FIRST LOOK: Maybelline Baby Lips "Cherry Me" and Konjac sponges

I finally managed to get hold of the Baby Lips lipbalm - in my fave Superdrug! They also had the One Direction cosmetics in, so I also have the green one to show you, however not today as I couldn't be bothered to redress my nails after spending 20mins scrubbing off the previous NOTD with acetone :( I love the confetti style manis but man they're a pain in the butt to take off. I decided on the cherry one as "Pink Punch" looked a bit atomic. It has a very light cherry smell to it and a nice red tint. No taste, I can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing? My normal EOS Summer Fruits lip balm has a yummy taste to it as well as a lovely smell. Baby Lips is indeed baby smooth on lips with a nice light gloss effect. But it doesn't last very long, I had to reapply after an hour. Doesn't feel or look weird as it wears off though as some lip products do. I will test it for a week and let you know if my parched lips are perkier! These are £2.99, supposedly there is a 3 for 2 on Maybelline in Boots if you can find them there.

I also bought a birthday present for my ol' pal Zeke the Evil Beech, and it is a Konjac sponge. They look, ahem, weird? Supposedly you don't need a cleanser with these and this particular one has bamboo charcoal so is good for acne skin. Little does Zeke know I will be asking for her to review this particular piece of beauty tool for me in a guest post after she has used it for a month :) Just in case it's crap, I have also bought her favourite Simple cleansers! :)

NOTD: Missguided "Misslead"

As I felt rather uninspired lately in choosing polishes, I asked a colleague what colour of nail polish I should wear for Monday. "Yellow, so you come in all sunny!" was the answer. So I decided on this Missguided polish. I have worn this previously but I decided to put it on again with the L'Oreal Confetti top coat. Still not sure if I suit this colour but it's a cool colour :) The formula is OK for a yellow polish but I decided to put on the Rimmel whitening base coat and I think it maybe made it made it streak a little bit more than last time? I used 3 coats of "Misslead" and 1 coat of L'Oreal Confetti top coat. I then put on a generous coat of MegaShine to dry all the layers quickly. Looks cool :) You can see just the plain NOTD of this here.

I am currently road testing the new Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream. I never got into the BB cream frenzy, so I guess I will have to catch up! I was colour matched to 'Light Medium', as I am quite tanned just now. It does still give you a just a hint of a pale cast (that greyish effect is the problem with most BB/CC creams I find) and I think this is because of the SPF30. Don't attempt to blend this into your skin with your fingers... It's very thick and dries quickly so you will end up with uneven coverage. I use Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and it goes on sooooo flawless :) Also seems to use less product using a brush. It wears well and my colleagues says I look healthy and not so tired so it's gotta be working... :P I think it looks great and evens out the redness in my skin. It is quite thick but washes off easily. I will post some swatches on the face tomorrow night, I can't seem to get good photos just now - it's either to dull or too bright outside!!

I'm off to rub some Deep Heat on my lower arm muscles after two early mornings of bouldering! I am getting fairly addicted to the indoor wall climbing but it's a killer for finger nails... I dread to think what they would look like if I didn't cut them short and wear nail polish while climbing :O

The bouldering room at RGU: Sport - so much fun! :)

NOTD: China Glaze "Eyes Like Sapphires"

I've worn this before and that photo is a lot better than my current one. I miss my old, shabby flat for one thing only - the light in the kitchen... I still suffered a bit with this application as the brush is a bit crap so it made a mess. But the colour is still lovely :) This is 3 coats again and MegaShine top coat. I cut my nails right down as I am a bit sick of the long free edge which due to how quick my nails grow turn from polished to claw-like in a week. I'm going rock climbing again tomorrow so I need to protect the nails as well :)

NOTD: Orly "Glam Rock"

I fancied something different today... But what?.. I am really tired from being up all night comforting the cat who was really afraid of the brewing thunderstorms during the night. He was locked inside all day in case he would take a spook and run off, and he's been inside cuddling me most of the evening too out of his own choice. Just not at all like him. Even a rattling lorry driving past made him upset as he thought it was the thunder returning... :( Poor kitty!

I dug through my Helmers for something satisfying and came across my Orly stash! I immediately picked out this suede copper polish :) This is 2 coats with my beloved Bourjois gel base coat and no top coat. It is easy to apply, dries quickly and has a lovely suede finish. Doesn't last very long but it's worth it :)

I also went looking for the Maybelline Baby Lips lipbalms today after work but to no avail. Oh well. I carry on waiting! However, I now have something else to set my alarm for - the 'One Direction' collection from MUA... I saw it on British Beauty Blogger and must admit I don't actually know who they are other than they are some kind of boyband but OMG I neeeeeeeed that green nail polish!! I will be stalking the MUA website on the 31st July.

Elvis the Cat resting after a long night's vigil against the thunderstorms...

NOTD: Rimmel Play Fast "Camoflage"

Yes, it's "Camoflage" again. I decided to put it on after spending a day baking in sun in the Scottish hills doing plant surveying - it's just such a fantastic pick-me-up :) Also I am watching "The Incredible Hulk" right now so it fits the bill perfectly!

This is 2 coats with a slick of MegaShine top coat to lock in the shimmer of the polish. It has a depth that is rare in cheap polishes and I am so glad I have a back up bottle of this :)

Collection "Scorched" on my toes as I cool my feet off in a mountain stream!

NOTD: Collection Hot Looks "Scorched"

I saw this by chance as I was browsing in Boots while waiting for my prescription :) There is a metallic beige and a metallic gold as well in the new shades. I love how bright and  orange this is!! This is 2 coats and a slick of Megashine but if you have very long nails you might want to do 3 coats for avoidance of VNL. It's a smashing polish for £1.99 :)

It's really hot here just now and both me and the cat are sweltering on the sofa having Magnum icecream (well, I am having icecream, he doesn't get any). I am not sure my nail polish dries as quick in the heat but it's giving me spots on my face and back from being hot :( Does anyone have any good advice for clearing summer spots??

NOTD: China Glaze "Blue Island Iced Tea"

I said I would change my Scottish mani tonight for an old China Glaze - and here it is! This is "Blue Island Iced Tea" from the Bahama Blues collection of 2008. I just *love* this polish!! It's got a sparkly foil-like finish that just cheers you up. And with the current heatwave sweeping the UK I decided I needed something cool and blue... This colour reminds me of a hazy hot summer sky :)

This is 3 coats (it's really runny and sheer) but it's quick drying so not really that much of an issue. But because it's kind of almost watery, it likes to flood your cuticles... I finished off with a coat of Megashine to amp up the sparkle and seal all the layers of polish. It's just such a gorgeous colour :)

I've worn this before and you can see a bluer, sparklier side of it in my old post.

NOTD: Saltire flag for Andy Murray!

Of course I, as many others, sat and watched the Wimbledon Men's Final today! Well done Andy Murray!! So here is the Scottish flag to celebrate :)

I used a couple of very unloved Rimmel polishes as they were the only colours I could find in my Helmers that looked like I needed them to to match the Saltire flag. The blue is 3 coats of "Azure", a blue pearl. It's really sheer and smears easy. The white pearl is various streaks of "Silver Bullet", an absolutely pain in the ass. It's soooooo thick and brish-strokey. Man, I should really just toss these polishes out and make way for some better ones... :( I slapped on some Megashine but I can see this mani coming off for an old awesome China Glaze polish tomorrow night after I've shown it off in the office.

NOTD: Panama Flag Manicure

Flag of Panama

Not - it's not a '4th July' manicure - it's a Panama flag manicure! I've been invited to a "Panamanian Dinner" tomorrow night so I thought it would be suitable to do a flag manicure :) The blue is Nails Inc "Denim" (limited edition Diet Coke nail polish) and the red is Jessica "Bazaar". "Bazaar" is a red creme but isn't entirely opaque - this is 2 and a bit coats but it's still more of a jelly coverage. However, the Nails Inc is just one coat!! I found some nail gems as well to make up the stars in the flag and then I sealed it all with a thick coat of Megashine top coat. Love it - it's really shiny!

Somehow "Bazaar" always photographs lighter and redder than it actually is in real life, it's actually more wine red than fire engine red as my photos suggest... Now bring on the Panamanian cuisine!!! :)

NOTD: Zoya "Yasmeen"

So I decided to try on one of my Zoyas, since I've not worn any for a while! I fancied something autumn like, not sure why?.. It was between "Yasmeen" and "Colbie" - but I was drawn in by the pink depth of this polish. This is actually 3 coats of "Yasmeen" as I didn't think it had enough depth with 2 coats. I then put on a nice coat of Megashine to speed dry the layers. I love the depth of this polish - it's vampy but with a hidden sweetness.

I always feel Zoya polishes affects my asthma more than any other brand?... Which is funny as it's meant to be one of the most 'toxic-free' brands. I didn't have a very good hour after putting this on and had to go and sit by the window. However I would never give up my nail polish, no way in hell. I'd rather freeze to death sitting by an open window painting!!! :)