Summer Union Jack!

Hey Guys! Long time no see! Normal service should resume once I've officially moved into my new house! I've been painting walls not nails!

Anyway I couldn't let the Jubilee weekend pass without some kind of manicure tribute! I didn't fancy the traditional colours so I went for a more summery version despite a 100% chance of rain tomorrow and a temperature of 9°c in JUNE!!

I used Barry M Bright pink for the main colour and Essie Mint Candy Apple for the accent nail. I used the Topshop nail art pen for the white and then I used a dotting tool to create the pink lines over the white! It's not the best work I've ever done, in hindsight I'd start the diagonal lines a little further away from the centre so you don't get that big blob in the middle! I also wish I'd done my pointer finger too!

My plans for tomorrow have been scuppered by the weather somewhat! My village is hosting a picnic on the green tomorrow however you won't catch me sipping champagne out in the rain! There is an all day long beer festival with beers brewed in the village, loads of games for kids and then there is a BBQ in the evening. I was really looking forward to a good village day out in a 50's style dress and loads of bunting!

What are your plans for tomorrow if you are in the UK?!

xoxo

NOTD - Gargantuan Play Date!

Essie's Play Date is a bright pastel purple that is a huge colour in fashion for this spring and summer. Essie have captured the most amazing colour here as it is super bright for a pastel shade. I teamed it with an accent nail in OPI's Gargantuan Green Grape a pastel minty green shade. I love the colours together and I will wear this again but I think I will do polka dots on the accent nail in the Essie colour, I think that'll be really fun for the summer. 

Essie's Play Date applies smoothly and perfect in two coats, OPI's Gargantuan Green Grape is a monster to apply. It's thin, watery and streaky which is probably why I've never worn it as a full manicure which is a shame as its such a pretty colour. I only had the patience for two accent nails this time!

xoxo

Hey Sailor!

The first week of a new month means new MAC collections! This month I was surprised to see the release of their summer collection, Hey Sailor here in Europe before the US get it! 

When I first saw pictures online of this collection a couple of months ago I was super excited. I just love the theme especially with the nautical theme being huge in fashion and interiors it makes perfect sense to release a makeup collection in time for the summer.

The collection is split into two groups, face and colour. The face group features bronzers and a body oil to look glowy for the warmer season and having just purchased my first proper bronzer Nars Laguna, I skipped this section and headed straight for the colour!

Since this collection was only online and with no chance of me going to a MAC counter any time soon or at least before the stars of the collection sell out I had to order online blind as some of the bigger makeup bloggers like Temptalia have not received the collection yet as its only in Europe right now. Usually I would peruse the pages to be sure I don't own something similar but I had to go with my gut!

This part of the collection features the usual items you would expect, eyeshadows, lipsticks, blushers, lipglass, nail lacquers, pigments and a highlighter.

Obviously I headed straight for the lipstick section and I chose Sail Le Vie.

A bright reddy toned orange, Sail Le Vie is absolutely perfect for me. The others in the range are nudes, which I have trouble with and I certainly wasn't ordering without seeing a swatch and a red which I do enjoy but don't wear often and I have three anyway!

Sail Le Vie is similar to Neon Orange but it certainly has more a of a red tint to it than all out orange and is brighter and less coral than last years Hibiscus from the Surf Baby collection, also their summer offering. It glides on to the lips and is very bright. It's a satin, one of MAC best formulas.

Hibiscus, Sail Le Vie and Neon Orange

Next I picked out the highlight powder, Crew.

I was attracted to the mix of colours on the surface however now I have the product in my had I think they are just surface colours and may only last a few uses. The highlight colour itself is a warm pinky peachy type tone with gold shimmer. I have yet to use it but I shall look forward to trying it out.

Finally I chose an eyeshadow. Jaunty is a warm champagne frosty colour. Similar to Retrospeck but more beige. Much easier to wear all over the lid alone as it's very opaque on its own.

I have really been enjoying wearing an all over gold wash on my lids so I was instantly drawn to this although if there had been a palette with the other colours in the collection, Navy (blue obv), Feeling Fresh (green), Barefoot (gold) and Jaunty I wouldn't have hesitated to buy it! I'm wearing it in the above picture.

The packaging is divine.

The blue and white stripey cardboard packaging is absolutely appropriate and when opened the the red interior of the box is a treat. The deep blue casing is perfect and MAC have used gold lettering which makes the collection feel special and exclusive. The products are pleasurable to hold, I know it sonuds weird but seriously they are super soft and slinky.

I may have purchased a blusher but I bought two in the Tres Cheek collection last month, If I happen upon a counter before they sell out I'll check them out but I'm not making a special journey.

Have you got your eye on anything in this collection?

xoxo

Spring Pastels Haul!

I'm going on holiday soon *eeep!* so I popped along to the shops to get some summery bits to take away. I absolutely love all of the pastel tones that are around and I bought a few pieces.

This tunic top is from Monsoon, it's a light fabric and it's lower at the back so great for wearing with leggings. I thought I might wear this with my white linen trousers but it might look a bit frumpy, not sure yet haven't tried it out! I'll probably wear this with some blue leggings and a belt to make it a bit more fitted. I originally had my eye on the gorgeous lemon yellow version but my Mum thought it washed me out so I decided to get the minty green and put yellow with it.

Et Voila!

I couldn't resist this cute yellow satchel in Accessorize. I am OBsessed with anything yellow at the moment and although I already have my amazing yellow studded Tabitha bag, this is a completely different style. OMG, have you seen Kim Kardashians yellow Birkin? Dream bag or what?!!

I picked up this scarf in H&M I have seen this print on a couple of things in H&M and I love it but I couldn't pull of the clothing items in the style. I thought I could add the scarf to the bag or just wear it obviously!

Aaahh! I just love all those colours!

I picked out these adorable earrings in Accessorize too, I'd wear these if I wasn't wearing a scarf and since I've just had my hair cut pretty short these are longer that my hair when in my ears so they sparkle nicely and take the attention away from my rather short fringe! No face pics for a couple of weeks!

Finally these amazing bangles from H&M, I just love them stacked and I think the marbled design on the bottom one is gorgeous! They both have a gold edging which will go nicely with my little gold disc necklace that I wear all the time!

I can't wait for the weather to perk up so I can put this outfit together! I'm packing it all up now to take on holiday so hopefully I'll have an outfit of the day for you soon! 

Just think of all the gorgeous makeup I can put with it! My fave lipsticks, MAC Ever Hip and Ravishing will look stunning and pastel nails in any shade will be perfect! 

xoxo

Antipodes Organic Skincare

Recently I had the pleasure of discovering a skincare brand that has made a real difference to my routine and a range that I am thoroughly enjoying using and keen to try more from them.

Antipodes is from New Zealand and uses all natural ingredients with many being organic.

I was first introduced to the brand by the fabulous ProductPixie when she gave a glowing review of the range on her blog. She very generously sent me a sample of the Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream to try myself and after two weeks of use I knew I wanted to try more and purchase my own,

The Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream is a light moisturising eye cream that has a slight gel like texture to it. Made with avocado oil, manuka flower and carrot seed this cream is wonderfully moisturising and I'm sure it has helped to brighten my under eye area although this is not a claim made by Antipodes. It also contains aloe which helps to cool and soothe skin. It's biggest claim is that the cream will help to stimulate collagen production by 82%. I can't comment on that yet, I've been using it for about six weeks now but I will continue to use the cream and keep an eye out.... ;) for any improvements!

This is my favourite product from the range. The Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream is an amazing product. Really. I have noticed the biggest improvement in my skin in the morning after using this luscious cream. My skin is smooth, moisturised and glowing. Honestly one of the most effective night creams I have ever used. Another product to heavily feature avocado oil it's hard not to see the virtues of this natural ingredient. The texture of the cream is velvety soft but not runny it's almost balmy. The night cream also has proven to improve collagen production by 92%!

The Divine Face Oil really lives up to it's name. Again featuring the wonderful avocado oil with rosehip this is a non greasy oil that sinks into my skin very easily and if I have enough time I often apply this before my makeup as I find it a little too rich when combined with the night cream. The oil is certified organic and as with the last two items can help to stimulate collagen production by 51%. It can also help to reduce acne scarring which I have found to be true on a stubborn spot I had for a few days I also find it helps to minimise pores. I would certainly by this again.

The final product I chose was the Aura Manuka Honey Mask. This mask is deeply hydrating and soothing thanks to the manuka honey. It smells literally delicious, like carrot cake! I do not suggest eating it but if you accidentally licked your face I think you would survive! The packaging suggests daily use but I don't have time and would find it unnecessary anyway so I choose to do this mask once or twice a week usually in the morning as it leave a fabulous base for applying makeup. I have enjoyed the mask and I will finish it off however I'm not sure I absolutely must own it all the time, I will probably buy again but not as an essential. 

I purchased the items in this post from feelunique.com but there are few other places to buy it, naturisimo.com are offering a free Deliverance hand cream with two Antipodes items and nutribeautyproducts.com offer 10% off your first order, so take your pick! They are in the higher price bracket I would say but nothing more than Elemis or Decleor.

I have really enjoyed discovering this brand and I feel I shall always use something from the range. I love that they are concious of the ingredients they are using and the sources they come from. My skin responds better to natural elements which is why I've had so much success. I'm keen to try more and I ordered a few more bits and pieces that arrived last week. I've only used them a couple of times and since this post is epically long I shall save them for another day!

xoxo

Dipped In Gold

This week I tried out a new nail look and I have absolutely loved it! I have had so many compliments!

I used Nails Inc Wellington Square with Sephora By OPI in Only Gold For Me as the Glitter. I just love the gold and peach together!

I was going for a glitter fade but I love that the nails look like I've dipped them into a pot of glitter. The glitter from the Sephora polish is so sparkly it really does look like little diamonds!

 The glitter tips also meant that the polish was extremely hard wearing and is still going strong after 5 days!!  I will certainly be re-creating this look with other colour combos this summer!

xoxo

American Apparel Nail Lacquer

I have always been intrigued by the American Apparel Nail Lacquer line but I really wanted to see them in person before commiting to purchsing. I threw caution to the wind and purchased online, since there are barely, if any shops outside London. Loads of you guys recommended a couple of colours to me when I mentioned in a vid that I wanted a searing bright red for the summer. 

Sunset Boulevard, Crescent Heights, Poppy, The Valley and Neon Red.

First up Sunset Boulvevard,

Sunset Boulevard is a bright coral peach. It has a soft look to it and will be perfect for the summer, the sort of colour that looks fab with gold accessories and a tan! 

It's ok! I know what you are thinking! However Crescent Heights is actually a pleasant colour on the nails, it's not quite as fugly or as slimey green as it looks in the picture! I bought it to do some nail art with, I thought it was similar to the OPI Nicki Minaj colour Did It On Em' which I haven't been able to find on its own. I ended up liking it although it's the sort of colour I would tire of and would probably reserve for an evening out or a weekend. I actually think it would look great with a black dress and a bright lippie.

Poppy was one of the colours recommended to me on You Tube. It's not a ground breaking colour however it is a fab example of a bright summer red. Poppy is the perfect description for it, I found it to be similar but not a bright as Essie's Ole Caliente.

The Valley, along with Crescent Heights are newer to the range. It's a sky blue that has a slight dusty quality. I like it a lot, I can't think of many dupes in my collection although I'm sure I'll find one!

Another recommendation and probably my favourite from the haul is Neon Red. This is almost exactly what I was looking for, I say almost as I wanted this brightness but a shade or two darker! However I adore the searing bright tone of this polish. I wore it with black and looked amazing! Application is great on this one, I found it wasn't cursed with the problems of patchy streakiness like many other neons. This will be fab toe colour whilst on holiday!

So that's my little haul. Overall I'm impressed with the quality, I love the bottles and I love the labelling. In hindsight they are little too expensive for what they are I think £9 is a couple of £'s too much and I wish they did an offer like three for £15 or something, I would definitely buy more that way. I believe they do somthing like that in the US. If I had seen them instore I would have skipped on Poppy as I can dupe it a number of times from my own stash and probably The Valley as I'm not blown away by it, I feel like Barry M would have a similar colour. 

My experience with the actual purchasing of the polish was pretty bad, they took nearly three weeks to arrive and it was only after pestering the customer service team that they were sent out. I was told one of the colours was out of stock but I didn't receive a notification in that whole time. I think it took the shine off my initial excitement of ordering.

I will be following the collection though and wouldn't hesitate at getting another unique colour from the range. I kinda feel a bit cooler wearing an AA polish!

Have you got any recommendations, I nearly purchased Office and L'Esprit, maybe next time!

xoxo

China Glaze Electric Beat

China Glaze Electic Beat is the only polish I purchased from their new Spring Electropop collection. The collection is a large selection of bright colours a great collection for those needing some new colours. I however, have similar colours that are in the set and this was the only one I couldn't resist or dupe!

A pastel cornflower colour, Electric Beat is a beautiful polish. A dream to apply with it's creamy consistency. Opaque and bright in two coats. 

It will look fab against a hot pink or bright coral or will blend beautifully with the candy coloured jeans that are everywhere this spring.

xoxo

New Lush Stuff!

Ok. So I may have a little problem developing here....

After dabbling in the Lush Christmas offerings I have become rather fond of enjoying a Lush bath. Having used the last of my Gingerbread House I felt I could treat myself to some new bath treats. 

Leap Frog Bath Bomb with his big red pout was an impulse buy based on looks alone! His lips are soft and made of a different substance than his body, I guess it contains some of the oils and maybe a moisturising butter. It smells of jasmine and rose, I like the scent but I'm not amazed by it. It looks good in my bathroom though! The Leap Frog was a limited edition for Valentines so "hop" along soon if you want one!

Excuse the chunk taken out of my Dorothy Bubble Bar as I have already used it! I was attracted by the vibrant blue colour and the uplifting rainbow perched on top! Very appropriate for Spring! I prefer Bubble Bars to Bath Bombs, I think they are better value as they have more uses and I especially love this one as it smells exactly like a Lush shop! One of my favourite smells! It turned my bath a light blue which I enjoyed and the smell was lovely but not lingering.

This the Yuzu and Cocoa Bubbleroon, I believe the Bubbleroons are new to Lush and this is one of three. It smells of coconut straight away and it feels soft which will be the Shea butter. I hope it's very moisturising which means I can live with the sweet smell which I'm not completely in love with. (Anyone else think it looks like a rudey bum?! Just me then?!)

Lovely Jubblies is a firming cream for your boobies. I've heard positive comments about this cream and was keen to try it after losing weight my jubblies have shrunk a little however they are not small by any stretch! I like the floral smell and the cream itself contains lots of oils for help moisturise the delicate skin. It contains ingredients to help firm the skin. I have only used it a couple of times so I can't comment on it's effects just yet but I will continue to use it up. I was surprised at the price, it was £15.75 for a 100g pot which is fairly small however the cream goes a long way in a fairly small area, depending on your size obviously!

Finally a real hero product from Lush, Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter. I have purchased this in the past and I still have the pot however it is a year out of date, and although I'm sure it's fine it's full of fresh ingredients so newer is better! I have suffered badly with sore cuticles this year and really needed to treat them. Obviously it smells of lemons but it contains lots of oils mixed with beeswax that effortlessly melts into any dry areas, cuticles, toes or elbows! I noticed a huge difference in one night of use.

Despite finding some gems here I'm not a Lush junkie yet however I'm keen to go back to Lush soon to have a look at the Mothers Day offerings, I think they have new Bubble Bars, my fave!

xoxo

Charmed, I'm Sure

I went shopping this week and I popped into Topshop for a look at the make up range as it's not available of any of my local To' Sho's.

I was really looking for another nail art pen but they were nowhere to be seen! I noticed the stunning make up on the girls in the images for the new Spring collection called Sisters Of The New Moon and I was bowled over by one of the lipsticks.

Charmed is a glossy light coral, not as orange as it appears in the picture. I absolutely love this colour, for me it's like my perfect nude. So flattering on my skintone and perfect for the summer with bronzed skin, a coral blush and a brown eyeliner.

The lipstick itself is fab. I've not tried a Topshop lipstick before but this one is a great example. It's very soft and glossy however this makes it wear quickly. I felt it was moisturising which is great additional aspect. I'm not a massive fan of the packaging for this one, I preferred the Smoke and Mirrors tortoiseshell tubes. 

The Sisters Of The New Moon collection is available online here, and Charmed is here. This lipstick was £9.

xoxo

Essie Haul!

I recently splurged on the new Essie collections, I was desperate for some new Spring colours and their new collections hit the spot!

First up some from Navigate Her, Essie's Spring 2012 collection.

Olé Caliente is a super bright tomato red. It's a stunner, so bright and summery, exactly what I wanted. I realise it's not a unique colour but it's a great version of this shade. I have it on my toes now and I love it! This is two coats and the application was great, smooth and creamy to apply.

Navigate Her was a gamble that paid off! I wasn't sure at first but I really like the light pastel green shade. I have nothing like it in my vast collection of minty colours. The formula was thin but easy to apply it was opaque after two coats but you may feel you need three. 

A Crewed Interest was the badly behaved one of the bunch! A light peach shade, I can't deny I love the colour but this is three coats and the polish itself is quite thin.

Orange, It's Obvious! is a searing bright orange. I love it! It's the brightest orange I own and is the perfect accent colour for the summer. This bright shade was featured in the Mulberry LFW fashion show this weekend and Pantone have selected Tangerine Tango as the colour of the year. Perfect!

Play Date is from Essie's resort collection, a small collection released for the summer, it's called Go Overboard. I have a love hate relationship with lilacs, lavenders and lighter purple shades I love them in the bottle but hate them on my nails. However this one I love! It's super bright! It reminds me of the new Dior polish that I toyed with buying, this will be fine!

Now I had a major DUH moment here! I bought a colour that I already had in my stash! I knew the day would come! I was convinced I didn't own Lapis Of Luxury from the Resort collection of 2010, but I was wrong. Nevermind! The colour is a lovely shade of cornflower blue I love the colour but the polish itself lets it down. Again it's thin and needed three coats China Glaze Electric Beat is a better more opaque version.

Finally Turquoise and Caicos again from Resort 2010 I have wanted this polish for ages! The colour is a gorgeous bright turquoise cream the colour of the ocean lapping a Caribbean island! My God I want a beach holiday soon! Again it's a thin polish but builds in two coats, Barry M's Mint is very very similar you wouldn't need both.... unlike me!

Overall I'm pleased with my new additions, I am particularly in love with Olé Caliente, Orange, It's Obvious! and Play Date.

Have you dabbled in the new collections?!

xoxo

Cobalt VS Coral - NOTD and OOTD

Today I discovered my spring crush....

Nails Inc Baker Street is an almost neon bright cobalt blue and I am completely obsessed with it! As worn by Beyonce last week, I purchased this polish in this weeks Nails Inc, QVC Todays Special Value which if I'm honest I only bought for this colour! I painted it on late last night, virtually in the dark but this morning when I opened my curtains I did a double take when my nails flashed in front of my eyes! Blinding!

Baker Street is still available at QVC, here,  however this polish will be available on the Nails Inc website in March, just in time for the summer!

My second fashion crush of the day is my outfit,

I bought this bright coral shirt from Monsoon this week and today was it's first outing. It's a casual linen shirt that I wore with black leggings and I wore my tribal scarf for the first time too. I felt more comfortable cinching in the shirt with a belt as it's a looser fit, I chose a tan belt today but it would look equally as good with a black or gold belt. I love the contrast with the cobalt blue in the scarf and on my nails! I can't wait to wear this outfit with gold sandals in the summer. 

Apologies for the iPhone picture in the mirror, I would have taken a proper picture this afternoon but linen is not the best fabric for keeping pristine and I'm looking a little creased right now! 

I think these colours will be a big part of my summer wardrobe! 

xoxo