The Hand Book: A Guide To Nail Art

Recently I have been getting a bit more adventurous with my nail art and it is all because of this cute book I received for Christmas from my sister.

 

The Hand Book is a fantastic nail art book full of pictures, showing you how to achieve some of the cutest nails ever. It is a collaboration from Anna Ross (Kester Black nail polish) and Chelsea Bagan (Trophy Wife Nail Art). Chelsea is the brains behind the designs and uses Kester Black's Vegan, Cruelty Free, Carcinogen Free nail polishes to achieve them (Kester Black is also an Australian brand!).

Below is a preview of two of the designs they feature in the book. I love the simple step-by-step instructions and how bright the whole book is.

 



Watermelons! Too cute!

 

I've had a go at a few of their designs and they actually aren't too tricky!

 

 

 

You can purchase The Hand Book for $25 from Kester Black and Trophy Wife Nail Art. You can also purchase polishes from the Kester Black website and see more amazing designs at TWNA. I'm thinking this might become a birthday present for a few of my friends!

 

If you would like to read about my experience at Trophy Wife Nail Art click here.

 

 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Body Wash

I'm very excited to tell you about the Palmer's Body Washes that are about to hit our shelves. As a body wash addict any new body wash gets me excited, but when it is Sulphate, Paraben and Phthalate free I can almost sense my skin getting excited. I love body washes that are moisturising and don't leave my skin feeling tight so I have high hopes for this trio!

 

Moisturizing Cocoa Butter Body Wash

Pop moisturising on your bottle and I am highly likely to buy your body wash as I don't really enjoy moisturising once out of the shower. I'm hoping this will cut down that extra step for me.

 

Indulgent Coconut Body Wash

Ever since I bought a Victoria's Secret Coconut Spray I have been loving this scent. This is my pick out of the three to be the best selling with summer coming up. I think I'll buy a bottle to keep at my boyfriend's house, as my shower is already overflowing with bottles!

 

Nourishing Shea Butter Body Wash

Shea Butter has always been great for my skin so hopefully it does well in a body wash. This claims to have a 'fresh tropical scent' so hopefully smells nice! (Surely they could have been a bit more specific here...Pineapple? Mango? Passionfruit?)

The bottles are 400ml and are retailing at $5.99.

 

Are you a body wash addict like me? Have you spotted any other new body washes that you are keen to try?

My week in pictures

I enjoyed sharing what I had been up to last time so I decided why not do it again! I know some of you follow me on Instagram so some of these pictures will be familiar :)

The last few Friday nights my old swimming friends and I competed in a weekly relay night against other clubs. We took out the Senior A grade premiership and three of our clubs other teams came runners up in their divisions. I did this competition more than ten years ago too so it's fun to have a race with no pressure!

                    

Last Saturday I caught up with some friends to celebrate my birthday. I baked a number of things including what is below- cookie dough truffles, buttered popcorn cookies and chocolate chip cookies. I also made some 'cake shots' using the cake vodka I bought in America, whipped cream and sprinkles. I also dipped the rims of the shot glasses in white chocolate and sprinkles.

                                    

                                    

 

I popped into Tuckshop Takeaway again this week and went head on into the sweets! I had the redskin milkshake (amazing!), a sweet jaffle (banana, liquid cheesecake & salted caramel) and the holey donut. The owners have worked at Heston Blummenthal's The Fat Duck in London and Attica here in Victoria. I will definitely be here again (especially as I have read they have made a redskin tart and lamination soft serve!).

                 

 

Also recently I have been using nail polish a lot more as it is such a fun way to bring a bit of life to your look. I used OPI Mod About You and the OPI Matte Top Coat here and absolutely love it. I actually got this idea from Marie at Benefit Brow Bar and had to buy them in America!

                             

 

I was lucky enough to be picked for a BeautyHeaven discovery bag so below is the Rimmel London nail polish I received on top of my Illamasqua Scorch polish.

                             

 

 And finally I decided to recreate the look I had done at Trophy Wife Nail Art a few weeks ago and did a leopard print mani. I used a black nail pen for the outlines and loved how easy it was to achieve an effective look.

                            

 

So there's my week again-what have you been up to lately? My instagram is Thepinkshoe if anyone would like to see what I am doing. I would love to follow you all too so pop your instagram below and I will follow you :)

   

Philosophy Hands of Hope Review

Although I'm only 24 I go through hand creams so much due to working in a pool and doing a lot of baking. I suffer from dry hands that can be quite uncomfortable so I love a good hand cream. In the future (in addition to this post), I'll be reviewing all the hand creams I use as I know there are many others out there that need a thoroughly moisturising cream.

 

Anyway... on to the first review!

 

philosophy hands of hope

 

I was lucky enough to win a philosophy pack from BeautyHeaven and this cute hand and cuticle cream was inside. I find it is a mixture between a cream and a gel so it is a pretty interesting texture.

 

 

While it is a bit thicker in consistency to regular creams this doesn't translate to it being a thoroughly hydrating hand cream. It seems to hydrate the top layer but it doesn't really penetrate any further, which means my hands are feeling dry again in an hour. It has a very subtle scent so it is great for people you don't want to add yet another scent to themselves after possibly using body wash, moisturiser and perfume. I would give this hand cream a 7/10 as it has a nice consistency and scent but not hydrating enough for my hands. I would recommend this to someone with regular to medium dry hands.

 

philosophy hands of hope retails at $12 for a 30ml tube.



La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Review

After hearing bits and pieces about this French skincare brand, I was thrilled to see it was on sale at Priceline's 40% off skincare sale. Before I went on the pill I had terrible acne, and although it has mainly cleared up I still get hormonal breakouts-especially on my chin. I'm one of those bad people who can't help but pick at pimples (I know-so so bad!), so I've been after something that will stop them forming in the first place. After a few different product trials I think I've found my saviour!

 

Effaclar Duo is a white gel that you use on your face morning and night after cleansing. It claims to "Reduce the appearance of Imperfections" and "Unclogs sebum-blocked pores". I haven't seen a big improvement on the appearance of imperfections mainly because this beautiful product doesn't allow my pimples to form! I've been using it on my chin day and night and on the occasional bump that looks like it might become a pimple and I'm happy to say that I haven't had one breakout in two weeks. For me that is amazing as my chin was just a constant of pimples that wouldn't clear. I use Effaclar Duo after cleansing and toning, and before moisturising (I have read this can cause dry skin, so best to apply a moisturiser on top just in case).

 

I'm going to be continuing my use of this product as I am so thrilled to have found something that works with my skin. I am hoping that when I eventually come off the pill that this will help on bigger breakouts, but until then I will be using this to prevent anything further from popping up.

 

La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo is available in a 40ml tube and retails for $25.99 at Priceline.

 

Have you used any La Roche-Posay products before? Is there anything else in the range that you think I might like? 

My week in pictures

I've had such a busy week and a half that I haven't even had time to check blogs out! I thought the easiest way to catch up with you all would be to show you what I've been up to.

I heard about the great Beauty Bag David Jones was offering and I just had to wander in to see if anything caught my eye. The bag I got had skII, a candle, Dermalogica pre cleanser and many other goodies. I was going to buy another OPI for my collection until I lay my eyes on this beauty! It was in a clearance section and was down to $20 :D This is the Philosophy Cookbook selection of body washes and includes the scents eggnog, hot buttered rum, cinnamon buns and peppermint bark. I love Christmas baking so this set is perfect for me! I didn't know you could buy this here and the sales lady didn't even know that stocked Philosophy!

      

The latest Aldi catalogue featured bathroom essentials and they had Perspex makeup and beauty holders for $10 each. Below is actually two items, just stacked on top of each other and they fit in perfectly. 

                                    

Last weekend I had three baking orders which of course drove me a bit crazy. I'll just show you one of them that I made for my boss' 50th birthday dinner. It started off as just chocolate cupcakes....

                                    

...and became chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream and a "50" fondant topper hand piped. I really liked the effect of them all together :)

                                    

On Sunday it was my birthday and I turned 24 (eek!). Seeing as my bf and I just came back from America I asked him not to get me anything as I already bought so much! He did surprise me with some flowers, took me out to lunch and paid for me to get a massage-it was perfect!

            

                                    

                                    

My lovely best friend came over after a family dinner to catch up and she got me a Groom Spa voucher! I've never been to this one but I am so super excited!! She knows me too well!

                                    

My parents spoilt me as I really didn't need anything after they brought back such lovely goodies from their trip to Europe (they'll have to feature in another post!). Mum got me to pick a bag so I found a nice one from Asos as my current one is a mess! I also got some other sweet goodies.

                                    

And my lovely sisters got me these candles and also a beautiful cake stand. I've got a few candles I need to burn but I am very excited about trying these out :D

       

I also want to show you a cute little cafe that has recently opened in Caulfield. It's called Tuckshop Takeaway and features burgers, jaffles, chips, milk shakes and desserts. It has a school fit out which is cool. I got a Nutella milkshake, their basic burger and chips and a redskin brownie-so so good! They also do a redskin milkshake that I'm going to have to go back to try!

                        

So that been me the past week! What have you been up to? Any shopping I need to get my eyes on?(even though I don't need more ideas!)

America Makeup Haul Part 2

Ok now onto Part 2 of what I bought in America! If you missed Part 1 you can click here to read all about it :)

One thing I was really keen on buying in America was nail polish as it is so cheap there and even though I buy OPI here, I struggle accepting that I'm paying $20 a bottle for it! I also managed to get a nice collection of samples to try out (one thing Australian retailers could really step up there game with), and a birthday present to myself!

PHILOSOPHY

 



 

- I have been lusting after this pack for so many months now! This is Philosophy's Birthday Girl pack and it includes a Vanilla Birthday Cake Body Wash and a Vanilla Birthday Cake Lip Gloss. Ever since I was little I have loved vanilla and used to ask my Mum for the plainest vanilla birthday cakes every year! I am saving this until Sunday for me to use as Sunday is my birthday! I haven't yet decided what flavour cake to have yet though! ($20 US +tax)

 NAIL POLISH

- Wet n Wild is a brand I hadn't heard of before going to the States. They are super cheap so I picked up two polishes: '2% milk' (a creamy nude polish) and '4th of July Parade' (a clear polish with red, white and blue sparkles).
- I wasn't planning on buying any Revlon but this polish caught my eye. 'Girly' is a pale purple polish with blue, pink and silver glitter.
- If you had read my wishlists before I went away, you would have seen I was keen to try out butter London polishes. I picked one up in 'Trout Pout' and it has already become one of my favourites.

 

 - The Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes I already own are fantastic quality so I decided I had to pick up a couple more. I went after more pastel colours with 'I Lilac You' and 'Peach of Cake'.
- I have read plenty about the Seche Vite top coat so grabbed two bottles when I was in Ulta. I've only used it once so far but it is super fast drying which I love.

- I couldn't leave America without getting some O.P.I polishes as they have the best range of colours and the quality of the polishes are always great. I purchased (from left to right): 'You're Such A Budapest', 'Mod About You', 'Matte Top Coat', 'Charged Up Cherry' and 'Feelin Hot-Hot-Hot!'.

I bought all of these polishes for under $10 US +tax and the wet n wild polishes were less than $4 US +tax. If you're planning on buying polishes in America the best place for a wide range is Ulta as they stock all the O.P.I colours aswell as many other brands. Walgreen and CVS are great for cheaper polishes but they don't as big a range.

SEPHORA

- The Summer Lovin' Set was a kit I bought with my VIB points. It includes a lipgloss, mascara, self-tanning body mist and a moisturiser. I also picked up two new brushes as these were used on me when I got my makeover and I loved the feel of them. They come with a travel friendly top so they won't get damaged.

SAMPLES

 

One thing I loved about shopping in America was that it's not hard to get samples to try products out. More often than not I wouldn't have to even ask for any if I had purchased something so it was always a nice bonus. Sephora is the best retailer to get samples from and they are usually quite nice about it.

So there's another haul post from America! I've realised I've got a few extra skin care items I bought so I will feature them with my next post which will feature shoes, jewellery and many random items!

Trophy Wife Nail Art

Yesterday my friend and I took advantage of a great deal Trophy Wife Nail Art has at the moment and got a full manicure with an apprentice for $30. We found this out through their Facebook page and had to do as they do the most awesome nail art. 

TWNA is located on Bridge rd, Richmond in Victoria and is situated on top of a hairdresser called Goldy & Locks. Upstairs there are couches to sit out while waiting for your manicure (TWNA don't do pedicures) and a big cake stand full of all the nail polishes they have to choose from.

The lovely Anthea was my nail artist and she helped me choose my colours as all I knew was that I wanted was a leopard print which is one they do so well. Once my polishes were decided on my nails were filed and buffed and then the polish was applied. I chose a pale pink as the base for all my nails and then pinks and a purple as the leopard spots. Anthea then used a black nail art pen to do the extra details and this step makes it look amazing.

A manicure and plain polish is $15 which must be one of the best deals going around. They also do group bookings of 8 or more which would be a great idea for a party. If you're in Melbourne and are after something a bit different for your nails I can't recommend Trophy Wife Nail Art enough. If you aren't in Melbourne (or just want to try the designs out for yourself), they have a book called The Hand Book, A Guide To Nail Art, which sells for $25 and is available in-store or on their website www.trophywifenailart.com

How do you like your manicures? Simple? Or would you be willing to try out some more artistic designs?

America Makeup Haul Part 1

On a lovely wintery day in Melbourne, what better to do than blog about my recent purchases! As you most likely know I have just returned from a month long trip to America and I LOVED the shopping!! The makeup is stupidly cheap as are the clothes and shoes! I'm going to split my makeup/skincare purchases into two posts and I may do another post later on the random bits and pieces I bought.

If you've been to the States you would know how great the shopping is at Sephora, Ulta and drugstores such as Walgreens and CVS. I mainly shopped at Sephora as they have a great loyalty program and just bought what I couldn't find there at the other stores.

BENEFIT COSMETICS

I love Benefit and their pretty packaging seems to suck me in! I get my brows done at the Benefit Brow bar at Chadstone so I have had plenty of time to see what I was after!



 

 - The Feelin' Dandy pack is a great way to purchase lots of products to try without having to commit to the full size. This pack includes Posie Tint, High Beam, Dandelion blush and brush and Dandelion lipgloss. Perfect for lovers of pink like me! ($28 +tax US vs $59 AUS)

 - Fine One One is a three colour highlighter/blush that can be used on your cheeks, lips and lids. I love the peach and coral colours on this product. ($30 +tax US)
- The lovely ladies at Benefit Brow Bar used Fake Up on me one day and I fell in love. This is a beautifully creamy concealer that works perfectly at concealing my dark circles. ($24 +tax US vs $35 AUS)
- Part of Sephora's loyalty program is getting a free gift when you shop within a few weeks of your birthday. The current gift is a travel size version of the They're Real! mascara and Watts Up highlighter.

NARS 

These are my first ever purchases from Nars and I love them!

 



 
- The Multiple in Portofino is a beautiful product that can be used on your lips, cheeks and lids. I love products that can be used for more than one purpose! ($39 +tax US vs $58 AUS)
- The Orgasm Blush is one that I was told that I had to buy so of course I did when I saw how pretty it is. I will get plenty of use out of it. ($29 +tax US vs $45 AUS)

 

MAC COSMETICS

Mac is another brand that I'm a newbie to but that doesn't mean I haven't been lusting over their products!



- Prep + Prime BB cream is another BB cream that I love (my BB collection is getting big!). This also highlights my skin really nicely ($28+tax US vs $48 AUS)
- I knew I had to get at least one lipstick from MAC and this one in Impassioned is so me! I managed to try a friend's one before I left and I knew it was the one! ($16 +tax US vs $36 AUS)

CLINIQUE, BOBBI BROWN, URBAN DECAY & MAKEUP FOREVER

 



- I bought the Clinique Chubby Stick for lips in Plushest Punch as I knew a chubby stick was a must have in my makeup collection ($16+tax US vs $35 AUS)
- I had a makeover in Sephora one day and they used this Bobbi Brown eyeliner on me. It is violet which is not something I would normally try, but then again I wouldn't normally try eyeliner so I'm going to do lots of practice! ($26+tax US vs $35 AUS)
- The Urban Decay Naked Skin BB was something I saw on tv on The View and I knew I had to have it. There is just one shade that works on every skin tone and I love it. It does need to be blended in but once done it is flawless. ($14+tax)
- I bought the Make Up For Ever Pro Finish powder because I have never owned a powder! I can't believe it has taken me this long but I am glad I finally got one and a great quality one too!


Alright so there's the first lot of what I bought in America! My next post will feature plenty of nail polish, perfume and Philosophy!