NOTD: Leighton Denny "Morning Dew"

So here is another magazine freebie! :) I love when you get decent freebies like this. This is from the October Harper's Bazaar magazine (UK edition). They had a variety of colours but this was the one that jumped out at me (it's green, so what you expect...). I wouldn't say that I am the magazine's target audience - it's jam-packed with overpriced designer goods which costs more that I probably earn in a year... But I'll take a freebie any day and pass the magazine to the local GP surgery :) As for the polish, I wasn't sure what to expect as my first foray into this brand ended in a bit of a disappointment.

After sitting down to paint my nails, I kinda thought 'hmmm, maybe it's a dupe for Misa "Dirty Sexy Money?". I am sad to say it's not even close. The Misa is much darker and, well, 'dirtier'. Had they not been so far apart colour-wise, I would have done a side by side comparison, but there really isn't a comparing these two so I decided I wouldn't bother.

This is a unique colour in my stash which is unusual. I am not even sure how to describe the colour? It is a light pastel green but leaning towards the cool, teal territory. Maybe? I can see why it was part of a spring collection, it's very fresh!

I did 2 generous coats here with a slick of Seche Vite. It dries fairly quickly and you need to work fast to avoid it going a bit stringy. I had to replace the cap in between doing my other hand as the formula stuck onto the brush a bit. But this is a lovely colour! :)

A normal full price Leighton Denny is around £11, the magazine was £4.99. Bargain! :)

NOTD: Claire's "Magic"

This is an oldie but goldie! :) People always seem to love this nail polish when I wear it, it's like it's hidden fire catches peoples eye!

I did 2 coats here, and Seche Vite top coat. I just love the formula on this one, but I am pretty sure it's full of those old chemicals the EU are trying to ban whole sale. This is an American import, so it was never available in Claire's in the UK. I have a few like that and they are all good to apply!

I love old vintage nail polish :) Do you have a fave old nail polish that never fails to cheer you up??

Empties!

So I did another video finally! :) And it's empties again!

In order of appearance:
Tresemme Youth Boost shampoo + conditioner
The Organic Pharmacy Antioxidant Lip Balm
Balmi Blackcurrant Lip Balm
Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo Eye Shadow 'Pink Gold'
Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser
Boots Botanics Radiant Youth Super Serum
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

A lot of re-purchases here as well, showing that I did really like most of these products. Hope you enjoy this video!

NOTD and mini-review!

I decided that I wanted a blazing pink for Wednesday so this is it - Depend #427. This is one of Depend's new O2 polishes, it's meant to be a more breathable nail polish, maybe? Love it! It's like a tropical beach in a nail polish :) I did 2 coats here and topped it with Seche Vite. It is a jelly glitter so it's a bit sheer but for me that's not an issue as I have very short nails.

I went into Superdrug today and found some new items from Collection! Among them was this chubby crayon highlighter which I picked up immediately; for £2.66 you can't argue! The colour is called "1 Pearl Sheen". It is a cool champagne colour and should work on most light complexions. It goes on smooth and wears quite well so far althought it does fade to a slightly more shimmery finish than it goes on with. This is my second bargain from Collection this week, the other being the Matt Lip Butter which I will review at the weekend when I've worn it for a week! Still loving my Collection products, maybe I need to do a brand focus?? :)

NOTD: H&M "Argent Lilac"

I think this polish will easy make it into my Top Ten of 2015! It is just one of those polishes you think looks OK in the bottle but you're not sure how well it will translate onto the nail... I loved it so much I did a matching pedicure for the last few weeks of open toed shoes :)

"Argent Lilac" is a metallic one-coater. I did ONE coat here. Just one. It dries to a satin finish which is nice but I knocked it up a notch with Seche Vite. WoW! I absolutely love this polish. For £3.99 this is my last days of summer dreams come true! :)

If you are pernickety about streaks or have very ridged nails, you may need a really good ridge filling base coat. Also be careful to let your base coat dry properly before you apply the polish or you may find it smears the base coat into the polish and makes an unattractive bald patch. I think metallics always work best over a glossy base coat, with a bit of 'slip'.

Yep, definitely a Top Ten of 2015! You can find many of the polishes online on H&M now, but they are launching in stores across the UK soon. In Sweden, the nail polish stands are massive, there must be at least 50 colours? I can't wait til they make it to the H&Ms in Aberdeen! :)

You can see my previous new H&M manicure of "December Dawn" here!

REMEMBER my links are not 'sponsored links' or anything like that, I don't get paid to put them on,

I just like to make it easy for my readers to find awesome stuff...

I'm back from holiday!

I had an awesome time on holiday in my native Sweden, it was roasting hot and sunny the whole time :) I did mostly wildlife walks on the craggy hillsides in shorts and tank top (which has imbued me with a caramel tan) but I also managed to squeeze in a trip or two to score some Swedish beauty products!

From L to R: OPI Color Paints 'Pen & Pink', OPI Hawaii Collection Minis, Depend #426,
Depend #427, H&M 'Argent Lilac' and 'Green Machine'.

We went through Copenhagen airport for our connecting flight going to Sweden - it has an amazing tax free shopping experience!! I purchased a travel exclusive OPI Hawaii Collection set on a "I'm on holiday" whim. Haven't tried any yet, that just goes to show how good my holiday was :)

I also scored one of the new OPI Color Paint's polishes in Kicks (a makeup shop) - these are layering jellies. I used it on holiday over a silver polish and it looks amazing, but perfect application will require practice and should not be done in your sun lounger like I did... If they hadn't been so expensive I would have got the green as well. Supposedly these also look awesome without the silver base coat.

As usual I also scored some Depend nail polishes - these are usually really nice and a cheap holiday treat at 25SEK (about £1.90) and most of the time they have deals on them like 3 for 2. They are also easy to pack...

In Sweden, all the H&Ms I went into already stock the new beauty stuff *heaven*. I had bought some online before ("December Dawn" NOTD here) I went but now I had a chance to look at all the stock. I can't wait for the products to hit the UK shops, the nail polishes and body care is to die for. Here are some of the polishes I scored so far, I have also bought the 'Urban Verve' body wash and body lotion. The scent is fresh and a bit citrusy, and lingers nicely. The lotion is very nice on my dry, post-holiday tan :)

From L to R: Argent Lilac, Green Machine, Russet Pearl, December Dawn, Peacock

I will do some more in-depth reviews of these when I actually wear them. Now I'm off to catch up on Great British Bake Off whilst Husband cooks dinner!

And yes, it was definitely hot enough for wild swimming!!

NOTD: Barry M Boots Xmas Limited Edition 2014

Just a quick NOTD while I wait for my flight in the airport!  :) this is one of the limited editions from Barry M last xmas. I used 2 thin coats here and a slick of Seche Vite. It's super sparkly and will do me nicely for the first part of my holiday! :)