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?

x

Deborah Lippmann: The Stripper to go ...

... for go go girls apparently.

I received this little sample in the Christmas Glossybox and to be honest, I didn't really notice it until yesterday until it came time for me to sort my tootsies out for a party I was going to.

This ingenious little finger mit is doused in lavender nail polish remover and is a quick alternative to removing nail polish with cotton pads and remover, relieving you of the mess and awkward bits of fluff that gets left behind on nails.   Each mit is supposed to remove polish from all 10 nails.

Before

In all honesty, I thought this was a bit gimmicky until it did everything it said it would and at super speed time too.

Now I really put it to the test as I used a glitter Deborah Lippmann polish on my nails over Christmas and this is what I was getting rid of.  We all know what a chore it is to remove glitter polish!

Well, this little mit managed to remove a whole foot worth of glitter in under a minute!  It was so quick.  With my normal routine of cotton pad and remover it takes a good bit of scrubbing before my nail is clean of lacquer.  Don't get me wrong, it still needed a good rub with the mit but once it was gone, it was gone.

I apologise profusely!!!! 

This is definitely a product for girls on the go, it's quick, easy and mess free.  With no fluffy bits of cottons stuck to the nail afterwards it means you can go right ahead painting a new colour on.  I think these are especially beneficial if you do a lot of travelling but otherwise it may not be a worthwhile
investment.

After

Six of these mits are available for £14 from House of Fraser or even better,  £6.17 from Amazon

Has anyone else tried these mits?

x

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: OPI

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month so in true style, the brands of the beauty community have 'pinked' up some of their products.  I thought I would try and show you some of these products throughout the month and see what takes your fancy.

Today it's all about nail polish, shatter nail polish.  OPI say 'let's shatter Breast Cancer' with their pink shatter topcoat.  All bottles cost £10.50 with £1 going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

You can purchase online at Lena White.

x

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

I got Wah-ed!

I have been banging on about Wah! nails to all and sundry for long enough and in spite of my own leopard print alternative it was about time I had the Wah! experience for myself.

On our first day in London, Ann and I headed to Wah! at Topshop Oxford Street.  Here are the results of my very first Wah!ing.

I went for the Marc Jacobs polka dot on matte black and an orange, black and gold stripe to go with my platforms that I would be wearing the next day (in the end I didn't wear them but that's another story).

with flash

without flash

And Scottish ladies did you know, Wah! has arrived at Harvey Nichols, Edinburgh?!  I had no clue either until the London Wah girls informed me... i think an imminent trip through is on the cards.

What are you waiting for?


EDIT:  It seems the Wah! girl got her celtic connections mixed up.  It's actually Harvey Nichols Dublin that is lucky enough to be host to Wah! Nails ... so Irish ladies, get in there!! Scottish lassies ... we will have to wait this one out a bit longer.
x

Releasing my inner Dali ... with Diet Coke and Nails Inc

I mentioned on twitter yesterday that this weekend I would be getting crafty and creative for my sister in laws hen night in a few weeks.  I will keep those crafty plans a secret just now but if all goes well I will be sharing the results of my blingtastic creation in a couple of weeks.

I had forgotten about was another outstanding project ... a challenge to bloggers set by Nails Inc in conjunction with the latest collaboration with Diet Coke.  The task, to decorate a bottle of diet coke using the new shades from the collection and a some sparkling and pretty decorations as sent to me by Nails Inc.

In keeping with my leopard print nail that I blogged about here and my absolute love for animal print, I decided to take this bottle to the wild side.

It actually took all my might not to drink this as I love diet coke and I am currently finding it very difficult to wean myself off it!

I used denim and caramel on the below the diet coke logo with heather grey leopard spots and pink diamantes for a bit of frosting.  Above the logo I used heather grey and plum with caramel leopard spots and pearl decoration.  The cap was not left out either - now suitably adorned with pearls and sparkles.

Now it's far too pretty to drink from so getting creative has actually helped my diet coke addiction! :)

If you are one of the bloggers who was also prompted to get creative, link me up to your bottle designs in the comments, I would love to see what you came up with.

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

Nails Inc ...the rest of the Diet Coke collection

The other day I blogged about leopard print nails using 2 of the diet coke/Nails Inc colours so I thought I would show you the other 2 colours available.

Here is Nails Inc Denim.  I was surprised at how much I liked this on my nails as I would usually only stick to a very dark navy or a baby blue on the nails.  This turned out to be a lovely but noticed after the first day some wear and tear to the tips of my nails.

 My favourite of the collection is Nails Inc Plum which does remind me of Chanel's Rouge Noir but slightly brighter.  This has so far been the longest wearing of the polishes with very little in the way of chipping or wear to the nail tips.

 

I'm off to pour myself a glass of diet coke now ;) 

x

Illamasqua Throb

I know everyone is blogging about this Illamasqua collection at the moment but I adore the imagery for it so much I had to post too so sorry if you are bored of it already!

Throb is base around Valentine's and has sexual connotation coming at you left, right and centre with a milky white nail polish called Load and the intense red nail colour in Throb.  The must have product for me is the intense lipgloss in Succubus, a glossy intense red which just looks beautiful!

The imagery reminded me of Alice in Wonderlands Queen of Hearts.  As you may remember this is what I dressed as at Halloween and at the time was quite proud of my make up.  If only I had seen this preview back then, I would love to have recreated this look.

What do you think of this collection?  And more importantly, what are your thoughts on Valentines Day?  Is it just another day for you or a day to be celebrated?

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?

x

NOTD - Rain Polish

Eyeko's latest offering of nail polish comes in the form of a limited edition.

Rain polish is a cute duck egg blue that only requires 2 coats for full opaqueness but heck, you could probably get away with just one.

I find it a more mature option on the blue front. I sometimes feel a little child like with blue on my nails but this is a sophistcated alternative.

I have to say after one day it has chipped lightly but not enough to merit a re-paint.

I believe this polish is available to buy online now.

x

NOTD: Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia

Following on from my previous post introducing the Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia palette, here is another one of my favourites from the collection.

(Excuse my shoddily applied nail colour)

It's the pure colour nail lacquer in Blue Dahlia. I said before that I like navy, well I love it on the nails. In fact, navy is pretty much my favourite colour so anything in that hue grabs my attention.

Now I own a few 'navy' nail polishes but none that look a true navy on the nails... usually there are flecks of purple or a tinge of sparkle somewhere (e.g, OPI Russian Navy).

Estee Lauder's Nail Laquer however presents a true navy. On my nails, at least. In the bottle it can look a slightly dark aubergine in certain lights but on the nails it is as true a navy as I can find. It leaves a glossy dark blue finish that is opaque with 2 coats.

There is no colour changing effect depending on light, just true glossy navy which I love and I know I will wear again and again come Autumn and Winter ... heck I am even loving it for Summer!

x

How to: Leopard Print Nails

I can't stop looking at my nails!

I have always been of the opinion that nail art is a little bit tacky and always thought my nails were too small to try anything exciting anyway, but this morning I gave it a go. I am delighted with the results and long gone is any judgement of tacky. Or at least, it's the kind of tacky that I like!

Last night I painted my nails blue then today, on a whim, decided to add some leopard print to them. Here is how I did it:

I used the following:
From L-R; Sally Hansen Diamond Strength base coat; M&S nail colour in azure blue; Illamasqua Boosh; Barry M nail paint in bright pink; Nail bar top coat; a kebab stick (yes, you heard me right!)

1) I started by applying my base coat and painting my nails blue with M&S Azure Blue (this was from my Scottish Fashion Awards goody bag)
2) Once the blue had dried fully, I added blobs/spots of Barry M's bright pink. I wasn't too neat about this at all just 'blobbing' the nail paint randomly on my nail.
3) Again, I waited until the blobs were fully dry then I got my kebab stick to add the definition around the blobs. Now, a kebab stick probably isn't the easiest or best tool to use but it worked for me as it had a pointed end that I could dip in and out of the nail polish. I could have used a brush but I don't think it would have achieved the same precision.

I used Illamasqua Boosh which was a gift from the lovely Mizzworthy. It is my favourite black!

I applied the black around the pink blobs. I did this in a broken, disjointed manner. If it looks too neat you don't achieve the leopard print appearance. I also added a couple of random black blobs for affect.
4) Finally, once dried I added a topcoat then repeated on my right hand - which is waaaay harder if you are right handed like me.

And here is the finished result! What d'ya think?
The whole process really wasn't as time consuming as I thought it would be, maybe about 30-40 minutes. It really depends on your polish and how quickly it dries.
Now I know how easy it can be, I can't wait to try out some other patterns and colours on my nails.

What do you think of nail art?

x

NOTD - OPI Lincoln Park after Dark

I can never stick with a pastel nail for too long, I always yearn for my dark goth berry nails. So a couple of days ago I swapped Eyeko nude for OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark.
I have to say OPI polishes are probably my favourite - in a single coat you get great coverage and a flawless finish. Downside, 2 days in and I have chipping. For the polished results though, I think I can overlook this.

x

Eyeko Nude Nail Polish

I was sent a collection of pastel nail polishes from Eyeko a few weeks ago and I am just getting round to trying them out.

I opted to try the Nude nail polish first. They say that Nude shoes help to lengthen the appearance of legs so I was hoping this would do the same for my podgy little fingers.Well, I am not so sure it lenthened the appearance of my hands and at first it did make them look like death but with a little bit of fake tan they started to look quite pretty.

I would say this shade appears more peachy than I expected but I guess nudes are always going to be peach or pink toned in some way or other. This is the polish after 3 coats but another coat would have perfected the look.
Without at least 3 coats, you can see obvious streaks and the drying time is slightly longer than my normal polishes.

It's definitely not a shade for pale skintones but with the hint of a summer glow this is much lovelier than I would have imagined. This will definitely be in my summer nail wardrobe ;)

Anyone else like nude nails?
x

NOTD - Nails Inc Tate

Despite not really being a fan of Nails Inc polishes, they do produce one of the loveliest red nail polishes I own.

I pinched this polish from my sister who in turn got it free in a magazine (didn't feel so bad when I heard that!) Tate is a gorgeous red that I can only describe as in between pillar box red and blood red veering ever so slightly to the berries.
Tate feels like a more sophisticated, grown up red compared with say Revlon Red which another of the brights I love. There is just something more demure and expensive looking about Tate.

As with all Nails Inc polishes I own, it doesn't take long before the chipping starts but this one held out to day 2 so thats better than my usual experience.

Though, for a colour this lovely I don't mind.

x

This isn't just ordinary nail colour ... this is M&S nail colour ...

A quick trip to Marks & Spencers for a birthday card last night and I end up face to face with a display of nail polish deliberating over which colour to purchase first!

The colours look lovely, the packaging very simple & cute and priced at £2.50, it was only fair that I take one home to try out.

I was drawn to this pastel pinky lilac shade ...
It does apply quite thinly and very streaky so I had to apply 3 coats to ensure it was smooth and opaque. Despite it taking a while to apply the end result was lovely and I am really pleased with the colour, shine and quality of the nail polish - 24 hours later and still no chipping! :)

I thought the name of this particular nail colour was simply 'pastel' as per the bottom of the bottle but looking at the website it may indeed be called 'Lilac'.

For £2.50 it's an absolute steal so go and get your hands on some!

x

Nailing it!

For the past few months I have been addicted to acrylic nails. I have very small hands, therefore, small nails, not only that, they are weak and prone to breaking. My solution was to have acrylics applied, making them appear longer, healthier and glossier!

In reality, acrylics were killing my nails underneath. I have had a few shaky moments at the nail salon too - once where they made my finger bleed using a drill file! But it was the last visit that put me off for good. This is what they left me with ...
Disgusting aren't they? I really have a good mind to report the salon. On this occassion the nail technician (if you can call her that) actually drill filed my natural nail twice! I don't really think using a drill on natural nails is appropriate or safe but in my stupidity I didn't ask her to stop!

I tried to salvage the nails once I was home, filing them down and painting them with Mac Baby Goth Girl. I ended up with this ...
Still not pretty are they? The shape is awful and she has clearly applied acrylic nails that are too big for my teensy fingers! :(

I had so much going on over Christmas and New Year, I didn't attempt to remove them or go to another salon to have them fixed. I was also a bit scared given my natural nail had been filed down so many times .. they were feeling rather sensitive.

Anyway, a few days ago they started to lift on their own accord so i was able to remove them all one by one. I decided it was time to look after my own nails and concentrate on keeping them healthy.

I bought Sally Hansens Diamond Strength Nail Hardener and I apply 2 coats of it before polish. Already my nails are feeling and looking a lot better. Although, my nails are still in a recovery period and probably have a long way to go, I'm sure you will agree that they already look a lot better. Oh, and finally I have come to terms with the fact that my nails are tiny because my hands are tiny and anything otherwise just looks ridiculous on me!
I still need to work on the shape but i'm getting there ;) In case you are interested the nail colour I am wearing in this photo is China Glaze Lavender Lingo, which has been getting me lots of compliments!

As well as physically looking after my nails, there are many foods that contribute to the health of your nails which will tie in with my goal of a healthy 2010! Foods like asparagus, tuna, apples, garlic, grapes, salmon, eggs, brown rice, cucumbers and anything containing calcium and zinc help with healthy nail growth :)

Hopefully, I can keep you posted on the progress of my nails by posting NOTD posts with healthy natural nails!

Anyone got any other tips for keeping healthy tallons?

x

NOTD - Barry M Blue glitter combo!

I bought these polishes on a 2 for 1 offer last week so thought I would do a quick nail of the day with them.
On the left we have 294 Cyan Blue and on the right 297 Blue glitter. I applied the Cyan blue first then a top coat of Blue glitter. I am really impressed with both of these. Just one coat of the cyan blue and I had a good coverage. Also the consistency of the glitter is really good and spreads thickly without clumping. Very sparkly on the nails although this was quite hard to capture on camera - this is the best i could do on my mobile tonight!
I imagine the Blue glitter will look fantastic over a navy, black or even a dark red polish so I am sure I will do more experimenting with this. It's basically the blue version of China Glaze's Ruby Pumps.

I have just realised though that I have an important meeting at work tomorrow so I am not quite sure this is appropriate. I really don't want to take it off ... it's just so lovely and sparkly! ;)

Anyone else have any nice nail combo's to share?

x