NOTD: Sharks

When I saw WAH nails new shark design pop up on Instagram I straight away went to recreate it! I used my favourite Barry M Cyan blue, 17 Holographic silver and Models Own Hedonist to make it pop. 

Models Own Haul inc. Hyper Gel swatches

I've been keeping my eye on the Models Own Facebook page for weeks now,waiting for the elusive 50% off code to drop when they reached 250,000 likes. And it finally happened! I was so happy as some of my favourite Models Own polishes needed replacing, and I wanted to try a couple of the Hyper Gels too. Here's what I got...
All swatches are 2 coats

(top L-R: Hedonist, Beach Party, Ibiza Mix, Sophie's Pink, Red-Black
Bottom L-R: Hypergels White Light, Pink Veneer, Cornflower Gleam, and Scented Blueberry Muffin)

My Hed Kandi collection polishes (Hedonist, Beach Party, Ibiza Mix) had gone thick and gloopy but they're some of my favourites so I wanted to replace them.
Hedonist (left) is a neon red and Beach Party neon orange. They have somewhat of a matte finish and look really good with a tan (which I'm lacking at the moment)

Ibiza Mix is my all time favourite glitter. Below is 2 coats; you can see how good the coverage is. It looks great over so many colours. 

I've always seen Sophie's Pink on the website and been tempted, so when the 50% off deal came around I thought I might as well. It's not as bold as the swatch looked on the website which I'm a bit annoyed about.

Left- Sophie's Pink on the website. Right- Swatch

Img- nailpolishdirect.co.uk

Red Black actually seems more purple-black than anything, which I was a bit disappointed with as I was hoping for more of a 'Chanel Rouge Noir' colour. It was really hard to photograph too, so in the photo below it just looks black.

I didn't indulge in the scented collection when it was first released, as I thought it was more gimmicky than innovative. But I love a blue polish so went for Blueberry Muffin. This applied really well and wasn't streaky which surprised me. Looking ahead to summer I kind of wish I'd got the whole scented collection as I do love the pastel colours.

And finally...the Hypergel polishes. Part of me wanted them all but I restricted myself to three. 

I always find white polishes a chore, as it's so hard to find one that's not streaky and gives solid opaque coverage. The Hypergel shade 'White Light' is completely opaque in two thin coats. 

In hindsight, I didn't really need Cornflower Gleam, as on inspection it is nearly identical to Barry M's Gelly Polish in 'Blueberry'. I'm a sucker for a blue polish though.

Below is a comparison between the two, Models Own 'Cornflower Gleam' on the left and Barry M's 'Blueberry' on the right. The formulas are also really similar, in that they are quite sheer and require a few coats for full coverage. I was hoping this wouldn't be the case with the Models Own one, as that's part of the reason I don't use the Barry M one as much. You can see how much shinier the Model's Own polish is though.

Pink Veneer is a pretty cool toned baby pink which I didn't think would look right against my skin tone (a lot of pink polishes just don't look right on me) but I really like it on. It applies well and non-streakily which is a bonus in such a pale colour.

First foray into...high end makeup. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Foundation

I've dabbled in medium-high end makeup like Benefit for years, but never splashed out on any brand more luxe than that. But I'd wanted to try the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat foundation for a while and as I had some birthday money I decided to indulge. Shelling out £29 on a foundation did make my eyes water a bit! As it's so expensive I am saving it for my special occasion/going out foundation. 

On first application I was a little disappointed, as the coverage seemed a bit sheer, especially as my skin is still not behaving. However, it is so buildable without looking caked on, and it really does illuminate the skin much like the iconic Touche Eclat concealer, without looking greasy or oily which I was concerned about.

As I had some vouchers left over from Christmas I also bought Benefit's 'Hello Flawless' powder. I had a miniature of this in my 'How to look the best of everything' kit' but the shade was a little too dark. My replacement shade 'Gee I'm Swell Ivory' matches me perfectly and sets the YSL Foundation  really well.

First foray into...Body Shop make up

I've never really shopped at Body Shop, but I keep hearing good things so on a whim went in on my last shopping trip. As usual,I was drawn to the lipsticks and found this baby:

Though I usually prefer a matte finish, and this is rather glossy, as soon as I swiped it on my hand I had to have it. The shade is 'Colour Crush', a bright gorgeous blue-toned pink. It is so comfortable to wear, which I'm not too used to as a matte lip-lover and still lasts a good couple of hours if you do the ol' apply-blot-reapply. The shade is pretty similar to my recently purchased Revlon Matte Balm, Unapologetic, but slightly bluer-based in tone and with a high shine finish (yes, that is me attempting to justify the purchase!)

Alongside this lipstick I also got an 'invisible' lip liner. I've been on the look out for a clear lip liner for ages, as when wearing lipstick I really feel it makes such a difference if liner is worn, but didn't want to go and buy one for every lipstick in my expanding collection.
I also got sucked into signing up for their loyalty card scheme, which I hadn't heard about before. It cost £5 for the year, but had loads of benefits like 10% off every purchase, £5 off on your birthday, other exclusive vouchers and discounts and free gifts worth £5 and £10 on your fourth and eighth purchase.

NOTD: Vintage Wallpaper

Stripes, spots and flowers...what's not to like?

They've finally landed- Revlon Matte balms

These have been reviewed and swatched to death, but I love them so much I had to share! Revlon was also on 3 for 2 in Boots so I had to indulge. I went for 'Unapologetic', a punchy pink, and 'Audacious',an orange toned coral, and got a top coat as my third item. 

Here they are against a white background so you can see the shades better:

(top- Unapologetic, bottom- Audacious)


Unapologetic (pink)

Audacious (Orange-Coral)

(Sorry for the extreme close up but this shot shows the colour better!)

The colour pay off was better for Unapologetic than Audacious, but this may just be down to my skin tone. Audacious also showed up more imperfections on the lips for some reason. However, I'm a big fan and these definitely live up to the hype- they apply so easily and precisely due to the crayon-like design, they aren't awfully drying for a matte product and they last on the lips for ages.
 Unfortunately my Boots already had a half empty stand so half the colours weren't available, but I will definitely be adding more to my collection.

P.S- Apologies for all the random photo locations: I have been moving around the house trying to find some half-decent natural lighting, which is proving ridiculously hard in this dire weather!