Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

SoMAKEUPurMind Review

After four years of on-again-off-again, full time/part time study, I will finally complete my Bachelor of Business at approximately 7:30PM on Friday the 18th of November, 2011. Can I get a hoo-frickin'-rah?!.

Anyway, I only have one exam remaining so I figure that now is the perfect time to procrastinate. So.. 

A couple of months ago, I decided to spoil myself by purchasing the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips (I think it was around $15 AUD).  Essentially, this product promises bright, patterned and long wearing nail colour without the hassle of drying time.  The product is available in 24 colours/patterns but my favourite is definitely 'Girl Flower'. 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips
- Girl Flower

Inside the package you will find 1 x small nail buffer, 1 x cuticle stick and 16 x tacky nail polish strips in varying sizes.  To prep for application, all you need to do is clean, dry, buff and shape your natural nails, remembering to push back those unsightly cuticles lol.


Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips
- Package Contents

To apply the nail strips, you need to  carefully size them up against your nail bed. Once you've made your selection, peel off the the backing strip and apply the polish to your nail by starting at the cuticle and smoothing it downward. Press and hold for a few seconds to ensure its longevity. To finish, use the nail buffer to remove any over hang. 

This is going to be a little hard to explain but personally, I found it quicker to wrap the excess underneath my nail and hold it with my thumb (same hand). Then I just used my thumb nail from the opposite hand to push underneath nail to cut through the excess.  I found that this cut the strip almost perfectly.    

The instructions don't stipulate using a top coat but I finished mine off with a couple of licks of China Glaze First and Last.  This is how they turned out...

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Girl Flower
- Finished Look

Cute Huh?

Overall Opinion

Before you rush out to purchase, I think it's important to advise that applying this product is trickier and more time consuming than it seems.  From memory, it took me well over half an hour and I was left sitting in a pile of messy nail polish clippings. Hmm.. Perhaps I'm just a little OCD.

Anyway, if you can get over that issue it's a pretty neat little product.  As you can see in the picture, you end up with a great result.  I loved my funky digits and best of all, they lasted around two weeks. Win!

SoMAKEUPurMind Overall Rating 4 out of 5

P.S. Good luck to anyone else with exams!

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Nivea Competition Review FAIL!

Hi Beauties,

As I'm sure you're all aware, Beauty Heaven and Nivea recently teamed up to offer us the chance to win one hellova 'holy sheizer!' German experience. All you needed to do was film yourself reviewing your favourite Nivea product.

Well, as always, we were completely disorganised with our submission and left it to the last minute. Who would have thought that a measly 2min vid would take a whopping 33 minutes to upload to YouTube?! Needless to say, we didn't make it :o(

Anyway, here's our review for Nivea Visage Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes - attempt number 256.  We had a little giggle after watching this vid and we sure hope you do too!

 P.S. this was filmed VERY late at night lol!

Ooh Baby! It's Maybelline Baby Lips!

SoMAKEUPurMind Review

Hiya Everyone!

I have loads and loads of uni stuff to do so this review is going to be a quicky.

Over the last couple of months I have been undergoing my second stint of Oratane treatment.  This topic has been on my To Do List for so so long but I just haven't been able to find the time to blog about it.  Anyway, Oratane, Roaccutane, Accutane, whatever you want to call it, forces the subject (i.e. me) to endure the most irritating dry lips imaginable.  This symptom is at the forefront of my mind all day, everyday. It's just plain awful and believe me, I have tried everything out there to soothe my aching pout with no success. Well, that is until now...

A couple of months back, I had all but given up on finding a solution when I jumped onto BH. As per usual, it was problem solve-ed. There it was, BH's new video 'There's no maybe about it...' starring good old Deb and Liv - I just love 'em!    Fast forward to March and I finally found this product in store. I purchased Baby Lips from my local Coles for $3.95 and let me tell you, it's the best 4 bucks I have ever spent! 

Maybelline New York Baby Lips Lip Balm

I have been using Maybelline NY Baby Lips for about a week now and it has significantly improved the condition of my lips. It's a fantastic lip product, complete with SPF20 and a very subtle and colourless shine. With winter approaching, Anti-oxidant Berry will have your lips looking, smelling and feeling wonderful!   I highly reccommend this product, even if your lips aren't particularly dry.  Infact, I challenge you to find a better balm.

SoMAKEUPurMind Overall Rating 5 out of 5

L'OREAL PARIS Volume Million Lashes

SoMAKEUPurMind Review

Volume Million Lashes, the 'Millionizer Brush' and the revolutionary built-in excess wiper.   

L'OREAL PARIS Volume Million Lashes

Packaging

Volume Million Lashes was yet another notch on my belt of unneccessary purchases. As a third year marketing student, I am well aware of all the little tricks designed to exploit us as mere consumers. GAH! Then why, oh why am I still such a sucker for packaging?! 

Volume Million's packaging is sexy, contemporary, and speaks of such glorious things... volume, length, clump-free definition.  This mascara talks the talk but can it walk the walk?

The Millionizer

'The Millionizer Brush' is just another one of those over-sized plastic molded brushes, similar to the CoverGirl Lash Blast. Whilst I don't particularly like this kind of brush, I have to give it credit for lash definition.

L'OREAL PARIS Volume Million Lashes
- The Millionizer

Formula

This mascaras biggest let down is the formula. Volume is next to impossible with this thing! The consistency of the formula is thin, watery, and non-buildable and therefore, I hereby dub Volume Million Lashes a one-coat, crispy-lash mascara. Oh, and as an added bonus, it tends to flake lol.

Negatives aside, this mascara is quite lengthening and super black (and I mean super). I absolutely adore its sweet peony rose aroma (but I'm sure this will make many of you cringe).

P.S. Given that the formula is so thin, I'm pretty sure that the excess wiper is a total gimmick.

Application Swatches



Lashes au naturale



One coat of Volume Million Lashes


Overall Opinion

At AU$27.95, L'oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes is a  seriously overpriced drug-store mascara that manages to fail its number one selling point - volume.  Whilst I initially hated this mascara, I have learned to love it.  It's  perfect for those desperate mornings  when 'instant pretty' is a definite must. 

So in sum, Volume Million Lashes Mascara provides  blackest black, clump free lashes that are wonderfully defined but if it's volume you're after, look elsewhere. 

SoMAKEUPurMind Overall Rating 4 out of 5

Summer Love - CG Smoothers

SoMAKEUPurMind Review

I'm just going to put it out there...  Em and I absolutely loathe Summer and everything that comes along with it i.e. swimming, sweating, stickiness and smells (not us, others lol). 

Anyway, all of those aforementioned 'S' words, those obnoxious characteristics of the Australian Summer, make it particularly uncomfortable to wear foundation. I mean, you practically sweat it off  before you even finish putting it on!   Just thinking about that thick oily foundation feeling on a hot day is conjuring compulsive urges to start washing my face! Ugh. Well, I'm not going to put myself through that again this year. Hoorah for CoverGirl Smoothers!

CG Smoothers is a lightweight tinted moisturiser with SPF15 (über important). It's oil free, 100% PABA free and fragrance free, perfect for sensitive shiners like me :oP. It normally retails for $17.95 but I purchased  for $13.45 on a 25% Target special (win!).


CoverGirl CG Smoothers


The product has a creamy consistency and comes in four shades that are tinted enough to provide a sheer wash of colour. I wear 'light to medium' and this really helps to even out my skin tone. I still need to conceal and powder my 'T'  but that's to be expected and I'm totally OK with it.   As a mega plus, I find that the formula is actually quite mattifying and that the tint stays true all day.   

Application Swatches

CoverGirl CG Smoothers - Light to Medium

CG Smoothers all rubbed in :o)

SoMAKEUPurMind Overall Rating 3 out of 5

Forever MAC ♥

In Marketing we're taught that a bad customer experience, if handled correctly, actually works to increase customer loyalty.  Well, my recent encounter with MAC Cosmetics confirms that there's truth in this theory, and that we should all stop falling asleep in lectures :oP

Anyway, my 'bad customer experience' was having my foundation shade mismatched at a Myer MAC counter (jaundice yellow is NOT my colour!). This happens to everybody from time to time with all kinds of brands so I wasn't angry or anything. The artist was very young, the lighting was very bad and I had stupidly gone against my gut feeling and purchased the products anyway.  I walked away with a Mineralize Skinfinish Natural,  Studio Fix Fluid SPF15 and a Select Moisturecover Concealer - all in the wrong shade for my skin. Doh!

It wasn't long before I realised that I had made a crappy purchase but you know, it doesn't take long to lose a receipt either! I have never been so upset with myself! Woefully I decided to email MAC (email because I'm waaay too chicken to call) and within a couple of days I had a response. All I needed to do was get rematched at another counter and post back the products (Reply Paid) with the shade that I would like in return.

About three weeks later I received a package in the mail (oh I so love packages!). Nestled inside was my three products aaaand a little gift!  MAC had given me a Mineralize Duo Eyeshadow in Love Connection which, as a side note, I absolutely A-DORE!  I checked over the rest of the products and found that although the foundation and powder were fine, my concealer had somehow not been replaced. Again, I wasn't angry. Mistakes DO happen and the MAC Representative was very apologetic. I sent off my concealer (free of charge) with the assurance that this time my replacement product would be: A. Correct,  and B. Express posted back to me.

Yup, only a few days later I received another package however, it appeared to be far too large for just one teeny tiny product.. "curiouser and curiouser" said Alice. Wow, it was another gift!  Presented in a black and clear MAC makeup bag I received a MAC Summer Rose Blush (Rose Romance Collection), MAC Fast Response Eye Cream and a 30ml MAC Charged Water Skin Hydrating Mist (I feel as though there may have been something els but I can't quite remember lol).

My Mac Gifts (LOVE!)

Overall, though my relationship with MAC started out a little rocky and continued with little hickups along the way, this was a truly wonderful MAC experience. Thank you very much MAC Cosmetics!

Are there any similar stories out there?