MANICURE MONDAY: Barry M Gelly "Sparkling Ruby"

Bring on the reds! I am so ready for the holidays (especially the time off work part...). I went a-looking for a nice red in my Helmers this morning to bring on the Xmas spirit. I took one look at this and stopped looking; it's amazingly sparkly, bright red and shiny! I think this was a Xmas limited edition at some point, so apologies if you can't find it in stores...

This is 2 nice clean coats with a top coat of Barry M Wet Set quick dry top coat. I feel I need some hot chocolate, cosy socks and shit TV to go with it - love it!! I am not convinced yet that Barry M Wet Set will replace my beloved Sally Hansen MegaShine in terms of shine and speed drying, but it is vegan and cruelty free, which is something I am moving towards now in my beauty regime.

Are you cracking out the reds yet?? I think I might be pairing this with a nice red lipgloss tomorrow...

Manicure Monday: Barry M Crystal Rock "Pink Tourmaline"

Yep. I still love textured nail polishes! This is brand new stuff from Barry M, and if like me you're old and been in the game for a while, yes, it's a throw-back to 2013 😃

So I am probably in the minority however I love these crystal liquid sand polishes. It occurred to me as I was writing this review that there will be first time buyers of this formula, people who were too young to remember the previous wave of these in 2012/13! I am seriously getting old, and so is this blog (coming up on 13 years...).

I have a number of these types of polishes in my collection from a variety of brands. I find they are so easy to apply and quick to dry, a perfect last minute fix. But those of you who 'pick' you might find they annoy you with their gritty texture...

I did 2 coats here with no top coat, I find that a top coat will dull the sparkle on these, and they dry quickly due to the formula so it's not really necessary. These polishes don't like the camera, so the nails actually look a bit dull but they are not!

I have 3 of the 4 colours of this release, so stay tuned for the other 2 in due course...

MANICURE MONDAY: Essie "Rustworthy"

I said in my previous post there were TWO polishes from the Essie fall 2019 collection I "needed" and this is the second one!

This went on really smooth and is  a definite one-coater. I did 2 coats here but you definitely don't need it. It's surprisingly thin and easy to paint with in formula for being so pigmented, and it dries just that slightly satin shine, so I say it's quite similar to a matte metallic polish, such as Orly "Glam Rock"? I topped it with a slick of Sally Hansen MegaShine cuz I love a shiny metallic. And I need a speedy drying time.

Love this - definitely another Top Ten of 2019 entry!

MANICURE MONDAY: Essie "Sweater Weather"

It's very rare nowadays that I see a nail polish I immediately "need". Usually nowadays, with a collection of 500+ nail polishes, all the new collections all seem the same. But there are not one, but two, polishes in this collection from Essie that I "needed"! This is the first one.

So it's September - and autumn - already?? I can definitely feel the autumn vibes now. I only had my 'summer holiday' a couple of weeks ago, but the weather has definitely turned now. So this kind of colour feels very appropriate, and definitely lives up to it's name.

I did 2 smooth coats here and topped it with Sally Hansen Megashine top coat. It's divine. A straight to the Top Ten of 2019. Nothing else to say. If you love green nail polish, go to Boots now and spend £7.99 and you will never regret it.

Stay tuned for the next star from this collection next Monday! ☺

Oh and it's a one-of-a-kind polish in my collection; I did some comparisons of other similar greens (or so I thought) below. The closest one is OPI "Green on the Runway" from the 2014 Coca Cola collection, but it's got a slightly red duochrome so "Sweater Weather" is more warm.

From L to R: Orly "Rocket Science", China Glaze "Zombie Zest", China Glaze "Moonpool", Essie "Sweater Weather", OPI "Green on the Runway"

From L to R: Essie "Sweater Weather", OPI "Green on the Runway", China Glaze "Moonpool"

REVIEW: Urban Decay Stay Naked foundation

Shade 30 NN

I was soooo excited when the announcement for this collection popped up on Instagram 😄 It was definitely an 'Instagram made me buy it' affair.

I ordered it the day it came out, but I was a bit flummoxed by the shade range (which is bafflingly large). In my previous post on this I have a bit more info on choosing your shade if you can't actually swatch it. Here's hoping I got it right... I chose shade 30 NN.

Hmmm, yeah probably a tiny bit light for me when I am tanned (I go from fair-ish to a medium complexion) but autumn is just around the corner so... we good!

The bottle is plastic and has a pump. I am not actually a fan of the packaging? I think it looks weird with the indented bit and huge cap?.. I just don't feel it. Considering the Allnighter was such a design love affair, this feels like a "can't be arsed" design!

I applied this with a Beauty Blender as that's how I like to roll with a toddler running around (it's quicker than a brush...) and it seems to have less coverage than I thought it would have, but I am definitely OK with that. I wasn't sure about the finish at first (quite matte) but it grew on me. It doesn't emphasise pores or fine lines, doesn't cling to dry bits and it doesn't age those of us who are over 40!

It also lasted through the hottest day of the year without fading! I looked still looked flawless when I took off my makeup in the evening. It definitely looks like you are wearing makeup but I am OK with that too - this is the budge proof and beautifying formula which I wish was available when I got married!

This is a Top Ten of 2019! I cringe at the price at £29.50 but damn girl, it's good. If you can get the shade right, then you're onto a winner!

MANICURE MONDAY: Barry M Molten Metals "Crystal Blue"

This is honestly one of the best nail polishes I own. And I have had over 700 at one point!

This is 2 perfect coats with Sally Hansen Mega Shine top coat. It dries super quick,  and has a radiant green duochrome.

I'd pay a lot more than the £3.99 they charge for this!

MANICURE MONDAY: Revolution nail polish

From L to R: "Muse" and "Poison"

Slightly different #manicuremonday today as I am unwell with a throat infection and asthma so can't hack the fumes from an actual manicure...

These are brand new little beauties from Revolution - just launched last week! I thought the colour selection was possibly a bit dull, compared to the riot of colour and glitter that is their eyeshadow selections? I only got two, both of these are from the 'Colour Pop' selection.

I think "Muse" would definitely be a one-coater, however I did two here for consistency of swatching. I thought this would be quite close to Misa "Dirty Sexy Money" but it's not even close. "Poison" is a solid two-coater. It's verging on the annoying 'almost black' territory but with a high gloss top coat it does come alive on the nail!

They retail for £3 which is fairly decent. Can't wait to actually get these on my nails!!