myNail Art – Stone Marble

I absolutely LOVE getting my nails done (who doesn’t?) and I equally love doing my own nails myself.
I find it relaxing actually. I normally do mine during the weekend while catching up on some of my favourite YouTubers. And just in time for a new week ahead, I’ve noticed a trend floating around in the nail art community, which happens to be the marble technique.

So I decided this week I’d try it out for myself and attempt the Stone Marble look.
The items you need are quite simple. White nail polish for the base, grey or black nail polish for the marble effect and a top coat.
You’ll also need, a bowl of room temperature water, hair spray, Q-tips and nail polish remove (it can get a little messy)
If you have all these items, read ahead and check out my tutorial on the stone marble nail art!

Step 1: After you’ve done your personal nail care of cutting, filing and buffing. Apply a base coat before you apply two coats of you favourite white nail polish.

Step 2: Once your base colour has fully dried, we can now get to the fun stuff. Have a bowl of room temperature water ready and make sure that it’s not too cold or not too hot. With your chosen colour of either gray or black, as close as you can to the surface of the water, let a few drops fall. The nail polish will spread evenly out on the surface of the water. If it doesn’t, make sure that your nail polish isn’t too old and that it’s nice and shaken before use. During trial and error, I found that if I used an older polish, that it wouldn’t work so well.

Step 3: Almost immediately after dropping some nail polish on to the water, lightly spray some hair spray on top. This will react to the nail polish and create a web like effect. Once you’ve sprayed the hair spray, carefully dip your finger (nail down) on to the desired part of the grey or black nail polish and leave for a few seconds.

Step 4: While your finger is still in the water, use a Q-tip or toothpick to collect the excess nail polish floating around. Take your finger out of the water and clean off any nail that’s left on your finger. 

Step 5: Apply a top coat and wait for it to dry. Once your nail polish is completely dried, follow the steps again on all your other nails!

And voila! Stone marble nail art! It’s a really fun and different way to paint your nails but trust me, if you’re in a rush, this is not the nail technique for you. It’s tedious and sometimes downright frustrating, when the hair spray doesn’t react to the nail polish like you want it to. Believe me, I know! But if you’re into your nail art, you can appreciate the different designs each nail will look like. And remember, you don’t have to do a white base with gray or black. You have all the colours of the rainbow to be creative with! Check out some of the other water marble designs below and get some #NailArtInspo!

Until next time,

myPower of Makeup

Hello everyone!! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?!

I do apologise for my absence. I’ve been out of the blogging/Instagram community for over a month now and I feel like you all deserve an explanation!

Well, it all started with me getting a full time job around March and during that time it was the end of semester exams. Needless to say it was a stressful, full on couple of months! Once I finished semester and I settled into my new job, I have to admit it was hard getting back in to blogging. I had so many ideas but no motivation to actually do it. I’ve also gone through some ups and downs while I’ve been away from blogging, which I’m still in the process of figuring out, but one of my priorities is to not let this blog slip away from my newly manicured fingers!

To celebrate my return to the blogging community, I wan’t to also celebrate the power of makeup. I enjoy all aspects of makeup (obviously) whether it’s used to enhance features, cover imperfections or dramatically transform your face into someone (or something) different using special effects.

I wear makeup, not for other people but for myself. I don’t wear makeup because I’m insecure of how I look. I don’t wear makeup because I don’t love myself. I wear makeup, well, because I can.

Makeup doesn’t define who I am. I can embrace both the makeup and no makeup look, because I’m comfortable either way.

Love yourself. because you are beautiful.
(with or without makeup)

Until next time,

myTAG | 40 Beauty Q&A

So I was browsing through some beauty blogs and came across this little Q&A tag that I thought would be fun to do. It’s a fun way to learn other people’s makeup and skin care routines as well as discovering other beauty blogs that I can follow!

I tag the following to give this Q&A tag a go
@themakeupcupboard
@thatlittlebeautyblog
@makeupblissness
@thebeautydorkk
@faceofsjw

SKINCARE

–How many times do you wash your face daily?

Twice, when I wake up and before I go to bed. Obviously I’m not perfect and sometimes I get lazy at night but marjority of the time I do.

-What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
I have normal to cominiation skin, but the late afternoon/evening I do get a little oily on my nose and forehead.

-What is your current facial wash?
At the moment I use Biore blemish cleanser as well as the Biore triple action toner.

-Do you exfoliate?
Yes. I love using a facial scrub on my face! It feels like it gets all the dirt off my face and pores.

-What brand do you use?
I’ve been using St. Ives Apricot Scrub ever since I was 17! I’ve tried other face scrubs but I always go back to my St. Ives.

-What moisturizer do you use?
I change between Aveeno, Sukin and L’Oreal day and night cream. Depending on what’s at arms reach.

-Do you have freckles?
Unfortunately not, I think they’re so cute on faces!

-Do you use eye cream?
I know I should but I don’t

-Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
I’m thankful to say that I never went through any bad acne throughout my teen years. Now I get the odd pimple on my chin when it’s that time of the month. I break out when I eat fatty and sugary foods but apart from that, I have pretty acne free skin.

-Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
I’ve heard too many bad reviews about it that I was never interested to try it.

MAKE-UP

-What foundation do you use?
I have my current favourites. At the moment I’ve been loving Rimmel’s Lasting Finish 25hrs foundation. I use it every day for work and on day’s I want a light coverage I always to go my Chi Chi BB cream. Nars Sheer Glow foundation will always be my holy grail foundation though!

-How about concealer?
Rimmel’s Wake Me Up concealer is my favourite at the moment.

-Do you know your undertone color?
I have the typical asian yellow undertone but I do have an olive tan skin tone

-What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I love them! However I only ever wear them on big nights and special occasions. I think they complete a makeup look and they make you look wide awake. I have friends who have naturally long lashes and it urgh just kills me with jealousy

-Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes but like everyone else I keep my mascaras past the 3 months. I have a wide mascara collection that I change mascaras every month, anyway.

-What brand of mascara do you use?
At the moment it’s a mixture of Benefit They’re Real and L’Oreal Miss Manga mascara. I tend to wear two mascaras at the same time. Benefit to separate my lashes and Miss Manga to add volume are a match made in heaven

-Sephora or MAC?
Sephora just reached our shores in Australia late last year in Sydney and I live in Melbourne so unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to experience Sephora. MAC cosmetics are always a winner, but I’ve been able to find dupes without breaking the bank.

-Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
No, I don’t think I buy enough MAC to make it worth my wild.

-What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
A damp sponge for liquid foundation and concealers. Brushes for everything else.

-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
Yes. Essence I Love Stage eye shadow primer works a treat! It doesn’t crease my eye shadow but it’s a hit or miss for other people as it has a yellow-tone shade, which doesn’t work for different skin tones.

-For the face?
Of course. I never not prime my face before foundation. At the moment I’m loving the Australis CYA Later Pores primer for my Tzone and the Models Prefer Lift Revitalizing primer for around my face.

-What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
I don’t have a current favourite but I like my nude and smokey shadows, with hints of berry and pink shades

-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
I use pencil and gel liners. I find liquids are harder to use. I don’t have much of a steady hand.

-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
I’m pleased to say that I don’t think I’ve ever done that before!

-What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
They’re amazing when you know how to use them. I on the other hand dont know how to use them myself.

-Do you use mineral makeup?
I’m using the Models Prefer Soft Touch mineral power at the moment. It leaves your skin with a nice dewy glow.

-What is your favorite lipstick?
It changes all the time! Though I prefer matte creams over lipsticks and my favourites are the NYX soft matte lip creams

-How about lipgloss?
I don’t wear lipgloss all that often, if ever. The closest gloss that I wear are the NYX Butter glosses, which I’m obsessed with.

-What is your favorite blush to use?
Either the NYX cream blushes or Maybelline’s Master Hi-Light blush

-Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
No and I don’t think I ever will. When it comes to makeup I like to know where they came from and where it was made.

-Do you like drugstore makeup?
I love drugstore makeup. I believe that you don’t have to spend so much on good quality makeup. I do own some high end makeup but I mostly buy from the drugstore.

-Do you go to CCO’s? (cosmetic company outlets)
I go to anywhere where there’s a sale

-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
Not for glamour makeup but I’d love to take special effects makeup classes.

-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
Only when I’m in a rush. I try to give myself plenty of makeup time before I have to be anywhere

-Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Not blending your foundation down to your neck! Urgh! Not blending in general is a makeup crime in itself.

-Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I like neutrals and nudes. I sometimes go wild with a bright lippie and keep everything else simple.

-Which celebrity always has great make up?
Every one of them. Why? Because they have their very own glam squad! Dont be fooled!

-If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?
Mascara. Bright wide eyes are always a must.

-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
I do most of the time. I only ever wear makeup for work or if I’m going out for the night. I like to let my skin breath.

-Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
I have no issues with not wearing any makeup. Sometimes, less is more.

-In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
Nars. I have so many favourites from that line, unfortunately I can’t afford them all!

-What do you think of Makeup?
It shouldn’t be the most important thing to anyone, male or female. It should be used to enhance features and not change them to make you look like someone completely different. I love makeup (obviously) and I love wearing makeup but it’s not an essential thing in my life.

Until next time,

my Throw Back Thursday – Halloween Edition

Today for TBT, I wanted to reminisce to last Halloween 2014. The time of when my whole makeup and beauty blogging would begin. It was then when I realised my love for makeup and special effects. All my friends had hobbies of their own like motorbikes, fashion, music, art and I always wondered why I didn’t have a hobby of my own. That was the day when I realised, it was right in front of me all a long. I was a collector of makeup and I loved making creations by using the products! Since then, my makeup and skin care collection has grown significantly and I’ve also started collecting supplies for special effects makeup! I’m looking forward to not only making some new creations but also improving on my skills and sharing it with you all.

My readers, my followers and the people who are just passing by, you’re feedback means so much to me and I appreciate you even taking your time to like, comment and/or follow.

Until next time,

myOOTD | saints+secrets dress

I’ve been a bit MIA and it pains me to see that my last post was in January!
Back to university and work has taken up majority of my time since the summer holidays, but I take full responsibility in neglecting one of my hobbies that I’m so passionate about.

My inspiration to get back to my blogging was from, non other than my beautiful best friend. During this weekend she reminded me how happy blogging about my beauty passions makes me feel. This weekend I played with makeup, I picked up my camera and the ambition and love all came rushing back.

With this post, I thank you. I promise to make you proud. I love you.

Photo Credit: from my best friend who is the inspiration to keep going.

Dress from Saints+Secrets bought from Myer Melbourne

Until next time,

myFavourites for January

What?! It’s February already?! Since when?!
No wonder I’m late for my January favourites!

Anyway, here’s a list of some of my beauty and non beauty favourites for the month of January. In no particular order, lets start with makeup!

Rimmel London – Wake Me Up Concealer – $14.95
I’m actually late on this bandwagon and I’ve been noticing a lot of people rave about this concealer all over social media! So I grabbed one and I’ve been loving it! It has a great full coverage consistency to cover all the unwanted blemishes, redness or dark circles, yet it’s still super blendable and light weight on your face.
I grabbed the shade lighter to my skin tone and it works wonders as a highlighter under the eyes. It doesn’t crease and with just a little power on top, it lasts all day! For the price and the quality, it’s definitely worth the hype!

Savvy by DB – Ultra Matte Lip Colour “Lights, Camera” – $7.99

I bought this after recommendation from other beauty bloggers on Instagram and to be honest I wasn’t expecting anything special. I swatched it on my hand while I was in store and at the end of the day noticed that the swatch hadn’t rubbed off! Not one bit! I fell in love with the “Lights, Camera” shade (it’s no secret I love my nudes lip shades) and the colour has also been said to be a close dupe for MACs Velvet Teddy as well as Lime Crime’s Cashmere! It is a little drying on the lips when it dries matte but I just applied some lip balm on top and I was good to go!

Essence – Lash Princess Mascara – $6.75 
Ahhh!!! I think I’ve found a new favourite mascara! This mascara, separates lashes, thickens and lengthens! With the cobra shape wand it catches each individual lash and makes it easier to apply for hard to reach lashes. It’s also great and holding the curl of your lashes all day. I actually can’t stop looking at my lashes, they’ve never looked so full and long before!
I’m going to say it… I think it’s even better than the Benefit They’re Real mascara… There, I’ve said it. I’m going to leave it at that.

St Ives – Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub – $9.99
Ever since I was a teenager in high school I’ve been using the St Ives Apricot Scrub and it was only during December last year that I stopped using it to try out other products. It wasn’t until January that I started using it again and forgot how much I loved it! What I love about it are the little beads that scrub and exfoliate your face. Now this is purely a personal preference but I love how rough and coarse it feels on my skin. It really feels like I’m getting all the dirt out of my pores. A lot of people don’t like it because it feels harsh on their skin but if you use a gentle hand you should be fine. I love this stuff and I’m never leaving it behind again.

EOS Lip Balm “Pomegranate Raspberry”
Unfortunately the EOS lip balms are sold in any stores in Australia. I’ve heard that they only sell them at Costo Sydney and Melbourne however I’ve never checked. I got given this as a Christmas present and I’ve been trying my hardest to not over use it because then it’ll be all gone! It’s so moisturising and leaves your lips super smooth, oh and did I mention they taste yummy too?! I’m dying to get my hands on some more flavours and have a little collection going. Aren’t the little egg shaped packaging just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?!

Juicy Couture – Viva La Juicy “Gold Couture” perfume – $110.00 (100ML)
This is favourite came as another Christmas gift and I’ve been loving it all throughout January! Now I’m horrible as describing scents so I’ll just copy and paste what Juicy Couture themselves have described the perfume to be.
” A decadent rendition of Viva la Juicy that indulges the senses with luscious wild berries, a kiss of honeysuckle and a luxurious elixir of golden amber, melted caramel, and vanilla”

Yup, go buy it.

Revenge – (Channel 7 Australia)
This is something that I’m also late on the bandwagon with and the reason for my 4am bedtimes. For about a week I binge watched all three seasons and I’m now up to date with season four! Long story short, it’s about a woman who watched her father to go jail for something he didn’t do when she was at a young age and and now in her 20s she’s come back seeking revenge on all the people that had anything to do with her fathers wrongful imprisonment. It has the sass and “oh no he didn’t” moments like Gossip Girl along with the cliff hangers and OMG moments of Prison Break. Hats off the the writers of Revenge.
Warning: you will suffer from trust issues after watching this show

Heads Up Game App – available on iPhone and Andriod
Last but not least, this game app has brought hours or laughter to my group of friends. If you haven’t experienced the game of Heads Up, download it now and play with a group of your friends! You put your phone (or ipad) on top of your head and your friends have you give you clues for you to guess. You have to guess as many as you can before the time runs out. Oh and the best part? The front camera of your phone (or ipad) captures a video of your friends! It’s pretty effing hilarious, trust me!

So there are my favourites for January, hope you enjoyed!

Until next time,

myBeauty Essentials – Summer Edition 2015

To all my Southern hemisphere babes, welcome to the middle of Summer!!
If you’re like me and live in Melbourne Australia, you’ll know that the summer sun has been having its usual mood swings but that doesn’t mean we can’t get ready for it!
I have a mixture of high end to drug store products to accommodate everyone’s beauty needs. So sit back, relax and check out my beauty essentials for summer 2015 (in no particular order).

You got to fake it to make it right? So grab your favourite tanning glove and start rubbing some colour on to your body. St Tropez and Bondi Sands are my top picks for instant self tanners. They apply easily, non sticky and last longer than some other self tanners! No need to be wasting your time turning over every 30 minutes under the sun to get the perfect tan. As some cooking infomercials would say “set it and forget it!”

Spending the day under the sun, running errands or when you just need to revitalise and freshen up your face, these two face sprays are a God send! LUSH’s toner water spray will revitalise your skin while inspiring you of a seaside escape. It has aloe vera gel, rejuvenating rosemary and calming rose oils that will be make say “ahh” with every sprits.
Need some moisture in your life? Try out the Clinique Moisture Surge spray! It gives your skin extra hydration while giving your a nice dewy look, and it also softens your makeup and removes any powdery look!

One thing that I can’t live without during the summer season are my favourite lip balms! Blistex and Lucas make amazing products keep your lips soft and conditioned. Keep one on your desk, in your car, on your bedside table, on your vanity, in your hand bag, practically everywhere at arms reach! Has anyone actually finished a lip balm all the way to the end??

This summer, when I think of nail colours, I think pastel! Here are my top three perfect pastel colours for summer! Whether its on your finger nails or on your toe nails, pastel shades of orange, pinks and blues are winners in my book!

I don’t think we can talk about summer essentials without including the most important thing! All the fun you’re having under the sun can be ruined instantly if your have sore to the touch sun burns! So don’t forget to slip, slop and slap on the sunscreen. Whether its in a form of a spray or a lotion, make applying sunscreen part of your daily routine this summer!

Who wants to wear a full face of heavy foundation this summer?! No one? Good.
But if you do need a bit of coverage, try out Chi Chi’s Super BB cream or Benefit’s Hello Flawless light to medium coverage foundation. Both are light weight (perfect for summer) with buildable coverage, long staying power while hydrating your skin! What more could you ask for?

Now, just liked the nail colour shades, I have my top 5 lip shades for summer. Top 3 brights for summer are going to, hot pinks, corals and orange shades. Don’t be afraid to go bold and bright this summer!
And just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you can’t bring out the deep plums and nude shades every now and then!
Team up these shades with thick lashes, a dewy complexion and beach waves for your hair and you’re good to go this summer!

Until next time,

Disclaimer
All thoughts and opinions on everything featured on this blog are my own. This feature has not been sponsored nor have I received any payment for this post. Any photographs on this blog are owned by me unless marked otherwise. If you would like to use any of the images of photographs from this blog please notify me and credit it back to this blog.

myReview – LUSH African Paradise Body Conditioner

I was extremely lucky enough to try out a new product from LUSH before Christmas and I am IN LOVE!!

LUSH has released a new body conditioner called African Paradise which I have been using for the past two weeks and my skin has NEVER felt softer.

This body conditioner is used just as you would a hair conditioner to add extra hydration to your skin. I personally use a body wash along with a bristled exfoliating brush all over my body first, then finish off with the African Paradise to condition.

I wanted to see the difference it would make along side my exfoliating brush so I decided to only use the African Paradise on the top half of my body and I felt a massive difference to the way my skin felt on my arms compared to my legs!! You can really feel the oils seep into your pores but you’re not left with an oily feeling on your skin. I find myself not needing to moisturise after showering as my skin feels soft and moisturised already!

I also received A LOT of compliments over Christmas and New Years on how soft my arms felt and I could only give credit to the African Paradise body conditioner!

Just like all of the LUSH products, it’s filled with fresh ingredients such as natural oils, Shea butter and is suitable for Vegans. Not tested on animals and is packaged in 100% recycled plastic.

I can 110% back myself up and say that I will be repurchasing this again and again.

Grab yours today at your nearest LUSH store now!

Until next time,

Disclaimer
All thoughts and opinions on everything featured on this blog are my own. This feature has not been sponsored nor have I received any payment for this post. Any photographs on this blog are owned by me unless marked otherwise. If you would like to use any of the images of photographs from this blog please notify me and credit it back to this blog.

myeBay Purchase: Photography Softbox Lighting Kit

So today I just made an eBay purchase! It was recommended by another beauty blogger from Instagram (@jarnahpaige) who bought a pair of umbrella lighting from the eBay seller “hellophoto2013”

(click on image to enlarge)

The kit is being shipped from Sydney and claims to usually post between 1-2 business days of receiving cleared payment. With today’s purchase is does estimate the delivery between Friday 19th December to Monday 29th December.

Hopefully it wont take too long to get here (Melbourne) but I understand with Christmas, there might be some delays.
I’ll keep you guys posted on when I get them and how they go for quality!
Another short announcement blog for today.

Until next time,

mySocial Media

Just a quick post to announce that my Facebook page goes live tonight! So for my readers, head over to http://www.facebook.com/mybeautifx and hit that ‘like’ button to show some love!

Also head over to my Instagram and Twitter @mybeautifx

Until next time,