Nail Art Tutorial

Black and White Water Marble

This is the first time I've ever attempted this technique and let me tell you straight away - it is 10 times easier than I thought it would be and didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would!

I've broken it down into 8 simple steps and I'll be uploading a video of my process to my YouTube channel, so be sure to check that out. I hope you like this, I'll be doing more nail tutorials using this technique in the future for sure!

Preparation: Fill a cup (mine is a plastic disposable drinking cup) with ROOM TEMPERATURE* water. or let it sit out until it is room temperature. On clean and dry nails, paint a base coat to protect your nails, once dry paint nails white so the pattern is more vivid. 

Step One: With your selected nail polishes, drip one colour in the centre of the cup and allow it to spread out (don't be afraid if the colour fades dramatically or if it doesn't reach the rim of the cup) with your next colour drop colour in the centre of the previous colour, doing this until satisfied - You've now created the 'bullseye' affect. 

Close up view of step two
Notice how the points are connected
to the edge of the cup.

Step Two: Taking a toothpick or skewer drag the outside edged and connect them to the edge of the cup - this technique is called 'anchoring' it sticks the polish to the cup so it doesn't move about so much when you're swirling the polish around.

Step Three: Swirl and make your pattern with the toothpick or skewer. Don't press too hard into the polish. Gently drag the stick through the polish to make the desired pattern. I wasn't going for any real look, I was just having fun.

Step Four: Once you've got your pattern how you want it, decide where you'll place your fingers, if need be turn the cup carefully to get a better angle. 

Step Five: With a cotton tip in one hand at the ready, carefully submerge your fingers making sure your nails touch the polish first. Don't remove them right away just keep them in the water.

Step Six: With the cotton tip, swirl it around the remaining polish in the cup, wiping it all up and making sure the water is then clear from residue. This is so when you take our your fingers, the residue won't stick to the nails and ruin the pattern. Only once the water is free from excess polish should you remove your fingers. 

Step Seven: Use nail polish remover to clean up the polish on the skin. For a quicker clean up process, place sticky tape on the finger, framing the nail, so all you have to do is remove the tape and the skin is clean and only requires a little nail polish remover.

Step Eight: Once fingers are clean and polish is dry, secure with a clear top coat and you're done!

It really is very simple and I hope you try this out. If you do be sure to let me see your recreations by tagging me in it on Instagram or posting it to my Facebook Page.

* The reason it needs to be room temperature is because if the water is too cold, the polish will set too quick. It will not work either if the water is too hot. 

Ciao! X

Nutella Popsicles

Yep, thats right, I'm back with another #CaitlansKitchen post and this one is on the ever so simple Nutella Popsicles. This 'recipe' make six popsicles. It is super easy and if you'd like to watch me make them - watch it here.

Now on to the recipe. You'll only need two ingredients and of course you can add different things such as banana or coconut, I've done that before and it tastes great! But just for the basics this is all you'll need!

1/3 cup of Nutella (or hazelnut spread)

1 Cup of milk - whatever kind you drink

Method:

Place Nutella in blender (I used my 'magic bullet' use whatever you have on hand)

add in the milk and then blend up. 

**MAKE SURE YOU'VE SECURELY SEALED THE LID!** otherwise you'll have milky goodness flying everywhere - it is SO hard to clean up. 

Pour the mixture into the popsicle moulds These are the ones I used.

Place them in the freezer for AT LEAST 4 - 5 hours. I usually leave mine in over night. 

and BOOM done. You're now the proud owners of delicious Nutella popsicles. They're so delicious and have the potential for so many other flavours!

Pro Tip: if you're having trouble getting them out of the mould, run it under hot water for a few seconds until you can remove it. 

ENJOY!

I really hope you try these out and if you do, post them to my facebook or instagram and tag me with #CaitlansKitchen

November Favourites!

Products I loved in the month of November!

So December is here and holidays season is in full swing! The weather is heating up, the bbq's are coming out and its time to dust of the swimsuit because a hot summer Christmas is on its way!

With November over, its time for another month of favourites - only a few this month but they're amazing! So if you're keen to know what I've been loving - keep reading or if you'd like to watch it.. >>>> CLICK HERE CLICK HERE CLICK HERE <<<<

FACE

First cab off the rank is this stuff! I'm sure you've heard of products like this (if not this one) before. This is the best makeup remover I've ever used! This doesn't break me out, it takes all my makeup off - including mascara and liquid eyeliner, without rubbing hard at my eyes. I have nothing bad to say about this product. Also a bit of a bonus is that this makes a really great brush cleaner. The reason cleansing waters are so great is because the active ingredient is (obviously) like that of makeup remover wipes etc but this chemicals in this product are in their whole form, they're not broken down, hence their more efficient. The molecules cling to the makeup and when you wipe down your face, they take the makeup with them. Its  more concentrated. Bottom line - Buy this. You won't be sorry. 

LIPS

My second favourite for the month is one of the 'Velourlips - matte lip cream' by 'Australis' this one in particular is in the shade 'MI-A-MEE'. Now I've talked about this product a heap and they're honestly so great. I'm really loving the whole 'liquid lipstick' 'trend' or whatever it is. There are some absolutely great products and this is one of them. This one is a really nice watermelon colour and it is surprisingly wearable! It makes me think of tropical punch and sunbeds by the pool. Its the perfect colour for summer!

EYES

Well here's a surprise! (not) I've raved about this bad boy ever since I got it and I've used it so much this past month! I've done the 'suggested' looks, and even mixed and matched my some of my own. I won't go into too much detail on this product because all you have to do is scroll down and you'll see how much I love this palette and the other 'Models Prefer' palettes. This palette has some really good shades for some nice shimmery 'holiday' looks. This has been my 'go-to' palette this month, I haven't really been reaching for anything else and it'll come with me when I travel next week! The packaging is sturdy and the mirror is amazing! good size and good quality! To say I love this product is an understatement - I'd go more along the lines of 'obsessed with!'

HAIR

And last but not least is a spray - leave in conditioner by schwartzkopf. I've been on the market for a good leave in conditioner for a long time now and I just haven't found any that really interest me. Then I stumbled upon this one. It says on the packaging "Voluptuous volume & express detangling" and that is honestly all I was after (well mainly the detangling - the added volume is an added plus!) it says for 'Fine, Flat Hair' my hair is quite very fine, and there is also a lot of it, which makes it quite heavy and it can tend to be quite flat - but honestly it isn't one of my main concerns when it comes to my hair. My main concerns are dryness, breakage and tangles. Because my hair is so long and fine/thin it tangles SO easily. Not a day goes by when I don't spend at least 20minutes just trying to detangle my hair - let along style. With this product, it cuts the brushing time down by half. I spray it directly in the trouble area - and then some directly on the ends of my hair then some generally all over my head (I don't use this product sparingly and it lasts quite a while) wait a few minutes and then start to brush the product through my hair and the tangles and they just detangle so much easier. I'm glad this particular product has Biotin because that is also good for your hair. If you're in the market for a leave in conditioner (that leaves your hair smelling nice too) I'd give this one a go. It was quite affordable and I expect at least three months usage out of this. (I'll let you know how long it lasts)

Those were my favourites for the month of November! I hope you try them out or comment down below what some of your favourites were, or if you recommend me anything. 

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Ciao! X

Perfect Summer Salad

Chicken and Sundried Tomato Salad

(chicken can be substituted or taken out for a vegetarian/vegan option)

Salad is great, however it gets boing if you don't mix it up every now and then. With this recipe you'll never be bored again!

This is one of my favourite things to make and with the quantities here you'll make enough to feed 4 - 6+ people. 

Ingredients
1 roast chicken - cooked - OR a portion of chicken per person
Sundried Tomatoes
1 Cucumber
1Capsicum
1 Red onion
1 Tomato
Salad Greens - I'm using baby spinach and mixed garden lettuce
Cashews - or any nut of your choice. 

Method:

As this is a salad, its pretty easy to put together. Step one - Chop everything!

Enjoyed arranging chopped vegetables way too much

Chop up all the vegies, and rip up the chicken or slice up your chicken if you've used chicken breasts etc - make sure you've pre cooked the chicken though. 

If you'd like, you can also roughly chop up the nuts - I just throw mine in whole

Throw all the ingredients in a big bowl and mix it up! I use oil from the sun dried tomatoes as a 'dressing' but add anything you prefer. Sweet chilli sauce goes very well with this. When I'm cooking chicken breast for this instead of using a roast chicken I cook it in a sweet chilli sauce marinade. 

Now all that is left to do is serve up a big bowl and enjoy! I have this for lunch a lot or sometimes for dinner if cooking something else seems like too much effort. 

Optional Extras:
You can add some Feta to the salad if you're a cheese lover
Grated carrot (I usually add this but we didn't have any)
Olives go great in this if you like them
Honestly - the options are endless!

I honestly hope you try this out. Its delicious and gets made a lot in my household - especially during the summer months!

Enjoy!

Bon Apetit! X

Makeup Must-haves

Australis Cosmetics: Velourlips Matte Lip Cream.

Now, I've done a post comparing this product to some other matte lip creams on the market (Savvy and Bourjois) and I've also done a little mention of them in my latest 'Priceline Haul' and my love for this product has only grown! When I first saw this on the market there were only five or so shades, and now there are at least 10 (with a few limited edition - I'm not terribly interested in them - but thats not to say they're not a bad product). I currently own eight of the 10 (the only ones I don't yet own are two nude shades) shades and in this post I'll just be going through them including swatches.

These retail for AUD$9.95 at Priceline stores which I think its a pretty good price (BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN AUSTRALIA IS OVER PRICED! #rant)

Even if you don't like all the shades or think they won't suit you, you are bound to find at LEAST one you like. Now me, I don't think they all suit me, but at the same time, I don't care because I like the colours they come in and if they're worn right - I guess they don't look terrible? - in my opinion some of the pinks don't suit my skin tone - but I'll wear them anyway if they go with what I'm wearing etc or the rest of my makeup. 

I not only match my lip colour to the rest of the makeup - but I also decide if I like it if it compliments my other features two of the main things I look for in a lip colour is how it looks against my skin tone and also how it reacts to my eye colour. My eyes are a chocolate brown, my hair is brown and my skin is quite fair, so I want the lip colour to compliment all of that and make my other features stand out. 

I'll now go through my opinion of the swatches I've so kindly done for you all. (my lips, man - so sore after all of this)

Now as you should already know - the general rule of makeup is 'choose one'. Statement eyes or Statement lips. Not both (unless the balance is flawless) I'm wearing a neutral eye look so the statement of course is the lips. NOW on to my swatch opinions. 

1. NY-CEE: This is a beautiful 'festive' red. Its more of a bright red with 'orange' undertones - but for me it just reminds me of Christmas. 
2. MAL-I-BOO: A bright bubblegum pink. My opinion of 'Barbie Pink'. I honestly didn't think this colour would suit me at all - and maybe it doesn't but don't disregard it. It brings warmth to the face. 
3. TOK-I-O: To me - this colour reminds me of 'Cadbury' chocolate packaging and with my brown eyes I love wearing this colour. It is perfect for the colder months too where you want a pop of colour on what might be a very 'black on black' outfit. 
4. RIO-D: I honestly thought I would wear this the least. But it is such a nice neon orange. (something I thought I'd never say) it goes perfectly with blue in the outfit or blue nails (sky blue) and again, it looks nice against my eye colour. I've gotten a lot of compliments when I've worn this colour. 
5. PAR-EE: This is so close to my skin colour and I love it. Its like a my lips but better matte. Because it blends against my skin tone so well, my cheeks seem more flushed and my eyes seem brighter. To me this is a WIN WIN situation!
6. MI-A-MEE: This colour reminds me of watermelon. I didn't think I'd like it but I find myself drawn to it. I don't think I own many lip colours in this shade. This is one of the newer purchases so I'm keen to start wearing it more in spring and summer.
7. HO-CHEE-MIN: I think this is the colour that suits me the least. I think (and this never happens) I might be too tan for this shade (at the moment) It looks like a very natural pink flush and against a darker complexion it seems a bit 'hoochie'. That is my opinion. It won't stop me from wearing it though.
8. LUN-DUN: I wore this colour out to dinner tonight and got quite a few compliments. It is a dusty cool tone pink that can go with a range of different outfits. This was the first time I've worn it out - and I must say I'm a fan.

I've worn all of these shades for at least one whole day (the first six I've worn multiple times) and I have to tell you, I don't need to re-apply. (unless I'm making a mess of myself eating) They stay on all day through food, talking, drinking - and once you've put them on and they dry - they take some time getting off. (Perfect for date night (; )

There wasn't really much to this post except for me telling you how much I love these products. Australis has some amazing stuff out and its not just these products, I own a number of different products by this brand and love them all.

What is your favourite Australis product? - have you tried any of the velourlips? Leave me a comment telling me which one is your favourite!

Ciao X

Makeup of the day.

'Burgundy Smokey Eye and Dark Wine Lips'

So I posted this photo on The Makeup Social app. And got a little bit of attention on it. Which made me wonder why I didn't think to do a blog post on it initially!

This will just be a short run through of the products I used to achieve this look - I wont be writing about foundation because my skin type is going to be different to yours and I'm sure you all have your favourite ways of doing your foundation. 

If you'd like to know the products I used - Keep on reading (;

Eyes: For the eye makeup in this look, I used my new Models Prefer Palette which I gave a 'brief yet in depth' review in my last post my 'Priceline Haul'. So read that if you'd like to know more about the palette, but of course you can use whatever you have that look similar. 

Over the entire lid I used a shimmery peach (1st colour - right side)

Blending into the crease and outer corner I used a shimmery burgundy (2nd colour - right side)

In the crease blending the two together I used a matte chocolate brown (3rd colour - right side)

 I liked the top and bottom lash-line with a brown pencil liner and used the 'They're Real' mascara from benefit. For a brightening touch, use a shimmery white or gold in the inner corner of the eyes. 

Lips: For the lips in this look I used one of my favourite dark lipsticks from 'Australis' from their 'Colour Inject' line its in the shade 'Grunge'. I was going to leave it at that, but wanted to bring a bit of red to it. Because 'Grunge' is a very dark colour going towards a brown, I wanted a splash of vibrant colour on my lips. So I put over the top the L'oréal Glam Matte Gloss (also mentioned in the post below) in the shade - 513 'Zip It Rouge'. 

I think this is a perfect look for Autumn/Fall (too bad its Spring at the moment) and I can't wait to get back into dark lipsticks when the seasons change. 

If you have 'The Makeup Social' app, be sure to follow me on it so we can talk all things cosmetics! 

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Lets be best friends! 

Ciao! X

Priceline Haul!

40% off Cosmetics!

So Priceline are great in the fact that they have a lot of huge sales all year round. The last 40% off sale I took (major) advantage of was the 40% off all skincare - and let me tell you - no regrets were had. 

So when I found out about the 40% off ALL COSMETICS I couldn't not take advantage of it. So in the morning, I met my two good friends and favourite shopping babes in the city at 9:30am to get all the things! Here is what I got!

As you can see, there are quite a few things. I have no regrets on buying anything, and I picked up the brushes for an absolute steal! In this post I'll put in some swatches and first impressions too, along with the normal and sale prices. 

I'll start off with the brush set by Nude by Nature. The kit includes 7 brushes, a double barrel sharpener and comes in a nice zip up case with elastic brush holders. 

The brushes included in this kit are:

1. Kabuki Brush
2. Defining Blush / Powder Brush
3. Deluxe Eye Shader
4. Domed Eye Blending Brush
5. Concealer Brush
6. Dual Headed Eye Definer and Lip Brush (basically a fancy way of saying a double ended brush, one side is angled the other is for lips)
7. Precision Sharpener

Standard Price: $29.95 Sale Price: $17.97

SAVING: $11.98

There is no secret that I love the Models Prefer palettes. I have other posts on my blog here absolutely raving about them. So when I came across this little beauty, I couldn't resist. The one and ONLY bad thing I have to say about the MP palettes is: The matte shades just aren't up to scratch. The shimmer shades are fantastic! Such good pigmentation and colour pay off. But the mattes just aren't as good quality. Mattes are a hard thing to get right, and its not like they're useless, they just take some layering and some work to get them to be as good as they should be first off. 

This is the Warm Smokey / Brown Smokey palette.

Top Left: The mirror in this palette is amazing. Good size and quality, can definitely do a full face of makeup in this. 

Top right: The packaging on this is fantastic. The box it comes in shows you just what to expect and shows you ideas on how to use the palette in step by step instructions. The palette itself is sleek and made of a hard plastic, it feels like it could take a knock or two and is a good size for travelling. The lid as quite a good weight to it too. 

Bottom Left: The swatches - left column: There is a matte creamy/white shade, that on my skin just doesn't show up, it is poor quality but with some work and layering (I suggest using a primer) it will have more pay off - however in saying that, it does blend well with the other shimmer shades, so perhaps a test run of these eye looks are in order. The next shade down is a very pigmented cool toned gold, the colour pay off is excellent and it blends well. The last shade is a shimmer brown. Perfect for adding the smokey effect to the suggested look. 

Bottom Left: The swatches - Right column: Top colour is a shimmer peachy gold, very pretty and highly pigmented. The middle shade is a red/brown maroon/burgundy shade, how it is used in the suggested look is quite interesting and I'm very keen to do this look. The last shade on this side is a matte brown. It shows up on my hand well, but is still a bit chalky, however - it does blend well so experiments will have to be done. 

Bottom Right: Here I wanted to show the inside of the palette - the 6shades (and an eyeliner down the bottom - that I probably wouldn't use) and right next to the shade is the step by step of how to use the shades to accomplish the certain looks. I'm glad its included INSIDE the actual palette instead of just on the outside packaging. I hate it when you lose the packaging and then have no idea on how to do the looks. So GOOD ON YOU MODELS PREFER!

Standard Price: $10.00 Sale Price: $6.00

SAVING: $4.00

There is also no doubt that I love the Australis Velourlips range. I think I'm only a few away from completing the set. So when I saw these colours in Priceline, I thought 'WHY NOT?' Its coming up into the warmer months and these colours are perfect for spring!

Left to Right we have: HO-CHI-MIN

LUN-DUN

MI-A-MEE

The swatches on the side go down in the same order. 

Each colour is perfectly wearable on the daily. Get your hands on these bad boys. I love them and you should too!

(INDIVIDUAL / SINGLE PRICING)

Standard Price: $9.95 Sale Price: $5.97

SAVING: 3:98

I have never really gotten into the 'essence' brand. They're cheaply priced so I always assumed they were cheaply made and poor quality. I assumed they were aimed more at little girls who are first getting into makeup. This might be so, but lately I have been really liking coloured eye shadows, and have been drawn to this brand. These are two essence mini palettes each containing 6 shimmer shades. 

Left top and bottom: 'All About Candies' - beautiful pastel colours. Perfect for sprint

Right top and bottom: 'All about Nude' - gorgeous neutrals. Perfect for every day. I will definitely be doing some looks with these little gems. 

(INDIVIDUAL / PER PALETTE)

Standard Price: $7.15 Sale Price: $4.29

SAVING: $2.86

This product had my friends and I baffled! Obviously it is L'OREAL'S take on the liquid matte lip product that so many brands are doing (such as Australis - Velourlips) But the description of the product had us thrown. Its one of the 'Glam Matte' (everything good so far) 'Intense Matte Gloss' (I'm sorry, what?)

We were all confused on how you can have a 'matte gloss' but never the less once one was swatched - I fell in love. This is in the colour/shade 513 'zip it rouge'. Sarah and I each purchased this shade, we took a risk because there was no tester for this one. But we're both so happy we did. I definitely want more of these. (probably in all the shades because I have to complete the set) But as they're on the pricier side - I'll wait until there is a sale - or slowly buy them.  

Standard Price: $21.95 Sale Price: $13.17

SAVING: $8.78

I have really been getting more into nail art recently and for some reason I've been loving grey toned nails for sprint. Because in my opinion its the perfect colour to stand out against all the pastel pinks without being as harsh as a white. SO, I was on a mission (or so it would seem) I picked up 4 polishes all up. 3 grey tones and a base coat.

Left to Right:

'Bourjois Paris - laque glossy - shade: 05 - Taupe Modèle

'Bourjois Paris - laque glossy - shade: 03 - BCBeigé

'Sally Hansen - Xtreme wear - shade: 330 - Grey Area

'OPI' Natural Nail Base Coat.

I love Sally Hansen polishes, OPI is such a fantastic brand and I've used many Bourjois products before and I'm really excited to try out the polishes. 

Bourjois: Standard Price: $12.00 Sale Price: $7.20

SAVING: $4.80

Sally Hansen: Standard Price: $6.95 Sale Price: $4.17

SAVING: $2.78

OPI: Standard Price: $10.00 Sale Price: $6.00

SAVING: $4.00

I think this is the only reason why I needed to go into Priceline. I have been using this product ever since I can remember. 

I have quite dry skin so I can use a lot of cream products. This product is for 'oil and shine' control so I think it will be perfect for summer. In summer I don't like to use a lot of foundation so, I might change to a BB cream and use this too, then set with a translucent powder. But I'll save that for another post. 

This product is the 'MATTE UP Cream to Powder Foundation' in the shade 'Nude'.  I love australis products but I think they need to get a wider range of colours, even the nude (their lightest) is a bit too dark for me, but as its summer, I'll tend to tan. 

Standard Price: $14.95 Sale Price: $8.97

SAVING: $5.98

This is the other reason I needed to go in, I needed an eyebrow pencil. 

This is just a basic pencil, its not the ones I usually use but it does the job. This is by the brand Savvy. 

I got a dark brown one, because thats my natural colour - side note: Finding the right shade of eyebrow 'filler' is important. Eyebrows really stand out on the face and its good to know that you're using the right colour!

Standard Price: $3.00 Sale Price: $1.80

SAVING: $1.20

The last items on my list are these three blushes. I've really been on a mission lately to expand my blush collection and I've heard rather good things about these. I have sworn by savvy matte lip creams and some of their other products, I've always walked up to the display and swatched their blushes but they've always been out of stock. So when I saw some in stock, I knew I had to get some! Swatches: Left to Right:

'Silky Pink'

'Rose'

'Plum'

you can see how they show up on my hand. They're highly pigmented and I can't wait to start using them!

With a normal affordable price, I think I've just begun my new obsession!

(INDIVIDUAL / PER PRODUCT)

Standard Price: $4.99 Sale Price: $2.99

SAVING: $2.00

And there you have it! Here if you made it this far, thank you! You did a great job! Usually I wouldn't spend this much in one go, but because of the amazing sale, (I also had a $13.08 off 'coupon') I went for it.  The original price of all of this is $179.92AUD (NOW THAT IS A LOT) with the 40% off that brings the total to $107.95AUD. That is a saving of $71.97AUD and if you also minus the $13.08 from the total sale price $94.87AUD.

I paid $94.87 and got $179.92 worth of products. I am beyond amazed by this! 

Sale ends midnight on the 19th of November - There is still time to shop online!

Good Luck! 

Ciao! X