Blitz Nails

Here's another Topshop nail post guys.....I know I don't seem to buy my varnishes from anywhere else at the moment. I bought this earlier on in the week and Its another winner for me from Topshops Nail Varnish colour range. This is called Blitz and its a bright jewel pink colour that pops on the nails, It has a slight sheen to it and is multi tonal on the pic it looks glittery but In person its actually a light shimmer. In the sunshine (I know I only caught a glimpse of it) it looks amazing, Its bright, vibrant and summery.

I'm not sure whether this will carry on as a winter colour it may have to be only for the few summer days and probably nights out, either way I'm going to wear it for as long as I can get away with it.

I have actually bought two other varnishes from...Barry M, SHOCKER I know, I willl be posting some nail art for the first time this weekend. As I am a mere novice I'm guessing it wont be of a high standard but I'm willing to give it a try.

Do you have any handy tips for my first time doing nail art?

Kensington Caviar...Dahlings

I know this isn't the next cult product or anything new and exciting, but I just thought I would share with you my favourite nail must have. As a fan of all bright colours and glitters, when it comes to my nails I like them to stand out and look immaculate. I'm not too fussed about shape as I tend to file mine square and short, its the colour application for me that has to be pristine. If there is any sort of smudge, bubble or overlap I have to take it off and start again. So because of this I tend to have to change my varnish every three days because chips are a HUGE no no for me! (I know I'm sad)

This Nails Inc Kensington Caviar set is perfect at getting that finish I love, I find my varnish goes on smooth and stays bright until daily wear and tear causes it to chip and then out comes the remover....and on I go painting them...again.

The base coat as you can see in the picture is a cloudy pink colour, when applied to the nail obviously its clear with a slightly thicker texture to protect the nail and almost act like a primer filling in any grooves. I usually wait till its dry completely before applying which ever colour (usually Topshop) takes my fancy, I find the base helps the colour not to streak and to coat the nail evenly.

After waiting for the colour to be near enough dry I then apply a thin layer of the Top Coat to my nails which helps to dry and lock in the colour. It really does do what it says on the tin, It dries fast and sets on the nail so its literally bone dry within a minute. I have tried it on my toes too and its great when you have to paint them in a rush and stick your shoes on straight away. The one thing I will say to anyone who wants to try this, you have to apply a thin layer of the Top Coat, too much and it will bubble slightly you might not mind this as most normal people don't but it always bothers me!

I think this is a great value set from Nails Inc and has been a staple of mine for a couple of years now. You can pick this set up in Boots for £10 the bottles are small but I find they last for ages as you don't need to use a lot to get the desired finish.

Have you ever tried this? Or is there another nail product you think is better?

Mother Sucker.....Not Another Cult Product

I almost felt like not blogging about this as its been such a cult product over the past couple of months I know everyone is sick of hearing about it. My friend went to Paris a couple of weeks ago and managed to get her hands on this for me as I had been wanting to try it for a while. I have been using Etat Pur and I love it, you can check out my review from a while ago HERE. The Bioderma range I think is something that you just cant help but want to try, so many bloggers have reviewed and raved about this I had to get it.

I have to say I totally see why everyone loves it, Ive really enjoyed using it I even neglected my Etat Pur for a while. But as Im a huge fan of Etat Pur I will be back to using my favourite Micellar Cleanser, Im very loyal....and It works wonders on my skin!

I wasn't sure which one to get as I know I have oily skin but It is also dehydrated, my skin doesn't like oil control products as they are usually too strong. This however doesn't leave that tight feeling I usually get and it clears away all traces of my makeup with two cotton pads easily. The only downside with this is because its designed to control oil its way too harsh to use around the eye area. With the other Bioderma ones and my Etat Pur Micellar Water you can use them everywhere including the eye area, this however definitely should not be used to remove eye makeup. Its not a bother to use a separate eye makeup remover at all, but I do love being able to use one product to do everything (yes I'm lazy...)

I'm not going to say much more as I think everything has been said about this already I just wanted to show you that no matter how hard I try to resist certain cult products will get to me!! I'm such a sucker I'm almost ashamed, but at least my skin looks good....every cloud and all that.....

She Said Beauty 3

You probably have seen a million blog posts for this so I will keep it short (well...shorter than normal) I have to say straight off that this is the first She Said Beauty box I have been disappointed with. Just quickly to get the bad out of the way....I always say I really don't like perfume samples, I have requested on my profile not to receive them but I still seem to get them. Also I received Nail Foils in a colour that I personally wouldn't wear but I will apply these and post pictures of them to show how they are. I'm hoping even though the design is really not for me the quality of the foils is good so I could purchase a design more suited to my taste.

The upsides are the Redken Color Extend Radiant Spray, I really like this as a regular home colour user I find it fades so anything to help keep the colour is great. This spray is non greasy and leaves a light shine, it also leaves a texture to my hair that adds volume and doesn't flatten it like some. You only need a few small sprays to get the desired effect, I did over use it once and I ended up with a slight crispy feel at my roots that felt horrible. I think the problem is the price may be a little off putting if I'm honest as its £19.99 for 170ml, you might as well buy Bumble & Bumble of you are willing to fork out £20 for a spray. So even though I like it I probably wont repurchase this in the future unless it goes down in price.

I also liked the Rachel Powder Paper, as I have really oily skin anything that absorbs oil is a winner in my eyes. Easy to use and in a handy booklet that can go in your bag they are great, I'm not usually a oil paper user but these may convert me.

The Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve is another standard product I had, don't get me wrong I love lip products but I have so many lip balms its crazy. It has a nice fragrance and leaves your lips smooth and hydrated, its slightly on the glossy side though so a little goes a really long way if you don't want it dripping down your face.

The last product was the White Glo Toothpaste which was a bit random, I have actually been using White Glo for a few years now. I use the one for Tea and Coffee drinkers as I love me a cuppa! It does a good job of shifting stains from teeth without being to harsh and its not a bad price for the job it does. I'm saving this for travelling though as the small tube will be so handy!!

Just realised this post isn't short at all...sorry guys!! What did you think of this box? Do you feel the same way about perfume samples as I  do?

All About Amethyst



Topshop Metallic Nail Varnish in Amethyst £6



So anyone who has read my blog will know about my love for Topshop Varnishes, I love them A LOT and every time I go in I pick up a new colour. This week I bought two (which is good for me) and this was the first one I was eager to try out straight away. The shade is called Amethyst and is part of the Metallic range of varnishes, there is a great variety of colours in the Metallic range at the moment. I think at £6 its not a bad price and they bring out new colours all the time so its not too much of a bruise on the bank account if you love painting your nails in the latest trends. 

Now I love all nail varnish colours but as I'm so pale there are some colours that make me look like I have what I call 'corpse hands'. Colours that are shades of Gold, Yellow and Brown make me look awful so I tend to stick to either really bright or really dark shades. As this is a two tone colour I have found it really hard to capture it in the pictures to show you exactly how it is. In different lights the shade can go from a jewel like purple to a copper/purple. I described the colour as Cadburys purple and I have to say I love it I will definitely be picking this out over the next few weeks, I think its a colour I could wear in the winter too.

What do you think about the Topshop Varnishes? Are you also a nail varnish addict?

Miners Bronzer Review

I have to share this with you as this is my new favourite bronzer, this came in my last She Said Beauty Box which you can see HERE. Miners is a brand I used when I was a teenager a couple of times but I actually thought they had disappeared as I haven't seen them around for a while. When I saw this full size bronzer in the box I was definitely interested to try it, being pale I'm always on the look out for a decent bronzer that doesn't make me look like I should be an extra on TOWIE. I find a lot of bronzers sit on my skin and look terrible, they usually make me look either dirty or way too glittery and shiny.

This bronzer ticks all the boxes for me, its matte but not dirty looking and takes the edge off my overly white face by giving it a light glow. I think for darker skin tones you could easily build up the colour without going over the top or caking it on. It doesn't have any of the gold/glitter particles you get in most bronzers on the high street either, this always annoys me as I end up looking like I've dunked myself in a vat of glitter and Vaseline. The other amazing thing about this is the price £4.99 is a steal for me, I have paid way more in the past for a bronzer only to throw it back in the pile along with all the others. I 100% will be buying this again and am looking forward to purchasing more from this purse friendly range, also how much does it look like chocolate mousse?! It took all my effort not to lick it.....

Have you tried anything from the Miners range you think I should try?

Blow out...

I have slightly unruly eyelashes some grow straight out, some grow down and the rest just do whatever they are feeling like that day. Its a hassle trying to find a mascara that controls them and makes them fuller and longer. I have tried almost all out there from high street to high end, I have found a few that I like but nothing that I have wanted to repurchase straight away.

When a new mascara comes out in Boots you can guarantee I will be there in the corner giving it the once over and deciding whether I should buy yet another one. I saw this 17 Blow Out mascara and thought why not try it, since they have had a slight revamp a lot of the products have had good reviews. This mascara unfortunately for me wont be joining the good review pile I'm afraid it was a total flop. It claims to make lashes thicker and fuller and even uses the word 'Bouffant' (weird) and is full of Vitamin E and Argan oil. Now Argan oil has been sought after for a while and has many amazing properties, so with this in mind you would think this would make a great mascara. It didn't lengthen them or make them fuller at all even when I used my eyelash curlers. I actually looked tired like I hadn't applied any at all, also a tell tale sign for me when its bad is when I take it off at night I knew that it wasn't that great as in one wipe it was gone completely.

This is disappointing as I do think 17 is a good high street brand, they usually have their finger on the pulse with certain products and offer them at an affordable price. I'm not giving up on the brand but I will think twice about purchasing in the future as I was so unimpressed.

Have you tried this mascara? What did you think?

L'Occitane Hydration Creme

Just like my previous Kiehl's post L'Occitane is another brand that although I hear great thing I have never given it a thought when buying skin care. This brand has been around for a very long time and has great credibility, so when I received this Hydration Creme I was looking forward to finally trying something from the range.

This cream claims to plump and hydrate the skin whilst adding radiance, this sounds like a dream to anyone who suffers with dull dry skin. Although my skin can be dull and I get flaky skin around my Tzone sometimes I certainly don't fall into this category with this product. I didn't feel like I could give it a great review, as with most hydrating creams my oily skin gets worse when I apply them. My Tzone gets greasy quickly and so when I apply a thick cream to my skin it instantly feels heavy and uncomfortable.

I think to truly get a great result from this cream it needs to be applied to a drier skin type maybe with early signs of ageing. I didn't have a bad experience with this cream, overall the texture was nice and the smell was lovely. I would recommend to dry skin types, but I definitely wont be purchasing this cream any time soon.

How do you feel about L'Occitane? Is there anything great in the range for oily skin types?

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

A while ago I received this in my Latest in Beauty box, Ive never actually tried Kiehl's products despite practically living in the Selfridges beauty hall. Its a brand that although I can see it has many great products I haven't ever felt drawn in to buy anything from there. When I got this Midnight Recovery Concentrate I was excited to try it as this isn't my usual 'go to' brand.

I decided to try this nightly over a period of a couple of weeks to see whether it would improve the texture of my skin as it claims to do. After cleansing with my Etat Pur Micellar Water I applied two/three drops to my hands and massaged it in to my skin. It also works great when you apply with a night cream to give it an extra boost but my skin hates being over loaded with products at night. I found it to have the same consistency as a facial oil, it disappeared into my skin well and it didn't leave any oily or cakey residue after.

I had noticed a slight improvement in the overall hydration of my skin as it is oily but has a tendency to flake around my Tzone ( I know I have all the luck...). The concentrate left my skin feeling smooth and hydrated, this in turn makes your skin look dewy and makes your makeup work a lot better.

The down side to this product is it is slightly on the expensive side, but I do think as you only need a couple of drops each night it would probably last a few months. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend, I preferably like to find products that are great and purse friendly but some times you have to have a splurge...

I don't think I will be buying this even though I thought it was great, I have been using Clarins Lotus Oil for a while now and I cant get enough of it. I have had breaks in between and tried other products for a couple of years now but I always go back to it!

How do you find Kiehls products? Is this a range that you would invest in?

*Sorry for the poor quality of pictures my camera was having an off day!?*