Supermarket Beauty

I notoriously hate supermarkets.  I avoid having to visit them at all costs and on the rare occasion I do have to go I usually strop about, whining like a 3 year old!

However, there are 2 supermarkets that I never turn down a visit to - Aldi and Lidl.  I just love them, I think the smaller layout and potential for finding a bargain attracts me.  Lidl mayonnaise is hands down the best I've tasted and I love finding oddly named products from home and away ... Disco Biscuits, anyone?! ;)

It's no secret that their beauty aisles also hold some hidden gems for bargain prices and on my most recent visits I picked up some bargain nail care that I thought you would all love to know about!

First up, from Lidl ... is the fabulous Cien nail polish remover.  Blue in colour and quite a pungent scent, don't let this put you off.  It comes with the perfect dispenser for pushing your cotton pad on with just the right amount being dispensed. It also removes nail polish quickly and effortlessly even glitter polish! It really is one of the best removers I have used in a long time! From memory I think this product only cost around the £3 - brilliant value.

My second purchase is from Aldi's Lacura Beauty range.  I was in between nail polishes and spotted this easy DIY French Manicure Set.  It comes with a white nail tip pen and clear top coat.  All you do is swipe the pen along the top of your nail, allow to dry and apply topcoat. Voila! (see my shoddy attempt below).

Only problem I had was difficulty getting my right hand to look neat as I am not too nifty with a pen in my lefty!  I'm sure it was £3.59 and so far the pen still hasn't dried out which is always a bonus with this type of product.

I'll definitely be spending more time in the beauty aisles the next time I go to Aldi and Lidl and it may even encourage me to start braving bigger supermarkets.  What fabulous bargain beauty products have you found in the supermarket?

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Blingy Leather Nails

Who can resist sparkle this time of year?  Nails, make up, a dress... it never feels quite right without a bit of glitter or sequins, anything otherwise is positively bland and dare I say it a little scrooge-esque. 

Or is that just me? 

Probably. 

Anyway, with this spangly obsession in mind, I present to you this weeks nails.  I like deep, dark, intense colours in the winter so black ticks all those boxes.  I used China Glaze Liquid Leather.  They didn't scream 'FESTIVE' enough for me so I decided to add a bit of bling on the tips the simplest way I knew how, with a glitter polish.  I used a Kiko sparkly polish - unsure of the name I'm afraid but dabbing it on helped the chunkier glitter particles stick to the nail tip better offering up a dazzling set of digits. 

Speaking of Kiko, I am so pleased to hear it has hit the UK, in Westfield to be exact.  Still a bit too far for me but hopefully it means it will start to spread through the country and up to Scottish lands before long!  It's such a reasonably priced cosmetic brand with some fabulous blushers on offer among other things. 

Hope you are all in full festive party swing by now!! 

Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy! 

x

Leighton Denny Baby Doll NOTD

I recently posted about Octobers GlossyBox and one of the products inside I was really looking forward to trying was Leighton Denny's nail polish in Baby Doll.

Baby Doll is a gorgeous, milk candy pink, reminiscent of pepto bismal but in a nice way!

I was surprised at how opaque the shade was when applied.  I expected it to be sheer but I loved it's thick coating of colour.  One coat appears slightly streaky so a second coat was needed to even it out.  The finish is glossy and quite bold as it is quite an in your face Barbie pink.

It definitely looks better with a tan which also helps the colour make an impact.  I've only had it on 24 hours but so far no chipping.

I do really like the colour but I'm not sure if it's just too girly for me but it's a lovely change from my usual nail choices.

What do you think of Baby Doll?

Little Miss Sunshine - Nails Inc 40th Anniversary Collaboration

Mr Men & Little Miss turn 40 this year and to celebrate Nails Inc have yet again collaborated to create a limited edition collection featuring Little Miss rather than the men. Sexist, much? ;)

You may have already have caught on to this collaboration a few months ago when the initial images were released but they are available to buy now.  I was sent Little Miss Sunshine which is a lovely summery peachy shade.  

Other shades in the collection are Little Miss Chatterbox - a murky mushroom, think Chanel Particuliere.  Little Miss Naughty is a deep lilac/muted purple while Little Miss Splendid looks to be a bright mint green. 

Nails Inc's Little Miss Sunshine is everything I wanted Barry M's Peach Melba today.  The downside however is that at least 3 thick coats are needed to get a fully opaque, glossy finish.  But it's a sweet, soft colour that looks so pretty on nails and is lovely for these final weeks left of Summer. 

On another note in reference to Little Miss Sunshine... if you have never seen this movie before then it is a must see.  It's quite a dark comedy but ultimately a feel good film ... in a very round about way.  You'll know what I mean when you watch it. 

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend and keeping safe.

x

NOTD: NYC Times Square

I have had a heap of NYC colour polishes lying in a drawer for ages now - most of them going unloved.  I got round to trying this one the other day when I did the 'shut your eyes, dip your hand in and paint with whatever colour you pull out' method.

I picjed out an NYC shade in Times Square.  What I immediately liked about it was that it wasn't quite a true red but certainly not a pink or orange either.  It's an unusual mix of all three and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't capture the true shade.

It applied opaque after 2 coats and gave a lovely glossy finish with no topcoat.  It may have been the lack of topcoat that caused it to chip quickly or it could have been the poor condition of my nails - I'm not really sure.

I do like these NYC shades and should really continue to pay attention to their range - it is so reasonably priced at around £3 (can't remember exact cost) that they are a great solution for updating seasonal nail trends.

x

Chanel Rouge Noir Dupe?

My favourite nail colour ever is the cult Chanel polish, Rouge Noir.  I have been wearing it since I was around 15 and for me it beats any other Chanel shade that has ever been released since.  As a teenager I had a poster on the inside of my wardrobe simply of a rouge noir adorned hand cupping a white rose - that's how much I obsessed over this polish.

To be honest I am not a fan of the consistency or quality of Chanel polish.  I find it chips easily and can be a little on the gloopy side, however I can put up with these insignificant details when it comes to achieving this delectable hue.

I don't like the price of Chanel nail polish so I am always after a cheaper alternative.  Lots of brands have tried to emulate the red based black of rouge noir for many years but none have managed to get that exact shade of dried blood that inspired the cult classic. Either too red or too purple, sometime just too black.

After repeated disappointment I stopped actively seeking out a dupe many moons ago and stayed faithful to my pricey Chanel.  However, a few nights ago I was rooting through my jungle of nail colour when I stumbled across this shade from drugstore brand N.Y.C.  I had completely forgotten I owned this colour ... obviously purchased then somehow lost it in the plethora of colours in my hidey hole. 

N.Y.C in Lincoln Center is pretty much an exact match for rouge noir.  You can see how similar they are sitting side by side in the bottle and even on the nails, to the untrained eye they are the same polish. 

Differences I notice on application is that N.Y.C formulation is thinner and a little runny.  It takes 2 coats to get the opaque gorgeousness of rouge noir but I went the extra mile and put a 3rd coat on.  I have not had even a hint of a chip and best of all, this polish seems to make my nails feel really hard and strong.  Something my nails are definitely not.  It dries super fast hence the name 'Quick Dry Nail Polish' ... promising to dry 'in a New York minute'.

On the other hand Chanel is a lot thicker to the point of gloopiness.  You can get away with one coat but I usually apply 2.  It isn't the quickest drying and also stays tacky for a while after, which i put down to the thick consistency.  As mentioned before, chipping comes thick and fast sometimes after just a few hours.

Chanel bottom, NYC top

 So how does this measure up price wise?

Chanel £17

N.Y.C £2.59

Ah this is a no brainer for me.  Despite being in love with Chanel on a whole even I can't justify the price against with the dissatisfaction of the products performance when I can get the colour I love so much for a fraction of the cost.

Even if rouge noir isn't your thing, I would definitely recommend you try an N.Y.C polish.  I will certainly be investigating the rest of their colour spectrum and at such a bargain price I can afford to pick up a few at the same time :)

x

NOTD: Dior Mandarin Orange

One of my Christmas treats was some Dior make up and specifically this nail lacquer. I haven't really experimented with Dior at all other than mascara and an eyeshadow palette a few years ago. I'm not sure why but as a make up brand it's just never on my radar.

I was given nail lacquer in the shade Mandarin Orange - a lovely peachy orange with gold flecks throughout, perfect for a spring/summer colour palette.

In natural light

The texture and consistency of this polish is a little different to others, it's ever so slightly gungey or goo-ey. I'm not sure I liked this so much as it didn't feel so smooth on application.

In direct sunlight

The brush is also quite thick and slightly tapered. I guess the ergonomic design of the brush is supposed to make application easier but for me it made it a little awkward and my nails ended up a bit messy.

Tapered brush

One application of this polish was too sheer for me and it took 3 coats before I was happy with it.

Despite this, the colour is just lovely and after 3 days there is no chipping at all!  The lasting quality of the polish has made me want to investigate further into Dior nail colours and the rest of their cosmetic line.

What Dior products would you recommend?

x

Illamasqua NOTD: Shades of grey ...

Sales shopping has been a bit of a fail for me this year. I got into town, went to roughly 4 shops and just gave up. It was far too busy, the shops were full of strewn clothes in odd sizes and I decided I had better things to be getting on with.

However, thats not to say I didn't manage to pick up a few things, one of which was this lovely nail polish duo from Illamasqua.

Illamasqua nail polishes are one of my favourites, they are always super pigmented, usually only require one coat ... and no chipping for days.

This duo set was marked down to £20 from £26 ... still pricey but I knew from experience the quality would be great. Unusually, I went for a grey shade called DWS and a silver glitter called Harsh.

Neither colour particularly suit me and in the past I would never have considered grey nails but I was looking for something a bit different and thought I would give it a go while they were down in price.

I am pleasantly surprised at how pretty it looks on my nails. Grey is a sophisticated shade for the winter and the sparkle gives a festive finish.

I am especially impressed with the glitter polish which is just FULL ON glitter for the nails, it is amazing. One coat and your nails are a sparkly delight, 2 coats complete the bling. I wear it over the grey base which comes up lovely. I can tell it's gonna be a bitch to remove though.

What do you think of grey for the nails?

x

A Sparkling NOTD from KIKO

I made a few make up purchases on my recent weekend trip to Barcelona, none of which are very exciting at all. However, last time I was there I discovered Kiko which is an Italian make up brand.

Kiko is a very reasonably priced brand and although the quality of all their products is not up to par, you do find the odd gem. Almost a bit like Barry M but their packaging and branding looks more expensive and product range is much more vast, even catering to mens skincare (which my husband loves!).

Anyway, without further ado, I picked up this sparkly nailpolish for a couple of Euros. I had previously been let down by a clear glitter polish by China Glaze so was hoping this one, although a heck of a lot cheaper would return in a better quality and bling finish. And it did.

I believe the colour is shade 217 which is a silver sparkle. I was surprised at how much glitter payoff you get with this product and it's easy to layer on or as I did ... dab extra bits of sparkle on. I was also pleasantly surprised by the quick drying time. By far the quickest drying glitter polish I have used.

The finish of it is lovely, it almost looks like a sprinkling of diamantes on your nails and dries glossy ... well, as glossy as a glitter polish can be. I applied this on Saturday and today there is still very little chipping or lift off.

In the photos it's worn over the top of Nails Inc Beauchamp Place but think this will look lovely over blues and even black for a winter sparkle effect. The photos really don't do the dazzle much justice as it was much blingier in real life and received many compliments.

These polishes are so reasonably priced and despite the low cost the quality is really very good.

Anyone else tried Kiko polishes? What do you think of the quality?

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