Saturday, 31 January 2009

Beautiful Pits???

I'm sick of deodorants that claim that if you use them you'll become the life and soul of the party and the next 'It' girl because of your gorgeous, soft and shimmering...



ARMPITS



Really???!! Gimme a break...




C'mon. They're pits. Designed by nature to perspire. They should be washed and occassionally waxed/shaved. Who EVER heard of someone saying "Oh yeah check out Jane, she has the best pits in town". Seriously. Who the f*** thought this whole idea up?? What's next? Antiwrinkle deodorants? In fact, don't go there...

Friday, 30 January 2009

FRANKENPOLISH: Bottle Green Creme


I name thee "Bottle Green Creme"!


This is it. I have found my favourite green creme. Ever. Tell me you don't love it?? :) I can't wait to make a full mani with this.


This is a frankenpolish, lovingly concocted from Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish "Sunshine", Nails Inc "Hanover Square", Barry M "Lime Green 137" and a dash of Viva La Diva "56". And as you can see its not nearly black as compared to Rimmel 60sec "Blackout" next to it. Peeking in in the background is the lovely Barry M "True Turquoise". And yes, my kitchen roll has butterflies on it..

Thursday, 29 January 2009

NOTD: Nubar "Pink Flame"

I'm getting weary of winter and starting to covet bright summer days (although to be fair we don't get many of those in Scotland...) Hence I am needing something cheerful to remind myself that summer IS still coming and soon little snowdrops and daffodils will be peeking through the old leaves and the birds will sing again. I sound like Frodo on the Mountain of Doom, actually :( anyway onto my NOTD. It's the stunningly fiery "Pink Flame", a duochrome from Nubar. The formula was quite sheer and runny, so this is 3 coats, but could've done with 4. Poshe top coat over it. Dries fairly quickly, mainly because it's formula is so thin. Very hard to capture in a photo, Scrangie has an awesome photo of this colour in her October pinks blog entry.


Bottom line: I love this colour. It's cheerful, yet mysterious. Its a pinkier version of my beloved Sally Hansen Nail Prisms "Amber Ruby".


Also if you are feeling the pre-spring blues and crave some hope for summer, check out the AWESOME new China Glaze collection for summer, Summer Days, at All Lacquered Up now!

ATTENTION! :)

If you love nail polish (and even if you don't) you should go onto All Lacquered Up NOW and check out the scoop on this summer's collection from China Glaze!

SWEET!!

Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Glamour Deed of the Month


I gave my £18 Tweezerman Point Tweezers to my boyfriend so he can use them for his microscopy work. The ultra-fine point on these tweezers means they are lethal for brow work but work really well moving minute things about under the microscope.
The stainless steel construction of these babies means he will probably be able to use them for a long time too.
Now if that's not love, what is?? :)

Tuesday, 27 January 2009

NOTD - VirginVie "Bijou Onyx"


I bought this at one of those ghastly makeup parties, used the box (with polishes still inside!) as a stand for my PSP games and forgot all about it. Until today, when I was digging out papers for my mortgage appointment! This little box of jewels contains five mini polishes, a bright metallic purple (Amethyst), a metallic magenta (Tourmaline), a sparkly sheer white (Diamonds), a shimmering red (Ruby) and this gem, Onyx; a black with multicoloured glitter particles. It says on the box "One sweep with these exclusive shades and you guarantee yourself a VIP pass". One sweep?.. As hardened nail fanatic, I scoffed in disbelief and unscrewed the cap. I was amazed. One sweep and I did indeed have glorious multiglitter black goodness.. :) I seriously like! It requires two thick of Seche Vite, this polish literally eats the top coat :( Aside from that, I love this colour, and I wonder what the other colours are like now, Tourmaline catches my eye everytime I open the box with it's magenta shine. Anyway, enough rambling, here's also a pic of the bottle, a tiny 5ml...


I really like this polish, and I am hoping that the rest are just as good :) I vaguely remember buying this gift box about a year ago or more, and have completely forgotten about them, what a crime!! :)

Sunday, 25 January 2009

NOTD: Misa "Toxic Seduction" with Konad

I thought I would do something more exciting than just a colour today so I did a pattern I like from the M4 plate using GOSH "Holographic". GOSH "Holographic" whoops China Glaze "OMG" butt anyday in terms of sparkletastic holo goodness, it produces a striking rainbow effect and appears less greyish than "OMG". And it's just as opaque for Konad fun :) This Misa polish is awesome; the first coat looked a bit scruffy and patchy and I wasn't happy even though I didn't pay a lot for the polish. Then I slicked on the 2nd layer and oh my, it's sooo smooth and opaque and shimmery 8-) The brush is great and the polish is thickish but not gloopy.


First I give you a pic of Misa "Toxic Seduction" before Konad..


Then with holographic Konad...



I am still learning the Konad techniques so things are not as symmetric as I'd like but I will get there one day :) And please excuse the cuticles, they're just so dry and cracking no matter how much I moisturise and oil. It's the winter cold and my office's air-con, they just get dry all the time.

Friday, 23 January 2009

NOTD: SH Nail Prisms "Amber Ruby" over Nails Inc "Victoria"



I am still in awe over the Sally Hansen Nail Prisms "Amber Ruby". It is just so deliciously dark duochromey and firey. Like a burning sunset sky or autumn leaves... This is B/C then 2 coats of Nails Inc. "Victoria", a nearly black burgundy creme. Then 2 coats of Sally Hansen Nail Prisms "Amber Ruby" and Poshe T/C. It's really hard to capture the great duochrome in this polish but it goes from a deep burgundy to a amber glow in different lights.
Please excuse the tatty cuticles :( House hunting doesn't leave much time for advanced nail care...

Wednesday, 21 January 2009

What Nail Polish Would Michelle Obama Wear?..


There is a question that has been on my mind for a while. What nail polish would Michelle Obama wear if she could choose?.. The new American First Lady likes a bit of bold colour judging from the dresses she wear and how she dresses the little girls, so I think she would like something other than the French manis she has in all the photos of her. As I said I have been pondering this question for a while, and I have come up with some choices she might like to consider...

China Glaze "Turned-Up Turquoise"
Would suit her colours so well, plus it's stand-out and extraordinary just like Michelle herself.

OPI "A-rose Before Dawn, Broke By Noon"
The metallic rose pink goodness of this would be right at home at a sophisticated soiree for some charity or other.

Urban Decay "ID"
Cute but fiery pink and gold would keep her glamourous but sophisticated for all those Presidential visits with all that hand-waving.

China Glaze "Coconut Kiss"
Exotic purple for the late night cocktail parties Michelle will be attending.
Zoya "Richelle"
A First Lady should always have something gold in her arsenal, so why not this awesome sparkler from the Flourish collection?

Those are my top picks for the new First Lady. What colours would you like to see Michelle Obama wearing and why?

Tuesday, 20 January 2009

NOTD: Rimmel Play Fast "Camouflage"


There is a story attached to this polish...

Once, long ago, I had a greeny goldy nail polish called "Camouflage". I loved it so. It was the pride of my collection. I was packing to leave my student home for the summer to go home when I caught the familiar whiff of nail polish from my bag.. I opened my wash bag to discover in my horror that my bottle of "Camouflage" had broken and spilled everywhere, the broken bottle empty.. My friend Weebie had to clean it all up while I was crying in despair. Ever since I have looked to get hold of another bottle of this Holy Grail of polish. Many greens came and went, none good enough for me. They just weren't "Camouflage"... Ebay was no help. Then Sanna at Makeupmylack asked; "Anyone wanting a bottle of Camouflage?.." I think she probably never realised just how long I'd been waiting to hear those words... :) And they all lived happily ever after!!

That's why I took so long to make a whole mani of "Camouflage", it was just so holy. I was waiting for a special moment. And today was it. And OMG. It's STILL awesome. And probably my favourite ever nail polish, a close tie with L'Oreal Shock Resist 330...
Also, EVERYONE should read this post by Scrangie! :)

Sunday, 18 January 2009

NOTD: Sally Girl "Rave"

I finished the mammoth task of sorting my stash today, and everything is now catalogued in an Excel file :) In doing so, I came across this little nail polish and immidiately knew I HAD to put it on. My "Supernova Blue" frankenpolish was chipped from all my cleaning today anyway, so I had to change my mani for work tomorrow anyway.




Sally Girl I came across at the counter in Sally's. They come in tiny little bottles that cost me £1.50 each. Bargain! I got 4, this neon pink called "Rave", a darker neon pink called "Back Off", a navy called "Mean Streak" and a Zoya "Shivon" look-alike called "Glam". I loved this pink the best, I haven't tried the others yet. They all look good on the nail wheels though.


"Rave" is a vivid neon pink that dries matte. You can wear it matte, which is kind of cool, or you can slap on some Seche Vite/Poshe top coat and watch the pinkness burn your retinas out 8-)


It's streaky to apply if you don't do it right, as it dries so fast. Go from one side of the nail to the next in even strokes for best result. I had to put on 3 coats for the even colour I wanted, and the bottle is so tiny that I probably would only get 3-4 applications from this at the most. All my Sally Girl polishes are heavily separated in the bottle after standing around, but this can be cured with a good shake! Fun if you like the colours in the range, but I wonder how economic it is to buy this when I can get a full size 12ml bottle of Rimmel polish for £2.99?..

My makeup box

While I am waiting for my floors to dry after a good scrubbing, I thought I would show you the content of my everyday makeup box. This is where I keep the makeup I wear all the time - the rest are tucked away in a drawer.
The cute lunch box style box is from a xmas present I got last year :)




In my box you will find: Bourjois Brush Foundation, Benefit Creaseless Creme Shadow/Liner "RSVP", NARS Lip Lacquer "Hot Wired", Chanel Inimitable mascara, Clinique Quickliner for eyes "Dark Chocolate", Isadora Perfect Shade Liner "Charcoal", Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Definer "Emerald Sparkle", Rimmel ColourMousse "Splash", Mr Mascara eyelash curler, Bourjois Lip-stain pen "Framboise bonheur", MAC Lipglass "Russian Red", Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Duo, Bobbi Brown Corrector "Bisque", MAC Blushcreme Pearl "Sweet William" and Maybelline SuperStay Powergloss "Radiant Ruby".

Saturday, 17 January 2009

Franken Polish: Supernova Blue

I finally found somewhere that sells empty nail polish bottles :) So now I can go nuts and make proper frankenpolishes :) *laughs evilly* I already made some crazed experiments which turned hideously wrong trying to make a dark green creme polish (I got carried away and it turned out grey), but I had to use an old bottle of clear polish for that, whereas I just want to be able to mix and blend... So. Here is my very first proper frankenpolish. I name thee...



Supernova Blue


I had an itch to create a franken of China Glaze's "Dorothy Who?" as I will never probably get a bottle of that for myself. I'm not sure if it actually looks like "Dorothy Who?" at all; all I have to go on are multiple swatches from other nail fanatics out there. If any of you lucky ladies who owns "Dorothy who?" want to compare it to the real thing for me I can send you a fake nail with the colour on it :) I just wanted to capture the feeling of this polish.
It is gritty and needs two coats of Seche Vite to sparkle at it's best. It has cobalt blue base colour with bright blue glitter with the flashes of "Carnivals" holographic glitter.


My recipe: I used equal parts Barry M #297 "Blue Glitter" and #291 "Cobalt Blue", added a smidgen of some Essie "Carnival". I mixed it up with love, and this is the result :) Hope you like it as much as I do!

Friday, 16 January 2009

Friday Whine :)

I have not had time to put nail polish on in the last couple of days, so my nails have got a mini-holiday! They are still a minging yellowish tone, despite me dabbling with whitening treatments. The peel on my middle finger on my right hand is still there, so I had to put some Sally Hansen Miracle Cure on it in a hurry this morning to stop it actually peeling off in one big flake :(

Speaking of which... Sally Hansen Miracle Cure doesn't work. I've used it for about 2 months now as a base coat but the two peeling fingers are still flaming peeling. I'm painfully aware how much I paid for this bottle in my desperation and I am now asking:

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANY GOOD PRODUCTS THAT WORK FOR PEELING NAILS?

Its not all bad today tho - yesterday I won a bottle of Misa "Toxic Seduction" on eBay. It arrived this morning. Sweet service, no?? It looks awesome, I can't wait to try it :) Looking at it however I am thinking it looks a lot like China Glaze "Gussied up green". But when I compare them I am sure they will be so different I can justify having both! :)

Tuesday, 13 January 2009

NOTD - China Glaze "Cherish"


I currently have an obsession with Agatha Christie's Poirot :) They are re-running the whole god-knows how many series on TV every night. Awesome!
Anyway onto my NOTD, "Cherish". I like this minty green metallic, but I think it might have needed a bit more depth to it. I am in two minds whether to change it today to it's sister polish "Adore", but there is no tip wear from my day at work so probably shouldn't... I might...
It is ok to apply, perhaps a bit too streaky if you are not careful in applying it. I had huge problems in photographing it however! It somehow refracts the light so I can get it sharp but whitish or blurry and true colour :( This is the best colour representation I got.

Tuesday Online Shopping!

I am getting over my flu now and I feel perkier :) I read on Rocketqueen's blog about her new Fyrinnae eyeshadows and how they now ship free if you order over $20, and I have been lusting to try these eye shadows for a while, so I may have gone a bit overboard and placed an order...

I don't know how to put these on but I want them :) I got 11 eye shadow samples and a lip lustre sample. They looks sooo pretty!
I will have to find out how to use these once I get them, so if anyone has any tips, please let me know! :)


This photo is from Fyrinnae's website, this colour is called "Sunrise". Just look at that glow!!

Sunday, 11 January 2009

Nail Polish Haul From Sweden :)

I am still very poorly with 'flu (and very deaf from flying) so I I don't feel up for making a big post of all the exciting beauty things I bought/tested in Sweden. But I did get my nail polish haul out from my trip to cheer myself up.



From left to right we have: Isadora "Spellbound Black", "Mulberry Wine", "Sapphire" and "Milkshake"; Rimmel Play Fast "Camoflage" which I got from the lovely Sanna at Makeupmylack :) ; Depend #132; Viva La Diva #71 and #56; L'Oreal Star Magnet "Red" and NARS "Orgasm"

I've yet to try a full "Camoflage" mani but I am dying to try the two new Romantique polishes I have waiting at work for me tomorrow so I will wait until I have tried them to try it :)

I got the NARS limited edition nail polish "Orgasm" for Xmas from my friend Weebie, woohoo!! Its a great nude polish and will looke ace with a tan. She also got me the equally awesome lip lacquer "Hot Wired" from NARS that is pure tropical fuschia; like hot, sexy Miami Beach nights... :)

I can't wait to get better to try all the cool beauty products and clothes I got during my holiday but now I think I will watch Hercule Poirot on the telly and maybe get some sleep!

Friday, 9 January 2009

I'm back! :)

Travelling back to the UK today from Sweden, my xmas holidays have been quite sickly. First I had the winter vomiting bug before xmas, then I got a cold cause I was run down, then 2 days ago I got the flu :( So I am coughing and sneezing and can hardly hear as I travel back. NOT looking forward to the flights, that will kill my ears.. Right now however I am on the train in 1st class, with free coffee and free wireless internet on my laptop :) Lets see how many nail polish blogs I can read before I run out of battery!!

I have a great selection of nail polishes and some makeup to show you tomorrow so check back soon!! :)

Friday, 2 January 2009

NOTD: Isadora "Mulberry Wine" and L'Oreal Star Magnet "Red"


I was disappointed with Isadora's "Spellbound Black" but "Mulberry Wine" is nicer. Still a bit too dark for me but really nice deep wine colour. But it's a PITA to apply, gloopy and bloody impossible to get right. I will have to add a couple of drops of Seche thinner to it and see. I have acquired a bottle of L'Oreals fabled magnetic polish and must say - its better than the expensive Lancome one and comes in six colours :) This is the red one. It applies like a dream and the magnet bottle top is much better thought out than the Lancome one.


Also I would like to share a photo of my ginger bread house I made this Xmas :)

Happy New Year!



Today I have finally managed to get to the internet and I have some exciting NOTD to show, and some disappointments. First is my fave KOnad so far - its China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise with black Konad (which was nicer before I put on the top coat):



Then there is a major disappointment. Isadora "Spellbound Black" looks awesome in the bottle but comes out flat and all black with only a tiny glimmer of teal glitter in strong sunlight :(


Then there is my mums Xmas mani from me - Sparitual "Stiletto" with rhinestones on her thumbs :) It turned out a lot nicer on her than me, and she was very happy with it: