I ruddy well won something!!

I'm not what one would call one of life's winners, don't get me wrong, I've achieved and I've achieved highly, but I haven't won - sports day, definitely not my thing, raffle prizes also allude me, as do lucky dips and competitions. But my luck has changed, and okay I have won the item that holds the least monetary value of anything I've ever entered but I don't care, I did a squeal of excitement both when I found out and when my prize was delivered today!! I also know that other people won as well but I simply do not care!! 

Look at how beautifully they were wrapped - it felt too nice to open...

...But I did... and now all my Real Techniques brushes have their own special home, which, for someone like me who likes everything in it's rightful place, is perfect. 

Thank you Real Techniques! 

Click here for my review of the Stippling Brush! More reviews coming soon! 

xxx

NOTD: New York

This is a beautiful vibrant and opaque fuchsia/hot pink nail varnish by Nails Inc. it is the shade 150 New York and I adore it. It isn't shimmery but the high shine makes it look bright and really 'polished'.  I got this nail varnish two years ago during the time Nails Inc and Diet Coke hooked up, and despite being well loved in that time the consistency has not changed and it is still a joy to use. I find it wears well and looks so smooth and luscious on my nails, it also dries pretty quickly which I think is really important in a nail varnish because who has time to sit around for hours?! 

I get a lot of compliments on this colour, which nail varnish gets you the most attention? 

xxx

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

Ultimate Procrastination

The weather today is pretty disgusting, it has been raining non-stop so far and it looks like we're entering an apocalypse or something because it's just so ruddy dark! It is typical that on a day like today I just can't get the thought of going into town and having a look around out of my head, it's like it's the only thing in the entire world that I want to do right now (well maybe not the only thing) but it would involve me walking for half an hour in the torrential rain, and then walking around town in much the same way.  I would look like a drowned rat, and probably have a horrible time but I am just dying to do it.  Maybe it's because if I stay at home I have to do college work, tidy my room, write some letters and research courses for September.  But the big question is whether I am so desperate to avoid doing these jobs that I'll risk hypothermia and potentially trench foot just to put them off for another day?! 


*UPDATE*


Today was still spent mostly procrastinating, but at least it wasn't the spending money sort of procrastination that a trip to town would have meant! 
I spent the morning just chilling with my housemate, reading blogs and curling my hair, and then this afternoon as if by magic the rain stopped and the sun came out.  And not only did the sun come out but it was HOT so I sat in the garden, wrote a letter and read my book.  So what started as a pretty bleak day has turned out much better than I could have anticipated!
Hmm about that college work....


I hope you've all had a good day, and the sun has been shining where you are! 


x

123 Perfect

I know this might seem awful, but it has been YEARS since I bought a 'low end' foundation, and even this at £10.99 isn't cheap (although I did take full advantage of the 3 for 2 across all beauty that Boots were running last month!) 

I had heard everyone raving about the Healthy Mix range by Bourjois so I thought, for some deluded reason, to go for this instead (probably because it was new and put at the front, and like a magpie to a broach, I couldn't resist), but then I read Fleur's review on it, and I was literally too scared to try it.  All she'd said was that she didn't like it, it's not like it was going to make my face to melt away anything, but anyway I put it off and put it off, but now I've faced my fear and wore it, and you know what, I like it!! It just serves as a lesson to me not to believe everything I read as if it's the holy grail, it's just personal preference, and everyone is different! 

On to my thoughts about the foundation itself.  It glides on so smoothly, it really is so lightweight and makes my skin feel really soft (which I think we'd all agree has got to be a good thing).  This colour, 53, blends really well into my skin tone, it really does look as if I'm not wearing foundation.  As for the three different pigments working their magic to reduce circles around the eyes, brighten complexion and reduce redness, I'm not so sure, but then the dark circles under my eyes resist every product I throw at them, so I wasn't shocked that this failed to do the trick! 

I'd say that on the most part it wears well, although my t-zone needed to be touched up after a few hours as the make up seemed to have slipped, so I don't think, for me anyway, I'll be getting the 16 hours of wear it claims...what a shocker!  It does wear off a lot quicker than my Mac Pro Longwear for instance, but if you're not planning to wear it for a long day then I don't think you'd have too much of a problem.

I have found that on my chin (a problem area for me, with drying breakouts) this foundation looks a bit flaky, but then even my MAC foundation sometimes does so that's not a big disappointment either. 

Overall, I'm pleased I bought it, it's nice to have something that feels more lightweight than my usual MAC Pro Longwear. I'm a happy shopper with this one! 

Have you tried either 123 Perfect, or Pro Longwear? If you have, what do you think? And if not, what's your favourite foundation? 

xxx