Hello heroines!

Yes, my purple streak continues, clearly. Although this baby might not really count as a purple.

This is three coats of No More Waity, Kaity. One of the worst names ever, I reckon. But all's forgiven when you realise just how drop dead gorgeous she is!

She's lilac micro glitter suspended in a greyish jelly base

Looks kinda proper in a neutral kinda way but still with a kick of sorts!

I'd no issues with the formula as always. I really rather do fancy BL's formula. Then again, for that price, it sure as hell better be good.

What do you think of No More Waity, Kaity? I'd love to hear from you guys!

xx

Nicole

PS.

Hello heroines!

We all know how much I love purples, don't we? Here's a gorgeous purple for you!

This is three coats of HRH, if I'm not wrong

This is such a gorgeous colour, the shimmer is beautiful and I can't take my eyes of it!

The formula was perfect, the bubbles were from my top coat. Which is just completely annoying. Gosh.

Everyone needs BL's HRH!

xx

Nicole

PS.

Hello heroines!

You know how I said this review is way overdue but it's never too late? Well, I might be wrong there. This box might be more of a tribute then anything because I just got news from a fellow Aussie blogger that ILove This Box is closing! Which is a pity really, they've one of the best boxes around.

Let's take a look!

Typical packaging.

Lovely welcome message.

What's this?! An Essie mini? Wow!

A glitter powder puff!

Thalgo moisturiser

A beauty tip

Maybelline XXL Pro Mascara. For those who are used to the cheap prices of Maybelline, this mascara definitely retails for at least $17.95 here in Aussie. That's more than the $14.95 this box costs!

Sunsilk Frizz & Weather Defence Serum

Tis' such a pity that ILTB is closing down because they actually include products that people might actually use.Well, glitter powder puff aside, though that adds a touch of whimsicality in a highly practical box.  This is a sad farewell to a box that started to significantly less fanfare than GB did but that definitely deserved heaps more.

xx

Nicole

Disclaimer: This box was sent for review but in no way affected my opinions on it

Hello heroines!

I love this polish so much, I ended up buying two. Accidentally. But it's really so darn lovely, it looks like such a delicate colour but it's got a surprise shimmer!

That's a little dragging at the tip, but Lady Muck deserves more patience than I showed her

The formula flows on smoothly and very beautifully. It does look slightly sheer here under strong light, but this is 3 coats.

I love how Lady Muck is not a dull, boring grey. It's got a slight tinge of blue with a pretty shimmer.

Do you own Lady Muck?

xx

Nicole

PS.

Hello heroines!

This is the second GB I received, as promised.

The usual packaging

Information sheet provided this time around but it was disorganised. Each box was supposedly catered towards the customer's personal profile on their account, very much like the Julep Maven program. And like the Maven program, there's bound to be dissatisfied customers.

The usual discount cards

The theme for the month was something along the lines of getting active

Dencorub Extra Strength Heat Gel. This is one of the oddest inclusions, although it might possibly come in handy.

Klorane Dry Shampoo, for in-between washes. Handy travel size.

Eau Thermal Avene Lotion Douceur. I'm pretty much unlikely to ever use this seeing as to how it's for dry and very dry sensitive skin. Good brand though.

Absolutely Gorgeous Essentials Macadamia Face Cream. Essentially, facial moisturiser. Might be handy for travelling during winter. Great size.

KMS California Hot Flex Spray. Basically a hairspray. Pretty much useless to me.

And this takes the cake. It's a power bracelet. This baby has been in so many scams, with people claiming it doesn't work and that it's all simply a placebo effect. I've no idea what to do with this!

And there we go, the quintessential Proactiv product. This time it's a cleansing bar. I might use it on my body but I hardly ever use bar soaps. It's an Asian thing.

So there we go, I'm not sad to see GB Au go although I'm sad it didn't work out properly. I hope that with their merger with Lust Have It, the products offered will improve and that things'll go more smoothly for them, especially since GB is such an established company internationally.

For further details on the LHI boxes, you can check out their website http://www.lusthaveit.com.au/. Each box retails for $14.95/mth and you can cancel whenever.

xx

Nicole

Disclaimer: This box was sent for review but that in no way affected my opinions on it.

Hello heroines!

This post comes rather belatedly because well, GlossyBox Au has merged with another beauty box subscription company - Lust Have It but I'm going ahead with this review anyway because GB promises better products with the recent merger.

So let's just press on, shall we?

This is what it looks like. The GlossyBox comes in a cardboard box that isn't actually sealed. The flaps are inserted into the correct slots and all but they're not taped up. Not very secure, I reckon.

This was their Valentines' Day box, hence the heart sticker.

The products come prettily packaged with all the paper hay and all. They also provide some form of shock-absorbing property I suppose.

The usual discount cards and promotional cards.

Adorable mini travel nail files

elf mineral eyeshadow

elf super glossy lip shine

elf hypershine gloss

a roll of fizzy lollies

Carmex moisture Plus ultra hydrating lip balm

Proactiv Deep cleansing wash

I'm honestly not too fond of this box. They gave so many elf products and out of the 7 products, three were lip products, which I hardly even use! Well, technically 3.5 were lip products, if you remember that lollies pass through your lips. And the lollies were the only thing I've used (aka eaten) so far.

I've heard heaps of people complain about the abundance of Proactive products in GlossyBoxes and I agree. Proactiv may not be for everyone because not everyone has the kinda skin issues that Proactiv targets. Plus, Proactiv samples tend to come in full-size, much like this one. You'll see it again in the other GB I'm going to review.

I'm not going to be using the mineral eyeshadow anytime soon either too because I don't usually wear eyeshadow everyday. elf products aren't too pricey so I suppose the only thing that is worth it in the whole box is probably the Proactiv, ironically. The media release promised high-end brands like Biotherm, YSL and Clinique but sadly the priciest product here is the Proactiv. An information sheet in the box would have been helpful too.

The following is the GB press release sent to me:

November 2011

Discover your Glossy Side

GLOSSYBOX now available in Australia!

Finally GLOSSYBOX is here in Australia!  The long-awaited beauty sample box that has taken Europe by storm has landed on our shores, promising to bring us a delightful selection of beauty treats every month. “It’s a great challenge to be entering the Australian market” says Alexandra Podeanu, CEO, GLOSSYBOX Australia, “as we recognize it as being very beauty savvy. We feel GLOSSYBOX will be perfect in meeting these high standards”.

GLOSSYBOX is already a proven success model in  10 countries with another 20 opening next year.  GLOSSYBOX was originally founded in Germany, where it quickly grew to 30,000 subscribers, making it the clear market leader. They moved  fast and launched into the UK  collecting10,000 members in just a few months. Behind GLOSSYBOX, is the dynamic Berlin-based investment company, Rocket Internet, who has been behind some of the most innovative start up businesses on the Web. This young dynamic team has in recent years built up successful Internet ventures such as eBay Germany, eDarling and Groupon as well as  having investments in companies such as Facebook and LinkedIn. In just several months, the business has grown more than a 1000% and is now one of the fastest growing new Internet businesses of its kind.

How it works

Every month a pretty pink gift box arrives bursting with five of the latest exciting beauty products.  Subscription is just $14.95 including shipping, and it only takes a few minutes to register.  Imagine how fun it is to edit your own beauty regime at home, trying and then deciding what to buy, without the pressure of sales pitches or hours wasted browsing the counters.  The latest products are chosen and customized to your beauty profile – making new product discovery so much faster and easier.

Expect to find luxury samples from brands such as Bobbi Brown, Jurlique, Biotherm, Yves Saint Laurent, Clinique and Shu Uemura. The list is constantly changing and ever expanding with new brands coming on board all the time. It’s a great way to discover new brands and the right product for every member.

GLOSSYBOX has an exciting rewards programme too where members can earn “GLOSSYDots”. Just by reviewing a product, subscribers will earn GLOSSYDots and once they have reached the target of 1000 GLOSSYDots, they will receive a GLOSSYBOX absolutely free! By sending infeedback, members can contribute to help keep GLOSSYBOX relevant and suited to what they want.

Become part of the GLOSSYBOX family – it’s so much more than a gorgeous monthly subscription box! Regularly receive tips and the latest trends from our beauty experts; watch out for updates on Twitter and Facebook to learn of our new beauty partners and other daily glossy news.

So why not treat yourself to a monthly surprise and discover your glossy side?

For all information on GLOSSYBOX and to subscribe, please visit us:

www.GLOSSYBOX.com.au

www.facebook.com/GLOSSYBOX.com.au

www.twitter.com/GLOSSYBOX_au

http://youtube.com/user/GLOSSYBOXbeautyAU

Let's see how the March box did and hope that the new merger will produce better boxes for customers.

xx

Nicole

Disclaimer: This box was sent for review but in no way affected my opinions.

Hello heroines!

Yes, you are reading a scheduled post yet again because submission frenzy lives on! It's a wonder I even managed to find time to swatch all these polishes previously. Gosh. What was I thinking?!

I never knew what a Henley Regatta was until I caught What A Girl Wants for the umpteenth time again on TV. For you American ladies, I believe the movie was released as The All-American Girl in the US. It's the one starring Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth and Oliver James. A great chick flick, if you'd ever need something completely brainless.

This was three coats of Henley Regatta, with base and top coat. I don't know how it correlates to a rowing race, but hey, pretty colour!!

As you can see, it's made up of tiny green and blue glitters!! Very pretty indeed. I always have a soft spot for green and blue and this hits that spot squarely.

What can I say? I'm in love with Henley Regatta. Glittery mess on cuticles aside, this polish is absolutely blinding. The way it sparkles when it moves. Gosh.

GO GET HENLEY REGATTA NOW!!!

xx

Nicole

PS.

Hello!

I am back, and torn. From heaps of assignments. My brain is like... dry. So is Nicole's. Ask her. So I will try to be as enthusiastic about my nails. Because I know I was so excited about it before! So ladies and gentlemen, I present you...

nyannaynnyannyannyannyanaynayanahyanananyanynaynanynaynanyanynaynanynaynanynanyanynanyanynanyanynaynanynanyanyan

To make this annoying cat, you first have to like Nyan Cat. Then you listen to http://nyan.cat.

Get them materials.

1. Plastic sheet (I used a sandwich bag)
2. Colours of the rainbow polish: Only 6 colours are needed though. Seems to me that Nyan Cat cannot count, despite its Asian heritage LOL (I kid, I kid).

   
   
   The colours I used: basic colours would do, really. No need for fancy ones.

   Ulta3 Sizzling Red, The Face Shop orange polish (I didn't quite like this. I recommend other orange colours that are more opague), BYS The Right Bright, Ulta3 Mojito, Mode Hook Me Up, BYS Bright Purple (I don't recomment this either because it is too translucent), Mode Style Magnet.

3. Background colour and Nyan Cat's colours

   
   Try to get a close colour to grey for the cat, beige colour for the poptart, baby pink for the jam and hot pink to dot the jam.
   I used: Mode Messed Up, Butter London Yummy Mummy, and BYS Baby Pink. It's important to not get the colours wrong. If the gray is too deep a shade, then Nyan Cat will look weird. If it's too light, then it might blend in with the beige poptart colour. I had a few trial and errors on this one.

4. A thin, painting brush.

Optional: Dotting pen.

The Nyan Cat!

First, we start with the Nyan Cat. It is advisable to start with the Nyan Cat first because it saves time although this mani takes about 2 hours to pull off. LOL.

Draw the outline of Nyan Cat on a piece of paper, and spread a pastic sheet over the drawing, nice and taut. Use sticky tapes to hold the plastic in place.

Using a white polish, fill inside the outlines. Doesn't have to be too neat. The reason for a white background is so that the finished Nyan Cat won't be too transparent when you place it on the rainbow.

As you can see, my first Nyan Cat didnt go too well. I painted the beige colour too harshly and it blended in with the grey. So I darkened the grey, which made it look like a black cat. So I started over again. This time, I painted the beige colour less harshly.

Then I filled in the jam, dotted the jam and then painted the remaining grey. Remember, jam, dots, THEN grey.

Using a dotting pen or a thin brush, outline using the colour black. Dot the eyes, black dot first, then a slightly smaller white dot for the shine. Small black dot for the nose, slightly oval pink dots for the rosy cheeks, and be patient with the mouth. it may take some effort, time, and even redoing the mouth (paint over with grey, let it dry, and then paint the black mouth again).

Let it dry, and then voila! You made your own sticker. Now you can paint anything and turn it into a sticker :D

By the way, between steps to make this Nyan Cat, you have to let each colour dry before applying another colour. So between steps, you can work on your rainbow, bit by bit.

To the infinity rainbow!

So this is how your nails would look like before the Nyan Cat goes on.

1. Paint a dark blue background. Doesn't have to be shimmery like mine.
2. Paint a wide white polish over where your rainbow would be. I'm so sorry I forgot to take pictures of this step.
3. Paint one by one, the colours of the rainbow in a straight, horizontal line.
4. Dot white dots to replicate the original Nyan Cat background.

I did the rainbow and the Nyan Cat simulatenously which waiting for either one to dry.

When everything has dried, peel the Nyan Cat gently off the plastic sheet and stick it onto the thumb nail.

Please, I urge you all to patiently wait for the Nyan Cat to completely dry before applying onto your nail. I got impatient for my right side Nyan Cat, and I made a hole in it! :( ALL MY EFFORTS WERE GONE.

If you are impatient like me, you can soak them in cold water, freeze them and blow onto it. It really takes up time. LOL.

This mani shouldn't be too difficult, I think. It's quite fun to do! Do you think it would be difficult to pull this off? Have a go, and let me know! :) By the way, check out my sister's tutorial for Nyan Cat nails at Nailosophy! She has some other great tips!

Till then,

Debbie

Hello heroines!

We're continuing with our Butter London swatching today and well, today's polish is rather magical. And it makes me feel like floating!

Let's take a little look-see shall we?

This is three coats of Fairy Lights. Please pardon the absence of my index finger, it dragged horribly when I applied my top coat so PLEASE be careful and let this baby DRY COMPLETELY.

She's a rather frosty ice queen, so careful application will reduce the chances of visible brushstrokes. Unless of course, you like brushstrokes. I would if I'm going for the whole abstract look.

Honestly, this kinda isn't my colour. The frost finish, I'm fine with but the pinkkkk. It's always the pink isn't it?! I'm gonna stash this polish away till I can think of an occassion to wear it again. Like maybe to a bridal or baby shower.

What do you think of Fairy Lights?

xx

Nicole

PS.

Hello heroines!

Today I have a very surprising polish, something that I'd hardly ever wear. It's a palette cleanser, really. As we all know, I love bright colours, or vivid colours, or just really really intense colours. I'm just really not a big fan of neutrals.

This is three coats of All Hail The Queen.

It's a neutral that leans brown. It's got an interesting shimmer in it that sets it apart from neutral cremes.

I'm not entirely convinced of this polish because the colour's not really my kinda thing I suppose. If I ever want a palette cleanser however, I might just find myself reaching for this baby.

The formula was pretty good. It was still rather sheer at three coats, as you can see, my VNL is still visible under strong light. I can't imagine doing anymore coats than this though, so I guess I'd just have to leave with the slight hint of VNL!

Nothing more that I'd possibly expect from Butter London, anyway.

xx

Nicole

PS.