A Little Bargain Nail Haul

I thought I would share a quick little bargain nail haul with you guys today. I got some very good deals when I was shopping the other day!

I was browsing in Priceline when I noticed that Sally Hansen products were 20% off. As I was checking out all the pretty polishes, I looked down and saw that at the bottom of the stand they had put out some of their Salon Effects polish strips on clearance! I picked up The Bold Rush for around $5 and Checkin' It Twice for, wait for it... 80c! Yep, only 80 cents!

I can not resist checking out the polishes when I'm in Cotton On because they always have new colours on display around the shop. I found this orange-y bronze colour so originally named Bronze Metallic in the Rubi Shoes section of the shop, and thought I'd give it a go. For only $2.95, who could say no?! I think this will be especially pretty in autumn (which I am very much looking forward to, FYI).

Have you picked up any awesome bargains lately? Leave me a comment & let me know if there's any amazing things I should keep my eye out for.

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat - Wool Knot

Hi ladies! Hope you all had a lovely weekend. :) It's been really rainy and icky here.
I'm skipping ANMonday this week because I'm not at home for a while and don't have much of my polish with me! But I do have a polish to show you that I picked up last week. :D

When I first saw these fuzzy/confetti nail polishes, I have to admit, I thought they looked really weird. The first polishes like this that I saw were these ones by Barry M and I didn't like them. Then I saw the Sally Hansen ones and for some reason, I liked them. But now looking at them again, most of the colours are exactly the same as the new Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat polishes! So what was going on in my head then, I don't know. :P
When I found out that the Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat polishes were available here now, I was so excited that they came over here so quickly so I had to try at least one to see what they're like. :)

I picked up Wool Knot. (They have super cute names too!) Wool Knot is a clear base with bright blue and white short little matte bar glitters. I think the colour combinations in these make them cute.
You could wear the Fuzzy Coat polishes alone, with 2 thick coats or 3 thinner coats, but I layered 1 coat of Wool Knot over a P2 nail polish called Lust, which is a super pretty pastel purple with a silver shimmer in it. (Thanks Tammy for this polish! It's gorgeous, I love it!) I think if you choose a good colour combo, the Fuzzy Coat polishes can look so cute! I definitely loved the combo I did.
I only had to use 1 coat of Seche Vite top coat over the top to get this mani smooth. The bars don't stick up on the nail which I love. Most bar glitters are notorious for sticking up and making your mani bumpy.

Excuse the shrinkage from my top coat on my thumb nail. >:( Darn that Seche!

I'm really glad I tried one of these out. :) I may pick up one or two more in the future. I have to admit, half the reason I wanted to try these was to try out Sarah from Chalkboard Nails' flipping adorable monster nail art. :D I may do that sometime soon, sooo cute!

Sorry that my photos are quite dark. :( I took these photos on a super rainy day... And while I was removing the polish, the sun came out! I was so annoyed LOL.

I picked my Fuzzy Coat polish up at Priceline. They have Sally Hansen products 20% off right now so it would be a great time to pick one of these up if you want to! :) I think they are about $12 full price. (Sorry, I threw my receipt away before I wrote this post!)

I'm on Kelcie Talk!

Hey guys!
Today I'm guest posting for the lovely Kelcie, over on her blog Kelcie Talk! She blogs about fashion mostly, with some nail and life posts mixed in there. :) I absolutely love her style and the outfits she puts together, they're adorable. I first actually found Kelcie through her vlogs with her fiance on their YouTube channel which I love watching! And Kelcie also has a beauty channel which I love.

Here's a sneak peek of what I'm sharing over on her blog. Head over to her blog to see more of this mani. :)

Kelcie's also guest blogging for me this week so keep an eye out for that! :D I can't wait.

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Glam Polish Glitter Toppers Review

Hi guys! I have some more Glam Polish swatches to share with you today! :) These are all new glitter toppers so they're all in a clear base.

Big Bang Theory

Big Bang Theory is a mix of ALL CIRCLE GLITTERS. :D Circle glitters are just so awesome. There's pink, blue, green, yellow, silver (and probably more colours) circle glitters plus some silver micro glitter. Some of the glitters are holographic too. I was super excited about this polish because I love the Big Bang Theory TV show! :D (Fun fact: when this polish came in the mail I was wearing a Big Bang Theory tshirt!)

I layered 1 coat of Big Bang Theory over Sally Hansen Pacific Blue. It was a little hard to apply, since the circle glitters all wanted to clump together but nothing a little placement and moving the glitters around can't fix. :) The sun only came out long enough for me to snap ONE picture of this in the sun (above) so apologies if it's not a great photo haha.

Lost Your Marbles?

Lost Your Marbles is larger and medium holographic silver circle glitters with silver holographic micro glitter also! This would look good over any colour but I love pairing silver glitters like this with delicate colours.
I layered one dabbed coat of Lost Your Marbles over OPI I Theodora You (plus top coat). I absolutely LOVE this combo! I shall be wearing it again soon! ;)

Sexy and I Know It

Sexy and I Know It (I work out! :P) is a little similar to Big Bang Theory, it has lots of multicoloured dot glitters and there's also some stars, hearts and diamonds in this one too! This one also has a gold micro glitter. Love it!
I layered 1 coat of Sexy and I Know It over OPI Can't Find My Czechbook (plus top coat). The glitters (in particular the stars) did tend to feel a bit bumpy on the nail, depending on where they were placed on the nail but that's nothing an extra coat of top coat wouldn't have helped.

Vegas Baby

Vegas Baby is an awesome mix of neon glitters as well as white and black in all different shapes and sizes! Glam Polish does neon glitters soo well in my opinion!

I've layered 1 coat of Vegas Baby over Lime Crime Parfait Day (plus top coat). Love this combo too :D This would also look great over a white or white-ish colour. :)

Sorry I don't have any sun photos of this polish, since it's now winter here the sun is always gone. :(

I love Glam Polish as you probably know and these are some of my fave polishes from them I've tried! :) They're all so versatile and could be worn over almost any polish!

Have a great weekend everyone! ♥ (And for most of us in Aus, it's a long weekend, WOOHOO).

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ANMonday - Heart

Hey ladies!

Today I'm back with another AN Monday post. Today's theme is heart.

I'm gonna be honest. The reason I chose "heart" as the theme for today is because it was my 6 year anniversary with my boyfriend on Saturday and I was going to incorporate a heart into my mani for Saturday anyway so I knew I'd be able to use that mani for AN Monday! ;) lol!

By the way, I'm so sorry but I only have iPhone photos of this mani to show you. :( We went out all day and by the time we got home it was dark outside so I couldn't take any 'real' photos. Also, my cuticles may look a bit dry in some of the photos because I snapped them as I was running out the door. Sorry! :(

On my thumb, pointer and pinky I've used Shades of Phoenix Aphrodite which is a gorgeous deep pink with holographic square glitters and a ton of holographic shimmer/glitter too. Sooooo beautiful and sparkly.

On my middle finger I've used Sally Hansen Celeb City as my base colour and then the heart is Zoya Blaze which I think goes with the SoP polish sooo well.

Lastly on my ring finger I've used OPI Stay the Night. I love using textures in mix and match/skittlette manicures!

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Nail Care Series: Top Coats

Today I'm going to talk to you about top coats for the next part in my nail care series. :) A top coat isn't exactly a "nail care" item exactly, but it's essential for any manicure. I'll let you in on which top coats I love and some other options too.

Were you like me when I was younger? I'd never even heard of a "top coat" for nail polish until I was 13, and I was like "why the heck would you put clear nail polish over a colour..?". It wasn't until I actually started getting into nail art and polish that I knew why it was so important to use a top coat.

Top coats are important for a few reasons and can help in a few areas.

- To smooth out the nail (eg. if you used a glitter polish, you will definitely want to use a top coat to make the nail feel smooth) and even out any brushstrokes or unevenness.

- Some top coats can speed up the dry time of your manicure dramatically. Who wants to wake up in the morning with sheet marks on their nails?! Not me!

- Top coats can also alter the finish of the manicure. Some nail polishes have a matte finish, such as neons, and if you don't like that, you can add a shiny top coat. Or if you want a shiny polish to be matte, you can add a matte top coat!

- Using a top coat (and a base coat - I'll talk about these soon) will make your manicure last a lot longer than it would if you didn't use a top coat.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

SV is my holy grail fast drying top coat! It's extremely fast drying. I can do my manicure, and then go to sleep 15-20 minutes later (ok I don't ever fall asleep that fast but you get the point) and wake up with ZERO sheet marks or smudges! I absolutely love that about it. But it also has some disadvantages. It can shrink really badly on some polishes, which is where the polish pulls away from the tip or cuticle (it only happens at the cuticle for me, when my bottle gets a bit thick and low), and when you get about half way down the bottle, it gets extremely goopy and almost unusable so you definitely have to have some thinner on hand (Seche has one called 'Restore' which you can probably find wherever you buy Seche from). Another thing to note is that this top coat is NOT 3 free. It contains toluene and I'm not an expert but I have heard that this can be bad which is why some people don't use it. I've heard that you should not use this top coat if you are pregnant. I'm not totally sure of why but you can Google that if you're curious.
Although there's many downsides to it, its ultra fast drying time is what makes me love it! I bought the 4oz professional refill size and it's lasted me 5 months so far! I used to have to buy a new topcoat every few weeks but I think this will last me at least another 5 months! Seche Vite also doesn't smudge nail art. :) (If it's smudging for you, it means you probably don't have enough polish on the brush). It also gives a seriously amazing shine to the mani and smooths out any glitter. :)
I buy my Seche Vite on eBay and the 4oz bottle only costs $20!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

The Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat was one of my favourites before I tried Seche Vite. It dries pretty fast but I'd probably have to wait close to an hour before going to bed to avoid messing up my nails. I still have a bottle on hand just in case!
This top coat is 3 free and doesn't contain any harsh chemicals as far as I know so this would be great if you want an alternative to Seche Vite.
I also had a good experience with Sally Hansen's Mega Shine top coat which I also found to be similar, perhaps a little faster drying. It comes in a silver chrome bottle (I actually found that kind of annoying because you can't see how much is left lol, I guess you could put the top coat into an empty polish bottle though).
Sally Hansen Insta Dri retails for about $17 here in Australia so I'd probably buy it online next time I want to repurchase it, lol.. (The 4oz Seche Vite on eBay costs about $3 more for 9 TIMES the amount of product...)

OPI RapiDry Top Coat

I first tried the OPI RapiDry top coat in a mini size. It's fairly similar to the Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat so I don't have a whole lot to say about it, except that this one DOES smudge nail art for me. And it's pretty expensive here in Aus too. You can find it in David Jones or Price Attack, or online (eBay, Amazon, etc).

Essence Gel Look Top Coat

Essence Gel Look is a slow drying top coat that I use to smooth out really gritty glitters, under my Seche Vite (so in order I use glitter polish, Gel Look and then Seche Vite). It really helps to give a smooth, glassy finish. :)
And best of all - Essence Gel Look only costs around $3! WOO! :D I buy it from Target or Priceline.

Rimmel Lycra Pro Matte Finish Top Coat

This matte top coat is the only one I've tried and it's not the best, but it's okay. I find it gives more of a satin finish rather than a true matte. When I use this, I always use it after using my Seche Vite because matte top coats are known to take FOREVER to dry!
Rimmel Matte top coat costs around $10 in Australia and can be safound in Priceline, Target etc.
Other matte top coats that I've heard are good but haven't tried, are China Glaze Matte Magic, OPI Matte top coat, Butter London Matte top coat and Essie Matte About You.

Some other popular fast drying top coats that I've heard about are:

Poshe fast drying top coat, INM Out The Door, and Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

Some other 'glitter food' top coats I've heard good things about are:
Peita's Polish Glitter Glaze, and Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food.

So tell me, what are your favourite top coats? :)

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Nail Care Series: Cuticle Care

Hey ladies! Happy May! :) Today I'm going to be starting a series on nail care. I'm super interested in nail care. I can't resist trying new products even if I already have some that I like and I am sooo interested to see what others do to take care of their nails. When I see a "nail care routine" video pop up on my YouTube subscriptions, or a post on my blog reader, I'm like "WOOHOO!". I just love hearing and reading about nail care!
I'm aiming to have a nail care post every Wednesday starting today but some weeks I may not have one. Once the nail care series is over, though, I'd still like to do informational posts like this! If you have any requests for these informational posts whatsoever feel free to leave a comment or email me. :)

This post is going to be very wordy, sorry if you don't like that! I don't think I've ever actually gone in depth and reviewed any of my favourite products, though so I thought it might be helpful for those who are looking to try some new products.

To start off the series I'm going to talk about cuticle care. Cuticle care is a super important part of nail care, if not the most important. It's where your nail grows from! Cuticles are also essential to having nice looking nails. You can have perfectly painted nails, but if you're cuticles are dry, crusty, cracked, sad and damaged it will ruin the whole manicure. :(

So the first and probably most important step to getting nice cuticles is to moisturise. There are many different types of products out there that you can use to moisturise your cuticles. There are oils, creams, balms, and more.

Moisturising your cuticles regularly with a cuticle oil/cream/balm (whichever you choose) will make your cuticles look and feel a lot healthier. It won't make a dramatic difference after the first time you use an oil/cream/balm on them, but with continued use your cuticles can go from being cracked, red, and dry to moisturised, soft and smooth. :) I think it's important to get into the habit of moisturising your cuticles (and hands) regularly, at least once a day, but more frequently if your cuticles are in a bad state to begin with. There's no such thing as too much moisturising, ok? ;) Keeping your cuticles moisturised will also help promote stronger and healthier nails.

 I'll talk about a few of my favourite products for moisturising my cuticles. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not being paid or anything to say nice things about these products, I just love them and they work well for me. :)
And as I'm sure most of you know - I'm not a nail tech so I don't know if *everything* that I'm telling you is correct, or the "right" way, I'm just telling you what I personally do, and what works for me. I would say I have pretty healthy nails and this what I use on them.

Lemony Flutter

Lemony Flutter is by the fresh cosmetics brand, Lush. It's a thick consistency, and quite oily too. I like to use Lemony Flutter at night before I go to bed, because it is so oily. It's not a product I'd like to use on-the-go. I like to slather quite a bit on before bed, especially if my cuticles are feeling particularly dry and I wake up with super soft and moisturised cuticles. You can also use it on other dry parts of your body. I particularly like to use it on my heels and sometimes elbows. I also should comment on the scent.. I happen to love the scent. It has a pretty strong lemony scent and a lot of people don't like it for this reason which I can understand, it is very strong. So you should probably try to smell it and try it out in a Lush store before buying.

Lemony Flutter costs around $15, which may sound like a lot, but I just finished my first tub and it lasted me around 10 months (and that's also using it on other dry parts) which really is not bad for such a nice product. :) You can purchase it from your local Lush (use the store locator on the website to find your closest store) but if you don't have one near you, I believe you can also purchase it online from the Lush website.

Burts Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

The name on this product can be quite deceptive. :P I definitely wouldn't call it a cream. It's more of a waxy type of consistency. It's not the most moisturising product out there, but I like it for on-the-go because it's not greasy and it absorbs quickly.

This product also has a lemony scent but not near as strong as Lemony Flutter. It will also last a long time like Lemony Flutter. I have had my current tin for over a year, and though I don't use it every day, I do use it pretty often. There's definitely more than half the product still left. I have a small tin that came in a gift set, too so if you get the bigger size it could last you even longer!

In Australia, the Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream costs around $15 for the 15g tin, but I think it depends on where you buy it. Burts Bees products are available at Priceline, David Jones, Myer, and Target. I would recommend buying it online from eBay or Amazon if possible, though, because you can get it a lot cheaper.

CND Solar Oil

Solar Oil is probably my #1 favourite cuticle oil. I know some people really do not like using oils but I do! I first tried Solar Oil in a mini bottle and I wasn't sure I liked it. I wasn't a fan of the scent at all (and it's still not my favourite scent)! To me, it sort of smells like licorice and I HATE licorice. But a lot of people say it smells like almond, so... But the scent aside, once I used up the whole mini bottle I missed it! It really is a nice cuticle oil. It absorbs quicker than other oils I've tried, but don't get me wrong, it is an oil so it will not absorb instantly and it just conditions really well. After purchasing a full size bottle of Solar Oil, I've filled my mini bottle with some and I keep it in my handbag. :) I don't really apply it when I'm busy and on-the-go but I will if I'm hanging out at someone's house, or at the movies, or something like that.

I also have tried the newer Limited Edition scent Solar Oil and I love it. It doesn't really even have that much of a scent, you have to really be trying to smell it to notice it. It's sort of a vanilla-y smell.

CND Solar Oil can be found in some nail supply stores, but is also available on eBay and Amazon for a better price than what you'd find it in store, in my opinion.

So those are some of my favourite cuticle moisturisers. There are many more out there, you just have to do your research to find the best one for you. :)

I'll mention hand creams in another post, but using a good hand cream (not necessarily an expensive one) will also help with the health of your nails and cuticles.

You'll also need to push your cuticles back, to loosen any cuticle that is attached to your nail bed. NEVER EVER cut your cuticles!!! Ok? Promise me you won't?! It's so bad for your cuticles. :( It can lead to infections and really disrupt your nail growth. Your cuticles will also grow back harder and thicker. I know that in some salons, the nail techs do cut cuticles. If you're in a salon and they want to cut your cuticles - either make sure to tell them that you DO NOT want your cuticles cut, only pushed back. And if they still want to do it... RUN! >.<

So, only ever push back your cuticles. If your skin is sticking to your nail plate and won't budge, you can try a cuticle remover/softener and then push them back with a cuticle pusher or orange wood stick. I like to use a rubber cuticle pusher. I wouldn't recommend using a metal cuticle pusher, you could damage your nail plate easily. You should be careful with any tools you're using on your nails and cuticles, though. You could even push back your cuticles in the shower when your skin will be soft, with your thumb nail. I do this pretty often. Just remember to always be gentle with your cuticles. :)

If you do have a hangnail or a dry piece of skin hanging off your cuticle, it is better to cut it off with a cuticle nipper than to pull it or something which would be really painful. This video by LoodieLoodieLoodie will show you how to properly trim a hangnail. Hangnails can be prevented by moisturising your cuticles regularly. :)

I use the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover about once every two weeks when my cuticles are starting to look a little icky, or when I just haven't done it in a while.

It's a clear gel and you just squeeze a bit on around your cuticles, and then leave it. Now, on the back of the bottle it says to only leave it sitting for 15 seconds before pushing back your cuticles and then wash it off. I actually leave it on for about 4-5 minutes. I'd suggest leaving it for the 15 seconds if you've never used it before, and see if it works. If it doesn't work so well, next time leave it for a little longer. Be really careful because I think it contains some ingredients that could harm your skin if left for too long. I don't find that it hurts my skin at all even leaving it on for such a long time, but it could be totally different for you so please be careful! I find that when I don't leave the cuticle remover on for very long, it doesn't pick up any of the dead skin that is sticking to my nail bed.

This product isn't available in stores in Australia (as far as I know - I've never seen it here) so you can check out eBay or Amazon.

Another cuticle remover that I've heard really great things about is the Blue Cross Cuticle Remover. This one also isn't available here, as far as I know, but again, you can try eBay or Amazon for it. :)

So, I hope this has helped you! Good on you if you read the whole thing. :D I'm sorry it got a bit long!
Please remember that you won't see results right away if your cuticles aren't in great shape, but in a couple of weeks after following these tips I've given you, you should have nicer looking and feeling cuticles. Your nails should also feel healthier in general.

Let me know what products you love. I love trying out new ones and I'd love to know what you find great.

Also, feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the products I mentioned or any recommendations for future posts like this one.

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