ProNail Supply Bankstown! Essie, O.P.I and China Glaze Haul

Today was my last day off for the week till work again so i didn't want to waste it by sitting at home the whole time.
I decided to drive to the ProNail Supply store that i've heard about online. I was thinking of going there yesterday when i was near the area but ran short on time. Now that i had a rough idea of the location i was ready to venture out!
It turned out a lot closer than i had thought and even though i drove in a circle because i still can't read parking signs i ended up parking right outside the store!

The Essie section! Well... Essie polishes on O.P.I stands xD

I felt very lost at first. I'm sure it was a nail polish heaven but the decor of the store was anything but. It was almost like a empty store with a few makeshift shelves and piles of reject products thrown in boxes. It definitely had a warehouse look to it. Which means the stuff should be cheap!
O.P.I was going for $12 each. China Glaze, Essie and Orly were at $6 each. And they had a mix of other stuff. They had an ok range of O.P.I. Not as much as David Jones. They had just as much in Orly and they also stocked Orly minis. I was hoping for Essie minis but they didn't have any which made me sad! I walked around a bit like a lost child. Their China Glaze range was the biggest and nicest. They had a few holiday kits too. I made sure i processed where all the brands were and then headed back to the Essie section.
I'm a little disappointed in their range. I was hoping for some matte shades but most very pearly polishes. There wasn't a wide variety of colours either. Just your typical reds, pinks and french manicure sheer polishes.
A lot of the polishes were also seperated and some of the same shades didn't even look alike. I tried hard to find shades that i liked enough and i ended up with 4. I had another which looked almost exactly the same as another i was holding so i put it down. $6 is cheap compared to the RRP of $18.95 i pay at Myer. However some of the lids didn't have the usual 'e' embossed on top. I was very careful to choose ones that did and also looked at the labels at the bottom. To prevent possibly buying a fake or buying a super old polish! Some of their stock didn't have labels on them either and was just markered with a number.
It gives me the feeling of rejected stock, factory seconds or out of business salons. Also all the polishes appear to have been opened and tested at least once. I wasn't keen to stock up on every shade available. Here is what i picked up:

Essie 445 Lily Pond, 508 Cafe' Forgot, 402Pink Chiffon and 471 Power Lunch

 I'm ok with my choices. They weren't what i'm after and i think i have shades like these already but i went there for Essie so i must get some at least!
I decided to pick up the O.P.I mini Dutch Treats set. I've seen this in stores still so i knew it wasn't old stock. This was for $15 as opposed to $29.95 at DJs. They had another O.P.I mini set from some Halloween collection but the packaging looked super old and the polishes were very seperated. The shades weren't nice so even for $10 i decided i'd rather spend it elsewhere.
The other other holidays set were China Glaze Xmas ones. The mini xmas set was $12 but the colours were just awful and too xmas-sy to even wear on regular days. I couldn't keep my eye off this set though. I think i've seen this somewhere recently and the lady told me it was the latest collection.

The China Glaze Winter Ice collection.

 Tinsel Town sounds very familar. They are definitely not the nude shades i've decided to dedicate my nails to, but 2 were glitters which would be fun to play with. This set was $20 which is cheaper than buying them seperately for $6 each there.

ProNail Supply haul

I looked around a bit more and nothing really caught my attention. They did have some nail art pens at $4 each but i'm pretty sure i can get them cheaper from Essence. Overall i'm happy with what i got even though i'm not as excited as i thought i would be. I don't think i will be back any time soon although A has asked me to take her next time. I might go back now and then to check out if they have new collection sets. Other than that, i hope to stay away from nail polish as this new want for them is digging a third hole in my wallet along with my make up and skincare addiction!

Has anyone else been there? What was your opinion of the store? Did you manage to haul better than i did?

More Beauty Hauls! Priceline $5 off Avene voucher!

I got this sent to my email from Priceline earlier this month and it's a $5 off any Avene product from Priceline. The offer ends at the end of this month and you can print this voucher off as many times as you want!

http://www.priceline.com.au/content/general/evouchers/PRS1185_avene_ev_V6.pdf

I took advantage of this offer today since the month is ending to pick up the Avene Clearance K Cream-gel. It is an exfoliant, hydrant product. The texture is like an emulsion and very smooth gel like.

I started using this product a month ago because it is packed with AHAs and BHAs which is hard to find in regular drugstore products. It is excellent in absorbing oil away from the skin. Even though my skin is dry i have bumps under my eyes which is a form of milia i believe. After heavy research a while back, people had suggested a cream with AHAs and BHAs. I've been feeling the tiny bumps are a bit more flatter but i cannot say it gets rid of them instantly. I hope with continuous use this would solve my problem :) I like to use this before eye cream to really get this into the skin. It feels so nice, when my t-zone feels a bit oily i like to rub a bit of this onto it also hehe

Also Priceline currently has 20% off eye creams and serums. So this came down from $22.99 to $18.39 to $13.39 which the voucher! Awesome :D Also half price!

I printed off 3 vouchers at work and used them all up today. I was at 3 different Priceline's and they don't seem to stock much of the clearance k. Also a little disappointed that the expiry dates on them were earlier than the one i have at home already. Priceline has really been slowing down in stocking their products and for some reason everything i'm specifically after always seems to be sold out!

Priceline also had their Orly nail polishes reduced to $2 each now. I'm not sure if this was the lowest price they've had them at. I'm still a little cut up that i bought 9 O.P.I shatter polishes there at $9.95 thinking i scored a bargin only to find out 2 weeks later they were buy 1 get 1 free at the price of $9.95 each still *sigh*.

I figured $2 a polish isn't that easy to regret so i picked up 4 shades. They all seemed to be the last of their colour in the tub of Orly mess. I think my choices were quite good compared to the rest of the junky seperated shades available.

On Sunday i was at Chemistwarehouse and their new sale just started. They're doing a great promotion on Aveeno at the moment. Spend $10 or more on any Aveeno products and get a Positively Radiant Moisturizer free. I've been keen to try this moisturizer as it seems similar to my Olay 30+SPF moisturizer and would be perfect under make up. It is only 15SPF though but i don't mind too much. The whole range was on sale and most things were for $9.69... which is very sneaky of them because it requires you to purchase 2 products to get over $10! But the Skin relief cream was for $10.39 and so i picked that up. Not only that, i actually need this as i've run out of my sensitive skin ointment from Alpha Keri a week ago so this was perfect :D I picked this up 3 times since body creams run out very quick for me when i use them daily after i shower.

This is a really great deal but keep in mind the moisturizer does have an expiry date of 03/12 so there's no point in stashing up on these. They've got a few other promotions at the moment and another one i'm eyeing is the Skin Doctors buy one day cream and get the night cream free. However it's just a regular cream and doesn't target anything specifically so i might pass on it.

someone help me solve this side-way photo dilemma!

I really need to cut back this week. I over did the shopping last week so after today, hopefully it will be my last shopping trip for the week. I do have a bunch of other little hauls from previous weeks i have not posted about so there will probably be more posts anyways! :D

Target Prestige Cosmetics and Essence Haul. MAC and Bobbi Brown for Target?

Last week i did a mini Target haul and whilst paying, the lovely lady there told me they are discontinuing to carry the Prestige and B by Bloom line and will be bringing in M.A.C and Bobbi Brown in 6 weeks! I couldn't believe it. She said it will be similar to the Napoleon Perdis Set range so i guess it will be like a sub line of products? They should be cheaper and not the same products you get from the regular M.A.C and Bobbi Brown counters. I'm a little excited for this as i don't believe they have something like this in the U.S yet as well?

So anyways :) The Prestige products were discounted quite a bit and it's a little sad because Prestige only started being sold at Target just a few months ago. They did a mini sale last time and i bought out all their black Total Intensity eyeliners which i cannot live without.
There was still a wide range of eyeliners and pencil type products available, but i have a massive Prestige stash already and held back hehe
I bought out all their Mineral Brushes which are RRP$24.95 for $6.88 each! And also got their myBROWduo pencil. I haven't sharpened the one i already have once yet and it still looks quite new, but they were RRP$15.95 now $6.88 so i had to buy the last 2! I know it's for the brows but i love the nude colour for the waterline. It's fat enough that it doesn't stab my eye when applying and looks so much more natural than a white waterline.
I also picked up 3 black mechanical eyeliners. Everything is a really good price, all around $7 except for the compact baked powders which are at $15 each. Even the mineral foundations are going for $7. However i have learnt my lesson with the Chi Chi mineral powders which oxidize like crazy and shall never use mineral powder on my face again. I just can't trust that natural stuff anymore!

Essence 72 time for romance on ring finger.

I also decided to pick up another Essence nail polish in 72 time for romance. It is a plummy chunky glitter polish and looks super fun! I have tested it and it looks pretty good after 2 applications. All Essence polishes dry fast and the ones i've tried so far and watery but opague in colour. I love how fat the brush is also. The application is extremely easy and i just love them now :) Can't go wrong for just $2.55 and such a wide range of colours available!

Essence and Bloom Nail Polish Haul Target

During my lunch break today i ended up doing a little shopping :)
I stopped by Target which i do frequently while at work and ending up leaving with a few new nail polishes.
I've come to realise my favourite colours to wear on the nails are nude pinky beige, light pastels.
Which is convenient since pastel is the latest trend i suppose?
There was a sale on the b collection by bloom nail polishes. I was going to pick up the 2 mini trio sets but kept getting tempted by the more expensive full sized colours.
I tried to resist picking up every nude in the full size and ended up with one colour i just couldn't put down. So on my way to the checkout i passed the Essence stand and noticed they had a new range of nude polishes! It was a mini collection from them called 'nude glam' and there was 5 nude shades available. At $2.55 per polish i dropped what i had and grabbed every single nude colour available. I didn't want to over do it with the nail polish in one go so i decided to get the Essence ones and put down the 2 mini Bloom trios, mainly because i wasn't as in love with the colours as the nude ones. I still couldn't put down the full sized Bloom one even though i could have bought 3 more Essence ones for the price, i just liked it too much :(

This photo probably shows the most accurate of the colours. My lighting in here is much too yellow and flash makes them look darker than they really are. They are super light and pastel :)

07 Cafe Ole, 05 Toffee To Go, 06 Hazelnut Cream Pie, 04 Iced Latte, 02 Iced Strawberry Cream, 44 Modern Romance (regular line)

Hmm after typing out the number codes to these polishes, there must be 7 colours at least and not 5. I don't seem to have number 01 and 03! I must go on the search for these at another Target!

I do already own some Essence polishes and they go on quite nice and opague. They dry in a reasonable amount of time also. I have not tested these out and i hope none are sheer! I'll probably add swatches to this post later.  

Today i wore O.P.I 'Fly' and O.P.I 'Metallic 4 Life' on top of the ring finger.

Swatches!

First is Geneva by B collection. Then the Essence polishes in 44,02,04,05,06,07.

O.P.I Nicki Minaj collection "Did It On 'Em"

I think my expectations of nail polish has gone through the roof. After switching to using higher quality nail polishes i've enjoyed how quickly they dry. However lately i've been expecting them to dry within a minute and i've been frustrated it wasn't dried almost the second i have just put it on.
I need to learn to have more patience again hehe
So after a nail polishing disaster, i decided to just go flat and choose one colour which was the O.P.I 'Did It On 'Em'. A lime green.
The results are lovely but this polish NEEDS 3 coats to even look decent. The first layer is a streaky sheer mess and almost looks yellow. The second layer is still streaky and i'm starting to doubt my colour choice. Then the 3rd and final layer where i don't hold back on the amount i slap on and ta-da! It's perfect! :)

Apologies for how messy it looks. I spent over an hour going a little nuts at attempting a simple design which ended up terribly and i had to take it all off before doing the lime green :)

I need to remind myself to just stick to flat colours. I'm no good with nails at all :(

Now to tidy up and do something else more productive than wasting 1.5hrs on painting my nails!

My new Prada wallet :) 1M1225 in Pomice ( Taupe grey beige dark cream)

Recently L spoilt me and bought me a Prada wallet after he switched to a better paying job.
He had chosen the limited edition version of the 1M0176 in the patent pastel yellow and it was a in your face chunk of yellow so we went back to the Prada store to exchange and feeling a little rushed by the sales assistant i switched the colour to the royal blue one which looked like a almost black blue. The only other colour choice was a pastel green.
The wallet was sitting in it's box a few days after and i didn't feel like using it at all. I knew it just wasn't my style. I tried to love it and asked many people for their opinions on it. After debating with myself many times i concluded that if i was going to enjoy such a expensive wallet, i might as well enjoy it to the fullest so i took it back and exchanged it for a completely different style. The sad part is that i now have $40 Prada store credit and everything in there is at least $300! Paying $250 for a keyring just to use up the store credit?mmm...no, i don't think so lol

Here is what i chose after browsing intensely online for a few nights trying to make a decision. I was thinking of choosing a bold red or hot pink but decided for my first luxury wallet i should go safe and choose a neutral colour.
Here she is :)

Prada 1M1225 Wallet in Pomice

I've only used this once as i don't want to bring it to work where my handbag is out of my sight for such long periods of time. Although the saffiano leather is quite tough i'm still worried about scuffing it up too much. I love how it is the perfect size and how nice the quality feels. I hope this doesn't start a trend of me getting into luxury items. I don't think i can ever bring myself to spend that much on a wallet. I dream about it and tell myself i think i'll get that wallet someday but parting with so much money for one small item is just something i am not willing to do just yet hehe Maybe someday. I have been thinking about the saffiano lux totes for a year now ever since i decided it's better to get a Prada bag than Louis Vuitton.... Hmmm hehe :)

Dr Lewinn's Skin Perfect Concealer Swatches (Honey Beige, Pink Beige and Illuminator)

Last week i spotted a exciting new make up range from Dr Lewinn's. I am a fan of their skincare lines which are known to be very good, so i couldn't help to browse through their make up.

The prices are around the same as more expensive drugstore brands here.
The only thing i'm still hunting for in make up is the perfect concealer. I only had time to test them out and here are the swatches. The concealers were around $25.00

Dr Lewinns Skin Perfect Concealer

Illuminator, Pink Beige, Honey Beige

The illuminator isn't anything different and looks a lot like the Napolean Perdis Set Liquid Veil in London Silver. This is very shimmery, almost like fine glitters so it is not a subtle sheen.

Pink Beige is very neutral and probably better for pale pink toned skin. Honey beige is too orange to use all over the face for me. It is definitely something to only neutralized purple dark circles and brighten up darker areas.

The coverage on these are lacking. They are probably low to medium coverage. so more for just evening out skin tone rather than covering up flaws. As you can see on the small dark spot on my hand, the swatch on top barely covers it at all. When i rubbed all 3 swatches on the hand of my hand together it gathered up together and formed gritty chunks which is something that happens with filmy products being layered on too thick. I don't recommend trying to build up the products for fuller coverage as it might result in this.
Overall this range is definitely targeted at older women who don't want that caked up, too much make up look. There was a good range of foundation shades to choose from as well and would definitely recommend this to someone who doesn't normally wear make up but needs to even out their skin tone or women over 40s who find it hard to get away with a full face of make up.