My Recent Nail Polish Hauls Part 1

As you'll have noticed, make up reviews have been few and far between on the blog lately. I managed to do just 4 of them in the last 3 weeks. I don't know why, I'm just not that drawn to make up at the moment, and what little I've bought I hardly had time to photograph, swatch and test out. However, I have been buying nail polish like it's going out of fashion (I have long given up on my nail polish no-buy as you might've suspected). Over the past couple of years I have discovered many great brands and have been spending my time looking online, stalking launches and getting excited about lovely colours. So I thought, I might as well show you all my lovely nail polish hauls. Enjoy!

Layla holo polishes

As the title says, this is part 1, there were just too many pictures to fit into one post. Part 2 coming soon!

See more pictures after the jump!

Scent Of The Month / Stash Highlight: Yves Saint Laurent Paris Eau de Printemps

This is a slightly different Scent Of The Month post as I'm going to show you more than one perfume. Yves Saint Laurent Paris was my first proper grown-up perfume, I always wanted one and my then boyfriend got it for me for Christmas when I was 18. So for over half of my life now I have loved and regularly used it. Every year YSL also release a limited edition springtime, lighter version of Paris. The original scent isn't exactly heavy, but the springtime one is even more suitable for warmer months.

As I am utterly rubbish at describing scents, I've copied the description of the original Paris EDP/EDT from the YSL website: "At the heart of this tribute to the city of love, the delicate rose reveals a profound and enchanting personality. Fresh and subtle, the top notes of Violet, Bergamot and Orange blossom flirt with tenderness and happiness. The intense floral middle note reveals all the splendour of Rosa Centifolia and Iris, warmed by woody and sensual base notes of Sandalwood, Amber and Vanilla."

As you can see, I have 7 different bottles of Paris Eau de Printemps, including the newest 30-year-anniversary one (second from top left corner of the picture above) called Premieres Roses (the name has been used in several years, but the bottles/boxes all have different designs, although I can't be certain whether the fragrances are the same as well).

They are actually really affordable at £30 and you get a massive 125 ml for your money, which means that it's not possible to use up during one season. That is why I still have so many unused ones, but I can't not buy them because they are just so lovely.

Do you have an all time favourite fragrance? Please share in the comments!

See another picture after the jump!

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Periwinkle - Review and Swatches

I feel really bad now reviewing this eyeliner because I've just looked on the Stila website and it's sold out now, and I believe this was a limited edition. But I've taken the pictures, so I might as well write up the review, right?

This shade was part of the Stila spring collection, but it's basically the same product as the other Smudge Sticks I have reviewed before (click here for my review). The shade is called Periwinkle and that's exactly what it is, a periwinkle blue shade (it is more purple in real life, but my camera refuses to pick up purples properly). This one isn't shimmery/glittery like some of the other shades, so that may be a plus for those who don't like glittery eyeliners. I don't mind either way and it's a gorgeous colour, so I'm happy.

It has the same lovely, soft, easy to apply formula and it's long lasting, although I've never tested whether it's actually waterproof. It comes in the same twist up pen as the other Smudge Sticks and you still only get 0.28 g for £13.

As I said, this is a limited edition shade, but I have just checked an it's still in stock on the BeautyBay website and you may be able to find it from other retailers too. It's a lovely, springlike colour, so well worth picking up.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Laura Mercier Folklore Collection Illuminating Eye Colour in Sun Glow, Fire Glow and Earth Glow

I already told you about this collection and now I can show you the eyeshadows I got which is basically all 3 of them! They are called Illuminating Eye Colours and they are pretty much exactly the same thing as these eyeshadows that came out last winter. Probably best if you read my previous review by clicking on the link because they are very very similar to last year's release.

Colourwise these new shades are warmer, more bronzy, summery shades. I've compared them to last years' colours and found that Fire Glow was more coppery/orangey than Gilded Rosegold, Sun Glow is more orange than Gilded Moonlight and Earth Glow is a much warmer brown shade than Gilded Bronze. The new shades also seem less metallic than the previous ones, but they still have plenty of sheen to them. No glitter and no fallout, and the formula is just as lovely, smooth and long lasting as last year's ones.

I would love it if Laura Mercier released these eyeshadows in more colours (I'm thinking of blues, greens, purples, pinks) as so far they've only done more earthy, natural colours which are nice, but I also love bright colours! These new 3 shades are perfect for the summer though, I've paired them up with Urban Decay 24/7 eyeshadow pencil in Clash which is a crazy bright turquoise shade and really makes the look pop.

These eyeshadows cost £18.50 which is actually £1.50 less than last year's ones and you still get 2.5 g for your money. I bought mine from House of Fraser, but Space NK also stocks them and on their website last year's Gilded Moonlight is still available!

See more pictures including swatches and a look I did with these eyeshadows after the jump!

Kiko Super Colour Eyeliner in 105 Jade Green

On a recent trip to Westfield I popped into the Kiko store and noticed their colourful liquid eyeliners. I picked up 105 jade Green, a colour I hadn't owned yet despite having loads of liquid eyeliners (mainly MUFE and Stila, but also other brands).

This is what Kiko say about the eyeliner: "Coloured Liquid Eyeliner in a water-resistant formula. Its water and polymer based formula creates a film of extra-brilliant no-transfer colour with great coverage. The light and gliding texture dries quickly adhering perfectly to eyelids, without fading or flaking. The innovative, cone-shaped applicator in soft felt makes application very comfortable, simple and perfectly measured, for a line that can go from thin to thick. Its special long-handled design ensures maximum control of application for lines that are always flawless. Exceptional by itself or on top of eyeshadow, eye pencil or classic eyeliner, Super Colour Eyeliner is available in 14 vibrant shades."

I'd say I agree with most of it, except that there is nothing innovative about the applicator as it's exactly the same as the above mentioned brands' applicators. Now that's not a bad thing, just nothing new. The formula is a little bit runny, watery for my liking and it takes a few goes to build up the colour and as a result it does take a little longer to dry, but once it's dry, it's going nowhere. However it comes off easily with oil based remover and unlike some other liquid eyeliners it dissolves rather than flakes off. Shade 105 Jade green is an almost duochromey light green shade with some yellow and blue shimmer to it depending on how the light hits it. Very pretty colour.

You get 1.7 ml for currently £3.90 (normally £6.90) which is a hell of a lot cheaper than MUFE and Stila, although I do feel that the formula isn't quite comparable, so I guess that's about alright.You can order it from Kiko's website (which I don't recommend due to a previous bad experience) or buy from a Kiko store in Westfield Stratford or Shepherd Bush.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

NOTD: Marks & Spencer Autograph Ultimate Wear Nail Colour in City Grey

This is a rather pretty subtle but not boring in the slightest nail polish from Marks & Spencer. It's a lovely soft grey with pink shimmer that is very hard to capture, it looked much prettier in real life - as usual.

I did 3 coats and unfortunately managed to mess up my middle finger nail, and couldn't be bothered to start again, so that's why it doesn't look that great in the pictures. It also shows up the terrible state my nails are in (peeling, thin), especially on my index finger. All in all, not the best advert for this polish, but it was actually very nice. Very office/work friendly, but not dull in the slightest.

The formula was good and it didn't chip on me until day 2 which is good in my books. It's pretty cheap as well at £6. You get 11 ml which is a good size. I also bought this in Purple Rain which is a gorgeous sparkling berry colour, but I haven't used it yet.

See more pictures after the jump!

Want It! Too Faced Hello Sunshine Collection for Summer 2013

There's another summer collection that has tickled my fancy this year and it's the Too Faced summer collection. I especially love those cute little heart shaped bronzing pearls.

Herer are the collection details:

Sweetheart Beads Radiant Glow Face Powder – New & Limited Edition

Catch the light with buildable color and a hint of shimmer. Inspired by nature’s most flattering pink and golden-light at dusk, these multi-colored heart pearls blend to impart a lit-from-within radiance.

Summer Eye 2013 Summer Sexy Shadow Collection – New & Limited Edition

A hand-picked collection of nine exclusive resort-inspired eye shadows will be your temptation to take a vacation. Like all Too Faced palettes we’ve included a show-and-tell centerfold we call a Glamour Guide to give you instructions and a start on creating three Summer Eyes looks.

The palette features 9 shades: Seashell, Plumeria, Cocoa Beach, Peach Fuzz, Coral Crush, Chocolate Sun, Sunbeam, Mermaid, Toasted Coconut.

Sweet Sun Shine Lip Gloss – New

Watermelon Ice – pink
Papaya Slushie – coral
Mocha Freeze – bronze

Endless Summer 16 Hour Long-Wear Bronzer – New

All good things don’t have to end. Get a lit-from-within bronzed glow that lasts 16-hours or more courtesy of our exclusive “Double Bond” formula that combines staying power technology with long wear pigments. It’s a bronzer that works harder than you play.

Bronzed & Poreless Pore Perfecting Bronzer – New

Create radiant-looking skin with all-over natural warmth. Bronzed & Poreless is infused with the same pore-banishing and skin smoothing properties that made our original Primed & Poreless famous—with an added warm matte bronze finish. It’s the must-have little black dress of bronzers.

Sunny Bunny Natural Bronzer – New

Our most popular, dual-toned bronzer is a silky combination of a rich, goldenbronze and a classic bronze with a touch of pink undertone to achieveyear round bronzed perfection that mimics a natural tan without any of the orangey ick!

Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer – New

Bronzing has never been so delicious. Our chocolate-scented, shimmer-free, matte bronzer is perfect for contouring and creating an all-over deep tan using real antioxidant-rich cocoa powder. It’s all the tan without the twinkle.

Medium/ Deep
Light/ Medium

Snow Bunny Luminous Bronzer – New

Four complementary shades are combined in this skin-perfecting bronzer to banish redness and rudiness, correct imperfections and add an all-over faux glow.

Pink Leopard Blushing Bronzer – New

Ourlovely little leopard bronzer combines gorgeous shades of goldenbronzes, gilded pinks and neutral fawns to brighten skin and create aglorious all over glow that will have you looking sun-kissed any time ofthe year.

Beach Bunny Bronzer – New

Our deep, illuminating bronzing powder is a silky combination of four rich, sun-kissed bronzers and shimmers that create a perfect, deep summertime tan anywhere, any time of the year.

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in Heat Wave Review and Swatches

Finally, a product review! I bought this highlighter on my pre-birthday shopping trip during the school holiday, but only just got around to swatching it and wearing it. This highlighter is part of the Estee Lauder summer collection and is already out in House of Fraser, and will be coming to other retailers at the end of April.

Once again it's the new powder gelee formula and once again Estee Lauder got it so right. The formula is very similar to Mac's Extra Dimension Skinfinishes, very smooth and creamy with high frosty shine. Heat Wave is a gorgeous light gold colour, it gives a really nice sheen, but it's not glittery at all. Colourwise it is pretty much identical to Mac Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish. Swatched heavily there is a very slight difference, but once blended out, you really can't tell which is which. The powder comes with a sponge applicator, but I prefer to use a brush to apply and blend it with.

The powder costs £30 and you get 6 g which is 1.5 g more than previous colours of the same formula, but the compact is again the same as the regular Estee Lauder blush compact. It is smaller than Mac skinfinishes and more expensive, so if you bought Whisper of Gilt, you don't need this as well (unless you really want a back up). This is a limited edition product and these gelee powders sell out very quickly, so get yours while you can. Exclusively available at  House of Fraser until the end of April when it will be realeased nationwide at Debenhams, Boots and other retailers with Estee Lauder counters and online from all of the above plus the Estee Lauder website.

See more pictures after the jump!

Giveaway Winner!

A big thank you to all of you who entered my giveaway which has now ended. I have the pleasure of announcing the winner:

Entry no. 233 Holly S.

Congratulations Holly! Be sure to e-mail me with your postal address, so I can send your prize to you asap!

NOTD: Sally Hansen Nail Prisms in Ruby Diamond (Holographic)

Although school has now started, I've still been very busy trying to sort out my house, but it's all done now, so finally I will have some time to take pictures and swatch my new purchases (although there aren't that many actually), and also go shopping this week. But for now, I have a quick nail polish post for you.

Oh and don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY, it ends at midnight (UK time) tonight!

So this is Sally Hansen Nail Prisms nail polish in Ruby Diamond which is a bright fuchsia pink holographic polish. It took 3 coats for this coverage, the polish was very runny and also slow drying. I used a top coat between the second and third coat not to dull the holo effect, but still try and make it last longer. I had a tiny chip in the first 24 hours and a few more chips the following day. Still, it was very pretty while it lasted.

I believe Sally Hansen Nail Prisms aren't available in the shops anymore, in fact in the UK they never were, but there are quite a lot of them on eBay which is where I got all mine from. The prices vary depending on the shades, but I managed to grab mine for around £6-7 each.

See more pictures after the jump!

Want It! Mac Tropical Taboo Mineralize Collection for Summer 2013

I was so excited to find out about Mac's upcoming mineralize collection, I had to share the news with you straight away! I love mineralize products and this collection has a lot of new goodies for me to look forward to.I'm mostly interested in the mineralize skinfinishes, blushes and eyeshadows, but there are also some mineralize lipsticks, cremesheen glasses, lip pencils and other goodies included in this collection.

Not actual promo picture

Due to be released in July in the US (and I'm guessing August in the UK), here are the collection details:

Mineralize Lipsticks

• Lady at Play – Mid-tone cool tangerine
• Divine Choice – Mid-tone cool pink cream
• Midnight Mambo –Intense violet
• Luxe Naturale – Light beige cream
• Glamour Era – Mid-tone warm brown frost

Cremesheen Glass

• Calypso Beat –Pale neutral pink
• Fever Isle – Bright red coral
• Japanese Spring - Pale mid-tone pink
• Narcissus – Mid-tone eggplant

Lip Pencil

• Hip ‘n’ Happy – Mid-tone blue pink
• Have to Have It – Soft warm beige
• Heroine – Bright purple
• Ablaze – Bright apricot

Mineralize Skinfinish

• Adored – Coral with light beige pearlized pigments
• Rio – Bronze with bright pink pearlized pigments
• Lust – Pale pink with cranberry pearlized pigments
• Soft ‘n Gentle (permanent) – Gilded peach bronze
• Gold Deposit (permanent) – Soft reflective golden bronze

Mineralize Blush

• Sweet Samba –Dark pink with tan pearlized pigments
• Exotic Ember – Orange with bronze pearlized pigments
• Simmer- Burnt rose with peach/gold pearlized pigments

Mineralize Eyeshadow

• Dare to Bare – Light cream with gold pearlized pigments
• Carribean –Rose with pink and red pearlized pigments
• Cha-Cha-Cha – Deep blue green with green pearlized pigments
• Time to Tango- Lavendar with silver pearlized pigments
• Bossa Blue – Royal blue with brown pearlized pigments
• Tropica - Silver blue with purple pearlize pigments

Kohl Power Eye Pencil

• Feline – Rich Black
• Orpheus – Intense black with gold pearlized pigments

Brush

• 187 Brush – Duo fibre face brush
• 159 Brush - Duo fibre face brush
• 287 Brush - Duo fibre eyeshadow brush

In Extreme Dimension Lash

• Black

Credit goes to Maneater Makeup

How To Wear Coloured Eyeliner?

When the news about the Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil Vault emerged, I read a few comments from people saying they don't normally wear coloured eyeliner because they don't know how to. So I thoght I'd put together a little post to show you a few ideas on how to wear coloured eyeliner. All pictures are clickable and will take you to the post they were originally posted in, so you can also see full face pictures.

I'd say there are 3 ways of using coloured eyeliner. One is to make an otherwise simple look pop. In the picture above I used black and beige eyeshadows, so I added a purple eyeliner on my bottom lashline to make it pop. In the picture below I used a gold eyeshadow and added purple eyeliner on both the top lashline (liquid) and the bottom lashline (pencil).

See more pictures and ideas on how to wear coloured eyeliner after the jump!

NOTD: Nails Inc Shepherds Market

I believe this was a limited edition colour, I bought it as part of a set in TKMaxx, so not sure, but it's not on the Nails Inc website. Shepherds Market is a silver glitter polish with lots of multicoloured glitter. The glitter in it is very fine, and the coverage is very good, the pictures show two coats.

The formula was nice and easy to apply. It did show up the imperfections on my nails and sadly chipped within the first 24 hours, so I wasn't pleased with that. It was fairly easy to remove at least.

Nails Inc polishes cost £11 and you get 10 ml for your money. I find the quality variable, some are nice, some aren't that nice. To be honest, I don't think they're worth £11, so I try to buy them in sets in TKMaxx instead. They do have some lovely colours though.

See more pictures after the jump!

NOTD: Eye Candy Colour Flip Nail Polish in Regally Yours

Another quick NOTD post. Normal service will resume next week. Today I have Eye Candy Colour Flip Nail Polish in Regally Yours to show you. In the bottle this looks duochrome, but on the nails it's pretty much just a slightly purpley blue. It's a pretty colour, but it doesn't flip anywhere.

I used 2 coats, the formula was lovely and it dried quickly. Really shame about the lack of duochrome as it's actually a pretty nice polish. It did chip rather quickly though, I had 2 small chips by the end of the first day and a lot more the second day.

I bought it from Sainsbury's, it cost £8 and you get 12 ml for your money. It's an okay polish, pretty colour, but don't expect the duochrome you see in the bottle.

See more pictures after the jump!

NOTD: Sally Hansen Fire Opal Nail Glaze in Flame Opal

This week is the second week of the Easter school holidays and I haven't had any time to take any photos of new products, in fact I haven't actually bought much make up lately. I've mainly been focusing on nail polish (yes, I know I was supposed to be on a nail polish no-buy, but that didn't happen). So while I take time off of testing and reviewing new products, I thought I might as well try and get through my long back log of nail polish pictures. Normal service will resume next week.

Today I have Sally Hansen Fire Opal Nail Glaze in Flame Opal to show you. I really love Sally Hansen Nail Prisms for their amazing duochrome quality and when I heard about the Nail Glazes, I thought I'd ought to try them. Just like the Nail Prisms, these are also very sheer and look best when applied on top of a black polish (by Barry M). The Nail Glaze was terribly runny and took 3 coats for a good enough coverage. It was nowhere near as duochrome as I expected it to be. Also it took forever to dry. And when I say forever, I mean it!

I applied it around 9 pm and it was still soft the following day, it never really dried down properly despite using a quick drying topcoat. As a result I ended up with a very messed up middle finger nail, the polish basically got scrunched up when I was getting ready for bed. Really not great. The only one positive quality of the polish was that it didn't chip on me for 2 days (which is a big thing for me).

These Sally Hansen polishes aren't available in the UK, I bought mine on eBay for a few dollars.

See more pictures after the jump!

NOTD: Nails Inc Park Lane and OPI Purple With A Purpose

There are two things I love very much are combined in this mani: purple and glitter. I wore Nails Inc Park Lande over OPI Purple With A Purpose. I did 2 coats of the OPI polish and then one coat of the Nails Inc glitter polish on top.

To be honest, you probably can't even see the OPI polish because Nails Inc Park Lane has a fantastic coverage in just one coat! Although in the pictures it looks like the base polish is peeping through, but it's not really, just how the light falls on my nails.

Both formulas were lovely and I had very minimal chipping in the first 48 hours. The glitter polish was surprisingly easy to remove, so that was a bonus.

Both of these polishes are permanent, I believe, so you should be able to find them quite easily. I think they both cost £11 each, the Nails Inc being 10 ml and the OPI 15 ml.

The colours in the pictures are not at all accurate, so I included some I took with my phone camera, which are worse quality, but the colours are much truer to life.

See lots of pictures after the jump!

Guerlain Rose Aux Joues Blush Duo 06 Red Hot Swatches and Review

This is the last one of the (not so) new Guerlain Blush Duos that I've finally managed to get my hands on. After reviewing all the other shades I didn't feel like paying full price for this, so waited until I could find it much cheaper on eBay. I have to say though I'm actually pretty happy with this shade.

Red Hot is made up of 2 shades, a reddish brown shade and a lighter coral-red. Both of them have a satin finish, no shimmer to speak of, but they do give a nice sheen. I have worn them separately as blushes, but you can also use the darker shade to contour and the lighter shade as a blush. The beauty of this is that you can do whatever you like.

Both of them have okay pigmentation, I find that they apply better than they swatch (I use my fingers to swatch usually). I didn't have to be too careful not to overdo them, but they can be layered, so they will work well for darker skintones.

These blushes cost £32.50 and you get 6 g of product which is not huge. I probably wouldn't pay full price for any of them, although they are nice, but I feel there are better blushes around for a lot less money.

If you have missed my reviews of the other shades, you can check them out here: Peach Boy, Over Rose, Pink Punk, Chic Pink and Golden High.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Make Up Is Art: Chanel Mouche de Beaute Illuminating Powder

This post isn't a review, it's just merely a series of pictures. I just haven't got the heart to touch this gorgeous work of art. But just look at it, isn't it beautiful?

I don't know if this powder is available in the UK at all (I asked in Selfridges a while ago, but they didn't know anything about it), this was sent to me from the US. It costs $80 and is still available from Chanel.com. It is a limited edition.

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Thanks A Million! Giveaway

I find it very hard to believe, but it's true, my blog has been visited a million times! I started writing it nearly 4 years ago, then took a break and restarted it almost exactly 3 years ago. I have written nearly 900 posts and received over 2000 comments from my lovely readers.

What I'm trying to say here is thank you for being with me and to celebrate 1,000,000 pageviews I've put together a little giveaway. One reader will win the goodies in the picture below.

You do not have to be a follower to enter and the giveaway is open internationally. Terms and conditions can be found in the Rafflecopter widget below, and only entries through the widget will be accepted. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Cherry Tart - Review and Swatches

Okay, this is the last one I promise (for now anyway). Also, I want to apologise to my British readers in advance as this shade is actually not available in the UK. You can still get it from eBay, so if you like the look of it, read on to find out more.

The shade is called Cherry Tart and it's a shimmery pinky red colour. It's really gorgeous and definitely one of my favourite shades from the entire Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter line. It's semi opaque, but can be built up to a nice coverage. It lasts for the same amount of time as the other shades, usually around 2 hours. Again, the formula isn't as moisturising as you'd hope, but I find it comfortable to wear and it's definitely not drying.

I bought this on eBay from a UK seller for £6.95 (which is actually cheaper than the retail price of these over here) and free UK postage. I received it within a few days, so I can happily recommend the seller. You can find the listing here.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

NOTD: Color Club Hot Couture over Oh My Gosh Electric Pink

Today's manicure is a lovely springtime one (although I actually did it back in November), it's very appropriate for Easter, even though the weather in the UK resembles more Christmas than anything else. It was 2.8 degrees at 9 am this morning. Brr!

I used Oh My GOSH Electric Pink polish as a base and then applied Color Club Hot Couture glitter top coat on top. The result: bright pink sparkly nails! Lovely.

Both polishes has a good formula, not too thick, not too runny. Hot Couture has a very good glitter coverage, you don't need to fish around for glitter. I only had a couple of tiny chips after the first day, but after 2 days I had loads of chipping and peeling. Still, it was very pretty while it lasted.

I bought Hot Couture as part of a set from TKMaxx and Electric Pink from Superdrug.

See more pictures after the jump!