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!

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!

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!

Chantecaille Save The Sharks Palette Review and Swatches

Here it is, the newest Chantecaille palette, this time it's in aid of sharks. Probably not the species we think of when we hear about endangered animals, but according to Chantecaille, up to 73 million sharks are killed every year for their fins. As with every special edition palette, Chantecaille donated a percentage of proceeds to the relevant charities. This time 5% of proceeds from the Save The Sharks Palette will be donated to the BLOOM Association to ban unregulated shark fin trade.

The palette features 3 eye colours and a cheek colour, all of them made up of two colours (there's no overspray here!). Great White, the highlighter is a sandy beige with a white fin in the middle, Grey Reef is a glistening sandy grey with a lighter brown fin in the middle and Black Tip is a deep ocean blue with a black fin in the middle. Also includes Sea Anemone Cheek Shade, a golden coral color that is universally flattering on all skin tones, inspired by the underwater gardens of the tropical seas.

Despite reading not very positive reviews about the palette, I'm actually very happy with it. The eyeshadows aren't particularly unique, but they are nice colours, and they are smooth as butter. I did have some blending issues with the darker colours, but nothing major. The blush is my absolute favourite of the whole palette, it's a gorgeous coral shade, very pigmented and easy to use. It also has a light pink highlighter fin in the middle, but it's too small to use alone with a blush brush so I just mix the two shades together usually. The highlighter could be used with an eyeshadow brush though.

The palette costs $83 (approx. £55) in the US and £75 in the UK (I'll never understand why Chantecaille is so much more expensive in the UK), but I luckily managed to get mine for £40 on eBay. I'm very happy with it at that price, but I'm not prepared to pay the full UK retail price for Chantecaille products. Available from Space NK, Harrods, Liberty, Harvey Nichols.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I did with this palette after the jump!

NOTD: Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy

I'm not feeling well today, so all I have energy for is a quick NOTD post. Hoping to be able to do a more interesting one tomorrow.

Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy looks amazing in the bottle, there's grey, purple, green and blue multichrome to it. Sadly on the nails it was less interesting, all I could see was mainly grey with a bit of purple and green tint at certain angles.

I did 3 coats and it had a nice formula, but it started chipping on me slightly after about 24 hours, so all in all, not the best polish. I think I bought mine for a couple of pounds on eBay, it's a very inexpensive polish. It's a decent size at 13.5 ml. I don't think you can buy Wet n Wild in the UK, so your best bet is probably eBay.

See more pictures after the jump!

My Actual (Almost) Christmas NOTD: Color Club Gingerbread

I'm sorry, I know I said I was going to continue with my 2012 Favourites posts today, but after a whole day of putting away Christmas decorations and sorting things out for children starting school tomorrow, I just didn't have time for it. You'd be surprised if you knew how long those posts take. I promise I will continue with my 2012 Favourites post tomorrow.

Instead here's the manicure I did for Christmas. Or rather Christmas Eve as unfortunately it had chipped by the end of Christmas Eve and I had to change it, but never had time to take pictures of the actual Christmas Day manicure (it was Color Club Art of Seduction - a gorgeous red glitter).

This is Color Club Gingerbread, a gold glitter polish full of holographic glitter that sparkles in the colours of the rainbow. It was part of the Under The Mistletoe holiday collection (2010). It has a nice formula, and only took 2 coats for pretty full coverage. Unfortunately it chipped on me very quickly, so I had to remove it after just 2 days.It was very pretty while it lasted though.

Color Club polishes are available from TK Maxx, or I have bought many on eBay too. I don't actually know anywhere else in the UK that stocks them.They only cost a couple of quid on eBay, so even with postage you can get them pretty cheap. Beautyzone2007 is my favourite Color Club seller on eBay.

See more pictures after the jump!

Bare Minerals Ready Luminizer The Love Affair Review and Swatches

I saw this highlighter on another blog and it had such glowing review (excuse the weak pun) I decided to get it. I'm a sucker for highlighter, especially if they come with a pretty design.

This actually comes in two shades, I bought The Love Affair which is the peachy pink variety, there's also The Shining Moment which is a gold shade. I find pinks more wearable for me, so I decided to get this one instead of The Shining Moment.

This is a very nice highlighter, feels quite creamy, but it's definitely a powder product. You get a subtle glow with some barely noticable shimmer. I have posted a couple of pictures of me wearing this (check out this post), but I will also include one at the bottom of the post.

You get 10 g product in a white square(ish) compact with a full size mirror in the lid. It used to retail for £26, but it's now in the sale for £13 (Debenhams still has this shade, The Shining Moment is now sold out). I bought mine on eBay for £17.50 just before it went on sale (typical). I'm guessing this is a limited edition product, but I'm not sure. I don't follow Bare Minerals and I think this might actually be the only product I own from them.

All in all, this is a lovely highlighter if you want a subtle glow, and it's great value for money (especially now). Get it while you can!

See more pictures including swatches and a picture of me wearing this after the jump!  

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc Free Mineral Blush in Rosy Glow Review and Swatches

I showed you the Physicians Formula eyeshadow palette yesterday, and now here's the blush I also picked up in TK Maxx. This is part of the Mineral Wear line and it's a talc free blush. The shade is Rosy Glow which is a rosy pink colour.

I have to say, up until now I'd been pretty ignorant when it came to talc free make up and I actually had to look up what was so good about talc free. Apparently it's less drying for your skin which is better for those with dry skin I guess. I don't have dry skin on my face, not even in winter (my body does get quite dry, but not my face), so I'm personally not that fussed, but if it's better, I won't argue.

To me the blush seemed very powdery, I don't know if it's because it's talc free or there's some other reason. It didn't look powdery on the face, but it did in the pan. The marbleised design features two shades that mixed together give a nice rosy pink colour, pretty well pigmented, yet natural looking. There's a very slight sheen to it, but no glitter or shimmer. It blended out nicely and wore pretty well too.

The compact itself is a bit odd, it's quite bulky because it has a compartment at the bottom with mirror and brush. The compact is stuck inside the box which I have come across before with other Physicians Formula products and the box doesn't close again once you open it, so all in all, not the best packaging.

I paid £4.99 for it in TK Maxx and you get 5.5 g product. On the Physicians Formula website this retails for $11.95 and comes in 5 shades. In the UK your best bet for finding Physicians Formula products are TK Maxx and eBay.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I did with this blush after the jump!

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Bronzed Green Eyes Review and Swatches

I was really interested in trying out this brand before I went to America last year and I did buy a few of their face powders and blushes, but never got any eyeshadows. I bought this palette in TK Maxx a couple of weeks ago together with a blush that I will review shortly. Although this palette is for green eyes, I decided to get it because it has a nice mix of colour and also because I don't believe in only wearing certain colours depending on your eye colour.

You get 9 eyeshadows (or rather 6 eyeshadows and 3 liner according to Physicians Formula) and they range from very subtle neutrals to darker, smokier colours. The colour theme is definitely neutral, but there are some nice pops of colour including a copper and a khaki shade. The eyeshadows are grouped into 3 groups of 3, the 3 on the right giving you the most subtle look and the 3 on the left the most dramatic look. You can also use them wet for an even more intense look.

The eyeshadows are nicely pigmented and smooth, all of them metallic, but there's no glitter. I didn't have any problems with fallout or creasing when wearing them over a primer. I used the 4 shades on the right to create the look you can see at the bottom of this post (not just 3 because I'm a rebel). I didn't use the liner shade as a liner, but as crease colour instead. Of course it's up to you what combinations you do with these, but the main thing is that you have a good choice with 9 shades.

The palette contains 7.5 g product and I paid £4.99 for it in TK Maxx. On the Physicians Formula website these retail for $10.95 and come in 4 variations. In the UK your best bet is TK Maxx or eBay.

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

Festive Nails Part 6 - Green and Sparkly Like a Christmas Tree

This mani definitely reminds me of Christmas trees. I used Zoya Holly with Zoya Rina on top. Rina is a green shimmer polish with loads of green bar glitter, and also some blue and holographic ones. It looks like lots of very fine pine needles in a bottle.

It took only one coat of each polish to achieve fully opaque covergae which is fantastic. Unfortunately the staying power was less impressive, I had a few small chips in the first 24 hours and it pretty much all peeled off on day 3.

Zoya polishes aren't available in the UK (as far as I know), I buy mine on eBay. Holly and Rina were part of last year's Gems & Jewels collection but they are still available for around $6 to $8 each. You get 15 ml for your money which is the standard size for these professional polishes (Zoya, OPI, Orly, China Glaze).

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Laura Geller Ombre Baked Blush in Pink Blossom Review and Swatches

I have another pretty Laura Geller blush to show you, this is an Ombre Baked Blush in Pink Blossom. I love it how you have different colour stripes, reminds me a bit of the Mac Blonde/Brunette/Redhead MSFs, only even prettier.

The stripes go from very pale pink to bright fuchsia pink. The overall effect is midtone bright pink. There's a subtle shimmer to all the shades, but no glitter. You could try using only a few of the strips together, but you certainly can't use them individually, because they are just too narrow. The powder feels very smooth and soft, but not very powdery, and it blends nicely. Another great Laura Geller product!

You will have seen the blush featured in this look already, but there's also a full face picture at the end of this post, as well as swatches of course.

I bought mine from eBay, but this is also available from QVC. It comes with a double ended brush/applicator (not pictured) and costs £23 plus £2.95 shipping cost. Also comes in a Peach colour which is like the look of, but not at that price. I paid £15 including postage for mine which is a lot more reasonable I think. You get 5 g of product for your money.

See more pictures after the jump!

Chantecaille Painting in Venice Palette Review and Swatches

If you've been reading my blog for a while you will know that I love Chantecaille and have quite an extensive collection of their pretty palettes and powders. I also have a couple of big palettes that I've managed to buy on eBay for much less than their retails price (which is somewhere around the £130 mark here in the UK) and now I have a new addition to my collection: the Paining in Venice palette.

I believe this palette was released in 2003 and it contains 7 eyeshadows and one blush. Most of the shades are actually permanent, but the beauty of this palette is that even though it's really expensive, it's still a great value. Refills for Chantecaille palettes cost $25/£23 each, that makes $200/£184 plus the empty "Ma" palette (the large 8 pan palette) costs an extra $52/£48(?). So $135/£135 is really a bargain, right?

Of course it's not just about the money, Chantecaille products are very high quality and the colours in this palette are really lovely. You get cheek shade in Joy which is a bright rosy pink colour, and 7 eyeshadows in Lasting and Shine finish: Agate, Freesia, Pyrite, Lemongrass, Peony, Patchouli and Perle. They are all really lovely and well pigmented, smooth and blendable, plus they stay on all day without creasing (over a primer).

I bought this palette on eBay and paid $80 plus $15 shipping, so it was certainly a lot cheaper than even the original retail price. Plus this isn't actually available anymore, although most of the shades are. Anyway, I'm very happy with it and will be keeping an eye out for other palettes on eBay.

You can see my rather out of date post on my Chantecaille collection that also contains my other two big Chantecaille palettes by clicking here.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Laura Geller Baked Blush in Bali Review and Swatches

As you might know, I'm a big fan of Laura Geller blushes and have a rather extensive collection of them. I often pick up the new shades from eBay as a lot of them are either not available in the UK or only available as sets, plus eBay is usually cheaper. I picked up this baked blush in Bali on eBay too, and while I expected it to be pretty nice, I was very pleasantly surprised by just how nice it is.

Bali is described as a "warm toasted apricot", I'd say it's a warm peachy-pink colour with just the tiniest hint of gold shimmer. It's very pigmented, so you need to be a bit careful, but it does give a very nice glow to your cheeks with a pop of colour. The texture is wonderfully soft, but not powdery, and it blends nicely. It also stays put very well.

You get 6.5 g which is a very generous amount for a blush. I don't know how much this costs in the UK or if it's even available, I've found some "mono blushes" on QVC for £17.75 (plus £2.95 postage), although neither of them seems to be this shade. I paid around £14 (shipped) on eBay.

I would definitely recommend this shade, this blush has really exceeded my expectations, even by Laura Geller's standards.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Festive Nails Part 2 - Red With Golden Glitter

When it comes to Christmas, nothing beats a lovely red nail polish. I have OPI The Spy Who Loved Me with China Glaze Golden Enchantement on top for extra sparkle. Lovely!

Taken without flash in direct sunlight

I did 2 coats of each nail polish and sealed it with Seche Vite. The result: shiny, shimmery gorgeousness. It lasted pretty well on me with no chipping on the first day and only minimal chipping on day 2.

The Spy Who Loved Me was part of a set, it's a mini size 3.75 ml, but it's also available in full size. I think OPI polishes are now around £11, but I never pay full price, always buy on eBay from the US usually. Golden Enchantement is a permanent shade, it's also a dupe for Angel Wings from the new Holiday Joy collection. China Glaze polishes cost around £6.95, but again I tend to buy them on eBay for a lot less.

See more pictures after the jump!

For Your Eyes Only - Chantecaille Les Petales De Rose Powder

Aah, Chantecaille. You always come out with the prettiest powders and palettes just to tempt me. Which is not good, seeing how all these pretties are actually very expensive. Thanks crunchie for eBay is what I say.

"Inspired by the gossamer, soft color and texture of crushed rose petals, Chantecaille has created a limited-edition highlighting powder that will brighten up your powder room as well as your face."

"Les Pétales’ kaleidoscope of colorful powders blend together beautifully to impart a sheer, flattering glow on all skin tones. Unique light perfecting powders provide a veil of subtle radiance, while flexible polymers help provide lasting, comfortable wear."

This is such a lovely, soft, finely milled, slightly shimmery, light pink illuminating powder. It really only has very very fine shimmer, it gives a subtle sheen to the skin. I haven' worn it, it's simply too pretty to distroy, but I did swatch it carefull to see what it was like. I would liken it to the Guerlain Meteorites, they give similar effect.

Les Petales De Rose costs a whopping £64 and you get 12 g for your money. I bought mine off eBay for around £45, it didn't come boxed and the label's missing from the bottom,but it's the powder that matters.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Guerlain Rose Aux Joues Blush Duo 05 Golden High Swatches and Review

I have managed to get my hands on another shade of the new Guerlain blush duos, this time I have Golden High to show you. If you have missed my reviews of the other shades, you can check them out here: Peach Boy, Over Rose, Pink Punk and Chic Pink.

Golden High is a mix of reddish brown and light peachy pink. The reddish brown shade has a slight sheen to it, the light peachy pink shade doesn't. This blush is the worst texture wise of the 5 I have tried. The reddish brown shade is extremely hard and very difficult to pick up with your brush. The light peachy pink shade is softer, but even that's not very soft. I don't know if this is just a dud, or this shade is simply this hard to work with.

Then upside of the hard texture is that's it's really not easy to overdo this blush. I had to swipe it twice with the brush to get the colour you will see on my cheeks in the picture at the bottom of the post. It gives a very natural result. The peachy pink shade works well as a subtle highlighter, or if you're very light skinned, maybe even a blush.

These blushes cost £32.50 and you get 6 g of product which is not huge. I'd like to point out that I have not paid full price for any of them (thanks to eBay) and probably wouldn't, although they are nice, but I feel there are better blushes around for a lot less money.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 02 Emerald Lust Swatches and Review

I have to admit, a few years ago I hadn't even heard of Tom Ford. It's only because of beauty blogs that I came across his name and make up brand. Up until a couple of weeks ago I didn't even own any make up from Tom Ford, only two fragrances. You see, they are ridiculously expensive for starters.

But then I saw this palette and decided I really really wanted it. Soft as butter eyeshadows, gorgeous colours, turquoise is one of my favourites, so what's not to like? Erm, it costs £62. Gulp. I thought about getting it in Harrods on their 10% off day, but still, £56. As luck would have it though, I saw it on eBay and after missing out on one auction I managed to get this for £36. Score!

Is it worth £62? I honestly couldn't say that it is. The eyeshadows are lovely, very soft and buttery, they last pretty well and the colours are gorgeous. But they are not in any way unique and while the quality of the shadows is great, I'm sure I have some Accessorize eyeshadows that are very similar and cost something like £6. Obviously you are paying for the brand as much as anything, and it does look and feel very luxurious, but I cannot recommend, hand on heart, that you absolutely must go and buy this for £62. It was a good buy for £36 though and I'm happy I got it.You get 6 g for your money which is okay, but not that much (eg. Guerlain quads are 7.2 g and cost £37).

Do you own and Tom Ford products? Anything you would recommend? Would you spend £62 on a palette? Let me know what you think in the comments!

See more pictures including swatches and a look I created with this palette after the jump!

NOTD: Color Club Wild And Willling

Since I've been buying so many nail polishes, I'm trying to do a nail post a week, although I actually have quite a backlog of pictures since I change my nail polish 2-3 times week and most manis are actually worthy of sharing on here. Would you like me to do more nail posts in the future or not? I know I'm still not that skilled when it comes to painting my nails, although I have got much better. Let me know in the comments what you think!

Taken without flash in direct sunlight

Today I have this gorgeous Color Club nail polish to show you. It's called Wild And Willing and it was part of the Wild At Heart Collection from 3 years ago. It's a beautiful shimmer polish which is also duochrome, it's pink and orange, with some yellow and a bit of green thrown in for good measure. It looks great both in the sunlight and in shade.

The formula was very thin though, I think it took 4 coats, it was very sheer and runny. It dried pretty quickly though. It lasted okay on me with some very small chips on day 2, I ended up wearing it for 4 days. It's so pretty, I think I can forgive it for the thin, runny formula, but it would be just perfect if the formula was better.

I buy Color Club polishes on eBay from this seller or from TK Maxx (they sell Color Club box sets for around £8 which is a great deal!). I think I got this one on eBay for about $3 plus $4.50 postage to the UK. You get a very generous 15 ml for your money.

See more pictures after the jump!

Chantecaille Cheek Shade Elephant in Fun - Review and Swatches

Here's the blush that belongs with the Chantecaille Elephant Palette. Such a pretty delicate little thing isn't it? Almost too pretty to use. Or in my case, way too pretty to use. But fear not, I still have swatches!

I bought this beauty a little while ago from Harrods on their 10% off day, but I also managed to pick up a slightly used one on eBay for a little bit less (half price), so I have used that to show you swatches and a look I've created with it. (Crazy? Me?)

The actual shade of the blush is Fun which I thought was a permanent Chantecaille blush shade, but I can't find it on their website so maybe I was wrong. It's a very subtle soft apricot colour with slight shimmer that is very hard to overdo. It takes a few layers to show up properly on my cheeks and the swatches I did on my arm show a couple of layers. The texture is very soft, but not powdery, it feels very luxurious. The blush comes in a silver compact with a mirror inside the lid.

I'm not bowled over by the actual shade, it is pretty, but it's a bit too subtle for my liking. The blush itself is so pretty though, the raised elephant pattern is adorable and looks gorgeous with the overspray on top (which completely comes off with a couple of uses).

The blush costs £30 and you get 3.8 g for your money. You are paying £7 for the elephant as the other (permanent) cheek shades cost £23. Ouch!

I wouldn't say this was a must have product, but it is very pretty and Chantecaille collectors will definitely appreciate it. In the UK Chantecaille is available from Space NK, Harrods, selected Harvey Nichols, John Lewis, Fenwick stores. I usually buy mine from eBay.  

See more pictures after the jump!

Chantecaille The Elephant Palette Review and Swatches

I've got it! The gorgeous new palette from Chantecaille is finally here. Isn't it just so cute? I love the little chunky elephants on the eyeshadows.

The colours included in this palette are:

• Ivory: a soft, pearlybeige inspired by the African Elephants tusks
• Grasslands: an on trend green inspired by the colour of the lush savanna grass after the rainy season
• Iron Ore: a glistening deep gray with flecks of gold, mirrors the way the mineral shimmers in the bright African sunlight
• Red Earth: a strong copper whose colour mimics the rich, red African cliffs

There is a shimmery overspray on the elephants, but the rest of the eyeshadows show the true colours. While I have not used the eyeshadows, I did manage to swatch them (not the overspray, but the actual shadows) and I have to say, I wasn't bowled over. I like Ivory and Red Earth, they are both very smooth and well pigmented, especially Red Earth. Grassland and Iron Ore were both quite hard to swatch, they weren't very well pigmented, especially Iron Ore. I must point out, I haven't actually worn these yet, sometimes eyeshadows apply better on the eyes than they swatch, so we'll see. I still love it because it's so beautiful, and one of my weaknesses are Chantecaille powders and palettes, so I'm happy with it anyway.

The quad costs a whopping £74 although I managed to buy mine from eBay for a lot less. You get 12 g for your money and a lovely refillable dark green compact with a full size mirror in the lid. Chantecaille donates a measly 5% of the proceeds to the The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organization that rescues, fosters and release baby elephants orphaned by ivory poaching. I feel that when charging this much for an eyeshadow palette, they could at least donate a bigger chunk, say 15-20%, but in the end of the day I guess it's better than nothing.

There is also a blush with the same elephant motif that I have literally just bought, so I have not had the chance to photograph or swatch, but I will do it as soon as possible.

In the meantime, take a look at more pictures of the palette including swatches after the jump!