Tuesday 10 December 2013

Nail Art: Frosty Snowmen

Another quick post today! (Joys of final year and dissertations...) 

Decided to (mildly) join in with th festive spirit and do some Christmassy nails. Snowmen are super simple to do and can look cute too! I added a coat of glitter over the white but under the facial detail to attempt to make it look like snow but you can't see too well in the photo! 

Nail Art: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Quickie posts tidy as uni work is building up and I have my dissertation presentation soon. Yikes!
I decided to simplify what could've been a difficult nail art attempt by just concentrating on the eye bandana things the guys wear, i wasn't too sure if people would guess what it was so attempted the logo too, especially since splinter seemed a bit too hard to do lol. 

Base was Barry m spring green

Saturday 23 November 2013

Swatched! Models Own: BlooBloo


This is kind of a sucky swatch as I've layered a Barry m confetti topcoat over it but I hope you can get the gist of BlooBloo. It's a lovely pastel colour that could almost pass as a winter pastel



Swatched! Models Own: In The Navy

I suck at this blogging stuff sometimes. My excuse this time is that fourth year is entailing a bit more effort than I'd hoped :p

Anyways today I have models own, in the navy. 

It's a super dark navy, almost black and you can't really tell it's navy till you look closer. However I like it as an alternative to black as sometimes it can look too harsh. 


Sunday 17 November 2013

Nail Art: Halloween Blood Drip & Pumpkins

This is so late I don't even know if it's worth posting. But I was looking through my blog posts and only notice today that this didn't publish properly when I posted it in the lead up to Halloween -_-

The colourings totally off in both of the photos (was a late night nail art session and I also only have Instagram versions of the photos left on my phone) but I used Barry m Gelly keylime green an maybelline extreme blackcurrant to do some blood drip nails and models own/hed kandi for the pumpkins



Friday 18 October 2013

Nail Art: Glitter Ombre




Nail Art: Galaxy

Galaxy nail art is a sure fire way to get people to look at your nails and stare in wonderment at your "skills" when really you're doing a lot of careful splodging lol


I can't remember what colours I used, but all you need is a black, dark blue, purple, pink, yellow, white and a glitter. 

Nail Art: Dandelions

Dandelion nail art are something I've been meaning to do for a while, it's just one of those ones I've forgotten to do! It's so simple and easy to do, and super pretty too :) 



Friday 27 September 2013

Seche Vite For Cheap!

Seche Vite, for less than £6? Oh Heeeeey ;) [CLICK HERE]

Seche Vite does live up to it's high regard, it dries your nails to touch dry super fast, and it gives a shine like no other. However, £10 is a bit steep, no matter how good it is, so I miraculously found some on amazon for nearly half price! :)


Thursday 26 September 2013

Boots Haul #8

About time for another haul eh? ;) 

Summer was pretty warm, and going on holiday to France and Bruges didn't feel any less warm, so I needed to step up my deodorant choice. I've hear Mitchum was a pretty good deodorant, so I picked up a scented and an unscented version. I liked they had a choice of unscented as sometimes I don't like the smell of my deodorant interfering with the smell of my body spray. I usually use a spray deodorant but after noticing how the Dove sprays kind of layer up and crumble when sprayed, I decided to go for a stick deodorant. These works pretty well, and manage to keep my sweaty pits under control (gross haha)



I usually use the Bourjois healthy mix foundation but I decided to try true match as Suzi from stylesuzi on youth e raved about it an since we have similar skin types and skin tones, I decided to have the foundation and power a shot since loreal was on buy one get one half price. I have to say, this is a really good foundation! It comes out quite liquidy and thin but it's really pigmented considering the texture, and gives medium to full coverage. Along with the powder, it sets to a non cakes finish, that's lasts a long time and even managed to stay out after a sweaty food shopping trip (I live o. A slight hill) 



I love lip balms. I love pink grapefruit. When I stumbled upon the Burts need pink grapefruit lip balm, I had to have it. It has a lovely scent, same as the body shop pink grapefruit scent, and is really moisturising and lasts a fair amount of time on the lips. 


Another brand, another lip colour crayon tiny gloss balm stain release. But I can't help myself when it comes to lip products and it was but one get one half price on Rimmel. I picked up a raspberry shade and a beigey neutral shade. I've only tried the neutral shade so far and it's a pike any other standard balm stain in all honesty but the beigey shade was one I hadn't seen before. 


Ain't no haul without nail polishes ;) 



If you haven't heard or seen by now, Vaseline have released new spray on moisturisers. This is handy when you're in a rush and need a quick moisture boost. It dries fairly quickly so means no standing about wafting your extremities ;) 



I've been Getting into masks recently to help my skin out a bit so I picked up the quick fixes facials mega moisture gel mask and the super facialist tea flower clay mask. The quick fixes mask works okay, there's no huge difference in my skin after use but I bought this more for when it gets a lot colder in winter. It has an odd scent that i cant quite put my finger on, but its not too offensive. The super facialist works a lot better, it's also a hydrating mask as well as a deep cleaning mask. It helps to soothe my cystic acne as well. The scent is very obvious an can put some people off but I don't mind it too much bits kind of like herbs mixed with Kenzo Flower perfume. 


I've been trying to take better care of my skin lately, so I decided to partake in double cleansing, and bought the superficiality vitamin c deep cleansing oil and the super facialist tea flower cleansing wash. The cleansing oil comes in much nicer packaging but it doesn't come with a pump so I purchased a pump bottle from eBay. Both help to remove my make up well, and the cleansing wash helps to soothe my acne. The Vit c oil smells like citrus and you can sometimes smell it off your face after washing. The cleansing wash smells of Kenzo Flower perfume, which is a perfume I once got for my birthday an really like. 


Having dark hair, it's hard for me to use dry shampoo as it leave a grey, dusty powder all over my hair. So when a sales girl came up to me in Boots talking about the new tresemme translucent finish dry shampoo so I had to grab it. It is indeed transparent, however doesn't give much volume but for soak up the oil well 


Swatched! Barry M Gelly: Blueberry

Barry M blueberry is a standard pastel blue polish, nothing too special in all honesty. Unlike the lilac version, this was opaque in two coats, however I still did my three coats for y peace of mind XD 


Having got quite a collection of Gellys now, I do recommend them for their range of colours as some aren't duped in the normal Barry m collection (keylime, for example. The normal Barry m lime colour is a sheer jelly) and they are pretty opaque in two coats.  However they aren't as shiny as they are with a coat of Seche Vite on too, but I think very few topcoats/gel polishes can compare to Seche Vite! 

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Superfacialist Vitamin C Skin Renew Cleansing Oil: The Pump Solution!

I recently purchased the Superfacialist Vit C blah blah oil, as I was looking for a cheap but good (mineral oil free) cleansing oil and I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Superfacialist range. In short, I love the oil, it's got a refreshing citrus scent and hasn't broken me out like the L'Oreal cleansing oil did due to it's mineral oil content.

However it lacks a pump which is annoying as you have to pour it out into your hand. it's quite a round and wide bottle and a wide mouth to the bottle so it's quite hard to eyeball the right amount. I tried puring some into the cap to use as a type of measure but that ende dup with a greasy cap and some wastage.

So I searched ebay for a 200ml pump to end the terror. it's not as pretty as the superfacialist bottle, but it'll do and is fairly cheap and reusable. There was two options I liekd the look of, but picked the one with the cap as it seemed more travel friendly. Another good thing is that the tube of the pump is super long (needed a bit of a forceful push to screw the pump back onto the bottle) so there shouldn't be too much wastage as the tube reaches down to the bottom (even though it doesn't in the photo). A small gripe is that not too much come out in one pump of the bottle, so I do haved to use a good 6 or more pumps to get a decent amount out but I gess that depends on how much you prefer to use!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Empty-200ml-Clear-Cylindrical-Bottles-With-Cream-Pump-Over-Cap-Only-1-40-Each-/180909245428?pt=UK_HealthBeauty_Other_RL&hash=item2a1f0803f4





Swatched! Barry M Gelly: Prickly Pear

I've been wanting to pick up Prickly Pear for a long time since lilac nails are my one true love, but given that fact, it also means I have a fair few lilacs already. But after a lot of um-ing and ah-ing, I gave in and picked it up. 


I think I put about four coats of this on my nails. The first coat is scarily sheer, however it does build up and I put a fourth coat on as, to be honest, I'd lost count and three coats is my mandatory number so I layered another one on to make sure my OCD was satisfied! 

This is quite a different lilac to say, Essie's lilacism. It has a almost pale blue tinge to it that you can see in certain lights. 

Swatched! Barry M: Matt White

I'd always been confused about Matt White, as in whether it was Matt in texture or whether it was just not shimmery or glittery. But after finally picking it up, I can safely say my curiosity has been satisfied and it's just a non shimmery white!


This took about 4 coats to get properly opaque on my ridged nails, but I think that's pretty standard for a white polish and could probably take three on less ridged nails. 

Friday 13 September 2013

Swatched! Essie: Aruba Blue

Aruba blue is a much loved colour due to it's subtle metallic finish an it's navy base

After purple, blue is my second favourite colour, not just for nails but in general life too. I think because it's quite a calming colour (ever notice hospitals and it's staff are blue at some point?)


This is three coats with Seche Vite. 

Wednesday 11 September 2013

My Birthday Nails! Feat. Essie and Models Own

It was my birthday fairly recently and although I wasn't doing much for it (I actually had another friends birthday party the same day lol), I wanted some glittery nails as a mini celebration. 

I had recently purchased the Models Own ASOS exclusive polish, Party Pieces which is a fantastic glitter polish so I thought I'd do a glitter gradient with Essie's Orange It's Obvious as a base. As lurid and loud as the mani was, I loved it! 





This was obviously a pain to remove and a pain to to wait to dry, even with Seche Vite on top. But it was worth it ;) 



Swatched! Maybelline: Surreal & Berry Stain

I know I've been a bad blogger recently. Well, worse than usual. Think I'm just enjoying the laziness of summer before the chaos that will be my final year in university (AAAHH!). Maybe I do more nail art stuff during term time to procrastinate from uni work? Who knows.

But I think I'll take a look through my WAH nails book and have a go at each design or take a look at some 31 Day Nail Challenge lists to get some inspiration. So hopefully things will get better soon! 

I also have some Boots hauls to do. Most of it has been skin care as I've broken out really badly as of late so I've been waiting a while to see if the stuff I bought actually works (here's hoping!) 

Today I have the other two maybelline polishes that I bought in a 3 for 2 deal. 


Surreal is a lovely blurple that you don't often see done by polish brands. It leans quite blue in the photo but is a bit more purple in real life. If you're a hoarder/collector like myself, this is one to look out for as I haven't seen many colours quite like it. This is three coats with Seche Vite. 



Berry stain is a nice summer evening shade that could also transition into autumn. Unlike Surreal you coil probably get a dupe of this elsewhere but is good for an autumn polish that isn't as campy as a deep berry shade for example. And unlike the name suggests, this didn't actually stain my nails! This is three coats with Seche Vite. 


Thursday 29 August 2013

Swatched! Maybelline Superstay: Rose Poudre

Another swatchy swatch for you today! Sorry for the lack of actual nail art posts these days, anytime I try to do something, it ended up a mess an I get a bit annoyed and then just do a plain colour :/ 

I recently purchased 3 of the maybelline superstay polishes (good old 3 for 2) and today I've Swatched rose Poudre. It's a lovely creme pinky dusky beigey nude/neutral which is a welcome break from the bright blues and turquoises I've been sporting lately thanks to Bourjois and Barry M. 


In certain light it can seem a tad purple ish too. It took me 4 coats to achieve an opaque finish however it didn't take much longer to dry than a three coster with Seche Vite slathered on top. 

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Swatched! Andrea Fullerton: Gemstone Overcoat

Hello there! 

Bit of a random post today as today's swatch is actually a "gemstone overcoat". I guess you could technically call it a glitter topcoat but it's more like a flakie topcoat. The flakes are iridescent, shining various colours depending on how the light hits it. 

ive actually had this polish or a year or two, but not many people have posted about this and I think it's a really underrated topcoat. It's not as obvious as a standard glitter topcoat and almost makes your nails look like marble or some kind of stone. I've Swatched it over Sinful Colours, Be Happy but this polish really outdoes itself when over a black base. The iridescence really comes to life! 


I've only ever seen Andrea Fullerton products in superdrug, and I can't remember how much this is, but I highly recommend it if you want something more subtle than a standard glitter polish. 

Friday 16 August 2013

Swatched! Bourjois: Meli Melon

Everyone's heard about turquoise block and blue no blues from the Bourjois 1 Seconde Gel polish collection, the uniquely bright turquoise and blue offerings that were great for the summer. However I haven't seen many posts Bout their peachy orangey offering, Meli Melon. 

I purchased this when I picked up turquoise block and blue no blues as Bourjois had a 3 for 2 deal on and I do love a peachy orange. I also picked up a Barry m Gelly in Papaya (if memory serves me right!) and it wasn't till I got home tht I realised they were pretty much the exact same colour, with one of them being a smiiiidge darker. So if you have One than there's no point having the other, but I guess it's always good to have a full collection right? ;) 

Meli melon isn't as bright as it's blue or turquoise counterpart, but it's a lovely peachy colour for summer if you found turquoise block and blue no blues a tad too scary to wear. 






Sunday 11 August 2013

Swatched! OPI: Did You Ear About Van Gogh?

Another swatchy swatch for you today and it's OPI's Did You Ear About Van Gogh, which is a neutral beigey colour, but not quite greige. 




This was ever so slightly streaky on the first coat, however I do have quite ridgey nails. But it did even out once I put on two to three coats in total. 

This is a nice change to the bright neons I've been wearing lately and covered up my standing quite well :p 


Saturday 10 August 2013

Swatched! Barry M Limited Edition Green

Barry m have decided to promo some limited edition colours for summer, and I picked up the super bright lime green colour. 



I was super excited to pick this up as I thought it would be like the Gelly keylime polish and be opaque in two or three coats. However this ended up being more of a jelly (in the traditional sense) and I ended up outrun on 5 or 6 coats to get it opaque :o however a topcoat of Seche Vite has helped things dry a bit quicker so hopefully I shan't be walking Around daintily for the next few hours. 

As for the colour, it's a super neon green colour that is great for summer and the extra coats can be easily dealt with if you have a good fast drying topcoat. 


Friday 9 August 2013

Swatched! Models Own Hed Kandi: Beach Party

I love a good orange, on my lips and on my nails. Think it's because I dislike red as a colour and i find it a bit too hard to pull off as a lip or nail colour and I personally think orange is easier to pull off and modern take on the classic red. 





Beach party is a gloriously neon orange that I just can't stop staring at. This is with 4 coats as 3 was still a smidge patchy however I do have overly ridged nails and I didn't use a white base coat either so I'm sure three or even two coats would be plenty enough if I used a ridge filler and a white base coat. 

Swatched! Barry M Gelly: Blue Grape

Who doesn't like at least one colour from the Barry M Gelly line? So far I mostly have the more summery colours and two of the more darker colours (the purple and the dark green) so I purchased the Blue Grape one which is a lovely royal blue colour. 


I painted these last night so I didn't realise till now that you could still see the nail line :o however you can only see the nail line in certain lights i think 

anyways, this is two coats which is pretty good coverage as I usually use three coats. I really do adore this colour as it's such a bold royal blue and looks like I'd just grabbed a bic pen and inked my nails :) 

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Swatched! Are We There Yet?, Hazy, I Have A Herring Problem, Classy, Wet Cement

I have some swatches of my Fragrance Direct haul in this post, sorry it's a bit late, but I took these in the lead upt to my holiday intending to post whilst I was away, but I ended up being super busy as I realised we only had 5 days in Chamonix and 2 days in Brugges so I wanted to do all the sight seeing as much as I could!

The swatches that I'm missing are Mojito Madness & Cascade Cool from Essie and  Did You Ear About Van Gogh & I Don't Give A Rotterdam from OPI. It's ironic since mojito madness is my favourite colour out of the haul as its such a pretty green and it's probably the one ive worn the most. However, you could just look up swatches from other (better) blogs online. I did kick myself when I realised I dont give a rotterdam and I have a herring problem where just light and darker version of each other though, but it's always nice to have an OPI in your collection and I did get them for cheap so I guess it's not too bad. 

I dont have many comments to make as I did the swatches so long ago now, sorry D: All swatches are done with three coats.

OPI, Are We There Yet:

Cream finish, such a pretty orangey peachy colour!





Revlon, Hazy:

Cream finish, slightly darker than sally hansen's wet cement further in the post.




OPI, I Have A Herring Problem:

Fine glitter finish, sort of blue grey colour, really pretty.






Revlon, Classy:

Cream finish, nudey peach colour. Nice for everday, understated work colour




Sally Hansen, Wet Cement:

Cream finish.