Product Rave - Poshe topcoat and basecoat

Hi lovelies!

In case you may not have noticed...I am mad for nail polish and I really love doing my nails. I own way too many bottles of polish (I will do a post with my polish stash someday) and nothing relaxes me quite as much as the simple, repetitious task of painting your nails does. There's something quite therapeutic about choosing a colour to reflect your mood (or in some instances, influence your mood), and then spending a few minutes painting your nails...as it's quite a mindless task, it's an opportunity to let your brain rest, or it's also something you can do while watching television or talking on the phone (what can I say, I love multitasking)!

Now, I always, always stress to use a good quality basecoat and topcoat. Basecoat is important as it prevents your chosen nail colour from leaching into your nails and staining them, while topcoat adds shine and prevents undue wear on the polish, helping add longevity to your manicure. Here's a quick tip from me, if you want to keep your manicure looking as fresh as the day you applied it, I suggest adding topcoat every 2 days or so, as it adds shine and prevents the tips from wearing or chipping!

I used to use OPI basecoat and topcoat, but my topcoat was starting to get a bit gluggy, so I took the opportunity to order the Poshe topcoat from Crush Cosmetics not too long ago, during one of their regular sales. I love Crush as they have great sales from time to time (add them on Facebook so you'll never be left out) and they have great customer service. They occasionally throw in a great freebie too, which is always a win (check out a previous haul from them here)! Truthfully, I was having trouble deciding between Poshe and Seche Vite, but after some research online I decided on Poshe as SV has a reputation for causing shrinkage at the tips.

I put in an order for the Poshe topcoat and also a bottle of the Seche Vite Restore (to restore polishes which become a bit gluggy with time) and imagine my surprise when a bottle of the Poshe basecoat showed up instead! I gave Crush a quick call to explain the situation and they were fantastic, and fixed the problem immediately. They'd accidentally received a shipment of basecoat instead, and hadn't actually realised it until I emailed to tell them of the problem, so they kindly allowed me to keep the basecoat while they waited for a new shipment of topcoat to come in. They did offer a replacement from another brand but I was happy to wait for the Poshe topcoat, which they sent me within a couple of weeks.

I'm completely in love with both the base and topcoats (but more the topcoat, and more on that in a minute)! What's more, both the basecoat and topcoat are big 3 free, which means free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP. The base coat comes with a white lid while the top coat comes with a black lid, as shown from the photos below (taken from the Poshe website). The darkest colours don't get through the basecoat and my polishes apply oh-so-smoothly on top! The basecoat dries within seconds and really helps create an even base for the polish.

The topcoat gives polishes a fantastic shine and prevents chipping and wearing for absolutely ages! I only applied a single layer of topcoat once, and it left my polish looking intact, without wearing or chipping at the tips, for about six days with an OPI polish. And what's even more amazing, is that applying the Poshe topcoat to wet OPI polish left me with dry nails almost immediately! That's almost unheard of with OPI polish! Any nail polish addict knows the pain of painstakingly applying each layer of polish, waiting for it to dry (and then doing pretty much everything to make sure it's bone dry), before going to bed only to wake up with pillow print on the aforementioned nails! Well, ladies, I guarantee that you will NOT have a problem with this if you use the Poshe topcoat!

I only have one wee complaint about these products, and that is the writing on the basecoat bottle is actually quite hard to make out (white on transparent, never a good idea), but the colour of the cap does mean that you won't run the risk of mixing the bottles up (I did mention it was a wee complaint, but it has to mentioned for the sake of an honest review).

I have long been a fan of OPI Drip Dry Drops (review to follow shortly, and which I tend to never let myself run out of), but dare I say it, they might actually be redundant now that I have this absolutely fantastic topcoat in my polish wardrobe! Out with the old, in with the new?

Trust me, you have to try it to believe it. It's also the only topcoat that would actually work with the Milani polish I posted about here. The Milani polish, while stunning, is pretty gritty and has a matte texture, and it practically swallowed any topcoat I put on top, with the exception of the Poshe topcoat which added a whole other dimension to the Milani manicure!

That's all from me, folks, I hope I've convinced you to at least think about the Poshe topcoat the next time you're in the market for one, as it's truly a one-of-a-kind product! Look out for more NOTD posts coming from me, now that I have this in my arsenal!


Much love,
MM.
x

Salon Melbourne - Fashion Show

Hi lovelies,

I do apologise for the long delay in between posts. I have been a bit unwell and in a lot of pain, so I haven't been able to get on my laptop. I didn't even manage to get to work this week, so you can imagine how unwell I was! It seems to have improved a bit today, although my doctor did frighten me a bit when she told me to go to the Emergency Room over the weekend if things got bad again, but I'm going to try and think positive and hope it won't come to that, since I'm actually feeling a bit better now.

Anyway, enough about that. Here's my last post regarding the Salon Melbourne event. I have previously blogged about the Salon Melbourne overall experience here, and updated about my Salon Melbourne haul here, if you missed it. We had the opportunity to see a fashion show whilst we were at the expo, so I thought I'd share some photos of the clothes, make up and hairdos the stylists used on the runway. I do apologise for the quality of the images, I had to downsize them for uploading purposes and didn't realise that they turned out a bit blurry.

I call this the 'lingerie-with-cape' look.

The male model (yes, you heard read me right, THE, as in single male model in the entire show) was kind of boring as he only changed his top, he mainly wore the same shoes/pants for the whole show!

It makes me think of Mad Men for some reason...

I thought this outfit was quite cute and something I might have worn, had it been just a teensy bit longer.

This would make a nice autumn/winter outfit,
paired with stockings and a nice pea coat IMHO.

I'd have to say this outfit would take mega cohones to wear in public. The model actually wasn't wearing anything underneath, but I actually think this outfit could be worn in public with a tank top or black bra underneath. Love the shoes!

This is my favourite of all the outfits and something I'd love to wear. I love the hair, the make up, the veil and the shoes, as well! I couldn't resist taking a photo of this pose though, it's very reminiscent of a certain Jolie meme making the rounds of the internet! :P

Final curtain call!

See, single male model!

I hope you enjoyed that post, lovelies! I must say I'm doing very well in the fashion show stakes this year, that makes two so far and it's only April! :D

Do you enjoy fashion shows as much as I do?

Much love,
MM.
x

Salon Melbourne - Event Review.

Hi lovelies,

As promised, here is my Salon Melbourne review. It's going to be quite picture heavy!

There were some really fabulous things to see, try and buy. I actually wasn't expecting so many brands/exhibitors, because some of the exhibitors weren't listed on the website! It was a really pleasant surprise, though, and I did feel a bit like a kid in a candy shop, unsure of where to begin because everything looked so fantastic!

One of the first things Ms V and I saw was a stand operated by Crown Brushes, selling a whole array of palettes, including the 88 shimmer palette that I ended up buying. They had so many different palettes, it was pretty hard trying to decide on just one! Prices varied a bit but it was about $30 for one, or two for $50.

We also saw a display from Gorgeous Cosmetics. They had such great prices, I remember seeing brushes on sale for $10 each! I have always loved the make up by Gorgeous but had to restrain myself to only buying stuff that I actually needed/wanted very badly.

I was also very keen on trying on Minx nails, commonly worn by celebrities like Beyonce and Rihanna, but they are usually salon exclusive and oh-so-expensive! They were being sold for $15 per set at the Minx display stand. The salesperson placed the Minx foil under a heat lamp until it 'wilted', indicating it was ready for application. You then apply the applique to the nail, smooth it down and then file off the ends. If you make a mistake, pop it back under the heat lamp and smooth it out again. If you're purchasing for home use, like I was, then you could use your hair dryer instead of a heat lamp.

Miss V getting her Minx trial done.

We stopped at the Zoya stand next. They had a lovely, well stocked display which was being continually restocked. I think we spent almost 30 minutes there. I'd always wanted to try Zoya polishes as they are 'the big three free' which means free of toluene, formaldehyde and dibuthyl phthalate (DBP), but unfortunately they are just so hard to find in Melbourne!

We also passed a Nyx stall, which I found quite intriguing. Nyx is brand from the US which is extremely affordable. Think lipsticks and eyeshadows that are like $3 each. I actually already have quite a few of things from the Nyx brand but I didn't purchase any from SM as they were far more affordable online.

There was actually a media lounge/bloggers lounge where you could update your blog live! What a lovely idea! It was also really nice having a wall against which you could take your photo, and having some comfy couches to rest your feet after walking around the huge exhibition hall!

Posing in front of the 'wall'. 

We also came across some lovely body painting. I always love body painting because it always looks like a costume until you get really close and realise it's all just paint, not fabric! The model was gorgeous and kindly let us photograph her.

She looks like a dryad from a fairytale!

We also spotted this lovely make up stand at Vani-T, and this is what made me decide I had to buy a lipstick because the packaging was so pretty! They even had these little brushes with diamanté collars, it was very pretty but I forgot to take a photo of it.

Cupcake lipstick stand at Vani-T.

There was also lots of lash exhibits, selling false lashes, offering lash extensions and products to condition or increase lash growth. Amongst them was Lash Republic, Minx lashes, and many, many more.

They also had some models walking around in rather fantastical outfits and shoes. I'm not really sure where they'd come from, but the hair and make up was amazing! Look at the model in white with her hair made into a dome, and the red skeins hanging from her hair do.

Well, there you go, lovelies! A brief snapshot of what walking around Salon Melbourne was like. I will be posting another post soon on a fashion show we saw at Salon Melbourne, which will be the last of my three Salon Melbourne related posts. For a peek at the items I picked up at Salon Melbourne, have a look here.

Much love,
MM.
x

Happy Easter Friday and some fantastic news!

Hi lovelies!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Easter and a fantastic start to your long weekend?! I've had a great time so far, I had dinner/drinks with friends last night, came home and spent nearly all night reading the second book of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire. I woke up this morning to find that I had won a Glosscars pack from BeautyHeaven!

For those of you who don't know, the Glosscars is an event where the best products for each category are nominated by BH and voted for by members, with the winners having the distinction of being awarded the title of best product in their category (think foundation, perfume, hair straightener, hair dryer etc). Product winners are based on reviews and secret votes, and the best reviews also win one of fifteen Glosscars packs containing ALL the winning products, so that's more than $1,000 in value! Understandably, BH members are equally excited about seeing the products that make the winners list (see the list here), as well as the chance to win an amazing Glosscars pack. Competition for the Glosscars pack is really tough as there are literally thousands of reviews written each Glosscars season, so it must be really difficult to select just fifteen winners!

Anyhow, I wasn't feeling very optimistic about winning a Glosscars pack as I haven't been having a very good run of luck lately, which is why I was stunned when I logged on this morning, found out the list of winners had been released, and saw my name on the list! I nearly fell out of my chair in shock! I actually couldn't believe it and I think I stared at it for a few minutes before it finally sank in.

Last year was a really tough one for me, and this year has been slightly better, so it's so uplifting to have something positive happen for a change. It gives me hope that there will be light at the end of the tunnel and things might be changing for the better! And I was also really touched by the congratulatory messages that I received from all my online friends, it was so sweet how they were all really happy and excited on my behalf. So thank you all for your support, my lovelies, you know who you are! What's even more exciting is the lovely Amy from Beauty in a Bottle also won a Glosscars pack! I was so excited when I saw it and flooded her with emails and messages telling her the good news! It's so exciting when you actually know the people who have won a fantastic prize!

Anyways, I then spent the rest of the day lying on the couch, reading the third book from the Hunger Games series, Mockingjay and eating some lovely chocolate my aunt from Switzerland sent me. I am completely in addicted to these chocolates, when I was in Geneva, I used to pop down to buy a bag every two or three days because they were just so good!

Can I just say that the Hunger Games books are simply brilliant, I enjoyed the movie immensely but the books are even more riveting! It's been a wonderful start to my Easter weekend, and better yet, there are still three days to go!

How have you been spending your Easter weekend, beauties?

Much love,
MM.
x

EOTD and NOTD

Hey lovelies!

Okay, I couldn't resist playing with my new 88 shadow palette...so I put together this little EOTD! I'm a bit too tired to blog about Salon Melbourne today as I have lots of chores to do, but I will leave you with a quick EOTD and NOTD post. With the EOTD, I'm actually using two different shades of green but it's not really being picked up by the camera. Also tried white on my lower lash line, it sort of became pale green, mixing with the shadow. I think I took it too far this time (right into the inner corner)...will stop before I get to that point next time I try the white liner trick. For some reason I've always found pale gold/pink liner more manageable than white!

\

With the NOTD, I'm wearing Milani Purple Gleam, with Minx accent nails as trialled at Salon Melbourne. I love how glittery and matte Purple Gleam is, but it's a nightmare to work with. The brush is kind of thick and ..goopy, and it's hard to paint precisely with it. The formula is also a bit strange, it's quite a hard glitter so it dries to a chunky, matte finish. I applied topcoat and it looked gorgeous for a little while, and then the polish sort of swallowed the top coat and became matte again in minutes. It's a very pretty polish though, it reminds me a bit of a Christmas ornament. You get flashes of purple and black glitter through it, which is quite unique, I've received quite a few compliments wearing this! I've been wearing it for four days now and it's been wearing really well; no chipping but I have noticed a tiny bit of wear at the ends.

That's all for now, folks!

Much love,
MM.
x

Quick update: I tried this with the Poshe topcoat on top and it looked even more stunning! I had a bit of a hard time capturing a photo that truly did this justice but here is one attempt. I took it just before I took the manicure off, so please excuse the wearing!

Salon Melbourne - Haul

Hello lovelies!


This is going to be an abbreviated post as I have been out all day and I'm exhausted! I spent a few hours today with the lovely Miss V at Salon Melbourne, which is a hair and beauty event for professionals. It's usually an invite only event but we were invited in as media, due to our beauty blogging. It was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and there were some truly fabulous things to see! Some really big brands like Zoya, OPI, Minx, Vani-T, Gorgeous Cosmetics, Bodyography, Moroccanoil, and many, many others were exhibiting at the event...so it was really hard not to get carried away!

My media pass! It had my name (which I blocked out)
and my blog name. This brings me back to when
 I used to write for a newspaper about 10 years ago!

It was so crowded, they had actually closed the parking lot, so I had to park some distance away and walk in. After a few hours spent walking around the booths and watching the shows, I was quite exhausted. Add on a couple of hours afterwards spent visiting with family and running chores, and I got home almost feeling like I'd done a marathon!

So I've decided to do a quick post today to share my Salon Melbourne haul, and then I'll spend some time over the next couple of days writing about what I saw and sharing some photos! I may have gone a bit overboard with the shopping...I don't really regret most of the things I purchased, but I may have gone a wee bit overboard with the nail polishes. Still, I'm actually going to be giving some away as gifts, etc, so I don't feel too badly about it. I basically stocked up on stuff that I use really often, or stuff that I find pretty expensive/hard to get in Melbourne.

So here's what I got:

Minx nail stickers. I've always wanted to try these, so I was quick to snap up two metallic designs after a quick trial. They were so popular, a lot of the styles were sold out!

My Minx nail stickers.

88 shimmer/pearl eyeshadow palette from Crown Brushes. I'm not sure which brand they're from as there isn't one listed on the palette, but it does have pretty good pigmentation, so I figured it was well worth the $25 price tag!

Look out for more EOTDs coming soon!

Another view because it's just so pretty! 

Stocking up on Babyliss Argan Oil. This stuff is amazing (it's so moisturising and it smells fantastic)! We also got given a free acrylic trial kit by someone as we were passing by her stall.

Vani-T matte mineral lipstick. I have to confess, part of the reason I had to get this is because the packaging is just so...bling! I actually have a matching bracelet and ring that a very dear friend gave me for my birthday last year. I'll be sure to post a photo of it tomorrow to compare.

Also, this lipstick has a gorgeous colour, fantastic pigmentation and unlike most matte lippies, a really soft, creamy texture. I've decided this brand has the cutest things, it's just so girly! Even their paper bag is gorgeous, matte black with metallic gold embossing.

Vani-T mineral lipstick. 

It's a gorgeous matte red, but it feels really creamy on!

Zoya...sigh, I totally went overboard here. I've been wanting some Zoya polishes for a while now but they're pretty hard to find in Melbourne, and quite expensive besides. I picked up a whopping 11 polishes from this brand. I will admit that some of these are gifts, but I still think I got a wee bit carried away. They had some really good deals, where you could buy six polishes and pick two free ones, so Miss V and I split the bill and got four polishes each. We each also picked up a set of six polishes from a Zoya collection. I ended up with Cheryl, Julieanna, Edyta, Karina, Carrie Ann and Kym from the Wicked collection, and Valerie, Arielle, Dree and Divincia for my individual picks. I also picked up Holly for $3 on special. Apologies for the photo quality, the lighting in my flat is atrocious!

The top six are from the Wicked collection, and the lower five
were randomly selected because I loved them!

The OPI booth was a madhouse. Literally. There were so many girls crowding it, you could barely make out the polishes, much less buy any! I did manage to pick up one polish, Pedal Faster, Suzi, for $10, a pretty pale pink with microglitter. I also stocked up on Drip Dry Drops (which I cannot live without), and they came with a free bottle of Dim Sum Plum.

Well, that pretty much sums up my haul! I did score some terrific deals, but I can tell you that my bank account really isn't too happy with me right now!

 I leave you with a complete photo of what it all looked like!

The complete haul!

Much love,
MM.
x