A tale of two Chanel foundations...Chanel Vitalumiere in 30 (Shell) and Vitalumiere Aqua in 20 (Beige Tendre)

Chanel Vitalumiere in 30 (Shell)

I bought this from duty free on the way back from Dublin after sneaking/stealing a sample from my flatmates copy of Glamour (sorry! It wasn't the right colour for you anyway!!). In hindsight I think the sample I tried may have been Vitalumiere Aqua as this bottle doesn't seem quite as fluid and light as the sample. And I also think I've bought a shade too dark and it all looks a bit patchy and orange on me which is a real pet hate of mine but I'll save it for hols or when I've got fake tan on. Let's just say I'm rubbish at buying foundations! The coverage on Vitalumiere is medium, but it definately is buildable.

This is the first Chanel product that I've bought, overall this foundation is ok, but I can't say I'm overwhelmed by it and I don't think I'll be repurchasing this one.

Chanel Vitalumiere in 20 (Beige Tendre)

I was bought this by my lovely Dad, again at Duty Free. Now this stuff is more like it - very fluid and light with a good dewy coverage (you do need to shake it before use as it needs mixed really). I actually got the right coverage this time and it makes me look nice and fresh faced, healthy and awake. It reminds me a lot of DiorSkin Nude, another water based foundation, and one of my faves. I think I prefer this kind of finish on my skin, especially as it can get quite dry. It also contains SPF 15.

The bottle looks teeny but the amount of product is no different (30ml) and is plastic with a nozzle, this is maybe not as luxurious as other high end foundations but it does mean it's easier to get in your make up bag and less likely to smash. tt comes in a fancy little Chanel cardboard box with a slightly pretentious leaflet in it, the leaflet does recommend applying with fingertips which is good as that's my preferred method of application anyway.

Now THIS foundation is definately the same as the sample I tried, and I would buy it again...probably only at Duty Free though as it is quite expensive!

P.S. Sorry for the rubbish pictures, my Blackberry camera is really not good.

I seem to have reverted back to my childhood...

I used to be a chronic nail biter from basically when I had teeth until the age of about 21. I'd bite my nails so far down my fingers were really sore and the skin around my nails were in tatters - my parents tried all sorts to stop me, paying for me to get a nice manicure, using that stuff that tastes awful when you bite (the urge to nibble was so strong that I got used to it), telling me off when I bit etc.

After shelling out hundreds of pounds on getting acrylic or gel nails done between about 16-21 (check out the disgusting pic of my false talons below, my hands look er, manly with those nails!) I finally saw the light, started to be properly interested in making the most of how I looked and just stopped biting with the help of plain old nail varnish, I liked the way it looked and thought it would look even better if I had long nails. So I just stopped biting and it turned out my nails looked quite nice a bit longer and were pretty strong.

Recently, at the grand old age of 24, I've been through some life changing events (both good and bad) coupled with the usual working-full-time-trying-to-have-a-life-studying-for-a-degree-balancing-everything stuff and I've reverted back to biting my nails quite badly again due to the stress (make of that what you will, amatuer psychologists) - once again they're really short and sore but I can't stop the compulsion to bite, even though I hate it and it looks awful!

But today's the day it stops. There's no need for me to do it, I don't like doing it, it hurts and I love having nice nails. So I've painted my nails/stumps today in Leighton Denny "Supermodel" (even though most of it is on my skin, not my nails), and I've been using cuticle oil with frightening regularity; I'm going to keep painting them in neutral colours until they get a bit longer and then I'll probably get another Shellac manicure to keep them looking strong and lovely until I can be trusted again!

Last day to enter my Hotel Chocolat Easter giveaway today!

You like Hotel Chocolat? You might want to enter my giveaway
for an amazing Hotel Chocolat egg!

My first experience with Shellac nails (in Rosebud)

Sorry my nail pics have all been swatched on a nail wheel of late, I've had Shellac on my nails for the last 2 weeks! The colour I had was Rosebud, a muted baby pink.

For those of you that haven't heard of Shellac, it's described as a gel/polish hybrid and that's definately what it is. Its applied like a polish (including base and topcoat) but "cured" with a UV light between each layer. After its all been done it looks lovely, have you ever applied a thick layer of polish that looks gorgeous but will never actually dry properly? That's what it's like but dry! The colour is really glossy thanks to the topcoat that's applied, and it looks like it should feel all gooey and jelly like but it doesn't, it's rock hard.

These nails lasted for 2 weeks and still looked really glossy with no tipwear, the only reason they looked a bit tired was because of a bit of a gap at the bottom where my nails had grown considerably. Having the Shellac on definately helped protect them and stopped them snapping/flaking too - I was doing washing up, having showers and baths, handwashing clothes, painting my toes, and at one point whacked my finger at such an angle that I thought the nail would be straight off, but it wasn't!

Since I actually enjoy painting my nails and changing the colours a few times a week (plus the fact my nails grow pretty quickly), I'm definately not going to be a full time Shellac convert but I'm still pretty amazed and pleased with it. Will definately be getting Shellac on my fingers and toes if I go on holiday (I think Tropix would look gorgeous on toes in summer), I never have the time or inclination to do my nails when I'm away. I'd also recommend this for anyone who's trying to grow their nails but doesn't want the committment of getting gel or acrylic nails or anyone who can't be bothered doing their nails all the time but still wants to look groomed.

I just found out that with my mani and pedi qualifications, I can actually buy Shellac from the supplier to use - I didn't realise, I thought I had to have gel qualifications. Someone hide my bank card please!

For details of salons doing Shellac near you, you can go to http://www.cnd.com/Locate/Shellac-Find-A-Salon.aspx.

Dear Batiste Dry Shampoo - Tones (light and blonde hair)

Dear Batiste Blonde,

I had high hopes for you, really I did. I went looking for you especially. As I'm not a natural blonde (shock, horror!), if I've got a bit of regrowth (ahem, dark roots) the normal white Batiste can look a bit dusty if it's not rubbed in properly and can sometimes show on photos if a flash is used. I tend to use Batiste a few times a week as I've got a bit of a grease-phobia when it comes to my hair, but I don't want to wash it every day as I have to do a lot of styling to tame it after washing.

From the first use of you, I could just tell it wasn't meant to be - you were very yellow toned and made my hair look brassy at the roots, I spend half my time on my hair making sure it doesn't look brassy or yellowy so this didn't bode well for me. I can't imagine that this would be so great if you had very light blonde or ash blonde hair, it would be too dark/yellow a colour - blonde hair runs a massive spectrum and I think it's maybe a bit overambitious to try and design a "catchall" product for blondes. But on a positive note, you're as effective as normal Batiste you smell alright but I'm sorry to say I think I'll be sticking with Batiste Brit, Diva or Boho.

Sorry - I hope we can still be friends.

Lucy

A little bit of YSL...

YSL Volum Effet Faux Cils in Black


I bought this on a whim as Feel Unique were selling it for a decent price (though if this
is anything to go by, I reckon that has stopped now) and I'd wanted it for a while but, as ever with YSL stuff, found the cost a little prohibitive. I'm SO glad I indulged, this mascara is amazing - in conjunction with using RapidLash I actually have lashes that look a decent length (and touch the skin at the top of my eyebrows) as well as them looking really black and full, woo-hoo! As well as my eyelashes remaining soft and not crispy-looking. I think this may well be my ultimate mascara, I even like the brush.


It has a light perfumed smell and the packaging is ultra luxe too, all very gold and swanky looking. I've heard some complaints that it dries up in the tube pretty quickly, but I've had it about a month now and no changes so far, I'll update if that happens though.


YSL Lip Twins Lip Duo Satin/Shine Lipstick - 9 Fuchsia Orange



This also has rather fancy packaging, it wasn't what I was expecting when I ordered this online! It's basically two blocks of lipbalm/gloss in a tube that you can turn around (I'm not explaining this well at all) to show the colours. The middle pulls out as a brush.


I like the colours - they're well pigmented too - and the packaging is sublime but to be honest the actual product itself is nothing absolutely amazing to me, it just seems a bit like a standard lip balm/gloss type thing (though a very nice one) with a brush. It's a very pretty and wearable addition to my make up bag though, and I don't regret purchasing it.


In other YSL news, I was getting my eyebrows done and the beauty therapist said she liked my lipstick and made me show her what it was so she could write down the shade number and buy it. Of course it was my rather lovely YSL Rouge Volupte in Opera Rose and sad to say I felt a little bit proud showing it off!

RapidLash Update - Week 8

Nearly at the end of the recommended 8-10 weeks of use of RapidLash and I'm still really happy with the results - not much of a change from Week 6 but I don't really mind as I'm pleased with how much better my eyelashes look (especially compared to the first pic I took when I started reviewing this product). I'm struggling to show it in the pics but they're actually a bit longer than they look here as I can see the ends are very fine and look quite light - when I've got mascara on they look so good!

After 8 weeks of using RapidLash

What my eyelashes looked like before I started using RapidLash

What my eyelashes normally look like with mascara on

What my eyelashes now look like with mascara on (YSL Volume Effect Mascara)

Seeing the results like that, I'm even more pleased. I'm definately going to continue using it as RapidLash recommend that you should use it 2-3 times per week to maintain the growth and I've got into a nice little routine at night with it (to the point where if I forget to apply it I'll actually get up out of bed to apply it...normally this isn't the case, once I'm in bed, that's it!).

I was thinking about the fact it costs £40 per tube too, each tube has a 3 month supply in it (probably more if you're just using it just 2-3 times a week for maintenance instead of every night), so that's about £13 a month. When you think about the fact I was getting lash extensions that are £80 initially then about £40 every 6 weeks at one point or even the fact that I buy false lashes, lash primer, countless different mascaras etc, it actually doesn't work out that bad...about £3.25 a week, just a bit less than a Cafe Nero vanilla frappe milkshake with cream (my fave!). Can you tell I'm trying to justify it?!

P.S. Speaking of yummy stuff, if you like chocolate, you might want to enter my Hotel Chocolat Giveaway here?

Some more Topshop Sandstorm Collection make up...

I was so impressed by the Topshop make up I reviewed here , that I got some more from the range (ahem).

The items I got were:

• Creme Lipcolour in Tawny
• Nail Duo in Zealous
• Lipgloss Stick in Ablaze
• Lipgloss Stick in Glisten

Creme Lipcolour in Tawny
This is very different to the colours I usually wear but is certainly very wearable. It's a warm beige toned nude that actually looks good on me, and doesn't make me look like I've got foundation lips. I initially wasn't sure if I liked it as it is quite a bit away from my comfort zone but I've been told it's pretty on me. As with Daze, I think the formula is absolutely lovely and it has a gorgeous vanilla scent.

Nail Duo in Zealous

Same as my previous review - the metallic is the winner here for me (I also like the pink a lot though, it's blue based) - the formulation is very easy to work with, opacity is good and colour is nice and strong with 3 coats.

Lipgloss Stick in Glisten and Ablaze

These were a total whim because I liked the colours, both are quite sheer and glossy compared to the colour in the tube. Glisten is a dark pink (almost plum) and Ablaze is a very wearable light coral/orange - much better than the Barry M lipstick I tried last week to try and get the spring/summer orange lip look. These also have the same very nice vanilla scent. The wear on them isn't really long lasting, but they're a lipgloss...they're never going to last days on end. I've pretty much been wearing these since I got them.

High five, Topshop! I'd initially thought that their make up range wouldn't be so great but I've been proven wrong, even the packaging is nice. I've also heard good things about the cream blush and the highlighter from their main collection - I will be avoiding Topshop for some time now as I'm coveting a dress and some shoes from there as well and I MUST NOT SPEND.

Sedbergh Soap Company - 100% natural Lemongrass Soap

I was recently sent some gorgeous soaps to try by Sedbergh Soap.

As someone who has suffered from psoriasis in the past (I still get the odd patch if I'm stressed or run down) and skin which tends to react to certain chemicals, I'm probably not as careful as I should be when choosing products. Sedbergh Soap produce a range of soaps and bath products that contain no chemicals that irritate the skin, no sodium chloride, no blended essentail oils and no herbal extracts - the company began when its founder, Dorthe M Pratt, was looking for products that didn't exacerbate her severe eczema. They also contain 100% natural ingredients, are 70%-89.9% organic, use recyclable packaging and grow a lot of their ingredients themselves.

The bar that I tried was their best seller, Lemongrass. Priced at £4.25 and containing pure essential oil and dried lemongrass, this smells absolutely gorgeous, really citrusy and fresh. In terms of lathering, it works well too. Just goes to show you don't need all these chemicals and that just because a product is catering for very sensitive skin or contains natural ingredients, there doesn't have to be a compromise on effectiveness.

I'd recommend these products for anyone who has sensitive skin or likes to know exactly what's in their products and where it came from - actually, for anyone who just wants a guilt free treat! I've passed their details on to a woman I work with who is big into her natural/chemical free products (remember the organic fake tan I reviewed a while ago? That came from her.). The soap I tried was just lovely all round and I'll definately be looking to try out some more things.

Sedbergh Soap is available from the Sedbergh Soap website, which also has much more information about their ingredients and history, as well as details of stockists and customer testimonials. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter at http://twitter.com/sedberghsoap.

RapidLash Update - Week 6

I genuinely feel like I can see a difference in my lashes now - to me they look slightly longer and thicker, in much better condition and I'm losing less lashes. I'm really pleased with the results so far, and also a little bit concerned as this now means that I'll want to keep using it at the cost of £40 every 8-10 weeks..argh.

This is what they look like now (look at that long lash in the middle, eek!!):

And this was what they looked like 6 weeks ago before I started using RapidLash:

What do you think? Any longer/thicker? Or is it just wishful thinking on my part?

I wonder if this is as long as they get or if they'll get any longer? They probably just get to the end of their hair cycle, drop out and it all starts again. It probably sounds daft (especially to those of you with long lashes) but I'm really pleased with these, I've been cursed with short lashes forever!

Models Own Polishes and Nail Art Pen

L-R: Sophie's Pink, Nude Beige, Pastel Pink, Mystic Mauve, Juicy Jules

My favourites out of these are Nude Beige, Juicy Jules and Mystic Mauve. I absolutely love Nude Beige and it's one of the only nude colours I've found that I like on my nails, Juicy Jules is a gorgeous holo glitter (probably better layered) and Mystic Mauve is just a lovely metallic lilac. The pinks are nice too but I've got ones like them in my collection already!

As ever, application and length of wear was really good. Models Own polishes are brilliant, especially for the price of them. Good to see they're more readily available in Boots and River Island now too.

I also picked up the Models Own/WAH Nails Nail Art Pen in Black, mainly to make doing half moon designs and stripes easier. The pen has a thin liner brush as well as a very fine tip for doing nail art.

Very easy to use with a bit of a practice (something I think I need more of if the pic below is anything to go by) and the possibilities are endless, just have a look at some of the designs WAH Nails produce! They're only available in black and white at the moment but would be good to see them in a wider variety of colours.

Barry M Lip Paint - 54 Peach

Orange lips are apparently going to be big news this spring/summer - is it just me or do they say that orange lips are "in" every summer? As I quite like the orange lip look I had a look round for a not-too-expensive orange lipstick in case I never actually bother wearing it.

There weren't THAT many around on the high street that weren't frosted or a dark orange/nearly red, which wasn't what I wanted. I ended up buying Barry M 54 Peach. Needless to say it doesn't suit me, it's a bit too light and chalky, plus I think I need a bit of a tan before I can get away with the orange lip look!

As I said, I think this would look better on darker skin than mine. I think once I get a tan and summer comes around I'm going to try an orange gloss out rather than a lipstick, I had a great one from 17 when I was about 13 that would have been ideal but I'm fairly sure they won't make that now - it's nearly 13 years ago! :-) I think this gloss would be nice though - Paul & Joe Lipgloss in Tangerine:

Deborah Lippmann Ruby Red Slippers (at last!)

I've wanted this for ages now - to say I was a little excited when I saw Deborah Lippmann polishes in House of Fraser (Manchester Deansgate store in case you were wondering) would be a massive understatement.It's a dark grey with red multi-sized glitter suspended in it. Dark colour, red glitter, multi glitter - amazing!

Application was good, wear time good. Overall very pleased. Weirdly though I don't love this quite as much as I thought I would, I much prefer Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance which is similar but with purple glitter. It's also quite similar to Eyeko Vampira which has the same colours but not the larger glitter (much cheaper though!).

Saying this, Deborah Lippmann polishes are still unique and lovely polishes that are great for a special treat. You can also nab them on the House of Fraser website, I'd order them with some other stuff though as the delivery is a bit OTT for one nail varnish. I wonder if these will be included when HOF have their 25% off days? One can only hope...

No 7 Exquisite Curl Mascara

I know you've probably seen this on loads of other blogs, but I've been testing this out thoroughly and I'm really impressed! You might remember how short my lashes actually are from this post here, well this is what my lashes look like with this mascara on:

Much longer, black and actually with some curl to them (my lashes aren't really long enough to curl whatever I do) - I think this would be even more amazing on someone with alright lashes to start with. The brush is really easy to use and I like the packaging too, I'd happily buy this again though I do feel it's maybe a tad expensive at £13 as I don't consider No 7 a proper luxury brand like YSL or Chanel, and I managed to pick up YSL Faux Cils recently for about £15.95.

It's available from Boots and is priced at £13 - Boots are giving away those No 7/Ruby and Millie £5 off vouchers at the moment though, and No7 is offering a free eye pallette AND it's in the 3 for 2 on the Boots website so you can't probably work out a way of getting it cheaper.

Topshop Sandstorm Collection - Creme Lipcolour in Daze and Nails Duo in Wilderness

Creme Lipcolour in Daze

The texture of this creme lipcolour was just that - really creamy and satiny, I loved the finish of it, it feels a lot more expensive than it is (£7.50). It was really different to a standard lipgloss, which was what I was expecting, the colour is nice too, a muted baby pink that gave good opaque coverage - it reminds me a little of MAC Speed Dial in terms of colour and finish. It also has that yummy vanilla smell/taste that I'd usually associate with MAC lipsticks. Will definately be wearing this in spring!

Nail Duo in Wilderness

I was also nicely surprised by these polishes - the brushes and formulation were really easy to work with and two coats just about gave opaque coverage (3 is probably a bit safer). The silver was by far my favourite - it looks gorgeous, the glitter is dense and doesn't feel rough or gritty, it actually looks quite a lot like Minx when it's on every finger. I liked the green/blue too but I tend not to wear this type of colour, it doesn't suit me. At £9 for the nail duos, I think they're priced well too as there's 6ml in each bottle.

This is the first time I've tried any of the Topshop make up range and I'll definately be trying more, I like the look of the other nail duo (Zealous) and lip creme (Tawny) in the Sandstorm collection (there's loads of stuff that would look amazing with a tan!) and I might even investigate the main line. :-)

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.