I just wanted to share with you some quick snaps I took over the Christmas break! I went to stay with my bestie up in Brisbane for a few weeks, so of course I had to make her take me to Femme Fatale Cosmetics Headquarters! I know they've had a shop from for a while but I didn't know what to expect. It is in an industrial area with some parking available. And when you go through the door they have a little showroom area filled with so many pretties! Being the crazy nail lady I am, I had already made a list from the website of what I wanted, but my friend went in to be inspired. The only downside was because we went after their big sale, some of what was on display they didn't actually have stock of, so it took a bit of hunting to get her a good haul. But the staff were super duper lovely and really helpful! Also, they still use your account details so you can still pick up your points.
Below are some swatches of the pretty polishes I grabbed.

Femme Fatale
Website
7 Ellen Street,
Moorooka QLD 4105
Mon – Fri excl. holidays
9am – 4pm AEST

KBShimmer - One Night Stand

Dreamland - Kiss Me I'm a Fish

Femme Fatale - Clever Girl

Cirque Colors - Besos

Nicole Diary gels from MyMakeupSecrets

I recently got sent these 4 gel polishes from a seller on Wish called MyMakeupSecrets. And hey I'm never going to say no to trying out a new product! These Nicole Diary Gel Polishes are only $2usd each, so I didn't expect much from them - but ended up being pleasantly surprised. The pink shade was the first one I tried, and you can tell by the shonky application that I did struggle with it. But that it because I figured out you need to REALLY give these a good shake first. So after I worked that one out, the rest of them applied quite nicely and each of my swatches is 2 coats. My main complain is just that these bottles are quite tiny, and I hate mini bottles. I wear so much nail polish that I just don't see the point in them, but if you just want to do a couple of manis in some new fun colours, then they are perfect. There are 22 shades available, so there is plenty to play with!
Check them all out here.

Shade 2

Shade 6

Shade 13

Shade 20

Models Own Aquaproof

Models Own launched have just released a new collection that is perfect for summer. It is called Aquaproof because everything is waterproof - so you can look all glam while you're lounging on the beach. The collection consists of some neon nail polish shades, an eyeshadow palette, black and blue eyeliner, lipgloss, mascara and a finishing spray. Of course I had to get my hands on some of the polish, one of my favourite brands and super neon... what's not to love?

The 2 colours I have are Orange Seal and Impervious Pink. Both of these are so intensly neon that my camera just couldn't capture how bright they are. I love that both of these swatches are 2 coats - no base or top coat. So they are that bright without any white base coat. And they have a really smooth glossy finish. The packaging is also super adorable!

As always, I had to do some nail art using these - the first is a sponge gradient with both colours stamped with a plate from the MoYou tropical collection, and the second is what I wore for Valentine's Day - with stamping and a cute 3d bow glued on.

Lastly, I did also get the blue eyeliner and lip gloss. Now I'm not going to show you my face because although I like wearing makeup, I'm not a beauty guru at all! But you can see how nice the pigmentation is on them - very pretty summer colours!

AQUAPROOF is available exclusively in selected Priceline stores across Australia and at www.priceline.com.au now.

Orange Seal

Impervious Pink

Eyeliner and Lipgloss

CND Vinylux Nude Collection

I've spoken before about my love for CND products, so of course I was excited to get my hands on a couple of colours from their new nude collection. The collection comprises of 4 different shades so you will find the perfect shade for your skin tone. They are available in both Shellac and the new Reinvented Vinylux.

So the two colours I have are Uncovered and Unmasked. Uncovered is a really pale pink. This one is quite sheer, so you could use a single coat for more of a French style tint, or build it up. Here I'm wearing 3 coats. Unmasked is a tan colour. This shade was more opaque and is almost a single coater, although I am wearing 2 coats for total smoothness.  And of course I had to do a little art with them both so you can see the difference in colours.

Now I've said it before, but once more for the record - I love the Vinylux polishes. They are so smooth to apply, the brushes make it so easy, and they last over a week on! Like actually last a week, not some PR promise that no one can ever make work. 

CND Vinylux is available for individual purchase at www.cndshop.com.au and as an in-salon service. Vinylux Weekly Polish Colour Coat / Top Coat (15ml) RRP $19.95 each

Uncovered

Unmasked

Beauty Bigbang Flower Stamping Plate

A few weeks ago I got sent a few products for review from Beauty BigBang. I really like the products I have used from them before, so of course I love being able to put them on my nails again. First up is a floral stamping plate. I really love that they do their own designs, rather than just selling the same old plates many companies seem to carry. Although it is a small plate, all the designs are awesome - no crappy filler designs here! In the past I had a little trouble picking up images off one of their plates, but this time they all picked up perfectly. I have done a couple designs below using this plate - although I saved all my reference images of what polishes I used on my phone and my phone has totally died! It's a very sad day! Let me know if you adore any of these colours and I will do my best to figure it out!

This stamping plate is available here. Be sure to use my discount code for 10% off - OMC.

Cuticle care roundup

Cuticle care is one of the most integral parts of having nice nails. It moisturises the skin, keeps the cuticles soft and helps strengthen and keep the nail plate flexible. I’m a strong believer that regularly using cuticle oil is the best way to prevent your nails from breaking. So here I’ve gotten together a bunch of mainstream brand cuticle oils to compare. To be honest I think almost any cuticle oil will help, but if you’re going to be using it regularly you might as well get a product you enjoy having on.

A quick note about ingredients – as I’ve said before, I am not a chemist of any sort, just a nail-tech-in-training / long time enthusiast. But this is what I’ve learnt from a lot of reading and watching too much youtube.

Jojoba Oil – the most common ingredient as it a skin conditioner and a great moisturizer. It absorbs better into the nail plate than other oils which is why it’s used so much.

Vitamin E – an antioxidant that is a great skin conditioner that helps prevent against skin damage.

Sweet Almond Oil – is a lubricant for the surface of the skin that makes the skin feel smoother. 

First up is the CND Solar Oil. I have gone through bottles of this stuff since I first got into nails. It absorbs quickly and doesn't feel greasy. The only downside to it is that I think it smells like marzipan which I HATE, but that's just me - I know plenty of people who love it. (Seriously I eat pretty much anything but marzipan is evil. Pure disgusting evil). The main ingredients here are Jojoba and Sweet Almond oils. CND Solar Oil is available for individual purchase at www.cndshop.com.au.

The Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab has a more gel like consistency that you brush on. Even though it feels thicker going on, it still absorbs in quickly and doesn't feel gross on the skin. It does leave a slight residue, but nothing too annoying. I quite like the scent on this one - not sure exactly what it's meant to be, but I'd describe it best as a fresh laundry. It's very refreshing. It has a long list of ingredients, none of which as the usual suspects you see in cuticle oils, but it still seems to work.
Sally Hansen products are availalbe at all good chemists.

When I first got into nails, this stuff was ALLLLL the rage. And I can understand why! First off it smells soooo good. Like a lemon tart - if I didn't know better I would be eating it! It is different to everything else as it is a wax, but I find that even though it is a little harder to apply, it almost works like a protective barrier on your cuticles. It does leave a slight residue again, but nothing irritating. Main ingredients are bees wax (of course), sweet almond oil and cocoa seed butter. Burt's Bees are available through www.burtsbees.com.au or good pharmacies /beauty retailers.

Revlon Essential Cuticle Oil is probably the heaviest of the oils on this list. It leaves quite a bit of residue, although if you can deal with it, it does leave the skin feeling nice after 10 minutes of so. It also smells like marzipan, and probably even more so than the solar oil, so it isn't my fav. The good side is that you can pick it up on sale pretty frequently and it does work - so I do have a bottle of it kicking around in my handbag as my on-the-go oil. This is another one based on Jojoba and Sweet Almond oils. Revlon is available from good pharmacies /beauty retailers.

So the next 3 items are all from Revitanail - this company is great for having a wide range of different treatments that you can really easily get. The nourishing oil is a good every day cuticle oil. It is a lightweight oil, although I would say heavier than the CND one, and leaves a slight oily residue, but it isn't sticky in anyway. It has a light herbal scent to it that is quite pleasant but not noticeable unless you're sniffing your nails! It has a whole long list of different oils in it, including the usual Jojoba oil and Sweet Almond oil, along with Vit A and Vit E. 

All the Revitanail products are available from good pharmacies /beauty retailers. 

If you find that you need more than just cuticle (or are lazy like my and don't oil every day) then you'll want the Revitanail Ultra Hydrating Serum. The first thing that drew me to it, as superficial as it is, is how pretty this looks. It is a little pump bottle and the gel is filled with millicapsules that provide extra moisture. The gel is quite watery and you only need to use a TINY amount. It has a really pleasant coconut scent. It contains Jojoba, Vit E and L22 (which is meant to be great for improving nail flexibility). 

The Revitanail Keratin Strengthening Serum is not just for cuticle care, but also as a nail rehab. If you're like me and you're forever playing with gel polishes or you've just taken off some enhancements and your nails are all gross and peeling, this is what you need. It's actually water based, not oil, so it's very light. It has a slight floral scent that's barely detectable. The main ingredient is of course keratin, but it also has the usual suspects for Jojoba and Vit E.