Trend alert: magnetic nail polish

Hmmm....does this mean crackle is on its way out?

What it is: it is a lacquer (nail polish) that has metallic particles suspended in its formula that when placed against a magnetic source will produce a pattern.
The magnet is held over the freshly painted nail and the metallic particles forms a pattern. Once the polish is completely dry, the pattern stays put.

Here's one from Nails Inc.

Other major brands have followed suit.

What do you think of this new trend: hot or not?

NATIO Skincare Products

Finally, I was able to get all of these items today! Yes, I kinda splurged in buying these "natural" skin care products made in Australia. I bought the toner with rosemary & something else, lip balm with SPF 15, Renew Anti-Wrinkle Cream (which I will be using at night), Gentle Facial Scrub (ideally, 2-4 times a week), and Sunscreen Lotion with SPF 30 (which you can use under make-up).

Just wanted to share that my wish of buying these products two weeks ago, came to a reality today. Although I was not able to buy the eye brightening cream coz a jobless woman cannot really splurge too much these days! I will buy one day... one day.

I will try these on and hopefully I will get a result after a week or two and will give you my piece. Hopefully, I will not get disappointed. Wish me luck!

Organic Care Shampoo & Conditioner - Ultra Hydrating

I have been having issues with my hair and scalp since my return to Sydney weeks ago. I bought so many shampoos & conditioners and all of it didn't work out fine. I know that we shed about 100 strands of hair each day but I felt mine was just walking with me all the time! And my scalp became so dry that even if I wash it thoroughly, I ended up with itchy and scaly scalp! Yuck!!!

I didn't stop looking for alternatives coz it's not a good thing to see ... looks like dandruff! Last week, saw this natural "organic" shampoo & conditioner at Priceline for a cheap price of AU$3.99. Thought it wasn't pricey to get both and so I did. I didn't use it right away though.

The first time I used it, I felt it wasn't smooth on my hair but it does make a nice lather. Probably because it is all natural. I put more shampoo and conditioner. When finished, my hair were so sticky and looked like it was damped with so much oil. I got a bit frustrated. Maybe, I just didn't wash very well or I put so much. Although I have to say that my scalp wasn't itchy and flaky anymore. An instant result.

Next day, I put less and once dried, I already felt happy and satisfied. I don't have to put any anti-frizz oil to make my hair shiny and soft. I don't even have to blow-dry my hair to get that shine. I'm on my 4th day, and I'm just loving this product. My coarse dry hair looks alive, healthy and shiny! Happy with this good find!!!

I got the dry Nourish Shampoo and Conditioner. No parabens, no petrochemical cleansers and it's got coconut oil. It does live up to it's tagline - - "Natural miracle, ultra hydrating."

ORLY NAIL LACQUER

These Orly nail polish colours are my favourite at the moment - - Soul Mate and Naughty shades (L-F). I purchased another shade "Catch the Bouquet" but I didn't like it due to it's frosty effect. It was nice to look at but once painted onto my nails, it didn't give any oomph to my hands. It will probably be best for fairer skin tone. So, I didn't bother including it in the photo.

Going back to these lovely colours... it's easy to use and 1 or 2 coatings are enough (your own choice). It dries quickly and lasts a very long time. It lasted 8 days on my nails and that's good enough since I always work my hands with so many chores.

It's currently discounted on beautybay.com around $9.90; not sure how long the promotion will be. It's a pretty good sale since it's normally priced $20-25 each.

And if you are crazy with nail polishes, you may also store it in your fridge. That way, it will last longer! :)

Start painting those hands and feet now!

BODY SHOP Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash

I'm guilty... I'm obsessed with toiletries! Take me to the mall or even supermarket, you will see me along the beauty and bath section!!! I don't know what's with these products but they always drive me nuts! And mind you, I don't buy because I ran out of stock. I just want to buy and not just 1, not just 2, but most of the times, in 3's! Yes... I am a hoarder!

If you go to my "haven" at home, you will see heaps of facial wash tubes. And I must say that this is one of my favourite from Body Shop. This 100ml tube will probably last you a decent 2 months, depending how often you use it. Just a small pea size will definitely cleanse your face and will remove all make-up in one go! It's very creamy once you mix with a little water. Plus, it has vitamin E!

I will highly recommend this even for delicate skin like mine. You can buy at any Body Shop outlets. Here in Sydney, it's around AU$ 30.00, while I bought some in Manila (Philippines) for Php650.00 (which is almost 50% cheaper).

Go grab one and try it yourself. It's worth your money. :)

Covergirl Trublend with blendable minerals

Although I don't use much of liquid foundation, or should I say, I really don't use it unless I will attend a function wherein I need to be fully made up, I still tend to buy whenever I get the chance. I try to collect and test which liquid foundation will best suit my combination skin.

Like yesterday while doing my "babysitting" task with my 3 little nephews and niece", I went to Myer to return the MAC Studio Fix Liquid Foundation I purchased recently due to allergic reaction. I was even excited to use it already until I got very itchy after 3 hours and later on, it just didn't sit well on my skin. Such a sigh... and this made me look for a cheap bargain instead... ended up seeing a flashing sign that says "Sale for $10.00!"

Yes, this bottle was sold at $10.00 and the saleslady helped me nicely to choose which color will complement my skin most. I got the 420 which is 3rd color to the lightest. Looked good while I was at the shops then. There was a bit of itchiness but probably because I am really not used to wearing foundation. It went away after a few minutes anyway.

I thought it was a good buy but when I used it this morning for a make-up trial, it didn't come out the same anymore. It was very dark compared to my skin and it didn't lighten even after an hour. This will probably suit other skin type but I won't be using it anymore. For it's price, I will not bother getting a refund. Will just stack it up on my shelf. Might be able to recycle it someday... :)

Smooth and Shiny!!!

My hair strands are not fine and it has natural curl in my fringe section... that's why I need my best friend each time I step out of the shower - - blow dryer and anti-frizz oil!!! And this has been my routine for a long time.

Family and friends know that I love toiletries and anything about health & beauty products. This is one of the special gifts I received last Christmas and voila! It is magical! After using it as my conditioner and blow-dried my hair a bit, my hair became so straight, smooth and shiny!!! My sister even saw the instant result and we both cannot believe that there is a product that works! It is not just mere Marketing afterall!

For sure, this will be part of my daily beauty routine. I can truly say it's worth the price AU$49.95. Super thumbs up!

Fave beauty/fashion apps

Here are the apps I've got on my device so far:

• Westfield    http://www.westfield.com.au/au/whats-on/2010/iphone-app
• Stila Cosmetics (Color me Stila)  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/color-me-stila/id468178137
• OPI   http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/opi/id355728893?mt=8

Nabi nail polish review

A few weeks ago, I bought a couple of nail polishes from the local mall. They were 3 for $10  and the colour ranges from subtle colours to metallics.
Here are the colours that I purchased: velvet, sky blue & nude pearl (from the Nabi II collection) and metallic punky, metallic cinnamon & metallic brown black (metallic collection)
http://nabicosmetic.com/nail/nail_polish.htm

YAYs: Nabi II collection needs at least two coats for sufficient coverage. For the metallics, I used only one coat (for the dark colour - metallic brown black) and two coats for the metallic cinnamon and metallic punky. Both collections have thick consistencies.

NAYs: The smell is a bit strong. The formula may get too thick so you may want to thin them down using acetone based nail polish remover

from L to R: nude pearl, velvet, sky blue

from L to R: metallic punky, metallic cinnamon, metallic brown black

I'm now wearing nude pearl (top coated with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in 01-Invisible). Three days straight and I've been to the pool many times. So far, no chip! ;)