and vanilla bean. Knowing the notes are both earthy vanilla and fruity i don't know why i ever thought I'd dislike it.

Lush - No Drought dry shampoo - $13.50 for 115g

I was a little hesitant about dry shampoo from Lush but the No Drought is great. It will last you a long time too, unlike most of the spray can dry shampoos that feel like you use them up in a week. It also works really well. Even after i coloured my hair a little darker i still like it. I don't get a white cast to my hair unless i go a little overboard. Sure, the application isn't as easy as a spray can but the results are pretty good.

 

Rebecca Minkoff - Mini MAC - $195 (USD)
I had seen these bags all over YouTube and thought they looked great but wasn't sure they were worth all the hype. Then, while in Hawaii, i saw them in person and actually they are pretty and functional! It makes the perfect every day, small handbag for work. It makes me limit the amount of crap i drag around on a daily basis but is big enough to fit my Michael Kors wallet, sunglasses (in a soft case), a small perfume (currently the Burberry Brit) and other small miscellaneous things such as keys, pens, lip gloss, lip stick, etc etc. It is available from the Rebecca Minkoff website with free shipping on orders over $300 ($500 if sale items).

While i was taking the photos for this post, my Russian Blue Shakespeare decided to come and keep me company :) So bonus adorable photos!

 

What were your favourites for the month?

NOTM: Nail of the Moment - Nails Inc Primrose Park

Morning everyone!

Today's NOTM is one of the few blues I actually own. I personally don't like the look of blue on myself. That goes for nail polish, clothing and makeup. Every now and then though I'll go for it! 

Nails Inc Primrose Park is a bright metallic blue. I'd call it a navy blue. There is no duo chrome to this polish, simply the metallic finish which does give it some dimension when it catches the light. The metallic finish in the sunlight looks really beautiful. 

In the above photo I have on my usual two coats plus base and top coats and in person, especially in the daylight, I can see i probably should have done one more coat. It can come off a little streaky which is making it look uneven and why I feel like another coat would have helped. 

I find wear of the polish is similar to most metallic or duo chrome polishes which seem to last longer than my cream or glitter polishes. I get about 5 - 7 days wear from this polish with minor chipping starting around days 4 or 5. 

Do you have a colour that you tend to wear less than others (or not at all)?

Review: Clinique Wash-Away Gel Cleanser

You may have already noticed that I'm a big fan of Clinique skin care. This is mostly because my skin is pretty sensitive to fragrances and other non-essential things that most companies put into their moisturisers and cleansers. It took me a long time to work out that was one of the things that was upsetting my skin!

 

Today's post is all about the Clinique Wash-Away Gel Cleanser ($38 for 150ml) which can be purchased online from Clinique, Myer or David Jones as well as in stores anywhere Clinique is sold.

 

This cleaner is designed to remove makeup with out over drying and is formulated with oily skin in mind. As i mentioned it doesn't have a fragrance and is great for more sensitive skin. It works really well to remove even waterproof makeup (and eye makeup).

 

I normally only use this at night prior to washing my face with the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap simply to remove my makeup. Even when i get lazy and don't bother to remove my eye makeup first it takes everything off. I have found that it works much better than a face wipe which just moves the makeup around my face and still leaves makeup residue.

 

This should last you a long time. I use a pea size amount and that removes everything. I think 1 bottle of this last me 6-8 months, maybe longer.

 

If you have normal or dry skin Clinique also makes a formula for you called the Comforting Cream Cleanser (same price, same size) but I've never tried this.

 

How do you remove your makeup?

NOTM: Nail of the Moment - Deborah Lippmann Wicked Game

Today's NOTM is Deborah Lippmann's Wicked Game. I mentioned this polish in my all time nail polish favourites last week. Before we get on with it though i apologise for the short nails and horrid cuticles - i did a lot of cleaning yesterday and didn't bother to put the gloves on until 3/4 of the way though. Lesson learnt... 

Wicked Game is a grey-purple-green-blue duo chrome. I LOVE this colour. Depending on how i have my hands it's usually either green, purple or a really pretty combination of the two. The colours are subtle in terms of.. they aren't overly bright or fluro. That said, it's a noticeable colour that I've had a number of people comment on in the past, you know like random strangers on the train.

I will say this - This polish is very thin. In the photo above i used 4 coats. Now that being said, it's also quick to dry especially when topped with a quick dry top coat (i use INM Out the Door). It's not particularly difficult to apply but can look a little streaky if you don't apply enough coats. 

Wear-wise it wears really really well! This polish, even with 4 coats, will last about 5-7 days on my nails depending on what I'm doing (in other words if i don't clean without gloves..)

I've heard there are dupes out there for this polish but i've never really looked into them. 

I bought my bottle while i was in Hawaii (you've been hearing this a lot - i went crazy). In Australia, as far as i know, you can only really get it online. Revolve Clothing has it at the moment for just under $20 with free shipping.

Quick Links - Beauty Buys

Hi everyone, today i have just a quick post with two quick links I've heard about lately. Now i haven't bought anything at either but I'm very tempted. Only the fact that i have bills out the wazoo is stopping me!

1. Redefining Beauty
Redefining Beauty is an Australian authorised Sigma retailer. Best part - the products are pretty much the same as the US except with GST added. Also, being Australian you skip the ridiculous shipping fees (especially if you spend over $100 at the moment and have liked them on facebook). Shipping fees start at $10 and goes up depending on how much you spend (eg. <$100 spent shipping is $10, $100-$300 spent is $15 in shipping etc). It sells the brushes and makeup products.

2. Beauty Corner Online
The second (and last) website i have to share i actually discovered via Our Deal. They had a deal which has now finished which was two products for $2. Now i wasn't interested in any of the products that i could choose from in the $2 deal but i was curious about the website so i went and had a look. Basically this website sells a limited selection of products from Mac, Nude By Nature, Revlon, Essie, OPI, etc etc. It has these packs which seem like they would be great if you just want to try out products from a brand or this one from Essie (i was so tempted! - I would have gone Kisses & Bises, Silken Cord & Brooch The Subject).

Recipe! - Hunters Cabbage

Today's post is something a little different - a recipe. I got a crock pot not that long ago and i'm in love. After some googling for recipes i tried Hunters Cabbage and OMG! So yummy! You can obviously make this like a normal stew in a pot but this is specifically for a crock pot. 

Hunters Cabbage is a beef and vegetable stew with cabbage and mince as the main ingredient. It can be made for a vegetarian with some substitutes which i explain as i go.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 head green cabbage
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 1 cup uncooked bacon, diced
• 1 teaspoon of garlic (optional)
• chilli to taste (optional)
• 1 cup ground beef
• 1 cup ground pork
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3 cups of potatoes, quartered and sliced
• 1 cup beef stock

Now a few notes:

1. The beef & pork combination can be adjust to just one of the other. I personally only ever use beef out of laziness for the most part. It can also be replaced with a meat substitute like Quorn mince (which can be found in Coles). 
2. Aside from the cabbage you can add/remove vegetables as you want. I personally usually add in carrot, mushrooms, sweet potato... I usually just put in whatever i have on hand really! It's a great way to use up excess stew friendly vegetables. With the potatoes i use white washed potato and leave the skin on.
3. If going vegetarian obviously you can leave out the bacon and substitute the beef stock for vegetable stock. 
4. The options: garlic and chilli. These are something i started adding after having made it a complete of times just for some added flavour and kick.

On with the cooking!

1. Wash cabbage and shred it. (No need to be careful and even - it gives the stew texture!) 
2. In a large pan fry bacon slightly.
3. Add the onion to the bacon and cook until slightly translucent.
4. Add beef, pork, salt and pepper and continue to cook until meat is brown. You don't need to cook the meat through - it is going in the slowcooker remember.
5. Transfer to slow cooker; add cabbage, potatoes (and/or other vegetables) and stock. 
6. Cover, cook on low 6-8hrs or until your vegetables are cooked through.

It's that simple!! This freezes really well too and doesn't end up really dry when it is reheated. 

Any favourite crock pot recipes?

Sample Sunday! #2: Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer

I am currently trying out two Estee Lauder samples - the Double Wear Foundation and Concealer. This Sunday's sample review is of the concealer. I'm still iffy about the foundation so i think I'll give it a bit longer before i review it (probably next Sunday).

The Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer claims to be a long lasting, light, non drying concealer that stays in place for 15 hours without creasing. It's meant to be really easy to blend, transfer resistant and is oil free as well as water, perspiration and humidity resistant. That's some pretty big claims and for the most part i would say it covers the bases.

Let's break it down:

1) Staying Power: Long lasting, 15 hour, Crease free, Transfer and Water Resistant
Absolutely agree! I can put this concealer on and as long as i don't touch my face through out the day it doesn't budge a bit. From the time i put my makeup on in the morning til the time i get home from work is around 12 hours and I've found it lasts that amount of time easily. Last night for example, i put my makeup on at 6:30 am and didn't get home til 10.30pm (16 hours later) and it hadn't moved at all.

I found that provided i didn't use too much (which is easy to do) this concealer remained crease free for the full day (12 hours).

Do i think it's transfer resistant? Not really. If you touch your face with anything, it will transfer. That said I'd say it is fairly water/perspiration/humidity resistant. The weather has been warmer here now it's spring and the concealer holds up fairly well on my walk to work in the sun as well as when I've worn my makeup to the gym (i know, that's terrible).

2) Texture & Feel: Light, drying
This concealer despite being full cover is actually surprisingly light. Once it is on i don't think it looks or feels cakey at all and i don't find it drying. I use it under my eyes and on blemishes. As most people with blemish skin know, when blemishes are healing they get dry and more obvious (can't say the same for the foundation - one of my beefs with it). This concealer seems to help lessen that dry appearance.

3) Application
Estee Lauder claims this is an easy to blend concealer and i would definitely agree. It comes with a doe foot applicator which i use straight where i need it then tap over it with a finger til it blends in which is quickly and easily. Ideally i would probably do as i say not as i do and put some product on a clean hand then use a clean finger to apply it where needed. The full size product has the same packaging as the sample size.

All in all i consider this a pretty good concealer. At $33AUD though, it's a little on the expensive side and in my opinion performs the same as the Physicians Formula RX Concealer which can be found much cheaper (some Priceline stores sell Physicians Formula).

All Time Nail Polish Favourites!

Apologies for the lack of posts in the last few days! Unfortunately i am a chronic migraine sufferer and as of late they have been very regular and very bad. I've had them since i was a child but I'll tell you, as an adult they are much worse. Hopefully some preventive medication will help! Anyone else a chronic migraine sufferer? Anyway... on with the post!

I own a lot of nail polish. It's an obsession that i am a-okay with and it will only get worse! Today's post is my favourite nail polishes and i was inspired by the fact that OPI is on sale on Brands Exclusive (Referral Link/Non-Referral Link) at the moment  for $10.99 AUD each plus shipping ($9.95 flat rate).

Because i do have a large collection it's easier to see which polishes i tend to grab for the most - which are my favourites. So today I'm going to share with you some of my all time favourite nail polish shades. Also you'll see that my favourite brands are pretty much OPI and Revlon...

Note - I'm not big on blue polish so i only have one in that category.

Light Shades - Pinks/Peaches/Beige

OPI - Coney Island Cotton Candy - This was a recent purchase for me and i love it! It is a sheer pink which requires a few coats to be opaque. If you don't like being able to see the white tips of your own nails, then this is not the polish for you. After 3-4 coats i can still see my nail tips. It has a cream finish.





Revlon - Bare Bones - Bare Bones is a light beige polish which is very opaque. Two coats of this will do it. The Revlon Colorstay polishes are pretty decent quality and last a decent amount of time on my nails before chipping. Plus... Bare Bones - i can't help myself! It has a cream finish.

Pinks/Corals

OPI - Kiss Me On My Tulips - This hot pink creme polish has got to be the brightest pink i own! It looks beautiful on both fingers and toes. It has the staying power of most OPI polishes - pretty damn good!

OPI - Tickle My France-y - I wear this colour A LOT! So much that i had to shake the bottle before taking the photo so it coated the entire thing :) It is the perfect muted nude pink cream for everyday wear. Not too dark and not too bright. It gives the look of nice manicured hands but doesn't make you look dead. At least for my medium skin tone anyway. Most people probably wouldn't look twice at it, but you should!

Sephora by OPI - Let's Do Lunch - This is another colour that i wear a ton. I've used a good 1cm of the bottle. Let's Do Lunch is a cream with subtle gold shimmer running through it. On me i find it tends to show a little more pink than coral but it is described as a coral. I could see how it would look coral on other skin tones.

Reds

OPI - I'm Not Really a Waitress and OPI - An Affair in Red Square - If you buy one red polish ever make it either one of the these! I'm Not Really a Waitress is a gorgeous shimmery red that's a little on the darker side where as An Affair in Red Square is a little brighter. Both look great on most skin tones and wear really really well. I get a lot of use out of these two. They both dry fairly quickly, apply evenly and apply opaque in 2 or more coats. Do you need both? Probably not... but hey, who am i to tell you not to buy two fantastic nail polishes! Check out my Nail of the Moment on An Affair in Red Square.

OPI - Big Apple Red - I discovered this polish when i was in New York and i got my first gel manicure. I fell in love! I had to buy it as soon as i got that gel shellac taken off. So began my love affair with the bright red cream finish that is Big Apple Red. It is a classic red, not too pink, not too blue - although it does look pink in my photo (taken at midnight in artificial light unfortunately!).

Purples

Zoya - Lotus - This was one of the first Zoya polishes I've ever tried. I bought it and two others in Hawaii in 2012. Lotus is by far my favourite of the three! Lotus is a mid tone cream purple with a very fine pink glitter through out that sometimes looks more red or gold. The glitter isn't too obvious but it does definitely show up on the nail. It's a very beautiful polish and something i hadn't seen before or since.

OPI - Do You Lilac It - If it's a brighter light purple with a cream finish you are after Do You Lilac It is your best bet! For some reason it took me a while to buy this polish even though it's a) purple (my favourite colour if you can't already tell...) and b) raved about. Again, like with most OPI, opaque in two coats and lasts really well :)

OPI - Planks a Lot - Another cream purple, though on the more mid tone and blue based side, is OPI Planks A Lot from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection. Love!! This was one of the first purples in my collection and I adore it. I will say.. probably not unique though.

Blue

OPI - Into The Night - Now I'm not crazy about blue nail polish and this is one of two i think that i actually own but Into The Night is beautiful. It is a mid to dark metallic blue which can have a little bit of a purple tint to it in the right light (which admittedly is probably why i bought it). Why do i say mid to dark and what kind of description is that you ask? Well, in different light it can look like a brighter midnight blue or a very very dark blue. Good thing is that it doesn't suffer from streakiness like a lot of metallic polishes.

Grey

OPI - Skull & Glossbones - This is another polish from the OPI Pirates Collection and again, the name sucked me in. Now before this polish grey was absolutely not my thing but this changed my mind. Skull & Glossbones is a very pale grey/beige cream. I think depending on your skin tone it will look more blue-grey or more green-grey. On me it definitely tends toward the green-grey.

Essie - Cocktail Bling - I've done a Nail of the Moment on this polish so i won't rave too much more about it here but this is a really pretty darker grey cream polish. This grey is on more of the cool lavender and blue based end of the scale than Skull & Glossbones.






Greens

OPI - Stranger Tides - Ok i promise this is the last of the Pirates collection polishes in this post! :) What can i say, it was a decent collection in my book! Stranger Tides, the title polish of the collection, is a cream muted green. On some people i can see this polish looking kind of muddy. On me, i love it and it suits my more olive skin tone.

Revlon - Minted - Boy have i had this baby a long time. It's writing is even wearing off! I went through a phase where i wore this on my toes and nothing else. Minted is your typical mint green with a cream finish. It wears well in terms of chipping but i will say that after time it gets that white chalky look around the edges. Not enough to make me dislike it though!

Sally Hansen - Intsa-Dri - Jumpin Jade - This is not a polish that i picked out for myself. I don't know why i didn't own this or something like it before but I'm sure glad i do now. (My best friends gave it to me for Christmas 2012 - true friends help not hinder an addiction like nail polish!). These polishes definitely hold up to their claim of drying fast and are very opaque (i also have the blue from this line).

Brown

OPI - Wooden Shoe Like To Know - Brown is one of those colours i normally look at and just keep on walking but when i was in Hawaii last year and had a decent tan this colour actually looked pretty good! I think it's the gold shimmer running through it that makes it look really great on darker skin tones. It's a chocolate brown and not too red toned.



Duo chrome

OPI - Significant Other Color - We are now moving on to my favourite type of polish - duo chrome. Significant Other Color is a metallic pink-green duo chrome. The pink is a blue based pink and the green is a nice vibrant lime green. This polish, like a lot of duo chromes is sheer but 3 coats normally does it for me.

OPI - Just Spotted The Lizard - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when OPI released Just Spotted The Lizard with the Bond Collection. How gorgeous is this colour?! Depending on the light this is a gold-green-blue duo chrome. I have quite curved nails so on me i see the full spectrum of shades. I read reviews from others that say it tends to only stay the one colour but they appeared to have flatter nails. Just something to be aware of!

Nails Inc. - Special Effects - Stratford - My first duochrome! The polish that started the obsession :) Stratford by Nails Inc is a gold-green-pink-red duo chrome and the duo chrome is definitely noticeable on the nails. It's a beautiful, more subtle, duo chrome.

Deborah Lippmann - Wicked Game - The last of my favourite duo chromes (so far..) is Wicked Game. This is a grey-purple-green-blue duo chrome which unfortunately does come off a little streaky but.. the colour is really beautiful. It also wears really well. With a top coat it usually last about a week on my nails.

Okay, I'm done with the duo chromes now i promise.

Glitter

 Sephora by OPI - 212-Sephora - 212-Sephora is a black based fine glitter polish which comes off a little green due to the gold, copper, holographic and green glitter that is suspended in the base. The glitter ranges from micro to larger flecks which gives the polish an interesting dimension. It's a bit of a hassle to remove as with most glitters. The polish is opaque in 2-3 thin coats and is really easy to apply.

OPI - DS Mystery - In the pictures, the Mystery polish from OPI's Designer Series looks a little similar to 212-Sephora but it's not. Mystery is a dark blue/purple base with lots of gold glitter (same size flecks) through out. This polish is very opaque and was pretty good with just one coat but as i always do, i apply two for maximum effect.

Sally Hansen - X-Treme Wear - Disco Ball - If you are after more of a glitter than can be used to top any polish than Disco Ball is your thing. I love this polish as a top coat for a french manicure just for something different. This polish, considering it's base is clear, is reasonably well packed with glitter and can be worn on it's own. It looks really great over lighter (like white) bases too.

OPI - Liquid Sand - Stay The Night - I've done a Nail of the Moment on this polish, which was the first liquid sand that i have bought. It's a really interesting texture and finish. Although the whole idea is that you forgo the top coat, i find this polish looks phenomenal with a top coat and of course lasts longer. For more detail on this polish check out my NOTM and the update i did a few days later.

Top/Base Coats

OPI Base Coat and Top Coat - The OPI Top Coat and Base Coat are my go to. I've been using them for years and really only switched up my top coat recently just for the hell of it. I highly recommend them.

Sephora by OPI Base Coat and Top Coat - I find the Sephora by OPI Top Coat and Base Coat are much the same as the straight up OPI. They perform equally as well in my experience.

INM Out the Door Top Coat - I recently switched to this top coat when I'd hear people raving about it on YouTube as a Seche Vite alternative. (I did try Seche Vite, it's horrible - don't go there.) It's a shiny but not high gel-like shine top coat that does dry pretty damn fast. Great for someone impatient like me!

 

Also, my favourite brand of nail polish remover is the Priceline Beauty Essentials Conditioning nail polish remover.

 

 

What are your favourite nail polishes? Any recommendations? (I'm always up for more nail polish!!)