RapidLash Update - Week 4

I've been a bit rubbish over the last week and haven't been applying my RapidLash as often as I should have been - I went away and forgot to take it with me so that was about 6 days out of the 14 I didn't use it. Oops, so no pic this week as I don't feel like it counts!

I'll give you some more info about RapidLash instead to make up for my rubbishness.

Apparently in a clinical study of 48 people over 84 days, lashes were up to 50% longer and 75% thicker. You can use it on your brows too if they're a bit sparse.

RapidLash retails for £39.99 and is available exclusively in the UK from Boots and Boots.com for anyone wanting to give it a go.

Revlon Nail Enamel in 570 Vixen (Adele's nails at the Brit Awards!)

Vixen is a really deep (almost brown) red, very wearable and classic. It's a little bit different to the colours I'd usually wear but I like it nevertheless.

This is only the second Revlon polish I've tried and application was pretty good, I find the brush easy to use, but the formulation was a little bit watery and it was easy to apply too much or for a big blob of it to suddenly run down from the top of the brush. Drying time was fine too as long as you don't apply too much, I forgot to apply topcoat on this and it chipped by the second day but this probably wouldn't be the case if you did use a topcoat. I'd also recommend using a base coat with this as I suspect it would stain...

I had thought it was quite similar to Leighton Denny polish in Monroe - and it is, but Monroe is a little bit pinker. I doubt the untrained eye could tell the difference anyway!

Apparently, this was what Adele was wearing at the Brit Awards, applied by Mike Pocock - I love her makeup and the way she does her hair, it's all very classic and she knows what suits her - and is Revlon's best-selling nail colour.

Products I bought last week blatantly for the packaging:

Batiste Brit

It's not my favourite scent of Batiste (that's Boho, Diva or Fresh!) but the packaging is definately my favourite. It works the same as all the other ones out there. Just on the subject I think Batiste have marketed these products really well and made something quite dull (talc for your hair to mop up grease...ew!) into something almost covetable.

ASOS Exclusive Bourjois Blusher - 16 Rose Coup De Foudre

I didn't want or need a blusher, I'd never tried Bourjois blusher before and I had no clue about the colour but based on the pretty packaging this somehow became part of my ASOS order. Luckily I like it, the colour is a little more on the peach side of pink than I'd normally go for but it's a nice difference (I suppose I'd have been annoyed if it was exactly the same as my other blushes, wouldn't I?) and it smells really nice.

Luckily, purchasing based on packaging has worked out well for me on this occasion!

Ardell Fashion Lash - Demi Wispies

I bought some Ardell Wispies on a whim after hearing good things about them and with them being very different from the usual spiky, separated false lashes I usually wear. I also don't usually wear much eye make up - a bit of eyeliner and mascara and I'm good to go so I thought why not mix it up a bit?

On this pic I've got on:

• Rimmel Colour Rush Mono Eyeshadow - 214 Matte Black
• MAC Pigment - Family Crest
• MAC Smolder Eye Kohl - Black
• No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara
• Rimmel Flash Eyeliner in Black

The MAC pigment looks a lot more impressive in the flesh, it gives a subtle gold shimmer (I applied it wet over the Rimmel shadow for a bit of depth). But my god it's messy! I also know zilch when it comes to contouring or blending shadow and which brushes to use for what, I'd like to learn but I wear eyeshadow so infrequently it's not really that high on my priorities. I do get major envy when I see really well-done eye make up though!

Overall I was really pleased with these lashes - they look fairly natural (as natural as inch long perfectly curled lashes can do!) without looking boring or pointless, the invisible band is great and the price of these lashes was good. I sort of have two issues with Ardell lashes though:

1. The lash glue is in a tear open cardboard packet that can't be resealed, so if I want to take glue out with me in case one frees itself during the night I have to take a different glue with me. I'd rather the lashes were cheaper and I knew i had to use my Duo from the off.

2. The fact they're made from 100% human hair. Now, I'm not especially squeamish - I mean, I wore woven extensions for years and still dabble with clip ins from time to time, but I really do have to ask the question whose hair is this and whereabouts the hair is from? At least with extensions you know it's head hair :-)

But despite that moan - I'll definately be buying these lashes again and I'd actually like to try some of the other Ardell lash styles as they look really good.

RapidLash Update - Week 2

Ok, I took some pics of my lashes to do my week two RapidLash update and in all honesty...not a jot of difference. And in the latest pictures I've taken I appear to have crows feet, brilliant!

I do think my lashes look healthier/better but not at all longer. Never mind, still another 6 weeks of testing to go on this so not totally written it off yet!

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day! Sorry this isn't the most romantic of posts!

YSL Rouge Volupte in Opera Rose (29)

I've wanted a YSL Rouge Volupte for a long while now but their price has always made me hesitate. So after a few months of hoarding Boots points (lots of trips to the machine that gives you extra points, buying meal deals, actually using extra points vouchers instead of them just hanging around in my purse, using Boots Treat Street etc.) I finally had enough to indulge.

I opted for Opera Rose (#29) as I like my mid-bright pinks - some of the other pinks were either really bright fuschia or very pale and neither of that is really my cup of tea. For the price and for my first try, I wanted something a bit "safe" that I know I'd wear.

The packaging on these is so gorgeous and luxurious, I realise that that's probably a sizeable part of the reason they're so expensive but just look at how pretty it is:

 

Rouge Volupte feels gorgeous, creamy and hydrating on the lips. The colour is really well pigmented and lasts a few hours, the same as most lipsticks that aren't long-lasting etc. I. LOVE. IT. I recommend that you at least swatch these lipsticks and feel how lovely the formulation of them is.

 

I also decided that it was quite similar to MAC Chatterbox (which is a good thing as Chatterbox is one of my favourite lipsticks), and looking at the comparisons below, I'd say they're not too far from each other -with Rouge Volupte having a slightly sheerer, creamier formulation than MAC.

 

The girl on the YSL counter also asked if my lips "were my own" (after saying they were a nice shape) - bit of an odd compliment, but I'll take it as a compliment I think! I know I've got a bit of a (all natural) trout pout so it wasn't too much of a surprising compliment.

 

Trout pout aside, I'm already saving up my Boots points to buy my next one...

 

Who knew H&M and Urban Outfitters sold things for your home?

H&M is one of those shops that I tend not to bother with so much - I don't know what it is about it, I just never really go and I think I own one thing from there (animal print harem pants that I saw my friend wearing and asked her to get me some). A couple of my friends work at H&M and always have lovely clothes they've found there but on the odd occassion I do venture in, I never really see much I like.

But, I digress. I didn't realise that H&M had branched out into homeware - I randomly stumbled across house stuff on their website (after being sent a H&M online 25% discount code), namely these shower curtains for £12.99 each:

And this lovely guest towel (2 pack) for £6.99:

As I suspected, I didn't find any actual clothes/accessories/cosmetics that I wanted to buy on the website.

I also spotted these gorgeous pillow sets for £25 from Urban Outfitters:

Can you tell that the one with the hands spells out LOVE? I had to shut my browser down quite quickly on the Urban Outfitters site there was a lot of nice (and pretty expensive) stuff for the home on there - I suppose I get 10% off student discount but this doesn't quite cut it when you're thinking of spending £25 on, basically, pillowcases. I don't think I've ever actually really been bothered about stuff for the home before either, it's made me feel a bit old!

P.S. Dont forget to enter my Hotel Chocolat Valentine's Giveaway here

RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum

Mascara alone is never going to give me the gorgeous fluttery lashes I want and my eyelash extensions were a bit of a pain maintenance-wise (they're always amazing when you first get them done, but I'm always disappointed after an infill appointment as they never last as well or look as good) so I decided to try something else - RapidLash. Now this doesn't promise to make lashes grow but is marketed as a lash conditioner to improve the condition and appearance of your eyelashes. It has a long list of features (ingredients) and their benefits listed in the instructions.

You apply it every night to the base of your lashes for 8 weeks - I'll chart my eyelash progress (fingers crossed) by fortnight. This is how short my naked lashes are, don't you feel sorry for me?

Eek, I could probably do with a brow appointment too...

So...do you have a blog?

I need some new blogs to read so thought it might be a nice to ask you lot if any of you have any blogs or know of any fab blogs I should follow? My interests are beauty and nails (obviously!), shopping, travel and food - that's pretty much me in a nutshell to be honest! So feel free to leave your blog links below (even if I already follow it as other people might not), and hopefully we'll all discover a few new gems.

My contribution is Cynful Nails - a Singapore based nail tech who does some gorgeous acrylic and gel nail art (like this pic below). I always look forward to seeing posts from her in my blog feed, as the designs are so intricate and pretty!

Pic courtesy of Cynful Nails

In terms of essays, I've submitted two out of the four I want done before January ends, I've nearly finished my third (just waiting to submit it) and I've started my fourth and final one (until the end of February anyway). Phew! Roll on my new module starting in February...

What I always buy whenever the Boots No 7 vouchers are going...

...No 7 Cleanse and Care Eye Make-Up Remover. No matter how much I linger over the cosmetics or think about trying something else, I always stock up on this if there's a 3 for 2 or voucher going.

I just like it - all of my make up (including my tricky eyelash primer) comes off really easily, it doesn't irritate my skin in any way and feels really nourishing. Those of you that don't like the feel of oily products on your face may want to give this a miss though.

I also missed out on the Clinique mascara swap, Debenhams were all out when I popped in, booo!

Grey Nails with Pearls, Studs and Diamantes

I've had these little pearls, studs and diamantes for ages (another Ebay buy) and only just got round to using them! I was originally going to do this with a pale, sheer colour but I decided to go for contrast instead and used Models Own Grey Day, with Essie Matte About You topcoat (which has gone very thick and glue-looking but still did the trick making my nails matte).

I started thinking about adding Barry M Nail Effects in there too for a real contrast between the grey, black crackle effect and delicate pearl and crystals but I decided that was probably a little bit too much for work. I tend to like accent nails better than doing a full set of nail art too, I think it stops it from being TOO much (though I secretly love really ghetto OTT nails but more in an arty way than actually wearing them), on my left hand I only had the embellishments on my middle nail.

I used my trusty Nailene Brush On Nail Glue and an orange stick with a bit of blue tack stuck on the end to pick the gems up and apply them to the nail. Technology! I'm not sure how long everything will stay attached - because I made the polish matte, I didn't apply a topcoat over the top of the gems too - and I suspect I might wake up tomorrow with a couple missing.

I think this would look better with something darker in it as well, like a black crystal or bead or something, maybe the Nail Effects wouldn't have been so bad after all....

Good news! Free Clinique sample mascara when you swap it for an old mascara!

From tomorrow, you can get a free sample of Clinique High Impact or High Lengths mascara when you trade in your old mascara at a Clinique counter in Debenhams. It can be any brand of mascara and it can even be empty!

To get the freebie, simply visit the Clinique counter in Debenhams and hand in your old/empty mascara. Then choose which one of the two Clinique samples you'd like. The offer ends Sun 30 Jan and is limited to one per customer.

I like Clinique mascaras anyway but I didn't get round to doing this last time it was on and I'm sure (ok, I know) I've got some old mascaras lying around somewhere. Sales and discounts are basically the only good thing about January!

Red and Black Tip n Moon Mani

I did these nails really quick on an impulse in about 5 mins before bedtime - what do you think? The red is Illamasqua Ruthless, I did the stripes and half moons freehand with a (fairly crappy) striping polish I bought from Ebay. I think those Models Own Nail Art Pens (which I have yet to try) would be a lot easier and better for something like this, hopefully I'll get my paws on some soon!

Sorry but I think posts will be a bit sparse this month - I've got loads of products etc. to write about, but unfortunately I've got loads to write about for uni at the moment too! Boo, I'd rather write about nails and false lashes than law and management any day...

Deborah Lippmann - Bad Romance

I've coveted Deborah Lippmann polishes for quite a while now and Bad Romance is right up my street - a black base filled with various sizes of purple glitter (larger hexagonal pieces and normal glitter). And this didn't disappoint, I wore it for New Years Eve and I've been reapplying it ever since. This really isn't like me, a few weeks ago a woman at work joked that I was the only person she knew who wore a different colour nail polish every day!

I love the bottle that this comes in, is that really sad? I just think it's a really pretty and classy bottle, a little bit different from other brands.

Application of this was easy, the glitter placed quite well, the consistency is good and it dries reasonably quickly between coats - I've got three coats on in these pics as well as Seche Vite on top, as it didn't dry quite as glossy as I would have liked, but I think I could have got away with two. It doesn't feel totally smooth on the nail, but no worse than any other glitter polish; and like all other glitter polishes, it's a bit of a pain to remove when you want to change it (or in my case, reapply!).

I've just noticed these are definately not the neatest swatches I've ever done, and my nails are short at the minute but that's what happens when you're trying to write essays and do your nails at the same time I suppose!

My only criticism of Bad Romance is that it doesn't last that long before it chips, even with Seche Vite I'm lucky to get a day or two out of this. I suppose this is because of all the glitter?

Nevertheless, I love this polish...it may even be my new favourite. I definately would buy more Deborah Lippmann polishes, there are some really gorgeous ones. My faves are definately the glitters - Ruby Red Slippers would be my next polish of choice I think, though Boom Boom Pow and Across the Universe are gorgeous too!

P.S. Hope you all had a good new year and hello to the new (and old) followers I seem to have picked up :-)

Ooh, how exciting, I've been included in 365 Days of Nail Art!

There's some amazing nail art on the 365 Days of Nail Art blog, so I'm really really pleased to have been included as Day 363 for my nail piercing nail art I did back in October.

What a nice way to round off 2010, Happy New Year everyone!

My latest new discoveries/products I like:

So, we're nearly in 2011 now - it's that slightly dodgy time between Christmas and New Year where nothing really happens and everyone feels a bit grumpy! I got some brilliant presents (I'm a lucky girl) and had a really nice time over Christmas.

I thought I'd do a little quick round up of new things I'm liking at the minute:

Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick in Pink Gossip - this is a nice "inbetween" pink for me, it's not shockingly bright but it does add a nice bit of colour to my lips. The texture of this lipstick is lovely too, I'm not massively keen on the fake watermelon scent of this lipstick but I do secretly quite like the OTT metallic pink packaging. I've been using this a lot since I got it and I'll definately be looking more into these Colour Show Off lipsticks!

Beverly Hills Formula Sensitive Whitening - while this isn't going to make me have shiny veneered gnashers, it's definately helping make sure my teeth stay white as well as leaving them feeling nice. It isn't abrasive either and actually has a nice taste.

NSPA Vanilla Creme Brulee Shower and Bath Gel - this was a cheap and cheerful shower gel I picked up in Asda I think, I didn't expect much from it but I really like the smell of it - it's really really sweet, as you'd expect from something Creme Brulee scented and sad as it sounds, I actually enjoy using this in the shower. I've got loads of shower gels etc. to work my way through (everyone knows me well enough to give me stuff from Lush, Philosophy etc for birthdays and Christmas) but once I've used them up, I'll definately be buying this again!

Clinique Airbrush Concealer - I got given this for Christmas and it could not have come at a better time! I've basically had a cough and cold for all of December and I look pretty run down. I have dark circles (I've never had dark circles before!) and this is helping me to disguise them thank god.

Avon Color Trend in Delicious Berry - I didn't have any real expectations of this lipbalm, I thought it would just be another cheap lipbalm to keep in my desk at work but I'm really impressed by how moisturising this feels. It's really sorted out my sore, dry lips and it smells/tastes quite nice. It doesn't really colour my lips either, which I tend to prefer in everyday lipbalms. This was a lovely stocking filler!

Lady Million - I love the packaging, I love the smell and I was chuffed to bits to get this as a Christmas present! It came as part of a gorgeous looking set in a gold metal tin.

Aussie Take The Heat Cream - I really feel like this stuff is helping my hair to feel and look a bit better as well as keeping it's shape.

In other news, I've taken my lash extensions off so along with my dark circles and pale skin from being ill, I'm not looking so great, but never mind. Onwards and upwards to 2011!

Dear Santa...

...I know it's a bit late and that the elves are probably really busy, but I've been really really good this year and I thought of a few extra things I'd like to add to my list please. Basically it's an excessive amount of stuff to carry other stuff in, I don't mind which of these I get but the Alexa or the 2.55 would be nice, y'know...just saying...in case you were struggling.

Mulberry Alexa - £895


Chanel 2.55 - somewhere in the region of £1,500

Lulu Guinness Snakeskin Lips Clutch - £255

Marc B Knightsbridge - £39

Marc B Knightsbridge Elite - £42

Juicy Couture Eyelash Barrel Make Up Bag

Topshop Stud Purse - £28

ASOS Nude Feather Clutch - £26

ASOS Waterfall Clutch - £28.50

So, please add these to my Christmas list (along with everything on my beauty wishlist on the left, plus some ASOS vouchers, and maybe some tickets to go and see Rihanna...oh and world peace please, after all, I'm not greedy or anything).

Thanks

Lucy

x

P.S Any of this vintage Chanel stuff by Susan Caplan for ASOS would also be amazing: