NOTD: Blue Moon & Shocker

I utterly adore this shade of blue, Barry M 317 Blue Moon, it is the perfect washed out sky blue if that makes any sense.  I think it's a really fresh colour and it's given my nails a bit of a pep even in this slightly gloomy weather. My one gripe about this shade it how long it takes to get a decent coverage. I did five, yes thats right five, coats of this and to be honest I'm still not entirely satisfied with the finish but I thought six was just absurd and I refused to do it!! The application is very watery, and although it does glide on nicely it's like you're applying a wash to your nails rather than a colour. And to be honest I don't think I'll often have the time to apply this nail varnish on a regular basis (which is probably why I hardly ever wear it!)

This picture makes it look as though it has a bit of an iridescent shimmer but this doesn't transfer to the nails so maybe that's just the result of the glass bottle.

For my base coat and my top coat I used Sally Hansen Double Duty which claims to be a strengthening Base and Top coat, I don't know if it really does strengthen but it has such a lovely brush that I don't care. 

On my toes I have used Rimmel in the colour 270 Shocker and I am going to make a bold claim and declare this as my favourite nail varnish.  I say this because I think it is the shade I have used and repurchased the most out of my entire nail varnish collection.  I usually only wear this on my toes and it just looks so gorgeous, it's such a bright shimmery fuchsia that it just makes it permanently look like summer for your toes which I love even in the depths of winter!! I went through a stage of panic buying a few bottles at a time because sometimes it wasn't in stock but I hope to god that they never discontinue this colour otherwise I might cry. It goes on so well and in two coats looks bold and even and glossy and it lasts for weeks on my toes. Can you tell I'm a bit obsessed?! 

What is your favourite ever nail varnish? 

x

NOTD: Indigo

After a weekend of moving my friends into their new flat and being a DIY goddess my nails are looking utterly horrific.  Only my little finger nails have survived to tell the tale, the rest gave up and jumped ship at the mere sight of flat packed Ikea furniture!  I decided that the best thing to do with them was hide them.  I really should give them some real tender loving care and apply base coats daily etc to give them a fighting chance, but I just don't want to have to look at them so they are well and truly hidden now! 

I don't often go for this colour Barry M shade 312 Indigo, but I'm really glad I have, I love it and I think it actually looks good on my very short nails.  It seems to have smartened them up and makes me look, dare I say it, sophisticated and perhaps professional?! 


I have included so many photos (too many most probably but oh well you can pretend you haven't seen them) because I really do think that this nail varnish is magic.  It looks so different depending on the light, sometimes it looks midnight blue, verging on a blackblue and other times it looks a very royal blue with a hint of purple.  


The application of this colour is lovely, it glides on and in two coats it looks rich and shiny and just generally lovely. And at £2.99 from Boots or Superdrug there really isn't any reason not to go for it, once again I think Barry M has produced a nail varnish that looks far more expensive than you'd expect for such a bargain!


I'm off to the cinema tonight to see 21 Jump Street, I really hope it's as good as it looks in the trailer as I'm in the mood for a good old laugh! Have any of you seen it and thought it was worth a watch?


xxx

What I'm loving...

Don't get me wrong I love make up and products of all kinds but to be honest, sometimes writing about them takes more effort than my brain is willing to cough up (taking and uploading photos, trying to construct sentences that are remotely understandable etc) so today I thought I'd give my brain a break and just fill you in on bits and bobs.  


So without further ado, what I'm loving at the moment:


- Song -  Sail by Awolnation my brother kept playing this a couple of weeks ago and I simply got hooked, so I like to listen to it often.  The louder the better! 


- Drink - Aero Hot Chocolate, I know it's naughty but boy oh boy this stuff if gooooood! So so creamy and delicious! 


- Food - The Good - Pink Grapefruit, I love them, so sour but yet so sweet and a wonderful way to wake me up when I feel like a zombie (and they taste better when someone else cuts around the segments for you - fact!)
           - The Bad - doughnuts I am in serious danger of getting some form of restraining order dished out by bakeries nation wide...I just can't control myself!


- Nail Varnish - Barry M Berry Ice Cream see my blog post on it here

- Moisturiser - Body Shop Body Butter in Raspberry it truly is the stuff dreams are made of, and I'm going to have to do a separate blog post on it! 


- Random thing - Ice - I am addicted to ice, which might seem like the craziest thing to be addicted to, but I really am.  Like properly addicted (I will eat the ice left at the bottom of my friend's drinks, and I once just started eating the snow on top of a hedge when walking to uni with my friend (rightly so, she slapped me, called me a freak and then walked 10 paces in front of me)) Oh, this really has made me sound like a right mentalist, I'm not always like this I promise.


Anyway thanks for reading my random post, I hope it was interesting (and if not interesting then console yourself with the fact you're probably a lot more sane than I am!)




xxxx

NOTD: Berry Ice Cream

I adore this Barry M shade (308 Berry I/C).  I think it's a fantastic colour for spring and summer, and it really cheers me up when I look at my nails and I see this shining back at me.  Usually I find this polish glides on like a dream but today it wasn't going my way (I don't know if it was me or the nail varnish...probably me, lets face it) so to get a nice even coverage it took three coats but the finished product is worth the wait in my opinion.  I finished it off with a thick layer of Sally Hansen Mega Shine and now I have super shiny bright mauve/lilac nails - just what I need to make it feel like spring even though the weather has taken a turn for the worse!! 

Pink Flamingo

I am officially addicted to nail varnish. I will willingly admit that I have far too many shades of pink that are not different enough to warrant having so many of them, know this as I might it doesn't seem to stop me from wanting (and buying) more more more!!  I literally think I have a problem, sometimes I wont even look as I pick them up and throw them in my basket like a crazed nail polish junkie! 


Funnily enough though, since I started doing manicures in my course and therefore have to practice, I don't really like painting my nails any more.  I used to paint my nails all the time and now I really have to force myself! It's a bit like when I did English A Level I guess and I suddenly seemed to lose the ability to read even though the books were novels I would have ordinarily wanted to read!


I love this Barry M shade, 305 Pink Flamingo, it's just really fun, bright and girly.  I love it in summer and I think it really enhances your tan and even though I only have a tiny bit of colour at the moment (it's only April I guess!) it made my tan seem nicer somehow! 

Listening to - Under The Driftwood Tree, If Only If 

Reading - The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley