NOTW: Pink Christmas Trees

Hey all :) How was Christmas? Mine was filled with good food, great company and amazing presents as well as a girly manicure which I am going to show you how to achieve in this post :) I wanted something Christmassy but at the same time different, hence I opted for pink Christmas trees :)

1. Start with a base coat to protect your natural nails.

2. Apply two coats of a shimmery pink nail polish such as Rimmel 60 Seconds 400 Starlet on all nails, omitting the ring fingers.

3. On the ring fingers, apply two coats of a shimmery grey. My choice was O.P.I. The World Is Not Enough from the Skyfall collection.

4. Make sure that the base colour is fully dry on the ring fingers before proceeding. Subsequently, apply two strips of striping tape, leaving a triangle in the between. This will be your Christmas tree, then apply another two strips crossing over each other on the top part of the triangle and repeat this step a little lower. 

5. Paint over the triangle in a solid pink such as Zoya Lara. Wait a couple of seconds and being to peel the tape off gently. You will be left with a Christmas tree with 'tinsel'.

6. Using a shimmery silver polish such as Orly Dazzle, place dots randomly on the tinsel to make them look like baubles.

7. With a fine detailing nail art brush and the same silver polish, paint a little star on top of the tree.

8. Finish with a glossy top coat and you're done! 

Review: Pupa Milano Limited Edition Diamond Deco Collection

Inspired by the iconic movie stars of the 1930's, Pupa Milano have created the Diamond Deco Collection (limited edition).  The collection consists of unique pieces in rich, metallic colours that are very reminiscent of that era.

In this post, I will be reviewing the Diamond Eyeshadow 04 and Diamond Eyeliner 03.

The eyeshadows in the Deco Collection are presented in a luxurious looking compact with a thick gold rim on the lid (the one I received is a sample product, hence the different packaging).  The clear part of the lid makes it easy to pick the colour you want and the each eyeshadow comes with a sponge applicator.  The 3-dimensional faceted shape lends a more luxurious feel to the product by making it look like a diamond or precious stone...very 1930's!

Pupa Milano never fails to impress both in terms of packaging as well as quality of their products. The eyeshadow is amazingly pigmented and can be used both wet or dry.  The effect is equally fantastic but the emerald reflects are enhanced further when the product is used wet. I haven't had any issues with fallouts and the product lasts well both with and without primer, irrespectable of wet or dry application.  I would describe the colour as dark brown with deep purple undertones and gold/emerald reflects throughout. Truly a unique colour and the pictures really don't do it any justice!

Wet, no primer; dry, no primer (left)
Wet, with primer; dry, with primer (right)

There are four different colours of eyeshadow in the collection and the one shown here is 04 Emerald Glitter Deco.  RRP €12.50 for 3.5g of product.

Next up is the glitter eyeliner gel in 03 Copper Glitter Deco. Now this is a product that although it looks beautiful with its gold, blue, silver and orange glitter mix, I would have skipped it with the idea that the glitter would now show up as beautifully on my eyes.  In that case, I would have been very wrong!

When I first swatched the product, I was totally blown away with the quality of it and I really liked the fact that the glitter is not sparse at all! The applicator is a small brush and delivers a good amount of product with each application.  Packaging is all plastic and is typical of liquid eyeliners.

What's different with this eyeliner is the gel base which even though it does take some time to dry, I think it is a good point somehow because it gives you time to correct mistakes. However, once dry, it will stay put until you take it off and you won't be left will glitter all over your face. The product can be used both on its own or on top of eyeshadow/eyeliner/eyepencil for an extra sparkly look. 

Diamond Deco Glitter Eyeliner is available in 4 sparkly shades. RRP €10.90 for 4.5ml of product.

Also available in the Diamond Deco Collection are 2 XL Retractable Lipsticks (€10.50 each), 2 Light Diffusing Illuminating Gels and 4 beautiful metallic nail polish shades (€5.60 each).

Watch this space for a sparkly party look featuring both of these products just in time for NYE!

PR Samples.

Looking Back On 2012

The year when the world was supposed to end is almost over.  It is needless to say that it has brought with it many ups and downs but the ups were certainly more than the downs. Overall, I can say that it was a year that I will remember for all my lifetime.  

To start with, I have been working in my dream job for a year and I am now officially appointed. Although  work can be stressful at times, I love the challenge it brings with it and I am pleased to say that I have the best colleagues one can ever have. Moreover, working on a shift basis does have leave me with more time to myself and allows me to carry out my freelance nail tech thing better.  

As for beauty, this year has seen me join a team of successful individuals and be part of Malta's first ever beauty portal www.eve.com.mt. I love blogging there and being a total feminist myself, I feel very proud and thankful of forming part of such a venture aimed especially at women. Here I have to thank Daniel and Bertrand for inviting me on board. Blogging also led to me being featured along side 4 other top Maltese beauty bloggers in The Sunday Times of the 7th of October (which happens to be my birthday) in an article by Ramona Depares; sepcial thanks also go to the photographer.  In August, I also had the opportunity to attend a bloggers' event at the PharmaMT offices which is the company who imports Essence and Catrice in Malta thanks to Daniela. It is surely an event I will remember!

The highlight for this year, however, is without any doubt, the week I spent in Paris with my boyfriend and his family. I am in awe of this beautiful city and if I could live there I totally would! From shopping on the never ending Champs-Elysees to visiting Versailles, this holiday rekindled memories of my first visit in Paris 10 years ago with my family and I hope I visit again soon!

Looking back on this year, I think I have achieved a few more life-goals such as starting driving lessons. I am now almost done with them and hopefully, I will take my practical test earlier next year. I have also stuck to most of the resolutions I made last year including going to the dermatologist ad excercising regularly. I still have some time left to do the others though :P.

Lastly, I would like to thank all those individuals who made my year a successful one and here's to an even better 2013 and a very Happy Christmas to everyone!

NOTW: Icy Snowflakes

This week I was feeling a little festive and I opted for some snowflake nail art. Snowflakes really fascinate me and it is sad to say but I have never seen one in my life. We don't get snow here in Malta and I don't really like travelling to colder climates so I guess I have to stick with seeing snowflakes on TV and in pictures...an end up re-creating them on nails!

This nail art is very easy to achieve, you just need some white acrylic paint and a little water to dilute it with. A small tip when using acrylic paints on nails, always make sure you are wearing a base coat over your nails and always seal with a top coat as otherwise, all you nail art will wear off the first time you wash your hands. Also, if you want to create detailed nail art, you will have to dilute the paint with a little water first.  If anyone wants a more detailed post on how to use acrylic paints in nail art, please let me know in the comments section.

So, let's start the tutorial!

1. Start with a clear base coat to protect the natural nails and paint two coats of a sheer iridescent blue polish such as Catrice Million Styles C06 Godfather Of Pearl. Leave to dry thoroughly and apply some foil adhesive at the very tips of the ring fingers. Allow the glue to go tacky before proceeding.

2. Dab a piece of silver nail foil over the glued areas and gently lift off. This will give the illusion of icicles. When finished, paint on a coat of a silver holographic polish like Catrice Million Styles C08 Have An Ice Day over all the nails.

3. Dilute a little white acrylic paint with water and using a detailing brush draw a snowflake in one corner of the ring finger as shown in the pictures. Move on to draw a small one in the opposite corner and a smaller one next to the big snowflake.

4. When dry, seal everything with a glossy top coat and you're done!

Review: RevitaLash Volumizing Primer in Navy

Last month I finally got my Meg's Make-up points package and among all the amazing stuff that was in there, there was this tube of RevitaLash Volumizing Primer.  I was quite excited about this product as I know that RevitaLash products are of optimal quality but they can be quite expensive.  Here is what I have to say about this product.

Starting with packaging, the primer is supplied in a blue carton box on which there are listed the ingredients, company address, and as you would expect, product name and volume. On the box it also says that the primer is Dermatologist and Opthalmologist reviewed, it is clinically tested, hypoallergenic and non-irritating. The company also states that it is part of Eco-Coalition and that a portion of all proceeds go towards breast cancer research initiatives.  The company also states that the finished product has not been tested on animals. The primer itself is presented as a navy blue mascara with a standard wand and carries a 6 month expiry period.

Now, a lash primer is not something I would have bought myself primarily because my lashes are quite long and mascara holds nicely on them but seeing the RevitaLash one provides lashes with volume (something I always look for in a mascara) and it claims to strengthen the lashes, I thought of giving it a go just the same.

Right from the very first application, Ii noticed that my lashes appeared more volumized but using the product didn't make a difference as to the length of stay of the mascara.  However, after a few uses, I did notice that I wasn't losing any eyelashes while removing my eye make-up so I guess the strengthening properties of the primer must have kicked in. I have never experienced any irritation in my eyes while using this product even when wearing contact lenses.

RevitaLash applied to the upper lashes of the right eye. Left eye bears nothing

Mascara only on the left upper eyelashes, mascara over RevitaLash primer on the right upper eyelashes

I like that the primer is blue in colour as I think it is easier to coat with mascara and it also doubles up as a blue mascara if you wanted to! Also, I didn't have any issues with removal.

Overall, I really like this primer and I would totally recommend it to anyone with sparse eyelashes as well as anyone seeking more volume to their lashes. The only thing that's making me hesitate to buy the product myself is the price as I don't think spending $24 on a product that you have to throw away after a short time is sensible.

RevitaLash Volumizing Primer retails for $24 for 7.39ml (0.25 Fl. Oz.).

Product was sent to me by megsmakeup.com along with other products after submission of 250 make-up points and payment of $15 international postage fee.