Wordless Wednesday: Clouds!

"Sometimes, there's so much beauty in the world - I feel like I can't take it, like my heart is just going to cave in." ~ Ricky Fitts, American Beauty.

I find clouds so beautiful! These non-filtered photos were taken this morning. Enjoy the fluffy goodness....

French Mani using OPI Two Tone Manicure VIP Set!

The beautiful OPI Two Tone Manicure VIP Set

It's high time for something elegant and classy (especially after Zach Paints My Nails! happened), so I thought I'd break out le chic OPI Two Tone Manicure VIP Set and attempt a French Manicure! The set contains three lacquers; Alpine Snow, Step Right Up! and Passion. I used two coats of Alpine Snow to create super white tips, then applied one coat of Passion, the darker of the two sheer pinks, over the top. It looked nice but I decided to add another layer of Passion, which did improve the overall look.

Alpine Snow (left) and Passion (right)

I'm not usually a big fan of OPI lacquers, but the colours in this set are to die for! They were easy to work with and I'm very happy with the resulting look. So pretty!

Two coats of Alpine Snow on the tips

With one coat of Passion over the top

With just one coat of Passion over the white tips

Close-up of two coats of Passion over the top. Good decision!

Two coats of Passion, which I'm holding

The finished look is much more polished with two coats of Passion

Disclaimer: I won this OPI Set from a beauty blog. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Korres Lip Butter in Mango. Oh My!

Korres Lip Butter has been on my Wish List for quite some time, and recently I got my arse into gear and bought a little Mango pot! Having read lots of glowing reviews on various beauty blogs, my expectations were super high. I'm happy to report this product does live up to the hype!

I do have a Korres Mandarin Lip Butter Stick (in Rose, pictured above) that I've been using, but it's just not the same as the butter in the pot. Obviously the consistency needs to be harder in the stick so it doesn't soften and break off. The formula of the lip butter in the pot is creamy, lush and mega buttery! It literally melts into my lips, leaving them soft, smooth and well hydrated. Shea Butter and Rice Wax ingredients provide deep hydration, so these butters are particularly good for dry, chapped lips.

I love the shiny tint this balm gives me; it's very comfortable to wear and doesn't slide off my lips. The product also has a lovely scent, but my favourite features are definitely the formula and the colour it imparts, which is a very flattering peachy tint. I am hellbent on collecting the rest of the colours in the range now! They are Guava (clear), Jasmine (nude), Quince (sheer rose), Wild Rose (sheer deep red) and Pomegranate (sheer coral).

Korres is an organic brand that uses only environmentally friendly, all natural ingredients. Korres Lip Butter is stocked in a number of online Aussie stores including Mecca and ASOS (and even on eBay, just be very careful). RRP $16.

What's your favourite Korres Lip Butter colour?

YouTube: Zach Paints My Nails!

Well. I made my first proper(ish) YouTube video! This little gem combines beauty (no less than ten nail polishes are featured), laughs (my seven year old is the one applying said polishes) and dodgy production qualities. It was fun to make, I hope it's fun to watch, too. Just remember to lower your expectations first!

Beauty Blog Wins!

As many of you know, I love entering competitions. And obviously I love beauty products. So when my favourite Aussie beauty blogs host giveaways, it's a win win! I wanted to feature some of the lovely beauty prizes I've been lucky enough to win lately, and along the way mention some amazing beauty blogs for you to check out!

I won this Real Techniques Travel Essentials makeup brush set from Kimberly at The Plastic Diaries. I never used to get excited about makeup brushes and I have a pretty poor collection, so this was a really handy win. Lately I've been watching a lot of makeup tutorials on YouTube, and as a result, my makeup brush usage has increased. This pack contains a foundation brush, multi task brush, domed shadow brush and a dual carrier and stand to keep everything organised!

This is a three pack of Fudge haircare products that I won from Sarah at More Than Adored. I hadn't tried much from the Fudge brand before, but I can honestly say I love all these products! The Detox shampoo is fantastic for me because I tend to have a lot of dry shampoo build-up to remove come hair-washing day. I initially used the Matte Hed paste on my son to funk up his hair at the front, but it's great in my pony for added volume and texture, too. The Cement fixing spray really holds my style in place, yet gives a flexible hold that looks natural.

I haven't tried this Bhave Deep Intense Conditioning Masque from Kate at Seduced By Beauty yet, but as an award winning product, it must be great! I've heard people rave about Bhave, so this is something I'll definitely be incorporating into my haircare routine (sparingly at first since my hair does tend to go flat quite easily!).

More hair products! I won this Clear shampoo and conditioner duo from Jessica at The Belle Lumiere and they look lovely. They contain cactus extract for stronger hair and ten vitamins and nutrients for a hydrated scalp. Also, so much product! Each bottle is 350ml. That's a win indeed!

I recently won this cute Dr Hauschka Freshness & Energy Kit from Renee at Lifestyle and Beauty Honestly. I was so excited to see that she had included many samples, including a Rose Day Cream, entire Arbonne RE9 Advanced sample set and a People For Plants Pomegranate and Seabuckthorn Organic Lip Balm. How lovely of her! I love citrusy fragrances and these lemon-scented body products will be put to great use (not to mention all the anti-wrinkle samples!).

Last year I won these Revlon Crayon Balms from Michaela at Where Is My Mind?. It's always exciting to win makeup, and these pretty puppies were photographed toot-sweet so I could play with them immediately. The colours are Showy (the bright pink Matte Balm) and Provocateur (the red Lacquer Balm).

And the final two prizes both come courtesy of Angie from An Obsession With The Fabulous. Her Days of Christmas giveaway was amazing and I was lucky enough to win on two different days. I scored a beautiful OPI Two Tone Manicure VIP Set which just looks so classic and elegant, and a stunningly designed Physicians Formula Bronze Booster. I still haven't touched it because it's hypnotizing to look at and I don't want to ruin the pattern (but I will).

This is in no way a bragging post, and keep in mind I won these products over the course of last year and this one. I wanted to highlight some amazing Australian beauty blogs that I love reading, and show my appreciation at the same time. These are just a few (the ones I've managed to win from), but there are many other fabulous Aussie beauty blogs to check out. My favourites include:
Kitsch Snitch
Sweetaholic Beauty
Beautifully Glossy
The Minted Beauty
Emma Bovary Beauty
The Best Beauty Blog and
Fabulous and Fun Life who happens to be running a giveaway right now!

Phew! Go check them out!

Feel free to list your Aussie beauty blog in the comments below. I love finding new treasures :)