Barry M Gelly Hi Shine – Nutmeg

I’m forever a fan of nudey pinks & I’m really pleased with the new Barry M shade Nutmeg. I picked this up in Boots for £3.99 after seeing it on Instagram. It’s not too dissimilar to Nails Inc Uptown which I have blogged about previously & is also a favourite of mine.

On my ring finger I’ve used Barry M Majestic sparkle which is a gold glitter top coat. The flecks of gold glitter are all different sizes & create a 3D effect. You could probably wear this on it’s own if you used 2 coats.

As always photos show 2 coats of colour (although with this shade you could definitely get away with just one) and my favourite Essie top & base coat.

Advertisements

Barry M Under the Sea – Angelfish

Angelfish is one of the four new polishes in Barry M’s Under the Sea collection. The collection is available from Superdrug which is where I picked this one up for £3.99 having seen them advertised on Instagram.

In the bottle it looks a kinda pale salmony/peachy/pink colour which is why I chose this one. However, on application the colour is completely different; it applies as a pearlescent purple/white without any hint of the peach colour in the bottle. It’s inoffensive & a little bit retro chic but it’s just not what I was expecting.

It’s quite pretty as it shifts in the light, and not entirely dissimilar to the iridescence of Essence Out of Space is the Place which I reviewed last year. The formula is smooth & the brush is easy to use making the first coat of colour opaque.

I don’t dislike this but it’s not what I was expecting from the packaging, we will see if it grows on me! It is, however, really good value for money, especially in comparison to the new Nails Inc mermaid nail polishes.

Photos show Nails Inc ridge filler base coat, 2 coats of colour & Essie Good to Go topcoat.

Nails Inc London Unicorns

So everyone knows I’m Nails Inc’s biggest fan, including my best pal, Mull, who treated me to this amazing Nails Inc gift set for my birthday this week.

The Nails Inc Beauty of Dreams Deluxe Unicorn Beauty Gift Set contains 2 sheet face masks, 1 peel off face mask, a lipstick, a lip gloss & 2 nail varnishes. The nail varnishes are Rainbow Wishes, an iridescent blue/purple/pink and Dream Dust, a pink and gold glitter.

These nail varnishes are soooo me, I love them so much, especially Dream Dust which I currently can’t stop staring at on my ring fingers.

Both nail colours were opaque in one coat, which I was surprised at for Dream Dust, as you usually have to work hard for full coverage glitter – however, not in this case!

I can’t wait to use the rest of the set – but for right now, photographs show how my nails turned out. In the photos I’m wearing one coat of Nails Inc Ridgefiller with Collagen base coat, 2 coats of colour and one coat of Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat with Collagen.

I’ve wanted these nail varnishes since they first came out, I’m loving my nails right now – let me know what you think!

Thanks Mull; you’re the best x

Rainbow Wishes

With flash to show off Dream Dust on my ring fingers

Dream Dust

MAC Russian Red

So, I think my new thing is red lipsticks, I am so in love with this colour. Russian Red by MAC is a slightly matte, deep red and it’s my new all time favourite. I first dabbled with red lipstick earlier this year when I bought MAC Everyday Diva, which is a glossy, pillar box red. However, Russian Red suits my skin tone so much better, since I got it, it is the only lipstick I have worn, it has never been off my lips!

Despite being a matte colour, it is not drying at all. It is much easier to apply than Everyday Diva, as the colour does not bleed at all, which results in a much crisper and more defined Cupid’s bow. I also think the shade is sexier, even if I do say so myself!

I have been using MAC Cherry lip pencil as a liner with this shade, and it is a near perfect match.

Russian Red is available to buy here. Does anyone have a favourite MAC red lipstick? How about Ruby Woo? I’d be interested to hear people’s experiences of this, as I think it will probably be my next lipstick purchase.

Thanks for reading!

   Cupid’s Bow
 Russian Red

   Comparison with Everyday Diva
 In Durham

Gel Nails

I hadn’t had gel nails on before so I thought I’d give them a try, my manicures and pedicures usually last a week with normal nail varnish so my expectations of a gel manicure and pedicure were pretty high. I went to Thorns in Newcastle upon Tyne to get them done, I didn’t need an appointment and was seen very quickly. Staff were friendly and polite and the price was very reasonable (it cost me £15 for fingers and £18 for toes).

On arrival I paid for my treatment and was shown to the nail bar where a member of staff removed my normal nail polish from my fingers and toes and filed the surface of my nails, I assume this was to help the gel adhere to the nails surface more thoroughly. After that I chose a colour (black) and a different member of staff applied a base coat, 2 coats of colour and a top coat to my nails. Each coat was cured under a UV light for 60 seconds before the next coat was applied. This process was repeated for my toes.

I really like how shiny my gel nail polish looks, it’s now the 8th day since I had them done and they still look as good as when I first left the salon, although slightly grown out which, if I’m entirely honest, is bothering me. I think I’d definitely get them done again, I think they’d be ideal for going on holiday if you don’t want to take nail polishes but still want chip free nails for a fortnight. Overall I’m pleased, although I do miss painting my nails!

Information on Thorns Newcastle can be found here. Photographs show freshly painted gels and 8 day old gels. Let me know what you think!

   First day

  8th day

Proactiv Solution 3 Step System To Clearer Healthier Looking Skin

I’ve been using the Proactiv Solution 3 Step System To Clearer Healthier Looking Skin for about a month and a half now, it is a skin care set of cleanser, toner and moisturiser which promises clear skin. As I have quite oily skin I like the fact this system contains salicylic acid to promote shine free, clean skin.

The cleanser has a pleasant, almost medical smell to it which I appreciate. It has small, grainy bits in it for exfoliation and a little goes a long way. My skin definitely feels clean after using it, and it removes any foundation I may have missed with my make up wipes. I like to take my make up off with a wipe and then wash my face immediately afterwards to ensure all traces of dirt are removed.

  

The toner, which I use after washing my face, I find to be quite harsh. It leaves my face stinging slightly after use, I’m not sure that this is supposed to happen but I’ve been bearing with it! I apply the toner with a cotton wool pad after gently towelling my face dry.

  
The final step in the system is the Repairing Treatment moisturiser. This moisturiser doesn’t leave my skin dry and does control shine, my make up usually lasts all day at work with only a few powder touch ups. It doesn’t say on the bottle whether or not it contains an SPF so I’m assuming it doesn’t. This may be a problem if you have pale skin, I’m not really worried about it though as my foundation contains an SPF.

  
All in all, I much preferred this 3 step system in comparison to the La Rosche-Posay Effaclar system I previously tried, however, I don’t feel it did keep my skin clear and it was quite expensive to not deliver on its promise. I’d also prefer if the toner wasn’t so harsh that it actually stings! My main skin concern is my large pores and I don’t feel it improved the appearance of these. I don’t think I’m going to buy it again, but if you’d like to try it, I purchased it from Boots here. It has good reviews on the website so it may just be my skin that doesn’t benefit from it.

If you have any ideas of which skin care system I should use next, please leave them in the comments!

  

Barry M Sunset Nails Daylight Curing Can’t Get You Out Of My Red

I can’t help myself but fall for every new beauty gimmick going so when I heard Barry M had released a nail polish and top coat which sets like gel in daylight, I rushed straight to Boots to get my hands on it! Sunset Nail polishes claim to cure in daylight to set hard like a gel, rather than having to cure them under a UV lamp.

I wasn’t sure whether to apply a base coat, but I thought since this polish was red it might be best to use one just to avoid staining. Can’t Get You Out Of My Red is a classic pillar box red, due to the improved, flat, square brush application was easy and I applied two coats of colour. This nail polish is very very thick, but both the colour and the top coat were easy to apply and have dried nicely. I haven’t been out in the daylight yet so I can’t comment on whether it has hardened them, although even in the house with the light on they seem to have set very hard. I’m not sure how the polish on my toes is going to be exposed to daylight as I’m not sure I can saunter into the office on Monday morning wearing my sandals! I will do an update next week as to how long this polish lasted and whether any chips appeared.

All in all I’m very pleased with this colour and top coat, especially for how cheap they were! Photographs show a base coat, 2 coats of colour and a top coat. Thanks for reading!