OZ Coupons Affiliate Program for Bloggers

I was recently contacted by Oz Coupons and asked if I would be interested in trying a new Australian Coupon Code Widget for my blog.

I like to think that I am a savvy shopper and I am always on the lookout for discounts and bargains, makes the whole shopping experience just that much sweeter don't you think?  It makes me very happy then that I can share these wonderful discounts with my readers local and international in the hopes that you too can find some new aussie online stores and snag yourself a bargain in the process.

Oz Coupons have asked me to do a short blog inviting any of my fellow bloggers who might be interested in hosting the Oz Coupon widget on their blog too (see mine on the right the big pink one).  Before hosting this widget yourself you can find out everything you would like to know here at their

  Oz Coupon Affiliate Program 

I would really appreciate it if you do register that you let them know Jac referred you by adding my blog url in the appropriate field.

 http://www.matillysthisnthat.blogspot.com.au/

All their discounts are sourced from the following website please check them out.

  Oz-Coupons 

I am really happy to be able to share discount codes to some great aussie stores with my readers, I found one on there which calls to the beauty blogger in me.

   Fresh Fragrances & Cosmetics 

They are offering $5 off your first order plus an automatic 10% off if you join their Loyalty Program and a life time discount of 20% off + FREE Shipping Worldwide and FREE Gift Wrapping on EVERY order. They have a huge range of brands  to choose from and are worth checking out.

Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

NARS The Happening Eye & Cheek Palette

This is a limited edition palette from the NARS Spring Collection 2013 and I thought I would share it with you all today.

www.narscosmetics.com

This gorgeous purse sized palette contains the cult classics Orgasm blush & Laguna bronzer 4.3g each +  four eye shadows;  Night Star, Gstaad, Kuala Lumpur & Coconut Grove 1g each.

daylamp
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Coconut Grove ~ Kuala Lumpur ~ Gstaad ~ Night Star

I'm not all that happy with the swatches I have here, it was hard to photograph.  The highlight shade you can barely see at all.  I added a more intense swatch below on my finger tips to give you some idea of the colour build up you can achieve.

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Coconut Grove ~ Kuala Lumpur ~ Gstaad ~ Night Star

They are all creamy highly pigmented shades, Coconut Grove is a dense dark chocolate matte and the other three shimmer with gold glitter.  Gstaad is a gorgeous gold taupe that is limited to this palette only.  There is some fallout mainly from the glitter but this can easily be buffed away, the colours are more intense when applied wet.

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Orgasm  ~  Laguna

The blush and bronzer are a good match for my fair skin and I can build up the colour to suit my look.  They both have a nice sheen to them and the blush is a gorgeous peachy pink with gold shimmer.

www.hqhair.com

I originally was going to purchase the Nars Laguna and Orgasm Blush Duo but I saw The Happening and thought it might be nice to try some of the eyeshadows too.  I purchased mine here at HQHair when they had a recent discount on NARS products.

This palette really appeals to me when I travel and I don't want to carry enormous amounts of cosmetics. Contains everything I need for a day/night look, highlighter (night star), blush and bronzer.  All I need to pack is foundation, mascara. eyeliner. finishing powder, lipstick and it all fits neatly into a small cosmetics bag.

I purchased this overseas but I am hoping it will arrive on our shores with Spring.

What do you think of this compact, do you own any NARS cosmetics?  I would love to hear what you think.

Jac x0x

Colours of the Rainbow Tag

I have been seeing the  ~   Colours of the Rainbow Tag  ~  popping up everywhere and I have really enjoyed reading everyone's replies and seeing a few of their favourites.  I have just read the beautiful Abigail from Shrinking Wallet's tag and thought YES I am going to do this!!

The rules are easy;  basically you just pick some of your favourite products that match the colours of the rainbow and talk about them.

This rainbow was photographed in our backyard on the weekend, we all stood on the verandah oohing and aahing, it lit up the darkened sky and turned everything brilliant!

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RED

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Face of Australia  ~  Macaron  ~  Sheer Gloss lip crayon.  I don't wear a lot of red so this was a really hard one to come up with but I love this gloss on my lips.  It's the first red that looks good on me, stays put a long time and doesn't dry my lips out.

ORANGE

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This is elf's  ~   Coral   ~   a peachy orange mineral blush.  I usually wear pink but have discovered a coral tone suits me well,  I have really enjoyed this blush and reach for it quite a bit.  Comes in a sifter jar, you just tap a bit in the lid and swirl your blush brush through to apply.

YELLOW

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Mmmm yellow was a hard one but I finally found napoleon PERDIS ~ Gleamer.  I use it all the time to highlight around my eyes and face.  Has a lovely sheen to it with no glitter.

GREEN

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My favourite green would have to be this Guess bag, I get compliments on it whenever I use it.  Green on one side and Blue on the other.

BLUE

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My favourite blue would have to be  ~  Chocolate Frog  ~  from Indie Polish Maker Alanna Renee.  This is from her Magical World Collection and is inspired by the colours on the Harry Potter Chocolate Frog packaging.  You can find out more about Alanna's gorgeous polishes here.

INDIGO

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Indigo is a cross between violet & blue so I thought I would show you one of my favourite Urban Decay Palettes  ~  beauty with an edge  ~  this palette contains two gorgeous metallic shades

Gravity (violet)  ~  Evidence (blue)

PURPLE

STELLA ~  Captures the scent of a Rose in full bloom with a sensual base of Amber.   I once read that this first fragrance released by Stella McCartney was inspired by her mother's love of roses.   If I ask my boys to go choose a perfume for me to wear they invariably come back with this one, it's their favourite.  Smell plays such an important part in our memories, just the sniff of a sweet shop transports me back to my childhood, if there was ever a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for me, it would have been a sweet shop.  That heady lush aroma of sugar, big ole glass counters filled with colourful rows of bullseyes, liquorice, jubes and choc caramel cobbers and my favourites all day suckers (the ones that changed colours).  Just as the smell of Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden will always remind me of my Nan, I think my boys will remember me too .  

PINK

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Pink isn't in the rainbow but it should be!!  It is my favourite colour and I thought it would be the easiest to choose but it's NOT because I have tons of Pink favourites.  Instead I thought I would show you the cute pink bunny makeup bag I like to keep in my handbag.

MULTICOLOURED

Top ~ normal light         Bottom ~  Day Lamp
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There is nothing more multi-coloured than a Palette and so I thought I would show you one of my favourites the  ~   pixi Early Bird  ~  this is a fantastic palette that contains just about everything you need to do your eyes and face  ~  blush, bronzer, highlighter and eye shadows.  It is really handy to take travelling because it folds up and packs flat, so no rattling around and no broken pans!

That's my Rainbow Tag, if you would like to do this consider yourself tagged!

Don't forget to leave a comment and a link so I can come read yours.

Jac x0x

Gloss 'n Sparkle Nail Polish Review ~ SpectraFlair

Today I thought I would introduce you to one of my favourite Top Coats by Gloss 'n Sparkle.

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This is SpectraFlair, a molten silver rainbow holographic top coat that you can use on its own or to brighten up any nail polish.  I especially love to use this over polishes that I would not normally wear, I just love the effect it has on brightening dull shades.

SpectraFlair 2 coats
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SpectraFlair is a course grade holographic in a clear base suspension base, so you won't have to shake every time you use it unlike heavier glitter polishes.  1-2 coats is enough, 2 coats really brings out the rainbow effect and I love wearing this on bare nails, the effect in sunlight is mesmerising.

Applies easily and drys smooth to the touch in no time.  Angela the creative lady who makes these lovely polishes suggests applying a top coat for longer wear.  Angela is based in Queensland and sells her polishes on Etsy you can visit her shop here, she also sells internationally through distributors and you can find out more about that on her website here.

Now for the fun bit, some swatches.  I found it interesting while I was going through my nail polish collection I chose mainly earthy flat tones to sample SpectraFlair with, I hope you like them.  All swatches were photographed using a day lamp.

Sapphire Dream  ~  Thanks a WindMillion  ~  Jayd  +  SpectraFlair  (1 coat)

Mineral Fusion   ~   Sapphire Dream
OPI   ~   Thanks a WindMillion
Coral Colours   ~   Jayd

Midnight Madness  ~  do you speak love?  ~  Coraliscious  +  SpectraFlair  (1 coat)
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ModelsPrefer   ~   Midnight Madness ~ gorgeous aubergine, purple first coat almost black 2 coats
essence color & go   ~   do you speak love?
Rimmel 60 Seconds   ~   Coraliscious

Jaded    ~    Muse    ~    wanna say hello
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Revlon Top Speed   ~   Jaded
Revlon   ~   Muse
essence color & go   ~   wanna say hello ~ dark brown

Botticelli Nude    ~    sweet berry    ~    dark room + SpectraFlair 1 coat
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Borghese   ~   Botticelli Nude
Savvy by DB   ~   sweet berry
MUD   ~   dark room ~ black


Well there you are, SpectraFlair certainly makes any polish special.

What are your favourite combinations?   Please leave a comment and let me know.

VIOLET BOX July 2013

Well I must say I am pretty excited with what I received in my VB this month.  It started off with the cute black box everything was packed in.  Magnetised closing lid with a purple bow.

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I was really happy with what I found inside too.

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ModelCo SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss ~ Striptease ~ RRP18.00, I have already received this in another subscription box (same shade) and to be honest I can't even remember what it was like or what I have done with it.  I don't think I am too impressed with this brand.

Aphelia Peony 9+5 Advance Beautifying Eye Creme ~ sample size ~ RRP$69 15ml.  Always excited to receive eye creams and I thought that this was a full-sized product until I opened it and there was only a tiny amount in the bottom of the jar.  I don't know if this is how much product we were suppose to receive, so if anyone else has opened theirs can you let me know?  I look forward to trying this but wish the sample had been bigger to get a better idea of what this is like and what it can do for my eye area.

Catalina Geo ~ Long and Deep Mascara (Plus Refill) ~ Black ~  RRP$31.50.  Wow I mean Wow, not only did I find a gorgeous looking mascara in the box but a refill as well!  This is the product I am most excited by, look forward to reviewing this for you all.

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Adorn Cosmetics ~  Eye Create Intensive Shadow Shade ~ Golden Quartz & Eye Create Matte Shadow ~ Coral Pearl ~ 2 samples ~ RRP$15 1.5g.  I really like the Coral Pearl, it is a pearlised pinky, peachy light golden shade with a little gold glitter, I don't know what the matte has to do with the description because it is anything but matte. The Golden Quartz is a gorgeous smokey brown shade with more glitter, it does tend to buff out though.  Both of these shades are from Adorn's normal eye shadow range, so I am a little disappointed I didn't receive what was on the card, I would have liked to have tried the matte shadow.

Coral Pearl
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Golden Quartz
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St Tropez Bronzing Mousse ~ sample 50ml ~  RRP$39.95 120ml ~ RRP$59.95 240ml.  I don't know much about bronzers for the skin as I am a

Proud to be Pale ~  Glow in the Dark ~  Casper Gal!! 

I have never used tanner but I am wondering if this can be used on your face to contour?  Might have to give it a go.  You can also use tanner to darken a 'too light' foundation.

There was also three discount cards one for Adorn Cosmetics, Aphelia Peony eye creme & Makeup AUSTRALIA.

Ok so that's what was in VB for this month.  I certainly think this is a much better selection than what I received last month and well worth the $22.95.  If you are thinking about subscribing please go here.

Did you receive Violet Box this month what did you think?

Lust Have It July 2013

When I rowed my canoe down to the mail box this afternoon *sarcasm* (torrential rain turned my driveway into a river), I was very surprised to find my LHI Box for July there, I wasn't expecting it till next week.

This month's theme is;

lustre VIBRANT BEAUTY

In the spirit of Australia's gorgeous weather all year around for July we celebrate

VIBRANT BEAUTY!

I had to chuckle gorgeous weather?  it is pouring with rain here, flooding, freezing cold and we're expecting snow this weekend!  

Something my Nan from the UK would never believe was that we get snow here because she thought Australia was all Desert and Kangaroos!!

We certainly live in a very diverse country!

This box is one of several variations but I do believe everyone will receive the nude by nature tinted moisturiser.

This is what I received this month;

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NUDE BY NATURE Natural Tinted Mineral Moisturiser with Sunscreen RRP$19.95 30ml ~ this is a full sized product and I have been wanting to try this, I wear lots of tinted sunscreen moisturisers (usually BB cream) during the summer for athletics coaching, look forward to trying this when the weather warms up.  Can be worn as a primer for foundation or on it's own.  I reallly like NBN products and they are always really generous with their samples, shows me that they believe in what they are selling.

KNOTTIES by CONDITION CULTURE Hair Ties RRP US6.25 ~ very cute little hair ties, claims to not snag or crease your hair, as I have long hair these are good to find in the box.  I received Gold and Blue ties.  UPDATE:  Loving these Knotties, they stay in your hair,  I wore it to bed and there was no slipping, no snagging and definitely no creasing, I wonder if they make a bigger one?   The only thing I can fault is I need a larger size for my thick hair, that last turn to put my hair up in a tail is tight!

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COLORSMASH by CONDITION CULTURE Hair Shadow 3g sample RRP US$15 when I first saw this I thought it was another broken eye shadow but it is actually 'hair shadow'.  I received the shade Gold Rush, the directions say; Smash it on.  Seal it with spray.  Wash it out.  Temporary hair colour.

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SCHWARZKOPF Extra Care Volume Powder RRP$8.99 10g this powder can be applied to the roots of your hair to add volume, I think it works like dry shampoo.

SWISSE Hand Cream with Vitamin F & Pomegranate 30ml sample RRP$29.95 500ml  ~ I have already received this before, good for travelling can double as a skin moisturiser, has a clean tarte aroma.

TRILOGY Active Enzyme Cleansing Cream  5ml sample RRP$39.95 150ml ~ I don't really use cleansing creams I prefer to wash my face and this sample is so small I don't think a teaspoonful is nearly enough to test how good this is suppose to be.  It would not convince me to spend nearly $40 on the full size product, these companies need to learn to be a bit more generous with their sample sizes.

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CALIFORNIA MANGO Mango and Jojoba Hand and Body Lotion RRP$3.49 62.5ml  I love the smell of mango and this has that sweet mango skin smell like when you sniff a mango at the supermarket.  Very strong aroma that permeated the box, this would be something you would wear on its own so it doesn't clash with your perfume.  I like it!  UPDATE:  I am addicted to the aroma of this lotion have been wearing it constantly since I received it.  Once it mellows with your skin it is gorgeous!!

BONUS!  HEALTH ESSENTIALS Macqui Berry Active 6g sample RRP$45 150g ~ 100% powdered Macqui Berry, maximum antioxidants, don't really get what this is suppose to do but it's very good for you apparently.  UPDATE:  I stirred this powder through a glass of lemonade, turned purple and tasted like berries!!  Yummy, I like it except for the little seedy bits but I can live with that.

That's it another month with LHI, can't say anything stands out for me as

VIBRANT! 

I do feel this month is a better effort than the boxes I have received in the last two months from LHI and I am pretty happy with the contents.  I have enjoyed playing with them all this weekend and that's what a good sample box is ALL about!

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  More COLOUR would have been nice, like the pink nail polish and makeup this model is wearing,  now that IS vibrant!

What did you receive this month?

You can read about what I received in my LHI Winter Eco Box here.

Revlon Top Speed Celestial FX Nail Polish

Ok I caved........today while I was waiting for my son to finish his Piano lesson I quickly popped in to my local BigW and they had Celestial FX sitting right there on the shelf calling for me.  Eek!!

Priceline have Celestial FX  and Heart of Gold FX on sale for $9 this week 18th July.

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous, I love this polish.

I am dying to try this on my nails but I am into the second week of my Revitanail Nail Strengthener course and I am abstaining from nail polish because you have to add a coat of Revitanail every day for 7 days, remove the lot, start again and repeat for 28 days.  I am already seeing fantastic results but that's another review.

So......swatches it is!

The first swatch is just on it's own.  Celestial FX is a mix of holographic & silver Stars, Moons and Diamonds in a micro holo glitter gel base.

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I find it's best to start off with a coat of the micro glitter base, once that gets tacky, fish and dab on extra stars, moons and diamonds where you want them.  This also helps stop the larger glitter pieces from curling and helps glue them down.   Once you are happy with placement go over with another coat to seal it all.

I didn't find it too hard to fish out the larger glitter there is a lot in there, what frustrated me was when I wanted stars I got moons and vice versa, there are lots of diamonds, no worries fishing them out.

My favourite base was MODE High Fashion, a very dark blue which I think shows off Celestial to best effect.  I have tried to capture the swatches with different light effects, these were all taken at night under a day lamp.

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I love anything pink so could not swatch without a pink one!  This is essence ~ free hugs, the shade did something strange to the micro glitter but I still like it.

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This last swatch is Sally Hansen Lustre Shine ~  Azure.

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I hope you like my swatches, please let me know what you think of this polish in the comments below, I love to hear from you.

Jac x0x

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat Textured Nail Colour ~ Tweedy

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I recently reviewed another Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat Textured Nail Colour ~ All Yarned Up ~ you can read that review here.

I picked up Tweedy last weekend and thought I would do a few swatches for you AND for Lily at Trick of Fate who really likes all my colour combinations.

3 coats ~ 2 coats ~1 coat
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I really like these polishes and think they look best from a distance because you get that fuzzy knitted look. The polish lasts well and I didn't experience any chipping, I did wear top coat on my nails to seal in all the little pointy bits otherwise they catch on your clothing.

All the following swatches are with one coat of Tweedy and sealed with topcoat.

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mirenesse ~ Bullet Proof Nail Lacquer ~ Flapper Pash ~ This would be my favourite combination, I really like the hot pink with this swatch.

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(l-r)

camouflage colour  ~ Chili Red ~ MUD ~ hello yellow

MUA ~ Love Hearts ~ I Want U

Seeing as it's the middle of winter in Oz these bright shades make me feel warm just looking at them!

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(l-r)

 Rimmel ~ Sky High ~ Sally Hansen ~ lustre shine ~ Azure ~ essence ~ free hugs 

I really like the combination of Sky High and free hugs.  What's your favourite combination?

Nail Polish with Hearts, Stars & Butterflies

Recently I reviewed Face of Australia's Glitterati Nail Polish in Heart of Glass and the lovely Renu from My Beauty Junction left a comment saying how much she loves heart glitter, so I thought I would do a few swatches of my polishes containing hearts just for Renu.  I then found a polish I owned that had hearts & stars so I thought I would throw in a couple of star polishes too AND a Butterfly Polish.


OPI ~ Nothin' Mouse About It ~ this polish is small pink, purple and gold glitter with larger pale pink hearts in a pink jelly base.  The hearts tend to sink to the bottom so the best application is to apply one coat of the pink glitter gel polish, fish out the hearts place them where you want and then when dry seal with another coat of the glitter gel polish.  It's fiddly but I think worth it, looks great if you use a different shade base.

NICOLE by OPI ~ Modern Family ~ She's Lily Something ~ gold, pink and purple glitter in a pink jelly base with larger pink stars.  Very similar to Nothin' Mouse About It.

OPI Nothin Mouse about it & She's Lily Something ~ MODE Blackberry ~ Blackberry base with OPI Mouse & Lily
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I used MODE Blackberry as the base coat for the two OPI polishes.  It is an almost black/purple polish but when you add the two OPI's as a top coat it does something magical and turns into a gorgeous glittering purple base.

Looney Lacquer ~ Love Gold
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Looney Lacquer ~ Love Gold ~ A Gold metallic base with white micro, bar and heart glitter.  This was a limited edition Indie polish no longer available.  I really like this polish looks fantastic on, I just wish there had been a few more hearts to play with as they are hard to find.

Heart of Glass
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FOA glitterati ~ Heart of Glass ~ you can read my review and find more swatches of this polish here.

MODE ~ Pocket Rocket ~ small silver glitter with larger multi-coloured hearts and stars in a clear base.  This is a fantastic polish if you want to add some hearts and stars to decorate your nails.  You need to fish out the glitter but the base doesn't dry too quickly so you have time to position the hearts and stars where you want them and when dry just add a layer of the glitter base or a top coat to seal.

MODE Pocket Rocket  ~  MODE BlackBerry  ~  Blackberry & Pocket Rocket
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Again I used MODE Blackberry as the base and Pocket Rocket as the topcoat.  This time the blackberry remained black but really brought out the colours of the glitter.

Emily de Molly ~  Flutterby Garden ~ Green, Lavender and Pink multi sized hexes and bar glitter in a clear base with larger silver butterflies.  This is another gorgeous Indie Polish and you can find out more about them here.

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The first swatch (far left) shows Flutterby Garden by itself and the three bases show up the gorgeous FB as a topcoat  the three bases l-r are:  

 Australis Sweet Pea  ~  OPI  Pedal Faster Suzi!  ~    Revlon Mischievous

Clear ~ Pedal Faster Suzi! ~ Mischievous ~ Sweet Pea
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The butterflies aren't too hard to fish out and there is plenty of time to position them where you want before the polish dries.

I recently saw in Priceline that Revlon have two new glitter polishes available in Australia that are now on my wish list.

Celestial FX & Hearts of Gold FX

Revlon Top Speed Celestial FX and Hearts of Gold FX;  Celestial contains holographic Stars, Half-Moons and Diamonds in a multi-coloured glitter base.  Hearts of Gold contains holographic Hearts in a gold glitter base.  I really want these.

If anyone has any other great glitter polishes they would like to share please leave a comment below.

I hope you liked my review and swatches Renu.

Jac x0x