NPAA X Beauté Gazette

As well as being the coolest girl in the world and a makeup obsessed human I also have a nail club with my friend Fleur called N.P.A.A Nail Polish Addicts Anonymous. We started started it to bring all our friends together who were sitting in their lounge rooms painting there nails alone and bored. Painting your nails shouldn't be an activity that is done when you are bored, it should be a really fun time with all your friends and other enthusiasts. 

N.P.A.A has been going strong for 4 months now and we are so excited so many girls are so into it, so we have started a blog and a new facebook page. If that wasn't cool enough we are now available for BOOKINGS! Office parties, girlie nights in, birthdays, hens nights, bat mizvahs anything you might like a bit of nail party fun to make it a super sweet special night. The set up is that depending on how big your event is will determine how many N.P.A.A members we will need to paint  your guests nails. We will bring a rainbow of colours and also designs for your guest to choose from and we can even design something specially for your event. 

N.P.A.A are totally NAIL'IN IT!

For bookings emails nailpolishaddictsanonymous@gmail.com

N.P.A.A BLOG www.npaaclub.blogspot.com.au

N.P.A.A FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/nailpolishaddictsanonymous

*I will still be posting loads of nail polish and manicure mondays on Beauté Gazette, please don't fret.

Beauté Business

Sorry about the lapse in posts this week. It has been less about beauté more about business.....ABN's, proposals, interview's and my first ever BUSINESS CARDS!
How exciting!
Shout outs to my gorgeous friend Katherine Johnson who designed my logo and who is the loveliest person in the world.

The Other Side of Beauté

Makeup is just painting a canvas, if the canvas is a big old mess underneath then what is the point of painting it with makeup? Over the past couple of years I have changed things in my life to become a bit more balanced, if I go on a PMS chocolate rampage then I will make sure I chill out on sugar for the next week and also run for an extra 15mins everyday. There are a few other things that have made a difference to my canvas - diet, exercise and supplements. If this does not interest you at all, sorry, makeup and superficial mass consumerism will be back tomorrow.

SWEAT!

Exercise is something that for a while I was hesitant to embrace because other things were way more fun and important. Firstly I started walking home from work, it took an hour and a half, which for the 9km journey was daunting at first but then I worked out that I would have just been stuck in traffic on an annoying bus for an hour anyway. After a couple of months my fitness increased, I had listened to many audio books and I was ready to join a gym. Gym was fun, but I got over it. Now I love to run, I try to go for an hour run 4 times a week. As well as helping keep my Kim Kardashian ass at bay it also makes you sweat. If you are so not into exercise - which I get then try a trip to a steam room, its not just for swedes promise. Steam opens your pores and helps purge impurities from your skin through sweating. Steaming your face brings oxygen and nutrient rich blood to the surface of your skin helping circulation. Do not touch your face or wipe your face when steaming or straight away after a steam! Your pores will be open and you can push bacteria into them wash your hands then cleanse your face with a toner I like using Witch Hazel.

DIET

-If you are having adult acne problems you might want to consider giving up cows milk. Milk contains hormones that 'turn on' oil glands which will give you acnatic skin. Milk contains dihydrotestosterone (DHT) precursors, including 5a-pregnanedione and 5a-androstanedione. These hormones are only few steps away from DHT. For acne sufferers DHT equals bad news. DHT signals the skin glands to produce more sebum.

-Increase your greens, put spinich or kale in your smoothies, order a side of green beans instead of chips they are almost the same thing....kind of.....well same shape at least. 

-Blueberries blueberries blueberries (organic), just eat them all the time. They are small blue gifts from the gods. The number super food rich in anti-oxidants which help fight cancer, lower cholesterol, prevent macular degeneration, help you cleanse your liver and kidneys.

- Stop drinking coffee, it dehydrates you and it doesn't taste very good anyway.

- Lay off the source.

SUPPLEMENTS

If you have never delved into the world of supplements and you are looking to improve your skin look out for these big hitters in the vitamin game : Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Vitamin E, C and B6, folate and Pantothenic acid.

- Spirulina is the richest nutrient and complete food source found in the world, it contains over 100 nutrients more than any other plant or herb. I love it because it contains Chlorophyll which will increase your engergy, think maybe 2 redbulls and 3 espressos but without the twitchy queezy feeling. It is also a great source of iron for vegetarians. I like to add it in a powder or liquid  form to smoothies.

- Silica tablets help connective tissue which is really good when it comes to hair and nails. If you get chippy flakey nails I really recommend these.

- Zinc is incredible, it can help skin when applied topically as well as digested. Zinc creams can help scaring and draw out imperfections or stubborn pimples. When taken in tablet form it can help rosacea, acne and cold sores.

If this all too much and you would prefer something less demanding you can always just start taking multi-vitamin to start with.

What are your super food supplements which make you feel a million bucks, clear your skin and cleans all the baddies out of your system?

Just Another Manicure Monday : Essie Vermillionaire

Essie Vermillionaire $18.95 Out The Door Topcoat $10.95

Drums please.....It is all of a sudden summertime again, just like the Jazzy Jeff & Will Smith like it. I really liked that Essie Vamillionaire is a true orange, it doesn't have that powdery white opaqueness that is usually in orange nail polishes think like OPI's atomic orange. It takes two coats to get a good colour pay-off and isn't streaky at all but mehhhh. Something is not quite right, maybe it's my pasty corpse bride hands which aren't doing the colour justice? Or maybe I have jumped the gun on the whole summertime vibe and I need a spray tan and a trip to Bali to do this colour justice. Women of colour which is darker than mine, this would look really babe'n on you.

OK TA-DA! A new topcoat! Who would have thought I would ever cheat on Seche Vite? But alas I have. Seche Vite goes kind of gloopy after a month and so I thought I would try Out The Door. It is pretty good, dries super fast as the name out imply, locking in the polish underneath if it hasn't totally dried yet an the finish is high-gloss. It is a lot thinner in consistency than Seche-Vite, which I miss but that's ok. There is a glittery Out The Door Topcoat called 'Northern Lights' which looks right up my alley and I will have to get next time.

What are your favorite summertime nail polishes?

Beauté Gazette Review: Maybelline baby Lips 'Glow'

Rarely will I regret buying a product, with the power of the Internet and my obsession with beauty youtubers & bloggers I am more than equipped with knowledge before stepping foot in Priceline or a department store. 

It has been a wind-fest in Sydney this month and I have been overdosing on lip balm - I might for the first time finish a tube! On Wednesday morning I rushed out the door and forgot my trusty paw paw ointment, upset but also excited that I would be able to go and buy MORE LIP BALM. I was wearing head to toe variations of pink that day so maybe that's why I gravitated towards the bright pink package of the Maybelline Baby Lips? Whatever I bought it and and boy oh boy am I disappointed. It totally sucks, not only does it make chapped lips worse, it actually irritates them more. There is no moisturizing quality to this lip balm at all, it would be more moisturizing to rub your lips with sandpaper. To make this product worse it is tinted, I am so cool with tinted lip balms, but because the product dries out your lips the colour clings to the outer parts of your lips and looks like dodgy lip liner. Aghhhh I hate slagging off products because I feel like a chump for wasting my money, but this a really pointless and annoying product. I have now been checking I packed my paw paw every morning before running out the door.

Beauté Profile : Romance Was Born's Anna Plunkett

Bumping into Anna on Oxford St below her studio, where we had arranged to meet I was super excited to see all the beauty favorites she had brought along to show me. But as we are waiting to get a fresh juice (beetroot, ginger and carrot) I notice she has barely anything on her face, her skin is glowing, her naturally blue eyes framed with a small amount of mascara and she has her signature bright lip on. Anna's style is usually what she is noticed for clashing silk prints from her own label Romance Was Born which she designs with business partner Luke Sales. Her hair is on a rainbow rotation at the moment changing every couple of weeks to which ever colour she feels like, with such intense colour and bleaching a treatment every 2 weeks at Oscar and Oscar salon keeps her hair as healthy as it can be. Monthly facials at Millk Studios would be ideal but it is more like 'Whenever I can get there'. The first time I saw OPI's Mod about you was on Anna's nails, which are rarely not painted and they have the distinct glossy top coat of a Sexy Nails devotee. Bikram yoga is very important to Anna - I wish it was more important to me, she practices 2-3 times a week at The center of Yoga sweatin' it out and staying centered.

Anna's Favorite Things:

Aesop Catherine Oil Burner Blend

'Burning this oil in the studio it has really soothing citrus smell that we have become fond of. Our friend Tess who works at Aesop got us onto it'

Aesop Rose Moisture Facial Hydrosol:

'We have this in the studio for whenever we need a pick me up!'

Aesop APC Poo Drops:

'Actually a close friend put me onto these after I was complaining about a certain person always doing #2's before I need to use the bathroom - Pretty funny!'

Aesop Fabulous Facial Oil

'My skin is combination and makeup dries it out, when it is feeling like it needs a lift I use a couple of drops of this in the morning or before I put a face on at night if I'm going somewhere.'

All Aesop available from www.aesop.com

Aveda Light The Way Candle

'This is a lavender soy wax candle, it's always nice to have a candle burning when we are working. As long as we remember to blow it out, there was a really close call unrelated to us down the road and we are super conscious of it now.'

www.aveda.com available from Aveda salons.

GHD Ultimate Hairspray

'Morning, noon or night, you never know when you will need to tame the fly aways. A little thing I do is spritz the end of a finally toothed comb to shape my thick eyebrows in place, works a treat for the Brooke Shields look! Ghd have nailed the Ultimate hairspray and they have ideally named it!'

Ghd available from www.ghdhair.com

Lavera Rose Body Spray

'I try to avoid aluminium based deodorant and I was really struggling with a tea tree oil one I used to get at the supermarket, but my book keeper put me onto this one. It's not a hardcore repellent but I think its a good alternative to regular deodorants.' 

www.lavera.com Lavera is available from health food stores.

Chanel Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum

'I like any Chanel fragrance really, and it's all I like to wear - I consider myself a Chanel girl. Since a very young age my Auntie always wore Chanel fragrances and she gave them to us for Christmas. My favorite is Allure but I have recently fallen in love with Beige.'

www.chanel.com

Chanel Mademoiselle and Allure fragrances available from Chanel counters.

Chanel Beige exclusively available at Chanel Boutiques.

MAC 

'My friend Tessy told me the other day she thought she was sitting next to a mermaid (me!) and that made me really happy. I love MAC makeup, the pigments are so super spot on for colours, recently been loving the moonlight Pink Opal iridescent pigment - it reminds me of the finish of white pearls. For the mermaid look I like to dab it on my finger (not sure if that's is the right way, but its my way!) and dab it on the high moons of my cheeks up to the brow bone. Glitter on your eyes is always a good quick effective trick. My favorite lippy is MAC's Dear Diary, it is the best party girl colour ever. Even in Winter I like to wear sunscreen so Mac's Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15 is good for a bit of coverage when the suns not too crazy. We all need to look after our skin now to avoid botox in the future, not that I ever would!'

pigment in Pink Opal and Pink Glitter, Studio Moisture Tint in Light, Dear Diary pro long wear creme lipstick from the Beth Ditto Collection.

All available at www.maccosmetics.com.au

Beauté Gazette's TOP 3 Makeup items - Like ever!

I decided to do this post when attempting to pack a rather small purse for a night out dancing rationing out my makeup from most important to least and then packing it like it was a game of tetris.

What if I was stranded on a deserted island and could only have 3 makeup items? Maybe not a desert island but what if you were stranded lets say at a cute boys house that you accidentally on purpose went home with and you only have the bare necessities to get by? What would they be?

1. MAC's Eyeshadow in Omega $26.00

This is the best brow powder I have found even though it isn't a brow powder it's an eye shadow. A universal matte light fawn colour perfect for shaping up a non-existent blonde brow like mine. I would need an angled brush to apply it, but I guess if I was in survival mode I could possibly fashion a make shift brush with a cotton bud if I was 100% desperate.

2. Stila Convertable Colour in Poppy $40.00

A  double whammy! Poppy is sheer enough to blend out over cheeks for a flush of colour also leaving them dewy without being sticky or overly shiny.  When applied to lips it gives sheer to medium colour payoff but it definitely could be built up enough to be quite sassy and bold. Being a fair maiden wearing blush gives my face warmth so it doesn't look so flat and washed out, also having flushed cheeks so so cute and feminine, I don't think I could go without.  

3. Lancome Hypnose Mascara in Deep Black $42.00

Rarely do I leave the house without wearing mascara. After a restless night and rushing to leave the house one morning I forgot to apply my mascara security blanket, when my boss arrived to the office she gasped and asked if I was feeling unwell and needed to go home. That was all the confirmation I needed. Finding the perfect mascara is my life long mission and I take it very seriously, at the moment I have swayed back to using Lancome Hypnose. It is a very hefty mascara, deep black is a jet black which dries to matte on your lashes. This is not a subtle mascara , it coats every single lash with lots of product. I LOVE IT!

So I skipped a base and any foundations, my skin is generally pretty good apart from a couple of monster zits every once in a while. And just lets say if I were on a deserted island I am sure I would be there with one of my friends and I am sure they would lend me a little tinted moisturizer. I am by no means going to start simplifying my beauty routine, putting on makeup in the morning my most exciting time of the day but its good to know that I could make do if I ever had to god forbid!

    

Get Nailed with USLU at People

Back in the day it was a ladylike tradition to go to the beauty salon and have your hair blowed out and your nails done, think Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias. It was multi-tasking at its best (and girls love to multi-task!) a place where women could talk, gossip and hang out all while having there chosen beauty treatments done. What happened to this tradition? We want it back!

Yesterday I visited People on Crown st, Surry Hills it was a modern day beauty temple. Even though it was 11am on a Tuesday morning women were getting their highlights done, a quick blow dry and few cheeky eyebrow tints. I was there for NAILS! 'Get Nailed' is the chic and colourful nail bar at People exclusively stocked with Uslu polishes and the sweet and very talented Nail Artist Cathy Hart. We chatted as I picked out the colours and designs I wanted, Cathy told me how girls are coming in for special occasions to get nail art done, for her 21st birthday a girl wanted ying-yang's and smiley faces. Marbling was taking off as the next big thing and designs have been requested from images found on pinterest but if you just wanted a posh file and polish whilst having your colour done- that was cool too. Finally I decided on some 'stoner eyes' 'popart accents' and 'beatle wing glitter', this took me a while because the options were endless. 

Uslu a Berlin based luxury cosmetics brand provides a sleek selection of colours, featuring collaborations with Bernhard Willhelm, Colette and Nike. The appeal of Uslu goes beyond the amazing selection of colours - the polishes are 5 FREE! Free of Formaldehyde, Dibutyl Phthalate,Toluene, Formaldehyde Resin and Camphor. Which means they are pregnancy friendly and are suited for sensitive skin.

It was getting to the end of my amazing manicure and I was enjoying myself so much, chatting to ladies in the salon about their highlights and Cathy and the girls I almost didn't want that topcoat to go on. 

People is everything a beauty salon should be, a place where you can have your hair, nails and eyebrows done with your friends enjoy a cup of tea or even a glass of champagne if you have some really juicy gossip to share and escape from everything else in life for a couple of hours.

I love it so much and I will go back over and over again with my friends, so expect more spectacular nail posts.

OMG LOOK AT MY AMAZING NAILS!!!

Get Nailed Prices:

Express Mani $18.00

Delux Mani $36.00

Express Pedi $26.00

Delux Pedi $46.00

Nail Art from $15.00

People 

Follow People on Instagram @peoplehair

peoplehairdressing.com

Shop 4 / 285A Crown St Surry Hills, Sydney NSW

93310380

What's in my bag #3 : Travelling comforts

I have been one busy beauty bloggy babe lately having to travel from my sweet seaside town into the hustle and bustle of the big smoke fairly reguarly. Being so far from home I really crave comfort and I like to have things with me to aid whatever freak out I may have. No girl is a light traveller and if they say they are well then they are totally fibbing. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical

Dry Shampoo is a necessity if the world ran out of dry shampoo I think I would just move to Mars. Batiste is a cheapie and pretty good, they are super fragranced and you do choke a little on the fake coconut smell when spraying it so just block your nose and think of Hawaii.

Aesop Geranium balm

For the on the go hipster moisturizing, I cannot say this has any special moisturizing benefits. It just smells really good.

Korres Lip Butter in Plum

This is an obsession! This is a break through! This maybe the first and the only lip balm I will finish. It has a slight tint and gives your lips the 'Redskin' effect.

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara

This really is a super lengthening, on Friday night someone asked if I was wearing falsies and I wasn't just this mascara. 

MAC Prep and Prime Brightening Serum

This I use when I am really tired, like 3 hours of sleep and really hungover and you want to look like you have at least 6 hours sleep. It lifts and brightens and doesn't make you super greasy which is what I dislike about most serums.

Maybelline Brow Shape in blonde

I have given up on this pencil, it is way too waxy. Basically I use it for the brush on the other end now.

Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer

Hello glowy dewy skin! This is the best weird cream ever, it's not a tinted moisturizer really at all but it does even out your skin tone and makes you look like you are very healthy.

Avene Thermal Water

French water in a can. REALLY POINTLESS.

Chanel Soiel Tan de Chanel & Real Techniques Contour Brush

Instant cheek bones in a pot. These 2 are a match made in heaven, there is no point in having one without the other. The brush just fits into the hollows of your cheek and the creamy texture of the bronzer blends into your skin to create the 'hey have you been on a 6 week holiday in the South of France?' look.

Dissinfectant spray

GERMAPHOBE!!!!! This is a must for the bus.

Visine Clear Eyes

Eye drops are so fun, they feel amazing. Look I am certainly not #halfbaked but sometimes my eyes look a little red and this I have found works best.

Stila Concealer

I have been suffering from zit mania recently, this is my favorite spot concealer - way too heavy duty for the under eye department.

What can you not live without when traveling?

PARTY EYES!

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Fuschia $35.00

 Bored of neutrals? ME TOO! Maybe I have been listening to way too much Azealia Banks....Fantasea mixtape is really great! Also I am planning on eating 1 million Hot Wings tonight and so a bright lip really wouldn't have cut it.

Bright liners and eye colours are popping up everywhere at the moment from YSL's Pure Chromatics new dry to wet palettes to Maybelline colour tattoo's and if you don't want to invest in the trend try using a super soft lip liner.

Start by evening out your skin tone with a light coverage foundation, you don't want to cake it on because there is a fine line with this look which could take it over the edge to synchronised swimmer makeup. 

Conceal any blemishes, and lightly fill in your brows, I skipped any bronzer and blush but if you want apply a minimal amount of bronzer then just use a really light hand when you do so.

Make sure your coloured liner is super sharp and warm it up on the back of your hand with a scribble, if you are using a pot cream shadow use a fine eyeliner brush to make sure you can thicken the line. Line your upper lash line with a thick line of colour no wing or fancy shit needed a simple line is enough when your are going for a bright.

To finish up tight line your upper water line with black Kohl liner and apply lashings of mascara. 

THEN HEAD STRAIGHT FOR THE DANCE FLOOR! AND REQUEST THIS:

And for the best HOT WINGS in Sydney Do The Dip at Good God

55 Liverpool St Sydney.

One Trick Pony!

I am a total one trick pony in the sense that I will only ever chose a single feature to play up when I do my makeup. It looks more proportional to choose a single feature also it is a lot faster, otherwise I would be doing my makeup for 90mins a day. AS IF! 

Here are my 3 favorite tricks and ponies!

Follow Elle Fanning on Instagram: elle_fanning

Although Elle is super young and I am wait for it 28 years old (shhhhhh I know....wahhhhh...but I still got asked for ID on the weekend) creating wide eyed look on your peepers still work for most ages. For your base leave skin natural and only conceal where needed add a little bronzer to contour and lipgloss and then move onto your eyes....I like to line my eyes first, start by pushing the liner into your lash line then work out to create the liner shape you like L'oreal Super Liner in Carbon Black $22.00 is super precise to use and the tiny tip lets you stay in control if you want to go all out and do a cat eye. Using a lengthening mascara like Max Faxtor's 2000 calories $19.95 will help define the eyes, start at the lash base and wiggle up do a couple of coats on top and bottom lashes - making sure the very tips are coated. False Lashes can be scary but do not be intimidated the single clusters are a sinch to apply, search youtube a tutorial for application Ardell Dural Lash Naturals $7.95 are my favorite. Sit them as close to your natural lashes as possible push and place with tweezers till they look like they are your own....Shhhhhh no one will even know they aren't.

Missoni Here!

Glowing skin is something that some lucky people have naturally but if you don't its cool a few products can make you look like you have just come back from a holiday in the sun on a very exotic island. Firstly the key to glowing skin is hydration so after giving your skin a good rub with an exfoliator apply a generous amount serum I like Estée Lauder's Idealist Even Skintone $80.00 this is going to make you look super fresh and dewy. Conceal any dark circles and blemishes with a light concealer and blend out well the key to this look is that it needs to be seamless and blended very well. Using a cream bronzer will keep the dewy look to your skin, apply the bronzer to the outer areas of your face hollows of your cheeks, jawline and temples this will mimic a natural tan from the actual sun and not from Chanel's Soleil Tan de Chanel $48.40. Lastly using a fan brush lightly dust a highlighting powder on cheekbones, brow bone and your cupids bow to catch the light, Laura Mercier's Rosey Highlighter $68.00 blend everything with a large powder brush till you are perfectly pretty.

Peony's Blog and Store : Here!

The easiest of all tricks for ponies or Peony's is the red lip! It instantly makes you feel lifted, happy and put together. Matte lips for night, Nars Dragon Girl $39.00, long wearing for work Clarins Joli Rouge 716 Clarins Red $36.10 and glossy for day Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss 61 Fatale $32.00 are all classic reds. If you are more tanned in skin tone then you could lean more to a pink based red and if you are pale then a subtle orange based red would look beautiful too. I find if you are going to do a red lip then shimmer is completely unnecessary and it also doesn't last as long on your lips. 

ghd Styling: Heat Protect and Straight & Tame

Ghd is a brand known for their excellent and very HOT styling tools, but before you go in on your virgin baby hair with a 200 degree ghd Styler I suggest you invest in some products which will protect your locks.

Hair oils are great, I love them BUT do not put hair oils in prior to using any heated tools, because what happens when oil gets hot? IT FRIES and will make your hair look like a bag of hot chips!

Ghd's Heat Protect works best sprayed all over damp hair and then combed through with a wide tooth comb to spread the product throughout your hair, then blow dry as you do. If you like to leave it at that - then thats cool apply a little hair oil to your hopefully not split ends and off you roll.

If you like a more polished look or a have a serious power bob which needs to be slightly more perfected then while your hair is still slightly damp apply a small amount of ghd's Straight & Tame (maybe the size of a prune) to the palm of your hand and rub through your hair. Your hair should feel slightly tacky to touch, now finish off your blow-dry with a big round brush continuing to spread the product through your hair whist blow drying. 

These 2 products have saved my bleached dead hair from looking as big and out of control as Einstein's.

ghd Heat Protect Spray $24.00 

ghd Straight & Tame $23.00

www.ghdhair.com.au

White Glo for your pearly whites.

White Glo Extra Strength Whitening Toothpaste $5.49

Ok so this was an impulse buy when I was at the massive discount chemist a little hung over and not really in a frame of mind where I should have been shopping at all. So buying a professional whitening toothpaste which clearly states on the packaging that was 'orginially formulated for actors and models' was really hilarious at the time and it came with some free toothpicks and a tooth brush- SCORE!

Then I got really excited that it might actually make my teeth white as well as make me brake down laughing when I read the tube every morning in the shower.

A month later and I have almost finished the tube............and I think my teeth are actually looking a little whiter for reals. Like not so much whiter that anyone else would notice, but under good lighting and looking from some angles they are definitely whiter. Its not a dramatic difference like a professional whitening treatment would give you, but over time it has taken my teeth maybe 2 shades whiter which is pretty cool.  Next up I might try the White Glo Coffee and Tea formula because I am a Darjeeling addict. 

DIY : Bright Leopard Print Nails

Newbie to nail art? Leopard print nails are super easy to try at home and the result is a really sassy set of nails. If you are really boring you could use nudes, brown and black......Eeeeewwwww so gross. The brighter the better babes! I think that there is some rule about not wearing pink and orange together, who ever thought of that is the same person who would like nude nails and boring shit like that. 

1. Paint your nails with a base coat of colour, you need something that's going to be opaque with one coat and dries like a speed demon. I used Revlon Top Speed in Bubble 220.

2. Pour a blob of your second colour onto some scrap paper. You will need a mini paint brush from a dollar store to paint your leopard spots, so go buy one. Load your brush up good with your nail polish, and paint some stretched blobs if you are messy and a bit wobbly it doesn't matter at all. Ohhh and you know when you are painting with regular paint you have a water jar to clean your brush? Well you are want to do that but with nail polish remover in an egg cup. The orange I used is from japan but any orange will do.

3. Your highlight colour needs to be really poppy and on the other end of the colour spectrum to your first colours. Clean your brush, pour a blob of the polish on your scrap paper and load up your brush, don't be shy. Then paint around the blobs in half moon shapes, add a few little tiny spots in gaps. FIN! You are done and ready to go scratch some hunks chest or just wave your cute nails in peoples faces and be very proud of yourself.

If my words baffle you then come along to our next NPAA meeting where I will be teaching Leopard print and watermelon nail tutorials. We will be meeting upstairs at the Cricketers Arms Hotel in Surry Hills Thursday 6th September from 6pm onwards.

Big kisses love to the babes that came to NPAA at the Thousands live Issue for the Biennale of Sydney.....We painted over 200 sets of nails and loved every second of it.

N.P.A.A at the Biennale of Sydney Tonight!

Come and say Hi to the best nail club in Sydney!

Nail Polish Olympics....Way better than the sporting Olympics

Revlon Top Speed $13.95

Revlon Top Speed is fantastic it actually dries at Top Speed like its name! Not like some of the other 'fast drying' polishes which will leave you busting and holding on to go to the toilet because you are scared of smudging your fresh nails.

There is nothing I don't love about this polish, for the price it offers a seamless application and a great colour range. I don't mind paying a little bit more knowing that the polish is going to deliver great results.

Rimmel Pro Professional finish  $6.95

I love the brush on Rimmel pro polishes, it is perfectly shaped to fit into the half moon of your nailbed. It is a fantastic line of polish which offers all the standard classic nail polish colours you could want - that is a plus and minus for me, I do love a crazy bright or neon glitter. The reason Rimmel pro didn't take out first place is because of chipping, when applied with a good topcoat (see best base and top coats below) it will last 3 days or so with no chips then all of a sudden a whole nail will peel off. It really freaks me out.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer $14.00

Didn't see this one coming did you! I LOVE AMERICAN APPAREL NAIL POLISHES, the colour selection is phenomenal, the bottles are pretty cool looking too and you can always pick up extra leggings when you are at American Apparel buying nail polish. The colours are so different from the norm' which I why I like them, you will get lots of compliments and questions when you don and AA nail. 

Deborah Lippmann $24.80 

Can Mecca Cosmetica stock Deborah Lippmann already???? Shhheessshhhh.

Deborah Lippmann is seriously nailing the glitter polishes, I have banged on about 'Accross the Universe' enough well that was until I discovered 'Happy Birthday' which is basically confetti for your nails.

Holy Moly if I wasn't such a nail polish floosy and I had lots of money I would be happy only wearing Deborah Lippmann polishes forever.

Katy Perry for OPI $14.20

This collection blew my mind when it came out, it was when shatter polishes came out and for 2 seconds they were cool. The glitter base colours Teenage dream (pink) and Last Friday Night (blue) are my favorites - duh, both dense enough to wear on there own. They are packed with duo-chrome micro shimmer glitter bits which are so pretty and will turn the most anti-glitter critic. The one that got away is a deep berry with a slight shimmer, it is my go to pedicure colour for winter. 'Not like the movies' is a steel silver which gives off a pink cast, it is great for gradient nails. And lets not talk about the black shatter.

Yves Saint Laurent Nail Polish $30.60

OK so over time I have tried all high end nail polish brands, and as much as I love the colour options from Chanel  -  they chip on me like crazy, Dior is slightly better but the colours never jump at me or I have something similar already. So that's why I like Yves Saint Laurent for high end nail polish,  it applies without streaking and it doesn't chip too quickly. They also tie in nail polishes beautifully with their collections and compliment the overall look and feel rather than just an add on. My go to neo-classic red nail is YSL's N1 Rouge Pop Art, a milky neon pink based red which is so luxurious and pretty.

Sally Hansen Insta-Grip $16.95  Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat $14.95

If you are a true nail polish nutter then you will know the importance of a good base coat, stained yellow nails are the most hideous thought imaginable. Sally Hansen Insta-Grip dries SUPER fast like 2 seconds, no faffying about here because you have more important things like perfecting neon animal print nails!

Seche Vite is my holy grail be all and end all top coat, it dries relatively fast compared to other top coats and keeps your polish looking hi-gloss and fresh for at least 4 days. Go get it, don't waste your time with anything else.

Nails on Film.....8 hours later......

Want to teach yourself anything in life? It's 100% on YouTube. How to change a tire? How to crochet? How to fix your smashed up iPhone screen? How to do the moon walk? YouTube has you back! YouTube has wasted (constructively wasted) hours maybe even days of my life, it's like a vortex and I get sucked right in watching a girl in Portland tell you what her favorite glitter top coats are and then before you know it 4 hours have flown by and you are now watching a girl in Latvia tell you her favorite glitter top coats and its just as riveting.

Miss Jen Fabulous youTube here - Miss Jen Fabulous Blog here

Miss Jen Fabulous is super into nails, she sometimes vlogs herself in wallgreens buying nail polish and she looks like she is in a voodoo nail trance. She also knows her stuff! All her nail tutorials are super easy to follow, she kind of reminds me of a school teacher maybe that's why I was able to concentrate so hard on learning polka dotting. 

Makeup Never Sleeps YouTube here -  Makeup Never Sleeps Blog here

Rachel from Makeupneversleeps is my absolute favorite youTuber person in general, she really just gets it or maybe I really get her. She likes a pink-toned red polish on her fingers which she describes as 'crypt keeper' hands and knows the difference between a peach-pink and a pink-peach. She describes OPI's 'Pack your booty shorts' as 'The strangest purple that I have been in a while...ummm.....ahhhh it's a very childish grape purple' and that description nailed it, say no more Rachel I totally got that. 

Prepare for the youTube vortex amigos! Pack snacks and stay hydrated.

ILLAMASQUA FIGHTING THE AUSTRALIAN PRICE INFLATION ON COSMETICS

Woooop Woooooooop thank you Illamasqua! 

The inflation of cosmetic and beauty products in Australia is astronomical sometimes 3 times the price of the same products in The US and UK.

Everyone knows how to find products online for a US dollar prices and cut out local Australian retailers and department stores but that will end in tears for our local economy.

Let's hope Illamasqua 'Fair Price of Beauty' Campaign resonates and makes the 4 huge dominating cosmetic companies change their pricing.

How can you help fight for a fair price?

Illamasqua have promised to drop their prices in Australia but they need to know that by doing so people will buy their products. I think it is tough to promise Illamasqua that we will buy the products when we don’t know exactly how much they are planning to drop them, but either way this is a great campaign and I think we should all be signing the petition if at least to send a strong message to the Australian beauty market that inflated prices are not welcome. Here are some ways to help this campaign:

1. Sign the petition
2. Watch the campaign film (it is less than a minute and a half).
3. On Twitter, use the #FightForAFairBeautyPrice hashtag whenever talking about the campaign. And talk about it a lot!!
4. Visit the Illamasqua Australia Facebook Page and tell them what you think of this campaign.
5. And lastly, get on Twitter, Facebook and any other avenue you know of and tell other beauty brands that this is what we want from them. We want them to take a stand and cut their prices.

Nails Inc. 'Bag a Bachelor' + Cleo Magazine

Were you as excited as I was that there was a FREE Nails Inc. polish with this months Cleo? Too be honest the cover really didn't grab me Mila Kunis looks like a boyfriend stealing sour puss and I have no interest in the 500+ Guys revealing their deepest, darkest secrets which is what Cleo is telling us this month - lets face it I bought the magazine purely for the nail polish.

The UK based Nails Inc. is a brand previously not available in Australia and according to the website they are launching in Australia soon. They retail for £11.00 which converts to around $16.00 of FREE if you feel like buying Cleo this month FYI Cleo retails for $7.95.

'Bag a Bachelor' is a white based baby pink, which I was hoping would be comparable to OPI's 'Mod About You' sadly it is not at all comparable in anyway at all. This colour (I am going to assume it is just this colour because I have not tried any other Nails Inc polishes - and I will try a few more when I can get my hands on them) dries so slowly, it requires 3 coats to achieve an even coverage. Which is so frustrating because I so desperately wanted to love this polish and probably bough 2 more copies to have the 2 other colours available. 

Check out Nails Inc. HERE. 

Patriotic Nails Olympic Level

The only 2 Olympic sporting events I am remotely interested in watching on telly are the Rhythmic Gymnastics and the Synchronised Diving and they are probably on at 5am on a Wednesday which means I will not be watching and I will be asleep. Feeling disconnected to the biggest worldwide sporting event is depressing, so when I saw the nail art that was going on in the Olympic village it really got me excited! The Olympians are going crazy for patriotic designs with some incorporating Olympic rings on alternate nails. There are nail stations in the Olympic village with manicurist ready to paint and polish the sports women in between events.

Feeling patriotic? 

Or if you aren't as confident why not try some Australian Flag Nail Wraps? 

N.P.A.A X The Thousands X Biennale

We are having a very VERY special meeting of N.P.A.A this Friday at The Thousands Live Issue Biennale event. Can you believe it? We are super excited about it. Please come down and we will do your nails super fancy!  

Constant Coral Cravings

Lancome Rouge in Love '181 Rouge Saint Honore' $45.00 Revlon 'Fire and Ice' $23.00 Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss 12 $13.00

A coral is such a broad colour it can lean itself to red, orange, peach, pink tones and anywhere in between. So it's perfect for someone who cant make up their mind in the morning. Red lipstick always seems like such a commitment, and sometimes I just cant commit. Coral is as vibrant as red but without the hassle of worrying if its clashing with your dress or if you look too vampy at midday in a work meeting.

My favorite coral lipstick!

Modern Classics: Essex Girls

The Essex girl stereotype started in the early in the 80's and is now defined by the characters from the reality show The Only Way Is Essex. This aesthetic may not appeal to you and you might be revolted by the amount of makeup and fake eyelashes that these girls like to wear. To me the Essex girls look like they are having a lot of fun and if fake tans and eyeliner makes them feel confident then what does it really matter? Whether you feel naked walking out of the house without your tinted moisturizer or if its 3 sets of lashes its all the same! My love of makeup is an obsession and I am kind of jealous that these girls pile it on when I am worried if i blended in my BB cream and natural eye shadows seamlessly. So what does it take to be an Essex Girl?

Nars Bronzer in Casino $55.00

If you want the Essex look, then go in hard with the bronzer and don't stop. This isn't a contour this is an ALL over application with the biggest brush you've got.

Ardell Lashes in Demi Flare $7.95

It looks like the Essex girls wear about 2 or 3 pairs at once, but if you are a newbie to the fake lash then just try a single set. This is the cherry on top to their signature smokey-eye look.

Mac Lipstick in Hue $36.00

You want to go for anything that will make your lips look bigger. Nude lipstick is a must and like everything else on their faces this isn't subtle, although its called 'nude' this isn't meant to look natural at all.

Urban Decay Naked Palette £32.00

This palette is an A-Z in smokey shimmery colours and it looks like the Essex girls apply all of them AT ONCE. 

St Tropez Mouse Self Tan $58.80

There is a difference between a Jersey Shore tan and an Essex girl tan and its called class! These girls know how to blend a tan like no-one else - it may be a shade of bronze that is not humanly possible to achieve but it is always blended out into hairlines quite well. I am presuming they go for spray tans then top up with a little St. Tropez tanning mouse with a mitt in between sprays.

This post is for my favorite Essex girl of all time Alison Lennard xoxo