NOTD: Ulta3 Black Plum + Weekend

Hi everyone, hope you've all had a great weekend!

Today's nails are Ulta3 Black Plum - a gorgeous vampy plum with metallic red shimmer!!  I know it's almost summer but the gloomy Melbourne weather we've been having lately is making me go for darker shades.  I promise I'll bust out some brighter ones once the weather picks up!

Ulta3 Black Plum Nail Polish

My weekend has been fairly boring: worked on Saturday, then picked my sister up from work and went to go vote.  I spent the rest of the day hanging around in exercise gear waiting for it to stop raining for long enough so I could go for a run, but it never did.  Today I slept in, went for a run, made a vanilla slice (no pics because the custard part didn't set properly so it was a bit of an oozing mess) and some scones for afternoon tea (which ended up being supper because people didn't arrive until 8.30).  One of my friends from high school is leaving for Malaysia and Vietnam on Wednesday (so jealous!!) so we all wanted to catch up before he leaves.

My run today was pretty good, I think I'm getting faster as I ran about 4.5km today (compared to around 4km when I first got to the half hour mark). I kept slowing down today though because it is hard rubbish collection in my suburb at the moment so I was slowing down to look at what people are throwing out - I saw an eliptical cross trainer a few days ago but it was gone today so I guess someone must've taken it.  My dad was going to throw out a microscope kit from the 70's or 80's that he found somewhere around the house.  Luckily, I intervened in time!!!  I know, I'm a huge nerd, haha!  I think the light globe is broken so I'll have to see if I can fix that so I can look at cool things under my vintage microscope!

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Don't forget to vote in my poll (if you haven't already) to let me know what you'd like to see more of on my blog.  You can pick as many options as you want.  I've noticed quite a few people are interested in these general life types updates so I will try to make more of those.  And remember, you can also email me suggestions too: thelovelygangster(at)gmail(dot)com.

Project 20 Pan items 6 - 9

Hi everyone,

In the past few weeks I have finished off a few more items for my Project 20 Pan.

Covergirl Olay Primer, Ralph Lauren Romance Perfume, Maybelline Coversitck Concealer and The Body Shop Touche Lumiere Concealer

Covergirl Olay Primer - this is a silicone based primer and gives a good matte surface for your makeup.  I really liked this and will repurchase after P20P is over, however, priced at around $25, this is one of the pricier "drugstore" primers so I would tend to wait until this goes on sale.  Also, this primer is good for absorbing oil from your skin throughout the day to prevent your foundation from sliding off, however it was not the most moisturing of products (I use a moisturiser underneath) so I would probably not recommend this for people with dry skin.  Don't be alarmed by the opaque, completely white colour of this, it blends in nicely and won't make you look like a geisha!

Ralph Lauren Romance Perfume - I gave my thoughts on this in my Perfume Collection post so I won't bore you by repeating myself!

Maybelline Coverstick Concealer - this product was ok, nothing special but does what it is supposed to do.  Sometimes I like to use a cream concealer (as opposed to liquid) on days when I have more to hide (e.g. pimples, very dark undereye circles etc).  I like the idea of a stick as I think it is probably a little more hygenic than a pot that you stick your finger in everyday.

The Body Shop Touche Lumiere - I like to think of this as a rip-off of Touche Eclat (which I purchased earlier this year, but am yet to try out).  It's a liquid undereye concealer in one of those automatic twisty brush type contraptions.  This has a peachy orange tone which is good for cancelling out the blue/purple tones of undereye circles, which I often have.  I'm still searching for the perfect thing to cover them and I have my eye on a few products from Benefit, once P20P is done...although I think the perfect solution would probably be to get more sleep, but I don't have time for this!  Touche Lumiere has good pigmentation and covers discolouration quite well.  As far as I'm aware, this product has been discontinued.

I'm now almost halfway though, how exciting!!  I have been tempted a few times, but so far I have managed to resist.  A few items thus far have been skincare, perfume and lip balm.  It was part of my original plan to include these, however I think I will add a clause to my Project 20 Pan.  As I think that makeup items are really what I have too much of, I have decided that as part of the 20 items which I use up, a minimum of 10 items must be makeup items.

Thanks for reading!!

Casual Friday Outfit + New Mimco Bracelet

Hi everyone,
today was casual Friday at the hospital where I am doing my placement and this is what I wore:

Casual Friday Outfit

Casual Friday Ootfit

Jeans - MNG
Top - Jeanswest
Jacket - Dotti
Scarf - Dotti

I also wore my new Mimco Dark Secret bracelet.  This arrived from the UK last week (it worked out to buy cheaper from the UK website, including shipping, than to buy from here....how strange?  Just goes to show how we get ripped off on everything, including things made by an Australian company) but I haven't got around to posting pics yet, so here it is:

Mimco Dark Secret Bracelet

Mimco Dark Secret Bracelet

And just for fun, here is my eye makeup look from today as well:

 

Thanks for reading, hope you all have a great weekend!!

NOTD: Revlon Plum Night

Today's nails are Revlon Plum Night, a dark plummy purple creme.  This is two coats plus top coat.

Revlon Plum Attraction nail polish

Current Lemmings

I am super broke at the moment, so here is a list of things I'm currently wanting but can't afford to buy.

Knit top from Sportsgirl - image sourced from www.sportsgirl.com.au

Urban Decay Naked Palette - image sourced from www.urbandecay.com

Too Faced Naked Eye Kit - image sourced from www.toofaced.com

Mimco Bracelet - image sourced from www.mimco.com.au

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: Ulta3 Wildberry + Uni placement

Today's nails are Ulta3 Wildberry, a dark grey creme.  This went on nicely and was opaque in two coats.  I think it is a nice alternative to black polish for times when you want a darker nail colour without looking too gothic.

Ulta3 Wildberry nail polish

In other news, as I mentioned in my neutral nails posts, I have started a uni placement (at a hospital) on Monday.  I have really enjoyed the first two days and am looking forward to the rest.  The only downer is that my last day will be Xmas eve, so no time to do Xmas shopping!!

All the staff are very friendly and there is quite a relaxed atmosphere - they even have casual dress every Friday, so I will try to post some Friday outfits.  My "work" wardrobe is fairly boring so I apologise for the lack of outfit/fashion related posts, but hopefully I will remember to take pics this Friday.

Thanks for reading!!

NOTD: Ulta3 Sweet 'n' Natural

Another neutral polish for my nails today - Ulta3 Sweet 'n' Natural.  This was pretty thin and streaky, a bit of a pain to apply.  It's a slightly pink toned bronze colour.  I did three coats (plus top coat).

Ulta3 Sweet 'n' Natural

Novo Shoes 40% Off Voucher/Coupon

Hello everyone!

Just quickly, before I have dinner, I have another pre-Xmas sale voucher to share with you.  This one is for Novo Shoes - print it off to receive 40% off bags and shoes instore.  Valid 25-28th November.

Novo Shoes 40% Off Voucher/Coupon

Enjoy!

NOTD: Ulta3 French Nude

Hi everyone!
Tomorrow, I'm starting my uni placement so I thought I'd stick to something neutral for my first day.  This is Ulta3 French Nude.  It's a little more yellow than Ulta3 Allure which I wore a few weeks ago.  I think I prefer Allure. Apologies for the inflamed cuticle on my index finger, I tried to crop most of it out.

With flash

Reminder of what Allure looks like

Thanks for reading!

Harry Potter Seven Part I + Outfit of the Day

Hello again,
today after work I went over to Westfield Doncaster to see the first part of Harry Potter 7 with some friends.  I read the book when it came out, but haven't re-read it since so I was a little bit lost and kept asking which character was which, who was evil etc.  I'm not really a movie guru or anything, but I thought overall it was pretty good, especially the special effects.

There were heaps of really little kids in the cinema though, like 5 and 6 year olds.  There is no way I would have gone to a movie like that when I was that little!!

For today's outfit, I wore the pleated black cami top that I purchased a few weeks ago from Jeans West.  No picture because I couldn't get a good one, so here is a reminder of what it looked like.

Image sourced from www.jeanswest.com.au

While we were at Doncaster I stopped by the Estee Lauder counter in DJ's to pick up a sample of the fragrance Beautiful.  I'm not really a fan so I'll probably give it to my mum, haha!  I think most of Estee Lauder's fragrances are for a more "mature" target audience anyway.

Thanks for reading!

Daiso and Passionflower + Outfit of the Day

Hi everyone,

On Friday I made another trip to Daiso, this time with my sister!  We had lunch in the city first (at a Malaysian restaurant in QV) and then hopped on the tram out to Abbortsford.  There was quite a bit more stock than Thursday's trip, but there were a lot of unpacked boxes in the aisles and still quite a few empty shelves.

I bought some gift bags (for Xmas, birthdays etc.) and some origami paper.

Japanese gift bags and origami paper from Daiso

 My sister bought an umbrella, some wrapping paper, gift bags, origami paper, oil blotting sheets, a little key charm thing and some little felt decorations for craft projects.

My sister's purchases from Daiso

Click on the jump at the end of this post to see the rest of my photos from Daiso!

Then after Daiso, we had dessert at Passionflower.  The menu is so overwhelming, I wanted to try about five different things!!!  And they let you taste the different icecream flavours before you decide what you want to order!

I ended up ordering Tiramisu, which was nice but I was feeling a bit sick by the end because it was so creamy.

Tiramisu - Passionflower

 My sister had banana crepes with sticky rice and coconut icecreams.  The sticky rice icecream was ok (it actually has grains of rice in it!) but the flavour was a bit meh - just a generic sweet flavour.  She said the crepes were nice though!

Banana crepes - Passionflower

Look at all the different icecream flavours!!  They have lots of Asian inspired flavours like sticky rice, red bean, jackfruit, green tea, durian, black sesame etc.  I tried Kumquat and Wild Lime Sorbet.

Passionflower

On the way back to Melbourne Central to get the train home, I bought these shoes from Cotton On.  I think they will be cute for Summer!  You can't see all that well in the picture, but they have little bows on them.

Flats from Cotton On

It was sunny so I wore a summery top, but it turned out to be freezing, only about 20oC or so.  Lucky I brought a cardigan as well!

My outfit for the day

Top - Dotti
Cardi - Quick Brown Fox
Jeans - MNG

Thanks for reading!

P.S. - don't forget to vote in the poll I have going in the side column to give your input of what you'd like to see more of on my blog!

P.P.S. I took a heap of photos in Daiso, but I didn't want to spam you all with them, so click on the jump to see the rest of my photos from Daiso!

EOTD: Revlon Nude Elements Quad

Hi everyone,
this is my eye makeup look for today, using the Revlon Nude Elements quad.  I wanted to do a slightly darker look than yesterday, but still keep it day time appropriate so I've kept the liner fairly close to the lashes.

Revlon Nude Elements quad eye makeup look

Revlon Nude Elements quad eye makeup look

Revlon Nude Elements quad eye makeup look

Revlon Nude Elements quad eye makeup look

Products used:
Lid primer - Art Deco eyeshadow base and then MAC Beige-ing shadestick just on the lid area
Lid colour - Revlon Nude Elements quad light brown shade
Crease colour - Revlon Nude Elements quad medium brown shade
Outer crease colour -  Revlon Nude Elements quad charcoal shade
Brow bone - The Body Shop single eyeshadow in no. 12 with Revlon Nude Elements quad white shade as a highlight
Liner - Revlon Luxurious Matte Kohl liner in Black Truffle (lower and upper waterline, upper lashline)
Mascara - Bourjois Talons Alguilles lengthening mascara in black
Brows - Revlon Colourstay Brow Enhancer in Blackened Brown

Thanks for reading!

EOTD: Maybelline Almond Truffles Trio

This was my eye makeup look for today, just a very subtle, neutral eye using Mayelline's Almond Truffles trio.  I'm not 100% sure that I like the look of the flesh coloured liner in the waterline.  I think it looks ok from afar but up close it looks a little weird.  I like the liner on the upper lid to be quite subtle so I stay as close as possible to the lashes and then blend it a little with a pencil brush.

Neutral eye using Maybelline Almond Truffles trio

Products used:
Primer - Art Deco eyeshadow base
Lid colour - Maybelline Almond Truffles lilac shade
Crease colour - Maybelline Almond Truffles brown shade
Brow highlight and inner corner -  Maybelline Almond Truffles lightest shade
Upper waterline and lashline - Revlon Luxurious Kohl liner in Rich Mink (brown)
Lower waterline - Stila Kajal liner in Topaz
Brows (not really pictured) - Revlon Colourstay Brow Enhancer in Blackened Brown
Mascara - Covergirl Lashblast Length in Black Brown

Products used

Thanks for reading!

P.S. I have started a little poll in the side column for you to let me know what kinds of things you are interested in reading about on my blog.  I am new to blogging and am open to trying different kinds of topics.  If there's something you'd be interested in reading about that isn't listed in the poll or if you have any other suggestions/comments/constructive criticism, feel free to send me an email: thelovelygangster(at)gmail(dot)com.  Thanks!!

City Outing, Shopping, Daiso etc.

Hello everyone,
I had a dentist appointment in the city this morning so I hung around in the city afterwards to meet my sister after her exam.

I took the tram out to Abbortsford while I was waiting to have a look at Daiso, the recently opened Japanese "100 Yen" store - basically like a $2 discount store, except everything is from Japan.  I thought it would be awesome, but I was honestly a little disappointed.  In fairness to them, a lot of shelves were empty and they are expecting a shipment tomorrow so I will probably make up my mind when I go back tomorrow with my sister (tomorrow is her last exam so she wants to go back afterwards).  All I bought today was a pack of "infant cotton buds" - like normal cotton buds but smaller.  I plan to use these for cleaning up my nails after I paint them.  There were a lot of random things that I had no idea what they were for and couldn't work out from the pictures/diagrams.  Apart from that, there was a lot of stationary, homewares/storage, bathroom things etc.

Baby Cotton Buds from Daiso

Daiso Website 

After looking in Daiso, I decided to check out Tokuya, a similar Japanese discount store on Bourke St (next to the Target arcade).  It was pretty similar to Daiso, although a little bit smaller.  I bought a "vegetable organiser"...haha, this sounds so ridiculous.  From the picture on the label, I think you are supposed to use it for standing carrots, cucumbers etc. upright in the fridge....???  Anyway, I am going to use it for organising eyeliners, mascaras etc. as I currently have a glass chemistry beaker for this and while it looks cool, I think something plastic will be safer.

I have one section for shadesticks & jumbo pencils, one for brushes, one for eyeliners and one for mascaras and brow things

Top view so you can see the dividers

Then I met my sister and we shared a macaron and a mini cupcake at The Cupcake Family in QV.  I wanted to try almost all of the different cupcake flavours but we went with a mini peanut butter and chocolate cupcake and a mocha macaron.  The cupcake was nice, but I think the icing was just pure peanut butter - a bit sickly.  The macaron was also nice, but not as nice as the Lindt Cafe ones.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mini Cupcake and Mocha Macaron

They had some cool looking "display" cupcakes in the window though, I guess these are examples for people who want customised cupcakes for birthdays and functions etc.  I thought the Tiffany and Chanel ones were cute!

The Cupcake Family

The Cupcake Family

Chanel and Tiffany inspired cupcakes

The Cupcake Family Website 

On our way back to Melbourne Central to get the train, we had a look in the Mooks store.  I bought a Paul Frank tshirt.  I'm not a huge fan of Paul Frank (I don't mind it, just not crazy about it), but I thought the print was cute.  And I don't have that many tshirts (I don't wear them all that often, but I think I'll need a few for summer).  That's my justification haha!  It's a bit crinkled from being folded up in a bag but it says "Maybe we just need more hugs!" - cute!!

Paul Frank tshirt

And I'm going back into the city tomorrow, haha!  Since starting this blog it seems like I go shopping every second day!  I promise this is not normal, it's only because I have a very short holidays (only two weeks, compared to normal three months of uni holidays) as I am starting a placement next Monday.

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: Ulta3 Flashback Fuchsia

Hi everyone,
Redid my nails tonight in Ulta3 Flashback Fuchsia.  To me, this isn't really fuchsia, more of a deep berry red creme.  It is a nice colour though and I think it was part of the Autumn/Winter range of 2010.  All the gloomy weather we've been having in Melbourne inspired me to go for a darker, more Winter-y shade!

It applies well, and was opaque in two coats!  I added a topcoat to prevent chipping, but this polish had a nice glossy, shiny finish on it's own so you could probably get away without one.

With flash

Thanks for reading!

Favourite Lip Products

Hello everyone!

Today I'll be sharing with you some of my favourite lip products!  I'm honestly not a big wearer of lipstick, I just don't really like the feeling of having something sticky on my lips.  Plus I hate having to reapply it all the time.  Having said that, I have made an effort this year to try to appreciate lip products more and use them more often in my daily routine.  I do use lip balm obsessively though, haha!

So here are my favourite products:

Lipglosses and lipsticks:

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses and Revlon Colourburst Lipsticks

Tinted Lip Balms/"Sheer" Lip colours:

Revlon Beyond Protective Liptint, The Body Shop Sheer Lip Colours and Nivea Hydro Care Lip Balm

Thoughts and swatches:

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses - I generally don't wear gloss as I just don't like the sticky feeling, however these are not too bad.  They are quite pigmented so you only need a thin layer and they don't have that awful grainy feeling that some glosses do.  Glossy Rose is a deep pink with gold shimmer, Peach Petal is a a light peachy pink creme.

Left: Glossy Rose; Right: Peach Petal

Revlon Colourburst Lipsticks - there was a lot of hype surrounding these when they were first released and I think it is well deserved.  They have a nice texture, glide on smoothly and evenly and come in a good range of colours.  They are at the pricier end of "drugstore" lipsticks, but if you can get them on a buy one get one free deal they are good value.  Smooth Nude is a creamy nude colour which I like to use to town down the natural pigmentation of my lips without getting that "concealer lips" look.  Blush, for me, is a nice "my lips but better" colour - a neutral pink with a hint of frost.  Mauve is a purply blue toned pink.  This is about as extreme as I go with lip colours (I've never been able to rock a bright red lip).  If I wear Mauve, I would tend to keep the rest of my face fairly plain.  Peach is a nice bright coraly pink which will be perfect for summer.

Left to right: Smooth Nude, Mauve, Blush, Peach

Top to bottom: Smooth Nude, Mauve, Blush, Peach

Peach looks quite orange swatched on the skin, I think it looks nicer on the lips.  It goes nicely with the Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Peach Petal.

Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in Peach

Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in Peach with Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Peach Petal over the top

Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in Mauve

Tinted Lip Balms:

Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Liptint - these are discontinued which is a shame because I think they are really nice.  A moisturising lip balm with a sheer colour pigmentation and light berry fragrance.  These are perfect for days when you don't want a sticky feeling on your lips or would prefer a light wash of colour without that heavy "lipstick" look.  They are also SPF 15+!  I bought these at Priceline on sale for $5 each after they were discontinued but you may still be able to find them on eBay or similar.

Left to right: Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Liptint in Pink, Rosy, Nude and Berry

Top to bottom: Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Liptint in Pink, Rosy, Nude and Berry

Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Liptint in Nude

Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Liptint in Berry

As you can see from the lip swatches, these are quite sheer, but you can build the colour if you prefer a more solid colour.

The Body Shop Sheer Lipcolours - these are also discontinued, I think they have been replaced by the new Delipscious Sheer Lip Shines, which I will probably look into when my spending ban finishes.  The sheer lip colours are, like the Revlon Liptints, great for getting a nice sheer wash of colour and a bit of shine onto your lips without the stickyness and heaviness of lipstick.  They also have a berry scent.  I'm not sure of the names of these colours, but the numbers are 01, 02 and 04.  They do look quite dark in the tube (especially 04) but as you'll see in the swatches, the colour goes on quite sheer so they can still give quite a natural look, or be built up for a more dramatic look as you prefer.  I also sometimes wear these like a gloss over lipstick as they do have quite a nice shine to them.

The Body Shop Sheer Lip Colours in 01, 02 and 04

Top to bottom: 01, 02, 04

This is 04 swatched on the lips - as you can see, it's not as dark as it looks in the tube.

The Body Shop Sheer Lip Colour in 04

And finally, I threw in my HG lip balm Nivea Hydro Care just because I love it so much haha! No swatch of this because it's just ordinary old lip balm.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments section what your favourite lip products are!