Viva La Nails!

I was made aware of Viva La Nail's sample packs back when Sparkled Beauty did her review a few months ago. Unfortunately, by the time I got around to checking them out, the sample packs were out of stock! So I put myself onto their waiting list and alas a few weeks ago they were back in stock!

I ordered their "Free sample product pack" which contains 3 packs of nail stickers and 3 packs of water decals which normally retails for £12 but is free to bloggers and youtubers (is that actually a term now?!) I only had to pay a £2.95 shipping and handling fee.

The samples took about 2 weeks to get to me.

I believe they have different sample packs every time, the one that Sparkled Beauty got also had sample packs of things like sequins, crushed shells and rhinestones and was worth a retail value of 20 quid whereas my pack only contained stickers and water decals. 
In addition to things like stickers and water decals, Viva La Nails also sell an incredible variety of nail supplies such as tools, acrylics, gels, fimo stick slices, konad plates and polish and they even have a whole cache of nail tutorials. They're based in the UK and charge in Sterling so keep the currency exchange in mind when purchasing.

I did a NOTD using the butterfly stickers:

The stickers were really easy to use, I just lift them off the backing sheet using a pair of tweezers and stuck them onto wherever it was I wanted on my nail. I had to lift and reposition a few them and they didn't take off any of my polish which is a huge plus for clumsy folk like me. 

Most of the stickers have little accent stones on them for that extra bit of bling. It does, however, require quite a few coats of top coat before it stops sticking out of the nail surface.

The water decals work in a similar way as fake tattoos; you cut out the design you want, soak them in a bowl of water, slide them off the backing sheet and press onto your nail.

The polish that I'm wearing is Color Club's Revvvolution, a black holo. Very pretty to look at but a pity since it chips off in chunks :(

In other news, I recently got an ostentatious new camera! Now if only I get around to reading the manual and figuring out what exactly is the different between an "f-stop" and a Stop sign, you might actually see some decent photos around this here blog.

Allow me to regale you with a photo I risked the toes of my right foot for:

 I hope I will be able to get at least one more post in before Christmas, however, if I don't, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it). Keep safe and I expect lots of posts on what you all got for Crimbo!

Even more things your Asian parents say.

1. "Giving birth to a piece of char siu is better than giving birth to you."
   This is because if she'd given birth to a piece of glazed BBQ pork she could at least eat it and be full.
   P.S. Running away from the chicken feather duster only results in being hit harder for longer.
2. Confirming the fact that you look bad/fat/did something stupid.
   Come home looking like crap after a month of exams? Forget about making you feel better, you can count on your Asian mum to comment on how big your pimples are, how dark your panda eyes are and how chubby you've become. After 30mins of this, they will shove enough food to feed an African village in your face and declare that you've been starved.
3. "You study so much and you don't know what this means?"
   As far as Asian parents are concerned, the fact that you went to school means you should be all knowing. What do you mean you don't understand what's on their medical prescription form? What did you go to school for? If I had the privilege to study as much as you did, I would understand this!
4. Bargaining
   My grandmother tries to bargain inside DEPARTMENT STORES. The extra cringe factor comes when I tell you she does this in Chinese in a Western department store ToT.
5. "Why are you always comparing yourself with the worst?"
   Said when you tell them 60% of the class failed the Stats exam that you scraped by in. This is usually accompanied by...
6. ...Chinese Proverbs. 
   Getting scolded is 100 times worse when its done through Confucian sayings.
7. Repeating things. Ad infinitum.
   You know the pain of this one. My mum is STILL telling people the story of how I peed my bed one night when I was 7. (I dreamt I went to the toilet ok??!! Gees!) If they're not repeating age old yore to embarrass you, they're repeating things 20 times over to "remind" you to do or refrain from doing something.
8. Scare tactics.
   This is the Asian parents' form of reverse psychology. Scare tactics always contain "facts" which your parents will quote to you in order to "substantiate" their claims. All scare tactic scenarios end with gruesome and painful death or whatever other terror they've succeeded in creating in your fragile young mind. These "facts" are either, complete and utter BS that your Asian parents dreamed up, used with permission from other Asian parents, or were recently published in the Asian newspaper (see below)
9. Quoting from the Asian newspaper.
   Anything published in an Asian newspaper might as well have been chiselled on a mountain onto two stone tablets. Do not dispute with the Asian newspaper. They form part of the reference list of "facts" and will be whipped out whenever the need for scare tactics or "suggestions" (in other words, orders which must be followed) arises. My parents still don't own a microwave because they read that they leak radiation, my dad refuses to do any form of online banking or even use the ATM for fear of "hackers", and you should stop eating sushi because someone in the newspaper had their brains sucked out by a worm after eating sushi.
10. And lastly because it's so true: 

 

In addition, Asian parents also possess other charming traits such as a refusal to wear socks of any colour other than white, although on special occasions, Asian mums will wear flesh coloured ankle socks made out of pantyhose material, which are, by the way, only sold in Asia.
I hope you all understand that this series of posts weren't meant to be racist or disrespectful. I adore Asian parents. I have two of them myself and I love them despite their crazies.

Christmas party FOTD and OOTD

Last night was the boy's company's annual Christmas dinner. Due to my lack of social graces, I'm generally kept out of gatherings with more than 3 people, but, since it's Christmas they relaxed the rules of my parole.
Of course 3 days before the event I developed a cystic zit of epic proportions on my cheek which wouldn't go away despite the 4 layers of cortisone cream I put on it so I had to go around introducing it as my parasitic twin Mandy.
Make-up wise I tried to copy a look done by The Glitter Geek. It was only half a fail.

I basically applied a matte black shadow (MAC Graphic Garden) from my upper lash line up to just below my crease, a dark teal (MAC Birds & Berries) to my crease then blended it into the black and just slightly above my crease. I also patted a bit of a lighter teal (MAC Botanical Blue) to the middle of my lid.
Tight line and line upper and lower lashes. Apply more of the black shadow to blend out the liner. Mascara.
Contour using NARS laguna, highlight with NARS Copacabana (Thanks Justine!!! <3), blush was MAC Shell Pearl Beauty Powder, and lippie was Chanel Rouge Laque in Ming (Thank you again Justine!! I love love love the colour!). Everything was set with Anna Sui luxury loose powder (<3 Sheila).

Say hello to Mandy.

Why do I look cross eyed in this photo? Dress: Le Chateau. Faux fur stole: H&M. Shoes (not like you can see them): Michael Kors

The buffet.

The event itself was meh, boring speeches, the food was lacklustre and let's not start on the music. Ah well as least the drinks were free and I had a grand view of all the hoochie dancing.
Lunasol 2010 Coffret and Anna Sui haul coming up next!
xoxo