Barbie Nails ♥

TopShop Nail Varnish in 'Adrenalin', £6 for 8ml.

I saw this and obviously had to get it, meant to be on a polish ban as my storage shelf has overflowed onto my dresser and it looks unslightly so was hoping to refrain from anymore until I buy an extra storage shelf!

The varnish is a new addition to the TopShop collection and is a pound more than their standard core collection. With the right amount of time between layers, this formula has impressed me because I was expecting it to be gloopy and annoying like so many glitter polishes that are cheaper in price....however it dried fairly quickly (but do allow time when you're using this to avoid any smudge disappointment).

It's a sheer top-coat style polish with a mix of fine and larger round shaped silver glitter sparkles suspended within it. The sparkles catch the light, and a holographic shimmer bounces off (fairly similar to that of Models Own 'Juicy Jules')

It is so stunning, it has a very sheer wash of pink within it that builds a small amount of colour, but not much.

For those wondering, it doesn't seem far off OPI's 'Teenage Dream' from what I can make out. I always wanted that polish. Both have a tinge of pink in the polish, the size of the glitter parts do differ between the two, but it is pretty much a match.

So far I've tried it two ways, but I am looking forward to layering it over more pink shades and experimenting with it over a mint green...

One layer of 'Adrenalin' over Barry M's 'Peach Melba'.

Three layers applied over a sheer basecoat.
Unfortunately the polish only lasted a day on my nails before it began chipping (with topcoat.)

I'm a sucker for sparkles. Such a girl.....

Will you be buying this?

Estee Lauder DoubleWear Foundation...my opinion!

Estee Lauder DoubleWear Foundation in 'Shell', £26.50 for 30ml.

Hiyaaa! I'm here today to share my views on the infamous Estee Lauder DoubleWear!

As part of the DoubleWear line this foundation promises to stay put all day (15 hour wear), it's oil free and contains SPF 10- all plus points so far! For reference I have the shade 'Shell' which is the palest shade with cool (pink) undertones. It matches me pretty much perfectly.

When I first tried this foundation I couldn't make my mind up about it, somedays I loved it, others I didn't, but if I am honest I fall in and out of love with foundations very often!

It is a rich liquid that applied thinly offers a high medium coverage that dries to a semi-matte finish. It is not full coverage, your skin is still visible underneath but this offers enough coverage for any blemishes, or uneven skintone concerns not to be a worry and it perfects the look of skin really well. If you're looking for full coverage then DoubleWear Maximum Cover is available, a paste- like foundation that will cover everything, even scarring or tattoos!

From experience I find that the 'less is more' approach is the right way to use this foundation, DoubleWear is what you make it and too much applied will look cakey and settle in pores.

I love the way it is so smooth to apply, it blends really well (but you do have to work quick) and also buffs into the skin really well. I find that with a small amount of setting powder on my t-zone I stay shine-free for about 3 hours, this will be longer for those with dryer skin than I! Even after these 3-4 hours I don't look shiny, just dewy on my t-zone. 

As much as I love the classy glass bottle to look at, it isn't the most functional. Glass always worries me, travel wise it isn't the best packaging as there's always the risk of breakage. It also doesn't have a pump to deposit the product, you have to pour it onto your hand which means the product wastage may be more likely, and you'll always be left with a bit at the end that you can never get out!!

All in all, this has become my 'go-to' foundation for now. I don't wear it everyday as I think my skin needs a couple of 'days off' a week. Skin Base just wasn't cutting it anymore and with the onset of sunny weather I did want an SPF contained in my foundation. I am also enjoying the new Invisible Fluid which I'll do a FOTD and mini-review on soon.

Do you use DoubleWear foundation? What's your favourite foundation at the moment?

I'm underwhelmed by the Revlon Lip Butters...am I alone?

Revlon Lip Butter in 'Candy Apple', £7.99.

I've waited for the 'hype' to die down a bit before posting this, but as a beauty blogger I feel it would be wrong of me not to contribute my two cents about the overall product range and a more indepth review of 'Candy Apple'.

I should have taken it as a sign not to buy after I'd been in to swatch these at least four times before I finally caved and purchased (on the Boots 3 for 2 so it's not that bad). The bright colours all seemed very average in my opinion there was nothing exciting or forward- thinking about the available shades, considering I'm normally pulled into to the brights first I soon surpassed these to take a look at the nudes, more tuned- down shades that I've been trying more of this spring. However the brown- toned glazed finishes on the majority of them, or chunky glitter running through them, or the light pink shades being very 'ala Nivea Lip Care' and realistically, just too pale to ever be wearable, put me off a purchase. None of the shades seem quite right and very old fashioned.

They looked fairly appealing on blog posts I've read but never seemed to live up to it in real life, drawn onto my hand. I really wanted to like them, a soft balmy formula in a lipstick form, the term 'lip butter' instantly sounds appealing!

I'm underwhelmed if I am honest. I cannot speak for all of the shades but my 'Candy Apple' is the worst kind of red (in my opinion), a tomato red that first applies far too muted to produce an odd, muted colour. I find the level of shine in the formula mixed with a red just doesn't sit well with me generally, and really has to be worked to reach it's full bright pigment. 

It wears fairly well, longer than a gloss,similar to any standard thick lip balm or chapstick.

I do like the balm- like qualities of them however, they are comfortable to wear and do feel like their acting as a 'shield' between your lips and the outside world. They are so smooth and thick, and those factors are two I really like and are definite pros!

When a product has so much hype and anticipation for release, I really think it's important to take a step back and formulate an opinion for yourself, and whether or not the product really is for you. Perhaps I'm still stuck in my ways, aways flocking to pigmented, bold & exciting colours. However lately I am so aware that I've been steering past matte formulas (previously my chosen finish) and have moved in favour for gloss finishes...so I half expected these to be right up my alley. FYI I have drifted past the L'Oreal counter to take a look at the new 'Caresse' range, and I am slightly wary of purchasing these, maybe this 'type' of lip product just isn't for me! There, I've said it!

What has been your experience of Revlon Lip Butters so far? Are you disappointed by the shades as much as me?

Two new acquisitions for summer...

I thought I'd just do a post to show you two of my favourite new purchases that I've got for the summer months and know I'll be wearing a lot!

White canvas Converse Allstars; I bought these from Office but they're available in lot's of shoe retailers. I wore Converse when I was a young teenager, back in the day when the more beat up and muddy they were, the better! These ones I want to keep as fresh as possible, for as long as possible! Oh how the tables have turned. They fit my feet so comfortably, Vans rip my feet to shreds with their round toes and I think I'm inbetween sizes in those. I like to wear these with jeans, but they're also going to look cool with dresses when it's summery outside again, especially my grey marl midi dress.

Dior sunglasses; my boyfriend bought me these as a present last week, I love them so much and know that I'll never need to buy another pair while I've got these. I've never owned an expensive pair of sunglasses but I think Ben took pity on me because every year I've dragged him around the shops to buy a pair, only to complain about them a week later that they were either too big for my face (I have a little face)/gave me a headache/etc etc and I tried these on and it was love at first sight. They frame my face well, and fit me perfectly, no more headaches or horrible sunglasses marks for me, hooray! Thankyou Ben!

What items are you looking forward to wearing this season? 

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2 China Glaze Polishes #NOTD

China Glaze '1007 Turned Up Turquoise (Neon)'

China Glaze '634 Frostbite'

For those of you who know about Sally's (I think it's just a UK chain?) well I popped in there a few days ago with the intention of buying a pink polish (I wanted a mega Barbie- pink that I seem to have bypassed in my current collection) but these two colours stood out to me while I was in there, they seemed unique, rich and gorgeous and weren't colours I've ever worn on my nails in the past. Plus it was buy one China Glaze get the other half price so it would have been rude not to buy two!!

Turned Up Turquoise; It took two coats of this to be properly opaque but due to it's extremely quick- drying formula it only took a few minutes to actually apply this. It dries to a semi- matte finish which is not particularly to my taste so the second photo below shows it with Sally Hansen's Mega Shine (from my March favourites post below) topcoat over the top to spruce it up a bit! It's a tropical green colour that is a bright jade shade, it's very bold but it is so pretty and exotic. Unfortunately it only lasted a day and a half before the edges had worn slightly and a couple of chips had occurred!

Dried, without topcoat.

With topcoat.

Frostbite; I don't know if it's just my bottle but this formula does smell quite grim! Similarly to Turned Up Turquoise it took two coats to reach an opaque finish. However, unlike Turned Up Turquoise this dries to a shiny finish but I would still advise a topcaot, of course! The formula is thicker, slightly gloopier and did take longer to dry. It is a gorgeous peacock blue colour, a sophisticated, electric finish that is so stunning and bold. Because of its thicker formula, it didn't chip as quickly as Turned Up Turquoise.

What China Glaze shades would you recommend to me?

 

My March Favourites!!

Hey all!

I'm here with my favourite and most cherished beauty products from the lovely month of March....

M.A.C 'Watch Me Simmer' Lipstick; This is the lipstick I've been picking up the most this month if I wanted statement lips! I love the shade. It's a super bright, amplified coral shade that develops more pink the longer it's on the lips (on first application it leans more red). The only downsides are that it does stain the lips. I picked this up when the Shop MAC Collection was exclusive to Selfridges, it has since been released in the rest of M.A.C. stockists and appears to have become quite popular! If you missed out the first time, don't fret, it's being repromoted in the 'Reel Sexy' collection being released in April. See full review here.

Laura Mercier lipgloss in 'Nude Lilac'; You may have seen this used in a couple of my FOTD's before but I've never really reviewed it. It isn't a particularly long- lasting gloss as it isn't a very wet formula, but I love the glaze it gives my lips, even if it is just for a temporary basis! The lilac colour in the tube doesn't transfer to the lips but the cool tones of it do, it's the perfect gloss if you're looking to tone down a bright colour underneath, used on it's own it will only add a subtle colourlss shine to the lips. There is some gold glitter running through it that does remain on the lips after it's dried up. Note that it has got a strong, deep vanilla scent. This gloss has been carried around with me in my bag and used on a daily basis...perfect for me trying a bit of a more toned down nude look this springtime! (Post Here.)

Blistex Relief Cream; Not a very exciting product but one I've been using on my lips before bed to restore them back to health! I think I must have gone overboard on lip products the last few months because my lips have been paying for it the last few weeks, they've been dry and flaky but this may also be due to seasonal changes, either way I've been applying this at night and taking it a bit easier on the lip products. It's really worked, especially over a period of time and my lips feel nourished and smooth once again! It's not like a lip balm that you can apply on the go, as it is a milky white texture that does take a while to soak into the lips- definitely a night time treatment particularly with its tingly menthol flavour!

M.A.C. 210 Brush; With this, I've finally found a suitable brush that is thin enough to apply gel eyeliner the way that I want! I've been using the Maybelline Gel Liner which I think is okay but I never got on with the accompanying brush (next on my list is the Clinique one when this runs or dries out) so I took it upon myself to get a brush to make applying gel liner a bit easier and a bit more enjoyable. It does the trick, it's a very thin brush but the hairs are dense enough that you can control application quite well. You can choose the thickness of the line you'd like to apply and it distributes product evenly.

YSL Eye makeup remover; I got this free in a makeup bag a few months ago because I'd bought a few products the counter lady threw this in, it was full of goodies and I was so happy because I really love Yves Saint Laurent! I use it sometimes at night if my eye makeup is being a pain to remove but I mainly use it on a cotton pad to quickly remove any products off makeup brushes. It's great to give the M.A.C. 210 a quick clean after use to avoid any gel liner drying onto it and going clumpy between deep cleans.

Benefit 'High Brow'; I know they've released their 'High Brow Glow' now but I'm still a big fan of the original. I feel naked if I don't wear this. Applied under the eyebrows, onto the brow bone, it adds the illusion of more refined brows, and a higher arch (something me and my brow- waxer have been working towards over the last 6 months!) so this helps give the illusion of that in the meanwhile. It's a 'linen pink' colour so it blends into pale skintones really well, and adds that extra highlight and dimension to perfect any eye look! Would really recommend this.

Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat; This was recommended to me by Cara over at Cara's Beauty Blog and since purchasing it a week ago I've put it on top of every nail look I've painted and it has completely transformed the way my nails look! I have other topcoats, but I was after a really super-glossy supershine topcoat that was fast drying and wouldn't break the bank. It dries within a couple of minutes and leaves the nails looking professionally manicured! Thanks Cara!

There's my March favourites, I don't do these often so I hope you've enjoyed it. What have you been loving lately? Let me know!