The Metallic Python and the Jewel-Encrusted Zebra

In this month's Bellabox, I was given a set of press-on nail-art by the brand Kiss. For a while I'd been eyeing off Sally Hansen's version of these nail-adhesives. Only I'd been a little too wrapped up in Ulta3 nail polish to give them the time of day. So when this turned up on my doorstep, I was as happy as a guinea pig who's heard the vegetable drawer opening. That's pretty damn happy.

My Kiss Nail Dress in KDS01

The kit itself comes with twenty eight nail adhesives of fourteen different sizes, as well as a little nail file for removing the excess from the tips of your nails. I find it strange that the kits include twenty eight stickers, rather than a more practical thirty. However, I can't see this being too much of a problem for me. As my nails are quite short, I cut the adhesives in half before I apply them. This means I'd definitely be able to get at least three uses out of one kit. Perhaps even an additional feature nail or two.

As far as application goes, these press-ons are relatively easy. You just find the right size for your nail, carefully peel the sticker off the plastic sheet, line up the curvier edge with your cuticle, and press down towards the tip of your nail - smoothing out any bubbles or bumps. You then fold it down over the edge of your nail and file away the excess.

I have to say, I was a little sceptical of the last step in this process, as I thought that the file would remove either too little or too much of the remaining sticker. Perhaps even removing a rhinestone or two, or accidentally lifting the whole thing off. With a little patience though, I ended up with a pretty flawless result. For me, it took just as much time to apply as it would take to do 3 coats of polish, but without the terrible smell, drying time and potential to ruin furniture.

Just like the Sally Hansen strips, these claim to last on your nails for 10 days. I can't vouch for that completely, as it's only been six days, but so far, I've been really pleased with how well they're travelling. They've survived many days at work making coffees, washing dishes, cleaning around the house, having baths and foraging around many a handbag. The latter being the greatest testament of all to their staying power! While I may have lost a few rhinestones here and there on the tip of my thumb and forefinger, it's definitely not too noticeable as the strips are patterned.

The design itself has really won me over too. I thought it may have been a little too garish when I first saw it in the packet, but it actually looks really glamorous and interesting on the nails. I actually feel like the potentially tacky zebra print aspect of these nails, is toned down by the fact that it's on my itty bitty nails. I think art looks nicer on shorter nails. Less California Barbie.  I actually received quite a few compliments on it at work over this past week too. So yay for that.

All in all, even though they're not exactly cheap at $14 AUD a pop, they're definitely something I'd repurchase again. I think I'll give the Sally Hansen ones a go and see how they compare. I will say however, that the Kiss range has a better selection of jewelled designs - with an impressive nine in the collection. Fancy!

On the topic of fancy, I also recently picked up a gorgeous cross-body evening bag from Colette. It's a black fold-over with a long, detachable strap and pale gold snakeskin detailing.

See?! See?!

For years now, I've been tolerating a pretty (but awful) patent leather bag from Dangerfield. The chain strap dug in and constantly broke, the clasp was tiny and refused to shut, and the bag itself struggled to hold more than my keys and phone. So obviously, this Colette bag has been an absolute dream to tote around. The strap is comfortable across my shoulder, the fold-over section stays secure with a magnetic clasp, the interior is wonderfully roomy and I can't help but love the style of it.

Here's a bit of a size indication for you :)

I feel like the touch of gold makes it just that little bit more evening-ish, without being too much to exclude it from daytime use. Also, being such a pale gold, it seems to go well with both gold and silver jewellery. This is a definite plus for me as I tend to fluctuate between the two. Another plus was the not-too-shabby price of $29.95 AUD. Pretty reasonable for a bag I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of use out of. Much more use than my torturous Dangerfield bag, that's for sure!

Bellabox Just Made My Day

There are few things that can brighten my day after an extremely busy, stressful work shift. One of these things is an exceptionally wonderful loot from the lovely girls at Bellabox. I arrived home to these little gems today, and I was suitably impressed. Wouldn't you be?!

Hopefully you can appreciate that I'm managing to hold all of these in one hand whilst holding the camera with my other hand! Such skill ;)

The June box contains:

• Nak Diamond Hair Polish: A smoothing creme that can be used on dry hair as a heat protectant and very light-hold styling product.
• Pure Fuji Body Butter: A frangipani scented body butter containing milk proteins and nut extracts.
• Facial Fresh Cloth Facial Treatment Mask: A cloth mask recommended for weekly use. Claims to replenish and protect dehydrated, tight or dry skin.
• Benefit Professional Pro Balm: A translucent, oil-free primer.
• Kiss Dress Nails: Press-on nail art. This particular one is zebra print with rhinestones.
• Fan Di Fendi Fragrance: A small sample of the new Fendi perfume, containing notes of pear, tangerine, blackcurrant, tangerine, leather and patchouli.
• Olea Olive Leaf Drops: 4 cold-fighting lozenges with olive leaf extract and Manuka honey. 

I feel like this box has a really nice mix of products. Excitingly, I haven't tried anything in it before -which is why I love these beauty subscription boxes so much. They give you the opportunity to try and test new or little-known products without committing to forking over the doe for the full size version.

I'm looking forward to trying out the Kiss Dress Nails. I've been eyeing off the Sally Hansen range of nail press-ons for a while now; and this looks very similar. Not sure how I feel about wearing rhinestones on all my fingers, but I think it could look really wild on an accent nail or two. The Nak hair creme certainly wont go astray either. I go through hair products as quickly as milk! Plus I really loved the Nak Hair Oil in April's Bellabox, so I have high hopes for this one.

If I hadn't recently bought an Inglot primer (which I love) I would have definitely been more thrilled by the cute little Benefit one. The packaging alone is enough to win me over! Frothy, retro, super-girly packaging gets me every time! I think I may save this 7.5ml tube for travelling though. What a terrible reviewer I am! So much of my sample-sized stuff has ended up in a makeup case under my bathroom sink - awaiting that faithful day in October when it boards a plane. Hopefully a couple of products from this month's box can make it into my June Favourites though!

If you're interested in giving them a burl, here's the site for Bellabox. After sampling three lovely boxes, they've definitely got my tick of approval. Plus they're based in Melbourne, which means very prompt postage for my fellow Melbournians!

xx.

Most Loved In May!

I have to say, I'm a little bit in love with reading posts that fall under the category of 'Monthly Favourites'. Whether it's the excitement of finding a new product listed that seems to be worth trying, the surprise of seeing an old one that's reemerged and charmed it's way back into the blogger's heart, or simply a case of general nosiness - I just adore them! So, I thought I'd give this pony a ride. Without further adieu, I give you my monthly favourites for the month of May.

MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
I picked this up during my time in New York City last September, and have been steadily pawing my way through it. This month in particular. As many of you may know, this is a lovely champagne coloured eye-base. It's a cream-to-powder formulation that can be worn underneath eyeshadow, or applied all over the lid as a sheer colour. I must admit, I found it a little difficult to work with to begin with. If I accidentally applied too much in the one spot, it created a patchy, scaly effect. Also, if I wasn't quick enough, it would dry and set before I could blend it evenly. I've since found that to avoid this, the best thing to do is to ditch the makeup brush, and simply swipe it on with my finger. Also, less is more. The reason that it was looking a little patchy on my eyes to begin with, was that I was trying to apply too much of it. Technical stuff aside though, this is a really beautiful, brightening shade, and a fantastic base for my eye shadow. Nothing creases with this baby on!

Revlon Nutri-Colour Creme
You may remember this little baby from my Chaddy Haul post. It's a colour depositing treatment for your hair, and I can't recommend it highly enough. I have dry, colour-treated hair, and I can safely say that this has completely replaced my deep conditioning treatments. Not only does it make my locks all smooth and moisturised, it noticeably ups the vibrancy of my colour. The current red dye I'm using has a tendency to go pink after a month or so, but I feel like this product has really kept the fading at bay. At my recommendation, a friend of mine (with purple hair) also bought a tube in 200 Violet, and we both noticed how much it improved the intensity of her colour after a single use. I've already picked up another 100ml tube of this wonder-product in 600 Fire Red, but have since found the larger 250ml pump bottle for the tantalising price of  AUD $23.70 on Beauty Bay. That's less than I payed retail for the 100ml! Plus a pump bottle is far more convenient than trying to squeeze the creme out of a tube with my awkwardly glove-adorned hands! 

Ulta 3 Nail Polish
I've gone a bit gaga over these polishes this month; picking up a whopping 7 shades! I found out about them through Bellabox when I received Enchanted in their April box. These polishes are absolutely exceptional for the price. Only 50 cents a bottle at Coles, would you believe?! They apply nicely, dry quickly, and with a quick coat of my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri over the top, you can't tell them apart from the more high-end brands. I even received a few compliments on Lagoon when wearing it at work. My absolute favourite shade this month though, has to be Blue Marlin: a bright blue creme.

This shade is to die for. It seems to make the skin on my hands seem fairer and 'cleaner' if that makes any sense. If you're interested in oohing and ahhing over the entire Ulta 3 shade range, there's a brilliant page of swatches and descriptions here.

Silk Oil of Morocco Lip Gloss in Ruby
Another beauty box find! I received this one in this month's Bellabox, and I've been reaching for it ever since. As I understand it, this is a fairly new brand. The lip gloss contains argan oil, which of course is known for it's nourishing qualities. So it just makes sense that it would eventually find it's way into a lip product. Another reason I've been loving this gloss, is it's divine peppermint scent. Why don't more lip products smell like peppermint?! As far as the colour payoff goes, it's sheer enough that it can be applied without too much fuss, and compliments pretty much any look. I should mention that the two things I don't like about this product is the steep price (AUD $29.95), and the fact that it takes a lot of dipping the wand in and out of the tube to get enough product for one application. Regardless though, this has definitely been a favourite of mine this month (just bring it down in price please Bellabox!)

Lush Volcano Foot Mask
I bought this with a friend specifically for a girly day of face masks, cupcakes, manicures and Disney films. To begin with, I had dismissed it because it only came in a 225gm tub, which was far too big and a little too pricey. As luck would have it though, a 125gm version was in stock for the first time on the day we decided to visit the store. Yay! Back on track though, this is a foot mask and scrub that cleanses, deodorises and exfoliates. You're meant to rub the product all over dry feet, wrap them in glad wrap for 10 minutes, and then massage and rinse. I found that this mask was such a nice alternative to the usual foot scrubs and stones. It contains pumice to rub away dead skin cells, as well as cleansing, softening and anti fungal goodies like lemon oil, papaya and cinnamon. It also smells like tomatoes in a big way, as it contains them for their anti-stink properties! This did absolute wonders for bringing my feet back to a non-embarrassing state! I also found this to be a much gentler (yet still effective) option than using an abrasive scrubby paddle or stone. Such a lovely treat. Especially for a girl who's on her feet all day, every day.
 

Maybelline Full 'n Soft Mascara
I used this mascara back in the day and loved it, but for whatever reason (curiosity I suppose) I decided to stray away from it and try a few others. While I did like some of the other mascaras, L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes and Covergirl's LashBlast for example, nothing worked for me quite like the Full 'n Soft. So this month I decided to repurchase it, and my love for this beautiful mascara has only grown! It separates, lifts and adds volume without looking spiky and overdone. Plus clumping is minimal to none. It certainly lives up to it's name. With this on, my lashes seem much fuller and not at all brittle. Also, I definitely feel that it's reduced my lash fallout significantly. Which is a big plus for me. While this mascara is marketed as being a more natural day-time mascara, I've been wearing it on nights out this month without any hesitation. I think it can look really glamorous and lovely. Love love love it!

Caudalie Cleansing Water
Of course, my monthly favourites would not be complete without my newest obsession - my Caudalie Cleanser. I wont go into too much detail with this one as I already did a pretty in depth review about it here. I will say however, that this has become a staple in my nightly skincare routine this month, and I can definitely see myself repurchasing this when it runs out.

Well, that about wraps things up. Happy June everyone!