Sunday 29 September 2013

I Scream Nails Masterclass @ Sportsgirl (Leopard Print Nail Tutorial)


You scream, I scream, we all scream for I Scream Nails!

If you've been following this blog for a while, you'll know that I'm the kind of person who rarely ever has naked nails (that sounds so sensual haha). And as an avid fan of Sportsgirl, I was super excited to see that nail art superstars, I Scream Nails, was hosting a number of manicure masterclasses in store!

I've been wanting to try I Scream Nails ever since I saw their work at the Lady Petrova Boutique in Melbourne so, of course, I booked myself in for a session.

During the one and a half hour FREE workshop, myself and a number of other nail art fans learned how to recreate this gorgeous, eighties-inspired rainbow leopard print design.

I learned so much from the workshop, from techniques, tools and tips and I'm going to share them all with you guys so you'll never have a dud manicure again.

But if nail art is a tad on the difficult side for you (don't worry, it does take a lot of practice), I Scream Nails also have a salon in Suite 6, 60 Langridge Street, Collingwood where you can book in for an appointment with one of their professionals to dress up your digits. Plus they also do parties and events, so if you want a fun, quirky and girly touch to, say your next birthday, definitely consider getting the girls in.

So, onto the workshop and Leopard Print Nail Tutorial!




1. Apply a thin layer of base coat. I always skip this step when giving myself a mani, but after seeing how much smoother my polish goes on afterwards, I will definitely be adding this step into my routine.

Sportsgirl Nail It in "Base/Top Coat"

2. Apply two coats of white nail polish and let the first dry before applying the second. Both should be thin coats so they dry quickly and you should ALWAYS apply at least two coats of base colour so you get an even, streak free base. PS: the photo below is after the first coat - I forgot to take a photo of the second coat, oops!

Sportsgirl Nail It in"White Out"

3. With whatever colour/s you like, apply some random splodges of colour on each nail. Make sure you wipe off the brush first so there's barely any polish left on the brush. That way the splodges are thin and not big goopy blobs that will take ages to dry.  Apply around five to each nail.

1 Sportsgirl Nail It in "Glow In The Dark Neon Pink"
2 Sportsgirl Nail It in "Glow In The Dark Yellow"
3 Sportsgirl Nail It in "Mint Sorbet"
4 Sportsgirl Nail It in "Tangerine"

4. With a black nail art pen, outline the edges of each splodge with one or two semi-circles. It shouldn't be perfect, so there are no mistakes here! Then apply a few dots and lines in the white spaces to help replicate the leopard print.

We were lucky enough to be ones of the first to try the new "The Polish Pens" that are coming out at Sportsgirl soon (Yay!). They're a marker style nail polish pen as compared to the salon-style needle tip pens, so they're super easy to control and handle. I can't wait until these come out so I can get one!



5. Once your black lines and spots have dried, all you have to do now is seal in your design with a thick layer of clear top coat.

Sportsgirl Nail It in "Base/Top Coat"
And that's it! 


I Scream Nails Top Tips


At the workshop I also learned a bunch of useful tips for my fingertips and since they were pretty much life-changing, I'm going to share the top three things I learned!

1. Enlist the help of an orange stick.
If you get polish around your nails, on your skin and/or cuticles, use an orange stick (you can buy these from a chemist or pharmacy) that's tip is wrapped in a tiny bit of cotton wool, soaked in nail polish remover.

So basically what you do is take a little piece out of a cotton ball, put it on the stick tip and twist it around so it stays, then dunk that in remover. Then you can clean up any messy edges and the polish around your cuticles for a cleaner look that doesn't disturb the polish on your nails. Just make sure to take off the cotton tip for each nail so the polish you took off doesn't get on the next nail.



2. Use a base AND top coat. Just do it.
Base and top coats are usually pretty exxy, but they're worth it. Because if you have great quality base and top coats, even the cheapest nail polish will last for longer without chipping.

Plus having a base coat helps your nail polish apply smoother and more evenly, and a top coat will give your nails a gorgeous shine and seal in your design. It's a win-win guys.

3. Apply top coat without touching the nail.
Say what? How does that work? Well basically, your top coat should be the thickest coat so don't wipe off your brush when you take it out of the bottle. Let that big dollop of clear polish drip straight onto the nail and then smooth the top coat over the nail with the brush with barely any pressure for that gel-like finish.

Want to flaunt cute nails? There are four more workshops available at Sportsgirl Chadstone on Friday 4th October at these times...

10:00 - 11:30am
12:00 - 1:30pm
2:00 - 3:30pm
4:00 - 5:30pm

...and you can book a spot for yourself and your friends by emailing your preferred session time to workshops@sportsgirl.com.au or phone 03 9413 2757. I highly recommend it, it was so much fun!

Do make sure to follow I Scream Nails on Instagram (@iscreamnails) or on Facebook too, for regular doses of gorgeous nail art inspiration!

What colours would you use to recreate this nail look? Let me know in the comments below!
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Thursday 26 September 2013

GIVEAWAY: CrownedByFlowers flower crowns & Cedel haircare packs

Hi guys!

I have a very exciting announcement to share; my flower crown Etsy shop CrownedByFlowers has partnered with Cedel for a huge springtime giveaway!

Cedel is looking for 10 Miss Spring Flings who will each win a CrownedByFlowers flower crown along with a Cedel hair care pack; how's that for an amazing spring prize!


Want to know which flower crowns you can win? These are the 10 designs up for grabs 


Keen to find out how to win? Head over to the Cedel Facebook page, "like" the page, fill out the super quick form and then answer why you should be Cedel Miss Spring Fling in 25 words or less, and you'll be in the running.

Keep in mind that you can only enter using a desktop computer. Smart phones or tablets etc. won't work.

Good luck!
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Wednesday 25 September 2013

REVIEW: Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat Textured Nail Colour

Textured nails are a thing. 

Did you know that? I didn't. Apparently the big trend in nail art at the moment is textured nails, which is something I must admit, thought was a fad.

But with a whole range of textured polishes and appliques - think Caviar nails, velvet nails, the OPI nail sands... - available now, it looks like the trend is here to stay for a little while longer.

Personally, I don't really get it and they kind of freak me out. I'm happy for my nails to just look pretty, they don't have to be stroke-able as well!

But I decided to give textured nails a try so I could see what all the fuss what about and share my findings with you guys. I picked up the Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat Textured Nail Colour in "800 Tweedy" in my big Chemist Warehouse and Priceline haul a few posts back, so I finally mustered enough courage to give it a go.




I decided to pick "800 Tweedy" because at the Chemist Warehouse sale, there were literally only two colours left to choose from. This one and "Peach Fuzz"(pictured below), which looked a bit vomit-y in the bottle (sorry Sally!!), so I went for the black and white.
Before popping it on my nails, I decided to swatch the polish on a piece of paper to see what gave the polish its "texture".



Basically, the Fuzzy Coats are a clear polish with little plastic confetti-like strips mixed in. So similar to a glitter polish, except not shiny. 

Is it just me or does this particular polish kind of look... well... hairy?

A little weirded out, I painted one coat on my nails (I already had light pink polish on) and they looked like they'd sprouted little hairs. Err.


I waited for that coat to dry and went in for another coat, and it looked MUCH BETTER. It reminded me a bit of the crackle nail polishes and from far away, my nails really did resemble tweed material. So that was kind of cool.


Three coats in and I'm starting to appreciate the fuzziness. I added on a clear top coat and my nails looked pretty nice actually. These photos are up close so you can see my messy handiwork (those little plastic strips got everywhere!), but when I held my hand away, I was pretty impressed with the effect.




Pros:
- When I removed the polish (using nail polish remover pads), it came off surprisingly easily. Normally glitter or textured polishes are ridiculously tiresome to remove.
- The overall effect looked just like material.
- An easy way to achieve a "nail art look" without having to actually do any art.
- You can apply it over coloured nail polish for a different effect.

I keep a notepad just for swatching nail colours haha


Cons:
- Have to paint at least two coats before the effect looks any good.
- It's hard to find an outfit that would suit this type of nail look.
- Surface of the nail feels and looks bumpy, even with top coat.

All in all, I don't think I will buy any other colours in the Fuzzy Coat range. They kind of weird me out. But at the same time, I do think I will wear this one again, maybe on top of a colour as a feature nail.

Have you tried any textured nail polishes? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!
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Friday 20 September 2013

REVIEW: Sportsgirl Your Number One Fan Nail Dryer


Hands up if you've ever spent a long time giving yourself a manicure, then ruined it by doing something stupid like opening a door or picking up a mug? Yes?

Dry cuticles, yes I know. Can anyone recommend a good cuticle oil??
HOW ANNOYING IS IT?!

So when I walked into a Sportsgirl the other day and spotted they had just released a nail dryer, I pretty much screamed (not a lie) and took one straight to the counter to buy. It was only $14.95, so I figured I was more than happy to try it out for less than an hour's pay.



This little Pac-Man shaped doo-hicky has a filter up top that sucks in air and shoots it back out through a fan to dry your digits. It also needs two AA batteries to work (I wonder how long they'd last though?) and once they're in, you can start using it.


Basically what you do is put your finger tips in the "mouth" and press down on the "tongue" (best way to describe it, haha), which starts the fan. 



It actually did a pretty good job! Between each coat, I left my fingers in there for about two minutes, and afterwards, I could touch the polish and not disturb it at all! Plus I was worried about the air creating bubbles in the polish, but it stayed smooth and really pristine so I was super duper pleased with that.

One coat, two coats, then top coat.

If you're wondering what nail polish I used, it's the Rimmel London Salon Pro With Lycra by Kate Moss Nail Polish in “701 Jazz Funk”.

Pros:
- Very affordable
- Cute design, plus it's small and portable
- Actually quite effective at drying my nails

Cons:
 - The fan is REALLY noisy! Pretty much as loud as a hairdryer.
- You can only dry one hand at a time. Of that, you can either have your first four fingers, or just your thumb.

In all honesty, I don't know if this is practical enough for normal manicure use (it seems like it would be way more fun to use on a sleepover when painting your friends' nails haha). Maybe I should just buy two so I can dry both hands at the same time? But I do like that I can dry one hand and use the other to use my phone or type etc., then swap over. And it is pretty fast too!

Would you ever use a product like this? Or is it too much of a hassle? Let me know in the comments below!
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Monday 16 September 2013

REVIEW: Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Lash Mascara

I like being half Asian and half Aussie. I get dumplings AND barbecues #winwin. But somewhere in my mix of genetics, I definitely drew the short straw when it came to the lash department. As any Asian girl will tell you, we are blessed with having short, stumpy and straight eyelashes. Sarcasm.

Which means we love our eyelash curlers, falsies (unless you're a bit unco like me) and mascaras that give our peepers a bit of a boost.

But in all my time as a beauty blogger, I've never really found a mascara that holds a curl, lengthens and volumises the little lashes that I have. UNTIL NOW.



This baby is. A. May. Zing.

It's my new favourite and has officially taken the top spot among all of my mascaras. I don't normally buy Benefit products (as much as I would love to) thanks to my minimal uni student budget, but my gorgeous cousin brought a baby version of the Bad Gal Lash back for me from her trip to America as a pressie. Thank you!!

This brush is massive, but still manages to get every baby lash. LOVE IT.

So, wondering why I adore this mascara so much? I've taken a series of photos of my eyes with and without the mascara on, and with and without using an eyelash curler so you can see the difference this mascara makes. And yes, I do have a little bit of liquid liner on. Scroll down...

No mascara / Bare lashes


One coat of Bad Gad Lash Mascara - no eyelash curler


Two coats of Bad Gad Lash Mascara - no eyelash curler

One coat of Bad Gad Lash Mascara - after using an eyelash curler

 Two coats of Bad Gad Lash Mascara - after using an eyelash curler

Here are some of the pros and cons for me.

Pros:
Holds a curl all day
Volumises lashes 
Lengthens lashes
Very black
Easily coats lower lashes
Looks natural

Cons:
Clumps (but only slightly)
Smudges under my eyes (just a tad) unless I use an eye primer
Expensive

So as you can see, there are way more pros for this product than there are negatives. If this mascara is within your budget (it's $38 at MYER for a full size) and you complain of short lashes, I definitely recommend you try this mascara out. It is literally one of those WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE products.




What's your favourite mascara and why? Let me know in the comments below!
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Friday 13 September 2013

Tips On How To Easily Organise Your Makeup

At least, how I do it :)
My makeup used to be spread all over four makeup bags all sitting on my vanity and as a result, about 70% of my makeup was never in clear sight. So I'd always end up using the same products over and over again on a daily basis because they were in easy reach and I'd constantly be misplacing products and struggling to find things. This is what my vanity used to look like...


So you can see I had trouble finding half of my stuff when getting ready in the morning! So I wanted a way to not only to display my makeup nicely, but oragnise it so I'm not scrambling all over the place to find things because I put that one mascara I desperately wanted into the wrong makeup bag #sillybilly

So I gave my vanity a big spring clean and here are my tips for you guys also looking to turn your makeup space from pigsty to pretty!

Taken By Surprise Tip #1: Invest in a few baskets/containers
Categorising your makeup is a great way to have easy access to all of your favourite products without them all being mixed up together. I bought these three plastic baskets from Daiso (my new favourite shop) for $2.80 each, which is such a steal. I decided to buy three - one for each main group of products and colour code what goes where. i.e. Pink for lips, blue for eyes, and yellow for face. And since they're plastic, they're super easy to clean when they - inevitably - get a little messy!









Taken By Surprise Tip #2: Tidy up your space
It's spring now and what better excuse to get into a little spring cleaning? Remove ALL of your products, clutter and other things off of your desk/vanity/bench/wherever you keep your makeup and give the space a good clean. I used window/glass wipes to really freshen up my vanity bench and mirror.

Except for my perfume corner haha but that's still organised!


Taken By Surprise Tip #3: Divide all of your makeup into type groups
Have you ever been rushing to get ready in the morning and you're stressing out because you can't find that particular product you need and then discover it hiding in the corner of an old makeup bag? It's a big time-stealer in the morning to be rummaging around for your things, so save yourself the hassle by organising your products into groups so you know where to look.


Taken By Surprise Tip #4: Organise each group of products into your containers
Be frugal here. If there are products that are running out, or haven't been used in over a year and you don't see yourself using them ever again (I'm looking at you, half-used chapstick from middle school - eww), bin them. Then just arrange your groups of products into each basket in whatever order suits you. I just grouped similar products together, such as mascaras together, foundations together, etc.








Taken By Surprise Tip #5: Rearrange your space to fit your products
Now it's time to put everything back in your space and rearrange any other items you had floating about (hairbrush, makeup brush holder, etc.). Notice how much room you have now? And how easy it is to just grab whatever product you're looking for? And I figure that beauty companies spend a lot of time and money making their products look pretty, so why not put them on display!


How do you organise and store your makeup? Have any tips? Let me know in the comments below!
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