Thursday 25 April 2013

NOTD: Essie "Vanity Fairest" with Shimmer Leopard Print Accent Nails


I am still loving the nude shimmer that is "Vanity Fairest"! :) But a gal needs some jazz as well. I got the new issue of Nail It! magazine today. Couldn't have come home to anything better from being at doctors with a burst ear drum... I caught a cold at the weekend and got myself a nasty ear infection :( So I decided to do a nice mani with some leopard dots in a border (should have just done the whole nail...). I forgot just how much of a shit job it is trying to do these on yourself... Looks half decent on my thumb but I smudged it with top coat, as I think the Color Club liner is getting a bit iffy in it's old age drying wise. No matter. It'll do for going to work tomorrow.

Started off with 1 coat of "Vanity Fairest" on all nails. I then used China Glaze "Outta Bounds" (green), Nails Inc "Hanover Street" (blue) and Depend no 14 (pink) for the dots then skimmed round them with a Colour Club Artliner in black. You will need to let the dots dry for some time (like an hour) before you go over them with a top coat or you WILL smudge them... Looks better far away than close up, but I will need to practice  doing these on myself! It's really easy to do these on someone else but it seems really tricky to get your finger positioned just right to do them on yourself.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

REVIEW: Boots Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara

I just wanted to share my bargain find with you since I've now been using it for a few weeks. Seventeen is the Boots brand that used to be 17. This mascara promises a 24hr curl - don't know about that but it sure lasts all day at work and then some! :) I really like this mascara, the brush is great. Not clumpy at all and dries quite quick. It might run a bit if you are out in a snow storm (tried that) but otherwise no flake or smudge! And a bargain price! Go get one now for fluttery lashes!!

Worth thinking about...

'Cosmetic crisis' waiting to happen - BBC News

I may not be that old but I do have wrinkles. I could probably do with a bit more 'lift' in my cleavage area. Perhaps more defined cheek bones. But... I have no desire and have never have to have cosmetic procedures done. The story told by Sarah Payne in this article is exactly what I've always feared and why I will NEVER have anything like this done for cosmetic reasons - her story is horrifying and yet as she says, it's mild compared to some of the things that have happened to other people.

There are times when people have to have cosmetic surgery due to for example cancer, but the procedures talked about in the article are not that sort of cosmetic surgery. They are not procedures that can be necessary after / before disease. They are purely so people can pretend to look younger. They are deemed to have no medical purpose so are not even covered under the same regulations as for example breast implants. In fact the whole massive industry is pretty much unregulated. And that's just it - these fillers have no medical purpose, yet we allow people to inject them under our skin where they will undoubtedly affect our bodies for better or for worse?..

I will definitely buy the next cream that promises a glowing skin, but I don't expect miracles. I hope it will make my skin look and feel better. And after all, it's stuff I can wash off if it doesn't agree with me. To willingly inject my face with stuff that contains poisons, silicone and god knows what else, hell no. And it may not ever leave my body and no one really knows how it affects us in the long term. It scares the shit out of me that that is even allowed.

We have one body and one life, lets treat them with care and respect!

Monday 22 April 2013

Sally Hansen Salon Effects "Frock Star"


I saw these at the new Sally Hansen stand in Boots and was intrigued. Of course I spent some money I probably shouldn't have... When I came home I discovered a lot of reviewers said these were HELL to remove, worse than regular glitter polish. Damn... Oh well, no matter! I decided to do an accent nail instead.

I then found some glitter polish from GOSH I didn't remember I had... This is 2 coats of GOSH "Silver" which is a really super-sparkly polish. Works quite well together these two! :)

The real polish strips were all very large - I am not sure I can wear more than one size of these without having to trim with scissors. They also dried almost instantly. Working with nail wraps this was not something I was expecting. If you warm them up in your fingers they become sticky again but I sealed mine with a coat of MegaShine just in case... I will have to see how these last! :)

Tuesday 16 April 2013

NOTD: Nails Inc "Hanover Sq" with Sally Hansen "Mermaid's Tale" accent nail


I was shopping for some lunch today in Boots when I spotted the brand new Sally Hansen stand in Boots! Wow - major revamp! :) I saw some new and exciting colours, but most of them paled in comparison to this beauty! I have cut my nails right down again (I get so annoyed with longer tips after a while) so the photo is not really giving you the full impression of the luxurious opacity and shine that is Nails Inc "Hanover Sq". It's just amazing - this is 1 coat (that's right - 1 coat). "Hanover Sq" is of the old school, buttery smooth Nails Inc formula I fell in love with so many years ago :) I did a couple of coats of "Mermaid's Tale" as an accent nail but it's one of those annoying glitters where you have to manually re-arrange the glitter bits... So couple of coats was enough hassle for me. Still love the blue and the green though, it's a fab combo! Because of the chunky glitter, the brush was more of a hindrance than a help and the result quite messy. I am sure it wouldn't be a problem with the other formulas though. I saw there were empty rows for the 'Gem Crush' polishes - I cannot wait to get my hands on these :D Hurry up and stock this stand already, Boots..

I also put on Chanel "Particuliere" for Monday but within 24hrs I had 2 massive chips and the tip wear was horrendous. Chanels just don't last on me at all :( Shame since you are paying £18 or more for a polish, as opposed to my Rimmels which all seem to last ages on me and are about £3-5. Hmmm. Still love "Particuliere" and "Peridot" however :)


Tuesday 9 April 2013

NOTD: Rimmel Cocktail Colour "Baby Bellini"


This is the last of the gorgeous Cocktail Colours for spring from Rimmel. I have been wanting to wear this for a while but kept putting it off before the wedding in case it stained my nails! This is 3 coats, I probably could have got away with 2 coats but it seemed a bit secretly sheer at that point. It dries quite quickly so it doesn't matter you need more coats :) I slicked on some MegaShine top coat as well. It was a bit runny and all over the place to apply but the colour is worth it!

It looks very sparkly in intense light and almost looks like it has a secret pink shimmer in low light, very pretty :) I love these colours and I'm actually tempted to wear the orange one again to cheer myself up in this dismal weather.

Thursday 4 April 2013

NOTD: Rimmel Salon Pro "Britpop"


So I popped into Superdrug today to get some ibuprofen for my sore knee (I seem to have buggered it wearing/dancing in my hilariously high wedding shoes). And there was a whole screed of new Rimmel polishes :) Some new colours, but also some old faves in the new bottle! I wasn't sure which one to go for - I was sooooo tempted by "Rock n roll", I think I just so need a red right now, but then decided I should go for a blue or green... So I chose "Britpop"! I'm glad I did.

This is 2 coats with a slick of MegaShine top coat, cuz I need the speed :) So I can eat my Colin the Caterpillar Easter egg quicker! I found the formula on this polish great, the brush and cap not so much... The brush was totally too big for my nails, it's not as good as the LycraPRO brush (I assume this new line will replace that line). Supposedly this is one of the new 'gel-like' polishes, and it is very smooth and very shiny. But to be honest, only gel polish will give you the gel look... It is a great polish though :)

My awesome Easter egg :)

Monday 1 April 2013

NOTD: Isadora "Macchiato"


I saw this Isadora polish on Nailtastic and felt I needed it. It's not really my usual colour, but something felt special about it. And it is very special. I don't have anything like it and the secretive shimmer makes it almost ethereal :) It's very pretty. My Mum thought it was almost lilac because of the shimmer and I can see why now that it's on the nails. This is 2 perfect coats (although sometimes it feels like Tippex to apply) and a slick of MegaShine top coat.

I stumbled upon a new magazine today at lunch, from the USA. And it came with FREE nail wrap samples from Kiss!! I was so excited I couldn't wait to come home and work out a manicure :) The magazine is called Nail it! and is carried in the UK by WHSmith. It's definitely like a porno mag for nail geeks... I am still working on a killer manicure idea using one of the Kiss wraps, hopefully I'll have finalised my ideas later this week :) I normally read Scratch magazine which is for nail techs, whereas this is more aimed at the teen fashionistas out there and is a bit more easy-going and more links polish with fashion and celebs. I can't wait to see what the next issue is like!


I also my previous NOTD to show you, another one of my new Sinful Color lacquers. This one is called "24/7". And it's so bright that it disturbs the camera :) I wore it for going back to work today, as I needed something ultra bright... This is 3 coats with a slick of MegaShine top coat. It is streaky if you are not careful when applying it but hey, which neon isn't?