Excuse the long absence....

I've had a crazy couple of months! How have you been?
Can you believe it's almost Christmas??? Crazy I say!

so..... let's catch up a bit - I'll post a heap of pics to show you what I've been up to
and then we can do the Aussie Nails Christmas Nail Art challenge together, ok?

Prepare to be amazed!

Whilst I'm preparing the last of my Aussie brand posts,
 please enjoy some other awesome posts from my fellow bloggers in celebration of tomorrow's holiday:

Here is a great summary post featuring 5 hot Australian indie polish brands from So Nailicious
- fantastic selection!

Some stunning Sydney Harbour Bridge nail art from More Nail Polish!

Shatter Me Claire has the iconic Aussie kangaroo on her nails!

I am preparing for a lazy 3-day weekend - it's going to be a scorcher!!!
(too many exclamation points in this post, but I'm just so excited)

Thanks for stopping by!

What to expect in 2013

Howdy all! In case you missed me (or didn't know I was away! LOL) - I'm baaaa-ack!

Thought I should stick my head out and just let you know what to expect on the blog after the holidays. 

First of all, let me say "Thank you!" for all your lovely holiday (vacation and Christmas) wishes. 

We had a fantastic time in Bali (and I will show you all of the OPI goodies I found!!).
Also I am planning to dedicate January to showcasing some more Australian brands
(since January 26 is Australia Day).

I will also continue the to follow the two challenges (Where in the world? and The Battle).

Not sure if I should put the Blog Sale page up again - I'd love to hear your opinions on this!

Also, there was a lot (I mean a whole lot!) of nail mail waiting when we got back,
including Secret Santa presents - so I'll do some posts on that!

Of course, Nikolai and Cat will be appearing on the blog too!

Here are some pics of our holiday:

That's about it!

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and New Year's!

Making your $$$ work

Let me start off by saying: "Hello, my name is Natalia and I am a shopaholic!"

I am also stingy. The dilemma is how to make these traits co-exist. 

Short answer - spend a little, get a lot! This is where these little beauties come in:

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All-A-Flutter (2012 LE Easter)

These retail in Australia for AUD$14.95 (ranges from $6.95 on clearance to $16.95 in some pharmacies).
(Not that I would EVER pay full price for ANYthing)

Today I will show you how to get 2 (yes, TWO) full manicures and pedicures out of the box.

Where in the World - Day 14 France

Today I'm inspired by France!

I knew I wanted to do something food related, then I came across these:

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They look adorable, and perfect for using all my recent pastel purchases!!
Too bad I have never been to France or tried macaroons((

Where in the World - Day 13 Netherlands

Today I have yet another stop to share on the worldwide challenge adventure!

I used this image as my reference for the design:

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It is also my first attempt to create a splatter effect, without the mess))

Guest post from Nailed It NZ

Today I am posting over at Nailed It NZ and Jessie is taking over my blog. 

Please welcome her and go follow her blog!

Hi! I’m Jessie from Nailed it NZ. I’d like to say a big thanks to Natalia for letting me do a guest post on her blog – and she’s doing one on mine too, so don’t forget to check hers out!
I decided to do my first four seasons manicure for this, and here’s is what I came up with: 

Where in the World - Day 9 UK

Today's post is all about the UK, and I would like to dedicate this mani to my dear friend who is currently studying in Oxford - I hope we get to catch up soon!

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Where in the World - Day 8 Sweden

I have to be honest - Sweden is much more than IKEA, but where would we be with out it?
I felt that this is my chance to honor the brand:

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Where in the World - Day 7 Denmark

Today I have a little story. Princess Mary of Denmark is Australian by birth, she was born in Tasmania. And we just recently went on a holiday, which included Hobart - her birth place. So, you can understand how I found my inspiration very quickly:

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Where in the World - Day 5 Poland

Horray! A country I have been to and a place I visited - Szczecin! It's a lovely city on the Oder River and is close to the Baltic Sea. I welcomed 2004 NY there while visiting family friends. That evening we went to listen to a classical music concert, so I thought I would recreate the new  Philharmonic building:

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Doesn't it remind you of an iceberg or maybe an icicle, or a crystal?

Sail Away

Since recent travels took us to a few seaside towns I thought it would be fitting to try something nautical on my nails. I used this fabric print as my inspiration:

Nautical print

Tasmania Lite

As we are about to embark on a holiday, I thought it would be fitting to show what I've packed for an 11-day driving (mostly) trip. I say mostly, because we do have to fly (4+1.5 hours) to get over there.