Back with a HAUL!

Ok I haven't blogged for ages. sorry. had a personal thing & then concentrating on work & then just didn't really feel it. Plus I stopped purchasing for a while due to budgeting & I got caught up in Instagram.

But enough of the excuses. I did a haul the other day, posted it on Instagram (I am nicolagg over there) then suddenly thought - wow I would like to blog this. So I have.

My haul was a sweet combination of "high end" and "drugstore" - in this case MAC, Nars & Topshop (whose make up collections I am really enjoying of late).

l-r : MAC Shell Pearl Beauty Powder (Year of the Snake Collection), MAC 168 angled contour brush, MAC Summer Sweetheart Lipglass (Archies Girls Collection), Topshop Milkshake Nail Varnish, Topshop Glow, Topshop Blush in Morning Dew and Nars Galapagos.

So some new(ish) things and some oldies but goodies.

MAC: The Shell Pearl beauty powder looks a bit scary but is in fact a perfect peachy gold highlighter which would also work well as an eyeshadow. Lovely. The lipglass is probably the only thing I will haul from Archies Girls - just don't like the cartoonish collections and nothing inspiring there to me. I recently had a full on make over done at the MAC store in Covent Garden and they used a 168 contour to apply liquid foundation. I usually use Studio Tech in the compact but have a few liquid foundations I never use and I really liked the finish with the brush so thought I would give it a go!

Topshop has been a real revelation. The Milkshake varnish is a great dupe for OPI Mod About You (one of my all time fave pinks cremes) and the Glow is a lovely subtle highlighter. Perfect for summer. I really like the creme blushes as they have good staying power especially when applied with a stippling brush and then gone over lightly with a powder blush.

Finally NARS Galapagos. I have been umm'ing and ah'ing about this for a while. I always love NARS colours but the payoff never seems that good - apart from Dogon which is my alltime fave. I have Mekong in the single but I gave in to temptation and purchased this too - a nice coffee brown with a gold sparkle which doesnt really show when applied. Lets see!

Anyway - thats that - I guess I am back!

Until next time .... XOXO

N

OPI Whats With The Cattitude review NOTD

I am not entirely sure why I even have this colour in my extensive varnish collection. Its a duck egg blue. A fairly creamy, dreamy looking blue but still. I suspect I just liked the name (I buy my varnishes online from the US so occasionally I go a little crazy and buy without checking the colour in person first). 

There is a valuable lesson here - this shade of blue is best reserved for Tiffany boxes. 

Anyway I have had this sitting in the nail varnish drawer for months unused. Today my nails were bare, the sun was out and I only had the gym and some meetings ahead so a fun colour was on the cards. 

Well cutting a long story short this varnish is an EPIC fail.  Streaky doesn't even cover it, despite the base coat:

yes - see that thumbnail...that is after 2 coats!

 not pretty huh?

so - this polish will be hitting the circular filing cabinet hard. I love OPI polishes usually but this one was a letdown.  0/10.

What is your favourite "fun" colour nail polish?

until next time .....XO

Vendetta....falling back in love

For a while now I have been in a nail varnish rut - same old colours, day in day out.  Basically either Mod About You, any slightly neon red/orange or Max Factor mini Cloudy Blue (seen below...lovely but doesnt last)

Max Factor Cloudy Blue 



So the other morning I scrabbled through my nail varnish drawer (the ones that aren't kept in the fridge as I ran out of space) and found an old favourite:

Vendetta by Chanel

I applied it on the tube on my way to a meeting and was inspired by how easily it went on and how I didn't need 4 coats to get the desired opacity (China Glaze I am  looking at you!). Its a beautiful vampy purple with a slight shimmer in the bottle but not noticeable when applied. It lasts well and looks good on short and long talons.

And it has a fabulous name!

What nail varnishes have you recently rediscovered? let me know....

until next time ..........xo

In and Out!

A little fun post of things I am loving ... and those I am not loving quite so much!

IN 


OPI NAIL POLISH

I'm back to natural nails and as such rediscovering the variety of nail colours I own. Whilst I am a true nail whore  and own over 100 polishes by Chanel, Orly, MAC, CND  plus the usual high street suspects - I would say OPI remains my favourite for quality and staying power. I am looking forward to getting out my pastels and hot pinks and oranges for Summer! Here are just a few from my collection:

L'OCCITANE HAND CREAM

Well if I am going to wear lovely nail polish I need to get my hands looking good and winter has left them a little war wounded. I recently re-discovered the joy of L'Occitane dry skin hand cream with 20% Shea Butter. Leaves my hands feeling soft, looking smoother and - big bonus - it smells divine!

L'OREAL BODY EXPERTISE NUTRILIFT (DRY TO VERY DRY SKIN)

Fake tanning, exfoliating and fake tanning again over and over to infinity means my skin takes a proper battering. I am not very good at remembering to moisturise but at my age I can't afford not to anymore. This body lotion is one of the best I have tried (even surpassing - for me - more expensive brands such as Clarins). It doesn't irritate my skin, absorbs quickly (so practical) and leave my skin looking and feeling better. Plus Superdrug have L'Oreal on 3 for 2. Who could ask for more?!

OUT


CLARINS BEAUTY FLASH BALM

Try as I might to love this product (and over the years I really really have tried) - I just doesn't seem to make any difference. I have applied it as a thin layer prior to make up, or as a thick layer as a mask then removed with toner (i.e completely as directed) and yet it never makes my skin look any better. I wish I was one of the people it worked for - I so wanted it to! Sad face.

LANCOME GENIFIQUE YEUX

Been using this consistently since November - and its another one that I had such high hopes for only to be sorely disappointed. I will use it to the end of the pot (mostly because it was REALLY expensive) but then I suspect I will go back to my beloved Kiehls Avocado Eye cream which has the heavy creamy consistency that seems to work much better on my type of skin.

L'OREAL STUDIO SECRETS SMOOTHING RESURFACING PRIMER

Broke me out. Massively. That is all. :(

OPI Mod About You

This week there was some seriously almost summer like weather in London Town. But I have been feeling a bit glum. One immediate way to lift my mood is painting my nails. Now I no longer have my French manicure acrylics on I can get back to a bit of experimenting with the 100 odd nail colours I have in my nail drawer and in the fridge. Yes - I keep my varnishes in the fridge. People always comment on this - they go in expecting to see food and immediately fixate on the Chanel nail varnish collection - like its something odd!

Anyway - I fancied something bright and pink. I reached for OPI's Mod About You - a colour I purchased inspired by Lollipop 26 - and have loved ever since. I never fail to get compliments on this cool bubblegum pinky/white. It is a bit of a pain to apply - I always need 3 coats as the first goes on pretty streaky and the second is never quite opaque enough. Plus you need a steady hand with this sort of colour - which I am not reknown for! Still its worth the effort - I think (ignore my shocking cuticles! Back to the Solar Oil for me!)

It looks pretty pink in this natural light - in other light it can look much whiter. Love love regardless!

What colour are you reaching for now the sun is coming out? Let me know.

Until next time..............xo