L'oreal Matt Morphose Souffle Foundation

I’m a bit confused (again) as to why L’oreal have randomly brought out a mousse-type foundation a few years after a lot of other brands did. But never mind, they're the multi-national cosmetics company raking in millions, not me. I’m biased anyway as I don’t really like mousse foundations much.

Can’t really comment on the packaging as this was just a tester but from what I have seen of the packaging it doesn’t look like anything particularly fancy - the colour I had was 140 Beige Natural.

On first try it was as I had expected; very thick, matte, not particularly easy to work with (the fact that when I rubbed it in, it kind of pilled into little balls and flaked wasn’t great) and pretty heavy coverage. I didn’t think the finish was very natural at all but in fairness the shade was a little too dark for me so that may have contributed to this.

Don’t think I’ll be buying the actual full size of this…

Emilio Pucci Vivara Perfume

My usual Dior Addict Shine was about to run out and I needed a new perfume - so when I spotted this in Space NK, I had to have it:It's called Vivara and is by Emilo Pucci.

Now I am OBSESSED with Pucci prints (I've actually gone into House of Fraser just to ogle £200 Pucci scarves I have no budget to buy) so if I'm honest it was all about the packaging for me. I quite like the smell but it is a lot more heavy and "grown up" than I usually wear.

I'm normally a fan of sweet, fruity perfumes (Britney Spears Fantasy, anything by Escada etc) so this mix of amaretto, jasmine and patchiouli is quite different to my usual scent.

However, today when I was in Debenhams I spotted a YSL perfume that I loved the look and smell of (it was very sweet and citrusy, not a million miles away from Dior Addict Shine actually) - I think it was called Elle but when I've googled it, the packaging is nothing like the one I saw in store, it looked like it had paint splashes on it? I saw it in another perfume shop too so I haven't just dreamed it up. I'm confused!

What's your favourite perfume? Or your favourite "type" of perfume?

L'oreal NutriSummer Mist and Face Tanner Review

As a huge fan of the Loreal NutriSummer Gradual Moisturiser, I saw that they had a face moisturiser and a tanning spray and had to try them. I bought them a while ago but haven’t used them yet, I’m such a lazy tanner I either pay to have a spray tan or don’t bother. But I’m on an economy drive at the moment, and the weather is so crap, might as well cheer myself up with tannage!

L’Oreal NutriSummer mist

£8.99 for 150ml (slightly more expensive than the moisturiser which is £8.99 for 200ml)

Aerosol spray tanning liquid. Instructions were very good – clear and exact, even down to what order to apply it to your body parts. However, this doesn’t give that lovely moisturising feel that comes with the gradual moisturiser and as the liquid is clear it’s hard to tell if you’re applying it evenly or missing places out, particularly as you’re instructed that if the skin feels wet, you’re applying it too closely. The tan dried very quickly and left no residue on the skin, which I like.

It smelled strange – not fake tannish, but not a great smell. I applied this before bedtime and come the time to get up it did have that faint biscuity smell that comes with fake tan.
With the moisturiser, I usually have to build it up over a few days anyway so this was no surprise that it took two applications of tan to get the desired colour – not really really dark but not unnoticeable either. However, as I had predicted, because the tan is a clear liquid it was extremely patchy on my arms where I had missed huge patches without realising (I THOUGHT I’d sprayed carefully and evenly) so I had to wear a long sleeved dress to go out in! I’m not sure how long it actually took to develop as I left it overnight. The colour lasted about 3 days before I noticed patchiness where the tan was coming off.

I don’t think I’d buy this again,I’ll stick to my usual NutriSummer moisturiser, I find it easier to work with, even if I do have to get someone to help me do my back! The spray is really good for doing if you’re in a hurry because of the quick dry time and the colour is just like the moisturiser one but it’s too easy to miss areas - which isn’t as bad with the moisturiser, though it’s clear it at least looks “wet” on your skin so you know where it is, even if I have to dry out for an extra 5 minutes.

Also, even though it’s a really fine mist that comes from the bottle, I felt a bit like I was spraying for ages and after two full body applications it feels a bit empty, so I don’t know how many tans it would actually last, especially when building the colour up. I may update!

L’Oreal NutriSummer 24 Hour Moisturising Lotion Face

£7.99 for 50ml

Again, instructions very good and clear. Strangely, the smell of this was quite nice, like peach yoghurt – this did smell “biscuity” by the morning though. Application very easy and straightforward, to be used in place of your moisturiser basically. Again, dried quickly and left no residue on my skin. Previously I’ve used the body moisturiser on my face (naughty I know) and it seems to cause me to breakout, this didn’t.

The colour was fine and had applied well, it’s slightly lighter than the body tan but I think this is probably the general idea. I’d probably buy this again in conjunction with the 24 hours gradual tanner as it gives the colour, is a similar formula to the tan but doesn’t make me break out. It also contains SPF 15 which I think is a must-have for facial products. Yay!

I also noticed that NutriSummer products are on offer at Boots at the moment (cheaper than what I paid for them and have stated in this review, d’oh!), so head on down!

My favourite Bourjois products

I always repurchase these, they’re my failsafes!

Bourjois Liner Feutre in Black

A liquid liner with felt tip applicator that lasts for ages and goes on very neatly and straight, you can make the line thick or thin easily too, and it’s not too expensive. This is my favourite liquid liner by far.

Bourjois Rouge Hi-Tech
A sheer, water-based lipstain that lasts for quite a while. It gives a wash of colour and doesn’t just come off straight away, it has quite a matte finish so probably not for glossy girls! For the price, the length of time it lasts and the range of colours, I think they’re an amazing buy. I’ve also seen them on another blog used as cheek stain and it looked pretty good when I tried it. I have a pink, a coral and an orange – annoyingly, the names aren’t on them now that they’re not in their packaging, though after a bit of researching I think they’re Cyber Cassis, Rose Pixel and Rouge Futuriste. Orange lips are meant to be in so I’ll be wearing that one!

What's your favourite Bourjois product? What do you think of the brand in general?

OPI Nail Laquer in Teal The Cows Come Home

Since falling in love with Givenchy Vernis Please Bleu, and having my heart broken when I realised it didn’t come out until May, I decided to look for an alternative to it and stumbled upon OPI Teal The Cows Come Home. And I think that, from the pictures I’ve seen of Givenchy it looks pretty similar! It’s a lovely bright turquoise with a slight sprinkling of fine silver (?) glitter in it, giving it an almost-metallic look, you know that type of polish that OPI do really well. The pics here are of three coats, no top coat – after two coats there was still VNL but other than that, no application problems. The only thing I didn’t like was the smell, it almost smelled like burnt hair or plastic, not a smell I’ve ever come across in an OPI polish before?

In some pics I’ve seen of this it had a greeny tinge and it can look like that in dim lighting. A bit of sunlight though and it really pops a bright blue. The polish lasted 3 days before the dreaded tipwear began. All in all I really like this polish and can’t wait for summer in the vain hope that it will be sunny and bring the colour out!

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Fuschia

After seeing a blog post about these lipsticks on BritishBeautyBlogger, I wanted it solely based on the packaging. It’s black and looks quilted. I have a weird thing for quilted things so to combine lippy and quilting, phew I’m almost in heaven. And it has Revlon embossed onto the actually coloured part of the lipstick, bit fancy isn’t it?

Sorry, though it’s another bright pink lipstick! It doesn’t look much different to the Barry M colour (possibly a little more blue/purple based?) but feels much nicer once on and during application, the formulation is much more shiny and creamy and feels like it’s gliding onto lips smoothly rather than drying them out. Putting the Barry M pics side by side with the Revlon, they look SO similar! I expected the colour to be a bit more diluted than it was but it’s actually pretty pigmented. I think the sheeny finish with this gloss makes it a bit less in your face in person– I feel like I could wear this in the day more easily than Barry M.

For a creamy lippy, the transfer actually wasn’t too bad – I still had some lipstick on after eating, drinking etc though it was a bit faded. It stay on from about 8am-12pm which I don’t think is bad given how moisturising it feels. I like like like. The only thing that made me go “hmm?” about this lippy is that it has no real smell/taste to speak of – it just smells faintly..waxy? Creamy? And I can’t really like it less because of that, there’s no smell or issue there to make me not like it, I just thought it was a bit weird?

These haven’t been released in the UK just yet, I don’t think but I believe they’re on their way. And I’ll be stocking up!!

How cute are these make up bags by Miss Budd?

Aren't they gorgeous? I found them in the beauty section of ASOS.com (picture courtesy of ASOS.com) for £25, by London designer Miss Budd. I want!

http://www.missbudd.com/
http://www.asos.com/

Say hello to Shellac!

I've just copied this from the press release on their site (here: http://www.sweetsquared.com/News/say-hello-to-shellac) - from reading this and All Lacquered Up (who actually tried Shellac) it seems to be similar to natural nail overlays or gel nails without being a nightmare to remove or damaging your nails during application or removal. I'm interested to try this, but even more interested to see the colour range to see if there's any I actually would want to wear for 14 days plus!

CND (Creative Nail Design), the leader in professional nail, hand and foot beauty, is proud to introduce the first hybrid nail color after nearly five years of development in its state-of-the-art laboratory. Now you can say good-bye to chips, smudges, and dry time and say hello to Shellac™ Hybrid Nail Color! This revolutionary product applies like polish, wears flawlessly for 14 days of high gloss shine, and is removed in minutes.

Shellac paints on like polish - base coat, color, top coat - and is cured in a UV light so there is zero dry time. The colors are hypo-allergenic, and "3-Free" - no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP. Shellac will launch in a range of 12 varieties of shades, from pretty French pinks and whites, to siren red and rich darks. The formula is thin and flexible like polish, so it not only looks natural, it provides strong natural nail protection with a resilient mirror finish that resists dullness and chipping, even during the most rigorous activities.

As amazing as Shellac is on, removal is just as satisfying! No soaking, drilling or filing is necessary. Nails are wrapped in individual Shellac Remover Wraps -integrated cotton pads that limit finger and skin exposure to acetone by keeping it pinpointed on just the nail. Ten minutes of time in exchange for two weeks of perfect color is all it takes. Say good-bye to manicure frustration and hello to pure manicure satisfaction.

Shellac is a professional salon service launching globally in May 2010.

Pop Beauty Blush Cake in Pretty In Pink

I’ve been using this for a while (as you may be able to tell by the fact that foundation/concealer on the lid, a sure sign of being carried around in my make up bag for a while!). It’s lasted me ages and there’s still loads left!

I bought it online after seeing it in a magazine without actually having any real idea of what it might be like. Luckily, I really like it – it looks a bit scary in the packaging, very bright with glitter, but it actually looks a nice natural flush on my skintone when applied sparingly and it actually isn’t all that glittery. If you are a bit heavy handed though, then prepare to look very pink/red.

I bought mine for about £5 all in from Ebay but I think it retails at somewhere more like £10 in the shops?

I bought some stuff from Lush...it smells GOOD!

People seem to go crazy for Lush and I don’t really get why – yes it smells nice and looks pretty but it is actually quite expensive for what it is, markets itself as natural when it contains plenty of chemicals and some of it has a fairly short shelf life (yes fresh facemask, I MEAN YOU!). But saying all this, I’m always pleased if I get it for a gift or treat myself very occasionally….

So, at the top we’ve got:

Honey Trap Lip Balm
This stuff is LOVELY, it has a very sweet scent with a hint of mintiness and definitely moisturises. Apparently it’s vanilla, white chocolate and honey..mmmmmmmmm! The sweet smell of it is quite strong, whenever I use it at work the woman on the desk next to mine ( a good 5 feet away) sniffs the air and says "I just got a whiff of something really sweet-oh have you got your lipbalm out again?"

From left to right underneath we now have:

Butterball
Cocoa butter, sweet musk and vanilla bathbomb that smells fresh but sweet at the same time. Mmmm again!

Flosty Gritter
Lavender, sweet vanilla and sparkly pink bubblebar…what more do you want?! Thankfully, the glitter doesn’t stick too much, it leaves your skin feeling really soft and it turns your bathwater a nice light pink. I always buy this when I’m buying stuff from Lush.

Candy Fluff
An egg ballistic that smells like candy floss and has a lickle flower in the top. Aah! I think this is probably just out for Easter which is a shame because it smells so nice and made my skin feel silky.

We went to look for a Mothers Day present for my boyfriends mam and found that if he bought a Mothers Day gift box he got a free goodie bag too, sadly he’s giving the goodie bag to his mam as well. BOOO!

There’s also a Mothers Day Tea Party thing happening at Lush on Sunday:

False Lash Battle! Illamasqua vs. Mac vs. Models Own

Since I'm addicted to false lashes, I thought I'd do a bit of a compare and contrast on a few to see what I thought. I usually use the Mac ones in here but I thought I'd branch out.

First up...

Illamasqua (Dramatic - 017)

These were £12 and came with glue included. The blurb reads: “Long sweeping handmade lashes to widen the eyes” and in the packaging (which was also very pretty and dramatic), they looked lovely! Lashes could be stored after further use in this packaging.

Application of these was really difficult! The actual band the lashes are attached to is really thick and inflexible so trying to shape it to your lash line and make sure both corners stick isn’t easy.

However, I REALLY like the look of these lashes on, they were feathery and natural looking without looking too long or thin. The glue that it came with was your standard small bottle of lash glue (the same as with Models Own), nothing special.

They did stay on well and were pretty easy to remove though. You could use them again after removal.

I wasn’t hugely impressed with these – they looked nice but felt heavy, the lash glue was nothing impressive and they were hard to apply. For the price I would expect better but I suppose the premium price is because they’re handmade. I'd give them a 7 out of 10.

Next up....

Mac (7)

These cost £8.50 and don't include glue. The glue I used was Duo glue which is fabulous stuff but costs a futher £8ish for 14g, which does get you a lot of uses. It smells absolutely disgusting though! Blurb for these is "natural length, everyday glamorous". If only my lashes were this long naturally!

Like the packaging on these, typical Mac and good for storing your lashes after wear too (unlike cardboard containers.)

Easy to apply, lash band is invisible and easy to flex so not too blatant if it’s not perfect. They give a really nice wide-eyed look that doesn’t look too false and they don’t feel stiff or plastic.

These are my typical go-to false lashes for a night out, I love them, they suit me and using the Duo glue from Mac means they stay on all night and can be re-used if you take them off carefully.

Sorry lashes though, I think I’m going to have to mark you down for being £8.50 without any glue even though you can wear them again and again……..

I’ve repurchased these a lot and would again! I give 8.5 out of 10

And last, but not least (well, maybe)....

Models Own (Fashion Flare Lash 18)

These cost £5 and came with glue included.

Packaging was ok, nothing amazing, pretty similar to a lot of lashes on the high street.

Reasonably easy to apply, though these had the opposite problem to the Illamasqua lashes, the band was almost too flexible and it was hard to get the lashes to stay still/in one place during application. Once they were on I really didn't like them - they were very long and plastic/false looking. They stayed on ok (shame) and were easily removed.

Not worth buying in my opinion, for £5 you're probably better off buying some from the high street or off Ebay. I wouldn't repurchase. I give them 5 out of 10.

So, the winner is Mac, the eyelashes I buy again and again and again...why did I think I could do better?!

Barry M Lipstick in Punky Pink (145) - Review & Swatch

I decided I wanted lips like Cheryl Cole's pink glossy ones and after much googling to find out what she wears I came across this blog post:

http://makeuptomakeout.blogspot.com/2009/09/mac-girl-about-town-vs-barry-m-145.html

And thus it was sealed, I decided to buy Barry M Punky Pink and see what I thought. Now, as you can see from the pic below, I have quite full lips so tend to steer clear of bright shades because it makes me look like just a pout with legs and arms attached but this Barry M shade is gorgeous, it really suits me (if I say so myself) and even my boyfriend likes it!
It goes on really well and lasts for ages - I really put it through its paces over the weekend, it survived a Pizza Express meal and a night out (two separate applications, I'm not that gross that I keep lipstick on for days.) without having to be reapplied! It can also be blotted down so it's not as bright, I do this for work and gloss added over the top, but this decreases its staying power.

My only criticism of this is that it is a little drying and if you have any dry skin on your lips, it will show it but tbh this is something that's easily sorted.

I bought mine from ASOS as I was putting an order in anyway and had a 20% off code so this lippy was actually only £3.40! I think the usual retail price is £4.25 which is still amazing for such a great product, I will definately be repurchasing!

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara - Review

I bought this on my way to work (as well as a milkshake, mmm!) to help me get over the mid-week feeling of despair I felt at 8am this morning - it was on offer and my usual Clinique mascara is about to be used up. I bought it at Superdrug for £5.99. I'd seen some good reviews/pics of this so thought I'd give it a go.

1. Packaging/style
Love the purple and turquoise metallic packaging, the tube was hand-friendly and looked good. The brush is curved and has a slightly thin part just before the brush for flexibility I suppose.

2. Consistency
Very thick and black.

3. Application
Seemed ok but after I'd applied the first coat, because my lashes are so short (seriously, ridiculously short) and the formula is pretty thick I had a LOT of the product on my lash line/eyelid and it looked really messy. Taking off the excess with a cotton bud meant that my lashes all flattened out, not cool.

4. Final look
Horrible! Very clumpy, messy on the lid and just gross. My lashes did look really black though. I did some "before" an "after" pics but they're so horrendous I can't bring myself to put them on here, I look like I've never worn mascara before!

5. Removal
I wanted this off so quickly it was facewiped off, came off reasonably easy but went a bit smudgy during removal (again because I think it's so thick).

6. Verdict
Disappointing....I think I'd give this a 1.5 out of 5. I can't even imagine how clumped it would look over my Shiseido mascara base. I don't think I'll be bothering with this again, though maybe one quick coat in the morning for work would do? But then again maybe not.

It does seem to be the shortness of my lashes that's the major problem though, on girls with longer lashes to start with it looks lovely and really increases the volume and doesn't look as clumped as mine did - maybe because the product is dispersed more evenly?

This has not helped my Wednesday slump! If only you could wear false lashes with lash extensions, that would be my daytime and evening looks sorted.

Half Moon Polish - Nails Inc Albert & Victoria

Since my nails are finally peeping over the free edge, I decided to give myself a little half moon polish, as seen on Dita Von Teese.

For those of you that don't know what this is, it's where the entire nail is painted apart from the half moon (lunula) at the bottom of your nail. It gives a fab contrasting look and Leighton Denny does a fab one.

Here's mine:

How to do it:

1. Basecoat the entire nail

2. Apply your chosen polish, leaving your lunula uncovered

3. Cleanup using nail polish remover/acetone with a cotton bud or even better, a thin nail art brush

4. Apply topcoat

I've seen some variations where people use the half moon stickers actually meant for doing nail tips and it seems to work? And Glamour actually has a tutorial using holepunch protector stickers!

I need my nails a little longer, a bit more practice/a steadier hand and the ability to master a two tone one - like white on the bottom, black on top, like Dior did a while ago.

Models Own Goldfinger Polish (impromptu review)

I wasn't going to bother reviewing this and its silver counterpart (Silver Fox) as I thought they'd be your bog-standard watery glitters that you can use as a topcoat.

Anyway, I'm going out tonight and I seem to have started to wear black polish with the dress I'm planning on wearing (http://www.asos.com//Asos/Asos-Embellished-Smock-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=795750 for anyone who NEEDS to know what I'm wearing this eve) and because I was bored I tried Models Own Goldfinger on my thumb to tone in with the gold in my dress. And I was intrigued...so I carried on with the rest of my nails. And even did a second coat. The glitter was really dense and actually covered the nail thickly enough after two coats (I did a third "insurance" coat though).

I love it - it's so sparkly and blingy and I'm such a magpie. Goldfinger indeed!

It feels a little rough/raised but not as much as I'd expect from such a glittery polish. As a whole, Models Own has impressed me with the polishes I ordered from them. Application and drying time was totally fine, no problems there. I think I'll probably matte it tomorrow too to see what happens!

Funnily enough, I actually think it's maybe a little too dense to use as a topcoat over another colour as it might be a bit overpowering...

Estee Lauder Doublewear Foundation - Review

It’s apparently the beauty industry’s best selling foundation so of course I had to try it! I bought it from the Estee Lauder counter in Selfridges for £24.50 after getting the sales assistant to pop some onto my skin. The shade I have is Fresco 01 and I applied it with a Gosh foundation brush.

I’ve been wearing it for the past few weeks whilst I’ve walked to work in the freezing cold, been at work for 8 hours, had a few nights out and it’s held its own well. My skin is quite light at the moment, I have some dark circles under my eyes and a few blemishes around my chin area, which this foundation covered without me even needing a separate concealer, though I did use a light dusting of powder out of habit really – I didn’t reapply through the day and it still looked fine when I came to take it off at bedtime.

Good points:
· Good even coverage – covers up blemishes, rogue pigmentation etc but doesn’t look caked
· Matte finish
· Doesn’t transfer onto clothing
· Lasts well for at least 12 hours, possibly needs a touchup after then
· 19 different shades

Bad points:
· I don’t like that it doesn’t have a pump with it so application can be a little messy
· Seems to “set” pretty quick so you have to be speedy with your brush
· Second day of wearing felt dry and tight on my skin – as the days went out, I found my skin feeling quite dry though this could be due to the weather we’ve been having recently

I’ve also read some reports of people looking like they’ve been “whited-out” and mask like when wearing this for photos but sadly no-one has taken any pics of me whilst I’ve been wearing this so I can neither confirm or deny this.

Would I buy it again? Probably yes as it does everything I need it to, and does it well, however I still don’t feel like I’ve reached the foundation holy grail yet so when this runs out I might try something else…a great foundation though, nevertheless.

Pastel Hair?

So, pastels are "in" for Spring. My nails are already looking decidedly springy, my wardobe isn't but probably will be once it starts snowing/being so dark all the time etc.

Apparently another trend for spring is pastel hair. And I really like it. I'm trying to talk myself out of adding some lilac and pink to my very light blonde hair....maybe I'll just satisfy my urges with some coloured extensions though, colours can be a bitch to get rid of when you're blonde (plus I don't know what work would say if I rolled up on Monday rocking a pastel-streaked do).

Models Own Review Cont'd - Lilac Dream

Ok - first thing's first, I've had a spray tan done. And not a particularly good one, I actually complained in the salon as she's missed places she should have done (the sides of my hands, tips of my fingers) but managed to get tan on places she shouldn't (palms of my hands, soles of my feet...) - and it's speckly?!?!

Anyway, being the devoted blogger that I am, I still thought I'd show you Models Own Lilac Dream - this is my third day of wearing it, so there is a little tipwear and I have 17 glitter topcoat over the top.



See the speckles? Speckliness aside, I really like this polish, it was easy to apply, opaque in 2 coats and dried relatively speedily. Hooray! Plus the colour is just the right lilac for me, not too blue or too pink, I just added the glitter topcoat for an extra shot of girliness. Someone actually commented on how nice my nails were on the bus and asked what I was wearing (despite the fact I looked like an albino oompa-loompa with my newly blonded hair and newly oranged skin!)

Just had my eyebrows threaded...

I love threading. It gives a really defined, straight shape to your brows (much more than tweezing in my opinion) but without the drama potential of waxing (a brow accidentally being ripped off, burns, skin being taken off with hair etc). It's cheap - £5.50 to get my eyebrows done - and instantly lifts your face.
This is just the start of my Valentines beautification - brows today, hair and tan on Saturday, wax, make up and nails on Sunday. And the likelihood is my boyfriend will literally go in the shower and put on a new tshirt - that will be his Valentine effort. Tsk.

Models Own Nail Polish Haul and Essie Matte About You

(L-R) Goldfinger, Silver Fox, Hot Pink, Lilac Dream, Grey Day

This order arrived very quickly , in really nice packaging – I know it doesn’t mean much in terms of the polish but good service and things that look pretty can’t be sniffed at! I also got a free buffer as it’s my first order from their site, I actually went looking for their false lashes but got swayed by polishes instead.


I had meant to swatch all 5 of them but the first I tried was Grey Day and I liked it so much I didn't want to take it off! I've wanted a grey polish for a while. Sorry my nails are looking a bit useless at the moment, one snapped so filing of the rest of them commenced.

Grey Day is a bluish grey - kind of like the colours of those Russian Blue cats. It went on smoothly and evenly, dried pretty quickly and only needed two coats. I'm really pleased with it! It looks almost khaki in certain lights.

Then, I got in from work and my Essie Matte About You had finally arrived, so I had to have a play, and do you know what, I liked that too! It made Grey Day look almost like concrete, you could see it mattifying on my nails (that made me go ooooh!)

Label.M Resurrection Style Dust - Review

I'm always looking for ways to up the volume in my hair and having heard positive things about the Label.M Resurrection Style Dust I thought I'd give it a go.

I bought a 3g pot for around £10 - pretty small amount but I think the likelihood is you wouldn't get through it too quickly as you use it quite sparingly.

I thought that it would be like dry shampoo but it actually comes in a "shaker" type container and you shake the product onto your roots, then rub it in. First surprise - the texture. It feels really strange, almost sticky, like hair gel or old hairspray something when the product is being applied. I really really really didn't like this, I'd go as far as to say it put me off the product a bit! Also, don't apply too much or it's really hard to get it to "blend" into your hair and you might look a bit like you've put talc in your hair (like if you apply too much dry shampoo).

Results-wise, it DOES add volume, but a messy, matte finish sort of volume, so it's not for you if you're wanting hair that looks neat, shiny and perfectly coiffed - which is sadly the look I'm going for really so I don't think I'd purchase this item again, I'll stick to my velcro rollers, backcombing brush and trusty old hairspray!

Valentines Day Nails #2 - Pink Heart Crystal Tips

This is so easy to do but looks really cute - I did it on a false nail (that was already a really nice light pink colour) but Nails Inc Brompton Place is a pretty similar pink colour if you were doing it on your own nails.

Tools:

False nail/polish
Brush on nail glue
Orange stick

Blu tack

Heart shaped crystals (mine are from Ebay, I got a variety of colours - I chose to use contrasting pinks to go with the theme and to look good against the pink nail)

How to:

1. Usual basecoat, 2 coats of polish, wait to dry
2. Select the crystals you want to use and place them face up on a plastic surface

3. Using the orange stick with blu tack on the end, pick up a crystal by placing the blu tack gently onto the crystal and lifting

4. Apply a line of nail glue to the tip of the nail, from one side to the centre, but not all the way across
5. Then, affix the crystal to the nail by gently positioning it on the nail and pressing down

6. Repeat until nail is covered where the white tip would be of your nail

17 Nail Xtras Glitter Topcoat - Review

I bought this on impulse because it was sparkly and I'm actually pretty pleased with how it looks on, it has multicoloured fine glitter pieces in a clear topcoat - I've layered it over Nails Inc Black Taxi here:My camera hasn't picked up the true dept of the colours in the glitter - there's flecks of red, green, gold and silver in there that really catch the light! It wasn't overly quick to dry and as it's glitter will probably last a decent amount of time as a topcoat, though CND/Seche Vite etc probably don't have to be quivering in their polish bottles just yet!

However, it was £3.99 which I think for a brand like 17 is actually a little expensive - I could probably get similar results with something a lot cheaper (as it's a fun polish addition rather than an actual colour) so I'd have a look around for something else rather than buy this again, though I do like it.

Valentines Day Nails #1 – OPI Heart to Resist Review

It’s the 1st of February – 13 days to go til Valentines day - so thought I’d bring you a review of OPI Heart to Resist. Heart to Resist is a clear polish with a tiny bit of multicoloured glitter in it and lots of small red sequin hearts, perfect for the Valentines theme!

First point – it’s pretty hard to apply; try and do a thin coat and you get no hearts, try and get loads of hearts and you get a hell of a lot of polish on your brush, scraping off the excess on the side of the bottleneck means you lose the hearts. Fishing for the hearts and positioning them isn’t easy either!

But on the plus side, the polish does actually dry quickly (even where it’s thickly applied due to the difficulty of heart fishing) and to a shiny finish – I didn’t actually need a topcoat, though after the pics were taken I did apply a pink glitter topcoat and it lasted for days.

I think it would actually look pretty good over a red or a pink – but for a much easier time, buying some heart shaped sequins and sticking them on afterwards would be a lot easier and look much less haphazard. A pretty but not particularly functional polish.

I have some more Valentines nails/nail art to post in the run up to Valentines Day, so please keep your eyes peeled!

Ahem. I MAY have been shopping today...

• Leighton Denny Polish in Stunning - one of my beauty staples, in my opinion it's the perfect formulation and the perfect everyday pink
• Nutrisummer Face and Nutrisummer Mist - Nutrisummer is my favourite gradual tan so when I found out they did a mist and face tan I had to try (especially since I tend to breakout if I use body tan on my face...a beauty no-no there y'all)
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - my DiorSkin Nude ran out so since I've heard such great things about it I thought I'd give it a go (apparently it's the beauty industrys best selling foundation)
• 17 Glitter Topcoat - I'm a magpie, what can I say? If it sparkles, I'll take it.
• Random fabric trimmings and cheap brushes from Bodycare - for some Valentines themed nail art I'm planning...keep your eyes peeled!

As soon as I've tried them, I'll do some reviews. I also managed to resist a Nails Inc set of 4 full sized polishes (nice colours too) for £10 in Debenhams, which I think shows EXTREME self control on my part.

In non-beauty news, I also bought milk, sushi, a smoothie, 2 pairs of work shoes and my ASOS order arrived (some of it isn't great, some of it is).

Dermalogica Favorites Holiday Kit

I love Dermalogica, I already use their cleanser and masque (see below), and if I ever get a facial, I make sure it's a Dermalogica one - they do face-mapping and recommend products for you, guaranteeing they'll work to try and sort any skin problems you may have if specifically recommended.

But, the products are pretty expensive (especially when you want EVERYTHING), so before I committed to spending money extending my collection, I thought I'd buy some minis, so the Favorites Holiday Kit it was:

It contains: Precleanse (0.5 fl oz), Gentle Cream Exfoliant (0.3 fl oz), Daily Microfoliant (0.45 oz), Skin Hydrating Booster (0.25 fl oz) - so, they are all pretty small but my word, good things do come in small packages! My skin feels amazing, the Precleanse and Daily Microfoliant will be bought in full when these minis run out...

InStyle 100 Best Beauty Buys 2010

I bought InStyle for the first time today, predominantly because of the 20% off ASOS code within - but I'm actually really pleased as it also came with a booklet about the 100 Best Beauty Buys of 2010, definately worth a read!

I decided to do a quick run through of what I agree with, disagree with and want to try on the list. I had originally planned to copy the list out but decided on giving my opinions instead.

Products I agree with:

• Best facial exfoliator - Dermalogica Daily Microfiliant - exfoliating particles in this are so fine, you can use it every day without damaging your skin...plus it actually works!
• Best long-lasting lip colour -Max Factor Lipfinity - I'm something of a long lasting lip connoisseur and this is by far the best I've use
• Best self tan for the body - St Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse - the mousse formula is really easy to apply and gives a nice coloured tan (I also like the Fake Bake spray too)
• Best base coat - CND Stickey - I've blogged about this before!

Products I disagree with:

• Best moisturiser for normal to oily skin - Creme De La Mer -I hate this moisturiser, it looks and smells cheap, contains lots of thickening agents, doesn't do anything for your skin that Nivea or similar wouldn't and I've recently been told that it allegedly costs £6 to make (don't know how true that is though!)
• Best moisturiser with self tan - Johnson's Holiday Skin Body Lotion - PAH! The best is Loreal Nutrisummer in my opinion

Products I want to try:

• Best mask for congested skin - Eve Lom Rescue Mask - sadly with a £46.98 price tag, trying is unlikely!
• Best spot treatment - Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gel
• Best wash-off cleanser - Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils
• Best compact foundation - Chanel Teint Innocence Compact
• Best stick foundation - Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick
• Best top coat - Seche Vite

Best get saving up really!

Backcombing/teasing brush - it works!

Last time I was getting my hair done, I mentioned to my hairdresser that I like a lot of volume at my roots and that I was partial to a bit of backcombing. She tottered off and came back with one of these:It's a backcombing/teasing brush! She suggested if I went to Sally's I'd be able to get one cheaply, sadly I can't drive to get to Sallys so I headed to the trusty internet and found the brush above, which arrived today.

It works! It backcombs effectively and feels a lot less harsh on my hair than my usual methods of backcombing, there is a worrying sound of static when doing it and I think the plastic bristles aren't dissimilar to cheap hairbrushes you can get from the £1 shop, but I'm pleased with it! I did take some pics of the effects on my hair but my roots are so bad lately I was too ashamed to post them, damn the recession.

Shiseido The Mascara Base (Lash Primer)

Since Clinique discontinued the lash primer I used to use by them, I had to search for another one, because my lil lashes are, well, little. After a bit of research I found a lot of recommendations for this product - Shiseido The Mascara Base.

I had never used anything by Shiseido previously but thought I'd give it a go! And I'm glad I did - this product actually makes a difference to my lashes, a more noticeable difference than Clinique ever did. It actually made enough of a difference that my boyfriend (who I could come and meet with pink hair, and he wouldn't notice) commented how long my lashes were looking, woooo. Probably still not long enough to be classed as "long" or for me to hang up my false lashes just yet but at least you can actually see them above my liquid liner line now!

The only criticism I have of this product is that it's HARD WORK to remove, because it's sort of a greyish colour as well, it's kind of hard to tell if it's all off or not until you touch your lashes and realise they're still loaded with product.

Katy Perry Crystal Nails DIY Tutorial...bling bling!

I know this is a bit late (Katy Perry tweeted the above pic like 2 months ago...) but I still love it, finally got round to doing it (whilst I had short nails) and thought I’d tell you how I did it!

It’s really easy, though somewhat time consuming.

Tools:
CND Super Stickey

OPI polish in Glamour Game
Elegant Touch Brush On Nail Glue
Blu-Tack
Orange stick
Crystals (I bought 10,000 from Ebay)
CND Super Shiney

How to:
1. Basecoat
2. Polish
3. Attach the Blu-Tack to the end of your orange stick
4. Use the Blu-Tack/orange stick tool to pick up a crystal by gently pressing the Blu-Tack onto the top of the crystals (so the sparkly bit is stuck in the Blu-Tack)
5. Paint nail with nail glue in a stripe across the nail where you’re first going to attach the crystals
6. Press the rhinestones onto your nails by placing them onto your nails via the Blu-Tack and pressing lightly
7. Repeat in rows until the nail is covered
8. Wait for the nail glue on the whole thing to have dried properly
9. Cover with (good) topcoat

Voila......................................

...............................................Bling bling!

I think this would work amazingly well in acrylic rather than just with polishes too. I’d also recommend getting larger crystals that the ones I used, daaaaaaaaaaamn they were small.
It looked really nice when I started at the top, almost like a french mani but with crystals rather than white tips, and I think that overall that's a more wearable look.

Lord knows how long it’ll last but I’ll keep you updated………………….