Freshen Up with Seed Heritage Emerald Nails

When Tine from Beautyholics Anonyomous tweeted a photo of her nail colour last month, I was instantly in love and asked her to pick one a bottle for me.

The nail polish of affection here is from Seed - a retail store founded in Melbournea 12 years ago. They have a small cosmetic range and this particular nail polish shade was on sale at a bargain of $7.95.

Seed Heritage Nail Varnish - Emerald

Let me start by saying that this even more pretty in real life than the photos suggest the shade to be.
And the name is very deceptive as well because it isn't an emerald coloured, but a rich sea-green or fresh teal shade - reminding me of mermaids and tropical lagoons.

Deceiving name aside, the colour is a gorgeous and bright - instantly cheering me up when I have it on. It contains micro-pearl (not very visible when dried) so doesn't look flat and dries to a satin finish (which I finish with a top-coat to get the glossy shiny look).

The formula is very forgiving and non-streaky, making it a breeze to apply. The bonus is that it dries quickly with 1 coat giving you a vibrant opaque colour and 2 a richer deeper hue.

I'm also happy to report that it lasts, withstanding 4 days' worth of wear without chipping and only slight fading in the edges.

Once coat of Seed Heritage Emerald

Paired with a black or dark coloured top or dress, teal coloured nails definitely adds an extra touch and makes the perfect statement nails to accesorise with.

What do you think of the colour? Do you wear brighter nail colours accessorise with the darker clothing we tend to wear in Winter?

RRP A$12.95 at Seed stores or online. 

Molten Metallics Nail Enamels by Face of Australia

The latest limited edition range from Face of Australia is the highly anticipated Molten Metallics nail enamels.

The range has 8 colours - 4 of them run with a metallic chrome finish whilst the other 4 run in metallic-fine shimmer finish. The names are beautiful and describe the shade perfectly so you don't have to go guessing the colours.

 I was lucky enough to receive the collection last Friday and because they're that good, I've decided to swatch and post pictures on them immediately so you lovely readers can check out the shades and my thoughts on it before it is out in the market in early May.

Metallic Shimmer Finishes

Iron Ore - a granite black shade with silver/blue micro shimmer that shows up under the sun and lights.

Iron Ore: 2 coats - indoor white light

Titanium - a beautiful liquidified silver with with a micro shimmer finish.

Titanium: 2 coats - indoor white light

Gold - a true gold shade with flecks of gold micro shimmer that amplifies its beauty even more.

Gold: 2  coats - indoor white light

Bronze - a metallic shimmer orange copper bronze.

Bronze: 2 coats - indoor white light

Chrome Finishes
White Gold - a  moody metallic beige that transforms from light beige to taupe depending on the light it is viewed.

White Gold: 2 coats - indoor white light

Amethyst - a beautiful amethyst purple shade .

Amethyst: 2 coats - indoor white light

Flaming Lava - a chrome ruby red - it reminds me of Christmas decorations for some reason.

Flaming Lava: 1 coat - natural light

Verdigris - a chrome meadow green. This is one of the more unique shades and would be hard to find a dupe for elsewhere.

Verdigiris: 2 coats - indoor white light

Dazzling and beautiful, I'm partial to the micro-shimmer finishes but love all the shades in this range. The quality is on par with more mid-range lines in terms of ease of application and lasting powers.

Face of Australia continues to impress me with their quality products and any nail lacquer aficionado cannot afford to miss this range when it comes out in May. Mark this in your calendar so you don't forget!

P.S - Tine over at Beautyholics Anonymous has also swatched the collection, so head over there if you want to see more photos and swatches.

RRP A$4.95 at Priceline, K-Mart, Big W and selected pharmacies.
These products were provided for consideration.

NOTD: Face of Australia Luxe Nail Enamel in Lemon Sorbet

I've been working some crazy hours over the last couple of weeks due to taking up a new role on a very high profile project with some ridiculous time lines for delivery and is squarely in the focus of 2 CIOs (Chief Information Officers) so the pressure is definitely on!

Whilst this situation is likely to continue for the next 2 months, I really need a mid week pick me up. And what better way to do so than to paint my nails with a sunny cheery colour? lemon drops anyone?

Face of Australia Luxe Nail Enamel - Lemon Sorbet

• A pastel lemonade colour this is great summer shade, reminiscent of hot afternoons sipping iced lemon tea and downing gelati - in fact, this is why this gelato yellow is very aptly named lemon sorbet. 
• Although quite pigmented, pastel colours can be hard to apply without it looking streaky, but this one looks even and opaque within 3 coats to give a shiny glossy finish. 
• The Luxe range boast 3 in one formula for base coat, colour and top coat in one - multifunctional and time saving no?
• Luxe is a limited edition range from Face of Australia so snap them quickly if you fancy the shades as when they are gone, they gone for good.  

Face of Australia Lemon Sorbet - 3 coats in indoor white light

What do you do to relax and destress from work?

RRP A$4.95 at Priceline, Kmart, Big W and selected pharmacies in Australia.

This product was provided for consideration.

NOTD: Face of Australia Luxe Nail Enamel in Foxy Roxy & makeup previews

Last week a small group of the MBBE ladies caught up with a wonderful Tina, the tweeter behind Face of Australia Cosmetics and boy were we spoilt.

Not only was the company great (that’s a given when there’s an MBBE catch up), the food was yummy (courtesy to Ghin Khao on Swanston st), Tina also brought us a bunch of new makeup goodies to play with.

We were introduced to the amazingly pigmented and smooth baked and limited edition Opulent Eyes eyeshadows (more on that in an upcoming post with swatches), Mineral Therapy mineral bronzing and illuminating facial beads (which reminds me of Geurlian’s Meteorites) and the new limited Edition Luxe nail enamels collection. 

It was makeup heaven I tell you, there are just too many products to try at one time and I don’t even know where to begin.

As always, I’m a sucker for nails so I couldn’t resist trying on the nail colours first. The one that caught my eyes most was none other than Foxy Roxy 

Luxe Nail Enamel - Foxy Roxy

• A muted muavey, grey, mushroom taupe shade, this is a chameleon and change tones depending on the lighting it's viewed in. 
• Pigmented, you can easily get away with one thick coat, this is a very easy to apply formula with a lot of self levelling properties which makes perfect applications easy to achieve. 
• It was fairly quick drying and the high gloss shine just makes this even pretty. 
• Classy enough to be worn in the office environment yet still edgy and sophisticated enough to be different, mark my words but I think this shade is going to be hot this coming Autumn/Winter. 

Foxy Roxy - more a taupey grey in natural white light

RRP A$4.95 - an absolute bargain! Face of Australia is available at Priceline, Kmart, Big W and selected pharmacies in Australia.

This product was provided for consideration.

NOTD: Rimmel 60 Seconds - 440 Sunny Side

It's been a while since I did a nail post so I rummaged through my shoe box of polish that I accumulated last year and found this paint colour to colour my nails with.

Rimmel 60 Seconds - 440 Sunny Side
Sunny side is a cheery coral pink with fine flecks of gold shimmer. It is even more eye catching in the sun as the gold shines through even more. It brings a smile on my face everytime I look down at my nails when I have this shade on. 

I will be sporting this shade this weekend for a movie date with friends who may be setting me up with a potential date. Hopefully this colour brings me luck in love :)

As previously reviewed, Rimmel's 60 Second formula is fast drying and easy to apply but thankfully this bottle comes with a Pro-cision brush rather than the wide flat brush, which I didn't care much for and  had some trouble achieving a even application with.

RRP A$7.95 at Priceline, Target, K-Mart and selected pharmacies.

What colours do you like to wear to cheer you up? 

Do you find painting your nails therapeutic? 

NOTD: Ulta3 Pepper Pot

For the past 4 weeks, I've been going through a phase and have been hell bent on finding the perfect red nail colour. Not the bright screaming red or vampy red, but the classic blue-based pillar-box red.

In less than 2 days last month, I've acquired 4 different reds and although I loved them, they just weren't what I was looking for. So when Jacie over at You'veGotNail showcased this particular red, I knew I had to run out and buy it too to see if it was the red I've been missing.

And for it to come from Ulta3 - the brand that I keep hearing many raves for their quality, colour, range and mini price of A$2 each (I bought mine for A$2.50), it was all the persuasion that I need (like I needed any).

Now I've never seen Ulta 3 nail colours sold at my local chemist so never bothered to really go hunt for them in obscure places. But when I got word of a local pharmacy in the CBD stocking it, I was all over there in a heart beat during my lunch break today. And this is what I have to show for it.

Ulta3 - Pepper Pot

• Pillar Box Red? - I think so. It is a deep blue based red so looks very flattering on my skin. 
• 2 coats and it's all smooth and shiny for this vibrant creme shade.
• The lacquer itself is not too thick or runny in consistency and made application easy-peasy with no streaky problems at all.
• I haven't worn this for more than 3 hours today so cannot yet comment about staying power, but for the look and price, if it chips, I'll happily re-apply.

2 coats in natural light

Classic Red for less than a cup of coffee? Yes please any day! 

RRP A$2- $2.50 at selected Pharmacies.

NOTD: Inglot Nail Enamel - 316

I am pooped from work this week so here's a lazy post from me today.

Inglot Nail Enamel #316
No names are given for Inglot lacquers. Instead, they come numbered. This one is #316.

Inglot #316 - 2 coats in fluorescent light

Colour: baby pink in the bottle, with iridescent flashes of fiery blue/lavender in the light. One word: Gorgeous! You can't really see the blue flashes in the photo but trust me, it is very evident in real life. This is the perfect jazzed up neutral shade, nude enough for work but glam enough for play as well.

Finish: High gloss iridescent finish - on the sheer side with one coat and true to bottle colour with 2 coats.

Application: Every easy. Non-streaky and quick drying.

Lasting Power: Excellent. The photo above was taken after 3 days of wear without topcoat, you can see slight fading on the edges of the nails but the gloss and colour is still going strong. Being a sheerer shade, the fading is not too noticeable and honesty, I think I can wear this shade for a whole week before it looks ratty.

Rating: 10/10. Love the shade for its multi-dimensional colours in the light. RRP A$15 at Inglot stores. I bought this on their last sale for only A$5 (they rarely do sales but when it's on, most of the colours are on sale and I highly recommend picking some up then).

NOTD: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Enamel in Pronto Purple

Hi All,

How's everyone's day going? I'm on training this week and will need to keep my posts short so nails are going to feature prominently as they are quicker to write up. This is the latest nail colour I have on while I'm on Life Cycle Management training this week  (they should have this course on people rather than systems, would be so much more interesting).

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Pronto Purple

Sally's claims

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri dries any nail colour in 30 seconds for no fading or chipping for up to ten days. The non-oily formula dries colour and shields manicure from fading and discolouring with superior shine.

How it performed 

• In natural light, it is a deep purple-plum colour, but indoors in florescent light, it is more a eggplant purple. It is gorgeous under the sun and looks very edgy accesorised with grey/black clothing. This shade would suit all skintones. 
• Semi creme, leaning more towards a satin finish. 1 coat yields a rather flat colour while 2 coats gives a more glossier look. I would have preferred the promised superior level of shine,  but the shine level achieved was just average. 
• Easy to apply formula that resists streaking, is self-levelling and helps hides bad application well (all things I look for in my nail lacquers). It is also non-staining upon removal - another good sign. 
• The only let down for me is the rather small bottle opening. I often find I'm not getting the flattened brush into the the opening and instead wiping polish onto the side, annoying when excess polish is dripping down from the stick end of the brush and I can't can't wipe it away quickly enough back into the bottle.  
• Staying power was above average - there was minimal fading on the edges the next day and this was despite not having applied a top coat. 

2 coats in natural light. No topcoat. 

Rating: 7.5/10. Would have preferred the bottle design to be the conventional round or square shape rather than triangular with a small opening. More gloss to the finish would have been great too.
RRP A$13.95/US$4.99 for 9.17ml at all good pharmacies and Priceline in Australia.

This product was sent to me for review

NOTD: OPI Melon of Troy

I was feeling very Summery over the weekend and decided I need a bright and warm shade to match the wonderful warm weather.

OPI Melon of Troy

Melon of Troy - 2 coats in natural light

• Lovely orangey coral-pink shade. Reminiscent of the sun ripen flesh of cantaloupes, hence its namesake of 'Melon of Troy' - just perfect for Spring. 
• Has a half creme half pearly frost finish, very hard to describe but very pretty :) which is why it is one of OPI's best selling colours. I love the high gloss finish too.
• As come to be expected of OPI's great 3T-free formula, it was easy to apply without being too streaky and was fast drying. I popped 2 coats of this on my nails and I was in bed 15 minutes later with no smudged nails the next morning. 
• Great chip-resistance and resisted fading quite well. I did lots of scrubbing and cleaning the next day and the edges only experienced minor fading - quite impressive staying power given I didn't put on a top coat.

This will no doubt become one of my favourite Spring shades. What Spring shades do you like to wear on your nails?

Rating: 10/10. Easy to apply and great formula. An all time classic shade that suits all skintones. RRP A$19.95/US$9 at David Jones and selected salons.

This product was sent to me for review.

NOTD: Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Enamel - 819 Green with Envy

Rimmel 60 Seconds - Green with Envy (with falsh, no flash)

I was looking for some colours in my nails and picked this up at Priceline which currently has 20% off Rimmel products.

819 Green with Envy is a gorgeous pearlescent peacock green colour. The formula is very forgiving, you don't need to be the perfect polish painter and the colour will self level as it dries and is non streaky- perfect for clumsy people like me. 2 coats and you have a colour that is true to bottle.These polishes dry in no time which makes them are less prone to accidental marks and dents.

Rimmel put these polishes out with a wide tapered flat brush which I personally found harder to use than normal brushes. Those with smaller and neater nail shapes than mine will probably find this makes application easier than traditional brushes as it can cover the whole nail in one stroke.

The above photos were taken after 3 days of wear (with top coat) and they are still brilliantly shiny and fairly chip resistant. I'm impressed with its durability.

Overall I really like Rimmel polishes, there is enough shades to choose from to keep you amused and are relatively cheap. Green with Envy is vibrant and looks stunning if you like  wearing black or dark clothings (me at work most days).

I wore this into the office this week and had so many compliments, from the ladies and the men, which was surprising as I'd thought that they never notice nail colours. Even Mr. Yoyo told me he liked it after he got over the fact it was green.

Check them out next time when you pass the Rimmel counters and pick one up to try for yourself.


Rating: 8.5/10 RRP A$7.95 at Priceline, Target and selected pharmacies.


Disclosure: Mr. Yoyo is the man in my life. He likes to think he is the best and smartest boyfriend there ever is. He gets on my nerves most times and never listens to me even though he tells me he likes to "practice his listening face" when I'm around. Despite this, he gives me his undying support and I love him for it.