All that glitters doesn't have to be gold

Another week, another nail polish.

This week's purchase was two polish black multi glitter and pink sparkle glitter.

Two coats great coverage and after a couple of days still no chips. My only concern is taking it off I hate it when the cotton wool sticks so any suggestions would be appreciated.

These are offer in Superdurg at the moment buy two get a pound off so I indulged.

I can't wait to see what they bring out next.

Barry M chameleon in lilac - amazing!



So when you think that nail polish cannot get more creative, after the crackle print, foil and magnetic, you think they can't possible do any more.

Well think again because Barry M has pulled it out the bag and released their chameleon nail polish.

In three colours - pink, blue and lilac - I chose lilac.

You paint a base coat, paint the chameleon polish and then once dry you put a layer of clear polish in whatever pattern you want, stripes, spots or squiggles.

Then before you eyes where ever you put the clear polish it will change colour!

It reminds me of when I was younger and you would have felt tips where you would colour a page and then use another pen to write on top of it and that would change colour.

I really like it, the normal colour is nice, my only issue is I put too much clear on and it brought the polish away a bit but after some practise I'm sure I'll get it.

It is £3.99 but really good and makes your nails look a little different.

I can't wait to see what Barry M bring out next.

On offer you say, 3 for 2 on cosmetics, well if I must

I love a bargain and due to the recent bout of good weather we have been having I decided I needed a pastel yellow nail polish.

Off I went one lunchtime to have a look at what Barry M had to offer when I saw a sign every girl loves to see, '3 for 2 on all cosmetics'. It was like a beacon of light descending from the heavens. Now the only challenge was picking three items, as opposed to six or 12.

I went for one MaxFactor and two Barry M.

It took me a while but I eventually found a yellow I was happy with, MaxFactor - Max Effect mini nail polish in Mellow Yellow. I tried it later that day, it took three coats to get a good enough coverage but didn't chip as quickly as I thought it would. The more coats you put on usually the more likely it is to chip.

It is a really nice mellow colour and looked great in the sunny weather. I think it would also work well if it is grey outside adding a little mini sunshine to your day. It costs £3.99

For my next two choices I went to my old favourite Barry M.

My first choice was another of their magnetic nail polishes, the red with the diagonal stripes. I have yet to try it out but loved the ruby red colour and thought it would also look great with the Union Jack style magnet I bought recently. Priced at £4.99.

My third choice took a little longer, but eventually I decided to try out Barry M's croc effect nail polish. I already have the shatter one and really loved it. Also after having seeing Barry M's TV advert with the croc pattern I knew I had to try it out. Priced at £3.99.

So the other night I applied Barry M's Pink Flamingo polish and then the crocodile print. It says a thin layer but I did quite a thick layer as it makes it stand out a lot more.

Within minutes it starts to crackle. It is different from the shatter as the pattern is quite small so the colour beneath doesn't completely show through. It looks more like a wrap than a polish, but I would advise putting clear polish over the top as after a couple of days it starts to wear off and fade rather than chip.

It will be great over the summer and  change from the shatter polish. Also croc print is in trend this summer, with bags, leggings and shoes getting in on the act. So this nail polish is a cheaper way to get in fashion.

Overall I was more than happy with my purchases, now I just have to avoid Superdrug until the offer is over for fear of being more polishes.

To have a look at what they have on offer check out the website:

http://www.superdrug.com/3-for-2/3-for-2-mix+match-across-all-cosmetics/icat/2012e6_mixedcosm/

God save the magnetic nail polish

I have two other magnetic nail polishes wavy patterns from FashionistA, but I was overjoyed when I saw that Barry M were bringing out their our ranges.

They have four colours: violet, silver, blue and burgundy, and patterns of Union Jack-esque, stripes - horizontal and diagonal and wavy.

I decided because it was different that I would pick the Union Jack-esque pattern as it is a bit different.

So off I went to Superdrug to buy the blue one, got it home and realised there was no magnet! I put my disappointment on Twitter and Barry M sent me a message asking for my address and sent me a new one.


I did this Friday and received my brand new magnet today.
I tried it out today and I love it:

Also really easy to do! Put one coat on, put on a second coat and put the magnet on immediately leave for 5 seconds and the pattern will emerge. Perfect for the Jubilee.

To check them out for yourself go to the website: http://www.barrym.com/products/product.asp?id=168

Sometimes being indecisive can look good - Spring pastels

I'm not sure if I have created a trend or joined an already fashionable one.

So the other day I was about to paint my nails and had my five favourite pastel Barry M nail polishes infront of me:
* Blue Moon
* Peach Melba
* Strawberry Ice Cream
* Mint Green
* Berry Ice Cream

I was wondering, pondering what ones to use and then it dawned on me, why I don't just use them all in a Spring pastel fusion. For once being indecisive actually came off.

I think it looks really good and not really noticeable at first due to the pastel colours. I'm not sure if the different colour trend is in fact a trend but now my sister is doing it so can't be all bad.

Barry M nail polish is fantastic, you get a lot for your money and they are usually on offer, I think in Boots at the moment make up is 3 for 2 so why not treat yourself, they are only £2.99 for the colours and £3.99 for the metallics and nail effects.

Check out Barry M's range here: http://www.barrym.com/nail-paints
Boots: http://www.boots.com/

There is something magnetic in the polish

We have had Barry M's nail effects with the crackling effect, we have had Revlon and Rimmel's scented polishes, now we have magnetic nail polish.

I have the black Barry M nail effect and the peach Rimmel scent nail polish. I also have some glittery ones the Revlon Facets of Fuschia and OPI's Bring on the Bling, great but really horrible to take off as the cotton wool sticks to the glitter. Other than that I love it.

Now the latest trend is magnetic nail polish. Polish that has iron powder in it, you paint your nails, hold a magnet over the top and whatever the pattern is on there you get the same on your nails.

Nails Inc have three colours for £13 each, to see the effect you can get visit... http://www.nailsinc.com/magnetic.

However, while at Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model Live my sister and I got chatting to a man from FashionistA make up who said they made the one for Nails Inc but had now started their own range.

Who do they have as the face of the range? The Saturdays. On sale in Superdurg the nail polishes are £6 each, the magnet is £3 and at the moment it is 3 for 2. The reason why the magnet is separate is that you only need one and they are planning to launch different patterns in the next few months. The current one is a wave pattern.

As you can probably guess there are five colours...
Frankie - Notorious Silver
Una - Ego Green
Mollie - Purple Me Up
Rochelle - All Fired Up Red
Vanessa - Forever is Blue


At Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model Live they were selling them on offer, two nail polishes and the magnetic for £10. So between me and my sister we got all but the green one. (sorry Una!).

The nail polishes are quite nice on their own. When I got home I tried Vanessa's blue one, and to be honest for first go the pattern didn't come out that well, a little faint but the faintest hint of the wave.

I'm not sure if it is because it is quite dark and it doesn't show up as good. But not one to give up I will keep trying, I have the silver one as well maybe that will show up better.

You can get The Saturday's at Superdrug or here...
http://www.thesaturdays.co.uk/news/the-saturdays-magnetism-nail-lacquer-is-now-in-store-and-online/

To be honest I am looking forward to see what the next nail polish trend is.

The Nails are Inc....

I am a huge nail varnish fan. If my nails have no polish on them, I feel completely naked. Looking at my nails when they are pink and bare makes me feel not as confident, I need a pearly pink or a shocking blue to give me the confidence to pull me through.

As I have said previously I love Nails Inc, Barry M, OPI, and Rimmel.

At the moment I am rocking Nails Inc Magnum chocolate brown. I love it; it has flecks of gold in it, which makes it look glam rather than grimy.

Sometimes I can find black a bit too much so I try and use blood red, navy blue or a dark purple to get the darkness without the harshness of black.

In the past I have had a Minx nail wrap on my nails. They can range from leopard print, to checker board; they baffle people who cannot figure out how you can paint something on your nails like that. They are heated up so the glue becomes tacky and then placed on the nail, they are then filed to the shape of your nail. They can last between two to six weeks. (http://www.minxnails.com/dnn/) In salons they can be expensive but are worth it if they last and look fab

For print effect from varnish I have mentioned previously about the Barry M effect where you paint it over a colour and then it cracks. OPI and Topshop both have their own versions, but Barry M is one of the best.

When it comes to Glitter, you cannot beat OPI. I have one that came out when Burlesque was out. Katy Perry has brought out a range as well, that include the crackle effect and glitter. Two coats of the glitter polish and it looks amazing. So sparkly they don't look like polish it looks like a wrap, bright and colourful. (http://www.opi.com/) It isn’t so nice to take off though, if you use cotton wool it can stick.

One new trend I have noticed recently is marbling effect, as seen on stars such as Jessie J. One way I have seen in magazines which I will share if you want the same effect is the following:

* Apply a base coat and then a couple of coats of white nail polish
* Wait for it to dry
* Drop a blob of colour into warm water
* Add a second colour
* Swirl with a cocktail stick
* Dip your finger in and pull out to create the marble effect
* Clear up any edges
* Wait to dry and coat with a top coat.
I will admit I have yet to try it but once I have I will let you know. Also if you do it before I post, let me know!!

I love Spring time, it means all the pastel colours come back in. From yellows, oranges, lilacs and pinks. Sorbets are big again in make-up so get down to Boots and stock up if Barry M if it is two for £5 again. So put some of the more Goth colours away for the Spring time, don't worry they are fine for a night time look but get fun and flirty with ice cream shades.

I have seen in shops that Revlon have released colours that smell fruity for up to five days! They are called Scents of Summer and cost £6.49, you can get melon, coconut, papaya and passion fruit. YUMMY!

Another tip this season is pearly colours, leading the way at Chanel (where else, Coco was a fan of pearls). So from Oyster pinks to Oyster whites, get in on the pearl.

There are loads of options to save your nails. Just make sure you keep them healthy. Sally Hensen Nail Hardener is a god-send.

The Nails are indeed it!

A girl's gotta have it

I love my lotions and potions, so I am actually surprised that I have not posted something like this before. So here it goes, I thought I would share with you some of the items that I simply cannot live without and would suggest you buy now and be forever happy. There is no reason to my choices, it is all purely stuff I have tried and fallen in love with.


Firstly, not a lotion or indeed a potion but something I buy loads of and cannot live without. Party feet, the little bit of gel heaven on a night out. Basically, they are gel insoles that you put where the balls of your feet rest in high heels and they alleviate the pressure avoiding that feeling of your feet burning on a night out. I love these and buy a pair every time I buy a new pair of heels. They are a god-send and although sometimes they don't stop the pain completely, they do avoid that horrible feeling you get the day after when your feet are still punishing you for the night before. There are loads available; Scholl are the originals and are great they stick really well and they do limited edition ones that are glittery, they cost about £5 but are well worth the money. Avon do some as well which I would recommend.


Now, another wonder product has to be Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Skin Protectant. Apparently the solution was originally to keeps horses hooves supple, how much of this is true I don't know but I can believe it. This caramel coloured sticky solution does smell a bit but it is amazing. It can be used as a lip gloss, or a gloss on your cheeks or eyes. It is fantastic for dry skin anywhere, from your elbows and knees to your hands. The whole eight hour range is amazing but the skin protectant lasts for ages as you only need a little bit at a time. It's not cheap but if you are lucky you might pick up a bargain at TkMaxx or cheapsmells.co.uk usually has good offers. This has been going for ages and when you try it you can see why.


Make-up wise here up my tips:




Nail polish you cannot beat Barry M for colour and value for money. OPI is good you are willing to spend a little bit more, especially there Burlesque glitter range, not great to take off but brilliant coverage and it lasts. Nails Inc is always great and over Christmas I found gift sets at TkMaxx with ten nail polishes for only £14, BARGAIN! However, Rimmel or Barry M makes your money go a long way.


Mascara, I think Maybelline Falsies is great and once I had it on and cried my eyes out and no running or smudging not many non-waterproof mascaras can claim that. Or Avon's Sonic boost vibrates and opens up your eyelashes, a little strange sensation at first but does actually work.


Lipglosses, I like Maybelline anything and Rimmel lip vinyl has great coverage and great colours.


For body lotions, scrubs or anything for the bath you cannot beat Soap and Glory. The pink (and now blue) packaging is enough to make me run to see what's new. With a distinctive smell everything they do is amazing and has brilliant names. Scrub your nose in it face wash, is cleansing and exfoliating. Sexy mother pucker is a lipgloss that plumps up your lips with a tingling sensation. The righteous butter is one of the creamiest and delicious body lotions just a must buy. All Soap and Glory sets are always sell outs. Over Christmas Boots frequently sold out, especially if they have them at half price or in the sale, if you can pick up a set you are one of the lucky one. Over the last couple of years they have launched a men’s’ range (which my boyfriend loves) and a best of British range, which is equally brilliant. They also do minis so if you are unsure on splashing the cash then buy one of these and try away.




A staple for every woman should be Simple make up wipes, not too greasy and gets to grips with dirt. They also are for sensitive skin so no irritation. Another one to note is Johnson's eye makeup remover pads are also really good for stubborn make up.


I probably have more so I will share them as I remember them but I hope you find something from the above that you love. Also if you have any tips leave a comment, I love finding out about new products.


Websites:
http://www.cheapsmells.co.uk/
http://www.avon.uk.com/
http://www.barrym.com/
http://www.soapandglory.com/
http://www.boots.com/
http://www.rimmellondon.com/
http://www.opi.com/
http://www.nailsinc.com/
http://www.maybelline.co.uk/