GIVEAWAY! WAH Nail Art Book, Nail Art Pens and a Bit of Glitter

"Give it away give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away give it away now"

Give it away by Red Hot Chilli Peppers

 It's been a long time coming, but here it is something to get those creative nail juices flowing!

The Rio Nail Art Art Set has all the basic colours to recreate nail art designs. The dual ended nibs means you can have a dotting nib or use the brush function. I have another set of these myself and have found them really easy to use, unfortantly my artist flair has been lost recently but I find they are brilliant for doing neat smile lines for french style manicures. There is some small pots of glitter to add some shimmer your designs.

WAH Nail Book is what you expect from the top of the Nail art tree, trendy and cool designs that can be easily recreated by their step by step instructions. You also get a history on how they've got to this point and are introduced to some of the staff.

The whole set is worth £35 and is open to anyone in the UK from today until 0.00am on 13th October. The giveaway is supplied by myself with my own money and will be sent out as soon as the winner has given me their details (as soon as possible would be appreciated). All run through Rafflecopter, all details collected are only for the giveaway so I can contact the winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck 

NOTD - Rouge Louboutin by Chirstian Louboutin Nail Colour #BeauteLouboutin

Sales assistants, this is what happens when you leave a sample bottle unattended with a few beauty bloggers around. It the #SummerLondonMeet where the group of us was perusing Selfridges that the preview display was spotted. As the sales assistant went on her sales objective, I snuck to one side and painted my blank nails in Rouge Louboutin rather than the assistants paint them. I need to feel how it works for me as I'm not going to have someone around to paint them for me.

The bottle is inspired by his Ballerina Shoe from his collection and is visually stunning, would look perfect on a pinterest designed dressing table, but not for my nail varnish tray in my make up tool kit. I actually like the long handle and didn't have too many problems using it. The brush however is a different story, it has a small brush that doesn't fan out, this makes it harder to distribute the polish evenly over the nail. It does even out when it dries when you do finally get the whole nail covered.

I did paint this on a blank nail with no base/top coat so this will affect the result of wear which was half a day. I will say the formulation is thick (which is useful trying to apply with a small brush), I smudge it about 5 minutes after application thinking it would be dry by then, my mobile still have nail varnish marks from where I was wrong.

 Is it worth the £36 price tag? No, not at all, there are other ranges that do perfectly brilliant matt pillowbox red varnishes, with a quick dry time and have far better brushes. This is for the ladies who lunch that can afford the shoes and would probably like the idea of having the polish to match, but then isn't these the people who have the time/money to have a manicure/pedicure as often as I have cups of tea? I'm scratching my head for who is this really for - the nail lovers will love the packaging but hate the polish and the people who admire the brand from afar but can't afford the shoes, will also think a few times about the price tag.

At the moment there is only the Rouge in range but there will be other colours being added, but seeing the range there is nothing that really, "Wows" me. This is one range I'm very happy to leave on the shelf and put the money towards owning a pair of the shoes, so that's 12 bottles of Louboutin Varnish for So Kate Suede heels I need to save.

NOTD B.Makeup Nail Varnish in Seafoam*

My Mint Candy Apple has finally departed me and I need something to to fill its minty hole for the Summer. I had always been a fan of B.Skincare so when I offered a chance to try some of the make up range I was very eager.

This was included in what I received and instantly thought it would fill that minty hole left behind. Side by side Seafoam is a tiny bit bluer but that's if you look really hard and make yourself go cross eyed. Formula wise, I did two coats on the picture above but felt I could of easily done a third coat coat to get it more solid and brighter if I wanted. It does go on smoothly and found it levelled well when drying which dries quickly.

Seafoam will set you back £4.99 exclusively at Superdrug. I have my eye on Matador (A deepish Matt red) and Woodland (A deep green) for my AW varnish update.

* Seasfoam was given for my consideration, all the views are my own

NOTD - Essie Spin The Bottle

This is the varnish I received in the #BBBBeautyBox Number 3 I think from reading other blogs that I was one of rare lucky ones to get the more neutral polish. Not that I don't love a bright, I have many, but with me having little time to varnish my nails, neutral polishes last longer and hide chips easier.

Being an Essie varnish you can expect the high  quality, easily to paint on, smooths out, dries quick and lasts a while. It even pasts the hot water test, as I am constantly washing bottles in hot water. I love this colour, such a milky caffe latte nude and is perfect all year round even though it is from the Spring 2014 collection.

Oh and a quick note: There is a BBBBeautyBox 4 in the works, start saving now!

NOTD - Superdrugs Limited Edition Barry M Nail Paints

Looking out the window I see Summer has actually arrived for the two weeks of the year it exists in the UK, this prompts a quick rush to bring out all the bright polishes and quickly get them on before it all disappears again.

These are rather special as they are Limited Edition and can't be purchased, spend £6 or more in Superdrug until 1st July and one of these will be yours to take home. There is two colours a frosted bright pink called Promenade and ocean blue called Seaside.

I was more draw to the pink as I haven't got anything like it in my collection. I painted it on, easy application and two coats are perfect. I had more problems with Seaside, it goes on more sheer, so you need to build up more layers up to at least 4. The wear time is reasonable, considering I have my hands in hot water several times, it last 3 days before a slight chip happened.

Note: Many thanks to Hubby to got roped in to be my photographer for this (so blame him).

NOTD - Essie's Bikini So Teeny

Who remembers when this was the varnish to wear in the Summer of 2012? Who remembers struggling to get hold it? Me too. Fast forward a few months later and I find it on Fragrance Direct for £1.99, so this and a few other were added to my collection.

Inspired by the ocean and crystal blue skies it was the top selling polish of the 2012 Summer season and one of Essie's top 5 top selling colours. The cornflower blue has a sightliest of subtle shimmers, it screams of Summer time. It also up to Essie's high standard of polish for formulation and wear. I have one slight grumble, it start to separate a lot quicker than other ones I've had before whether this was because of storage or the nature of the colour, I don't know.

Is now part of permanent range RRP £7.99

NOTD - Boots No.7 Totally Teal

Teal is huge again for Spring/Summer for this year. I had OPI's AmazON AmazOFF on my New Mum's Wishlist, it only made sense when I had a voucher for their £3 off Boots No.7 to see if I could spot any dupes. It's not a faultless dupe, the OPI seems a brighter teal while is more blackened.

The formulation is a thick consistancy, you would get away with one coat but two coats gives a more even colour. Dry is reasonable you can paint a full set and it'll be already dry for the next coat. The wear time is also a highlight, with the amount of times I out my hands in hot water, it lasted 4 days before it started chipping badly.

I am a big fan of the No.7 varnishes for many years, they colours are always on trend and they are starting to rival some of the bigger names in varnish (I have a Chanel dupe you will love, trust me). I am finding, and just not only the varnish, that Boots prices are starting to get rather expensive for a own brand range. A Boots varnish is £6/7 which now matched Essie's price range but not colour range. They've also got stingy on the vouchers two, by cutting the make up discount to £3 when it used to be £5.

NOTD - Model's Own HyperGel Naked Glow

You might reconise this from my New Mum Wish List as one of the four varnishes I wanted for Spring/Summer update, as it went live I went out and brought it the very next day.

This is part of the new Hypergel range, a gel like finish with lotus oil, they say they are high pigmentation to provide a salon finish for £5. The fomrulation I found really thick, this does need to be built up in thin layers, but once dry does have that glossy finihs without the topcoat.

Wearwise I have had this on for three days with my hands in/out of hot water cleaning baby bottles and apart from a small chip on the thumb where I knocked it has survived. I instantly loved the colour as being so pale trying to find a milky enough nude has always been a challange, it has the right tone of colour and yellow base to match my skin tone.

Model's Own can be brought in most chemists or their website for £5 - My recommendations is to invest in the pastels of Lilax Sheen, Cornflower Gleam and Pink Vaneer.for Spring

New Mum Wish List

Now Bethany is finally getting into some sort of routine and we are starting to adventure out, I can now start to think about giving myself some TLC after the long nights, nappy changes and feeds. This is currently what I am daydreaming about:

A Haircut (after dying it)

My hair is starting to get really long, frizzy and in need of a trim before Beth starts pulling on it. I have a hairdresser that comes to my house who will trim me up for £12, she's also been cutting my family hair for many years (she also did the hair for my wedding at a very good rate). It's not going to be anything extreme, just a tidy and shorten.

Eyebrow Threading

After the disaster of my last visit (When Threading Goes Wrong) I've been growing my eyebrows back out again to get them done by another place. This one is my priority as I do not feel right now I've discovered the difference it makes to my face when they are done.

New Nail Polish for Spring

It's Spring and a season so it means I need to update the varnish wardrobe, but the trouble I have is decided what to get. The short list is as follows: OPI's Jade green AmazON... AmazOFF (Brazil Collection), Essie's Ice baby blue Find Me An Oasis (Resort Collection) and Blue/Turquoise Hide & Go Chic (Spring Collection), and Model's Own Naked Glow (Gel Collection).

Bra's

Now my chest has returned to 'normal' I require new bras that have some support to them and look pretty as well. I have two bits of trouble with my twins: I am on the large side of sizes and unusually the middle does not lean against the sternum in the middle so I cannot wear certain styles or it does pierce my skin. This is my most frustrating thing to go shopping for because the ones I like are the ones I cannot wear. Any suggestions are welcome in comments.

Jean's

I must be the only person I know who lost weight in pregnancy (apart from baby), once Beth was born I was soon back in my pre-pregnancy jeans. A week later they were hanging off of me like when I lost the weight to get pregnant. I have to admit defeat and get new jeans to fit me, there's only so much a woman can wear jogging/PJ bottoms!

Joan Collins Beauty Divine Lipstick and Nail Varnish in Helene

A red lipstick and nail varnish with my name, it's fate.

NOTD - Pink to Make The Boys Wink

Inspired, of course, by my little girl, this is a mixture of two polishes for a pale pink fench style manicure.

After base coat of OPI Nail Envy in Matt, I applied one coat of Essie's Sugar Daddy for a nude pink finish, on the tips is one coat of OPI's Make Him Mine Liquid Sand (Christmas 2013 collection) dabbed onto the tips. All sealed with a top coat of Sechi Vite.

Very simple, but very effective.

NOTD - Nails Inc. Victoria

Love the vampness of this polish, makes me feel all Pulp Fiction and want to start jiving in a burger bar.

With having to shorten my nails before labour I wanted a colour that looked classic and glamourous (even though at the time I didn't feel it), as well as something I can wear with my PJ's as well as anything I decided to get dressed in.

You will need to coats to get an even layer and it lasted on me for about 5 days until the edges started to fade. As it is a cream finish the removal is easy, but you will need a base coat to stop it staining the nails.

The classic is available from Nails Inc website RRP £11.00 but is available in 3 for £22 mix and match offer currently running.

Rose Quartz Nail Varnish by Barry M

Rose Quartz with There She Rose by OPI

I had spotted this polish on different peoples blog and always though it was pretty but it wasn't until I saw it on Fee's Blog Makeup Savvy that I was convinced that I had to hunt it down. It is a mixture of small rose gold glitter with fine hologram glitter in a clear base.
Fee had put hers over a nude/white polish while I put mine over a rose tone (OPI's There She Rose), it did look beautiful but to me the glitter seemed to blend in with the polish. The is when I turned to Nail's Inc. Porchester Road

I prefer this as the finer parts of the glitter seem to show more on this slightly darker colour but still in the nude genre. Trying to take it was no longer than any other glitter polish, just a lot of patience and acetone but it well worth getting as it is just beautiful.

Available at all high street chemists/online RRP £2.99

Nails Inc Couture Varnish using Hyda Park Corner

I honestly love this prize, not only is it from one of my blogger heroes, Jane from British Beauty Blog but I also had the huge task of creating a bestoke Nails Inc varnish for myself using the current line up of colours.

Nails Inc Couture would make a great for someone who loves thrie polish. You start with choosing the lids to go on top, from diamonte to pearls, then to the polish to go inside. The polish took the longest to pick as I had to throughly research each colour to make sure that I hadn't already had it as well as something I would wear (Thank you to google and the hundreds of swatch images I spent two hours pouring over!). You then write what you like to have written on the bottom of bottle instead of the shade name, as well as what stickers you are decorating the box in.

I themed mine around a keep sake for me on the birth of Minilemming. I had the idea of something that was really 'me' but gave a huge nod towards that changes that are coming. The varnish colour is Hyde Park Corner, a lilac/heather toned grey with a dark sparkle grey cap. It is named, "Baby Gray, January 2014" and decorated in yummy mummt stickers.

It is normally £20, compared to £11 for a 'normal' Nails Inc varnish and it is purely as a one of kind gift for a beauty junkie. I had a huge amount of fun putting this together and it does really mean a lot to me already, a fushion of Mum and Bubba.

NOTD - OPI Designer Series in Lapis

When initially saw this is I wanted it, the goldilocks of blues (not too dark, not too light) I was instantly drawn to it enough for it to feature in my AW Wishlist. I then went onto buy it at Olympia Beauty when I saw the swatches they had on stand.

OPI Designer Series is a collection of polishes are a step up from they normal collection, they are holographic or full of fine glitter. The two they launced for AW12 is this one and Pewter (a mix of black/grey), what I didn't realise until I painted them on was they dry completely semi matt, the above picture taken with no top coat.

It went from being something I though was beautiful to something that was challenging Essie's For The Twill of It as my number one AW13 varnish to wear. The wear time is good, was still chip free when I took it off a week later and removal was very easy for a glitter polish.

The Designer Series is more expensive than the main line - RRP is £16.75 compared to RRP £11.50 but for the simple WOW factor it's worth that little bit more investment.

NOTD - OPI's Silent Stars Go By (Mariah Carey Xmas Collection)

This is one of the mini's that are in the box set that is currently in my giveaway (finishes this weekend!).

It is one of the Liquid Sand formulations, it has more of a grittier texture than a 'normal' glitter polish. It does dry out more smoother and has a matt finish. You are to wear it without a top coat and it took all of my will not to do, it is however worth it.

Silent Stars Go By does catch the light and really glitters, which is perfect for the Christmas period. I wore this champagne toned colour to work as it is smart enough to wear but has that little bit of glamour to it.

I know exactly what you are thinking - What is removal like? For something that is filled with glitter, it was surprisingly easy to remove with acetone soaked pads held then rubbed, I would say to take off all 10 nails took about 10 minutes with. I had visions of me being locked in the bathroom for at least half an hour and the husband banging on the door.

I wasn't overcome when the original Liquid Sands came out, but I must admit I'm glad I gave them a try as they have surprised me.

NOTD - Essie's For The Twill of It

This has been on my wish list since I first saw the swatches on the Essie Twitter. It is a mixture of green/pink duo chrome in a dark grey base with a metallic finish. I got my bottle last weekend at Olympia Beauty so I have the professional formulation but I have noticed a difference between this and the diffusion line on the high street.

You cannot rush the painting as it can show brush streaks so I find it easier to take it slow with thin coats of polish (this was done in two coats). It is however worth it, my instagram feed went berserk with hearts when I uploaded it and my work colleagues where asking when and where they can buy it from. I personally have not stopped staring at it's multi-tonal beautifulness since I've put it on.

Keep an eye out in Boots stores as it will fly out of the store once in stock (£7.99)

 

Autumn/Winter 2013 Wishlist

These are the items that invade my dreams at night, the ones that I loving look at swatches online and sigh that they are not mine - yet. I really love AW collections, they seem to suit my tastes and skin tone much better than Summer.

1. Poisonberry by Lime Crime - This I truly blame on Jayne from Jayne's Kitschen, every time she wears it I get lipstick envy and keep telling her that I need to buy it. I have looked loads of berry shade lipstick swatches and find that I have got something close to it already, this I haven't at all. I have a huge obsession over this colour.

2. Sleek Make Up i Divine in Vintage Romance - I really like the quality of Sleek Make Up, I got my first palette last year (Sparkle 2) and was blown over by the quality of the palettes for under £8. Perfect AW colours of soft berry and golds, I could see this being used everyday as a break from brown/beige.

3. Illamasqa Lipstick in Shard - This one compared to Poisonberry is much more red but deeper and matt, same again saw swatches of it around the launch date and kept going back to them. I love the way you could wear big and bold or as a stain (see? It's multipurpose lipstick, two for the price of one). Just read they are going to be at Olympia Beauty this weekend (does a little fist pump).

4. Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner Black (available at all High Street chemists) - Another AW trend is the catflick, something I really hadn't embraced before. I have had liquid liners but found them fiddly and gave up after a while. I'm hoping that this will encourage me to bring out my inner cat woman. This recommendation came from the very talented Scottish MUA, Andrew James.

5. Essie For the Twill of It - Now I was left in a tizzy over this because OPI has also Love & Peace & OPI which is the exact dupe of this. After reading a few comparisons it came to Essie as I read the formulation is a one coat and looks better on.

6. Bourjois Java Rice Loose Powder (At all High Street Chemists) - Vintage style packaging? Check. Lightweight and slightly illuminating? Check. Good Price? £9.99, check. Been embalmed by other beauty bloggers to buy it? Triple check.

7. OPI DS Extragance Lapis (Also known as Granite) and Pewter - I wasn't too bound over by the San Francisco Collection apart from Love & Peace & OPI (See number 5). Then I saw these glitter infused beauties and realised as an lover of OPI I don't own any of the DS Extragance range. I'm more driven towards Lapis at the moment with a want to look at Pewter (I think my Illamasqua in Creator that I got in the sales could be close to it).

This weekend I will also be heading towards London (for will be one of my last times before Minilemming) for Olympia Beauty - a beauty trade show that contains half of this wish list. I had an absolute great day last year and look forward to bumping into people I know this year, please feel free to say hello etc.

So the question goes to you, what do you want this AW?

NOTD - Moss Behaving by Cheeky

Cheeky are the younger sister of Cowshed, they will be launching in 25 prestige Superdrug stores at the end of October. They still keep the core of Cowshed's philophy of simple and natural products, but are more accessible and fun for people who cannot get the Cowshed Spa. They will offer treatments for the person who wants to keep maintained but want it now.

As well as cheerful range of products they are also bringing out 21 nail paints that will retail for £7 each or if you are lucky enough to get to Superdrug store can have a file and paint for £12 as well as take the colour home with you.

The range has a vast array of colours but the one I was really intrigued by was Moss Behaving, just screamed AW trend but was completely different to the berry tones the other were wearing. I had a file and buff as well as a paint which was not only quick but technically perfect. My manicurist was passionate about her work and I couldn't fault her.

The colour itself I found took on different colours, in the warm light of indoors it went a deep green, but once it was outside into the white light of day, it went to this beautiful blue/green. I have had this on for 5 days now and it still going strong, even with showering and constantly typing.

Superdrug Press Day AW13

I was invited to my first press day by the wonderful people who look after the PR at Superdrug. The theme of the day was to celebrate brands that can only be purchased at Superdrug's stores as well as championing their own brand products. The wall above is one of two that hosted everything they sell their own brand, I did spend some time ticking off what I already use myself and was surprised it was more than I expected.

If it wasn't for me tweeting how much I love the look of the B.Skincare Facial Oil, I wouldn't of been there so it was only right that I visited them first and get some information on what I think is going to be one of the hottest new skincare launches since their Miceller Water.

 

The range is simple - split into 3 phases on not your age but what phase your skin is at the time: Phase one: Hydration. Phase two: Prevention and radiance. Phase Three: Firming and repairing. I have fallen for the B.Skincare for its simplicity as well as products that do what they say.

 

I have been lucky to try out the B.Replenished Facial Oil for Anti Oxidant Boost for nearly two weeks and already it has replaced my Antipodes Divine Oil as something that my skin really reacts to well. This I will be reviewing more in depth at a later time as I feel it needs an entry of its own.

 

I also got a chance to try some of the make up which I hadn't before. My highlights were the new Colour Correct Cream where the lightest is light enough for pale skins and provides a high SPF of 45 (Launches November at £11.99). I also was drawn to the B.Stunning Vibrant Eye Shimmer in Lizzie - described as a soft neutral pinky/beige, when swatched it looked skin toned peachy/pink with a gold shimmer, a perfect base colour if I ever saw one (Launches October at £6.99).

 

After a stroll round I did get a little giddy over finding that Nicole by OPI are stocked in some branches of Superdrug now. They are the younger sister of OPI Professional and retail for £7.99 compared to £11.99 for the professional range. I am currently hunting these down as I write this.

 

I then got distracted by the shiney nail varnishes at GOSH including the new Frosted Sand polishes, these dry to glitter but matt finish. I instantly was drawn to the vintage lilac colour that the make artist was wearing (a thank you for modelling for the photo). I have the silver version to play with after I was given it to try.

 

 

I was also having a magpie moment with GOSH's Girls on Film which is now added to the increasing wishlist.

 

 

Of course we cannot talk about exclusives to Superdrug without mentioning their biggest make up brand: MUA Cosmetics. The AW13 line up is the strongest they have had in a long time, adding to the successful palettes they are now adding the Matt palette (after a social media campaign) and Smokey palette (with eye liner).

 

Top Left: Luxe Pretty Edgy Eye Palette. Top Right: Matt. Bottom Left: Luxe Glitter Palettes. Bottom Right: Smokey Palette

 

They are also introducing another line to the MUA and MUA Pro lines: MUA Luxe. This is the on trend but premium side of MUA, the prices are only slightly higher than the other lines (Undressed is £4 while the new Pretty Edgy Eye palette will be £8). The quality of ingredients will be a higher quality to match with the  price point. A key example is that eye shadow powder in the Luxe range are more finely milled and I found go on smoother.

 

There will also be a range of glitter palettes launching with the Luxe range, suspended in clear non sticky gel there will be a choice of 4. Can be worn on their own or over the top of another colour, and will have not fall out into eyes. Palettes will be £4 each.

 

 

 

For Lime Crime Valentine fans they are also Velvet Lip Lacquers launching in October, matt finish lip paint that will honest not budge. I had these on my hand the whole day and didn't even fade after washing hands, etc. Very impressive for £3 will come in Red, Purple, Coral, Deep and Light Pink.

 

There are some very exciting launches that are coming from Superdrug at the moment which isn't great news for my bank balance.

Unevenlemming's Beauty Box

After British Beauty Blog's Beauty Box (there is a lot of B's there), it got me thinking, "If created my own beauty box, what would be my picks?" Now as normal these thoughts were swimming round my head on a late 1am evening, where either cramp, my bladder, or husbands snoring were keeping me awake.

First of all, what to pack it all into. I used to work for Fossil watches a few years ago and my favourite things about them was the tins that the watches came in. They were all limited edtion and was changed once a month, we also has them on display so customers could chose what tin they have. There was even some really rare ones that could be turned into birdhouses. The tin I have in mind is one you could use after for storing baking in (like I do with the old Roses tins), I do like the style of this one, and it is very much my humour.

So what to put into the tin?

Antipodes Divine Oil

 

I have reviewed this oil in a previous post here - Main summary is that it is a light notorious oil that hasn't broke me out in spots, smoothed and soothed my sensitive skin. The combination of essentials are also evoke relaxation and soothes rattled nerves. One of my facial must haves.

OPI Makes Men Blush

 

This has a special place in my nail collection, this is the colour I wore when I got married. It's a delicate pink/peach with a faint pink shimmer, which I use two coats on but goes opaque in three. I am a huge fan of OPI and even through I now own more Essie, my favourite colours have come from OPI collection.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle

 

I have used Ojon, Aveda, and a few others that I cannot remember as there has been a few. I do have a sensitive scalp, one that if it doesn't like a product will itch constantly and flake everywhere. I took a gamble many years ago and brought this for when my hair was slightly drier. It was perfect, smooth, glossy and no allergy symptoms. I have tried other things but have always come back to Aussie every time. I've even converted my high end, fussy product mum to it, after she 'borrowed' it one day when hers ran out.

 

Glamglow Youth mud

 

 

OK, let's address the big elephant in the room - It is just under £50.00 a pot (please shop around, I have found it cheaper) and the most expensive thing in the tin. For me I loved how it felt after I took off, fresher, brighter skin that looked smoothed out with no sensitive redness. I have stated my case for it here

 

 Now I throw it out to you guys, what would you put into YOUR beauty box (because I'm noisy!)