piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013 - Voting is live!

Hi lovelies!

I desperately need your help (pretty please, with a cherry on top)!

I entered Picture Polish Blog Fest and voting is now LIVE (and ONLY open for 24 hours)!! If I win, I get to come up with a collaboration shade with piCture pOlish!

All you need to do is visit this page, fill in the form with your details, and put my name (if you’d like to vote for me) in the comment section – piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013 mani art by The Made Up Maiden!

As an incentive, four lucky voters (two Australian and two international) who vote for the winning entry will get the chance to win six bottles of polish of their choice! This is open INTERNATIONALLY!!!

Thank you in advance! If you do vote for me please leave me a comment so I can thank you personally!

Much love,
MM.
x

Note: Voting is now CLOSED. A great big thank you to all those who voted for me; even if I don't win, I feel like a winner for having all your support! xx

piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013!

Hello lovelies!

Welcome to a very special post, piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013! This year's theme is 'Celebrating the year of the blogger', which is all about celebrating bloggers and what they do!

If you haven't come across it before, Blog Fest is the annual celebration hosted by piCture pOlish where bloggers from all around the world come together on the same day (this year it's the 29th of July) and post reviews of piCture pOlish shades. Although Blog Fest is usually the same day that new shades are released (and reviewed on the blogs), piCture pOlish are doing things a bit differently this year...instead of releasing new shades, they sent all participating bloggers three existing shades and challenged them to come up with a nail art look, complete with tutorial.

I was sent Coral Reef, Whimsy and Beige, and here's what I came up with:

My nail art submission for piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013.

Keep reading after the jump!

July 2013 Lust Have It Review and GIVEAWAY.

Hello lovelies!

Happy Hump Day! It's getting towards the end of the month which means...it's time for the beauty box reviews! I received my July Lust Have It box today, read on to see what I received!

As per norm, this month's box arrived in a deep blue (or is that purple? either way, it's gorgeous) paisley box. The theme is Vibrant Beauty, with the idea being the products inside are meant to keep you looking vibrant on the inside and outside.

In my box, I received:

Nude by Nature natural tinted mineral moisturiser with sunscreen (full sized)

Knotties by Condition Culture Hair Ties (sample)

Coloursmash by Condition Culture Hair Shadow (sample)

Schwarzkopf Extra Care Volume Powder (full sized)

Swisse hand cream with Vitamin F & Pomegranate (deluxe sample)

Alexami hydrating primer (deluxe sample)

Health Essentials Active Gold eye patches (sample)

Maqui Berry Active health essentials antioxidant powder (sample)

There were also a couple of discount vouchers and information pamphlets.

Keep reading after the jump!

Shortlisted in the 2013 Beautyheaven Australian Blogstar Awards!

Hi lovelies!

I've got some wonderful news to share!

Every year, Beautyheaven, one of my favourite beauty websites, holds a competition for bloggers; divided into several categories, the shortlisted entries are then opened to public voting, with the winners from each category winning a prize pack, and most importantly, a chance to guest blog at Beautyheaven for a whole year!

http://www.beautyheaven.com.au/health-wellbeing/healthy-eating-weight/blogstar-2013-health-guru-how-to-vote-11315

The Made Up Maiden is fortunate enough to be shortlisted in the 2013 Blogstar Awards for "Out with the twenties, in with the thirties" in the Health Guru Category.

Writing for Beautyheaven would be an absolute dream come true, however, it's an honour to even be shortlisted for a post that means so much to me personally. That blog post is one that came from my heart, and I honestly felt like I was baring my soul and sharing a piece of my heart with my dear readers. While makeup is a wonderful way to express your personality and add a little confidence to your step, it means nothing without a peaceful mind and heart. When I'm feeling a little upset, that's the post I like to revisit as it really helps me get everything back in perspective.

I would love if you could spare a few minutes to visit the Health Guru Category and if you think my entry is the best, throw a vote my way! You'd be helping me make a dream come true. :)

Don't forget to visit the other categories also, I have many lovely blogger friends also nominated!

You do have to be registered on Beautyheaven to vote, which you can do by visiting here. Registering is very easy and only takes 2 minutes, after which you can fill in your votes on this form. Voting is only open from the 21st of July until the midnight on the 31st of July, so please try to get your votes in as early as possible! You could actually WIN one of 100 packs just by voting for your favourites!

Thank you so much to those of you who have expressed your support, I have truly blessed to have made so many lovely friends! Regardless of what happens with the competition, I'm already a winner!

Much love,
MM.
x

Product Review: Makeup Academy (MUA) | Power Pout Lip Tint (and Swatches).

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all doing fantastically well! Here's a post I promised a few beloved readers a little while ago, I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to get it done! Oh well, better late than never, let me introduce you to the MUA Power Pout Lip Tints, which have taken up permanent residence in my handbag! The Power Pouts are retractable lip crayons which are quite similar to a tinted lip balm (but with better pigmentation than you usually get in a tinted balm).

MUA say "the Power Pout is a lip treatment with colour intensity that relieves dry, cracked lips, providing immediate moisturisation. The handy pencil-style applicator provides easy to apply sheer soft lip colour and rolls up for easy use."

MUA Power Pout Lip Tints.

As my long time readers know, I'm somewhat obsessed with lip crayons! There is something to be said for colouring your lips in with a jumbo pencil...I find it easy to apply my lip colour even without using a mirror (that could be my party trick, perhaps?), and let's face it, it's just FUN!

There are six shades available in the range, as detailed below:

Irreplaceable - Lilac pink
Rendezvous - Peach nude
Broken Hearted - Pink
Justify - Coral pink
Crazy in Love - Maroon
Runway - Red

Keep reading after the jump!

Product Review: L'Oreal Paris | Infallible 2-Step Longwear Lipstick (and swatches).

Hello lovelies!

First of all, a big thank you for all the positive comments and kind words on my new blog template! Your support really means so much to me!

I'd like to share my thoughts on the new L'Oreal Paris Infallible 2-step longwear lipstick. These are quite new to the Australian market, having launched just last month.

L'Oreal Paris Infallible 2-step Longwear Lipstick.

According to L'Oreal, these lipsticks combine hyaluronic gel, high-intensity pigments and illuminating balm to provide 24-hour colour and comfort, for a just-applied finish.

Keep reading after the jump!

A facelift...a blog facelift!

Hello lovelies!

Just a quick post today to finally be able to share some news I've been dying to share...as you may have noticed, my blog has had a facelift!!! Yippee!

(Image sourced from Google Images)

I owe it all to the very patient and very talented Sharnee from Suck My Lolly (isn't that just the cutest name)? She's an absolute pleasure to work with (I drove her a bit crazy trying to pick everything about the new template), so if you're in the market for a new blog design, definitely check her out!

What do you think of the new look?

Much love,
MM.
x

Kiwifruit Inspired Makeup Look.

Hello lovelies!

Another (Wednes)day, another makeup look! This week's makeup tag is for a kiwifruit inspired look, so I decided to just play around and let my creativity flow. I'm actually quite happy with this week's look (aside from the wonky false lash placement - must.practice.more!!!), I think I surprised myself!

Here's what I came up with...

Keep reading after the jump!

Product Review: Rimmel London | Apocalips Lip Lacquer Swatches (and Giveaway)!

Hello lovelies!

Love lipglosses but wish they had better pigmentation and longevity? Me too! Which is why I've lost my heart to the new Rimmel London Apocalips lip lacquers! I first heard of these a few months ago when they were being raved about in the blogosphere, and being the impatient person that I am, ordered two (Apocaliptic and Stellar) from ASOS, thinking I'd do a review after trialling them for a while. I then realised however, that they were due to hit Aussie shores quite soon after, and since I was fortunate enough to also receive the entire set to trial, I thought I'd just do one big post for all eight shades!

Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquers.

Keep reading after the jump!

Cruella de Vil Inspired Makeup Look.

Hello lovelies!

I'm a bit tardy this week on the makeup look tag, thankfully I managed to send it on to Aqeela in time but I'm a bit late posting it on the blog! I seem to be running behind on everything this week, I'm going to need the weekend to destress!

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I thought I'd keep things simple this week as I was doing this look at 12 am on Tuesday night. I'm really not too happy with it but at least I managed to take part!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Cruella, she was the 'bad guy' in The Hundred and One Dalmations. She was in the fur industry and wanted to catch (and kill) the dalmation puppies to make a coat out of their fur! I had a pet dalmation that I adored, so I wasn't too fond of this movie. Fortunately though, all ends well and she is conquered in the end. Have to admit she had really cool hair, though, part white and part black! Her signature look was red lipstick and crazy eyeshadow, and I've put the photo below in to jog your memories.'

Here's what I came up with!

Keep reading after the jump!

OPI The Bond Girls Liquid Sand Collection - Solitaire, Pussy Galore and Honey Ryder.

Hello lovelies!

I have a review of three gorgeous liquid sand polishes to show you today! They are part of the OPI Bond Girls collection, in commemoration of 50 years of Bond movies!

If you think the term Liquid Sand is familiar, it's because I showed you two beautiful polishes from the same Liquid Sand formula, from the OPI Mariah Carey collection not too long ago. The Bond Girls collection, however, is more about pastels and there are some gorgeous ones on offer, so let's take a look, shall we?

First up, we have Solitaire, a beautiful white polish that tends towards silver, depending on the lighting. It also looks almost translucent in certain lighting. In the photos, it looks like it's not fully opaque on my nails, but that's due to the reflective sparkle particles in the polish.

Solitaire in daylight.

Keep reading after the jump!

My Favourite Makeup Looks.

Hi lovelies!

I hope you're all having an amazing weekend! For a bit of fun, I thought I'd do a recap post of my favourite makeup looks. Things have been so busy lately that I've been relatively tame with my eye makeup; I really miss creating more artsy looks, so I was hoping that looking at previous looks might inspire my creative side!

Here's a soft purple look I created with a cats eye flick at the end. Purple is one of my favourite colours so I can never get enough of wearing it!

Keep reading after the jump!

Product Review: Nailene Ultra Adhesive Tabs, So Natural Every Day French, Couture Design Artificial Nails and Pink Brush On Nail Glue.

Hi lovelies!

Happy Hump Day! I'm skipping the weekly tag this week as I'm beat! It's been a bit crazy, workwise, so I'm exhausted!

I have a new review for you today, and that's the Nailene artificial nails in So Natural Every Day French* and Couture Design*, which I used together with the Nailene Ultra Adhesive Tabs*. Now, it's been quite a few years since I last used artificial nails, so I was quite intrigued when these crossed my desk. It actually turned out to be quite serendipitous, as I broke a nail on my thumb quite badly (darn you, antibiotics, my nails have never been so prone to tearing before), so I was keen to see if the artificial nails worked well.

Let's take a look at these and see what we think, shall we?

Nailene Ultra Adhesive Tabs*

These are a simple concept; you simply choose a size that fits your nail, pull off one of the little adhesive tabs from the protective backing, place it on your nail with the curved bit closer towards your cuticle and gently smooth it out before removing the protective topsheet, much as you'd use double sided tape.

I found it useful to use a pair of tweezers as it was more precise in application. 

If you look closely you can see the tab on my (poor, stubbly) nail bed below, the protective topsheet hasn't been removed yet.

In the photo below, I've pulled off the topsheet and the tab is ready for me to place the artificial nail over.

All you need to do then is put the artificial nail on top, and voila, you're done! The adhesive tab keeps the artificial nail on quite securely, and it provides that extra little bit of cushioning so the artificial nail sits flat on your natural nail.

Now, the instructions do say to make it extra secure by putting glue on the tab and then putting the artificial nail on, but I gave this a trial run without glue and they lasted me at least 3 days before I got bored and took them off. Removal was quite straightforward, you simply roll the artificial nail until it slides off your actual nail. That part was easy but I did find that the residue from the tab was a bit hard to remove, even with nail polish remover.

Nailene So Natural Every Day French Nails*

I thought these natural french design artificial nails were really pretty until I noticed they said 'short' on the pack! That's always a problem for me as my nail beds are quite long, and indeed, this turned out to be the case!

You get 24 pieces in this kit, in a variety of sizes, together with a small tube of nail glue, nail buffer, cuticle stick and instruction booklet. You're supposed to gently buff the surface of your nail, put glue on the artificial nail (or use the tabs/tabs + glue) and then place the artificial nail on your nail bed.

Unfortunately, I could only find pieces to fit my thumb, the rest of them were entirely too short. Shame as they were so pretty! They actually looked quite natural too.

The thing that I loved most about these? You can actually paint over them! Very handy if you've got a single broken nail or you just want lovely, well shaped nails for a special occasion (or if you reaaallly want to use glitter polish but can't be bothered with the removal - just saying).

Nailene Couture Design Nails*

Similar to the French design, you get the exact same items in this pack.

I thought this design was gorgeous and really hoped it would fit...!

Sadly, no go either! I did find one to fit my thumb, though! Isn't it gorgeous? Such a lovely thing to do for a special occasion and it takes only seconds!

Nailene Pink Brush On Nail Glue

While I was on the topic of Nailene, I had to share another holy grail product with you, my favourite nail glue! Nail glue is very different to superglue, so please only use specially formulated nail glue when using artificial nails, or when it comes to repairing breaks/tears.

I love this stuff and always make sure I have a bottle handy. It's slightly pink tinted so it looks perfectly natural, even on naked nails, and the little paintbrush makes it easy to manoeuvre without leaving blobs of glue behind! It also allows you to apply glue in thin layers, which means it dries faster!

I always keep a bottle handy in case I start to develop a tear in my nails. A couple of swipes of this and I'm good as new! You can also fix a really bad break by brushing a layer of this over the crack, snipping a tiny piece of a teabag (I'm talking about the gauze like material that teabags are made from), placing it over the glue (I highly recommend using tweezers) and then placing another layer of glue on top to seal it in.

Wait for the whole thing to dry, buff it gently and your tear should be fixed perfectly!

I hope you enjoyed that review, lovelies. I must say I am a little disappointed that the nails were too short for my nail beds, as the designs on the Couture Nails in particular are stunning!

The Ultra Adhesive Tabs* are priced at $8.99 for a pack of 24 tabs, while the So Natural Every Day French* and Couture Design* nails are priced at $16.99 each. You should be able to get at least 2 uses out of each kit, unless you have the misfortune of having long nail beds like I do. :P

The Brush On Glue retails for $7.99 but it will last you ages (in a pinch, I have even used them to glue things together in lieu of superglue, so it's a very handy product to keep around)!

I hope you enjoyed that, lovelies! Do you ever use artificial nails? Do you think these designs were gorgeous?

Much love,
MM.
x


Note: Products marked with a * were kindly provided for my consideration in accordance with my Disclosure Policy. This has not affected my opinion in any way. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.