Manic.Monday: Ravishing Boudoir red

So what happened to the blog during the last half of the year? Well in short - life! It was a year of massive change for me and I was as disappointed as anyone that I simply wasn't able to include the blog with everything else I had to juggle, and putting the blog on hold certainly wasn't an easy decision but unfortunately a necessary one. We're only a few days into a new year and although I won't be able to post daily, there will be a weekly post every Monday as of now, and I hope that you who have always supported me and been so encouraging will understand and continue to visit and enjoy the weekly articles this year.

In my book the Christmas period ends on January 6, which strictly speaking means that we've only got one more day of festive joy, silly jumpers and hopefully no more left-over food from the Christmas table.... SO DONE with left-overs! Saying that, I'm not yet quite over the traditional red Christmas nail. As most of you may know I am fairly daring when it comes to nails and am willing to give most looks a try, and I have been surprised at how much I have enjoyed sporting a classic style this winter and there's something about this beautiful and intense pure red that just makes me coming back for more.

This little sassy number is Ciaté's Boudoir (£9, but on sale at the moment for an incredible £4.50!), a glorious, sophisticated red and since it doesn't have overtly strong blue undertones it's likely to suit most skintones.

You can always trust Ciaté formulas; they're just the right consistency, easy to work with and dry quickly. Admittedly the pigmentation varies, and the lighter or sheerer colors will not be as opaque as the others, and they will therefor require more coats. This stunning red does have a sheer element to it, so I would definitely recommend at least 2 coats and a top coat to get as much wear out of it as possible. The longevity of this Ciaté polish is about 4-5 days, which is above average I think, but in all honesty, even if it only lasted 2 days, I would still buy and LOVE to wear this color. To me this is a timeless and beautiful red, and if like me you think that the masters of red like Tom Ford and Manolo Blahnik charge a bit too much for a finger nail of sexy glamour (£23-£32) this is a brilliant alternative. 

Manic.Monday: The Queen of pink - Maybelline's Pink in the Park

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I've been playing around with nail art a lot lately and have used a rainbow of different colors and looks, so today I thought I would break away from the bonanza of colors and effects, and maybe even surprise everyone by keeping it simple. Not only that - I've chosen a color that I don't wear very often... pink! I'm living proof that you can be a girly girl, without living in pink. Don't get me wrong I LOVE pink, I really do, and others look amazing in it but pink is just not a color that I'm naturally drawn to either when it comes to fashion or makeup, and truth be told the only reason I got this shade was because it was a 2-for-1 deal in Superdrug and I thought - why not?! And indeed why not - just look at it... I crown this shade the Queen of all pale pinks!

This beauty is called Pink in the Park, and it's from the Maybelline Superstay Gel Nail Color (£4.49) range which is available in 20 different colors. Having tried a lot of the different gel polishes on the market I was very excited to see how this one from Maybelline measured up with the others. The formula is quite thin and a little bit runnier than many of the other gels so you need to be careful and wipe off as much product as you can from the brush before you apply the coats, although be aware that this means that each coat can dry a little bit sheer, but personally I'd rather build up the color gradually and avoid making too much of a mess on the cuticles. The polish comes with a lovely high quality wide and flat brush that fans out over the nail, making application nice and easy if you've got the right amount of product on the brush. The polish dries quickly and the pigmentation is good for being a light shade and two coats are just perfect for creating a lovely opaque finish in just a few minutes. When the coats have dried, you'll also get a great glass like high shine finish, as you would with most gel formulas and you really don't need to apply a separate top coat.

The claim is that this formula will last for 7 days, but on me it doesn't last longer than an ordinary nail polish, so after about 3 days there was a bit of chipping on my nails that needed to be corrected and compared to other gel polishes e.g. Barry M or Nails Inc it didn't last quite as long as these brands. However, with a shade like Pink in the Park, all is forgiven - it's such a stunning, delicate cool powder pink without too strong a blue undertone, which means that it would work really well with a lot of skin tones. I'm completely in love with this shade to the degree that it's the only pink that I've reached for this season. This Queen of all pale pink shades isn't just for the park - take Her to work, to the beach, a night out - in fact wherever, just make sure that you treat Her it with the royal respect She deserves!

Manic.Monday: She paints seashells on the seashore

Summer time is sunny time is beach time - warm golden soft sands, cooling turquoise blue waters, wispy palm trees swaying in the wind and beautiful unusual seashells waiting to be collected as a memento from the holiday. Somehow everything is better at the beach; even the most minimal tan looks gorgeously bronzed, wavy boho hair comes without having to use lots of hair products and bizarre looking styling tools and natural sunkissed skin smells lovelier than some of the most prestigious perfumes in the world. Now you can have that relaxed beach feeling everyday with the help of the latest of Ciaté's innovative textured manis; it's Ciaté's Shell Manicure (£20) so forget your pastels, forget your neons - this summer the coolest nails are covered with crushed seashells!

 

This latest ingenious look from Ciaté comes in sets of three different colors with one base shade and one bottle of shell fragments in a matching color; pink (She Sells Seashells), white (Wish Upon A Starfish) and this gorgeous muted lilac called Mermaid You Look. The base shade in this kit is Pillow Fight (£9), a lovely muted thistle color for a subtle and sophisticated look and although the formula is perhaps a tiny bit more fluid than your average nail polish, the consistency is still easy to work with for an even finish and it's also very quick drying, always a plus when you want to build a nice opaque finish. The pigmentation is nice and strong even with a softer shade like Pillow Fight, although for me personally one coat only is on the sheer side so as usual I prefer to apply two coats for some solid color blocking, especially to off set an effect finish like these seashells. On me two coats under a top coat lasts about four days, which is a bit longer than average in my opinion and it's still very easy to remove using a standard nail polish remover.

Now on to the fun bit - the seashells! As with all these manicure kits you can be as creative as you like and wear the textured effect on as many nails as you wish, but for me less is more and one or two nails creates just the right impact. I love the untamed, natural and ever so slightly rough look and feel of the crushed seashells. The color of the shells is a gorgeous pearlescent lilac and mauve with a silver shine to it, perfect with a tan for a mermaid inspired look. Pour a generous amount of the fragments over a nail that has just been painted, then tap the shards gently into place and repeat a few times until there's an even coarse and fairly dense coating of seashells. Once you've applied as much as you want, you could finish with a topcoat to seal in the fragments, and make the finish potentially last longer but personally I think it ruins the relaxed but interesting and eye catching effect. As unusual and unique as this look is, it does require some patience from the wearer since it's far from practical. Because of the rough edges and the different shaped fragments some of them will stick out more than others, resulting in a lot of things getting caught on them - hair, lace, linen anything really that has a slightly uneven surface, which also means that the look won't remain pristine and perfect for long.

Without a top coat the effect lasts about two days before the first flakes start to come off, although you'll still get at least two more days wear out of it, and it is very easy to cover up any areas with more seashells as needed. Not unsurprisingly this textured finish takes a bit of work to remove, but in my opinion it's well worth the effort for a one of a kind, remarkable finish. If the choice is between this and some of the other seasonal colors, I know which one I'd rather shell out on - bring on the seaside look, and embrace your inner mermaid.  

Manic.Monday: A brush with water decals

For being a self confessed polishaholic, I have experimented surprisingly little with nail art and the furthest I've gone into the realm of different nail art techniques is to apply gemstones (surprise, surprise...) or using self adhesive nail stickers so when I got a selection of gorgeous water decals* from Born Pretty the time had come for me to go forth and explore the wonderful world of nail art. I wanted to do something summery with fresh contrasts so as a base for the look I used Barry M nail paint (£2.99) in Matte White. Barry M is one of my go to brands and I have to say that I've got more of their nail polishes than I can count. The consistency of this particular shade is ever so slightly different than the others in that it's a tiny bit more runny which means that you only need the smallest of drops of product for it to cover your nail, which would also help to minimise any mess of excess polish on cuticles etc. Even though the formula is a bit more difficult to work with, the pigmentation is fairly strong for a light shade and far from sheer, although I would definitely recommend that you apply two coats for a nice opaque solid color, which isn't really an effort since each coat will dry quite quickly. Matte White is a lovely crisp, clean and fresh look for summer, perfect for enhancing a tan and despite being a matte finish you still get a lovely and natural shine that lasts for about 3-4 days on its own before it starts to chip.

Having let the white base dry properly I moved on to try my luck with the beautiful water decals*. I absolutely loved the abstract brushstrokes in azure blue with gold specks and I was very excited to see how they actually turned out on the nail, and if they were easy to work with. When it comes to water decals, the clue is in the name and you basically need to plunge them into water to get them pliable enough for sticking them onto the nail. According to the instructions, you should peel the film off the decal before you dip it into water, but I found it impossible to take the film off while dry, so I would recommend that you simply cut out the shape of the decal then put it in the water for up to a minute and when you take it out, it'll already have started to come away from the paper making it very easy to transfer onto the nail using a pair of tweezers. After you've placed the decal on your nail, you soak up any excess water with a cotton pad or some tissue - blast the nail under a blow dryer for about 20 secs so that the decal is completely soft and dry, and then finish off by sealing it in on the nail with a top coat. Once the decal has set on the nail, it'll last for about 4-5 days and it's also surprisingly easy to remove with a good dip and twist nail polish remover, taking no more than a few seconds to remove.

I do like the effect and having got the hang of the technique now, I think that with more practice and experimenting with different colors and also other accents, you can create some really wonderful look, however I also have to say that it is quite fiddly and a fair amount of work just to get a decal on your nail - approximately 5-6 mins for each nail that you decide to decorate. As much as I love different nail looks, personally I prefer a simple self adhesive sticker to the effort you have to put in with a water decal, but if you have some time to spare you should definitely give it a go and see how you get on with it and Born Pretty has a great selection of all kinds of nail art for next to nothing and they always have great offers on, including free worldwide delivery. To make it even more difficult to resist, you get an additional 10% off on whatever you treat yourself to when you enter the discount code CANW10, so head over to Born Pretty and embrace your creative side for some unique, eye catching nails.

Manic.Monday: Check out OPI's Can't Find My Czechbook

As a polishaholic I'm almost ashamed and outraged that I haven't previously dedicated a Manic.Monday post to OPI alone, and I can only blame that almost unforgivable polish faux pas on the amount of beautiful shades that have clearly distracted me. Fact is that OPI is one of my absolute favorite brands because of the amazing range of shades (almost 300 different colors) with cheeky names that always make me smile, the excellent formula and the very reasonable price point. So today I'm hoping to remedy myself by focusing entirely on this gorgeous must have shade which is OPI's Can't Find My Czechbook (£6.93). I have a thing about blue nail polishes, and some day I should probably do a post on my more than 50 different shades of blue. Any shade - be it deep, dark, sinister and inky blue or soft, pastel, delicate baby blue, is a magnet to my all color loving nail polish eye so for me to say that a blue shade is a "favorite" is quite a statement - but this beautiful soft blend between Tiffany blue and sky blue is definitely a color that I would wear all year around.

The formula is lovely and liquidy without being too watery, and all the OPI shades that I have tried have a very creamy and rich element to them, regardless of the actual color and you can tell that you're working with a quality polish. OPI brushes are not particularly wide, but they're of good quality and in combination with the formula you can easily get a streak free smooth coverage that dries quickly with an opaque depth, even if you decide to only apply one coat, a testament to how good the pigmentation is. As you probably know I always apply two coats of nail polish since I love the solid opacity, and although you can definitely get away with wearing only one coat, personally I think that two coats really show off the silky satin finish and subtle glass-like sheen that you get even before applying a top coat - and that's exactly what you see in the photo. If you were to apply a top coat as well, you would emphasize that beautiful high shine look even more and you might even prolong the wear. On me OPI lasts about 3-4 days before it starts to chip, which for me is a little longer than average but to be honest with you I wouldn't have cared if the wear was even less than that since the color is so pretty, but should you get fed up with the color even earlier, the OPI polishes are easy to remove with an acetone free nail polish remover. I LOVE this gorgeous summery shade and would definitely recommend that you Czech it out.

I love nail polish TAG

I wasn't actually asked to do this TAG, but since I am an incorrigible polishaholic - there is just no end to my lust or should I say craving for nail polish, I couldn't think of a more appropriate TAG for me to do than this one. I first saw this TAG a very long time ago, back in 2013 and unfortunately I can't remember on which lovely blog it was for me to give credit to that blog, but whoever it was - Thank you for inspiring me! I saved it for a rainy day, and today it's time to take the umbrella and wellies out and to dive deep into a big puddle of all things nail polish. Hope you enjoy it!

 

1. Favorite base coat? I like to use Orly's Bonder Rubberized Base Coat (£10.90) because once it dries is has a slightly sticky, tacky feel and the nail polish literally sticks to your nails, making the hold better and longer lasting. 

2. Favorite top coat? I don't have a favorite top coat as such since I like to experiment with different top coats that create different effects e.g. matte, sparkly etc, but the top coat that I have been using most recently is Seche's Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (£9.95). The Seche Vite Top Coat is famous for making nail polishes dry quicker than you can say Seche Vite, but since I don't really mind if it takes a few minutes for a nail polish to dry properly, it's a great excuse to have a latte and relax a little while - this isn't the main selling point for me. Instead I really like that Seche Vite helps the finish last a day longer than with other top coats, which is always a welcome thing.

3. Top 3 favorite nail polish brands? I guess this depends on what you're looking for - is it an amazing range of colors, long lasting wear, quick drying formula, wide brush or maybe even all of the above (yep, that would be little ol' demanding me)? Nevertheless, I immediately think of Zoya, Sally Hansen and Ciaté. There are a lot of good brands available on the high street, although they may not necessarily be the most popular or most mentioned brands in Blogiverse, but for me Zoya, Sally Hansen and Ciaté are playing in a different nail league altogether. They may not be the most affordable brands, but they are very moderately priced considering the excellent product quality you get.

4. How often do you paint your nails? As soon as a nail polish starts to chip. I don't care what anyone says; that it may be grungy or heroin chic to have chipped nails, I think it's absolutely AWFUL and if that means that I have to paint my nails more than once a day sometimes when I wear a polish of really poor quality (but the color is irresistible), then so be it - it only takes a few seconds and it looks like I actually care, which I DO!

5. Favorite neutral nail polish? I'm a bit of a peacock when it comes to nail polish and I love to use different colors regardless of whether they're light or dark, but neutral colors rarely excite me. I do have quite a few neutral shades, but I only wear them very rarely and the only one that I really love to wear and go back to somewhat regularly (a few times a year perhaps) is the YSL's 38 Gris Underground (£22) - a chic, stylish and understated cool grey that is about as neutral as it gets with me.

6. Pink or red nail polishes? Easy - red! Pink looks amazing on others, but personally I've never been very comfortable wearing pink nails and I much prefer any shade of red from vibrant intense fire engine red to dark, vampy and sophisticated blood red. 

7. Favorite finish (matte, glitter, etc.)? This is a very tricky one for me since nail effects is one of my beauty passions, but I would have to say that my absolute favourite is the Pixi dust, or sugared effect. I can't get enough of that matte, shimmery and unusual concrete glam look and I guess my more than 10 different bottles of this beautiful finish is evidence of that. 

8. Your go-to nail polish at the moment? As a polishaholic I can't honestly say that I have a go-to polish brand or even color. I chop and change colors and effects so often and I have very few specific shades that I call my favorites, but one of them is the incredible Blu from Zoya, which was one of the first nail polishes I ever reviewed on my blog in the post My new BNFF (Best Nail Friend Forever).    

 9. What's on your nails now? Believe it or not - NOTHING! I'm currently going through two weeks of nail detox, which I suffer through a couple of times a year to give my nails a well deserved break filled with TLC, showering them with attention using my go to nail care products; Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter (£6.50) which is fantastic for turning cuticles from frayed and dried into supple and nourished, and Sally Hansen's Miracle Nail Growth (£9.99), which actually DOES work. 

10. If you had nail polish line how would you name it? What a fantastic question! Since I'm a bit of a crazy cat lady I would call it Felin' Fine. I have it all worked out - the bottle would be in the shape of a cat, with little whiskers and a tail, and the top would be the cat's face with little pointy cat ears and two little gems as eyes and the color of the gems would differ between polish shades so that the eyes either matched or contrasted the polish color. I've put far too much thought into this.... scary...

This was so much fun to do and I'm more than a little tempted to give my Felin' Fine nail brand a go! I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that since I wasn't tagged to do this, I've decided that I won't nominate anyone in particular to join in either, but I really hope that it's inspired some of you enough to pick this cute TAG up - and if you do, please share the link since I would love to read your version of it! Have a wonderful relaxing Sunday and I'm back again tomorrow for more nail polish - after all it wouldn't be Monday if it wasn't Manic.

Manic.Monday: Summertime is Sugartime

Summertime and the living is easy, but deciding on which nail polish to wear isn't when there are so many gorgeous shades to choose from, which is why I'm showing you two today. I've mentioned before that every time I go to visit my parents I pick up a good amount of products that I can only get over there and the brand I buy most of is IsaDora, which is a Swedish brand with a wonderful range of products in the same price range as Maybelline. I am especially fond of the Isadora nail polishes so when I saw the Sugar Nails range I just had to have a few, since I didn't have any of these before.... yeah - right... As you may know from some of my previous posts about nails I have a thing for different textured nail polishes, there's nothing that I won't try but the sugared Pixie dust look has got to be my absolute favorite! The IsaDora Sugar Nails range (£6.20) contains 11 different colors ranging from the lovely bright and sunny to the soft, pastel sherbet look, and the shades I picked up  are of the latter kind; 133 Macaron, a beautiful creamy and light mint shade and 132 Peach Nectar, a delicate, feminine and golden peach shade - both perfect for summer.

The formula is a tiny bit thicker than ordinary nail polishes because of the particles in it, but it's in no way thick or gloopy and it's still very easy to apply and with the average width brush you quickly get an even finish. The idea behind this type of textured polish is that by applying several coats of it, you build up a crystallized, sugared effect that combines a matte finish with a gorgeous shimmer, caused by the gritty surface for a look which I like to call "concrete glam". If you were to only apply one or even two coats of this you would be disappointed in the look since it's not enough to create a thoroughly opaque look that also brings out the shimmer. This polish needs at least three coats and in the photo, you can see a close up here on my Instagram, I've actually applied four coats. I can hear what you're thinking: "It'll take forever to create the right look" - actually no, the formula is very quick drying and it shouldn't take you longer than 5 mins to do both hands, but please note that it probably takes another 15 mins for the look to continue develop after it's dried. You're probably also thinking: "It'll be a nightmare to remove" - well again I would have to say no, since you'll have a fairly thick coat on your nails, although you don't feel that when you wear it, so you can easily peel it all off in one big flake, without having to use acetone and mild (or not...) force.

Textured nails like this tend to last about 4 days on me before I have to retouch it, however since the coat is a bit thicker than with ordinary nail polishes, it can be sensitive to chipping if you're not careful. I should also say that with this type of polish you should not apply a top coat, since it settles in the grittiness of the surface and instead of highlighting the shimmer it makes the finish look gloopy and strangely plasticky. I know that textured nails aren't for everyone, but I love the look - it's unusual but will still work for any occasion, eye catching and I always get lots of questions about what nail polish I'm wearing, so add a sugary twist to your outfit and make this summertime sugartime.

Manic.Monday: It's Mojito time!

Summer doesn't officially start until June 21, but since we've had around mid 20's degrees Celsius for the past 5 days or so, I'm going to stick my neck out (literally to catch some rays) and say that it's here and it couldn't have come quickly enough as far as I'm concerned! The rising temperature seems to transform everyone, I e.g. have shed my leather leggings in favor of lighter clothes and it might even be something floral (!), I've swapped my beloved high heels for casual, comfy sandals and when it comes to makeup all of a sudden I find myself wearing amazing rainbow colors that I wouldn't look twice at any other time of year. A perfect example of such a color is today's find from my nail polish stash - Ciatés Mojito (£9); a fabulous daring and intense fruity color that always puts me in a vacation mood. It mixes shades of zesty lime with refreshing and icy cool mint and it's sweet and punchy at the same time - just like the drink!

Like most of Ciatés formulas Mojito is lovely and light without being too runny which makes it easy to work with and it's also quick drying. It has wonderful strong pigmentation and although the color is soft and looks a bit sheer, one coat is enough for a great even coverage even though I personally still prefer to use two coats to ensure that the finish has a certain depth, and is as opaque as possible. I really enjoy wearing Ciaté polishes and the only thing that I would change about them is the brush; I've mentioned before that it's of fairly average width and possibly even a tiny bit more narrow than average, however it is of good quality and doesn't leave any pesky hairs behind that ruin the finish, and together with the consistency of the formula and the super pigmentation you get a streak free even finish with no effort at all. This color really should be finished off with a high shine top coat for a really glossy, brilliant look that positively beams in the sun light. On me this delicious tropical color lasts about 3-4 days before it starts to chip, and it's also very easy to remove using acetone free dip and twist removers. Have a look at my Instagram for a swatch and to see a look I created using this lovely cocktail green together with another one of my favorite polishes this year, Nails Inc's Daisy Lane Floral (£12). I love this glorious happy, sunny color and although Mojitos aren't exactly my favorite summer drink since they are too strong for me, I take every opportunity to wear it on my nails and for me every warm summer day is definitely Mojito time!

Manic.Monday: Ciaté Cuticle Tattoo's

Greetings everyone and welcome to a new week and as usual on a Monday I'm here to bring you something from the world of nail polishes. If you've read my blog before you'll know that I'm not one to shy away from trying out any nails trends, regardless of how whacky or strange they might seem, but I'm also the first to admit that willingness to experiment does not always equal success. Today's look is not so much about the nail polish itself, as the accompanying cuticle tattoo which is something I wanted to try as soon as I saw the promotional photos of it, and the look just reiterates to me how forward thinking Ciaté is when it comes to nails. Every photo that I've seen of cuticle tattoos is in combination with a very pale and neutral color, letting the tattoo doing the talking so to speak. I can understand that and personally I think that you either have to go pale or full on with vibrant colors - there just doesn't seem to be room for anything in between.

Not feeling quite brave enough to go full out (believe it or not) I chose to go with a pale neutral shade with Ciaté's Cookies and Cream (£9) a beautiful neutral and sophisticated light ecru shade that will make even the shortest of nails look groomed and elegant. It has the usual lovely Ciaté formula which is just the right consistency, not being too thick or thin and even though the brush is of very average width its easy to work with to get a streak free opaque finish, despite being a lighter shade. It's quick drying and wears very well - on my nails I would say that it lasts for about 4 days before I need to retouch the finish and it's a shade that I think would work well with most skin tones.

Let's move on to what actually makes this look - the Ciaté ASOS Exclusive Cuticle Tattoo's (£10). You'll get a set with five different designs and stencils - one set for for your left hand and one for your right hand, and even if you choose to only go for an accent nail, you'll have enough tattoos for at least 30 wears - talk about value for money! Once you've decided on which design you want; a diamond shape, an arrow, a bow, three stars or a floral chain,  you cut out each tattoo for each finger with a pair of scissors and I would recommend that you apply one tattoo at a time. At the back of each sheet you'll see a shape outlined that you need to follow with your scissors and once you've cut that out, you're ready to go once you've removed the clear plastic backing. Place the shape with the outline facing upwards which is also slightly sticky as close to the cuticle as you can get, press down and then use either a cotton pad soaked in water across the back, or just some drops of water to transfer the stencil onto the skin. Once you've added water, the transfer starts very quickly and it's easy to remove the back before the transfer is complete, so take care to make sure that you get the entire design transferred onto your finger before you slide the backing paper away.

The process itself of transferring the tattoo onto the skin is very straight forward and you can't really go wrong, however the trickiest bit is placing the tattoo close enough to your cuticles that it looks nice once you've rubbed the stencil with water. I must admit that I thought that I placed the stencil very close to the cuticle, but in my opinion I probably could have gone even closer and I think that these are things that you'll learn only through trial and error. I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed in the clarity of the outline of the tattoo, if you've seen photos of the cute bow, it looks very clear and precise, although at least with the stars that I chose they are much more faint and not at all what I had pictured, but that could be down to the design. More important is the wear of it; it took me about 10 mins to read and follow the directions properly, being careful with how I traced the outline and then transferring it onto my accent fingers (each ringer finger), however I am VERY disappointed in the wear. It only lasted me a few hrs on one hand before I had washed it away through daily wear and tear and you probably could remove it unintentionally even sooner if you happen to scrub that area just a little bit more than through a normal hand wash e.g. when you apply a hand cream. Considering how long it took me to do just two fingers, I don't think that I would go all out and do one tattoo on each finger and personally I'm not sure that the look is worth it since it's a lot of fiddling for a few hrs of flawless wear, but I guess that if you're expectations are low and all you're looking for is a night out look, then you might be happy with it. What do you think - would you give this a go?

Manic.Monday: Scentillating nail polishes from Revlon

I don't know why, but when it comes to nail polishes Revlon usually doesn't seem to have a lot that catches my eye - with the exception of Moon Candy, but as soon as I saw the news that they were going to launch a scented range I was literally counting the days to the release date and even signed up to get first dibs on them in Boots. Finally the release day arrived and I quickly bought a few bottles of Revlon's Perfumerie Scented Nail Enamel (£6.49) but with 20 shades to choose between ranging from soft pastels, vibrant shades and darker sophisticated colors it certainly wasn't easy to choose. I have to confess that it's the first time that I've not only let my eyes guide me when I decide on a nail polish shade, but also my nose and after much testing and so much sniffing that I was almost light headed, I decided on Autumn Spice, Wintermint and Fresh Linen. Most of the time a nail polish bottle is just a nail polish bottle, some are more fancy than others but ultimately there's not too much you can say about it, but with the Revlon Perfumerie range I really like how they've made them just a little bit different by having a rounded top, which reminds me of apothecary bottles or old fashioned perfume bottles, it's a very nice attention to detail.

The formula has a nice and easy to work with consistency, and although the brush isn't particularly wide you'll get an even streak free finish with minimum effort, at least with the darker colors although I did have to be a little bit more careful with Fresh Linen, but that's not unusual for lighter shades in general I find. Revlon does recommend that you apply the polish in two coats, and out of the shades that I tried it's really only Autumn Spice that you can get away with wearing only one coat since the pigmentation is that strong, although for maximum impact of both color and scent you definitely need at least two coats with the others. In the photo I've actually used three coat and as you can see the look is lovely and opaque even with the lightest shade, and as the polish is fairly quick drying, I would definitely recommend that you apply more rather than fewer coats. I haven't actually worn these with a top coat, since I wasn't sure what that would do with the scent, but without a top coat and with three coats the colors lasts about 3 days on me before they start to chip, which I think is a pretty average length of wear. The formula contains essential oils that develop throughout the coats and which will come into their own once they have dried, and that scent is quite noticeable for the first day or so and then it gradually fades.

I wouldn't necessarily have bought these three shades if the polish hadn't been scented but I was so intrigued by the whole concept that I wanted to try a little bit of every scent type; Autumn Spice is a sophisticated warm maroon color with a subtle bronze sparkle and with a wonderful and comforting warm cinnamon pumpkin spiced scent. Then we have Wintermint which is a lovely cool pale sea foam green color with light blue glitter which reminds me a lot of Deborah Lippman's Mermaid's Dream. It has an incredible fresh and soft mint scent that smells quite strong, but in a good way. Last but not least we have Fresh Linen which is a nude pale wheat color with a slight pearlescent shimmer and it has a clean, fresh and ever so slightly soapy scent. Out of the shades I tried my favorites is definitely Wintermint, and when I've worn it I feel like a school girl because I can't stop sniffing my nails throughout the day. The Revlon Perfumerie range is a fun concept and I really hope that Revlon plan on introducing more shades and scents, but until then head down to Boots and make use of their 3 for 2 offer, and get yourself some yummy nail polish!

Manic.Monday: Purple magnetism with Barry M

You may remember that just before Easter I did a post on the color purple (you can read my Purple edition here), and when I was selecting the products that I wanted to include I rediscovered an old favorite that has been pushed further and further back in my very over-crowded drawer of nail polishes and I quickly decided that I would show it some well deserved love. When Barry M launched their range of magnetic nail polishes a few years ago, I became more than a little obsessed with them. The idea behind them is that since the formula contains a very fine powder that reacts to a magnet, you can create a specific pattern. They come in a variety of colors (black, red, blue, green, purple and different metallics) and magnetic patterns (chevron, straight line, diagonal line, waves, Union Jack/star pattern) and since I couldn't decide which one I liked the most, I ended up buying all of them - after all, why compromise? I must admit though that I have used some much more than others and the Barry M Magnetic Nail Polish (£4.99) in Violet is definitely at the top of the list. Despite containing a microscopic powder, the formula has just the right consistency - not too thick and not too thin, and is as far as I can tell exactly the same as with the ordinary Barry M nail polishes, and the same can be said about the brush which is of average width but still easily gives an even and full coverage.

To create the magnetic look you definitely need at least two coats, and you need to shake the bottle properly before you apply each coat, to make sure that you get a good distribution of powder to react with the magnet, which you don't use until the second coat. After you've applied one coat on each hand, the result is best if you work on one finger at a time and as soon as you've applied the second coat on a nail hold the magnetic top over the nail for a few seconds. You can see a pattern appear almost immediately, so you don't actually need to hold the magnet over the polish long at all, although I usually count to 10 before I remove it. In my experience most of these magnetic effects turn out really beautiful and the only one that I can't quite get to turn out very well is the star effect - since my nails are quite narrow, there simply isn't enough surface for the pattern. The Violet shade is a beautiful deep aubergine color with a touch of silver sparkle and although the contrast created by the magnet is gorgeous, the shade is lovely enough to wear without using the magnet. I think the magnetic effects should be shown off with a high shine top coat for a brilliant and almost glass like look which is really stunning so I always finish with a top coat, although it might be interesting to experiment with a matte finish too. On me the nail polish will last about 3 days before it starts to chip, and unlike a lot of other glitters and effects, it's just as easy to remove as an ordinary polish. I know this isn't the latest among nail effects, however I still love the look and I always get compliments for them, regardless of which color or pattern I go for and the great thing is that you can of course use any magnetic pattern with any of the colors, so you can be as creative as you want - mixing colors and perhaps even patterns.

Dolce & Gabbana nail polish

Last month I picked up a few, or actually more accurately an abundance of beauty goodies in the duty free when I went to see my parents. I'm slowly but surely testing my way through the magnificent loot and today we'll look at one of the nail polishes that I got. As you know I'm always keen on trying a new nail polish, but it's even more fun to try a completely new brand and today I have not just any newbie, it's Dolce & Gabbana's The Intense Nail Lacquer (£18.50) in the color Ibisco. I must admit that even before I had tried any of the Dolce & Gabbana products from my duty free haul, I had already been seduced by the packaging which is all sleekness and sophistication with its gold top with the brand name embossed on top of a glass bottle - I just love everything about it.

The formula is a little bit strange - it's very runny but at the same time it's not thin as such and the consistency is creamy enough that you only need less than a tiny drop to get a full and opaque coverage of your nail. The brush is of average width although of great quality so it's flexible and nice to work with, and it gives an even streak free finish without leaving any pesky hairs behind. Despite being such a wet formula it's still highly pigmented and already with only coat you get a lovely and polished high shine finish and at least with the darker shades you could wear only one coat if you're in a rush, although personally I think that the finish looks a little "thin" - not from a pigmentation point of view, but as a finish and if you have any ridges or unevenness on your nails, they will show through. Since the polish dries extremely quickly I would recommend that you apply two coats, using a tiny micro drop of product for each, and you'll get a beautiful smooth patent shine look. The nail polish comes in 30 different colors ranging from pale nudes and neutrals to intense, dramatic, rich and sophisticated shades. Ibisco is allegedly one of the best selling shades from the range and no wonder - it's a gorgeous warm rose pink with a noticeable coral undertone that would work beautifully with any skin tone and I'm speaking from experience since I first tried this shade when I still had my pale blue winter skin and it looked as chic then as it does now when I have a touch of a tan after the Easter holidays. How long a nail polish lasts is of course always an individual thing based on life style, job etc but on me this nail polish lasts about 3-4 days before it starts to chip a little bit which I think is fairly average and good enough for me. I really like the Dolce & Gabbana nail polish and to get a better feel for the entire range, I'm planning on getting at least two more shades from opposite ends of the range, so one sheer nude and another one more vibrant and vampy - and if there's a particular color that you would like me to try, please let me know and I'll follow your recommendation.

Purple edition

Since it's Easter this weekend I thought it would be appropriate for the color edition this month to focus on purple. As a color it's a mix of mostly red with a portion of blue and it's one of the colors that was first used in art, but making purple pigments was a complicated and costly business which is probably why purple is traditionally often associated with luxury, royalty and dignity. Purple also symbolizes magic and spirituality and to me it's an elegant and harmonious statement color which I love to wear; from the darker more sophisticated shades in winter time to the lighter, more floral and romantic shades in the summer time. Interestingly enough all of my favorite flowers (except jasmine) are purple - lilac, sweet peas and hyacinth, and my birthstone is tourmaline so it seems as if I have a strong connection with this particular color and today I want to show you some of my favorite purple products.

Having fair complexion that still tans quite easily I guess you could say that I have a golden undertone to my skin, so I generally avoid purple or blue toned lip products since they tend to make my skin look very pale, and not pale and interesting but pale and sickly. But over winter I did experiment with deeper berry shades and I came across a product that positively surprised me in many ways - Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss (£6.29). First of all I had been very skeptical to lip glosses up until fairly recently since I used to think of them as sticky sparkly and cheap lip goo, however this formula of cotton and silk is lovely, moisturising and completely non sticky. Even though the lip gloss feels very light on the lips the pigmentation is intense and long lasting - the claim is that it should hold up to six hours and on me it lasts at least four hrs, which is still pretty good. It's available in eleven shades and Captivate Me may look very dark and purple in the tube, but it's more of a dark raspberry pink on the lips and it creates a lovely sheer glistening look. So not only did this product prove to be nothing like the image I had of lip glosses but it turns out that I can actually do blue-toned lippies too.

I've mentioned before that I love to use a colorful eye pencil on my lower water line, to add a little something to a neutral make up look, especially during the warmer months of the year and when I've got a little bit of color. Since I now have a little bit of a tan, albeit fake - courtesy of the amazing Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning for face and decolleté (£19) that I reviewed yesterday, it's time to sharpen those eye pencils. One of my favorites eye pencil's is the L'Oréal Color Riche Le Khol (£4.39) in 114 Breezy Lavander, a beautiful intense metallic light lavender. The formula is a combination of oil and wax, making it very soft and creamy to work with and the pencil applies very smoothly without any need for pressing or tugging. Although it's not specifically water resistant it does have a long lasting wear making it great to use on the upper or lower waterline. Sticking with pencils but in a much thicker version, I've really taken to chubby sticks both for lips and for eyes - they are just so handy and practical. One of the most interesting and affordable formulas on the high street is Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick (£4.49). The consistency is very soft and buildable and you barely need to touch your eyelid with the tip to get an intense color payoff with a very subtle lustrous finish. The shade 006 Paranoid Purple is a gorgeous high shine Byzantium purple and although one light sweep with the stick is enough to get a nice color, personally I think this shade looks its best when you've built it up and you have a dramatic and daring look. The pigmentation may be intense but unfortunately it's not very long lasting, and on me the color fades after only a few hrs despite using an eye shadow primer - but that is the only down side with this product, and as such I think it's a great budget friendly option to the original Clinique chubby.

From top to bottom:

Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in Captivate Me

L'Oréal Color Riche Le Khol in 114 Breezy Lavander

Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick in 006 Paranoid Purple

A nail polish brand that I have raved about a few times before is the amazing Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Formula (£6.99) that combines base coat, strengthener, growth treatment and top coat with each color. It's taken me a while to completely trust this product, but having tried so many different shades of it now I have managed to wean myself off wearing a separate base- and top coat and so far it's never caused any problems with discoloration to the nails or the finish. It has a wonderful wide brush for easy streak-free application and strong pigmentation that will last for about 5-6 days before you might want to touch it up, with an excellent high shine finish. There are over 60 colors to choose from and this shade - Good to Grape is a lovely creamy and rich Wisteria purple that looks so graceful and pretty. If you haven't already tried this gem from Sally Hansen I would highly recommend it, after all you get 5 products in 1 for a very reasonable price and with a quality that puts a lot of premium brands to shame.

A nail polish from a premium brand that never disappoints is Estée Lauder's Pure Color Nail Lacquer (£14). The formula is excellent with high pigmentation for a beautiful opaque look and exceptional high shine finish and this one also comes with a nice wide brush for even coverage. With a lot of the darker shades you could probably get away with only applying one coat, but the shade Bete Noire is a magnificent dark royal purple with a slight shimmer that definitely should be applied in at least two coats so that the effect comes into its own. Since I'm a polishaholic and change my nail color more times than I can count every week, it's not necessarily a deal breaker for me if the wear isn't brilliant, however it is VERY important to me when it comes to premium brands since they usually come at a premium price and they therefore also should have premium quality, but I've always been very happy with the longevity of Estée Lauder polishes and I would say it takes about five days before the finish needs to be retouched. You can see swatches of both nail polishes here on my Instagram.

Last in this purple line up is a fragrance, and it's a celebrity one which can be controversial. I know that a lot of people have very strong views about celebrity scents, however I am an equal perfume opportunist and only look at the actual scent qualities, which I think should be assessed on their own and not whether you're a fan of the celebrity or not. I'm curious to know what your thought are on this, so please let me know in the comments below. Regardless - this is Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy EdP (£24) which comes in a pretty deep purple bottle with little pale blue crystals. It's a delightful, fruity, young and uncomplicated scent that makes me think of a warm summer night garden after the rain. When you first spray it on you can easily detect the piquant and fresh fruitiness of raspberry and cherries, which eventually give way to a more sophisticated note of colorful delicious and sweet freesia and orchids. The scent is grounded in warm and sensual notes of musk, and vanilla which gives it substance and keeps it from being too light and candy like. Even though Midnight Fantasy is an EdP and therefore it should be fairly concentrated and linger quite a long time on the skin, I do find that it's less intense than most of my EdPs and I would say that it lasts about 2 hrs on me before I feel that I need to apply some more. It doesn't matter though, I still adore this fruity, sunny and joyful scent and every time I wear it I get loads of compliments for it, so would I buy it again? - definitely! Would I recommend that you try it regardless of what you think of celebrity fragrances? - definitely!

I hope you've enjoyed this selection of a few favorite purple products. I'll be taking a few days break over Easter since we'll be going away, but I'll be back again as usual on Tuesday. Have a great Easter everyone! Xx

Manic.Monday: Nails in Bloom by Nails Inc

As you know I am a massive lover of nail polish always keeping my finger very much on the polish pulse and even though there's a steady flow of new products being launched all the time, after a while they tend to be a bit same same; colors and effects reappear in different bottles by different brands, but if you want to be really harsh - they're not that new. But the polishes I show you today are different, and I can honestly say that I don't think I have been this excited about a nail polish since I discovered Zoya's Pixi Dust and the product that's managed to get me this enthusiastic is the FABULOUS Floral collection from Nails Inc (£12). This is a limited edition collection celebrating spring with 5 different versions of a clear polish mixed with different colored particles, matte glitter and little flowers for a playful and romantic take on the floral trend and here you see the shades Floral Street Mews and Daisy Lane. Floral Street Mews is a mix of white, peach and blue particles and Daisy Lane is a red, pink and white color combination - both of them very pretty with a capital P!

Unlike a lot of effect polishes that you can layer up, this shouldn't be worn on its own so it's definitely a top coat to be applied over a base shade of your choice. As you can see in the photos the formula is fairly dense with particles but the texture of it is still light, smooth and as easy to work with as any other top coat and even though the brush isn't the widest it picks up a good amount of shapes for an even distribution across the nail. Before you apply the top coat, give the bottle a really good shake since the floral shapes tend to sit at the bottom of the bottle and then apply as many coats as needed for the effect you're going for (in the photos I've applied 1.5 coats since I wanted a fairly sheer look). You may need to dig around a little in the bottle to get the right amount of floral shapes since after all they are what makes this look, and then place them on the nail. To make sure that you don't mess up what you've already applied I would recommend that you let each layer dry properly before you amend or place the shapes.

Nail polishes used to create the looks (from left to right):

Barry Gelly Shine Nail Paint in Lychee + Floral Street Mews

Ciaté Nail Polish in Cutie Pie + Daisy Lane

NYC Nail Polish in Raindrop + Floral Street Mews

Ciaté Nail Polish in Sugar Plum + Daisy Lane

Rimmel Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Lemon Drop + Floral Street Mews 

This is not a textured finish as such, but the edges of the daisy shapes might stick up a little here and there so to avoid them getting stuck or tearing through every day wear, you might want to use something fine and pointy e.g. a toothpick to push them down onto the nails and then sealing them with another clear top coat. It might sound as if it's a bit fiddly to apply this top coat - it's really not, but taking a few seconds to place the florals is well worth the effort for a stunning and long lasting look and on me it lasted for about 4 days. The question that always comes up is: Can you remove it without using industrial strength noxious acetone? Yes you can, but it is going to take a little bit of effort around the daisy shapes, although I would say that it's not nearly as difficult as glitter polishes.

Nails Inc always does wonderful nail polishes but this time they have really outdone themselves. I blooming love everything about these effect polishes, from the cute floral printed cap to the pastel colored mixes and of course the beautiful finish. I'll definitely be picking up the other shades for a colorful bouquet of nails - how about you, will you be nailing the floral look?

Manic.Monday: Ciaté's Tweed is anything but twee...

I know I've been raving about how much I've embraced the pastel trend this year, and it's true I've loved wearing pastels both in my makeup and my clothes. But it isn't the only trend this season and I thought I would break up the pastel bonanza with a simple but chic homage to the monochrome. It may be a paradox but as much as I love color, my favorite color is actually black which I guess is really an absence of color. To me black embodies the timeless, stylish and elegant and a monochrome look is all of those things. But there are many ways of doing monochrome and today's look also has an element of the whimsical to it. As a nail polish fiend I closely follow the latest launches from the Big Brands and Ciaté is undeniably one of them, and their fabulous Tweed Collection inspired by iconic fashions houses in Paris was very difficult to resist - so difficult that I just decided not to even try. The collection has six polishes with different effects and colors ranging from textured confetti looks to glitter. Ciaté's Brocade Parade (£9) is a glitter polish with an irresistible mix of matte silver, black, grey and white speckles to imitate a classic tweed look.

When you see the glitter polish in the bottle it look so rich with particles that you can wear it on it's own - and that's how I tried it the first time I wore it, but after four coats (!) it still didn't look right and although it may not be intended as a top coat, but for me that's really how it  comes into its own and in the photos I wear two coats of Brocade Parade on top of Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish (£2.99) in Blackout. The texture is nice and easy to work with, and not in any way gloopy as many glitter polishes can be and you get a good amount of product on the brush to get an interesting distribution of the particles over the nail. You should experiment to see how many coats you prefer for your look, but two or three coats for me is just right to show of the contrasting particles but if you prefer to wear even more you'll be pleased to know that the polish dries very quickly. I can't actually say how long this wears when you wear it on its own, however as a top coat it'll easily last about four days and should you get chipping, you can quickly correct that and the whimsical pattern will hide any touch ups you've made.

Many of us love glitter polishes, but the big question which sometimes decides whether we'll buy a polish or not is - how difficult is it to remove? Well, when I used Brocade Parade on its own it was definitely difficult to take off, BUT as a top coat over whichever base shade you choose, it's much much easier which is another reason why I'll continue to use this as a top coat. I really like this look and I find it sleek and sophisticated but also fun, showing personality without being too outlandish and one thing's for certain this tweed is anything but twee...

Avon's Gel Finish Nailwear + Winner of Sephora giveaway

I know it's not Monday today but I just couldn't wait until next Manic.Monday to tell you about these Gel Finish Nailwear from Avon (£7) so let's just focus on the Manic.ure bit, rather than what day of the week it is. I've never had a salon gel manicure done, but I've been a mahoosive fan of gel finishes ever since Barry M launched their amazing Gelly Hi-Shine effect range last year and by now we've seen other brands catching up with their own versions at different price points. The Gel Finish Nailwear is the latest nail polish release from Avon available as of April and it promises to give a high gloss gel like shine which is also supposed to strengthen the nails by up to 42% without any need for using a UV lamp, it has built in base and top coat and intense pigmentation in one coat. Since Avon is famous for their value for money products I was very excited to take this formula for a test drive. For being a new launch, the range of colors is very impressive - there are 24 different shades available ranging from bright, vibrant, sunny colors that just POP, darker and more sophisticated chic shades to everybody's favorite this season - pretty creamy candy colors, in short there's something for everyone! Since I'm all about pastels this year I decided to try the formula in the shades Sheer Love which is a very pale white petal pink, and Lavender Sky which is a beautiful pale mauve shade.

The formula has a good consistency, not too runny and not too thick, and with the averagely sized brush it's easy to get a good amount of product to try and minimise the amounts of brush strokes used. I have previously been quite skeptical towards formulas that claim to have a built in base and top coat, but after having used the amazing Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Formula, I was much less reluctant to try these polishes without any base coat, and I'm very pleased to say that neither of these shades stained my nails and they also lasted and wore really well after I'd applied them with a natural glossy finish. Personally I quite like my Gel effects to be super shiny, so even though there was no impact on wear I think I'll still apply a high shine top coat for that brilliant shine. So far so good, however there were some differences between the shades in terms of pigmentation. You may remember that Avon claims that one coat should be enough with this formula - well, that's definitely not the case with the shade Sheer Love. Admittedly it is a delicate pink, in fact it's almost a nude color however for a good streak free and opaque coverage I had to apply 3 coats of it, which is not at all what I would expect from a gel effect (especially not one priced at £7), even if the color is sheer and it's probably because of the amount of coats needed that this only lasted about 3 days before starting to chip. With Lavender Sky on the other hand it's a completely different story and you'll get a gorgeous, creamy and opaque look using only one coat with minimum brush strokes and it lasted flawlessly for almost 5 days. Sheer Love is without a doubt  a very pretty shade, but for me it just doesn't live up to my expectations of a gel polish. If I'm underwhelmed about Sheer Love, I'm exactly the opposite regarding Lavender Sky - the color is pure and simple beauty, the coverage phenomenal and it lasted quite a long time.

 

Since I have only tried two different shades of the Avon Gel Polishes, I don't want to go as far as to say that the overall quality is inconsistent, however if you do go for a sheer shade you should be prepared that you might need to use more than one coat for a lovely opaque finish. The Avon Gel Polishes will be priced at £7, but if you order now you can get them at 50% discount.

Before we finish today's post I am very happy to announce the winner of the giveaway of Sephora makeup products to celebrate that I had reached more than 100 000 pageviews. Thank you so SO much for all the entries, but unfortunately there could be only one winner this time around, and the lucky girl is Hayley Todd - congratulations Hayley and I really hope you'll enjoy the products! Have a great day everyone!

All good things come to those who duty free

As you may know I have been away from the UK for a while to visit my family, and when I came back not only was Him Indoors away on his travels and  I got back to an empty house - but my cat completely ignored me for about 24 hrs.... I was not feeling the love.. Well good thing I had a gianormous duty free haul to be happy about instead. It's absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for me to have this heaven called duty free and not buy a single thing, but even I will admit that I went completely over board this time around. I tell myself that I do these things to relax before flying or so that you won't have to splurge... and if I chant those excuses aloud enough times, it makes it real. Anyway, let's just look at what I got over the last few days and I'll split the products into three groups; perfumes, skincare and makeup, but please note that this is just a teaser and that I will post detailed reviews of the products as I work my way through them.

Let's start with the perfumes, and the first one is so brand new that it's not even available in the shops quite yet, although it's supposed to be as of March - and it's the stunning Exotica from Roberto Cavalli. It's a lovely tropical and fruity scent and slightly floral scent and I have a feeling this will be one of my favorites this season. Next perfume is fairly new, it's the Elie Saab L'Eau Couture EdT (£31) which is a light and fresh, sophisticated spring like scent - and what a beautiful classic bottle! Last in the perfume bunch is Fan di Fendi Eau Fraiche (£33) which is a beautiful green, spicy and fresh scent - very comforting and harmonious.

First in the skincare group is a great little kit that would make a fab present for someone, myself e.g... the Ole Henriksen The Whole Truth Kit (£45) contains three full sized anti ageing products - serum, moisturiser and an eye cream, to revitalise and brighten the skin, and I'm very excited to testing this out. I also got a new night cream that I had had my eye on for a long time, Origins High Potency Night-a-Mins (£34) which is supposed to add radiance to the skin and make it look wonderful and refreshed in the morning. I have high hopes for this and fingers crossed it lives up to my expectations.

On to the really fun bits - makeup! My favorite designers are Dolce & Gabbana - I love the passion, opulence, sensual playfulness and very distinct point of view of their designs and I have finally taken the plunge into their makeup range, which proved to be a slippery slope for me into complete decadence starting with the Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad (£39.50) in Stromboli which has a beautiful bronzed, warm and earthy range of shades - stunning! That lead to a Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick (£24) in Cosmopolitan, which is a gorgeous creamy coral shade, a bit similar to MAC Vegas Volt which is another favorite of mine and I think it'll go beautifully with the warm quad. As a bonus I threw in Dolce & Gabbana's The Intense Nail Lacquer (£18.50) in Ibisco, which is a fresh and lovely warm pink and I'm really curious to see what the formula is like. i haven't even tried a single product yet and already I suspect that this is just the beginning of a new brand addiction. Last of the makeup is YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Luxurious Mascara (£23) in Brown for beautiful long lashes. Even though I adore the Baby Doll formula I wanted to try something different and having heard wonderful things about Volume Effet, I decided to take a bit of a risk and buy it, and if it's even half as good as the Baby Doll mascara, I'm on to a winner.

Let me know in the comments section which product you would like me to review first, and your wish is my command! Before you feel too sorry for me coming back to an empty house I guess I also have to mention that Him Indoors did eventually show up with a lovely bouquet of flowers, and the cat did come around and showered me with love - so I guess all good things to those who wait... or duty free...