Bits and bobs

When I picked up the OPI dupes from Primark (see this post) I also treated myself to a few other bits and pieces

4x Primark Nail polishes, £2: probably didn't really need these, but I thought the purple was a really interesting colour that I don't have in my collection, and the true orange on the end is also one missing from my stash.

All the colours were really bright and opaque in 2 coats...perfect summer nails.


2x Barry M Gelly Nails, 2 for £6 in Superdrug: Though these have been around a little while, none of the previous colours appealed to me at all. So it was only with the new releases that I decided to invest in a couple. I've seen the turquoise (Green berry) on a few blogs and loved it, and I always love a good neutral shade (Lychee).

Frilly socks, £1.50, and scrunchies, £1: a 90s revival at Primark! I have exactly the same socks from Top Shop, which cost £3.50 (booo!) so I picked up two black pairs in Primark. They also had white ones and grey with cream lace, which I'm regretting not buying now... Not sure if the scrunchies will be a bit too hipster for me, but as they were only a pound for three won't be the end of the world if they don't get worn.

Models Own Ice Neon...what do you think?

I was just recently saying how I was waiting impatiently for the announcement of  Models Own's new season collection, as the last four have been wonderful (Wonderland, Mirrorball, Beetlejuice, and Hed Kandi). And then it was announced: Ice Neon! 

Hmm. For some reason, I didn't feel as excited as I have for the previous collections. I'm going to have to try them out for myself to see because though I've been loving neon, I'm not sure about the neon yellow, and I've tried neon pink on my nails before and it  really hasn't suited my skin tone. Maybe I'll just have to do some extreme tanning. Intrigued by how the green and purple will turn out, as you don't often see neon purple. Think I'd be a bit more excited about this if they were more like pastel neon shades, if that makes sense? Like the colours that amazing beauty store born pretty does (see here to understand what I'm waffling on about)


It launches at Boots on the 22nd March, though as they're supposed to be refrigerated to keep their brightness, I'm wondering how they will do this? Or is it all just a big gimmick?

What do you think of the new collection? Are you excited? 

Primark OPI Minnie Mouse dupes

Picked up a few bits from Primark the other day but thought these deserved a post. I saw this four pack of nail polish and thought no, I really don't need any more polish. But then, I couldn't remember the last time I bought a new one so I just went for it! Especially when I took a closer look and the colours and realised 'OMG OPI Minnie Mouse dupes!'

Primark vs OPI (OPI picture from shefindsit.com )

Obviously for £2 they're not gonna be on par with OPI, but after swatching them I was quite impressed.

From left to right:

Polish One: This was a deep pink polish with a shimmer to it. I don't usually go for shimmer or pearl finish polishes, preferring opaque block colours, but because of the hot pink colour I think this would look great on some talon-like nails. It did take three coats for full coverage but the drying time was surprisingly quick

Polish Two: This was the worst out of the bunch. It had barely any colour, a mere hint of golden-pink shimmer, and was very difficult to pick up any of the hearts with the polish brush as they just kept sinking through the polish. Though I think the golden shimmer could look nice layered up over one of the other polishes. I've heard various complaints about the real OPI one too with regard to getting the hearts out, so maybe this isn't just Primark's fault but a general problem with larger glitter shapes.

Polish Three: Loved this one- a bright almost neon pinky-red. Again this went on quite sheer, but once three coats were layered up it was a lovely bright pink, again one that'd look great on some serious nails (and with a tan)

Polish Four: I've been after a baby pink polish for a while, but could never find one that was quite right (as in opaque, pink but not pastel and girly, one that packed a punch). I loved this one from the four, as it was more opaque in colour, only needing two coats and was the perfect shade of pink. 

So out of the four, two I loved, one I was surprised I liked and one was a du. For £2, I don't think that's bad at all! :)

I'm back!

It has been a bit quiet on here recently but I have a reason! Have spent the last week in Switzerland with my boyfriend who's currently interning there. And as soon as I got back was back to working full time. But I shall try to resume posting ASAP (though I really need an assistant/ tripod to actually get some outfit photos done!)

 

Bourjois Rouge edition lipsticks

As with most new releases, these have been doing the rounds on the blogosphere and thought I'd add my two cents to the mix.

I picked up two shades- Rouge buzz (orange-red) and Rose Neon (pink) after falling in love with the colours when I swatched them instore. And with a buy one, get one half price deal in Boots...why not, eh? :)

Rouge Buzz

I was a bit annoyed when I first got this out at home, as in store I thought it was more orange toned (which is what I wanted),but at home just looked pretty red.  However, once I'd  applied it and looked at it in different lights I really am starting to love this shade. It has intense colour in one swipe, and doesn't look too glossy 

Rose Neon

I loved this when swatched, but when I applied it at home I realised this really isn't the colour for me! It's too cool toned and 'Barbie' pink, which can be a good look, but I think the glossy finish on this put me off a lot. The colour was a lot sheerer than Rouge Buzz, meaning more coats had to be applied and resulting in a really glossy finish, as you can see in the close up shot. I haven't had much luck with pink lipsticks at all [see this post on Models Own Pink Hawaiian], maybe I should stick to reds! 

You can see how glossy this one is here

As a recent convert to lipstick, for me it's really important that a lipstick is easy to apply and doesn't smear too easily, as I'm still not so used to wearing it and don't wanna end up with it all over my face! Found it a bit strange that these two seemed quite different in their application. Though they both glided with ease, I found Rouge Buzz much more wearable as one coat resulted in great colour, whereas with Rose Neon i felt like I had to keep applying to get a good level of colour. This meant it felt quite heavy and almost sticky on my lips due to the number of coats.

 I definitely prefer the look of matte lipsticks, but Rouge Buzz did not have too much of a high shine finish and meant the lips felt hydrated rather than dry and cakey like matte lipsticks can leave your lips feeling. They both faded pretty evenly too so you are left with a light colour staining the lips rather than patches of colour all over.

I'm not sure about the 'groupings' of the lipsticks into colour families (I just went for the colours my eye was drawn to), but there seems to be variety in that there some neutral shades, brights like these two, and deeper colours for evening glamour. So there's something for everyone :)

Have you tried these yet?

Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Nail treatment

Despite being an avid nail art fan, I really don't take very good care of my nails. They're brittle and never get too long, because as soon as they get any sort of length they bend and snap. They were an uneven mess and all different lengths so thought I may as well snip them all the same length and start again. Giving me the perfect opportunity to test out this:

I didn't really know what sort of nail growth product to go for, but as Sally Hansen is such a well established nail brand (and it was under a fiver) I thought I'd go for it. This is to be applied every day which meant bare nails for me for a week, but it left them looking glossy and polished, like a good top coat. I've been using this fairly frequently (though perhaps not every day as they advise) but my nails have certainly grown a lot more than they usually do, and seem stronger too. I found it kind of hard to capture in photos, but basically I went to having almost no white tip on my nails (as I cut them all off to start again) to having an even length white tip on all my nails (long enough to do a french manicure on, let's say)

There's another Sally Hansen growth product that's a tad more expensive (nearer the ten pound mark) but promises even greater results (30% longer tips in five days). This is also tempting me, but for under a fiver I was  pleased with the results of this one and looking forward to getting back to nail art :)

Birthday outift

So today's my birthday :) Not got any major plans for it, just having my girls round for cocktails before heading into my local town. So not a super dressy outfit; my fail-safe disco pants, Ant boots, and new crop top which was a bargainous £10 from Top Shop. 

Top: Topshop

Jacket: Topshop avaitor jacket (old)

Trousers: American Apparel Disco Pants

Boots: Topshop 'Ant' (see this post)