Friday, 31 January 2014

Hoarding Nail Polish: OPI & Sally Hansen

If there was one part of my cosmetic collection that did not need adding to, it would definitely be my nail polish collection.  Alas...Fragrance Direct was calling and as well as the Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser and Balm that I mentioned in yesterdays post, I also came away with three nail polishes.  I got two OPI nail polishes, and a Sally Hansen one.


From the left is OPI Don't Touch My Tutu from the New York Ballet collection, Sally Hansen Lavender Cloud and OPI Steady As She Rose from The Pirates of the Caribbean collection.  All of these look so similar in colour in the bottle, but I'm so pleased with all of them.  The OPI polishes cost just £3.99 each, and the Sally Hansen was just £1.49!  Bargains.

A white based nail polish is probably one of the few colours that I actually don't own, so that could have justified maybe one of these.  Definitely not all three, but it's best to try I guess.  Now I don't need anymore whites...


Starting at the top of the swatches, we have Don't Touch My Tutu by OPI.  This is a gorgeous, sheer soft white.  It took me three coats of this to get the perfect wash of colour with no streaking, and it lasted a good five days with minimal chipping.  For better swatches of this, definitely check out Duckling To Swans blog, as it was her that convinced me that this was the one for me.  (I actually had to place a second order from Fragrance Direct to get this; I had it in my basket but then decided against it, and then regretted it...)

In the middle, Sally Hansen Lavender Cloud.  This isn't a perfect white, it has a very slight tint of lilac.  Literally, the slightest touch added and I really like it.  It kind of reminds me of a set of nail polishes that I saw on Cult Beauty a while back, and it was a set of maybe ten nail polishes that were all slightly off white inspired by white washing that had been tinted with other clothes.  I got really good wear time from this again, and got four days without a chip.  I used two coats to get the polish an opaque white.

Finally, we have OPI Steady As She Rose.  I really love this one, and I'm pretty sure it's my favourite.  It's a lilac nail polish which I think has a hint of a dusky pink about it.  It's perfect for the Spring season which is all about pastel colours, and I'm very pleased!  Wear time is slightly less than Don't Touch My Tutu by a day, and opacity is at two coats!

Have you tried any of these?  What did you last buy from Fragrance Direct?

Thursday, 30 January 2014

Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Cuticle Eraser & Balm

Earlier this month, I had a mini spree at Fragrance Direct and one of the things that I bought was this Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser Balm.  In the past, I've used the Burts Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Balm which was nice, but I never really noticed a huge difference in the look and feel of my cuticles.

This Sally Hansen one is in a screw top pot, with an eye catching white and green swirled pattern.  It is lightly scented with white tea and cucumber which is really nice and refreshing.  It's very faint, and does fade quite quickly though so no worries if you're not a fan of the smell!


I've been using this almost every night since I got it, and I've noticed such a difference in my cuticles.  I didn't think they needed too much care in the first place, but they just seem so much neater and don't need to be pushed back when I'm giving myself a manicure.  They are much more nourished, and feel much softer.

The one small thing that I'm not keen on is the texture.  It's very sticky, kind of feels like a sticky but creamy lip gloss.  Luckily, I use this as I'm going to bed so the sticky feeling isn't too much of an issue and disappears when I apply a hand cream.

A little goes a very long way and I can see this lasting me a long time!  I much prefer this to my Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover Gel, and think this makes a much bigger difference.  At a bargain price of £1.50 too, you can't really go wrong!  I'd definitely buy this again if I ever run out!

Have you tried this Cuticle Eraser & Balm?  What are your top nail care tips?

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

Wednesday Wishlist #4

Well it has been a while since I last wrote out a Wednesday Wishlist...  I have to admit, I've been pretty naughty lately and anything that I have wanted, I've kind of just bought.  Within reason, of course.  Most of my recent purchases have been bought with Christmas funds and birthday money, but now...well I'm probably scraping the barrel of the birthday bucket.


1/2/3/4/5

My absolute favourite film of all time is The Little Mermaid.  These pyjamas just outright need to be mine.  The shorts are ideal for the warmer months coming in, and it's The Little Mermaid...just end of really.  Mine.

Way back in September, I was lusting after MAC's Lady Danger lipstick in one of my previous Wednesday Wishlists.  Whilst I still like that shade, I think I prefer the application of a lip colour through a lip pencil.  This NARS Velvet Matte lip pencil is the perfect red toned orange and I am dying to try this one out.  I've got a few bits from NARS, mainly skincare and an eyeliner, all of which is untouched until I've finished what I'm using at the moment.  So if I got this, this could be the start of a NARS love affair as I've heard good things about these.

Sticking with the favourites excuse, Gerberas are my absolute favourite flowers.  So these Clinique Cheek Pop blushes are looking pretty amazing to me.  These aren't due for release until March, but I have a gift voucher with these written all over it.  These colours are Berry Pop and Peach Pop.  I don't know why because the weather is bloody awful where I am, dead miserable and gloomy, but I'm really eyeing up my Spring wardrobe and am excited to be cracking out the brighter colours in my make up stash.

Another product preview is this Vivienne Westwood X ASOS clutch bag from the Ethical Africa collection.  I really love the striking pattern on this, and whilst it's probably on the bottom of the list of things that I could actually afford to buy on this wishlist, it's my favourite item and think this would be perfect for everything.  It can be dressed up as an evening bag, as well as cracked out for Summer afternoons in the Pub Garden.  So really...an investment piece for me.  We'll see how that one goes down...this is available on Friday I think!

These boots are from New Look.  I've been constantly stalking the website every day this week for these to come back in stock.  I have a New Look voucher that I've been waiting to spend, and I need these boots!  They're very similar to boots that I already have, but these don't have a cut out meaning I could wear them probably a bit more than I do my cut outs.  I love the chunky heel and biker style.

Has anything caught your eye on this weeks Wednesday Wishlist?

Monday, 27 January 2014

Sunita Mukhi Evil Eye Back Pack

Before Christmas, I had a very nice e-mail from Van Anh Le Thi from Chopstick Panorama letting me know that I had won a Sunita Mukhi bag of my choice!  Well, I've never owned anything designer really or anything particularly expensive so this was an amazing prize.  I wanted to choose something that I could get a lot of use out of, because what's the point in having something if it's going to be hidden away for a special occasion? 


In the end, after careful thought, I opted for this gorgeous back pack which arrived not long after my birthday, so it was very well timed!  Before I go onto the details, let's just take a second to admire the bag...you can have a few extra seconds if you like, but there's a few more photos to go.


Made from Vegan Leather, this back pack has been hand finished.  It is beautifully decorated with turquoise stones, sequins and diamantes, with an onyx centre engraved with Sunita Mukhi's logo.  Sequins aren't something that I would usually opt for, neither are diamantes to be honest, but these are so tightly layered that it gives an amazing textured effect which feels and looks luxurious, and combined with the siren red inner lining, it's definitely an elegant piece.


Evil eyes are a big trend for Spring/Summer 2014, and I think this can easily be used both day and in the evening.  I actual paired this for an evening meal with my new Lavish Alice jumper that I mentioned on my ASOS haul, some leggings and chunky boots.  I might recreate that outfit for another post, but we shall see...


The bright stones combined with the striking eye design make this my statement piece for this season, and is a piece that will never be leaving my side!  This back pack isn't actually available just yet so I'm very lucky, but if you start saving your pennies, I'll definitely let you guys know when it is!  Or if back packs aren't your thing, there are some gorgeous clutch bags in the Evil Eye collection which are available now!

What do you all think?  How would you style this?

Thursday, 23 January 2014

Murdock London Black Tea Cologne

I have been saving this post for a special occasion, and with Valentines Day fast approaching, it can often be hard to find nice gifts for men.  Men are notoriously difficult to buy for.  It's funny how they always say that women are, when in actual fact women are probably the easiest.  Sure, we're fussy, but the selection  available is overwhelming.

Liam is just ridiculous to buy for.  He's an impulse buyer, and buys the things he wants as he sees them.  So, before Christmas I took a trip down to Somerset House where I had a very quick browse of The Christmas Arcade.  I was mainly looking for little gifts, and was quickly popping my head through each door down the corridor.  

I came across one room that was gorgeously decorated to look like a ski lodge, but poking my head in, all I saw was mens shaving bits and bobs.  Liam has a bit of stubble, but not enough to need full on beard care so I quickly dismissed this room.  As I was pulling myself away to move onto the next room, I was immediately lured back into the room by the most gorgeous scent in the world.


Short on time, I quickly asked the assistant who said it was their Black Tea Cologne.  Well....long story short, I spritzed some on one of those little fragrance sticks, was sniffing it all day and bought it through their online store as soon as I got home as I was too short on time to buy it there and then at Somerset House.  Never in my life have I spent £70 without a second thought.  It was gone, and I'd one hundred percent do it again.

Murdock London describe the scent as "A masculine cologne with notes of leather and tobacco, let it do the talking from day into evening, evoking a mysterious persona. Blended to perfection by our boutique perfumers, Black Tea leads by the nose into the East, inspired by Britain’s legendary spice and tea routes. The essence of the erstwhile British global traveller, reworked for your modern lifestyle. Black Tea is the wanderlust traveller."

Don't worry - Murdock aren't tight on filling the bottle, this has been used!
I'm no fragrance expert, but this is the sexiest scent I've ever had the pleasure of getting a whiff of.  It has top notes of clove, nutmeg, basil and pepper, middle notes of leather and base notes of musty woods, musk and birchtar.  It's not really a gift for Liam, it was one hundred percent a present for me.  And it even comes as a candle.  That'll be mine soon too.

You can buy Murdock London Black Tea here - it's risky buying a scent without prior sniffing, but just trust me.  You will not regret it.

What are your favourite scents for men?  Any other gift ideas for men?
*Note: I bought this as a gift for my boyfriend...my Mum sniffed it and bought it as a gift for her husband, and he liked it so much, he bought the candle for his son.  This is bloody nice.  I almost don't want to share it...it's gorgeous.

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Illamasqua Culminate Sheer Lip Gloss

I'm a funny one with lip gloss.  The bright colours, added sparkle or high shine always attracts my attention, but just as I'm about to reach for one and ram it into my basket, I always remember that I bloody hate lip gloss.  As smooth and as shiny as it looks, all of the lip glosses I've tried in the past have been one big, sticky mess and it's a mess that I can't stand - especially you Soap and Glory with your Sexy Mother Pucker lip glosses!


This Illamasqua lip gloss in Culminate is one that I followed from the initial concept to the finished product.  I'm sure that you will all know that it is part of their Creators collection and was designed by Milly from Pearls and Poodles.  I absolutely loved reading her journey and inspiration for this lip gloss, and was absolutely over the moon when I won this in her blog give away!  Culminate was the only product that I really wanted to try from the collection, and it's lived up to, if not gone beyond my expectations!


Inspired by space, this is described as an "iridescent sheer metallic copper."  Swatching on my hand, I can definitely see the copper, but on my lips, I think it comes out quite peachy with added lilac, copper and silver fine glitter flecks.  Don't be afraid of the glitter; it's a really pretty effect, and really plumps out my lips to give them that fuller look and still feels smooth.


The gloss is applied with a brush, which I personally love because applying light pressure means that the brush fans out across your lip contours.  It's ridiculously easy to apply, and is also easily buildable.  I go for one quick gloss over, and this gives me the perfect amount of coverage and shimmer for my liking.  What's even better is the feeling.  Of course, there is some stickiness, but it's a bearable stick!  I can wear this quite easily without feeling like I need to wipe it straight off again.  It's a lip gloss that is actually enjoyable and comfortable to wear.


I think Culminate will be perfect for Spring/Summer wearing, and if you'd like to try it, I spotted Culminate in the Illamasqua sale for the bargain price of £5, but I'd be fast as it's sure to sell out!  This is a Limited Edition collection, but I really hope that Culminate sticks around!

Have you tried Culminate?  What's your favourite lip gloss?
*Illamasqua Culminate lip gloss was given to me as a prize through a giveaway hosted on Milly's blog, Pearls and Poodles.

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Hasslacher's Chocolate and China Clay Face Mask

Liam seriously did well this year with my Christmas presents.  Everything was so thoughtful!  Another one of his gifts was this Hasslacher's Chocolate and China Clay Face Mask.  I've never done a DIY face mask with ingredients in the home, and the only face masks I've tried have been premade in tubs or tubes.  This one is so unusual and is just in the middle of home made and made for you!


I was a bit sceptical at first, because this is literally a kitchen face mask.  Normally, like most people, I put my face masks on in the bathroom.  I had to arm myself with a small mirror, and crack out the cooking pans for this.  Yes, you read that right...pans.

The packet holds enough ingredients to make four face masks.  In this little packet, there is a white powder which is the Cornish Kaolin clay, and in the powder, is a little plastic bag of eight Cacao discs.  You need two of these chocolate discs for each application, and four tablespoons of clay.


It felt pretty unnatural using chocolate in cooking that wasn't meant for eating, but the ingredients in this little pouch are amazing for your skin.  The back of the packet says that the clay is formed from Cornish weathered granite rock which has been geologically extracted and purified.  "Cornish China clay gently draws out impurities from the skin without removing natural oils, simultaneously exfoliating, cleansing and revitalising the complexion."  Sounds good, doesn't it?  Well it doesn't stop there...

The Cacao discs are ground Cacao beans, which still have some cocoa butter remaining.  "Cacao contains high levels of flavonoids, potent antioxidants which help protect the skins structural proteins, collagen and elastin."  Cocoa butter is also soothing and softening on the skin.  Amazing - get on my face.


It didn't take long at all to make the mask - four tablespoons of water, one of clay, two discs and some gentle heating.  You need to apply the mask whilst it's still warm, but be careful getting it from the pan.  I waited a couple of minutes, and it had cooled quite quickly.  I applied it quite thickly to my skin, and still had a little left over.  It says on the packet you can thin this out to your liking by adding a little more water, so I think if you were having a girly pamper evening, you could maybe get two out of the supposed one face mask.


I completely love this face mask.  At £6.99, it's not too pricey and I would definitely buy this again.  It smells amazing, literally like cake mix on my face and I need to eat it - I didn't.  But maybe one day...  My skin was amazingly soft, and kind of glowy afterwards.  My skin looked clear, but not dried up and too deeply cleansed.  I'd definitely recommend you guys giving this a go.  Liam bought mine from Firebox but you can also buy direct from Hasslachers where they have a few more face masks.  I'm eyeing up the Sea and Rock Organic Seaweed face mask!

Have you tried Hasslachers face masks?  What's your favourite face mask?

Monday, 20 January 2014

Making A Change: Excuses & Plans

Well I'm back to give you an update on my weight/fitness goals.  To put it bluntly, it hasn't gone anywhere.  In December, I joined the gym so that I could battle the obvious weight gain that was going to happen over the festive period, that way, I wouldn't have as much to lose after Christmas.  You can see my post full of intentions and positive attitude here...however...things just didn't go to plan.



THE EXCUSES

The first few weeks of joining the gym I was doing SO well, I'd book my classes in advance and went every week, even the evenings when I really didn't want to go.  Then around two weeks before Christmas, I got the worst sickness bug and spent five days being sick and all the rest of it that comes with a sick bug, so I never went back.

Then, when I was better and felt ready to leave the house, all the classes were limited because it was Christmas and they didn't come back until almost a week after New Year.  When I did check in the gym, it was literally just to help my boyfriend do his work out, with a few squats thrown in, nothing spectacular or worth while.  I then left my gym card at his and kept forgetting to pick it up, and then it was my birthday and nobody goes to the gym on their bithday.

Excuses, excuses, excuses...

THE PLAN

I have gained 5 pounds since my last post, the opposite of what I wanted to achieve.  I expected some weight gain, but almost half a stone is more than I anticipated so I'm done with making excuses for myself.  I've got my gym card back, I've even grabbed some new gym gear, and I am busy pinning away healthy recipes for what I can do to help my diet.  I've booked my usual classes, and I am back on with my fitness starting this evening.  Hurrah!

I still hate the gym.  I only go to my classes because I have to book in advance so feel like I have to go.  But I guess that's the best way.  I just need to keep reminding myself that I want to get into my healthy weight targets, and have a healthy body.  I need to be realistic with my goals, because I always think that if you set unrealistic targets, you'll be disappointed when you don't get them, or give up because nothing is happening.  I'm never going to have the thigh gap, I've never had a thigh gap - the only gap I've ever had when my feet are together is a small hole below my knees, and a gap for my ankles.  My build isn't one that could get that body shape.  I'm leggy, I'm curvy and I'm a pear.  A big ol' juicy one.  All I want is to lose some weight, and have legs like Beyonce.  (Come on guys...got to have something to aspire to!)

If anyone has any healthy recipes, good healthy blogs to follow, please share them with me in the comments below.  Link me up with your posts too if you have them!  You can also stalk what I'm pinning on my Pinterest account - but, be careful...some recipes on my recipe board aren't so healthy!

Who wants to join me on my mission to get healthier?  What are your top tips?

Friday, 17 January 2014

Butter London The Black Knight

Over the festive and New Year period, this is the nail polish that I was wearing.  I usually hate wearing glitter nail polishes because they are notoriously difficult to remove, but I was literally living in this beauty over the festive period.  It is my first nail polish from Butter London, and this is The Black Knight.

Butter London are "three free" nail polishes and are formulated with no formaldehyde, DBP or Toluene - I had to Google what was so bad about these ingredients, and like practically everything, there have been links with these to cancers in animals so I'm pleased that Butter London are removing these.


So back to The Black Knight...I have never seen a glitter polish like it before, so I was pleased to add it to my collection.  It is a black base with lots of different coloured glitters suspended in it - the glitter is fine grained, so I think it has a slight sandy texture, and I can spy red, blue, pink and silver glitters!

Like the Chanel polishes, these have sneaky grippy caps hidden underneath the original cap so it's easy to hold and use.


I really love this shade, it's a glitter that's not just for Christmas and New Year, you can get away with all year I think.  And if you're a bit wary of using glitter outside of Christmas, this would make an amazing accent nail.  It takes two/three coats to get the shade to go opaque, but you could always put a cheaper black base underneath so you don't use up quite so much product.  I finish mine with a glossy top coat for a high shine feel!  The photo below is without a top coat, and it is just as nice without one!


My only downside to this polish is chipping...  It lasts three days at the most with a top coat, and only lasted me one night without a top coat on my nails, so I've been quite disappointed to be honest.  And it's not small chippage either, they're big chunks missing which I think is really unusual for a glitter polish.  I usually use OPI Nail Envy for my base and top coat, but I think I might experiment with switching my base and top coat to see if Butter London just doesn't agree with Nail Envy.  I bought The Black Knight from Amazon for £12 here!

Have you tried any Butter London nail polishes?  What's your favourite?

Thursday, 16 January 2014

Lady Muck Gold Plated Ants Necklace

I'm not really a big fan of gold jewellery, but this necklace is something else.  I don't wear jewellery very often, but when I do it does usually lean towards unique statement pieces.  Before Christmas, I gave my Dad some gentle hints the direct link to something that I really wanted, complete with a discount code in hope that I would get it on Christmas day!  My luck came through (because I bought it myself...) and here it is!


You might have seen this floating around on my Instagram feed, but if you haven't, this is the Gold Plated Ants Necklace from Lady Muck and I love it.  It is on an 18" chain, which if you can't be bothered to measure, is about three horizontal fingers from my collar bone - accurate, I know.


I ought to have taken a photograph before I opened the box, as it arrived beautifully wrapped, but you know...Christmas got in the way of blogging rules and there was no time for photo taking.  The box it comes in though is still gorgeous, recycled packaging with a small, dainty Lady Muck stamp!


Aside from the bold pattern, I love the chain on this necklace.  It's one of those chains that isn't too chunky, but not too dainty so that you don't wear it ever, or if you did, you don't walk around like you've broken your back and are scared to move in case it snaps.  I also love the amazingly glossy gold plating, it's so shiny...yay for shiny!

This Gold Plated Ants Necklace costs £40, which some people might find expensive if you compare it to statement necklaces from high street stores.  But, this is handmade - handmade takes a lot of effort as I've learnt myself, and it is worth every single penny because it's gorgeous!

What do you think of this necklace?  Will you be picking it up?

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

What I've Bought: ASOS

Since before Christmas, I have had an outrageous number of items in my saved basket on ASOS.  Let me put this out there - ASOS is a dangerous place.  It is too good, and has too much stuff on, but everything is too nice to leave behind so...I bought the majority of my basket, spent my birthday money and probably even a smidge more.

The only positive I can think to point out is that everything was on the sale, and I had a sneaky ASOS Insider discount code which I was allowed to use on sale items!  I've skimmed my basket down to show you my favourite bits of what I scouted from the sale!

1/2/3/4/5/6/7

1.  I have been meaning to switch up my wardrobe for a while now, I'm very much a leggings/jeans girl because that's all that I own.  One pair of good leggings, and one pair of good jeans.  I know...deprived.  So I bought this dress - it's the ASOS Smock Dress In Nepi and I bought mine in green.  It also came in coral and a gorgeous blue, but I have a lot of this bright blue in my wardrobe so fancied a change.  It's half price in the sale at £12.50.

2.  This dress is the Motel Elsa Skull Dress.  It's £35 down from £60, and I think is one of those patterns which are a bit deceptive.  I think it looks like a nice lacey/paisley patterning, but on closer look, it's actually little skulls with a bit of a Mexican sugar skull feel.  Really like this, and I will be wearing this on my next night out!

3.  The item that has been in my basket the longest, and is my absolute favourite buy is this Evil Twin Buzz Kill Babydoll dress.  I love the print on it, it looks like crazy storms with lightening.  I'm a bit unsure if the fit will suit my figure, but I'm giving it a good go! I really hope I can keep it!  It was the most expensive thing in my basket at £45, but it was down from £75.

4.  The Lavish Alice Sweatshirt in Floral Print is something I've been looking at for a while too.  I really love the bright blue rose print and think this would look nice with some leggings for the day, or even with my black jeans in the evening.  They also have matching trousers which I'd love to try, but I just don't think that a print on my bottom half would look very flattering on my pear shape.

5.  This is the Noisy May Harlequin Sweat.  I think that I like this, I'm a little unsure so it may be something that I send back.  But I need to see it in real life to decide if it's a real keeper.  I like that the print is in a t-shirt shape, and it's not something I've ever really seen before.

6.  You didn't think I'd not get a beauty buy in did you?  I got this Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top and Base Coat Duo for less than £14 with my extra discount, what a bargain.  I've had a mini of the Kensington Caviar Top Coat before, so I'm pleased I managed to get a full size with the base coat for what is essentially free.  It says this has sold out now, but keep your eyes peeled as it might come back!

7.  My favourite of my ridiculous underwear top up was this ASOS Boudoir Floral set.  The bra was a bargain at £8 and the matching bottoms were £4.50.

Did you get anything in the sale?  What did I miss?

Edit: I had to send a few bits back!  Noo!  I was right about the fit for the Babydoll dress, and as much as I loved it, the shape of the dress just didn't flatter my figure at all!  I also had to send back the Smock dress for the same reason, but the colour when it arrived was a lot darker than it looked in the picture, which was disappointing.  The Motel dress was outrageously short, and by short, I mean it didn't even pull past my bum!  It could have passed for a long top - had to go back.  BUT.  I absolutely love everything else, even the Noisy May sweat which is gorgeous!

Tuesday, 14 January 2014

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour

I must have been very good last year, as Santa bought me three beautiful goodies that arrived in a classic, white bag.  Never have I ever even bothered to browse the Chanel counter, as I know it's something that I just couldn't afford.  Well I could probably treat myself, but us beauty addicts all know that when something is good, one is never enough.

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour Suspicious Holiday Taboo Swatch Review

To my surprise, my boyfriend Liam got me these!  The only thing I asked for for Christmas was a pair of pyjamas and some unicorn slippers - I couldn't believe it when I spotted a Chanel gift bag, and when he told me he had spent a good part of an hour carefully selecting colours from the counter in House of Fraser!  What a cutie...and what a good job he did!

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour Suspicious Holiday Taboo Swatch Review

He bought me the shades Suspicious, Holiday and Taboo, all of which are absolutely gorgeous!  I don't really own any high end nail polish, and at £18 a bottle, this definitely stocks me up more than enough.  Although I do spy a gorgeous white shade called Attraction which will be perfect for the upcoming Spring and Summer nail trends!

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour Suspicious Holiday Taboo Swatch Review

I've been waiting to use this nail wheel for forever and here is it's first debut, how sad is that!  Back to the nail polish though...  Holiday first, Suspicious in the centre and Taboo on the end.  Holiday and Suspicious are perfect colour pops for the summer months - Holiday is a true tangerine shade and Suspicious is a raspberry which almost seeps into the Barbie pink!  Taboo is very blue based which I was surprised about as in the bottle it looks like an iridescent red/purple shade.  On the nail, it is a very deep purple and because of its iridescence and tiny blue glitter flecks, it kind of reminds me of space or galaxies or something.  It's so unusual, but so nice! 

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour Suspicious Holiday Taboo Swatch Review

Onto formula...I can't get enough of these.  They are really long lasting; they last a long time without a top coat, but last a REALLY long time with one.  I can make this last a week with very minimal chipping, and the top and base coat that I use is just the OPI Nail Envy in Original.  

One thing I did notice though, but it is the same with all nail polish I try, is that I get a really annoying white line where it has chipped off the very tip of my nail.  Well I say chipped, it kind of looks as though the polish has sort of shrunk away from the edge of my nail?  Anyone have any tips on how to stop this?

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour Suspicious Holiday Taboo Swatch Review

The brush isn't my favourite type of brush; it's quite long and thing, where as I prefer fat, flat brushes, but it's still nice to use.  The square cap comes off to reveal a grippy cyclinder which was a nice surprise so it was really nice to hold.

So, all in all, the boy did good.  VERY good indeed.  And I was right...when it's good, one is never enough.

Have you tried Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour?  Any nail tips for me?

Monday, 13 January 2014

Benefit It's A Love Fest

Hello again everybody, and a belated Happy New Year!  You might have been wondering where I had gone off to, well you probably weren't, but all has been quiet on the blog since before Christmas.  I haven't done anything in particular, but I've felt so busy!  I have a LOT of things to share with you, including some gorgeous goodies I got for Christmas, as well as some bits that I've had stored for a while.  I am on a blogging mission in this new year, so expect more regular posts!

It was my birthday yesterday, and one of the things I bought with my Christmas money was this Benefit set using a discount voucher ASOS sent as a birthday present!  It arrived some time last week, but I saved it to get my first uses of it on my birthday weekend!


A few Benefit tins had been released as their Christmas gift sets, but the Benefit It's A Love Fest tin has always been on my radar as it was the only set that contained two full size products.  It was more expensive than the other tins, but what's inside, and the fact I had a 20% discount voucher to use, meant that it was definitely going to be mine.


Inside there are four different products to try; a full size Porefessional, a full size They're Real mascara, a mini Sun Beam and a mini Coralista Lip Gloss.  I have tried, and loved the Porefessional, and the mini that I already had has only just ran out so I was always going to be spending £25 to repurchase a full size Porefessional.  The They're Real mascara was always something that I'd wanted to try aswell as everybody is always telling me how amazing it is.  With my 20% discount code, this gift set cost me just over £31 so I couldn't at all say no.  

I have used everything, and everything as you would expect is gorgeous, so I will post individual, more in depth reviews of each product at a later date!  I don't quite know what I will be doing with the tin just yet, but I don't want to throw it away!  Maybe a flannel storage tin or something...

If you'd like to bag a bargain, or try a selection of Benefit make up, then definitely get this!  I have looked all over for this set, and the only place that I have found to still stock it is ASOS, and you can get it here for £39.50!  For my birthday, I also got a £30 gift voucher for a local department store which stocks Benefit...any recommendations for what I need to try?

Did you manage to grab this in the sale?  What Benefit products are your favourite?