L'Oreal Paris Confetti nail polish - review and swatches

I've seen a few bloggers pick up this polish and have loved the look of it so I decided it was time that I did too! I actually managed to get this free on a 3 for 2 offer at Boots which was an added bonus!

Firstly, I will say that I love how jam-packed this is with glitter. It has black and white hex glitter with some larger pieces thrown in but also has a really really fine subtle black shimmer glitter too which just makes it a little different from most black and white glitters!

However, this polish was an absolute nightmare formula wise for me. It was thick as anything and the base is so swallowed up by the glitter that it was dragging horribly. Luckily a coat of Seche Vite sorted that out but it was still rather disappointing to see. Also, the brush had several bent bristles which was a pain in the bum! Not a fault maybe, just bad luck!

I layered one coat of this over two coats of OPI's You're Such a Budapest.

Kawaii Nail Lacquer - Tequila Rose review and swatches!

I couldn't resist doing another swatch fest of one of Jamie from Kawaii Nail Lacquer's wonderful creations! This baby is one of my favourites of hers and I recommend checking it out!

Tequila Rose is a lovely tulip pink base with pink, red and some purple glitter of varying sizes. The application was fantastic as usual and I didn't need to do any glitter placing! Here I have it layered over one coat of NYC's Spring Tulip with one coat of Seche Vite on top!

Summery fishtail braid - yellow, pink and white!

I really fancied doing something super summery today so picked out some colours that were bold and warm to do a fishtail braid style. This look it quite simple to do but time consuming and can be a pain when doing it on your non-dominant hand! It turned out quite well though so I'm pleased!

Here is what I used to create this look: (from l-r) OPI - Natural Nail base coat, Sinful Colours - Unicorn, NYC - Pinstripe White, OPI - Chic From Ears To Tail, Seche Vite 

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Blackbuster - review

I saw an advert for this new liquid eyeliner in a magazine and was tempted by it straight away. It's a chunky felt-tip style nib which is something I've not used before as I prefer to stick to a thinner nib. I was running dry on my usual so decided to pop to Boots and pick this up for £6.99.

Now, when I got home I decided to look up some reviews for it and instantly wished I hadn't. The reviews weren't great - people were saying that the formula wasn't very bold. Not one to usually listen to reviews though, I carried on and tried it out this morning. I probably should have listened to the reviews!

Now, before I have a moan, lets start with the PROs: 

• The formula was good - it flowed on really well and was quick to apply!
• The chunky nib meant that I could get a decent sized line without having to go over and over again. 
• The actual packaging was easy to hold and allowed for a firm grip when applying it!
• The end result was good - it wasn't too "heavy" looking nor too subtle which is great!
• Despite the nib being so chunky, it comes to a very "sharp" point which is good for precision.
• Once I'd gone over it twice, it gave a nice colour.

On to the CONs: 

• The formula really isn't very bold, it came out quite transparent for something being advertised as being a "super liner". I actually had to go over the line again once it had dried to get a decent coverage.
• The fact that it was so chunky meant that making a fine cat-eye flick was kind of difficult. I had to remove some excess once I had finished

Here's the before and after shots:

Before

After

A close up!

Overall view: I like this eyeliner, but I'm not sure I would spend £6.99 on it again as I have to go over it twice to get a good colour. The formula is nice to apply though so if having a super dark black isn't a problem for you then this may be a good option. 

Would I recommend it to a friend? Probably not - you can get a lot better for cheaper!

Textured "Ruffian" style nails

I've got something a little different today nail wise. I've never tried the Ruffian look before and decided to go for something textured to try it out! Using two coats of OPI's Jinx as the base colour, I then layered over one coat of NYC's Full Metal Jacket slightly further down the nail. I really like how this look came out! This is definitely a look that is super quick to do which just gives you something a little different from a plain colour if you want a little pizzazz! The textured nature of Jinx also made the gold take on the same texture and even though it looks really rough, there is something about it that I really like!

In the sunlight

Kawaii Nail Lacquer Breaking Bad collection - review and swatches!

Hey guys! Today I've got an exciting post to share with you - swatches of the fantastic Kawaii Breaking Bad collection! I've never actually watched the show but I've heard that it's really good - and these themed polishes do not disappoint.

If you want to purchase these babies, head to Jamie's store here: http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/111033473/4-breaking-bad-themed-polishes?ref=shop_home_active

Now, on with the swatches!

First up is Blue Sky, a beautiful sky blue (funny that!) crelly with blue glitter dispersed throughout. The formula was the best of the bunch and it applied like an absolute dream! This is by far my favourite of the four and is just perfect! The swatches are one coat of Blue Sky over one coat of Sinful Color's Sugar Rush. 

Next is my second favourite (though it is close to being equal first), Yeah BITCH. The name is brilliant, and I'm sure there is some sort of Breaking Bad reference but being the BB noob I am, I don't get it! The polish however is jam-packed with shreds of multi-coloured glitter, the noticeable colours being purple, blue, yellow, green, red and holographic silver hexagons. This is literally a party in a bottle! The swatches here are one coat of Yeah BITCH over Sinful Color's Unicorn.

The next polish is Br Ba which is a gorgeous muted lime green base with big white hex glitters swimming throughout. This formula proved to be the most difficult to work with as it was very thick and I had to do a bit of placement with the glitters but boy is it worth it! I am in love with how this looks! The swatches are one coat of Br Ba over one coat of MaxFactor's Cactus Green.

Finally we have I Am The Danger (aren't all these names awesome?!). This is a very sheer red base with red, black and white hex glitter with some black bars floating around. This polish gave the best coverage and also looks fantastic on. Jamie did a great job with all of these polishes (as she always does!) and I really like them! These swatches are one coat of I Am The Danger over two coats of OPI's I Theodora You.

 That's all for this collection! Another great selection from Jamie, go check her out!

June/July favourites - part 2

On to part two of my June/July favourites! You can see why I've split this into two parts - that would've been one mega post had it been just one! No dilly-dallying at the start, let's get straight into the second part :)

1. The first item in part two is another nail related product. This time it's ORLY's Cutique which is a cuticle remover (and it's MAGICAL). Simply swipe on a small amount to the cuticles, leave for a minute, grab a cuticle pusher and (though this is kinda gross sounding) just scrape off those pesky bits of skin. Done!

 


2. Item number two is Witch's Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer. I'm now on my second bottle of this and it's served me perfectly! It really has kept away any real spot break outs and is a staple in my daily makeup routine. I wouldn't put on foundation without it!

3. This is a very different item again and is actually a recipe! I tried this out a couple of days ago and boy, was the result good! Not trying to blow my own trumpet or anything but Delia Smith eat your heart out (on a side note - that woman is fantastic!). My family seemed to appreciate these vienesse whirls and my tummy certainly did too! If you want to try out the recipe yourself I'll put a link below!

The recipe! http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/viennese_whirls_78348

4. Kind of sticking to the food theme, the next item is Actimel in Mango and Passion fruit. I've been guzzling down these little treats for months as I used to have stomach pains, especially after eating. They actually do seem to have worked too which is awesome!

5. Now we have arrived at my favourite favourite (if that makes sense..)! I've smelt Lancome's La Vie Est Belle perfume sooo many times but never gone ahead due to how expensive it is but decided to finally treat myself to it this week! Boy oh boy is this perfume to die for! Just the bottle design screams "classy" and the perfume lasts and lasts (with the tiniest amount too!). Obviously people's tastes in perfumes differ hugely but for me, this is probably my favourite, or joint favourite at least!

I mean look at that bottle! So pretty!

6. Another perfume now and whilst number 5 is a very classy perfume that is best reserved for evenings and nights I would say, this is an absolutely perfect summers day scent! Diesel's Fuel For Life Femme is another of my all time favourites and all I can think about when I wear it is summer for some reason! That's also a big plus when you live in a place that suffers from very little real summer (darn you, England!). 

7. Another perfume has crept onto the list! Vera Wang's Pink Princess has been my go-to for everyday wear and I adore the scent (and the bottle!). However, as this is an eau de toilette it struggles hugely with staying power. A real shame, too as this would probably knock La Vie Est Belle off the top spot!

8. The final of my June/July favourites is actually a band! Imagine Dragons have caught my attention in the last month or two and I've really been enjoying their music! If you haven't heard them, check them out on YouTube or Spotify!