Gel Nails and time with friends and family

I LOVE being on holidays it's such a wonderful feeling :D I get to sleep in 'sometimes' and bum around the house doing what I want, when I'm not working that is.  I've also been able to spend time with my friends outside of school by going shopping and to the movies, I went and saw the new X-Men movie on Friday and really enjoyed it, I know it's not everyone's style of movie but I thought it was great and tied the other movies all together :) Oh and I also scored a 'POTC' drinking cup while I was there, YES!!!! :D




I was thrilled to spend a day with my best friend Juanita recently, we decided that we would get our nails done together and go shopping.  We had a full set of Gel Powder nails done with a french tip, the original price was $60 but we got a Student Discount so it was knocked down to $54, YAY for discounts.:)

How are they going you may ask?  Well ...... I really like them so far, I've stopped tapping practically everything in sight (well almost) and am learning to do things again, hahahaha, do you know how hard it is to remove the little caps inside loose powders when you're not used to having longer nails!  Luckily my mumma and sister help when I just can't do it,  scratching an itch is also a bit harder too but I'm sure it won't take long to get back to doing everything for myself, drats! :D

My nails were healthy before I got them on and they grew just fine but my nails are very small and I thought the Gel Nails may increase their presence on my hands, I think I was right. For now I'm sticking to the french tips, don't want to wreck them by painting them myself do I.

I'll keep you up to date on how they go over the weeks and whether they're worth it.


Shopping has been done lately too, I haven't really bought much (just as well) apart from a couple of jewelry pieces, I bought a belly ring when I was with Juanita from this cool 'alternative shop' in the local shopping centre and also a new ear cuff when I was out with another friend, from the same shop.  We actually seem to spend our time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company more than buying stuff.

I'm off to Brisbane with another friend through the holidays so that should be a fun experience, we're looking at formal gowns and hopefully there will be some great sales too :) ..... or maybe not because I really should be saving more.

Oh I finally finished my Australis Primer so I picked up a new primer for myself that I've been trying out, it's called 'L'Oreal Base Magique'.  Unfortunately I didn't realise until I was home and dipping my fingers in it that it's not animal cruelty free :( (oh dear), well I'm using it anyway because it cost me $30 and I'm not throwing $30 away, I'll just have to print out a list and put it in my bag so that next time I can check what I'm buying. In fact I'd like to try out the Face of Australia primer next time as I know they are cruelty free, I would have bought that instead but they didn't have it.

I've been asked a few times about primers but I've only ever used the Australis one so I'm trying a few out, that way I can actually see and feel the difference for myself.

Something I've been really enjoying as well is my new 'Suckerpunch' soundtrack, I bought it just because I wanted it and then put it on my ipod for constant listening, love this music.

Spending time with family is good, I got to go climbing with my brothers through the week, haven't done that in about a year so it was alot of fun. It took next to no time to get to the top where we all enjoyed a yummy lunch and the view was breathtaking on this crystal clear day. Strangely it took almost three times as long to get back down because my brothers decided they wanted to climb a really steep part and one ended up getting stuck, luckily we took rope etc and could get to him that way. So while my other brother was doing all the hard work I was standing at the bottom dodging falling rocks and trying to take pictures, he won't be trying that again for a while!!!! :)

NEW - Sigma Eyeshadow Pallets

Sigma have released their new line of makeup called 'Dare, Bare and Flare Eyeshadow Pallets', yes there are three different ones each contain 8 colours, a mixture of matte and shimmers and a double ended brush, each brush in these pallets are also different which is so much nicer than getting a little sponge brush applicator! I haven't tried these pallets myself yet but from what I've heard and seen on them they look pretty good and appear to live up to Sigma's standards.  The packaging looks study with a large mirror and magnetic closure.


This is what Sigma has to say about these new pallets:


The Sigma Beauty DARE palette includes the perfect mix of vibrant and neutral shades represented by warm and cool tones. This palette contains beautiful yet unexpected hues from neutral corals to deep reds and includes surprisingly wearable yellow and gold tones. DARE allows you to create colorful looks that can be easily accentuated with bright or deep colors. Go from day to night in seconds! Includes Sigma Beauty’s best-selling E20 and E45 in an exclusive dual-ended brush.  Contains matte and satin formulations.

The Sigma Beauty BARE palette is a must for everyday use. Ideal to create classic neutral looks, BARE is perfect for accentuating your best features without too much color distraction. Highlight inner corners, emphasize your crease, brighten your brow bone and enhance your lash line.  With BARE’s color selection, you can easily create day and night looks seamlessly and as subtle or as bold as you wish.  BARE is perfect for a natural yet improved you! Includes Sigma Beauty’s best-selling E30 and E25 in a unique dual-ended brush. Contains matte and satin formulations.

The Sigma Beauty FLARE palette contains a beautiful combination of greens and purples, combined with browns and beiges that are perfect to create fun and colorful looks! This palette includes beautiful iridescent undertones, which offer a must have selection of bright, yet sophisticated hues. FLARE is perfect for those days when you want to highlight your eyes with fun and flirty colors! Includes Sigma Beauty’s best-selling E55 and E40 in a practical dual-ended brush. Contains matte and satin formulations.

These pallets sell for $35.00 (US) each which is quite reasonable, especially because they include 'real' brushes.

Handbag Heaven GIVEAWAY - What's in My Work Bag

I was recently contacted by 'Handbag Heaven' and asked if I would like to host a Giveaway for their online store, I thought this was a great idea as I love to give things away, so for your chance to win a $50 Online Gift Certificate to 'Handbag Heaven' please watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkoko22s-T8&feature=channel_video_title


The bag I received is the 'Angelina Sequin Satchel': http://www.handbagheaven.com/angelina-sequin-satchel.html which is a perfect size for taking to work and adds a little sparkle and fun to my otherwise dull workwear. It has a large silver buckle closure, faux patent leather handles and accents, two side pockets and small pockets on the inside for your phone etc. Their customer service was really good for me, I received my bag in about a week and it was packaged neatly and securely within a plastic bag in a strong postal box with absolutely no damage.  This bag is big enough to carry all my necessities for work yet still stylish and not overpowering for my small frame.

The pretty sequins really catch the light as you walk along, they are a mixture of 95% black and about 5% Silver sequins which add a great bit of interest.


They are having a limited time SALE storewide.


For 15% off, use Coupon Code -- Spring11 (at checkout)
Handbag Heaven: http://www.handbagheaven.com/
Visit their YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/AffordableStyleTV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HandbagHeaven
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/handbagheaven

What's taking my fancy right now ...

It's getting quite chilly, even for a warm climate it's really really cold in the mornings and at night, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I've taken a liking to Sundried Tomatoes, yep that's right, I'm not a great fan of the average tomatoe but sundry them and I'm loving the taste. I've been having them in my salad roll-ups for lunch and they are going into my everyday salads from now on too

I bought a new jacket for myself, must be the cold snap that made me do it! It's an aviator style by 'Red Cherry', not real leather but more a faux suede 'look' with lambswool lining which is ideal for our milder winters so I'll get more wear out of it.  See I got off work a little early and while I was waiting for my ride I took a little look around the shops and stumbled across it, don't know if my 2.5 hours of 'extremely hard' work will cover the cost of it though hahahaha!!! Oh well it's worth it and luckily I'm working the next two days so .................. hmmmm, I'll stay away from the shops.

Hoodies ...... cold weather = hoodies .... pics not necessary, say no more!

My 'Coquette' lipstick by Limecrime from Makeupnet.com has become my latest favourite which really surprises me because I'm not a huge fan of the 'nude lip' look.  Teamed with lightly tinted lipgloss' I'm really liking this effect and you can see it in my 'Get Ready With Me' video and my 'Cute Curls & OOTD'.

     

This is the lipstick by itself, not nude nude but very close to it, looks lovely with a gloss on top.

Having my school play/musical recently I've really appreciated the 'Make Me Up' brush set, because of it's carry case it's been so easy to take it to school everyday to apply my makeup for the rehearsals and actual shows, what a super idea this little case is because nothing gets crushed, great work Sigma.

A song I've been lovin lately is by 'Lisa Mitchell' called 'Incomplete Lullaby', just love this song <3

Oh, and I bought two new pairs of shoes from Big W, the black heeled brogues were about $29 and the nude lace-ups about $34, not bad for shoes that you're really only going to be wearing for a couple of months.

Modiva Professional Curling Iron

I recently received a 'Modiva Professional Curling Iron' which I've been playing around with and trialling over the past few weeks and I'm quite impressed with the results so far.  It has a 25mm clipless barrell and comes with a heat protective glove so you don't burn yourself, I love the way these curls  turn out, they last such a long time which is great, and they are still there the next day which I think is wonderful.

Check out my video tutorial:  HERE

This is the only clipless curling iron like this that I have seen available in Australia which has a barrel the same width all the way down, I know they are available overseas but in Australia I haven't come across any others yet.  

Perhaps the only thing I dislike about it is that it only has one heat setting so you need to be really smart when using it, 10 secs for thick hair is fine but you should only leave your hair on for 5 secs for fine hair and about 7 for medium, which is what my hair is.

You can achieve a few different styled curls using this curling iron, wrapping the hair tightly will achieve tighter curls and spacing the hair apart more on the iron will give a more 'wavy' effect and also using more hair each time will give a looser curl too.  Practice makes perfect, the more you use it the better the curls will turn out although you should never use heat on your hair all the time or you will damage your hair.

This curling iron also works well on my sister's hair which is shoulder length.  It may work well on 'short' hair depending on the style your are doing.  Of course the longer your hair the looser the curls will be because the weight will drag the curls down.  It gives great curl to my length hair.

 

To get a $30.00 discount off the price of this Curling Iron just type in ‘Modiva’ (be sure to copy/paste) at checkout, this offer lasts until 31^st August, 2011.

Modiva Professional - http://modiva.com.au/