NOTD Incoco "Heart Breaker"

Do you want perfectly manicured nails from the comfort of your own home plus at the fracture of the cost that you would pay at a salon? Try these - Incoco Nails! I discovered this product about a year ago when I wanted get a french manicure. I got their french manicure kit and was SOLD! It was so easy, fast and the polish lasted without chipping for days!

What they promise:

"The revolution in Nail Polish. The world of nail polish as you know it is about to change forever! Finally there is an answer to the spills and smears of messy nail polish bottles. Incoco self-stick 100% nail polish strips. No other product can provide base coat, colour coat and top coat in a single dry self-stick nail polish strip. In minutes, you can have a professional manicure that lasts up to 14 days."


Incoco's Dry Nail Applique kit comes complete with: 20 colour strips, Cuticle stick, Mini buffer/file & Polish removal cloth.


Pro's
♥ Great colour selection. The Incoco Nail Polish Strips come in a variety of styles including 30 solid colors, 4 glitter shades and even french manicures so you are bound to find something you like.
♥ Good amount of strips. Each pack comes with 20 stickers in different sizes. Not only do the extra stickers make it easy for everyone to find a match, it also allow room for mistakes. 
♥ Very easy to apply and remove. 
♥ Super natural looking results. These look so much like real nail polish no one can tell they are stickers! The finish is also very smooth and glossy and you will never have to worry about uneven application or cleaning up cuticles.
♥ Time efficient. It only took me 5 minutes to get both hands done and since they are not liquid, you don’t even have to sit around waiting for them to dry up. Perfect for those who have zero patience...(like me)!

♥ Great longevity.

♥ Reasonable price. Each pack only costs around NZ$12.95, which is a lot cheaper than getting your nails done at the salon. But unlike regular nail polish, these are not reusable and you will not be able to fill in any gaps when your nails are growing out. 
Con's
♥ No real con's. But if they were cheaper that would mean I'd purchase them more often!

How to apply?

Check out their website for the complete range of colours available. The French Manicure range is AMAZING. They make super easy to get perfect french tips. My favourites!

Today I applied the the colour manicure in "Heart Breaker". Very cute soft pale pink! It reminds me of OPI's Mod About you. Don't my nails look so clean and perfectly manicured? Could never get results like this with liquid polish with my unsteady hands ♥ Love it! 

Photographed with necklace I was wearing today.  Thought they looked so pretty together :)

Happy Hump Day %

Another Wednesday has rolled around, gosh the week's are just flying by aren't they?! Well for me they are anyway..only 5 weeks left until I leave New Zealand. My place is slowly getting more & more empty as my stuff is selling online.

Gosh I'd love to check out Oprah's shoe collection one day, bet it would be very impressive!

Speaking of shoes, I had a very blonde moment today! As a bit of background to this story - I have very bad feet (thanks Mum!) :p About 8 months ago I got stress fractures in both my feet because of wearing unsupportive shoes while walking to work & increased exercise. I had to be on sneakers (all day!) for about 3 months to recover, it was HELL. Now that my feet are healed I continue to walk to work in my office gear + sneakers. Super dorky I know. The look always reminds me of that 80's movie 'Working Girl' with Melanie Griffith. Remember that one? Classic :)
Anyways  so I wear sneakers while walking to the office and in my bag I always pack a pair of heels to slip on once I get to my office. This morning, I got to work and ready to put on my heels....however turns out I had packed 2 different black heels (not a matching pair) DUH stoopid me!! But then...when I looked ever closer I realised that not only did I pack 2 different type of black heels, they were also both LEFT FOOTED! So no heels to wear :( Thank god a friend was so kind to give me her spare plain black flats for me to wear so I didn’t have to shamelessly keep my sneakers on all day long. Thanks Kelly - you were my saviour!

Happy Hump Day - hope your day didn't start of as silly as mine :p xoxo

Dry Shampoo>

Hate having un-washed hair? This wonder product will save you from the daily shampoo and free up your mornings! Dry shampoo is a summer staple, a must-have if you travel, and a lifesaver in all the worst hair situations.

What is dry shampoo?

For those of you who don’t know, dry shampoo is a powder, usually in a spray can, that absorbs oil in your hair and leaves a fresh scent. It gets rid of greasy “second day” hair, adds volume, and makes hair look and smell fresh and clean, minus the need for water.
Why use dry shampoo?

There are a so many reasons why dry shampoo is amazing. First of all, if you’re blonde, dry shampoo is the best for getting rid of greasy hair and even lightening up your roots! Second, it’s perfect if you have damaged hair that you don’t want to shampoo every day. Daily shampooing, blow drying, and styling can stress your hair even more, causing extra damage and breakage. By shampooing only 2-3 times a week and using dry shampoo in between washings, your hair will be less damaged and prone to breakage. Third, it’s perfect if you travel or just wake up late and need to get ready fast. A quick spray and your hair will be good to go, no shower necessary.

Directions for use - this bit’s sooo simple!

1. Shake can nice & thoroughly
2. Hold can approx 30cm from hair, spray lightly
3. Massage into your hair with fingertips for even coverage
4. Leave a few minutes
5. Brush it out – preferably with a bristle brush

So here's the Batiste Dry Shampoo. Because it's had pretty good reviews on Amazon, blogs etc I decided to purchase this product when I was in Sydney. It's been a love story between me and dry shampoo ever since! 
What it claims to do: "the in-between shampoo perfect for hair that feels greasy and lifeless between washes. Quick and convenient to use at home or on the move. Leaves your hair feeling clean, fragrant and full of body."

OK so I love, love Batiste Dry Shampoo! ♥ This is such a practical, useful, well-designed and cheap product! I blow-dry and straighten my hair and try to wash it every 3-4 days to give my hair and scalp a rest. Batiste is great for the last one or two days when the sides and top of my head can show a little greasiness. 

Brown Smokey Eye Tutorial

Hi lovelies,

I have recorded another tutorial using two of my favourite MAC eyeshadows; Satin Taupe & All that glitters. The result is a lovely brown smokey eye. I'm not 100% happy with the video myself because I had to cut bits and speed a few things up to get it under the 10 minute YouTube allowance. I need to be faster and more efficient obviously :p (all a learning experience right?)

See below outline of all the products used in this look:

♥ Face:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid & Powder in NC20

Revlon Concealer

Revlon Bronzer

NARS Orgasm Blush Powder

♥ Eyes:

NYX Jumbo Pencil in French Fries (base)

MAC All That Glitters e/s

MAC Satin Taupe e/s

MAC Carbon e/s

MAC Smolder eyeliner

CS Gel liner - true black

MAC Zoom Lash Mascara

♥ Lips:

MAC Tricolour Lipglass in Consume Me

Hope you enjoy this video:

Let me know if you have any Tutorial requests :)

Captivated by Silver!

One of my close friends, Zelle, is currently doing a graphic design degree and last week I was able to help her with one of her assignments. She needed to design a black and white magazine advert. Like me, Zelle is a big Tiffany & Co lover and therefore decided to create an advert for Tiffany & Co for her project and asked me to be her model, I felt so honoured :)

We both took a selection of our shiny (after an awesome polish job by Zelle) silver T&C jewellery to the photo shoot and draped it all around my hands. Make up wise she'd asked me to create a grey smokey eye. I created this look with my (beloved) Bobbi Brown Chrome Palette. It was really fun being a "model". She had organised a photographer with professional lights and everything! I felt the pressure was on because I really wanted to do a great job for my dear friend. Here are some raw images of the shoot:

Zelle ended up chosing the first image to create her advert.

And then TADA here it is...the finished product "Captivated by Silver"

I truly think she did an amazing job, she is so talented! She better get super duper mark for this assignment. I am so proud of her and love seeing her happy following her passion. Thank you so much for chosing me as your model bella, I loved being part of this adventure with you ♥

Hula Hula FOTD

NARS Hula Hula Eyeshadow Duo is from the NARS Spring 2009 collection. It comes with two cool-toned eye shadows; a shimmery strawberry pink with gold particles & a hazelnut with gold glitter particles.

Note: The glitter in this eye shadow (especially the gold) is pretty chunky. When using these eye shadows I normally tap off any chunky glitter before applying it onto the eye. However when I really want to show off and use the glitter I spray my eye shadow brush with a mixing medium (like for example Fix+) and then dab the shadow with its glitter gently onto the lid.

I think this is a beautiful duo compact & feel it would suit most skin tones! Here is my FOTD I created with Hula Hula:

(eww hate this photo but was not having a very good photo morning...grr!)

♥Face:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid & Powder in NC20

Revlon Concealer

1.       Revlon Bronzer
MAC Springsheen (blush)
MAC Belightful Iridescent Powder (highlighter)

♥Eyes:

MAC Prep+Prime Eye Base

NARS Hula Hula - gold (all over lid)

NARS Hula Hula - pink (crease & lower lash line)

MAC Brule (brow highlight)

MAC Smolder (waterline)
MAC Liquid Eyeliner (top lash line)

Nutrimetics Curvy Lash XL Mascara

♥Lips:
MAC Angel Lipstick
MAC Lipgelée in Lilacrush

Blog Love >

Sorry for my lack of posts the last few days! I was away for a long weekend to visit one of my close friends in Auckland. I had a great time catching up with her!  Thought today I would share SOME of the blogs & websites that I read on a regular basis. 

♥ http://beautyandtheblog23.blogspot.com/  The gorgeous Michelle shares her love for everything fashion and beauty. She also does great reviews!

♥ http://www.newfavouritething.com "The adventures of a fashion girl in London". Love her quirky writing style, gorgeous photos and I adore all her amazing clothes & sense of style. We also both seem to share a love/obsession with My So Called Life and Jordan Catalano, sigh! :p

♥ http://bubblegarm.blogspot.com Mushine is a makeup addict (like the most of us). She has a background in fashion design & marketing with interests in creative art, organising, natural remedies & shoppies. Mushine's blog was one of the first beauty blogs I started following and have never looked back. Her blog is just fab!

♥ http://www.mupnorth.blogspot.com/ Michellé is a very talented makeup artist. Her blog always seems to give me inspiration for new makeup looks. She is always über classic & stylish!

♥ http://www.primped.com.au/  A great website full of beauty tips and helpful video's. Zoe's blog is also a must check out on this site.

♥ http://carrotsncake.com/ Tina from Carrot's n Cake shares all her "eats" and fantastic healthy recipes & workouts.

♥ http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/ "Dutch girl cooking" Amazing recipes with stunning step by step photography. Found Kay's blog several month's back when I was looking for a Dutch recipe & have been in love her culinary skills since then.

As you can see I follow mainly beauty, fashion and food blogs. What blog's or websites are you loving at the moment? Please share in comments because I always love discovering new blogs/sites!

Happy Hump Day & 20 Q's Tag

Happy Hump Day!

This tag has been floating around for a while and I saw everyone doing it, so I decided to chime in... here it goes:

1. Things you cannot leave the house without:

A handbag filled with: keys (duh otherwise you can't get back in), cell phone, lip gloss, MAC Studio Fix Powder & wallet. Plus wouldn't ever want to leave the house without clothes LOL

2. Favourite brand of Make Up:
MAC

3. Favourite flower:

Don't really have one particular favourite but love: Peony's, Lilies or Roses

4. Favourite clothing store:

Too many favourites; Zara, CUE, Forever21, Country Road, H&M etc....

5. Favourite perfume:

See this post: http://dutchessroz.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-favourite=perfumes.html. But most used would probably be Narciso Rodriguez - For Her

6. Heels or Flats:

Heels for sure!

7. Did you make good grades at school/uni:

Was OK at school but I have to admit that I was never a good studier. My parents had to go through stages of checking I did homework etc. Have always been more of a hands on learner than reading/studying learner. Phew, I turned out OK though right mum & dad?

8. Favourite colours:

Don't really have any favourites....Think it all depends what the colour is for. For home/decorating am more the neutral person (beige, white, browns & greys). Clothes wise I love black and neutrals but also very bright colours like coral, pinks & bright blue.

9. Do you drink energy drinks:

Hmm not really, on the very rare occasion I enjoy/need a Red Bull (sugar free)

10. Do you drink juice:

Not often, enjoy an orange or clear apple juice occasionally.

Am more of a soda/sparkling water fan. One of my favourite drinks (with some fresh lemon!)

11. Do you like swimming:

I used to be a real water rat when I was younger but nowadays not a huge swimming fan anymore, not sure what happened...Do love the smell of chlorine at pools! (or the smell of petrol stations as a little added random fact haha

12. Do you eat fries with a fork:

Depends what company or place I am in, but most of the time I would say no fork!

13. Favourite moisturiser:

Body: St Yves Swiss Vanilla Body Moisturizer or Body Shop Body Butters!

Face: Neribas Creme - a pharmaceutical product that was recommended to my mum years ago by her (dermatologist) brother. Love it!

14. Do you want to get married later on in life:

Yes, hopefully it will happen one day!

15. Do you get mad easily:

Um not really mad but do have quite an impatient personality....

16. Are you into ghost hunting:

Nope

17. Any phobias:

Am not a fan of bugs (or animals as I call them). Any bug that's black and crunchy gives me the creeps,  yuck yuck YUCK!

18. Do you bite your nails:

Not anymore (proud smile)!! I used to bite my nails very badly until I was about 16-17 (when I moved to NZ ) and just suddenly stopped!  I have another bad nail habit now...I chip my own nail polish off and I don't stop until the whole nail is cleanly chipped off. Once one starts, it doesn't end!

19. Have you ever had a near death experience:

No luckily not. Let's hope it stays that way for quite some time.

20. Do you drink coffee:

Very rarely, only if I am really tired. More of a tea kind of girl.

That was fun! I hope you enjoyed reading these random facts about me, and I'd love to see you fill these Q's out.  Let me know in the comments if you do!