Molly's Maquillage

Your iPhone isn’t just for making calls, sending e-mails or browsing the web. For beauty buffs, there’s an untapped resource of fabulous and fun apps that help you access, enjoy and experience beauty on the go. So if you have an iPhone, here are 5 beauty apps that you can download and use on the go – making beauty more accessible than ever!

Beautyheaven.com.au

Download this app and you’ll have the ultimate beauty product encyclopaedia at your fingertips. Browse over 11,000 beauty products and access over 70,000 reviews – you’ll be a very informed shopper! This app is useful if you want to know more about products before you buy, need guidance on what to buy, or are stuck choosing between a few different brands. The reviews are unbiased to help you make the right decision. And best of all, it’s free!

Mirror HD

This is a simple app, but one that allows you to make the most of your iPhone’s camera. Ever wondered if you’ve got something stuck in your teeth, or need to hastily apply your makeup on the train? The Mirror HD app turns your iPhone into a portable mirror using your camera. Get a full screen shot of yourself or take a snap to check out your overall look. This is a great app to replace rummaging for that little mirror lost in the depths of your handbag.

My Local Salon

This app helps you find all the best local salons and spas in your area. Using your iPhone’s GPS technology, you can find salons near you and make a booking directly through the app. It also offers ratings and reviews so you know what to expect if you’re heading somewhere new.

Makeup by Modiface

Give yourself a virtual makeover with this makeup simulation app. Simply upload a picture of yourself, and you can choose from thousands of different lipsticks, blushes, foundations and eye shadows to try on virtually and test different looks. It’s not only fun, but can save you the hassle of going into the shops to choose and test different makeup. Once you’ve found the colours or a combination that you like, you can save it as a photo and send it to your iPhone, e-mail or even post it on Facebook.

OPI

Are you a nail polish junkie? Love trying on new and different colours? This handy app from OPI has a Try-It-On Studio that allows you to see how OPI lacquers and colours will look on your own hands. Once you find a shade you like, you can save it for when and if you want to buy later.

If you have an iPhone, make the most of these apps that are fun, easy to use and make beauty more accessible than ever! If you’re a beauty junkie but don’t have an iPhone to access these apps from, it might be time to invest in one. If you don’t want to make an outright purchase, why not rent one instead? You’ll be able to spread the cost, and always update to the latest technology. Equipment rental can be a smart alternative, and you can get the iPhone to enjoy, browse and use all the latest beauty apps!

This guest post was brought in collaboration with Rentsmart.

Nail art is a big trend that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, and I am glad because it’s so much fun! And as much as I enjoy pimping out my nails it is the biggest pain making sure that they are 100% dry before touching anything (and then the sudden need to use the bathroom which is not possible!).

I recently tried some nail strips from Nailease and let me just warn you that this is going to be a rave review because they are amazing!

There are so many patterns and colours to choose from, and they also sell single colour strips and french manicure strips. Which has me so excited because a DIY french manicure is such a feat (for me anyway).

I chose the Green Gold Snakeskin pattern and was really happy with the result. It looks even better in real life.

As you can see, they are actually more blue in colour than they appear on the website, but I really like the colour, and the glitter is a great touch.

The pack comes with a total of 20 strips which means that it is easy to find the right size for your nail and it doesn’t matter if you mess one up because there are plenty more. I love that these don’t require any trimming to make them fit, because they aren’t a sticker they are flexible (when at room temperature) and you can gently rub it until you’re happy with the fit. Even if there is a bit of polish on your skin, it simply rubs off after a little while.

To apply, rip off the right size strip for your nail, peel off the plastic from the top and bottom of the polish, then line it up with your cuticle and gently rub it into place. Fold the excess of the nail strip under the nail, then gently file off the excess in a downward motion (the pack includes a nail fine and cuticle stick).

Here are some other designs I’m loving:

These are definitely worth checking out, they are by far the best stick-on nail product I have used and are still in good condition a few days since applying. And they’re much quicker than traditional nail polish. Visit their website here.

This product was provided for consideration in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

I’m alive! Sorry for being missing in action for so long. I’ve had an action-packed couple of months and am only just settling back into Melbourne life.

The holiday was amazing, I saw so much and had an incredible time travelling. Here are some happy snaps:

I was pretty good at limiting my beauty purchases until I made it to New York and gave myself permission to go a little crazy in Sephora (I spent $500 on the first visit!) then kept remembering products on my wish list and spent a lot of time in Napoleon Perdis and MAC. When I visited MAC in Hollywood it was a few days before the Golden Globes and makeup artists were coming in to stock up for their celebrity clients (hello, Zooey Deschanel!).

I bought a lot of products that I can’t usually afford in Australia (Chanel, NARS etc) and lots of the cult favourites, including – Urban Decay Naked Palette, NARS Orgasm blush, NARS Laguna bronzer, MAC lipsticks, Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation, Chanel Coco Rouge lipstick, Lancome Hypnose mascara, Laura Mercier primer and Oil-free foundation.

I also wanted to stock up on some skincare products and bought home Clarins cleanser, toner and moisturiser. I’ve also been using a new brand called First Aid Beauty which my skin has been loving, especially when the freezing winds in New York were out in full force. It’s great for dry or sensitive skin, is fragrance free and really creamy. So I was pleased with this discovery!

Another favourite I discovered was the Sugar lip treatments by Fresh. I bought the Lip Exfoliator and Lip Treatment, then ended up going back. This is the best Lip Treatment I have ever used and is long-lasting, nourishing, and also come in different tinted colours.

So I’ve got plenty of reviews coming up for you, and I can’t wait to get back into blogging

There is a very good reason I have been absent lately, I had planned to schedule some posts for you but I have been super busy the last week trying to get organised for my big overseas holiday that I’ve been planning for years!

I swear my boyfriend and I should be blonde, we’ve been looking at our flight details for about 6 months and didn’t pick up on the fact that we were due to depart on Monday until a few hours beforehand! The whole time we thought it was booked in for Tuesday, so now we’re leaving tonight at midnight instead – to think I could be in Rome right now!

The trip is a bit of a mixed bag – we’re going to Rome, Florence, Verona, Venice, Barcelona, Paris, London (for Christmas), New York (for New Years), Dominican Republic, and Los Angeles.

The part of packing I was looking forward to the least was toiletries/makeup. Since I don’t have any children or pets, choosing products is like asking me to pick my favourite Kardashian – I just can’t do it! It’s strange how your everyday beauty routine grows, I can’t remember the last time I applied foundation with my fingers, went without my Touche éclat (how posh!), and had naked nails, but I will be doing my best while I’m away. My main motivation is to save as much room in my suitcase as possible for my Sephora purchases – which will be enormous.

What I’m Taking:

I was so excited to discover the website Ciao Bella Travel because travel accessories are generally pretty ugly. I had to do the unthinkable and step foot into Kathmandu and it was not my idea of fun. Ciao Bella Travel is a Brisbane-based company that has an amazing range of clothing and accessories to ‘style your trip’. Thanks to them I won’t look like a daggy backpacker. The above travel journal from Typo was a gift from my work on my last day, and the passport cover, document holder, tags, eye pillow and ‘plane to see’ bag are all from Ciao Bella.

The range is so adorable and the document wallet could even pass as a clutch. On the plane I’ll be sticking to the strict liquid limits by packing the essentials – Bloom Mango Tango lip balm, Dove Original Deodorant, Kit Pomegranate & Pink Grapefruit hand cream, Vani-t Multi-vitamin facial mist, Dettol Healthy Touch hand sanitiser. As much as I don’t want to offend fellow travelers, I will be flying sans-makeup, but hopefully will be sleeping most of the flight.

In my suitcase I’m packing the following:

Body: Schick Intuition shaver with extra soap cartridges, Innoxa body lotion in Priceline travel bottle, Kiehl’s lotion sachets.

Hair: Original Minerals travel pack including shampoo, conditioner, and hair masques, Lee Stafford dry shampoo for dark hair, Kevin Murphy sachets. I’m also taking my VS Sassoon Big Hair Styler, which is bulky but will be totally worth it, and better than trying to use hotel hair dryers.

Face: Kimi Organic face wash, Coles cleansing wipes, Kiehl’s sample bottles of toner, Biore exfoliant, Clinique moisturiser, and various sachets.
I’m hoping to stock up on some skin care once I get to America, so trying to make do with samples for now.

Makeup: This was a hard decision! Even though Napoleon Perdis mineral foundation is pictured, it’s a bit too tanned for me at the moment and since it will be winter in Europe, I have changed my mind and will be bringing Clinique’s Repairwear Laser Focus foundation, Napoleon Perdis Luminizer Palette (I figured I can use this for cream blush, eyeshadow, contouring etc), The Cancer Council Sunscreen, Laura Mercier and Rimmel concealers, Manicare eyelash curler, Clinique sample mascara, Tweezerman tweezers, SAX black eyeliner and brow pencil, and a Burt’s Bees lip balm.

I tried to pack light, but am not sure that I succeeded! I’m sure most of my suitcase will be full of new makeup as soon as I get to the USA, so excited!

So the blog will be a bit quiet, but I’ve signed up to Instagram to post pictures of my travels, and will jump on Twitter when I get the chance. Otherwise – have a wonderful Christmas and New Years and I will be back mid-January!

Molly xx

Check these out for some hot lashes! I must say I’m not usually one to sport falsies, but they have come a long way since dancing eisteddfods. You will barely spot a celebrity without false lashes, and the good news is that you don’t need a red carpet to try them out, since many look quite natural. These lashes by Make Up Store have got a bit of bling goin’ on in the form of four subtle diamonties.

Most lashes are a little long, so that you can trim them if need be. Even though I consider my eyes to be quite large, these were too long and I decided to trim off one of the four clumps of lashes. This way the volume was kept to the outer half of my lash line, and I didn’t have a diamante dangling near the inner corner of my eyes.

“Ling Ling, you forgot your bling bling!”

Let’s just pretend that I did a better job applying my liquid eyeliner…awkward! I quite liked the result of the false lashes, but found that the adhesive clear strip connecting the lashes wasn’t strong enough to support them, and the diamante’s were heavy and seemed to droop. You can see above that the second one in particular is holding on for dear diamante life!

Overall I think that these are a beautiful way to add some Kardashian-esque glamour to your makeup or for a night out. Applying them is a bit high-maintenance and time consuming, but that could just be my lack of skills in the lash department.