Striping blue for autism.

Hey guys!
It's almost 1:00 AM but I'm so happy with my mani, I just couldn't wait to share it!! This is my last Paint It Blue mani to raise awareness for autism. Whilst we are on the subject, if you are interested in some exclusive one of polishes from both Australian and US indie polish makers then go and check out this polish auction

http://paintitblue2013.blogspot.com.au/

All funds raised will go to ASPECT Australia, a wonderful organisation who really strive to make a difference for those who have autism and their families.

Anyway onto the nails! This is my first little foray into striping tape and I am HOOKED! I couldn't be happier with how this mani turned out. Although it definitely taught me a lesson in patience after I stuffed up my accent nails twice by not waiting for my under polish to fully dry!

Seriously, how good is China Glaze - First Mate? I only needed ONE COAT over the striping tape to get a good result. Anyway as fun as this mani was, I definitely won't be attempting it so late at night! I'd better head to sleep so that I'm not a complete zombie at university tomorrow!

China Glaze - First Mate
Sally Hansen - Celeb City

Birthday Blues

So last week was my birthday! Im not sure whether I feel older or wiser but I definitely got some nail polish and that's all that matters right? I spent the day at work and then went out for dinner. Pretty quiet but still a good day.

For my birthday mani, I wanted something that sparkled!

This is a new Emily de Molly polish that I was lucky enough to get from her at the Canberra meetup over Easter! It's a gorgeous mix of gold holographic glitter (all different shapes and sizes) in a clear base and it is GORGEOUS! I layered it over Revlon - Gold Coin. This mani was incredible in sunlight. Absolutely sparkled! This polish isn't available yet on Emily de Molly's etsy but to see the rest of her polishes and get information on international stockists then head here!

This week I'm back to blue nails for autism with another Aussie Indie.

This is Femme Fatale - Suspended Starlight layered over Layla - Ocean Rush and topped with NFU Oh 52. I can't fully capture the depth of this mani. Suspended Starlight is absolutely gorgeous, blue base packed with lots of blue holographic glitter, stars and moons. Application was super easy because this polish is PACKED with glitter! Femme Fatale polish is available here!

NFU 52 is a divine flakie top coat. Green flakes in a purple base. If you want to get your hands on this polish then move quickly because NFU are discontinuing their entire flakie line! I got mine from Crush Cosmetics. Shipping was super speedy and orders over 65 dollars get free shipping!!

Color Club - Eternal Beauty

So this week I got my hands on the gorgeous Color Club - Eternal Beauty. Oh. My. Gosh. I love this polish so much. I can't even begin to tell you! First up, Color Club have awesome bottles and the brush was awesome for application. I used my standard three coats and a top coat in these pics. First some taken out of the sunlight and then prepare to be dazzled for the sunlit pictures!

So I've been thinking a lot about my blog recently, following the sad departure of my good friend Julz Perri from the blogosphere. I feel like I'm not really a consistent blogger and that impacts where I would like to be. In addition to this, I have a crazy busy schedule with this being my last year of uni so if I want to continue, I need to find a way to work it all out. I got an iPad Mini as an early birthday present from my family on Friday and so I am hoping to use that as a way to blog quicker because my process at the moment is not efficient. So I'm going to try it out soon, expect to see new watermarks on my pics and maybe a new format for my posts. All I can do is give it a go. I hope you'll all bear with me. Thanks so much for your support so far.

Kater xx

World Autism Awareness Day

So this month I have pledged to be part of "Paint it Blue." An initiative introduced by me on a facebook nail group that I frequent. The purpose of this initiative is to raise awareness for autism by painting your nails blue over the month of April. Some people will be doing it once, weekly and even every day! I'm going to aim for once a week. So today's mani is for World Autism Awareness Day which is today, April 2nd!

I got inspiration from this mani from these two images which I found after I searched for autism awareness in google images.

You can see my art and also designs from other polish lovers on Instagram under the hashtag #bluenailsforautism

As you can see, I attempted to do the puzzle pieces and the light globe design as an accent. I am quite happy with the accent but the puzzle pieces ended up being a bit of a hot mess. Not too bad for a first attempt though.

China Glaze - First Mate

China Glaze - For Audrey

Sally Hansen - Cherry Red

Sally Hansen - Mellow Yellow

OPI - My Vampire is Buff

Meetup + Alanna Renee- Fawkes

Hey Guys!

I've had so much I wanted to update but I have been house sitting with the world's slowest internet connection so I haven't been able to! Luckily I'm home now so I'm going to smash out two posts in one day for you all!

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to attend a meetup with four very lovely nail enthusiasts. I was so nervous because two of these ladies have incredible indie lines and the other two are fantastic nail artists, I'm sure you've all seen Cathy's blog before! So I was a bit starstruck! We talked polish, shared easter gifts with one another, had lunch and made the wait staff of the restaurant jealous with all our polishes strewn across the table! Here's the details for those in attendance!

• Cathy from More Nail Polish
• Alanna from Pretty Purple Polish and the creator of Indie polishes Alanna Renee
• Hayley creator of Indie polishes Emily de Molly
• Sylvia @lilyandjinks on Instagram

The obligatory hand shot to prove that we did, all in fact, meet up!  

I was incredibly privileged to come away from this meetup with some brand new, not even named yet! Emily de Molly's and some of Alanna's new Harry Potter line! So I thought I'd show you a quick swatch of one of the Alanna Renee newbies.

This is Fawkes, Alanna describes Fawkes on her site as " a mix of red and gold holo glitter in a red base." I used three coats in this picture. Application was super easy and the sparkle is absolutely incredible. This picture definitely doesn't do the polish justice! I could not stop looking at my fingers whilst I was wearing it! Alanna Renee's Magical World Collection was released yesterday and can be purchased at her site here!

I had such a wonderful time at the meetup this weekend. I definitely hope there'll be future gatherings!