I promise this isn't turning into a straight up beauty blog, but every time I post something remotely beauty related I get a tonne of hits and I'm having a wee obsession with makeup and hair so hence I may put up the occasional post that's not entirely nail related. Please don't hate me!

Anyway, I bought a bunch of sampler eyeshadows from Femme Fatale Costmetics earlier in the year, so I thought I would swatch them all as they are all stunning and even though they were sample size, I am getting a lot of wear out of them. I'm sure you are already aware but Femme Fatale is an amazing site for all indie makeup, nail and pretty scented things. They also have a little storefront on their warehouse in Brisbane - which I visited in an old post.  The sample size shadows are all $5.50, although once in a blue moon they do have a sale which is when I nabbed most of these. Not all of them are still available, but I will link up the ones that still are. 

I personally find these work better when used with a glitter primer, so all these swatches are done over Glamour Doll Eyes Glitter Fix.

Don't Go To Sleep! - A rich brown/purple (or blurple) with a pink shimmer. It's very shifty this one which makes getting a decent photo pretty much impossible, but it's very pretty and very wearable. Also discontinued and on sale - so you should go pick it up!

Sea of Something - The website describes this is Eggplant, but I feel like it's more of a strong vibrant navy with blue shimmer. Super stunning and is now my go to going out shade.

 Dead House - A gorgeous vibrant purple with strong blue shift. You definitely need a good primer for this baby for full shimmer goodness, but oh boy is it pretty!

 Hot-Cold Goodies - a pale aqua with a strong pink shimmer. I love these pale shades to wear during the day. Pop it on the lid and then a nude into the crease so its all nice and blendy. Super easy and I get so many compliments. 

Inflatable Pool Giraffe - This is one of the discontinued babies that you can't get anymore, but I'm mean and going to show you anyway. It's an orange/brown with a pink shimmer to it. Very unusual, but I really like it.

Mrs. Twinkle - A pale purple with gold shimmer. Another of my favourite daytime ones. It's quite similar to Dr Eek (which I haven't swatched here, but honestly go google it and get it. It's spectacular) but it's more on the shimmer than glitter and I find the fallout a bit easier to handle.

Little Polly Flinders -  A yellow/orange with an almost green shimmer which makes it look very fiery and glowy.

Grave Moss - Pale green with extra green shimmer. The swatches on their website look a bit darker than I find this looks on my pasty skin, I normally hate greens but this is totally beautiful and wearable. 

Yet another Born Pretty roundup!

I have had 2 parcels from Born Pretty in the last couple of weeks, so of course I am going to spam you all with pictures! Some of these I chose for myself and some they randomly sent me. But I generally like all my Born Pretty items so they are always welcome in my mailbox! 

First up is a cuticle pen. I've had one of their pens living in my handbag for the last few months and it's very empty, so this is the replacement. Except this time I got peach and it is much nicer scent than the almond one I had. Quite sweet, although a tad chemical, but it fades quickly. I still prefer my Unicorn Cuticle Oils on my desk for the scent, but I'm always worried about bottles breaking in my bag, so this is the perfect solution.

Cuticle Oil: Item 39329

Unpopular opinion - I think dip nails are overrated. If you're going to do it just get a proper acrylic overlay or just get gel. I don't get the need for this mess. So why did I get this then? Because if you mix it with some clear acrylic powder you can make your own pretty acrylic colours. I don't think there are enough brands here in Aus that do interesting acrylic colours (feel free to correct me if you can think of any) so mixing my own is the next best option. So the picture below is using it as a traditional dip to see how it looks, and the bottom is using it as an acrylic with monomer. It's a subtle duochrome effect going on, but you can see it in the right light and it is very pretty. 

Chameleon Dipping Powers: Item #45778

This isn't a colour I would pick for myself normally, but it is one of the products that I got randomly sent, so of course I'm going to swatch it and use it! If you're heavily into nail art, there is certainly a place in your life for brown polishes and this one was very nice and opaque. Here I am wearing 2 coats with a matte top coat. It does make for a nice autumn colour and I'm sure I will get lots of arty use out of it. 

Cafe Series Gel Polish: Item 42873

This one I did pick out because it wasn't a standard colour. I don't have many greens and blues in my gel collection, and a lime green packed with holo glitter? Yes please. This is very sheer - you could get away with wearing it as a jelly if you wanted. I'm wearing 3 coats for the full bling effect.

Glitter UV Gel: Item #42883

I feel a little bad dissing on this next product, but it didn't live up to what I wanted it to be in my head. I liked these nails, but the product itself was a very thick gel (like almost builder consistency) with tiny dried flowers in it. Conceptually it's nice, but there just wasn't enough flower pay off for how hard this was to work with. I think I would rather just buy some dried flowers off them and mix it with a little top coat. Also, I only noticed now that the product in the pot has a nice pink base to it, but it was completely clear on the nail. 

Flower Fairy Gel: Item #45773 (the item is no long on their website so I can't link)

The 3d/4d (depending what company wants to call it) gel is certainly doing the rounds on Insta at the moment, so I grabbed this pot to play with it. This is my very first go at making 3d flowers like this, but it was incredibly easy. I've seen on other sites that some people like to use this with a slip solution, but I just made these using a little water to stop it sticking to my skin and a silicon tool to help get the petals the shape I want. The product itself is super pretty - they have this whole range of sparkly 3d gels and I kind of want them all now. Totally hooked on modelling now (although after it caught on my hair one too many times, these babies had to come off again, but hey it's all about the aesthetic for photos right?).

Glitter Carve Gel: Item #45537

And this is your reminder that I do have a discount code you can use on any full priced products on their site - I don't get any money from it, it just gives you a discount and helps me keep working with them. Use my code VHW10 for 10% off full priced items

Shop With Me: Beauty Warehouse (Mortdale)

Sorry I have been a little MIA the last few weeks, both here and Insta. Any long time followers will know about my health problems, so combined with getting the flu that's going around and having 3 different jobs I am juggling, my body crashed out. But I have had a lot of nail mail come in this time so I can't wait to share everything with you!
In this time I also decided to pop in to my local beauty supply store that has just moved - Beauty Warehouse in Mortdale. Although they have only moved around a corner, it is now a bigger store that is nicely laid out. The new store is tucked away into a warehouse lot, so it is a little hard to find but at least you aren't trying to park on a main road anymore. They do have a few different stores, but this is literally a suburb away from me.
Beauty Warehouse does have a bit of a reputation of being one of the more expensive suppliers, but considering there isn't much else in the are (any other store I know of is at least a 30min drive) I don't mind spending a bit more for the convenience. One of the other things they are known for (although I have never actually had the funds to go to) is they offer training courses - like Elleebana lash lift training.
If you scroll through all the pictures I took, you can see they have a wide range of beauty products. I particularly love that they have a huge range of buffers and files, and most of the Hawley range for those of us who are addicted to Hydrofresh. One of these days I swear I am going to get a keg of the stuff installed into my nail room!
Now I know this is a shop with me, but on this occasion I didn't actually buy anything (shock and horror!) - this is because I was after a specific bottle of OPI from their latest range, but all the polishes they have are more of the core colours and some of the older ranges. This is what I would expect tbh as most supply stores are exactly the same, but hey it was worth a try! Note that this is a pro only place, and you will need to set up an account when you go, so they do check.

So if you're a southern Sydney tech, it is worth checking out if you're after those pesky basics that keep running out.

www.beautywarehouse.com.au
Beauty Warehouse
Unit 2, 10-12 Hearne Street, Mortdale, NSW 2223
Phone 1300 929 033

OMC Supplies

Emerald AB crystals ($2.95) and sorting tray ($1)

You may have noticed that at the top of the blog there is now a Shop button, or if you follow me on Instagram you would have seen me talking about it. But I am finally getting around to dedicating a post to tell you about my little online store OMC Supplies. I decided to start this as it combines my love of nails with the skills I have as a buyer (I don't talk a lot about it, but along with my writing, I have worked as a buyer for many years - travelling to China and sourcing items. So I already have great contacts, agents, and know everything about importing into Aus). I am on a mission to source or create the cutest nail art supplies and accessories for your nail space, because who wants to be plain and boring? I can assure you that every single item I have tried and tested - I have a very large box of rejects so you can be sure that everything is good quality! (Oh that sounds so gimmicky, but it's true! This is my baby and I put a lot of work into it).

So when I say 'we' on Instagram who do I refer to? It's me and my hubby. He's an IT guy so he has helped me with the site and does a lot of the posting and money stuff that I hate. But I also make him inspect everything and show all your pretty manis to him!

The site is small but I am adding to my range almost weekly and working on my own products that I think you will love. 

If you have any feedback, items you wish existed, or brands you would like someone in Australia to stock, please let me know! DM me through Insta or drop me an email victoria@onemorecoat.com

Below are just a small selection of my items - go check out the site so see all the pretties!

www.omcsupples.com

Nail Art Foils ($2.95)

Pink Pearls AB ($2.95) and sorting tray ($1)

Mermaid Dust Brush ($3.95)

Crystal Flower Dappen Dish ($19.95)

Metal Leaf Foils ($1)

Opallac: Intoxicated

I know I post about Opallac quite a lot - but a quick recap for those who are new here... these are amazing gel polishes that are available in Australia on their website and through Priceline. I could rant for days about how much I like them, they easily hold their own against some of the professional brands I have in my collection. So here today is the latest colour from Opallac - a neon yellow called Intoxicated. I'm a huge sucker for neon colours so of course I loved this! It's quite pigmented so you don't necessarily need a white base for it, but it is still a neon so you do need 2-3 thin coats for full opacity. I have used this in so many looks already, as by itself you get a full eyeful of neon goodness, but you can break it up with some art for some really funky nails. 

Below I have done a few swatches with a gloss top coat, matte top coat and mermaid powder. Each gives a different look, but all are super pretty. You can also see some designs using Swarovski crystals, reverse stamping and some (dodgy) hand painting teamed with Opallac's Jelly Pina Colada.

Check out Opallac's range over at their website here, or at Priceline.

CND X Manish Arora from Paris Fashion Week

I don't normally just drop press releases that rock up in my email onto the blog, but I fell in love with a bunch of the nails from CND X Manish Arora from Paris Fashion Week. I am just loving the big 3d elements and striping tape are on the runway! Feeling SO much inspo from these looks, Hope you love them too.

CND BRAND AMBASSADOR: Marian Newman

FEATURED NAIL ARTISTS: Torie Bastian and Tracey Lee

"CND™ Vinylux™ Winter Nights deep navy shade.

Shocks of flames sculpted from CND™ Shellac™ licked the nail with regal medallions of Swarovski crystals and metallic adornments.

A perfect medley of brights including CND™ Vinylux™ Wildfire, Banana Clips, Electric Orange and CND™ Creative Play™ Berry Shocking are layered over CND™ Vinylux™ Cream Puff , popping each shade’s true pigment and garnished with metallic stripes, stars and fiberoptic tinsel.

CND’s deep shade of Tartan Punk red is bejeweled with silver strips and Swarovski crystals, bringing thematic to new heights.

Vibrant neons and wistful stars are set to liberate this season’s fashion looks with an e ervescent and striking design of CND™ Vinylux™ Wildfire, Banana Clips, Electric Orange and CND™ Creative Play™ Berry Shocking, Isn’t She Grape, Toe the Lime and Navy Brat, and embellished with star studs and gold bullion."

Go grab your CND polishes from Pacific Nail & Beauty.

ORLY Builder in a Bottle

If you have followed me for awhile, you would know that I love having builder gel in a bottle, but have had less than stellar experiences with the cheap ones I have bought in the past. So I have been eyeing off the Orly one for some time, and of course had to go to the launch and see it in action! The demonstration was done by the lovely Trina Ngo who is an Orly ambassador and a magical wizard of nails. 

The whole process seemed fairly straight forward - apply form, cleanse, prime and brush on the product. She started by building a tip and curing, then applying the product over the whole nail. It only took 2 or 3 coats to make a sturdy nail. And SO crystal clear! I can't wait to get some and put all the glitter in it. Orly is also all about protecting the natural nail, so their primer is acid free and all the products in this range contain Vitamins A +E and Pro Vitamin B5.

Of course the thing that I am really excited about, that the not-so-good ones I've tried in the past don't do, is that it soaks off! Pretty much like removing acrylic - you file most of it off then soak off the last bit. I've popped some videos at the bottom of both the application and the removal. So I know I will be using it to build nails, but I think this would also be perfect for those looking to grow out their nails with overlays (if this is something you've thought about doing, go check out the FB group FB Obsessed with Overlays).

Below I have put up some of the pics I took, so you can see the before and afters and some of Trina's beautiful nail art. 

Orly Builder in a Bottle is distributed through Hawley International  and you can purchase it through Think Beauty