Stella Nails - Lambrusco, Apollo and Silver Rainbow.

Hi lovelies,

How are we all finding this short week? I keep forgetting what day it is, having the Monday off has seriously messed with my head!

Back to blogging, I've got three gorgeous polishes to show you today from Stella Nails! In case you haven't heard of Stella Nails before, it's an Aussie indie brand based in Canberra, which creates handmade, unique nail polishes. The business is run by the lovely Lynaire (isn't that a beautiful name?) and all polishes are Big 5-free (no formaldehyde, DBP, camphor, formaldehyde resin or toluene). I actually have two more polishes in addition to these to show you, but I'll share them in a separate post as I don't want this to be too photo-heavy!

Lambrusco is a holographic fuchsia jelly that certainly isn't for the faint hearted. It definitely screams for attention! Like all jelly polishes, this one was quite sheer so I applied 3 thin layers to build up opacity. It wore pretty well as I got three days out of it before minor tip wear started to appear (I always wear topcoat).

Stella Nails Lambrusco in shade.

Keep reading after the jump!

Quick recap - December Her Fashion Box, Lust Have It and Violet Box Reviews.

Hi lovelies,

I've been trying to settle back into the routine of things here in Melbourne, so I decided to kick off by doing a quick recap of the December subscription boxes, which all arrived after I left for holidays with the family.

I'll start with the December Her Fashion Box. I found this box to be fairly exciting from the beauty perspective, but a bit disappointing from the fashion side of things, which is a shame as I have loved the previous October and November boxes. In the Dec box, I received:

ModelCo eyeshadow trio
Her Fashion Box blue earrings
Her Fashion Box black necklace
Her Fashion Box hairtie
Urban Rituelle Frangipani body balm
Katy Perry Killer Queen perfume sample
White Glo toothpaste
Fing'rs heavy metal polish kit
Her Fashion Box super smoothies sachets (x2)
Transparent clutch purse

Keep reading after the jump!

The Resolutions Tag.

Hi lovelies,

I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently, but I've unfortunately caught a bad bout of the flu and so, had to extend my holiday to give myself time to recover! I was recently tagged by the lovely Mel from Melissa Bubbles to complete the Resolutions Tag, so here are my answers to the questions (I'm using my father's computer to type this and it's refusing to cooperate, so please excuse the crazy formatting in this post).

1. Name 3 things that you did this year that you are proud of. 
Travelled to Bali with friends (something I'd always wanted to do)
Open sea snorkelling in Bali (no mean feat when you're afraid of water and can't swim)
Ticked off a 6 year work anniversary.

2. Name 1 thing that you would have done differently.
Can't think of anything, really. I think I've made all my decisions based on all the information I had at the time, so I can't think of any way I could have done things differently.

3. What was your biggest highlight this year? 
Probably the Bali trip for my birthday.

4. What was your favorite beauty product this year? 
I picked up some Maybelline Baby Lips tinted lip balms (the Bright Collection) while in KL, and they're amazing! Pigmented enough to show a flush of natural colour on my lips, all while being incredible moisturising. I love them so much, I've picked up three different shades!

5. What was your least favorite beauty product this year?
I actually can't think of anything I truly disliked. I might have to come back to this.

6. Who do you want to thank for being amazing this year? 
Some of my girl friends/surrogate family who stuck by me through thick and thin, and gave me some much needed support (and laughter). You should know who you are. :) 

RESOLUTIONS

7. What Makeup/Beauty resolutions do you have for this year?
To shop my stash more, and cut down on impulse buys bought for retail therapy.

8. What are your fashion resolutions for this year? 
To have more fun with colour and to get back to wearing more dresses.

9. What are your personal resolutions for this year?
It's probably easier to just direct you to this post. 

10. Name one thing you want to check off your bucket list.
I don't really have a bucket list, per se, but I'd love to do more traveling this year.

There you go, lovelies, my (rather boring) answers to the Resolutions Tag! I'm not going to tag anyone as I often forget run out of time to do tags I've been tagged in, but if you'd love to play along, I'd love to read your answers! Feel free to leave answers in the comments, or leave a link if you've done the tag!

Much love,
MM.
x

~Happy 2014~

Dear lovelies,

I just wanted to pop in to wish you all a very happy new year. In case you've been wondering why I haven't updated in a bit, I'm actually on holiday enjoying quality time in Malaysia with my family. I did think about setting up some scheduled posts but I decided to just take the time off and enjoy a complete break. :)

2013 has been an interesting year for me, there have been some great highs but also some epic lows. It has been a year of saying goodbye to friendships I thought would endure the years, and also a year of meeting some wonderful friends who have put light in my heart and laughter on my face. It was also a year where I managed to travel to three new places I'd never been to before, as well as revisited two places I enjoyed immensely. It was a year of personal growth and while I haven't enjoyed as many personal successes as I'd have liked, things could also have been much worse.

(Image sourced from Google Images)

I don't believe in resolutions, but I do believe in setting personal goals, so here are mine for the upcoming new year...in the last few years I feel like I've lost touch with who I used to be, and I miss her a lot, so my goal is to get back to the person I used to be, and to spend more time on the things I thought were important. I'm going to try to be the best possible person I can be, and get back into shape mentally, physically and emotionally.

Dear readers, I thank you for all the support you've given me over the past year, with all the love and friendship you've shown me through your emails, comments, messages and tweets. I value each and every one of you and I am ever so grateful for all the support I've received thus far.

I wish you all a wonderful new year, and hope that 2014 brings great joy, love, laughter and personal success. If you'd like to share your goals for 2014, I'd love to hear it.

Much love,
MM.
x

Essence Limited Edition Beauty Beats (Girls on Tour with Justin Bieber) Collection and Product Reviews.

Hi lovelies,

This is just a quick mini-review/post but did you know that Essence have a collaboration collection with Justin Bieber? It's called the Beauty Beats/Girls on Tour Collection and like (almost) all their collections, it's limited edition!

Now don't stone me for this but I'm really not the biggest Bieber fan...so I wasn't all too tempted to pick any of the items up until I was walking through Priceline and stumbled across this!

Is it just me or does the Biebs look a bit vampire-esque here?

Keep reading after the jump!

2013 Christmas/New Year International Giveaway!

Hi lovelies,

Another year (almost) done and dusted, but I couldn't let it pass without celebrating with a Christmas/New Year Giveaway! Before I continue further, I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for your support of my blog, through your comments, emails and tweets, you've all touched my heart and made me feel so blessed! Now, on to what you can WIN!

2013 Christmas and New Year International Giveaway Prize.

Giveaway Contents
Circa Home Lilac & Orchid Soap
Manicare Ultimate Point Tweezers
Manicare Angled Brush for eyeliners and brows
Manicare Ultimate Lash Groomer
theBalm Shady Lady Volume 2 Eyeshadow Palette
1000 Hour Natural Lashes false lashes
L'Oreal Paris Infallible 2-Step Lipstick in Resolution Red
L'Oreal Paris Infallible 2-Step Lipstick in Timeless Rose
Designer Brands Kohl Liner in Black
Korres Soft Eyeliner Pencil in Golden
Maybelline New York Volum'express Waterproof Mascara in Glam Black
Decoderm All Day Mascara
Chi Chi Metallic Shadow Stick in Solid Gold Dancer
Chi Chi Metallic Shadow Stick in Boogie Nights
Glameyes Manicare velvet and crystal eyeliner tattoo
Planet Eve Luxe Hand Cream

Now, on to the RULES, please pay attention as I would hate to disqualify people who fail to abide by them (sad face). The rules of this giveaway are simple.
1) This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
2) You must be a GFC or Bloglovin' follower of my blog, but you get extra entries for doing both (please specify which way you are folllowing in your comment as per rule 3 below).
3) You must leave a comment on what you are most looking forward to in the new year.
4) Please also include your GFC name and/or Bloglovin' username, and email address with your comment (so I can check that you've followed the rules and contact you if you win), or you will be disqualified.

That's it! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Wishing all my readers a happy, safe and wonderful Christmas and New Year! 

Much love,
MM.
x