Butterfly Award & Chi Chi - Hissy Fit

Oooh - firstly I've won the Butterfly Award from Nails by Courteney [check out her blog *hint hint*]

... The Rules ...

1. Link the person back who awarded you

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Answer the following questions below

4. Award this to 15 bloggers.

... 7 things about myself ...

1.  I'm itching for tomorrow when no buy ends ... I have a list of things I want to buy this week :D

2.  My favourite flowers are tulips!

3.  I really enjoy reading thriller and suspense novels

4.  I love a cheese platter - Mmmmmmmmmmmm

5.  I live really close to the beach

6.  My favourite season is Autumn

7.  I believe whatever situation in life - there is a Simpsons quote to appropriately describe it!!

... Questions ...

Favourite Colour: Pink at the moment but this changes regularly

Favourite Song: At the moment I'm definitely into Katy Perry so I'll say Last Friday Night

Favourite Dessert: Sticky Date Pudding ... Nom nom nom nom

What annoys me: When people comment on my spelling on my blog ... I'm sure someone will say I've spelt "Favourite" and "Colour" wrong >:( Sorry but I speak and spell English - not American *end rant*

Favourite Pet: My Maltese Shihtzu Lola :)

Black or White: Depends on the situation

Biggest Fear: The Dentist ... Seriously! I can't bring myself to visit a dentist and I break out in sweat even thinking about it. I blame a traumatic childhood where I had braces 3 times :( One day I'll overcome this phobia.

Best feature: My sense of humour :D

What is perfection: It's whatever you want to make it!

Guilty Pleasure: Chocolate ... mmmmmmmmmmm

... Tagged Bloggers ...

[I've only done 10 - feel the love and get visiting]

Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom

Flossy Locks

I'M FEELING NAIL-VENTUROUS

It's a beautiful day in the TrailerHood!

Madness and Polish Collide

More Nail Polish

Polish Amor

Samarium's Swatches

Spit & Polish

The Polish Haven

Now with that out of the way onto nails ...

Chi Chi - Hissy Fit

Purchased from Target - $5.00 AUD

I'll come out and say it - I really like the Chi Chi mini bottles. Firstly I love the bottle shape compared to the full sized square design - secondly it's not exactly "mini" at 10ml/0.3fl oz it's still bigger than things like Glitter Gal and the full size is only 5ml more [although costs $12.95]

There isn't a lot about Chi Chi polishes on Google [their official site is forever under construction] and I couldn't find a swatch of this one online when I was browsing at their colours and picked it up just because of the colour in the bottle that was calling me.

"Hissy fit" is a bright vibrant dark purple with hints of blue. I originally wasn't going to call it a blurple but it appears more like a bright dark blue in the shade and in photos it appears to be the same story - it's full of shine and colour regardless. Also this is one of those polishes that my camera hates and decided to show it as blue so I've had to use my husbands HTC phone for these photos

This is 2 coats and it goes on smooth and dries quickly. No lumps, bumps, bubbles or streaks just shiny purple filled goodness!

[eww - gross cuticles! must do something about that]

** Final Verdict **

Easy to apply, easy on the eyes, easy on the wallet ... providing that you aren't buying it to photograph you'll be fine! So ... go have a Hissy Fit! :) I insist!

... Exhibit - 11 Mint Green ...

Exhibit -11 Mint Green

Purchased from Gloss Cosmetics - $4.95

I picked this up by impulse last time I was at Gloss. I'll be the first to admit that I don't own many green polishes and I haven't tried any Exhibit polishes yet ... in fact I had never even heard of that range until I saw it. There seems to be crud-all about it on Google so here goes ...

What drew me to this particular shade is how shiny it looks in the bottle ... but it's ever so sheer.Mint Green would definitely describe the colour so they've gotten that right but I probably should have tried this over a nude but oh well ... anyway this is 3 coats and it's streaky in places but it dried quickly.  

What's really intrigued me is the fact the colour shifts from this minty green to like a silver ... interesting!

** Final Verdict **

If you are looking for a green that's not "in your face" green then this is a possibility. It's subtle enough for work if you don't mind the streaks. I've got plans for this one later as a base coat.

... Friday Favourites - Inglot 203 ...

It's been awhile but welcome back Friday Favourites!! Also apologies for this mornings Blogger glitch ... for some reason this post won't appear in the dashboard but one I had scheduled for Monday decided to kindly appear instead - whoops.

Inglot 203 Flakes from the Dream Collection

Purchased from Inglot Cosmetics - $16.00

Seriously - this is my 2nd favourite all time polish [straight behind Inglot 202]. I didn't think I was a flake girl originally. Majority of my collection is sparkle and glitter and holo goodness ... I only own 2 flakes and both are up the top of my favourite list.

I ALWAYS get comments when I wear either of my Inglot flakes and I'll admit it's my fail safe polish if I'm heading out and am unsure what I'm going to wear. This one will work well if I wear black, white, green or blue ... and that's a huge colour choice to pick from than just a plain colour. My brother-in-law who is not a big nail polish person even commented this time around. Wow!

Cut to the chase - first thing you'll notice is that it's a small bottle and it's expensive. $16AUD for a 8ml/0.27fl oz bottle but it is jam packed with flakes. And I mean jam packed! You can see those big flake pieces on the brush as soon as you pick it up!!

The flakes dry quickly and are relatively smooth which is a surprise. Flakes will still shine on through with a top coat - no dramas there!

I've applied 2 coats of 203 over Rimmel 60 second 800 Black Out. Enjoy flakie goodness!

Looking green

Looking teal

Hello Blue

Darker Blue

** Final Verdict **
I dreamt about this collection during the week - after thinking about buying Nubar 2010 on August 1 when I'm off no buy I've decided instead to buy the other 2 bottles of flakes that I'm missing from Inglot. There are 4 bottles of flakie goodness from Inglot and I only have 2 - I must remedy that!! 204 and 205 you will be mine [although their website doesn't list 205 anymore so I'll have to seriously get hunting for it!]

... BYS -Mauve-in on up ...

BYS - Mauve-in on up

Purchased from Kmart - $3.95

Here's yet another BYS untried out of the stash. This one is "mauve-in on up" and I originally picked this up for the colour on the bottle. It's purple but you can see lines of blue throughout the polish. That doesn't really translate onto the nails but seems to come through a lot more on photos.

It's streak free and was easy to apply and it definitely dries quick and smooth. It's not as jelly as some of the other BYS polishes but it's definitely as shiny - I'm not sure if this one is a dud but it's got a stronger smell than the other BYS polishes I've used in the past ... just saying!

This one really looks unexciting with the BYS crackle that only works with BYS polishes. I'm definitely not a fan of their "Shatter" range at all but I thought I should keep trying it out and hoping for the one in a million fantastic shot. I'm mainly uploading to show how blue that bottle can get.

** Final Verdict **

If you can get past the smell this polish was great. Streak free and a great colour. I'll be giving it a wear another day.

Helmer Love & Stash Update

No swatches today *sad* but I've been a busy girl.

My old helmer was not happy! The top is disgustingly cluttered ... the 2nd drawer has been invaded by lego and the 3rd just has all sorts of odds and sods in it ... Oooh and my pretty butterfly box on top that I stash swaps item in until it's ready to go! Ssshhhh! ;)

So after a full day of swearing and getting seriously frustrated my helmer appeared!! I'm actually quite pleased with myself as a] I did it all by myself and b] I managed not to stab myself with the screwdriver [but I came close a few times - ugh]

So I've been trying to type out my stash list [put on the tab up the top] and move my polishes over from their various hiding places around the house. At the moment I've only sorted them into swatched [top drawer] and unswatched [2nd drawer] but I'm sure it'll get some sort of organisation going soon - especially as I've got 4 empty drawers!

Question for everyone though - how do you store your stamping plates? That's the one thing I'm not sure about at the moment

I haven't worked out where I'm going to put these drawers yet but I'm sure we'll find a great place! Back to regular swatches tomorrow!

Face of Australia Molten Metallics - Flaming Lava

I had such a fantastic excellent day yesterday when I really wasn't expecting to have even a decent one.

Let's start at the beginning! I planned yesterday to go to Ikea with a friend and finally get my #1 wishlist item - an Ikea Helmer. Being Australia they of course had to jack up the price so what I had been hearing about overseas as a $40 item turned out to be $130 here - ouch! Anyway I really wanted to get my little hands on one [especially as my eldest kiddo has stolen my makeshift plastic helmer and filled it with lego!]

So guess what I found on clearance sale ...

[stolen pic from Google Images]

Oh yeah!!! Reduced big time!! I grabbed it and ran - I didn't even check what colour it was until I got home - turned out I've gotten a lovely red and I thought I should get my nails to match!!

Face of Australia Molten Metallics - Flaming Lava

Purchased from Big W - $4.95 AUD

I broke my July No Buy to grab this baby but I think it was justified! I know the Molten Metallics collection is Limited Edition but for some reason they have simply disappeared totally from all of the places locally around me that sell Face of Australia - no idea on if they just simply sold out or if they have just been removed from the shelves but if any Aussies want any of this range I'll say to get your butt moving!

I love this range - which is why I wanted the set. I'm yet to find one that hasn't been lovely. Obviously it's a metallic polish and this one is a lovely bright shiny red! The only flaw I found with it is that my camera doesn't like how fantastic it is and tones down the photos [edited - actually after looking on Google it seems that others have this issue aswell!!]

This picture is 1 coat - that's right you heard me ... it's a super rare 1 coater!! As with the others from this range it dries quickly and smooth and there is no streaks or brush marks. Just shiny goodness left behind!!

[photo done with flash as that was the ONLY way I could get this polish to look the colour it actually is!]

** Final Verdict **

Possibly my favourite red I've come across so far - ever. Being a 1 coater makes it fantastic in my book. I love how these metallics are so super smooth and shiny and I love how this matches my new shiny helmer!! I really do love this range.

... Blue Monday - Nfu-Oh 51 ...

Nfu-Oh 51

Purchased from ViVidNails

I picked this up from the VividNails $2 Nfu.Oh sale a month [I believe they still have a few colours left so if you are in Australia go check it out!]. I hadn't gotten around to wearing it until now. I regret that as this is a fantastic colour!!

As recommended by the lovely ReecesPeeces I've layered this over a coats of Coral Colours Black Sateen. I've shown 2 coats in this swatch. This was streak free and a dream to apply - full of blue shimmer that appears in the sunlight.

** Final Verdict **

I love this blue - so pretty and I don't seem to have any others that quite match it. One of my more favourite Nfu.Ohs :)

Blogroll & Giveaway Pages ... plus Water Decal failness

It's a bit of a mixed bag today as I'm still in holiday mode but tomorrow it's back to regularly scheduled fun.

I've spent today tidying up my blog before it gets wildly out of control. So ... blogs and giveaways now have their own little tabs up the tops. Oooh - pretty!

The giveaway page will be updated regularly instead of a weekly post here. Obviously I'll be removing ones that have ended and constantly adding new ones that I come across in my travels across cyberspace. I was at a stage where I would forget to actually enter giveaways I was plugging ... or enter them more than once as I'd forget that I'd entered - Whoops!! I always love seeing a familiar name win these things so get clicking!!

Also if you want to be listed on my blogroll please either comment below or send me an email with the link on the right! Hopefully I haven't missed many of you!

The super lovely Flossy from Flossy Locks sent me these water decals to try out awhile back and I had forgotten about posting the pics until last night.

So they look really pretty ... and comes with a simple 5 steps to get them on your nails. Cut them out - peel the protective layer off - soak in water - place on your nails - add a top coat when dry. Sounds simple but there has to be a real trick to these and making them look good - for the time I took fiddling around with them I probably could have painted my nails properly and done some stamping or nail art.

I managed to get them onto my nails in one piece and thought "this is working really easy" ... but from there it was all downhill. My main issue was that they wouldn't dry - and then when they did they didn't stick to the nail [even with a top coat]. Also I found that the top was easy enough to shape and file the bottom was another story altogether. In the end I ended up damaging one decal design aswell by adding a top coat - whoops!

I have some more of these decals and I would love to actually work out how they are supposed too go. If you have had success I'd love to hear from you - otherwise I'll get youtubing!

... I'm back!!!! And NOTD Kink - Showgirl ...

I'm back!! Hope you missed me - I missed blogger dreadfully and was able to read some posts on my phone but definitely not able to comment *sad* I'll be trying to catch up on the latest over the weekend.

I'll kick you off with unexciting Australian pics of what I saw on my trip ... I didn't go anywhere overly exciting like a capital city but it was a free vacation with the family ...

So I saw miles and miles of unexciting fields full of grass, with the occasional sheep or possibly cows inhabiting them and of course the standard gum tree.

Lazy ass kangaroos that were too busy sunbaking to get up to pose for a photo. I purposely made sure I had a kangaroo photo since the most common questions I'm asked about living in Australia is usually about snakes or spiders ... but after that it's about Kangaroos [No you don't keep them as pets but yes they do just roam the countryside and then put a giant dent in your car if they get in the way!!]

Now that I've gotten that out of the way ... Here's todays nails ...

Kink - Showgirl

Purchased from Coles $8.00 AUD

[on sale this week for $5!]

I'd seen this brand in the local Coles for a bit but haven't gotten around to testing yet. I'm was wary - it's a supermarket brand so I wasn't expecting anything fantastic but I was hoping stumble onto something nice. BYS is one of my favourite brands and they are under the $5 mark so I thought I'd give these a go as google only had limited pics on what they are actually like.

The Kink cosmetics are ONLY available at Coles Supermarkets but they always have a promotion on to buy 2 and get a 3rd free. While their nail range isn't overly huge some of their other cosmetic items look pretty cool. I also LOVE that it comes sealed in a bag! I know that testing cosmetics isn't allowed blah blah blah - but I'm sure we've all got a bottle of polish somewhere that you aren't 100% sure that it hasn't been used before.

I won't lie - I was disappointed with the first coat of "Showgirl". I originally put it straight into the "looks great in the bottle and awful on nails" category but it grew on me. I wouldn't consider it a favourite but it turned out a lot better after 3 coats then I thought it would originally.

While it's blue glitter on a blue base it's awfully sheer plus you don't get that many glitter particles sticking to the brush. I can still see my real nail under this polish so you really need a nude as a base. Actually the photo makes it look a lot better than it really is.

** Final Verdict **
I don't "hate" this polish but I'm disappointed that it's not as vibrant or thick as the bottle makes it out to be. I'm hoping that this will be a great base polish for some stamping though *gets too it*

For the price though I can't complain too much - I've paid a lot more in the past for glitters less satisfying than this.

[edited to show stamping fun]

Definitely looks a whole lot nicer with some stamping added. I've used Konad m70 with Rimmel 60 second 800 BlackOut

... mmmm - mars bar ...

This is an old attempt at nail art that I found while cleaning out my photos off my memory card. I figured if I didn't load it here then it'll get lost and I won't have anything to compare future attempts of creativity too.

So ... mmm ... Mars Bar!! From memory the colours I used was Rimmel 60 Seconds 800 Black Out, Face of Australia Molten Metallics Gold and some non-named red that I had in a tiny sample bottle.

Obviously I need a lot more work on this type of nail art! But now I really want a Mars Bar :D *heads off in search of one*

... nail stamping attempt 1 ...

Finally I got around to getting a Konad plate and stamper. This is just a random posts so that I have something to look back on where I started. Obviously I need more practice but a girl needs to start somewhere.

I've been using Konad plate m69 in 2 different designs on OPI La Paz-itively Hot

Attempt #1 - Face of Australia Molten Metallics in White Gold.

Attempt #2 - Pointer finger in Face of Australia Molten Metallics in Iron Ore. 

All other fingers in Rimmel 60 Seconds 800 Black Out

I'm quite pleased with myself for a first attempt. Hopefully I'll be able to improve from this! Tips and hints appreciated :)

... Vacation and Giveaway Plugs ...

I'm on vacation for the rest of the week so hopefully I've set up Blogger correctly to post up a few random posts I had lurking around for your entertainment while I'm away. I'll be back by the weekend *waves*

And here's this weeks giveaway plugs - geez there are a lot this week! All are international and as always I'd love to see someone I know walk away with some goodies!

Lacquered Me Giveaway - ENDS July 24

Konad Nails 1 year blog anniversary #1 - ENDS July 30

Konad Nails 1 year blog anniversary #2 - ENDS July 31

Josie's Nails 450 Follower Giveaway - ENDS July 31

Spooky Nails 1 year blog anniversary - ENDS July 31

Konad Nails 1 year blog anniversary #3 - ENDS August 1

PaintedLadyFingers 2 year Blog giveaway - ENDS August 4

The Trace Face Philes 800 Follower Giveaway - ENDS August 5

Lacqurered Lover 250 Follower Giveaway - ENDS August 5

Manicure Addict 400 Follower Giveaway - ENDS August 9

I'm feeling nail-venturous 100 Follower giveaway - ENDS August 9

Blushing Noir 1000 Follower Giveaway - ENDS August 15

... Blue Monday - Chemistry 744 Revisited ...

I really wanted to revisit this duochrome that I struggled to swatch properly in the first place HERE.  So welcome to attempt #2. Black base didn't show this polish like I wanted. White base didn't show this polish like I wanted ... so hello nude base!!

I ended up using Nfu-Oh #23 which has turned into my fave nude - I'll be using this for quite a few of these tricky polishes that I've discovered. It's slightly darker than my skin tone but not much and I'm finding it a great base coat for those polishes that are too sheer otherwise.

Now here are the photos of it looking both blue and purple. Again my photography skills are sucky but I'm hoping you can see the slight difference between the blue and purple. It's not a huge shift but it's definitely there.

Looking blue

And here it is looking slightly more purple!

Like before this polish was still easy to apply with no streaks and dries as quick as it did last time.

** Final Verdict **
I really like this polish and it's subtle colour change. I've been finding it uplifting over the past few days since the weather has been drab and cold.

... Glitter Gal - Dark Purple ...

Glitter Gal - Dark Purple 3D Holographic

Purchased from GlitterGal - $14.95

Welcome to another Glitter Gal post as promised. This is the Dark Purple in the "Bling" bottle which from what I can tell is exactly the same as the Dark Purple in the regular bottle but with a fancy jewel studded cap. This was one of the first Glitter Gal polishes that I got my little hands on which was totally by accident after strolling through Harbourtown in Melbourne and finding them in a store then.

Like yesterdays entry this is one single coat of Dark Purple over Nfu.Oh 23 [yes my favourite nude appears again]. It's still easy to apply and dries quickly and yes it looks fantastic!! Pics Ahoy!

[inside with flash]

[under lights - taste the holo rainbow]

** Final Verdict **

This is a lovely purple but the holographic colours really make it stand out. I had comments from random strangers at the local shops today while wearing this and really I can't wipe the grin off my face. Also I do love the "bling" bottles but they only made 3 holos with this cap [purple, red and fuchsia] and considering it costs $3 more a bottle I can totally understand why people haven't brought this particular one.