Maybelline Super Stay Gel Nail Colour Review

I've heard a few rave reviews about the formula of these polishes and I've been dying to get my hands on them since. Australia is forever behind on basically all beauty releases so it was a very long wait but I finally saw them at my local Priceline and had to pick them up.

The shade range isn't quite my style, I lean more towards pastels rather than brights but I managed to find three shades that are right up my street in Surreal, Eternal Lilac and Hot Salsa (this photo doesn't really depict the colour well but it's a pretty coral/red shade). I know that in the UK they have a much larger shade range and I can only hope that Australia gets some of those eventually if these prove to be popular.

The formula is very long wearing, 7 days isn't an understatement and my hands get battered from my work so it's a miracle for anything to last 3 days without a chip. With a thick brush, which if you're got narrow nails could border on being too thick, the polish goes on almost fully opaque with another coat required to just touch up a little. The finish is the closest to gel I've ever found in a normal nail polish but it wasn't until I used a polish from a different brand right after using these that I noticed how big of a difference there is. Other than the fact they're super long wearing, one of my favourite things about these is that you can peel the whole nail polish off it's so thick which is weirdly very satisfying.

For under $10 you can't really ask for more from this polish other than more shades please! A very pale pastel blue and a white would be nice..

First Pay Cheque Haul

I feel like it's a tradition for most to spend their first pay cheque impractically. I've never had a proper job before and so when that amount was deposited in my bank account I got very excited.. and promptly spent it all. I've had a few of these products for a little while so I thought a mini review is in order.

Shu Uemura S Curler is probably my favourite new product. Traditional curlers have always been a struggle for me, never quite reaching my outer or inner lashes and always pinching me to the point where I am holding back tears. In comes this contraption and it's a breeze, curling in sections works for me because it's easier to follow the shape of the eye and it's simplicity means no pinching. It's also under the $20 mark and I have found to be a great investment.

Essie Master Plan is almost a Nails Inc. Porchester Square dupe which I was coveting at the start of the month but for just over half the price on sale. It's a beautiful, sleek neutral with enough taupey tones to eliminate the drab factor. The formula of course is wonderful as per all Essie polishes.

Maybelline Color Show Brocades in Foil Flash 219 - the glitter polish trend has been around for quite some time so I am quite late to this game and I am leaving it pretty quickly. The polish is great, one coat and it's glitter central but for me it was too much. I will get this one out again at Christmas but for everyday use I'm just not a fan. It's also a bit of a pain to get off which doesn't satisfy my lazy desires.

Eyebrow Spooli - I have used one off the back of a failed eyebrow pencil purchase for a while now but it got dusty and yucky so I decided to replace it. Not much to say other than this should be in everyones collection, they're cheap, long lasting and get the job done.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner is one of the best liquid eyeliner pens I have tried with it's precise tip and true jet black colour. I haven't braved the cat flick yet but lining the outer half of my top lash line gives the illusion of thick lashes and works a treat. The waterproof part so far remains untested but I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

Bioderma is probably the most popular cult make up remover that exists in the beauty blogger world and I can see why. It's just so easy to get everything off and it tackles waterproof eye makeup without irritation or excessive effort. The scent is not my favourite but it's not so overpowering that you can't ignore it so I tolerate it. The price for us Aussies is the biggest downfall but I picked this up 20% off which made it much more reasonable.

NYX has expanded to Australian Target stores and the excitement was real, I was very happy when it turned up on the shelves of my local store and treated myself to two products. The first I had spotted online was the Love In Paris, 05 Parisian Chic palette. With four neutral mattes and 5 bronzey shimmers with only one dud shade as far as I was concerned it looked amazing and it's affordable. The quality is lovely and most of the shades are very wearable especially for blue eyed gals like me.

The second product was the Eyebrow Power duo in Blonde. If you're blonde like myself you'll know the struggle to find the right eyebrow shade and I was so happy when this turned out to be the best affordable eyebrow product I've tried. Sadly it's probably too dark for the lighter blondes out there but the grey tones are a perfect match for my brows. I haven't tried the wax yet but I'm pretty content with my clear gel so I'll be sticking with that.

Needless to say that I have very little left from that pay cheque was I was one happy camper and I am much happier with my everyday routine thanks to a few of these products.

What have you splurged on recently? Leave your recommendations in the comments below.

Nailed It!

I don't think it would be an exaggeration to call me a bit nail polish obsessed.. With almost 40 lined up on my mantle in the past few years I have gained quite the collection but I have a few go to colours that I wear year round, no matter the trends.

Ever since they became easier to access in Australia, I have been collecting Essie nail polishes. Every now and again they come out on sale for about $10 and I pick up a shade.. or two. The quality of the polish is great, I can wear them for over 5 days easily with only slight tip wear without a top or base coat and if my nails are buffed and filed it looks very much like I've had a professional gel manicure. I do however wear about five shades in rotation almost constantly.

Bikini So Teeny - the light blue shade that it seems most have in their collection. It adds a perfect pop of colour for a monochrome outfit and is the perfect pastel blue.

Mint Candy Apple - another shade that pops up in a lot of people's nail polish collection and I don't blame them. For a person who hates green, I really love this colour and just for that I put up with it requiring three coats for it to have a perfect finish.

Go Ginza - a lavender/pastel purple that is the most recent colour in circulation of what I put on my nails. It's bright, it's happy and perhaps a little juvenile but the most colour I wear is on my nails so I think it's acceptable. A dupe however which is over half the price is the Covergirl Outlast nail gloss in Lav-endure which is almost identical, just a little bit more lavender than pastel and has reasonably good staying power.

Lapiz of Luxury - not my favourite of the five polishes but still a great colour if pastel polish is not your thing. Again on me this requires three coats but that could just indicate I am rubbish at painting my nails.

Forever Yummy - the perfect red, it's dark without being dull and exclusively wintery and cheery enough to be worn at Christmas time. I wear this on my toe nails almost permanently and if I'm going on holiday this is my shade of choice because it is so versatile (although I wouldn't recommend it if you're going swimming on this holiday, it will chip like nobody's business if in water for too long like most polishes). Pair it with a little black dress or shorts and a t-shirt and it works.

What are your favourite Essie nail polish shades? I think I might have to start keeping a wish list and put away some pennies in preparation for them going on sale.