OPI Mini Designer Series (exclusive to ASOS)

As soon as I saw this on ASOS, I knew I'd have to have it - an OPI Designer Series mini set, containing:

• Coronation - a silvery platinum crowned with a diamond dazzle


• Extravagance - a glittering, glamourous magenta


• Classic - an elegant shimmer of gold beige


• Reflection - a rich golden ruby

My two favourites are by far Extravagance and Classic, I want them in full size versions now! The other two I can take or leave, I've seen them both done better in other brands. The swatches I've done are three coats of each.

This cost £13 (though I used a 20% discount code) and is available exclusively from ASOS.

These look interesting...Nail Rock AW Collection

I've not tried Nail Rock before so can't vouch for them but must admit, I'm finding some of these designs rather tempting (well all of these except the dalmation one really, which I know is a print that's in fashion at the moment but I'm just not that keen!) and the imagery that goes with them is gorgeous!

Britney Spears Believe Eau De Parfum

I have a confession to make - I quite like Britney Spears' perfumes. And whilst Ms Spears hasn't exactly been setting the charts on fire of late, Fantasy will always have a special place in my heart with its ridiculously sweet aroma and tacky pink bottle. But I don't think this perfume was ever on my radar (which I'm sure is a Britney Spears album track actually) - probably because it doesn't look like its slightly more lurid cousins (Fantasy and Radiance, I'm looking at you) and actually it doesn't smell like them either, it smells much more fresh and light. Overall this is a really nice "everyday" perfume and I think it looks much better than previous Britney perfumes, and much less aimed at teenage people.

This was an unexpected birthday present, and I'm glad I got it!

Leighton Denny Nail Colour - Supermodel and On The Rocks

I fell in love with a bottle of Supermodel my mam had so she got me one for my birthday - plus she also gave me a bottle of On The Rocks and a Leighton Denny glass nail file which was an amazing bonus.

Supermodel is a really lovely glossy medium grey, great coverage and excellent performance-wise. Just the kind of colour and formula I like. On The Rocks looks quite similar in the bottle but when you look closely and swatch it, it isn't. OTR has a much more brown base and actually has a really fine shimmer running through it. It's not a colour I have much of in my collection and I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I saw it, but I really like it and will definately wear it.

As I'm sure I've said before, I love Leighton Denny polishes so this was a pretty ace present for me. My mam knows me too well - actually, she's even worse for buying beauty products than I am. She uses Creme de la Mer for gods sake!

Tangle Teezer

As I mentioned in my post the other day, my hairdresser used a Tangle Teezer on my hair and I liked it so much I bought one - I seem to have lost my normal hairbrush and I've been using this awful, horrible one that I found in my drawer that I can literally feel pulling my hair out.

I bought this from Boots for about £10 and I'm so pleased I did - it goes through dry or wet hair really easily without pulling or taking much hair out of my head at all. I also like that it's pink, though it does look a little bit like a horsebrush. It's plastic and the bristles are all different lengths so it gets through all your hair (which is a godsend when your hair is quite thick like mine).

I know I'm a little bit late on this as loads of people have already discovered Tangle Teezer but I'd definately recommend this. On a side note, I didn't realise this was a product that was on Dragons Den (a programme I'm addicted to) and didn't get investment - just goes to show that a setback doesn't mean the end! I'm really pleased with this brush and have already raved about it to a few people, despite having reservations about it just being a gimmick when I first heard about it.

Entity One Colour Couture Gel Enamel "Not Off The Rack"

Since it was my birthday yesterday (25, eek!), I decided to treat myself a bit to a day of pampering and tried out a new nail place and a different hairdresser to the one I tried last time. I moved house about 6 months ago so I'm kind of trialling various salons in the new area to find one I want to stick with!

I ended up getting gel/polish done on my fingers, a deluxe pedicure with paraffin wax plus I got a half head of highlights at the hair place. Firstly, I really liked the hairdressers, which is unusual for me! The stylist was really nice, not pushy at all (i.e. trying to force me to get my hair cut) but obviously knew her stuff and I was pleased with the colour at the end. She also used Bedhead products (which I always love because they smell so nice, I might have to invest) and a Tangle Teezer on my hair, which I now want - the brush I currently use is awful, I can feel it ripping at my hair!

But onto the nail stuff...I got Entity Colour Couture Gel Enamel on my fingers in "Not Off The Rack", a gorgeous bright coral which is slightly more pink than my camera has picked up below. I'm interested to see how it fares over the 2 weeks it's meant to last and how easy it is to remove, especially compared to Shellac.

I also got a deluxe pedicure and had normal polish on my toes - OPI "Louvre Me Louvre Me Not", a gorgeous deep purple which I now really want. If you haven't had a paraffin wax pedicure before, I'd definately recommend it.

All in all I'm pleased with both new salons and in the words of Arnie - I'll be back!

Prada Candy 80ml Eau de Parfum

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I have the perfume tastes of a 13 year old girl - I love anything sweet, fruity or citrusy and tend to dislike anything too floral. So, when I heard about Prada Candy I scoured the internet for it, asked my boyfriend for it for my birthday even though it wasn't even out at that point and furiously googled release dates. All without actually ever smelling it.

I picked it up soon after its release for a pretty good price. Firstly, I don't like the box that it comes in, it just looks a bit childlike and cheap to me and if I saw it in a shop I probably wouldn't bother.

The bottle is something else entirely, it's gorgeous and looks expensive - I love the pink mixed with the silver Prada logo, and even like the part that sprays out the perfume (not sure I've ever said that before!), it looks gorgeous on my dressing table (you can see Beyonce Heat and YSL Elle Limited Edition on there too, amongst other things).


Now, for the smell. I'm no perfume buff but apparently it contains white musk, benzoin and caramel, all of which I can smell in this. It is sweet but not overtly so (like Britney Spears Fantasy etc) and definately has a hint of powderiness to it without it being overpowering or too strong. I've heard people compare it to Aquolino Pink Sugar and I'd definately agree with this but I think Prada Candy is nicer and more subtle, as well as being much nicer visually - which I'd expect for the price really.

Word of warning, it does come out of the bottle with some first so don't start spraying it too liberally or you may find yourself a bit doused!

Batiste XXL

is officially now my favourite Batiste/dry shampoo. I like that it's a bigger size than previous cans of Batiste and I love the volumising effect that it gives, I prefer the white Batistes so it ticks a box from me there too. I also don't mind the smell - compared to some of the other Batistes it doesn't actually smell of anything. It's really helped me with updo's as well, as I tend to suit hairstyles with a lot of volume at the crown/roots and this has meant my arm hasn't got quite as stiff as backcombing for ages!

I've also found it really good for disguising my gingery roots after my misdemeanors with John Frieda's lightening spray!

John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Spray

Following on from my Blonde Ambition post last month, I promised a better review on this product after I'd used it a bit more. I've now used it on 5 occassions (you should see results in 3-5 according) so here goes.

The formula contains citrus and chamomile to lighten hair and also includes thermo-protectant. The packaging explains how to use it and recommends that you'll see a difference in 3-5 uses...but then uses picture examples that show the changes in 10 uses. Good one, John Frieda. I bought mine from Boots on a 3 for 2.

My 5 applications were mainly focused on my parting as I had recently had highlights but because I'd left it so long between appointments, you could still see a bit of my original colour so I wanted to lighten it up. My natural colour is dark blonde according to hairdressers (I prefer the term "mousy brown") and I tend to get it lightened up quite a bit to a light blonde.

First application
No real change to the colour at my roots - maybe a slight difference but I couldn't decide if it had changed really.

Second application
This was where I started to worry a smidge. The parts of my natural colour at my roots were looking decidedly warm...as in orangey, which is not the desired result. Never mind, I thought it might still lighten up (pray, pray, pray, hope, hope, hope).

Third application
No change from the second application, even after the fourth and fifth application, my roots where my original colour was were ginger. Argh! And the blonde was no lighter whatsoever. And having my boyfriend say he never knew I was ginger, based on my roots was not the plan.

The Good

1. Clear instructions for how to do highlights, roots or all over lightening


2. Fairly cheap and easy to find in Boots


3. Citrusy scent when applying


4. Contains thermo-protectant which I feel is a must for the amount of heat this product wants you to add to your hair

The Bad

1. I didn't like using all this heat on my hair - particularly at the roots. It actually recommends the more heat you use, the better.


2. My hair felt kind of...crispy after using this which was a bit gross


3. Apparently my hair smelled weird after using this


4. Quite a small bottle...
   
   

So all in all, this isn't a miracle product. It isn't recommended for any hair that's medium brown or darker (in rememberance of my ill-fated dabbles with Sun-In as a teenager, I wouldn't recommend trying it) and it won't give you platinum locks overnight. But as an emergency touch up for people who already have light/blonde hair or for a very subtle lightening it's probably ok. I don't think I'll be buying this again though, I just didn't like the colour it made my hair at all. I am interested in trying the John Frieda precision foam though.

On a side note, does anyone remember a really similar John Frieda product that was out about10 years ago as part of their Beach Blonde range (they also did a gold shimmer creme and a salt spray)? It was a lightening gel that did the same thing as this product does and even smelled the same? It was a godsend for me in the final years of secondary school but no-one else seems to remember it! I actually would prefer the gel version to the spray I think as I preferred the application.