Essence Cinderella Nail Polish - 01 Sing, Sweet Nightingale

Essence Cosmetics have jumped on the Disney Cinderella bandwagon and brought out a makeup and nail polish collection. This collection is packed with fabulously girly shades and I love them all. Naturally I picked myself a nail polish to try, be rude not too.

 I do like my pinks so I opted for this colour which is called Sing, Sweet Nightingale (hands up who's now humming the sing!). I have to admit I didn't know much about the formula of these colours until I tested it out at home. This colour to my surprise is a matte finish not glossy. I really like the colour but oh my is it a pain in the neck to apply. Use too much and it looks gloopy; too little and it looks streaky :( After trying to apply this for what felt like the 100th time I gave up and here is the result. I'm not completely happy however after wearing it for a day I applied a topcoat which has given the illusion the colour is even. 

I will pop back with this colour another week to show you the glossy version. For now though I'll leave you with the images above.....

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer - Vanilla

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer - Worth the hype? Lets see….

#PerfectPorridge with Flahavan's Irish Oats #2

IM VIADUKT Zurich

Essence Nail Candies - Pop Some Corn!

Here is another colour from the Essence Nail Candies range. The colour is called 'Pop Some Corn!' which I can only describe as an off white shade, packed with shimmer. Much like the previous Nail Candies colour.
Essence Nail Candies are a '6 in 1' nail polish that gives stunning results when manicuring your nails. The six benefits of this set of polishes are as follows - Hardening, Protecting, Ridge Filling, Fast Drying, High Gloss Finish and they have a Fruity Fragrance when dry.
I really do like this colour. The polish consistency is very good and it's easy to apply. I personally preferred this once the colour has built up. I applied 3 thin coats of polish so I couldn't see my nail underneath. By doing this I had to allow a little more time for each layer to dry fully however once it was complete you can really see that shimmer coming through; plus I think it will look great with a tan!
Be back soon xx 

#PerfectPorridge with Flahavans Irish Oats #1

Colour 12 - Makeup Revolution 'Day to Night' Palette

#MakeupMonday is here and we are on the final colour from the Makeup Revolution Day to Night Palette. It is at last the turn of Colour 12 and what a colour this is. First I should point out my ‘hand swatch’ (LINK) was terrible, it had poor colour payoff for what looked like a bright colour. Now this is the time when I eat my words.

COLOUR 12 IS FABULOUS, just look at the colour on my photos!!!! Colour 12 can only be described as a peacock green. It has a slight glimmer to it making it appear like satin. The colour payoff is marvelous, it’s bright and bold and most definitely not for the faint-hearted. I love this colour and it’s a great one to finish the palette swatches with :)

As before if you missed the previous colours you can find the links for them below xx

Colour 1 // Colour 2 // Colour 3 // Colour 4 // Colour 5 // Colour 6

Colour 7 // Colour 8 // Colour 9 // Colour 10 // Colour 11

BarkBeats Box - April

Current Blush Favorites #1

OK so these aren’t all blusher!

Today I wanted to share my current favorite blush products with little mini reviews to go along side them. First lets start with the non-blush product you can see in my pictures.

Essence ‘Cinderella’ Highlighter Powder in 01 The Glass Slipper

I’ve never been big on highlighters, most I’ve looked at have been to glittery which puts me off. This one by Essence is part of the Cinderella Collection and boy how pretty is this - It seems a shame to put a blush brush to it! Anyhow, this highlighter is perfect for me. It’s buildable so I can have a subtle highlight without looking overdone, something I’ve searched for for a long time :-)

Benefit Sugarbomb

So I finally finished my Hervana blush by Benefit! After hitting duty-free in Heathrow T5 I decided to try a different blush box by Benefit. Sugarbomb is a gorgeous mix of shimmery taupe and peachy pinks. I think its ideal for this time of year, where your skin has started to get a little colour but you’re not looking for a bronzer. The only downside with this particular blush is the brush malts. After Instagram-ing this I found I wasn’t alone when another came forward and said the same. Odd as my Hervana didn’t malt!?!

Essence Love & Sound Blush in 01 Sunset @ Center Stage

This is the first ombre style blush I’ve tried and I’m very impressed. The colour payoff is lovely and buildable. The combination of colours come out a stunning warm pink which I love. The only downside is it does have alot of fall out; I’ve been using a Real Techniques Blush Brush but think I’m going to try the brush from my Benefit Hervana.

What are you current favourite blushes?

xx

Colour 11 - Makeup Revolution 'Day to Night' Palette

#MakeupMonday

Today is the turn of Colour 11 of the Makeup Revolution Day to Night Palette.

Hhmm now this colour sadly was a let down. The ‘hand swatch’ in my review post (LINK) was reasonably good, not great but then Colour 10 wasn’t good either until I used in on my eyelids. Colour 11 is a dark Navy shadow with a satin shimmer. I’ve used this both with and without eyeshadow primer; both times were disappointing. This colour has poor coverage and doesn’t blend well. Although this particular colour didn’t wear very well, I have to say the previous 10 impressed me enough to not let it bother me too much.

Again if you want to take a look at any of the previous colours check out the links below -

Colour 1 // Colour 2 // Colour 3 // Colour 4 // Colour 5 // Colour 6

Colour 7 // Colour 8 // Colour 9 // Colour 10

H&M French Manicure Set

This weeks 'Nails' post uses this fantastic french manicure set from H&M. 

This was purchased last year and has been sat in my draw. I opted for the pink one which consists of a Matte pink nail polish and a Metallic pink striping polish; as well as 40 sticky strips for the perfect 'french' smile-line.  I couldn't tell you if this colour is still available in-store, however I have noticed H&M do these sets in other colours so I'm sure there will be one you like :)

I think this is a lovely alternative to the classic french manicure. Although its pink, the matte and metallic polishes work perfectly together. 

How are you wearing your nails today? xx

Current Home Manicure Favourites

I’m not really one for going to have a manicure in a beauty salon. Today I’m sharing my current home manicure products.

L’Occitane En Provence Whipped Hand Cream.

I do like my L’Occitane hand creams and this is my current favourite. It is very similar to the Dry Hand Cream I wrote about previously; yet instead of 20% Shea Butter, the Whipped has 25% Shea Butter. The formula of Whipped is wonderful and light, not at all what you’d expect with the higher Shea Butter levels. This soaks in very quickly and leaves hand nourished and protected.

MissLyn Fruity Nail Serum

I picked this up during a trip to Switzerland and only wish I’d bought more than one! The brush applicator makes it easy to apply to the cuticles. Simply massage into the nails and cuticles. It’s absorbed quickly and leaves nails looking and feeling super healthy. The fragrance is also wonderful, Strawberry to be exact.

Nailtiques Formula 2

I’ve used this for years so it’s not really a ‘current favourite’ however I do sometimes use different nail treatments from time to time. Nailtiques Formula 2 is a nail protein developed for soft, peeling, weak or thin nails. It is also very good for bitten nails. I apply this 2 or 3 times a week, without removing the previous layer. I can see a noticeable difference in 7 days, my nails feel stronger and look healthier.

What are you current home manicure products you’re reaching for at the moment?

xx

Half-Up Braids

I wore this style quite a bit during my last stay in Zurich, Switzerland. It's a great style for second day hair. I find my hair could really do with being washed everyday, however I try to put my hair up in some sort of style to last the second day. I personally prefer this style when my hair has got a wave in it as I feel this gives the style more texture and stops it looking too flat (and greasy). Having two braids means we're rocking the centre parting. Add a touch of dry shampoo or texturising powder for extra body. Here's a little video tutorial to show this quick style............

Colour 10 - Makeup Revolution 'Day to Night' Palette

Is it me or does #MakeupMonday come round really quickly?

This weeks swatch is Colour 10 from the Makeup Revolution Day to Night Palette. We’ve nearly finished looking at this fabulous palette, with only 2 more colours to go!

Colour 10 had a lot to prove to me when applying this to my eyelids. As you may remember I wrote a review about this palette (LINK) and Colour 10 didn’t show up very well on the back of my hand. I am however pleased to report after applying my eyeshadow primer this colour came out very well (as you can see). This colour is a beautiful shimmer grey. Colour 10 doesn’t have any fall out onto my face, although I did notice the colour on my lashes when I photographed it for this post. I have to say my opinion has changed about this colour and I’ll be sure to use it more often :)

I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again. If you missed any of the previous colour then you can find them all via the links below. Be back soon xx

Colour 1 // Colour 2 // Colour 3 // Colour 4 // Colour 5 // Colour 6

Colour 7 // Colour 8 // Colour 9

Shimmery Pinks - Nails

Today's nails is a pretty pink look. 

For this I've used a polish from Sainsburys 'Boutique' range called 'Tickled Pink', as my base colour. I have then done the tips in two OPI Nail Polishes, 'Princesses Rule!' and 'Pirouette My Whistle' - crossing them over on the free edge to create a layered effect. 

I love this colour combination, it works well as a subtle nail art design for those days you want something a little more natural but still want a touch of bling.

Be back soon with more nail looks and swatches xx