NOTD: Mavala 213 Pure Diamond - A Shimmering Rainbow On Your Fingertips

I missed out on GOSH holographic nail polish which now retails for about £20 on eBay, and was looking out for possible dupes when I realised that this little beauty was hiding in my drawer. I purchased it as part of a set that included 7 Mavala glitter nail polishes sometime around Christmas for something like £8 and promptly forgot about it. I decided to try it out and now I'm in love. It's a clear nail polish with multicolour very fine glitter in it, that look mostly silver in natural light, but once bright light hits my nails, it shimmers in every colour of the rainbow. I couldn't stop looking at my hands for the first day or so. Despite it being clear, it is nearly opaque in 3 coats and it feels very smooth as the glitter is very fine. Removing it was a bit more difficult than normal nail polish, but wasn't the worst of the glitter nail polishes I own.

All in all, an absolutely lovely glitter nail polish that looks like those holographic wrapping papers. Love it! Available from BeautyBay for £2.99 (5 ml).

I took lots of pictures, but it was very hard to capture its true beauty, so make sure you scroll right down to the bottom to see a short video I recorded that might give you a better idea on how it looks in real life.

Boots 17 Blushes in China Pink and First Kiss Review and Swatches

While on holiday a little while ago I took a couple of 17 blushes with me and decided to review them as they are something worth talking about. Cheap (£3.49 from Boots), nicely pigmented and good quality, what's not to like really?

I only own China Pink (left) and First Kiss (right), but I believe there are 5 shades in the line - according to the Boots website anyway. China Pink is a cool pink shade, whereas First Kiss has a golden sheen to it and is generally a lot warmer. They are not that different in the swatches, but China Pink is definitely the cooler one. I love First Kiss for its golden sheen, it's not glittery/shimmery, just has a bit of sheen. I think it's a brilliant everyday blush colour.

Annoyingly the packaging doesn't say how big they are, but they're about the size of a Mac blush, so at £3.49 they're definitely a bargain. Do you own any 17 blushes? If so, which one is your favourite shade?

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Pink Sparkly Look Featuring Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection

One more look I created using my new Urban Decay palette. I really wanted to do something with Junkshow, the gorgeous hot pink shade and voila! I also decided to try out my new Mac glitter that I picked up from the Pro Store a few weeks ago (note: Mac glitters are NOT eyesafe, so it is not recommended that you follow my example, if you do so, it's completely at your risk). I also added Make Up Forever Aqua Liner in #14 Diamond Multicolour Black because it has some pink glitter in it. I really like this look, it's bright and cheerful, but not too in your face. What do you think?

To create this look I used the following:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion (original)
Urban Decay Tainted eyeshadow (15 palette) all over lid and above crease
Urban Decay Junkshow eyeshadow (15 palette) in crease
Mac Pink Opal pigment in inner corner and on browbone to highlight
Mac Reflects Transparent Pink glitter all over lid
Make Up Forever Aqua Liner in #14 Diamond Multicolour Black
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Zero on lower lashline and waterline
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light
Urban Decay Quickie blush
Mac Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

Lips:
17 Ultimate Volume lipgloss in Butterfly Cake

See more pictures after the jump!

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. 4

Another Urban Decay palette to get excited about, or not as it may be for some. Not out yet, but this newest Book of Shadows is Urban Decay's holiday offering for this year. Containing 16 eyeshadows (10 of which are new and exclusive to this set) and a whole load of other stuff (including five QR codes that you can plug into your iPhone to access five online video tutorials featuring products from the palette and a speaker to use with your phone) and featuring pop up butterflies, this is the biggest, bulkiest Book of Shadows so far.

I don't really know how I feel about this yet. The palette appears to be extremely bulky with all the extra technical stuff (plus there's also a liquid eyeliner, a mascara and a small primer potion included) and the shades seem a bit blah to me. There are a few interesting ones, but there's also a lot of neutrals and I've just got a load of those with my 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette (plus I have the Naked Palette too).

I haven't got this yet (I believe it won't be released for a while yet), but Christine at Temptalia has already reviewed it and I gather some of the eyeshadows lack the usual Urban Decay quality. Also, I haven't got an iPhone, so all the technical extras are completely lost on me. It is still good value for money and since I have all the other Books of Shadows, I might as well get it (I have heard this will be the last one). Will you be purchasing it? If not, why not? Let me know in the comments.

See another image after the jump!

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick #215 Sweetheart Tulips Swatches and Review

Every so often I pull a lipstick out of my ever growing stash that I'd forgotten about and realise how much I actually like it. Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Sweetheart Tulips is one of them. A bright cheerful pink shade, with a nice texture and good price tag is something every girl needs.

I can't really say whether the lipstick itself is moisturising, but it's certainly not drying. I don't normally have dry lips (thank you Vaseline), and they certainly don't feel drier after using this lipstick. It has a nice creamy texture and lasts quite well one me, probably 2 to 3 hours, and it fades pretty evenly. Rimmel lipsticks have a slight plasticy sweet smell, but it's not as strong as some (Maybelline, I'm looking at you!) and disappears quickly anyway. Sweetheart Tulips is a pretty bright, but not too in your face pink shade. Available from Boots for £6.29 (there's currently a free gift offer if you spend over £6 on Rimmel).

What do you think? Would you wear this lipstick? Do you own it already? Let me know in the comments!

See more pictures and swatches after the jump!

Blue-Teal Look Featuring Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection

Here's another look I created using my new Urban Decay palette, this time it's a bright one. I love blues and teals, so I thought I'd use those. I also added Kiddie Pool eyeshadow (mine is in the Sustainable palette, but it is a permanent single eyeshadow) and Vanilla to highlight. Let me know how you like it!

To create this look I used the following:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion (original)
Urban Decay Kiddie Pool eyeshadow (Sustainable palette) inner half of lid
Urban Decay Deep End eyeshadow (15 palette) in outer half of lid, above crease and on lower lashline
Urban Decay Evidence eyeshadow (15 palette) in crease
Urban Decay Vanilla eyeshadow (15 palette) in inner corner and on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Flipside on lower lashline and waterline
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light
Mac Goldstone Mineralize Skinfinish

Lips:
Guerlain Automatique lipstick in 140 Mitsuko

See more pictures after the jump!

NOTD: Rainbow Nails - Just For Fun

I decided to do something different last night and painted my nails in rainbow colours. I was going to add black crackle polish on top, but the colours were so pretty I decided to leave them as they are. What do you think?

With flash

I used the following nail polishes:
Thumb - Zoya Reva
Index finger - Zoya Tanzy
Middle finger - Mavala Gold Diamond
Ring finger - Zoya Apple
Little finger - China Glaze Blue Iguana

It would've been better if I had used a gold/yellow polish that didn't have glitter, but I don't own one, except a creme one, so I went for the Mavala one. Also Blue Iguana has a slightly different finish too, no flecks of shimmer in it like the Zoya polishes. Still, it's only for fun.

See more pictures after the jump!