My Winter Nail Polish Picks!

So, Its no secret i'm a bit of a "Nail Polish Junkie" I probably have too many nail polishes for one person but you have to have variety, right?? (I'll keep telling myself that..)

Any who... I thought i'd share with you guys my top polish picks for Winter!

Cover Girl Outlast Nail Polish - 'Wine Stain'

Everyone needs a good 'blood-red' nail polish and this one is the perfect shade! As well as being totally opaque in 1-2 coats the formulation is super shiny and with a good topcoat lasts really well on your nails. The perfect winter shade!

RRP $6.95 

L'Oreal Nail Colour - 'Fancy Me Red' 

Keeping with the red theme - this stunning glitter polish from L'Oreal is a recently new one to my collection (found it in a bargain bin sale at a local shop!). I believe this polish may be a limited edition shade but I had to include because it's beautiful! It also reminds me of Christmas which is always a good thing. If you know any dupes for this shade or I find any I will list them below! Unsure of the RRP for this polish but in the bargain bin I found this for $4.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - 'Pacific Blue'

Have you ever wanted a shade of blue that is the EXACT Facebook blue colour? (realised this after i bought it.. ha..). But in all seriousness, this blue is GORGEOUS! Yes you could wear this shade in summer too but i still believe you can pull it off in winter especially matched with a darker glitter shade on top! Sally Hansen nail polishes are probably the best quality affordable nail polish you can get.

RRP $6.95

Chanel Le Vernis - 'Graphite'

Buying a Chanel nail polish is definitely a splurge moment in any nail polish addicts life, how ever, this beautiful gray glitter polish was something i'd never seen before! You really do get what you pay for with high end cosmetics, yes its true you could probably find a drug store dupe of most items they sell for triple the price but I've always been a huge fan of Chanel cosmetics so when I feel like having a splurge every now and then the Chanel counter is where you'll find me! Glitter nail polish is always a good idea but this gray glitter is perfect for the colder months! 

This polish lasts a long time on your nails, super opaque and SUPER sparkly - what more could you want?

RRP $39

Sports girl Nail It! - 'Metal Petal'

A couple of years ago I was obsessed with a nail polish by Nubar called Petunia Sparkles which was basically this amazing purple pure glitter polish. I believe they still make it but you have to buy it overseas from the UK. One day when I was in Sportsgirl I found this polish and its almost a dupe for the Nubar one! A slightly different shade but still amazing! You're probably noticing a glittery nail polish theme through this blog but thats me! haha. Awesome quality nail polish and super opaque which can be hard to find in a glitter polish.

RRP $8.95

Sally Hansen Triple Shine - 'Great White'

If you're after a more neutral shade for the winter this triple shine polish from Sally Hansen is beautiful! Its a pearl white shade so instead of getting that "white out" type effect like usual white nail polish gives you, this gives your nails a nice white pearl finish which is perfect for any occasion. Also, Sally Hansen - can't go wrong!

RRP $9.95

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - 'Pennies For Heaven'

I've talked about this polish on here before but its one of my absolute faves I can't go past! This is a beautiful rose gold shimmer polish with tiny flecks of glitter - Think: Winter Party manicure! The Complete Salon Manicure range from SH are great because the formulations are a base coat, polish colour and top coat all in one! Right on!

RRP $14.95

Revlon Nail Enamel - 'Pink Chiffon' 

This polish was another one I found in the bargain bin at the same time as the L'Oreal polish I mentioned earlier, I believe I got this for about $4! Im not sure if this is a regular Revlon shade but this is just a beautiful baby pink neutral polish. These sorts of pink shades are great all year round because its almost a 'your nails but better' shade! I'm currently wearing this colour on my toe nails, i'm usually a red toe nail kinda gal but I tried this colour on them the other day & love it. Super wearable, super girly and super appropriate for all seasons!

RRP $13.95

*BONUS*

Essence Express Dry Drops

Have you ever wanted to be able to paint your nails and not have to wait 20 minutes for them to completely dry? (yes i'm also emotionally scarred from all the times I have painted my nails perfectly only to smudge my masterpiece after about 5 minutes)

Well keep reading because i'm about to change your nail painting life forever...

These express dry drops for Essence are exactly what they say - You drop the liquid onto your nails after painting and they dry EXPRESS style! This is an amazing product, you paint your nails then right after finishing your last coat drop 2-3 drops of this baby on each nail, wait a couple of minutes & voila! Instantly dry touchable nails.

The other bonus? This only costs $3.95! YEP four bucks. If Priceline have their 50% off cosmetics sale you can literally pick this up for $1 something! Insane. Go buy this product for infinite nail happiness!!

So those are my favourite nail polishes this Winter! Sorry for being M.I.A on my blog for a few months, I'm definitely getting into a better habit of blogging more as well as making heaps more youtube videos! So I'd love for you to subscribe to my channel too :) www.youtube.com/tarafmusic878 

Do you have a favourite nail polish for the Winter? Let me know in the comments I'd love to check out your recommendations too!!

Xx T

My Everyday Makeup Routine

Well hey there blog world, I apologise for being so slack with my blogging. Christmas/New Year is always a busy time of year & to put on top of that the fact that I moved interstate only a few months ago i have to say things have been busy to say the least! 

Any who, enough excuses haha. I'm back with a new post! I've had quite a few people request that i show you guys my everyday makeup routine so here we go!

So this is pretty much the standard makeup i wear if i'm going somewhere during the day like out shopping or out with friends & such! I obviously don't wear this if i'm having a quiet day at home or just popping out to get some groceries (unless there happened to be a cute boy working at said shop, then things would be different) (jokes) (sort of).
I like to keep my eyes pretty simple i don't wear a lot of dark eye shadows even at night so during the day i like to wear light pinks or light gold/copper colours just to give your eyes a bit of a natural looking shimmer. 
I do however always wear some winged liquid eyeliner, I just like the look of my eyes better with a winged eye!
For lips i usually go for a natural pink colour. Products that are "your lips but better" colours are great for everyday use as you don't want to be too bright on a casual day.

 PRODUCTS USED:

Skin
- Makeup Forever HD Foundation
- I.T. Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer
- Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer
- Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (transluscent)
- NARS Laguna Bronzer
- MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in 'Soft & Gentle'
- NYX Blushes in 'Pinched' & 'Terra Cotta' (use a bit of both)

Eyes
- Too Faced Eye Shadows in: 'Whiskers On Kittens' 'Crisp Apple Strudel' & 'Snowflakes'
- Rimmel Scandal Flex Mascara
- Revlon Lash Potion Mascara
- Maybelline Master Precise Eye Liner

Lips
- Face Of Australia Lip Quench Moisturising Lipstick in 'Peaches & Cream'
- Chanel Levres Scintillantes Lipgloss in '104 Astral'

xx T

My Summer Must Haves Video!

My first official beauty related video on my youtube channel! Really loved filming this so feel free to leave any video requests for me!! I would love if you shared this video with your friends :) 

p.s also silly bloopers for y'all at the end of the video ;)

Current Beauty Faves!

So firstly! I haven't blogged in a few weeks as I have just moved to Sydney (yay!) & it has been a little hectic unpacking & setting things up & getting used to a new city. I've been here just under 2 weeks now & i'm absolutely loving it - I'm currently setting up my room & waiting for it to be painted, once it is all set up I'll do a room tour blog post :)

But enough about that for now! Here are some of my favourite beauty products i've been loving recently! (been shopping a little too much...)

 NYX Blush - 'Pinched'

First favourite is this amazing & affordable blush from NYX Cosmetics in 'Pinched' . If you haven't heard of NYX or haven't been able to buy it because you live in Australia like me, NYX has just started being stocked at Target!! *crowd cheers*. But really, this blush is extremely good value & has great colour pay off. Its a really pretty coral pink colour with a hint of shimmer. They retail for only $10 in Target. Definitely going to be buying more colours in this range!

Revlon - 'Lash Potion' Mascara

Revlon's new Mascara 'Lash Potion' has definitely been a hit amongst other beauty bloggers. I saw lots of reviews on YouTube & i'm going to be honest, I bought it 75% because of the amazing packaging! But as well as being super pretty, this mascara is amazing! It definitely volumizes & lengthens my lashes & it is also waterproof which is great for me as my mascara tends to smudge on my bottom lashes if the forumulation isn't waterproof. It retails for about $18 at Priceline. 

Toni & Guy - Sea Salt Spray

Onto a hair favourite! I've been loving using Sea Salt sprays in my hair for a more causal natural look. It also means you dont need to use a heat styling tool on your hair as the sea salt spray really texurizes the hair. This is a new purchase but have heard great things about the Toni & Guy Sea Salt Spray & they were all right! Not only does this spray add texture & A LOT of volume it also smells amazing, which is always a bonus. I've been loving just throwing my hair up in a pony tail & scrunching some sea salt spray through it & you're good to go! The price varies at different stores but I picked mine up for $16 at Woolworths.

Too Faced - 'A Few Of My Favourite Things'

I recently went to the Mecca Maxima store at Warringah Mall which has just recently opened. I highly recommend you check it out if you are a makeup & beauty lover as it is A-MAZING. I was after another eye shadow palette & the lovely sales lady pointed me in the direction of this baby by Too Faced. There are 20 gorgeous eye shadows as well as 2 blushes & 2 bronzers all for only $75! It was an offer that was too good to pass up. I haven't got to use every eye shadow in here yet but my current favourite is 'Whiskers On Kittens' its a beautiful nude shade for your lid but also has a little bit of sparkle in there & just looks so natural & great. I believe this might be a a Christmas special so if you are keen on it I would definitely pop into a Mecca Maxima store when you can.

Sally Hansen - 'Pennies For Heaven' Polish

Okay so i'm a little bit obsessed with Rose Gold things & when i saw this nail polish by Sally Hansen I HAD to get it. It is the perfect Rose Gold colour. It takes 3 coats to become nicely opaque, you could get away with 2 but I always do 3 just to make the colour stronger. I have been wearing this polish non stop & have been getting quite a few compliments on it which is always nice! I believe this colour is also a limited edition shade so search out your nearest stores! You can pick this polish up in Priceline for $14.95.

Too Faced - Lip Injection 'Bee Sting'

So along with the Too Faced Palette I mentioned earlier in the little gift set I also received this Lip products & a tester size mascara. I really liked the colour of this lip product as its a real "your lips but better" colour & WOW does this plump up your lips. When i first put it on i'm not gonna lie, my lips did feel like they had been stung by a bee slightly as they tingle & sting (the product tells you this prior). That sensation only lasts a few minutes & then you are left with super plump glossy looking lips! I am unsure of how much this product retails for alone or if it is sold separately. But when I find out I will post about it! (i'm sure it is available online).

NYX Lipstick - 'Femme'

Another NYX product to add to my favourites! These lipsticks come in a great colour range & this coral colour caught my eye. It is definitely a more orangey coral which is not a shade i usually go for in lip products but I love it! The formulation is really creamy & long wearing. I also like applying this lightly & adding a bit of red lipstick on top, rubbing them together & it leaves a really pretty natural lip colour. This lipstick costs $9.95 from Target. I am wearing the lip colour in the picture below :)

So they are my current beauty faves! I'll be doing this kind of posts every so often when I have a bunch of new products I'm loving. Let me know what your favourite beauty products are at the moment in the comments, I would love to know! 

xx T

Get To Know Me

So for my first blog post I thought I'd do a little Question & Answer type post so you can get to know me a little better before I ramble on endlessly about everything! Here are some questions sent in from my social media sites 
(p.s you should follow me on those accounts if you are feeling lovely..)

Question One:

Who were your musical inspirations when you were growing up?

My biggest musical inspiration is a british band called McFly, i'm sure many of you have heard their music (if you haven't go on youtube right now, like right now..) One of their tracks 'Lonely' actually really inspired me to teach myself guitar so I literally sat there like a cool 14 year old in my bedroom every night practicing the song till i got it right. From there I started making up & writing my own songs. So thank you Mcfly! haha.

Question Two:

What makeup brands do you use?

I use a variety of different makeup brands which i'll probably do a blog post on soon but some of my favourite that I use a lot are: MAC, Maybelline, Chanel, Rimmel, Urban Decay Naked Pallettes & heaps more.

Question Three:

Besides writing songs how do you deal with a break up?

Music is definitely the #1 thing i turn to with any emotional situation in my life - especially heartbreak. But i think what's really important to remember about breakups & heart break is that everyone you meet is there to teach you something & help you grow as a person. So if it doesn't work out with someone you thought you loved or thought you could love it may hurt at the time, but it just means they weren't the right person for you & later on in your life maybe tomorrow, maybe in 5 years you'll meet the love of your life & they will be perfect for you because you'll know it. *end hopeless romantic monologue*

Question Four:

Who is your fashion inspiration?
I really look up to Miranda Kerr as a fashion icon as well as a general inspiration. She is absolutely gorgeous & is really into health & well being not to mention being a model for Victoria's Secret which is like, one of my all time favourite brands! As well as Miranda I really love Lauren Conrad's style (her hair is also amazing!) 

My fashion sense is pretty girly as i love sparkly things especially dresses, but i also love sort of preppy high waisted shorts, oxfords & cute collard shirts. 

         

Question Five:

Which musical style inspires you? 

I absolutely love Country music & everything about it. When I write my songs i really like to be as honest as possible with the lyrics - to me lyrics are the heart & soul of music. Country music is really my favourite genre to listen to because it tells real honest stories about everything from heartbreak to true love to family - everything that people go through in life really! & i love listening to other people's stories & being like "wow so i'm not the only one". I hope when people listen to my music I can give them that same comfort & let them know they're not alone in what they are feeling. 

Question Six:

What is your favourite movie?

I'm definitely a sucker for romantic movies but I absolutely love Disney movies & in saying that,i'd have to say my favourite is 'Tangled'. Lets be honest, we all want a Flynn Rider in our lives!! (please)

Question Seven:

What shops do you get your clothes from?    

I shop at a variety of different stores but some of my favourite places to shop (where i always spend too much money) are: Topshop, Forever New, Sports girl, Factorie/Cotton On & Myer.

Question Eight:

What is your favourite song?

I definitely couldn't pick ONE favourite song EVER but right now & in general applying to my life would have to be 'I Want Crazy' by Hunter Hayes. Besides being hopelessly in love with this boy - this song really speaks about true love & how two people shouldn't be anything less than completely, madly, crazily in love with each other. That's what I hope to find one day. 

Question Nine:

If you weren't making music what would you be doing?

Music has always been #1 for me but I also really love animals so I think i'd be studying to be a vet nurse or something in that industry. I used to ride horses when i was 7 till i was 18 so I do love horses, as well as dogs - of course my dog Romeo is my fave. 

Question Ten:

What Camera & Photo editing programs do you use?

For filming & photography I use a Canon SLR 650D. For editing I use Photoshop CS5 for pictures & video editing I use iMovie & Final Cut Pro. All on a Macbook Pro. 

-love love, tara xx