Punk Rock Nails

Gone are the bright coloured nails of summer and now they have been replaced by more autumnal shades.  Punk Rock (part of the Rimmel Salon Pro Kate line) is perfect for this time of the year.

From far away you don't see the beauty of this shade...  it just looks like any other dark steely shade.  But up close it's a whole different story.  You can really see the creamy plumy purple tone to this and I happen to love it.

When I picked this up, the first thought which came to me is 'I've never seen a shade like this before' which is true.  I don't think there is a shade like this... it feels like one of a kind.  I can see myself wearing Punk Rock a lot this winter.  It's that perfect shade.

Axx

Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue

My hunt is over.  

For ages I had been looking for that 'perfect' blue.  Not too baby blue but not too dark.  That kind of creamy blue ... very Nails Inc Baker Street like.  Just not as expensive if you catch my drift.

In Ulta I picked up Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Colour in the shade Pacific Blue (gosh what a mouthful).  It was exactly what I had in my mind, there is nothing I do not like about this.  The coverage is great, it is very opaque... you get a good look with just one coat however two coats is best.  

I only had this on my nails for one day and I'd had two compliments from people so it must look good.  I am very tempted to had back to Ulta to see the other shades from the line.

Do you have any recommendations?

Ax

Primark Beauty Neon Polish

I'm loving neon shades at the moment.  The reason why might be due to the yucky English weather.  There is nothing quite like some fun bright colours to bring some happiness into your day.

The two pink shades apply excellently... two coats and you are good to go.  However the neon green and yellow polishes need a little more of a helping hand with three to four coats as they are on the sheer side.

For a cheap set of four shades these are a great bargain, especially as neon as very 'in' right now.  You can pick these four up in your local Primark for £2. Ooo I do like myself a bargain.

Angela xox

Paul and Joe ~ Nail Enamel 17

If you like the NARS blush in Orgasm... then you may want to keep reading.  

This Paul and Joe nail polish in the shade Enamel 17 - Downtown is an excellent dup has all the marking of Orgasm.

The pinky peach polish has a faint gold shimmer which is gorgeous. This is very rose gold and I love it. And the bottle is a master piece... very art deco. All Paul and Joe packaging takes on this look.

Paul and Joe polishes come in a beautiful array of shades but also contain active conditioning properties that care for your fingertips.  Two birds with one stone.

These polishes retail for about £10 each and can be bought from Selfridges, BeautyLand, Beauty Bay and ASOS.

Angela xox

Marks and Spencer Jewel Limited Collection

To me winter time is the season for pulling out the plumy mulled wine shades of nail polish.  Nothing quite says winter than a shade like Marks and Spencer's Jewel.

Jewel* 

A warm and cosy deep metallic looking red wine hue this is certainly an 'it' shade. Two coats of this gives you the perfect coverage.

This is my first encounter of the Marks and Spencer Limited Collection line and I'm quite impressed with this little beauty. For under £4 you get a stunner.  I'd be more than happy to check out the rest of the line.

Have you tried anything from Marks and Spencer beauty yet?

Angela xox

*PR Event

Also I'm hosting a giveaway, click here for more info!

Essie Winter 2012 Collection

I'm a nail polish junkie!! There I said it, I haul them like there's no tomorrow.  I think I have a problem but my my I feel better for getting that off my chest.  Almost like therapy.

Regarding another kind of therapy, the retail kind.  Whilst Christmas shopping I stumbled across the Essie 2012 Winter Collection. A mini set.  You know me and my minis, I love them.

A cute trio of mini festive polishes, I simply adore these. If i had to name these in order of how much I love them, it would be a tie between Snap Happy and Beyond Cosy.  These are my favourites.

Snap Happy, Leading Lady and Beyond Cosy

Snap Happy is a classic tomato red polish (which I wore on Christmas Day). Leading Lady is a deep berry red polish with red glitter running throughout it.  Finally Beyond Cosy is a chameleon polish... Is it silver or is it gold? Depending on the lighting, it looks gold and in others it takes on the silver hue. A fine metallic glitter polish, this very festive indeed.

This little trio only cost £9.99 from Boots, which I thought was a shocking price. They may not be full size bottles but for three polishes I think it's a bargain.

Have you seen or tried these?

Angela xox

All that glitters with Barry M

Barry M have brought out some stunning shades to adorn our finger tips.  And just in time Christmas too which is pretty awesome.  To hit the shelves are some pretty cool glitter polishes and here is two of them.

Amethyst and Diamond Jewel Glitter Nail Paint

Amethyst is the prettiest rainbow shade full of pink, blue, silver and black glitters pieces which are small in size.  I think this is the perfect party shade used all over the nails or as a sparkly top coat.  When you apply it to the nails it's very blue toned which is unique I think.  

Diamond is as it suggests a silver 'diamond' like glitter.  Unlike Amethyst there is a mixture of small and large pieces of silver glitter pieces.  I have already tried Diamond over the top of Revlon's Sheer Petal and the combination looks so cute and girly I think.

Sorry for the dodgy Instagram shot!

I have shown you what Diamonds looks like... so stay tuned for a post on Amethyst coming soon!  

These are in Boots and Superdrug stores now and retail for £2.99 each.  You can also buy them direct from Barry M.

Angela xox

Paul and Joe Blogger Event

I’ll be honest from the beginning of this post and say I have never tried anything from Paul and Joe.  Not because I haven’t wanted to, but I just haven’t got around to it.... yet.  So when I was sent the invitation to join Paul and Joe on Monday night I cannot describe how excited I truly was.  To discover a brand and be so hands on was a really exciting moment for me.

The added bonus of the evening was meeting their head makeup artist Craig Ryan French.  He was absolutely amazing, a total gem. His love and enthusiast approached to the brand and the forthcoming beauty releases left me feeling intrigued to find out more about the brand.

Recognise any of these ladies...

This is Craig Ryan working his artist magic on the ladies by showing us all that anyone can wear lipstick and especially how to apply it.  I honestly learnt some new things from him which I intend to put into practise. My favourite quote from Craig Ryan was 'gloss is for girls but lipstick is for women'.  Such a true fact.

Pearl Foundation Primer, Lipsticks and Lip Lacquers

Adorning the tables were lots of goodies to be swatched and played with.  The most beautiful item I think is the Pearl Foundation Primer (above picture top row).  This is Paul and Joe's sell out primer which is infused with orange flower water, white lily extract, jojoba oil and apricot extract.  There are lots more exciting ingredients inside including micro sparkles which add luminosity to the skin.  This is certainly on my wish list... isn't it just stunning?

Which one to buy...?

They were also showcasing their lipsticks and their cute lipstick cases (more info below on the cases).  They passed around their lipstick to us bloggers to swatch and after swatching them all on my hand I can tell you I'm in love with their lip line.

Paul and Joe also gave us goody bags...

Lipstick refill in Le Marais(208)

In my goody bag I was given the refillable lipstick in the shade Le Marais (208).  Paul and Joe have a unique concept of having refillable lipsticks.  Meaning you have a case which can be bought for £5 then you insert the lipstick you wan to use.  The lipsticks retail for £12 and there are lots of beautiful shades to pick from.  They also have different finishes from sheer, full and natural pigment colours and looks.

Lip Lacquer in the shade 09

This bold lip lacquer is a combination of their eye catching lipstick shades plus a amazingly glossy texture.  This very pigmented, far more pigmented than I have seen any other gloss on the market.  It looks a little scary as shade 09 is a bright red but we'll see...

Nail enamel 017

The pinky peach polish is a dup for the blusher Orgasm by NARS i think. It has a faint gold shimmer which is gorgeous.  This is very rose gold and I love it.  And the bottle is a master piece... very art deco.  All Paul and Joe packaging takes on this look.

Lip Pencil Duo in the shade 01

And finally the the duo lip pencil.  Two complimentary shades one in a pearl finish and the other is matte. I've never really been a fan of them (lip liners I mean) but I think this will convert me.  The shades are just very me.  They promise to be long lasting and non-smearing.  I cannot wait to wear this out and about.

It was really overwhelming to receive so much from them and I'm planning on placing an order to buy myself more.  Thank you Paul and Joe for a great evening.

You can pick up Paul and Joe online at ASOS and BeautyBay.  You can also go to Harrods, Fenwick (New Bond Street) and Selfridges to see the brand in person.

 Angela xox

Sephora / French Haul

Last weekend my hubby and I... plus my parents took a day trip to France. Nothing fancy, we usually go to grab bargains in the supermarkets as they are usually cheaper.  Plus with the festive season approaching the French usually have some cool Christmas items to be had.

This trip I demanded we stop off at Citie of Europe and visit the shopping centre there. Main reason...I know there’s a Sephora there!!! :- )

My mini haul

I love Sephora... for me it's a die and go to heaven place - I love it.  Sephora's in Europe differ to the US slightly as they don't sell all the brands which is unfortunate   More annoying they have yet to open a Sephora in the UK.  I wish they would open one.

So in the shopping I put a nail polish by Sephora called My Favourite Jeans which is dark indigo blue (just like your favourite jeans).  I can't wait to try this.  I also picked up these cute fragrances by Sephora as well: Coconut, Cotton Flower, Peony and Vanilla.  Great for throwing your hand bag at €4.50 I thought they were a bargain.

My most expensive purchase at €14.50 was a Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Liner in 2L which is a dark brown with a slight shimmer. I've heard some good things about these liners so I 'm going to put this to the test.

I also got some non-Sephora beauty buys....

Randomly I picked up boring hair slides, they only cost about €3.50 and i needed some so I thought why not.  Random item over lets get on to the cool stuff.

In the shopping basket I put this Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in Timeless Black.  Why do we not have this colour in the UK?!?! It seems France and the US get all the fun.  They had a few shades which we do not have on the shelves in the UK which is sad but I picked the black shade which I thought would be fabulous for a smokey eye base.

I also got a mini Bioderma (Mummy Jolly bought me this... thanks Mum).  I have always been intrigued to see if all the hype around this product was actually worth it.  So watch this space for my thoughts.  This little bottle cost €4.20.  I didn't want to spend anymore on a larger bottle just in case it was not love at first sight.

Angela xox

Revlon ~ Sheer Petal

Today nails are a little plain and simple... nothing too fancy.  I wanted a light baby pink colour for a while and was tempted to go shopping for Essie Ballet Slippers as I’ve heard that is a nice polish.  However after whilst rummaging through my collection last night, I came across Revlon’s Sheer Petal which is sheer pink shade which is perfect everyday colour.  This would be a great for a French manicure base.

This picture shows two coats which creates the look I was aiming for.  One coat is quite a nice look also.  I’ve never really used Revlon polishes before apart from Facets of Fuchsia, but this was nice to work with.  A little runny in consistency but it did dry very fast.  I was able to apply two coats in no time at all. 

Angela xox

Essie/Nails Inc/TopShop

Whilst rummaging through ever expanding nail polish collection I came across a common thing. I seem to like turquoise.

Turquoise and Caicos, Haymarket. Pool Party

These three could be related. Distant cousins perhaps.  In the bottles they all have their slight differences but once you apply them to the nails they pretty much look the same.

SwatchesTurquoise and Caicos, Haymarket. Pool Party

When it comes to comparing the polishes and how they apply I will say that TopShops Pool Party is sprinting ahead.  Nails Inc Haymarket is seconds behind leaving Essie Turquoise and Caicos covered in dust.

I own quite a few Essie polishes now and this one is slightly disappointing. It takes three coats to get a good coverage whilst Haymarket and Pool Party you can just apply two.  Pool Party if applied thick enough could actually be applied in just one coat. Amazing huh?!

Now for prices.  The most expensive is Haymarket at a tad expensive £11.  Second up is Essie at £7.99. Then there is my favourite Pool Party at £5.  If I had to repurchase any of these it would certainly be Pool Party.  Not because it is cheaper (but that does help) but because it just better than the rest.  Simple really.

Angela xox

* Nails Inc Haymarket was a PR event gift.  I did not buy this with my own money however the Essie and TopShop polishes were purchased with my own hard earned cash :-)

Essie ~ Lilacism

If you are an Essie fan, there is no doubt in my mind that you would of heard of Lilacism.  A creamy milky lilac shade, which takes two coats to give a non streaky coverage.  A lovely colour indeed.

However I feel this is a little light for my skin tone and also I feel like the polish is missing its 'X-factor'.  It's lovely but I just feel like I need something else with it. Perhaps some glitter or some shimmer of some sort.

Have you tried Lilacism?

Angela xox

Essie Haul!

This post shouldn't really surprise you, as you all know I'm becoming a die hard Essie fan.  My collection is slowing getting fatter week by week.

So what are my new buys I hear you ask?

Bahama Mama and Lilacism

Polar opposites...  an autumnal deep red and a lilac!  They couldn't be more different but they screamed at me in Superdrug and accidently fell into my basket! Honest!

I thought I'd show you Bahama Mama now as this is the 'it' shade for fall/autumn i think.  It's that perfect deep red.

Bahama Mama

A swatch post for Lilacism will follow, I guarantee you that.  It looks so pretty in the bottle.  What was your last polish you bought?

Angela xox

Friday Favourite # 3

We all love a bit of bling!  Come on admit it!

When it comes in the form of nail polish glitter then I love bling even more....though I'm not the biggest fan, due to the fact glitter polishes are like the most stubborn kind of polish to remove. A hammer and chisel does come in handy sometimes!

Nails Inc Nail Jewellery in Royal Arcade*

I picked up Royal Arcade when I went to a PR event earlier this year.  I wish I got my mitts on more of their glitter polishes are they are such a good quality and very pretty.

The polish itself is clear and it contains a mixture of small fine pieces and small and large hexagonal pieces of bright sapphire blue glitter.  Hopefully you'll be able to tell in my pictures - fingers crossed.

This looks great especially as a top coat over another polish.  I have it on top of Pool Party.  You can also use it alone if you wish, but I think as a top coat it gives a regular polished look something a little extra!

Happy Friday everybody!

Angela xox

*PR Event Gift

Essie ~ Cute As A Button!

My newest Essie polish has made me all warm and fuzzy inside. I picked this up in my not so recent feelunique haul which you can read here.

I think this has to be one of my most favourite polishes which I have picked up. A hot favourite for summer. Not like it is really summer anymore!  I admit I'm still wearing this and It's now October.

It applies beautifully....like a dream actually. One coat applied thickly will do the trick.  Lasting power as like all Essie polishes is excellent.

What's your favourite summertime polish???

Angela xox

September Favourites

Yes I'm slightly late but hey, you don't mind do you?  I'm always fashionably late.  Looking back on my blog I feel like it's been forever since I did a favourites post.  I've been all about the empties - which I do have a post on route for you.  Go me!

Practically every item I mention here does have an individual review on, with the exception of some.

Clarins Ever Matte ~ I had to mention this really, it was a must.  Ever since I bought this I have felt the urge to ditch all my other foundations.  I think this is the best foundation I have ever come across.  It has become my new and only bestest friend.  I have a full review here.

TopShop Nail Polish in Pool Party ~ A fun, bright colour I don't think this is a just for summer colour.  For a £5 polish the application is amazing.  You could easily get away with my coat.  And the lasting power is exceptional too!  Swatches here!

Stila Eyeshadow in Sun ~  I've had this lurking around for sometime but never tend to reach for it.  But I felt like I needed an eye catching shadow and opposed to usually reaching for Kitten I opted for this instead. Very neutral ...it's perfect for an all over the lid look, especially on a lazy makeup day.

MeMeMe Boho Balm in Pink Rouge ~ I took to Jersey with me and used it everyday.  As you can see from the below picture it is getting a lot of attention as it's a bit yucky looking.  I love the pink for the cheeks.  It gives a beautiful flush almost like a natural glow.  I have used the red/coral on my lips too which looks stunning.  See my review and swatches here.

TopShop Cheek Duo Dessert Sun ~  Soon to become a favourite blush this is a subtle colour.  It looks big and bold in the pan but trust me when I say it's much more delicate than it looks. If you want to see swatches see my review here.

MeMeMe Pink Rouge, TopShop Dessert Sun and Stila's Sun 

I have a few more favourites which I like to call tools...

Caudalie Beauty Elixir ~ A cult favourite and I can see why.  This just makes me feel good when I spritz it on my face.  It refreshes and makes pores smaller and it's a small bottle which you can take anywhere!

Real Technique Buffing and Contour Brushes ~ Part of the Core set I don't think I've really put these down lately.  The buffing brush is perfect for applying my Clarins, it buffs it in perfectly with no streaking.  For flawless foundation application I'd buy the set just for the buffing brush.  Now the contour brush is what I've been using to apply my MeMeMe cream blush,  it's the perfect size and so soft it makes applying cream blush effortless.  I totally recommend the Core Set.

Shu Uemera Eye Lash Curlers ~  I never used to be that fussed about curling my lashes but now I own the cult favourite eye lash curler I just cannot stop myself from curling every morning.  My curl does fall out slightly but that's probably my lashes or maybe my mascara not helping.... I'm not sure.  I think I need some eye lash curling tips.

I hope you enjoyed my favourites.  Also I hope you're having a good October so far!

Angela xox

Topshop ~ Pool Party

For my holiday to Jersey I thought I'd get into the holiday mood and paint my nails with my new polish called Pool Party.  Jersey is known for being the warmest and sunniest place in the British Isles, sadly it's been a bit soggy since me and the hubby arrived.  But Pool Party has brightened my day!

Pool Party

Pool Party is a bluey greeny turquoise aqua - it's a bit of a hard polish to categorise.  When I asked the hubby what he thought he said 'Tiffany Box' sprung to mind.  So I think I'll stick to the hubby's description.  It is very simiular to Nails Inc's Haymarket, if not slightly darker...but they could certainly be relations.

Nails Inc Royal Arcade ring finger with Topshop Pool Party

Two coats of Pool Party will do perfectly, one coat alone is a little streaky but will do if you're in a rush.  For something extra I have added a coat of Nails Inc Royal Arcade which is a blue glitter to my ring finger.  I think it makes this pop even more.

I am building myself quite a collection of Topshop polishes, I think they are amazing quality and the range of colours they have is excellent.
What are you loving right now?

Angela xox

Emerald Isle NPOTW

This is my final polish from the Primark haul of polishes which you can see here.  I have also shown Foiled Again which is another Primark polish here.

This is the least impressive polish of the bunch.  To get any kind of coverage you have to really layer this up. This picture above has at least three coats of polish and it still doesn't give the great coverage of the nail.

I would probably team this up with another polish as a base then use this as a top coat.  If you're planning on buying this polish and using it alone then I wouldn't recommend it.  I might do another post/NPOTW showing this as a top coat, then I might start to like it!  But for under £2 it's not a big loss if I don't use it ever again.

Angela xox

Topshop ~ Moonstone

I have been lusting after this polish for quite some time and recently I gave into the lust and treated myself . . .which I seem to do a lot evidently.  Having a large Topshop on my door step in London usually always leads me into temptation.

The bottle and two coats

Moonstone is an out of this world polish.  A stunning pearly shade which can look so differently depending on how many layers you apply. 

 

One coat gives a nice pearly wash to the nails a subtle look.  Two coats gives you a more bold shimmery pearl nail which I think is gorgeous.  I am definitely taking this baby on my holiday!

This is only £5, I dare you to treat yourself to it, you'll love it!

Angela xox

Foiled Again NPOTW

Following up from my post this week here, showing you my new nail polishes from Primark, yes Primark!!  I thought I'd show you the next gorgeous polish which is Foiled Again.

This is the silver metallic polish of the trio and it is stunning for a cheap £1.50 polish.  I am only wearing one coat and it looks great.  There is some streaky patches - namely down the side of the thumb nail, but one coat is wearable definitely.

What I really like about these polishes is they aren't as difficult to remove like glitter polishes.  They also last a really long time and don't hardly chip at all.

Keep an eye open for my next polish - Emerald Isle!!!

Angela xox