Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie: Cute As A Button

I am utterly obsessed with corals and pinky peachy tones at the minute; I think they just capture summer on your nails! This has lead me to own quite an excessive number of aforementioned polishes so I'm slowly trying to work my way through them and do a bit of a comparison. 

This is my first try of Essie nail varnish, and I was so excited to try it after reading so much on beauty blogs and hearing my idols such as Tanya Burr and Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter rave about them! Tanya inspired me to go for Cute As A Button as it just looks so gorgeous on her! 

As you can see from the pictures I went a little bit overboard on the coral yesterday, but Cute As A Button matched my skirt PERFECTLY so it had to be done! 

I used Sally Hansen Double Duty as my base coat and top coat (available at boots) because  I think a base coat is essential when you paint your nails regularly and with bright or dark colours...nobody wants to look like they've been smoking 40 a day! I applied two coats to my toe nails and didn't bother with a top coat (I rarely do on my toes) and the result is a gorgeous milky peach tone which I adore.  The addition of a third coat and a top coat added extra vibrancy and depth and the result is lovely.  I did wake up with sheet marks on my nails this morning though which is very irritating as I painted my nails hours before bed, but maybe I rushed into putting the top coat on?! 

I think the photos make it seem more orangey/red than it does in real life, but the photos were taken on my iPhone I'm afraid so not a lot I can do.

The consistency of this nail varnish is lovely, and I am really looking forward to trying out some other shades from Essie. 

Essie is now available from Boots and Superdrug and I would highly recommend Essie as a brand if the other shades are as luxurious as Cute As A Button.

I think that this polish is pretty comparable to Pink Flamingo (blog post about it here) from Barry M, and at £2.99 a pop it is a cheaper alternative (Essie is retailing at £7.99). 

Have you tried out any Essie polishes? Which is your favourite shade? And what is your all time favourite coral?

I hope you're all having a great day

xxx

the maxi skirt is from Fat Face, and I love it! 

NARS Cheery Popping Time : NARS Laguna

Firstly, please let me apologise for the quality of these photos, they were taken on my iPhone at night so they aren't the best (maybe I'll update them when I have a proper camera to hand but I just wanted to write this post!). 

A couple of months ago I popped my Nars cherry which seems a pretty momentous thing in the blogging world...and boy did it feel good! I thought I'd better go for Laguna as it has got to be one of the most talked about products out there.  I first heard about it when Millie Mackintosh from Made In Chelsea said this was her favourite bronzer and I thought I've got to have it (because who doesn't want to have her golden glow?!) but I put it off and put it off because I was happy with my Benefit Hoola and didn't NEED it.  Blogging has blown the entire concept of needing something out of the water however.  Whereas before I was so good and stuck to one product until it ran out, I now find myself conducting snatch and grab cosmetic shopping sprees here there and everywhere all in the name of blogging, and so seeing as every person in the beauty blogging world seems to own this bronzer I thought it was about time I joined the gang.

I love the packaging, but it does already look like I've had it about a year (which is typical of Nars). I am weary of the dreaded smash happening though because Tanya Burr (pixi2woo on YouTube) said hers smashed really easily so I am loath to use this as my 'on the go' bronzer incase it can't hack the travel! 

This product is so finely milled that it applies like an absolute dream and gives a really beautiful finish.  Having said that, I do find that when you sweep your brush over it you get a lot of powder flying everywhere which seems like such a waste of product! Is this because it is so finely milled? Whatever the reason I'm not a fan of it, it's like you can literally see your money going up in a golden smoke! 

I've decided to be a good girl and finish Hoola before I go on to using this as my everyday bronzer but I'm looking forward to enhancing my summer glow with this product! I usually like a matte bronzer but I am ready to embrace a bit of shimmer I think, and this is a nice introduction because it's not really shimmery it just gives an extra dimension! 


This isn't a cheap product, at £25 for 8g (cue choking fit) but this 8g really should last a long long time so hopefully it will be worth the investment, and 8g is the new weight of Benefit Hoola (the naughty people at Benefit made their boxed powders smaller) so really if you fancy a bit of golden shimmer in your bronzer it might be worth the extra couple of pounds.  I got mine at John Lewis so you can head to a NARS counter or pop online. 

Have you tried this bronzer? What are your thoughts on it? Which is your weapon of choice for sun kissed skin?

xxx

Make Do and Mend - Revamped Nail of the Day!

My Nails Inc. New York hot pink manicure (blog post on it here) was looking a bit tired the other day, but I really couldn't be bothered to take it all off, then repaint them so I decided to just do a bit of a make do and mend jobby instead! I simply slapped another coat of New York over the top to cover any chips (my nails are seriously weak so my nail varnish chips after a day or two regardless of the quality!) and I then got a pin and my trusty Revlon White on White and simply blobbed four or five white dots diagonally over my nail...simples!! When I do things with my right hand (my wrong hand if you get me) I'm a bit like an infant troll might be with regard to my command over objects - such as pins with white paint -  but I was surprisingly impressed with my attempt! I then popped a slick of top coat to seal the deal and hey presto they looked good as new (but better!) and provided me with a couple of days of fun nail art!!   Simple but very effective! I think I might start doing this more often as it is so much easier than starting all over again, and I am so up for the simple life! 

What do you do to get the most out of your manicure? Or are you just not as lazy as me?

xxx

NOTD: Tropical Temptation

                               Left - Without Flash. Right - With Flash                                     

Another perfect spring/summer colour that I'm embracing despite the torrential rain! This vibrant reddish-pink coral is a gorgeous bright, that really does look lovely with a tan (I'm delving into my memory here!).

With Flash on. Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat.

It takes a bit of work to get a bold, streak free finish - after the first two coats it really does look like it's never going to come good, but persevere with a third and a top coat and it will!  


I'm sorry because I don't think that any of these photos do the colour justice, I think it's got a more creamy peach finish to it that is visible here (the first photo is closest to it I'd say).

What colours do you reach for when you need a bit of a pick me up? 

xxx

The Red Lip

I think it is safe to say that the red lip is a bit of a classic.  It's sexy, it's sophisticated, it's empowering but in all honesty, I think it's bloody scary to wear. Whenever I want to wear the red lip look I always seem to find a reason it would be better off not bothering, such as; my lips aren't smooth enough to pull it off, I won't have the chance to touch it up and it'll look crap within hours, it won't go with what I'm wearing.  But whenever I pluck up the courage I think it's well worth it, it does make me feel more confident (I think!).  I'm not a massive fan of the shape of my lips, they aren't a uniform colour or smooth around the edges and they are always dry, but is that enough to stop me from going for red...like hell it is!! 

 As they come 

 Lined and filled in with Max Factor Colour Elixir Lip Liner in Number 10 Red Rush

Then painted (is that what you call colouring in your lips?) with Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate, in shade 01. With a coat of Max Factor Lipfinity Top Coat.

I know Max Factor say not to use the top coat with other colours, but I need a bit of gloss on my lips as otherwise the dryness really shows through, so you know what Max Factor can just thank their lucky stars I've chosen them as my top coat brand of choice!! 

Despite saying that it makes me feel more confident, I just walked past my brother with this lipstick on and he thought I looked disgusting, and asked if it was a joke or would I seriously wear that out...bye bye 'it's ok I can pull this off' confidence!! 

What do you think of the red lip? Am I the only one who's scared of it sometimes? 

xxx

My First Try of Mii Cosmetics

I was so excited when the gorgeous lady who does my waxing (who doesn't love the woman who can do that for you?) text me to say she was getting Mii Cosmetics for the salon, and today was the day that I got to play with them!! 


I got to try the Illuminating Face Base SPF 15, and I'm shade 03. It really is a gorgeous lightweight foundation, that gives more long lasting coverage than a tinted moisturiser but it's still really sheer (I could still see my freckles but I felt comfortable in it, which I think is a good sign).  I know it says it's illuminating, and I'm never so sure about those claims because I sometimes look plain old shiny not nice and glowing, but this truly did make me glow, and it's not until you see it in sunlight that you really get the true effect.  In fact I was meeting my dad in town just after I'd had this applied and without knowing I'd had my make up done he told me I was positively sparkling from half way down the street.  I felt sparkly too, all healthy and nice looking!! I was really gutted that they didn't have my shade in, but I am going to make sure I get my hands on some before summer because I think it'll be a summertime essential!