A look back on 2010... Beauty-wise

So here we are, NYE... waving 2010 goodbye and wishing for a better 2011. Currently I am preparing a list of all things I have to do for tonight... hair, make-up, defuzzing, etc... and thinking how I should do my neighbour's nails for her dinner dance (watch out for photos in a couple of hours).

I decided to focus on beauty-related issues I have gone through this year and share them with you all in this post...

Back in January I started a Beauty Care course where we dealt with personal care and make-up application as well as skin care on how does skin work, nail diseases, body shapes and all sorts of other beauty things and procedures every girl should be aware of.  I found the course to be very informative and I really enjoyed all the lessons.  Our teacher, a qualified Beauty Therapist was always enthusiastic and ready to answer all our questions and that really helped make the course well worth it!

Moving on, I also did a course for gel nail extensions and I obtained my certificate on the 18th September. I really enjoy enhancing people's nails as I perceive nails as accessories and they can really dress up an outfit. I love it even more when clients are totally satisfied with the results and come back over and over again :)

This year I was also introduced to the fantastic e.l.f. cosmetics by a friend of mine. I can't seem to stop ordering from their site time and time again! Not only do they have a wide range of make-up at unbeatable prices, but they also offer fantastic discounts and offers on their facebook page and have an excellent customer service to top it all off! 

This year has also seen the start of this blog. I hate to call it my blog as I write posts for you and it is therefore your blog :) And here I am now, 69 followers and 280 posts later... enjoying my time as a blogger more than ever! I really appreciate each one of you finding the time to read and comment on my posts, so here goes a big Thank You to all my followers who have been following me since my first post back in June and also a warm Welcome to all the new followers :)

With regards the hand-model competition on nailslong.com, I have finished 79th which in my opinion is not bas at all! Considering I started at 201!!

Anyways, I hope you all have a better 2011 filled with all your hearts' desires :) Happy Beautiful New Year my lovelies,

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Monthly Favourites: December 2010

Time for the December Favourites!!! This month it's kinda special as it will be the last favourites post for 2010! I still cannot believe how fast this year rolled by! Anyhow, here are my top picks for this month!

My favourite item has got to be my Thomas Sabo bracelet which you all have seen a million times now! I have been longing for one and finally it's been adorning my wrist ever since I got it! My boyfriend also bought me 4 charms... dress, shoe, bag and my favourite... 2 doves holding a heart to attach to it! 

The last charms I will be adding are a cute pink lingerie set and a nail polish bottle... all the things I love!

Next is my new train case! I got this to put all my gel nail extensions related stuff so that I can carry everything around in style when I go to my clients to have their nails done.

Since the weather has started getting cold this month here in Malta (yeah we do enjoy hot days all year round and I am really grateful for that!), I started experimenting with new hairstyles as my hair has now grown longer and will hold different styles.  I bought a can of hair spray of a no-name brand for just €2 and works wonders with holding my hair in place for two days in a row!!! that really is a record for my hair as it is very fine and thin.  The best thing about it is that you get 350ml of strawberry-cream-smelling product!

With regards make-up and cosmetics, my favourite products this month have been (all from elf cosmetics!) All Over Colour Stick in Persimmon, Get the Look Day To Night dark palette, Super Glossy Lip Shine in Mauve Luxe and Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in Vanilla Creme.

On my nails I have been enjoying Twinkle, Party Purple, Dark Navy and Metal Madness from elf cosmetics as well as Orly Dazzle and Rimmel Hard Rock.

Reviews of the products will follow soon next year + a new weekly feature (details coming soon)!

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NOTW: Glamourous Fishnets... New Year's Eve Tutorial #2

Here's a way how to wear fishnets without looking trashy...

I am going to be wearing this manicure tomorrow for NYE Celebrations over at our capital city Valletta.  Stay tuned for my OOTN post tomorrow :) Keep on reading to find out how to create this design yourselves :)

1. Since I am used a dark red colour, I painted on two thin coats of a clear base coat instead of one to protect my nails from staining.

2. When this dries, apply two coats of a deep red nail polish or any other colour you prefer. I chose e.l.f. Cranberry and applied it on all nails omitting the ring fingers.

3. On the ring fingers, paint on a French tip with the same colour. 

4. With a medium sized striper brush, create a criss-cross grid design as shown in the pictures.  Leave to dry.

5. Apply a coat of a glossy clear top coat all over the nails including the ring fingers.  You may wish to leave the design as it is or else go on to achieve the same design as mine.

6. For this, you will need some steel beads (I got mine off ebay at a really cheap price for 18 different colours). Dip a dotting tool or toothpick in the clear top coat and pick the beads one by one and arrange them on the nail following the curve of the tip.  Do this while the top coat applied in the previous step is still wet.

7. Allow a few minutes for everything to dry and top coat again to finish!

Happy New Year everyone :)

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Some more shopping...

... I technically bought these items last Monday as well but the Smart Card machine at the Terranova outlet was not working and my babies were left for two days in store waiting for me to pick them up as soon as everything was back to normal. Here's what I got:

Check Shirt Dress... I really like wearing these dresses over leggings and biker boots with a leather jacket. I am a girly girl at heart but I don't mind roughing up my image everyone in a while! Then again, I can always make the look more girly with make-up!  

These polo-necks look great with jeans for a relaxed dressed-down look

Mum and Dad were off to do some errands yesterday while I was at the hospital continuing some testing on a few samples as part of my dissertation.  They got me this lovely Breakfast at Tiffany's tin and they also got a free ceramic pot with their purchase which I am using as a holder for my dirty brushes:

I also received these steel beads and striper brushes which I ordered off ebay a couple of weeks ago. I really like nail art designs with these beads so I got them to use on my clients :)

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Ladies, It's Shopping Time!!!

I do not normally shop during the sales period as I hate all the hustle and bustle that they bring along, but since it is still early, I hit some shops with Mum last Monday and here's what I ended up with:

Jacket, Bossini; Black cardigan, Peacocks

2 pairs Black leggings, Peacocks

I still have to pick up some more items from Terranova because their Smart Card machine was out of order... at least they reserved my clothes for me :)

I also got this gorgeous pair of earrings the other day... I can't resist them! And when there are butterflies involved... it's even harder!

We also went to the local supermarket and I bought some other beauty stuff:

Florelle nail polish and Maybelline Water Shine Lipstick in 02 Beige Glace... finally I managed to get my hands on it :D

From the perfumery till at the same supermarket, I got two free samples of Mat'Morphose foundation by L'Oreal Paris and a Revlon get the look chart feat. Tiffany Pisani, winner of BNTM and for those of you who are not yet aware, is a fellow Maltese! 

I think I will be hauling again for some more winter gear and any bargains that catch my eye in the coming weeks. Until, next post,

Stay Beautiful!

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Tag: 15 Random Facts About Me

The gorgeous Dyna from Dyna's Random Blog, tagged me to do this post, so here goes!

1. If you have read my Ultimate Nail Tag, you will know I was born with long fingernails (if you didn't you know now haha) and something extra (or should I say less)... no hair! I guess all the keratin was at my fingertips lol :P

2. My favourite flavour/scent of pretty much anything that exists is Vanilla!

3. I hate winter and rainy days like today and I ADORE summer. No I don't care about the suffocating humid hot summer we have nor do I care about my unruly hair, I just love the up-beat moods I am in during summer and I love sunshine and bright clothes, bright everything, days at the beach... Oh summer I miss thee so much!!! Please come back soon ;(

4. I don't have a huge make-up collection as I only buy essentials, but I do like to try out new products so I'd say I have a medium-sized collection. However, I do have quite a good number of polishes hehe :)

5. I love SHOES!! If I'm feeling under the weather, I believe retail therapy is my only cure and nothing makes me more happy than buying a new pair of gorgeous shoes!

6. I think black is an elegant and fail-safe choice of  clothes' colour  for practically andy setting yet I don't like wearing it!

7. I am freaking scared of roaches but I am very fascinated by butterflies... their freedom and bright colours are what I admire the most.

8. My favourite animal to have as a pet would be a cat... he/she would keep my tootsies warm in winter :P Shown here is my bf's oldest cat... she's adorable and soooo soft!

9. I do not own any Mac... kill me now lol but I just don't get it why someone would spend all that money on a single eyeshadow/lipstick... when there are cheaper alternatives with exceptional quality.

10. Doing nail art (both on my own nails and for clients) is what relaxes me.

11. I get cold hands and feet all throughout the year!

12. I am a self-confessed book worm and will read anything interesting that comes to hand.

13. I keep 3 diaries to write all the stuff I have to do... my Uni diary, clients diary and a diary for all appointments, to do lists, etc... yes I am a tad OCD with having everything organized :S

14. My all time idol is Audrey Hepburn... I so admire her beauty and grace!

15. I feel most confident when my hair is in place!

I hate having to tag only 5 more bloggers as I don't want anyone to feel left out, thereby I tag all of you to do this! Would love to see your responses as I see tag posts as a way to get to know each other :)

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Top-Ten Tuesdays ~ Make-up Brushes

Hello ladies! Sorry today's post is a bit late as opposed to the others, but this morning, I went along with my father and brother to a crib exhibition as a friend of ours has submitted his creation for the competition and then we went to Mdina (if you happen to visit Malta, make sure to check out this place - it used to be our country's capital city).  Anyways, today I decided to share my Top-Ten make-up brushes with you.  I only use brushes to apply my make-up with. I never use sponges and very rarely use my fingers.

10. Fraulein 38 Fan Brush

9. Avon Retractable Lip Brush

8. Concealer Brush that came with an imperfection-masking concealer that Mum bought but for some reason never used (lol!)

7. Fraulein 38 Eyebrow Wand

6. Fraulein 38 Eyebrow and Lash Comb

5. Fraulein 38 Eyeshadow C Brush

4. Fraulein 38 Contouring Brush

3. Fraulein 38 Face Brush

2. e.l.f. Professional Blending Eye Brush

1. e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush

You can find a review on the Fraulein 38 brushes here.

Which are your favourite brushes ladies?

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Review: e.l.f. Limited Edition Christmas Party Eyeshadow Palette

I got this palette for free with a promotional code for e.l.f. cosmetics' 3rd birthday.  I wanted the neutral one as I favour neutral shades more but I was really amazed with the colours in this one! I thought they were going to be the usual blacks and purples but boy I was so wrong!

The packaging is very sleek and professional looking and I like the little windows thorough which you can see the colours.  On the inside is a small mirror, enough to see your eyes in and the palette also comes with a small brush which I deem more fit for use with eyeliner rather than eyeshadows.  The palette comes in a cute black box with snowflakes on it (you can check it out here as I have already thrown it away... lack of space hehe).  I believe all the limited edition Christmas range comes in a similar package except for the nail polishes which are supplied in the usual package (however, they are also limited edition).

As you can see from the photos above, the palette contains 6 shades; all of which are nicely pigmented, the black, grey and white being very sparkly and glittery whilst the frosty white, greige and purple are shimmery but not overly glittery like the others.

I like the choice of colors in this palette but I was disappointed when I tried a look with this palette and I didn't apply a primer or a cream base underneath... the colours just faded away after a couple of hours.  However, when a primer is applied (I use elf Eyelid Primer) or another cream base (elf All Over Colour Stick in Persimmon is an excellent alternative), provided they are somewhat sticky, the eyeshadows last all night without fading or smudging.  Therefore, I highly recommend using a good sticky cream base when using these eyeshadows.

For £3.50/€4 I think this palette is good value for money, pity it is limited edition :(

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What your nails say about you...

nailsGood morning my lovelies :) How were your Christmas celebrations? I did a bit of everything and managed to spend some quality time with all the important people in my life.

While surfing the net this morning, before I start off with some Uni related stuff, I found this interesting slideshow about some nail conditions that can alert you early about some more serious conditions going on in your body.  There are also another two slideshows after this one which deal with what skin and hair have to say about your body. Enjoy!

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/slideshow-what-your-nails-say-about-your-health?ecd=ppc_bing_about+nail+problems_Skin_Skin+&+Beauty+-+Nails_search

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NOTW: Shiny Disco Balls... New Year's Eve Tutorial #1

As promised, here's the first nail tutorial for NYE.  It is a very sparkly design for which the only things you will need are a base coat and top coat, a glitter polish and a polish in a solid colour and a dotter/toothpick. Let's get started! 

1. Apply a thin coat of a clear base coat and let dry.

2. Follow with two coats of a glitter polish of your choice.  I used a purple glitter polish here.

3. With a toothpick or dotting tool, place dots in a fashion that suits your fancy on all of the nails. You can choose to place your dots in the same pattern on all the nails, or do like I did here and go with a different pattern. I used a black polish for the dots.

4. Finally, seal your manicure with a clear glossy top coat and you're done! 

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