Manic.Monday: Ember Red

A few weeks ago I showed the first out the two Models Own Artistix Duo (£6) that I bought at the beginning of the year. It's a really fun nail art range in the same style as Revlon's Moon candy and there are twelve amazing duos to choose from. The first one I showed was Terra Crystal which is a lovely combination of coffee brown with pink crystal top coat that creates a really interesting and gritty textured concrete glam effect. Today's duo called Ember Red is a very different look, but equally lovely. The base shade Hot Red is a warm dark red, almost maroon shade and it's paired with the Ember Glow top coat, which is a glorious glitter polish with golden red, orange and bronze particles.

I've tried several nail polishes from Models Own before and I've always been very happy with the formula - it's not watery, it's quick drying, it's richly pigmented with a lovely glossy finish and it comes with a decent brush. Since Hot Lava is fairly dark, you only need one coat for a lovely rich coverage although as usual I've added a second coat for a truly opaque look. It's definitely a classic dark red shade and it looks very stylish and sophisticated on its own, you really don't need the amazing top coat, but since it is a duo product it would almost be rude not to use it - and we don't want to be accused of that now do we?

The formula of the top coat is a bit more thick than the base shade and it also takes a few mins longer to dry. Even though the brush isn't particularly wide you still get quite an even distribution of the glitter particles over the nail, although as always with glitters you may need to move some of the particles around on the nail before they set to get the look you're after. Ember Glow is an amazing glitter coat. I absolutely love the combination of the bronze golden glitters and it's not a color mix that you see very often. It's a perfect match with the dark red base shade and it really brings out the brightness of the orange and gold glitter but I would imagine that Ember Glow also would be a lovely combination with e.g. green, white or even a purple, so I'll definitely continue to experiment with it.

Since we all prefer different amount of glitter on our nails I've done exactly as I did with Terra Crystal, i.e. I'm showing you how the look changes depending on how many coats of Ember Glow you apply. With one coat only, you'll get a subtle and alluring look but it's still eye catching and interesting. Should you apply another coat you get a richer and more opulent look, that is perhaps more suitable for a party and with a third coat, you've definitely amped up the glitter but the coverage is so dense that you almost can't see the base shade.

From left to right (in natural light):

  Hot Red (2 coats)

Hot Red + 1 coat of Ember Glow

  Hot Red+ 2 coats of Ember Glow

Hot Red + 3 coats of Ember Glow

I'm not usually one to go for the minimal look when it comes to glitter, on the contrary I tend to shamelessly bling it on but in this case I actually prefer the look where I've only used one coat of Ember Glow since I think the base shade is so lovely on its own that it's a shame to cover it completely with glitter, and one coat gives just the right lovely balance of the smouldering golden glitter glow against the dark, warm background. Using one or two coats of Ember Glow will give you about 4 days of wear before it starts to chip, and if you go for a denser glitter look, I would say it lasts about 2-3 days so wear is shorter, although it's also easier to remove without having to use acetone.

Manic.Monday: Terra Crystal

One of my most recent additions to my nail polish collection is a cute little kit from Models Own that I'd never tried before. It's a duo product along the same lines as Revlon's Moon Candy, so you get a plain base shade in one end of it, and on the other is a fun effect top coat. The Artistix Duo (£8) is available in twelve different combinations where the top coats comes in a variety of different effects e.g. heavy glitters in varying shades and colors, crushed opal candy or pearlescent multi tonal shimmer. This duo is called Terra Crystal, and the base shade Terra Firma is a muted dark coffee brown with a slight red tint to it, and the top coat Pink Crystal is a glitter polish with beautiful pink hexagonal particles and tiny silver specks scattered throughout.

The formula of the base coat has just the right consistency - it's not gloopy but it's not watery either and it has a wonderful depth of color with a great high shine, without having to use a top coat. The brush is of standard width, but it seems to be of fairly good quality and doesn't streak or leave any pesky stray hairs in the polish. The polish dries fairly quickly and although the coverage is good enough with just one coat, I prefer to apply another coat for the shade to really develop and to get a solid opaque look. For me Terra Firma is a great classic and stylish brown shade, a softer option to black and you can definitely wear this on its own, however since I am a total magpie let's move quickly on to the lovely glittery top coat... ooooh, me like...

The top coat is a gorgeous glitter polish, very rich on lovely large pink shapes and tiny silver fragments which helps to get a fairly even spread of the glitter across the nail, although you may need to do some adjustments of the glitter placement. As you can see in the photos I've experimented a little bit with the amount of layers of the top coat, and the density of the glitter is so high that you can definitely use just one coat for a more sparse and sleek look. If you use two coats, you'll get a grittier textured look that reminds me a bit of what I call glam concrete - it's a coarse glittery texture with a very urban look and feel. Should you go for three coats, the nail will be almost completely covered in the hexagons, and it's a much heavier and opulent look than the other two.

From left to right (in natural light):

Terra Firma (2 coats)

Terra Firma + 1 coat of Pink Crystal

Terra Firma + 2 coats of Pink Crystal

Terra Firma + 3 coats of Pink Crystal

From left to right (in artificial light):

Terra Firma (2 coats)

Terra Firma + 1 coat of Pink Crystal

Terra Firma + 2 coats of Pink Crystal

Terra Firma + 3 coats of Pink Crystal

As with many effect polishes the consistency is a little thicker and it takes a few mins to dry so if you do decide to layer it, I would recommend that you let each coat dry properly before applying the next one, so you don't unintentionally end up moving the particles around before they've set properly. I haven't tried this on my nails yet, so I don't actually know how easy it is to remove the polish, but something tells me, it takes a fair bit of effort. If any of you have tried the Artistix Duo, please let me know in the comments what it was like to remove.  

All the looks are lovely in their own way, so which style you go for is really dependent on your personal preference. As you know I'm not shy with my nail polishes and I also really like contrasts so I would probably wear two coats for an urban look and feel - which one would you go for?

A cheeky little beauty haul

The after Christmas sale is dangerous ground for someone like me, and I'm like a kid in a candy store looking at all the wonderful offers and discounts, trying my hardest not to get too carried away. Despite all the dangers lurking, I did tempt fate and braved the sales early one morning to beat the worst thing about sales - the crowds, and I ended up getting one or two things, well ok... maybe a few more than that...

After years of having played around with makeup but never really thinking about the tools that I was using, I fell in love with Real Techniques brushes last year, and I'm guessing I'm probably not the first one this has happened to. Previously I use to be content with using whatever little hard sponge applicator that came with the product, but having tried the amazingly fluffy, soft and pliable Real Techniques brushes, there's just no going back to anything less than this. Since I still can't quite get used to working with brushes to apply foundation. I decided that it would be better for me to invest in some more brushes for eye makeup and I ended up getting two of the Real Technique Shading Brushes (£7.99). I'm so looking forward to using these brushes with some new eye shadows that I got recently and I'm still completely enamored with Real Techniques brushes. and I have a feeling this new relationship will last for quite a long time to come.

One thing that I will do better this year is to take better care of my growing collection of quality brushes, so I definitely needed to pick up a brush cleanser, and I ended up getting the No 7 Makeup Brush Cleanser (£8). The cleanser is more of a quick fix between uses and it comes with a pump dispenser, so you can spray it onto some tissue paper and then wipe off the brushes. Sounds good to me and although I know I should cleanse the brushes properly at least once a month, this is a great stop gap for me and definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to brush cleansing - all I need to do now is to actually use it...

After these little essentials I passed the stand for Seventeen products and the range of mascaras caught my eye. I don't mind paying a bit more for a super quality mascara, however since I go through them at rocket pace I am always open to a bargain. When I saw what these picks from Seventeen promise to do for my lashes, for a fraction of the cost of what I would normally spend on a mascara, I just had to try them. I crave long, volumized, curled and preferably flared lashes. That's a tall order and that's what the Seventeen Falsifeye Mascara (£4) claims it can do - well I have actually started to use it and I'll do a review of it very soon, and we'll see how it did. The second mascara - the Seventeen Dolld Up Mascara (£4) also promises beautifully curved, volumised lashes for a wide eyed look that lasts 24 hrs and of course I just had to get that as well. I have never managed to get hold of a great mascara for less than approx. £8, but I'm keeping an open mind and let's see if any of them can give my beloved YSLs Baby Doll Mascara a run for its money.

The last product to hit my shopping basket in Boots was a cheeky little lipstick that I have been hunting high and low for, Estée Lauder's Pure Colour Vivid Shine Lipstick (£20) in the gorgeous shade Hot Lava. I love Estée Lauder lipsticks - they are beautifully moisturising, the shine is incredible and they have super wear throughout the day. Hot Lava is a creamy, glamorous, and timeless deep red wine shade that is simply stunning and despite the richness it's not too dark for Spring.

As you know for me no shopping trip is complete unless I get something new for my nails, and this time around I ended up with products that all speak to the OTT side of me (and believe me, there's absolutely no point in trying to quiet that side down). When I quickly browsed through Primark I accidentally spotted some very interesting caviar mixes and the price (£2) each was so low it would have been plain rude not to buy them. Both sets come with a base shade and a caviar mix and although I may not get much use out of the base shades or have very high hopes on the formula, at least I have two very interesting mixes to play with. The first one is a gorgeous and balanced mix of black, silver and gold and I just can't wait to try some different looks with this, and the second one is a lovely mix of different blues; navy, cobolt, deep sky blue, turquoise and silver. I imagine it would look amazing with a tan in the summer.

After that accidental purchase I wandered on to Superdrug where I found a great deal on Models Own products - 2 for £8, which was just too good an offer to refuse, and I ended up getting something I hadn't tried before - the Models Own Artistix Duo (£6) in Terra Crystal and Ember Red. It's the same principle as with Revlon's Moon Candy products, so it's basically 2 products in 1 with a plain base shade at one end and then a different effect top coat at the other. In the first one, Terra Crystal, the base shade is a muted bark brown and the effect is a glitter polish with pink and black particles in different sizes and together they create a very gritty but sparkly look. The base shade in the second one, Ember Red is a deep maroon and the top coat a shimmer mix of lustrous  bright red, orange and gold - I'm so looking forward to experimenting with both of these.

My last stop of this little treasure hunt was Debenhams, where a big sales sign at the Lancome section made me go a little overboard and I ended up getting a few Lancome Ombre In Love Eyeshadows (limited edition - £9.50). The shades are all beautiful shimmering pastels in pink and green with tempting names like Romance Tagada, Pistachio Cream and Cosmopolitan Mint and they looked soooo pretty. The eyeshadows had been taken out of the packaging so what I didn't realise was that they come in a slightly flimsy paper packaging. I really don't like it and it's not at all what I would have expected from Lancome, but I'll just take that in my happy blogger stride hoping that the formula won't disappoint.

I haven't tried any eye makeup from Lancome in a very long time so I kind of look at this as research for the blog, which we all know has to be done - hrmm... and as you may have seen from the Spring & Summer collections 2014, these shade will be VERY useful and I've been very good to plan ahead. Despite my disappointment in the Lancome packaging, I'm still quite happy about what I got overall and I look forward to start testing everything out and I'm planning on publishing the first review in a week or so.

Manic.Monday - Models Own Green Fairy

Earlier this autumn Model's Own released their Velvet Goth Collection which has five dark and vampy jewel shades. As soon as I saw the previews of the shades, I knew I had to try them since I have a bit of a thing for textured nail polishes, and the shade that I most wanted to try was Absinthe. It's not just the color itself that appeals to me, it's also the connotations of images of Paris in the winter time in another era.

Absinthe is a ridiculously strong anise flavoured spirit, that should really be mixed with water before you drink it and it was very popular among artists and writers in 19th century Paris. If you're a literature buff like myself, you'll recognize that absinthe is mentioned in many classic novels where it's referred to as the Green Fairy. For me Absinthe conjures up images of bohemian Paris in the autumn time, eating roasted chestnuts in Montmartre - perhaps sitting on the steps of  Sacré Coeur... but before I lose myself completely thinking of Paris, let's move on to the nail polish!

The nail polishes in the Velvet Goth collection have a very unique finish which is slightly textured, matte but glimmering at the same time. When you apply the first coat of any of the shades, the polish goes on like any other product - glossy and easy to work with. After you've applied the second and maybe even a third coat, the polish creates an amazing and interesting multi dimensional effect created by different glitter shapes, sizes and slight differences in color.

The brush is a very standard size - not particularly wide, but since the formula is nice and easy to apply and the glitter is spread evenly in the polish you'll easily get a streak free and even finish. You'll definitely need to apply at least two coats to get that sumptuous effect, but even if you should decide to go for even more coats, you don't need to worry that it's going to long time creating the lovely finish, since the polish dries very quickly and evenly. Personally I like to apply three coats to get the really dense effect of heavy and shimmery velvet, and that's what you see in the pic below.

 

The shade Absinthe is a dark Persian green with a blue undertone which give it a shimmery slightly teal like hue, and it's broken up with different size glitter in various lighter shades of green like forest green and even lime green. Together it creates an amazing, rich, vampy and plush effect. I really like the final results and despite it being a very distinct look, it could definitely be worn as an every day polish, and I would probably pair this with an outfit in berry or plum colours or even the mono chrome trend. I like this so much that I'll get some of the other shades as well and have my eye on Sardonyx - a lovely rich burgundy red and Amethyst a glorious royal purple. Have you tried the Velvet Goth collection yet? Which is your favourite shade?