NOTD: Barry M "Bright Red"

I needed something bright for my first day back in the office after my holiday, so I chose this fire engine red from Barry M! :)

It applies very nicely, like expensive paint! I did just 2 coats here, it is more of a jelly formula than a creme so if you are sensitive to VNL maybe this polish isn't for you! It is a beautifully glossy finish but because I am impatient I slicked on a coat of Seche Vite. Love the original Barry M polishes, they always seem to go on amazingly well and seem to last too!

NOTD: Spring Skittle and first look at bareMinerals Complexion Rescue

I decided to do a mild bit of nail art for today. I actually forgot which colours I used but the gold is Zoya "Richelle"! I am not sure how I feel about the end result, I think maybe the contrast between the colours isn't right? But it'll do for today!

I went to the bareMinerals counter today to try the new Complexion Rescue! I had a nice mini makeover and came away with a sample of both Complexion Rescue and the bareSkin Serum Foundation! Basically Complexion Rescue is a tinted moisturiser, but apparently also so much more. It's a cross of a BB and CC cream but in a hydrating gel cream. It touts a non-chemical SPF 30, minerals, antioxidants and humectants. It's oil-and fragrance free, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic. It's a sheer to medium cover that's buildable with a second application. All sounds wonderful! But how does it actually apply, look and wear?? Well, that was my little experiment for today.

I recommend going to get colour matched at the counter for this one. On my skin, the assistant tested no's 7 Tan, 6 Ginger and 5 Natural and 3 Vanilla. It was very clear that I was best suited to 5 Natural, but I can actually see come the end of the summer how 7 Tan might work on me. 6 Ginger was a disaster - as with any golden tones it was like putting yellow paint on my face!! 3 Vanilla made me look like a ghost.

I had it applied with the fancy new duo fiber brush bareMinerals brought out for the release of this product. I wouldn't spend £24 on a brush so I examined it whilst I was waiting to pay and it's definitely comparable to my trusted Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. Applying it with your fingers and blending with a stippling/buffing brush should also work. The finish to this product is dewy. Add some Benefit Hoola bronzer and a pop of cream blush and you have a holiday face to die for :) It hasn't emphasised my pores (which are on the large side).

BEFORE
(no product on skin other than moisturiser)

AFTER
with Complexion Rescue '7 Natural'

To test the wear, after I'd had my mini makeover I went out to survey for amphibians for a couple of hours in blazing sun and nice balmy 15C. We then had a lovely BBQ in the evening sun and then watched a movie. By this point my dear Husband kindly advised me my face was 'shiny', but Complexion Rescue hadn't oxidised or slipped off which was a bonus. No seepage into crow's feet detected either. So I washed it off and it all came off nicely without a arduous double cleanse :)

If you have oily skin or lots of imperfections, pass on this one. It's too sheer to cover anything serious and the moisturising ingredients are too rich for oily skin. If you're more dry or have mature skin, give it a go! But it won't cover more than light redness / small spider veins.

Me likey so far! I've got a sample I hope to get a couple of days wear out of. Then I will decide if I want to spend £26 on my summer face! :)

NOTD: Zoya "Charla"

I decided I wanted something sparkly to kick off my week of holiday, so I did a matching manicure and pedicure in this mermaid blue stunner from Zoya's 'Sparkle' collection from 2010. The whole collection is amazing with all super-hot glassfleck polishes. I bought the entire 'Sparkle' collection, my only collection buy so far I believe! As far as I remember this polish stains the nails a little bit greeny-yellow, but I doubled up on the base coat so we'll see how bad it is when I remove the polish... :)

"Charla" is easy to work with, not too runny, not too thick. I did 2 coats here, if you are phobic about VNL you will need to go for 3 coats. I set it with a coat of Seche Vite. It dries smooth and super-shimmery.

I loved looking down and seeing my sparkling toes this morning in the shower :) Bring on summer!!!

NOTD: Nails Inc for Marie Claire "Festival"

Sorry it's been a while - but as you can see from my scraggly cuticles I'm having a really bad nail time right now :( I've been doing a lot of things outside but I'm also battling severe dermatitis and it is just refusing to clear up!!! It started during my latest 'flu episode. I've had no luck putting topicals on it, prescription or naturals. The changeable weather doesn't help either. My cuticles are really dry and sore as is the rest of my hands.

But I decided that I wanted to put on nail polish last night after all. I got a really pretty greige Nails Inc from the Marie Claire magazine last month so decided to try it. I did 2 coats here. It is the perfect old skool Nails Inc formula with butter smooth opaque coverage and superb shine! :) It makes me feel better if I don't look too close!

I also discovered something new while I was AWOL - a hand cream with SPF. I bought two of these on special offer in Boots and it's great for my angry hands! It is a slight bit greasy for the first 5 minutes but I'm OK with that as a) it has SPF 15 and b) I need all the grease I can get on my hands right now. Other reviewers have commented on the fragrance and that it's a bit odd - it smells of sunscreen. Which I am also OK with as it's not very strong. The cream is rather thick, the closest comparison I can make is Nivea original body lotion? I bought it for £1.99 but at £2.99 the ordinary price is also acceptable :)

So what was I doing during my absence? Quite a lot actually... As mentioned earlier, I had a round of nasty 'flu, I did lots of ecological stuff and during the fine weather yesterday (18C) I finally built my long-awaited rock garden! :)

I've lots of stuff coming up that has been half-written and hopefully I'll get back into doing some videos during my holiday next week so stay tuned! :)