Showing posts with label Nails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nails. Show all posts

Some beauty favourites...

Wednesday, August 24, 2016


My my, hasn't it been a while since I did a beauty favourites post? Things have been pretty low key around here thanks in no small part to my unemployment, so let's just say that there hasn't been much makeup worn. However, when I have been dressing up, say for an interview or a day up in London, I've been hitting up some old favourites to give me that gorgeous summer glow...

Sometimes you really just need a good nude nail, and when that time comes, I find myself turning to OPI's Dulce de Leche more often than not. Its creamy texture, great pigmentation, and the beautiful shine to it makes it a winner in my book.

MAC Pigment in Blonde's Gold (£16 for full size):
It's not often that I reach for one of my MAC pigments due to their slightly messy application, but boy is this shade a stunner. A perfect warm-toned gold with a super metallic finish, Blonde's Gold makes it worth the occasional fallout.

Shimmer Bricks have always been a blogger favourite; the classic mix of blush and highlighter in one gives them the well-deserved title of cult classic, especially in my collection. Although I adore my Rose brick, there's something particularly special about this limited edition Platinum Pink shade - pink, coral and silvery green all mixed into one hell of a glow-giver gets a thumbs up from me. If there ever was a situation for the heart-eyed emoji, this would be it.

What have you been loving lately beauty-wise? Leave me a comment!
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Introducing: Next Beauty

Wednesday, April 20, 2016



A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to a beauty event hosted by Next to showcase their new beauty line. The event was great - we were treated to cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a manicure + brow threading bar, as well as two great makeup demonstrations by the one and only Lydia Elise Millen. At the end of the night we were sent home with a bag of goodies to try from their new line, and today I'm going to be showing you some of the bits that I was treated to.

EYES: 

Two of the items that I received from the line for the eyes are the Make Me Beautiful Neutral Eye Quad* and the Make Me Beautiful Brown Liquid Eyeliner*, both of which are items that I would typically wear. Unfortunately, the quad fell a bit flat for me in terms of pigmentation (as you can see in the swatches above) but the shades are really nice overall and aren't too tricky to work with. The eyeliner is pretty standard but doesn't come close to beating my beloved Koji Dollywink liner, but it performed well the few times that I tested it out. 

LIPS:

Next, we have lips and both the Make Me Beautiful Cherry Red Lip Chubby* and the Make Me Beautiful Simply Peach Lipstick* are winners for me. They both perform extremely well in terms of pigmentation and texture, plus how gorgeous is that red shade? No complaints from me here.

NAILS:

Onto the nail polishes that I received, and I must say that the colour choices are... slightly odd. I'm not sure who came up with the Frozen inspired matte-yet-sparkly baby blue colour, but I can't see myself using it outside of December/January or as part of a costume. The other shade, a blackened gold/silver is pretty and is much more wearable in my opinion. At £4, you can't go that wrong, and I have seen some other gorgeous shades, so it might be worth popping into a store and taking a look. 

Thoughts:

The best of the bunch from the products that I sampled are definitely the lip products - I could definitely see myself picking up a few more lipsticks or lip chubbies in the future. The eye and nail products are good - especially for the money (everything I tried comes in under £10) but they aren't spectacular. Thanks to #NEXTBEAUTY for providing these goodies for me to try!


*This post contains press samples. For more information about how I work with companies, read my disclaimer here.
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Some nail favourites...

Thursday, January 14, 2016
Everyone has a certain selection of shades in their nail polish collection - no matter how big or small it may be - that are fit for certain occasions. Personally, I like to have a good variety of shades and brands as a base, and then build upon that with other, less wearable colours for those random occasions or moods. A girl's always got to have a solid, go-to red, for example, before you go around buying turquoise glitter shades and matte yellows - but hey - that's just in my opinion!

Like I said, a shade that every girl needs in her arsenal is an all-purpose red, and one of my favourites is a limited edition shade from OPI  called 'The Spy Who Loved Me'  - a bright red speckled with barely noticeable gold flakes. This is one of my go-to's for my toenails all year round - not only because it is a damn good nail polish, like most from OPI, and a splendid shade, but also because I suck at painting my toenails, and the smaller brush that comes with this mini-sized bottle makes the whole process a hell of a lot easier!

During the warmer months, I'm a strong believer in wearing bright nail polishes to enhance your tan (and in my case, I can use all of the help I can get!) Models Own has some fabulous shades for this, but a colour that I really love is Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Polish in 'African Tea Rose' - a blue-based pink with an ever-so-slightly iridescent finish that compliments any skin tone. I fell in love with this shade even before its UK launch and was first in line to pick it up when it eventually landed in my local Boots. As well as looking great with a bronzed glow, this shade fills the need for a pretty pink polish in your collection. 

When the autumn leaves start to change and drop to the ground, I love me a good burgundy shade to see me through the colder months. For many a year, I loved a shade by OPI called Boris and Natasha, which proved to be the perfect shade for me. Unfortunately, as with many of my favourite OPI shades, it was limited edition, so the time soon came when I had to replace it. Enter Essie's 'Bahama Mama' - a near identical dupe for my beloved Boris and Natasha that, luckily for me, is a permanent fixture in Essie's marvellous collection.

When it comes to lighter shades, I like to have a pastel shade and a classic white in my collection, and my favourites are from OPI in the form of 'Steady as She Rose' and Essie's Nail Laquer in 'Blanc'. 'Steady as She Rose' (from an ancient Pirates of the Carribean collection) is a muted pink/grey/lavender that works well for any occasion. I've been trying to search for a dupe of this online to no avail, but the closest I've spotted is Essie Neo Whimsical, which is slightly darker but belongs to the same shade family. As for Essie's Blanc, I've tried a good few white polishes in my day and this has emerged as my favourite. It's creamy, easy to apply, and very white without looking like Tipex. 

Last but not least, a girl's got to have a good, reliable metallic shade for those summer nights and oh-so-special occasions. Enter Orly's Nail Polish in 'Rage' - a stunning rose gold foil that not only looks killer but also applies effortlessly (without streaks, I might add, which is a real accomplishment for a metallic shade!) and lasts pretty damn well. 

So, there you have it - a peek into the basic shades that I need to have to complete my nail polish collection! Do you have some staple colours? Are they similar choices to mine? I'd love to hear about them! 

I x


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What I got for Christmas 2015: Beauty

Monday, December 28, 2015
As the above photo proves, I was incredibly spoiled this Christmas by my family and friends, and the above are the beauty bits that were waiting under the tree for me! The main present that I asked my parents for this year is the incredible Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess Set which includes an eye palette, a blush, a lipstick, a lip pencil, a lipgloss, an eyeliner, and a mascara (a more indepth review to come!) I actually let my Mum take her pick of which set to get, I just wanted one of them! Needless to say, she made an excellent choice, because everything I'd tried thus far is amazing. Then from my little sister, I got the stunning Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow in Cleopatra which I had hinted at because that peacock colour is so beautiful - I can't wait to do a look with it! She also very kindly got me this lovely looking Skin & Tonic London Coco Mask which is from one of her favourite skincare brands. Moving swiftly on, I also found some very lovely nail polishes under the tree - the OPI Nail Polish in OPI Ink from my older sister's boyfriend, the Nails Inc. Snowglobe Polish in New Globe Walk from my parents, the OPI Little Northies Nail Polish Set from some family friends, and the Ciaté Sequined Manicure Set in Harlequin from my uncle! I was also treated to a ginormous bottle of the amazing LUSH Snow Fairy Shower Gel from my brother that is likely to last to next Christmas (he did good!!) and a gorgeous set - the Bare Minerals A Tale of Two Palettes - from my other Uncle and Aunt! I love the lipglosses from Bare Minerals, so I'm so excited to have a couple more of those! 

I am so, so grateful for everything I recieved and have been playing around nonstop since I unwrapped everything! I shouldn't really have to say this, but I know problems will arise if I don't, but this post is not for bragging/boasting purposes, but simply to feed the curiousity of people just like me who have been scouring Google and Bloglovin' over the last few days to see what others found under their Christmas trees! This post also serves to let you know what I've now got in my collection, so you can request reviews/looks with certain products!

I hope you have all had a very jolly time with your family and friends (I know I did!) and look out for a review of a Sienna X product, as well as a 2015 favourites post before we welcome in 2016! 

I x



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Seasonal Lips and Tips

Sunday, December 20, 2015
There once was a time when donning the same lipstick and nail polish shade was considered a fashion faux pas, but the taboo that once overshadowed the idea of matching lips and tips has long been lifted, and now it's time to get all matchy-matchy for the festive season. I personally love a bit of coordination, especially when paired with a monochromatic wardrobe, so today I've laid out some of my favouite pairings to get you ready for the next wave of festivities coming your way this season. The range of shades is quite great to ensure that everyone, wearing any outfit can rock this look. Let's begin, shall we?

PAIR 1: Barry M Matte Nail Paint Burgundy Crush • £3.99 & MAC Lipstick in Rebel •  £15.50

Have you guys ever rocked the matching lips and tips look? Which of the above pairs would you go for? Let me know!

 I x
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