NEW BARRY M GELLY NAIL PAINTS

 

Barry M are really getting good at these 'Gelly' nail paints; they now have a really great selection of colours, ranging from pastel to brights. There is definitely a colour for every occasion and every taste. This is their new selection for summer which has only just been released in stores.

We love these nail paints as they are so shiny and glossy and also stay on for a good week without becoming chipped - which is more than I can say for some of the more expensive nail varnish brands. The Gelly's are £3.99 each, so just £1 more than the normal Barry M nail paints, however the finish of these definitely makes them worth it! 

 The colours are great and can look good with just one coat, although we would tend to do two coats. There is also no need for a top coat as they are super glossy already, however, you could add one just for extra chip protection!

Passion fruit, Mango, Blue Grape, Guava, Key Lime

  The colours show up on the nail exactly as pictured, so you know exactly what colour you are picking up.

You can get Barry M nail paints at Boots, Superdrug or online on the Barry M website. They are currently 3 for 2 in Superdrug!! 

REVIEW: REVLON PHOTOREADY BLUSH + HIGHLIGHTERS

I never used to pay Revlon much attention when went into either Superdrug or Boots, however lately I'm at that stand quicker than the speed of light - or just pretty quickly. 

The blusher comes in three colours, Coral Reef, pinched, which is nude and apparently tends not to show up too greatly and finally flushed, a gorgeous bright pink/magenta shade, which will be mine!

The blusher is very pigmented and can look a little scary in the pot and a little neon, however it can apply very sheer or  be built up and is a gorgeous coral colour on the cheeks. It has a great colour pay off and lasts forever on the skin.It is creamy in the pot however, its finish is much more of a smooth powder texture, therefore I think this would be great for oily skins especially. It gives a really natural flush to the cheeks and I would imagine that the colour would be perfect for pale skin tones all the way through to the darker skin tones. Depending on how much you apply it would also be great for either a natural day look or a deeper night look.

The blusher applies easily with your fingers or a brush; the Stippling brush by Real Techniques works wonders.

The blush leaves a matte finish which is lovely, especially if you want a more subtle and natural finish, however, if you wanted to add some shimmer in the form of a highlighter we've found two which work really well with the blusher. 

Firstly,  a purse friendly highlighter from MUA, Shimmer Kisses Bronzer.

 I have used this highlighter near enough every day since I bought it, which was January/February time, so that is saying something. As with all MUA products it's very cheap at only £3 and even after over 4 months use it doesn't look anywhere near to running out! This product is actually described as a bronzer, which I would disagree with, however it is an amazing highlighter, so we'll let that one slip!  

You can either use one of the colours separately or swirl your brush around all four. The colour is slightly peachy and gives a gorgeous glow to the skin, so really compliments the coral blush. It is a nice subtle shimmer sheen so you won't look like you've just stepped out of the glitter factory... It also works great to highlight under the brow bone. 

The second highlighter is a higher end product, by Benefit called One hot minute. This costs £23.50. The powder is a pretty rose gold colour which works great with the coral of the Revlon blush and would suit all skin tones. It's definitely a perfect summer blush and highlight combination. It also gives a warm glow to the skin.

 

Are there any other great Revlon products that we're missing out on???

REVIEW: LUSH LEMONY FLUTTER - CUTICLE CREAM

'When life gives you lemons...' screw making lemonade, the lemons will go to much better use in this Lemony Flutter cuticle butter. 

This cuticle butter may have made it to the top of my favorite LUSH products. As soon as you take off the lid the smell of lemons hits you, it smells so fresh and if for some reason you couldn't see, I'm pretty convinced you would be forgiven for thinking that there is in fact real lemons sitting in front of you. The smell also lasts when you apply the product, which I guess could be a tad annoying if you then go on to eat something that you don't really want an added side of lemon with... 

I only purchased the product yesterday but as you can tell, we're already forming a beautiful relationship (tad creepy). I decided that it was an essential purchase, as in the words of Karen Smith, from Mean Girls, "my nail beds sucked!"  After a couple of uses they are already looking and feeling much better and my hands feel the softest that they have ever felt.

The product itself is 50g and costs £6.25, which I wouldn't normally spend on a cuticle cream but this really is lovely and I'm pretty sure it'll last ages, as it's such a thick creamy/buttery texture that a little goes a long way. It says that it can also be used in any other parts which are prone to being a little more dry than the rest of the body, such as elbows. It is a beeswax emulsion and contains so many thick oils and butters. The ingredients on the back of the pot literally list a different oil after another oil, after another........... you get the point. But if you don't I'll tell you some of them, coconut oil, lavender oil, lemon oil, chamomile blue oil, avocado oil...

If I ever run out I'm pretty sure I'll be repurchasing this product, as I have never seen anything like it and it smells so lovely and seems to have a lot of goodness in it. I think this would also be very good in the winter months, when our poor hands suffer from the 
freezing weather.

Has anyone else tried this product and what did you think?? 

FOTD & OOTD : Brown/gold smokey eye + pink lip

 

This is all very new to me. Firstly, I think I only worked out what 'FOTD and OOTD' (I think)! is a few weeks ago. I'm not very good with slang or any type of abbreviations the youngsters use today - yes I am 20 but really I feel nearer 50. Secondly, before I started this blog I despised 'selfies.' I stayed away from them as I could never get the angles right myself and ended up looking very odd! I was always impressed by anyone who could actually take them and still look good! So after searching through the masses which were either blurry or just too cringey, this is the best I've got. No one tells you how hard taking close up photos of yourself is, I have a new found respect for beauty bloggers! 

 I think this is a good fresh but made up look for spring/summer. The skin has a fresh, light healthy glow as I have only used a low/medium coverage foundation, which is especially good for the warmer weather that spring is SUPPOSED to bring!

 The eyes are nicely defined with the brown eye shadow, but not too heavy. (I hope)!

 I have shaped the eyeshadow with an angled brush and just used the darker shade in the outer corner of the eye and lightly through the crease and under the eye.

 Outfit: 
-Top: New look
- Trousers: Forever 21
-Shoes: Zara 
- Bracelets New look

Products used:   

Face:  

  - Primer: Rimmel  Fix & Protect pro (Wouldn't recommend it as a primer but it is moisturising and my skin was feeling pretty dry + I'm trying to use it up)
-  Foundation: Bourjois  Healthy mix serum  (shade 55 dark beige)
- Concealer: Collection (Shade 2 light) and Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch (shade 01).
- Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte (Shade peach glow 003) - (Unfortunately missed out of the photo)!
- Bronzer: Bourjois bronzing powder
- Blush: Benefit Hervana (also manages to escape the photo, I'll get better)!!

Brushes: 

- All Real Techniques : 
- Buffing brush for foundation
-Multi  task brush for powder and bronzer
- Contour brush for slight contouring around cheekbones 
- Blush brush for blush
- Deluxe crease brush for concealer

Eyes:

- MUA Undressed eyeshadow pallette
- MUA matte eye shadows in shade 20 and 19  
- Mascara: Avon super extend extreme 
- Brows: MUA pro-brow kit 
- Eyelashes: Eyelure false lashes 101
- Eye liner: MUA jet black and snow white
You can order MUA worldwide online

Lips:

- LUSH Sugar scrub (previous review on blog here)
- Revlon lip butter (shade Sweet tart) (previous review on blog here)

 

FREE NAILS INC VARNISHES WITH INSTYLE

 Instyle's June 2013 issue came with a free nails inc nail varnish, with three shades to choose from, or if like any other nail varnish addict, three shades to collect! And yes, we're pretty sure that nail varnish addiction is a real condition.

 We decided to get the two pastel colours; one is a light pink and the other is a light peach colour. Both are really pretty and very flattering on the nails. They would suit most skin tones and look especially good with tanned skin, (which if you're in the UK is most probably best fake, with the weather we've been having)!

As it's nearly time for the July issue of Instyle magazine, you'll have to hurry if you want to grab these up, however, magazines such as Instyle and Glamour are often giving away nails inc varnishes with their magazines. We have around 10 varnishes by Nails Inc, which have all come from magazines as £11 is too much for one nail varnish! 

Nails Inc do however have several offers on their website at the moment, which if you're a fan would definitely be worth checking out! 

SAVE vs SPLURGE PRIMER TIME

MUA -  Matte Perfect vs. Benefit - The Porefessional

L-R:MUA Primer(SAVE) vs. Benefit primer(SPLURGE)- (Tester size)

It's the age old question; do we need to spend more to get better quality beauty products, or do the cheaper brands work just as well and we're simply just paying for the higher end name?

The prices of these primers couldn't be much further apart with MUA's at only £4 and Benefit's at a shocking £24.50! MUA's primer has 15ml of product and although Benefit's primer does contain  slightly more product at 22ml, this definitely does not justify its much greater price tag. 

The MUA primer is described by MUA as a product to make the skin look smooth and flawless, while controlling oil and reducing shine. It minimises the look of pores and other minor imperfections to create an even canvas for make up application. 



The Benefit primer is said to be the UK's number one selling primer! Benefit say it quickly minimises the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother than smooth skin.

So Which one is better? 

 The texture of both primers is almost identical; both are fairly thick but lightweight, which is nice as it actually feels like you're putting something on your skin that will actually do something, rather than the primers that purely feel just like moisturisers.  Both feel very velvety smooth on the skin and give a great base for make up. Also they both do a pretty good job at minimises pores and fine lines. Overall, we honestly cannot tell the difference between the two primers once on the skin. They look the same, feel the same, seem to do the same thing and make up applies the same over both of them. The only difference is that the Benefit Porefessional has a nice subtle smell to it, whereas the MUA one doesn't smell at all. Further, the Benefit primer claims to have Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals. However, just by wearing the primer there is not much proof of how good this claim is.

 The MUA primer is suppossed to control oil, we haven't really noticed any difference but for £4 we would definitely pick up the MUA primer over Benefit's, as it is so much cheaper and is so close to being an identical match. 

Outcome: MUA's save wins!! 

Have you tried either of the primers? 

You can purchase MUA's primer in Superdrug stores or online, or if you're feeling frivolous you can get Benefit's online from their website. 

REVIEW & SWATCHES: REVLON LIP BUTTERS

L-R: Candy Apple, Tutti Frutti, Juicy Papaya(NEW), Sorbet(NEW), Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, Creme Brulee

It's safe to say that these little lip butters are a new addiction, not just for us but through out a vast majority of the beauty world, they are constantly being raved about. They're so cute and practical that you just can't say no. There are over 20 shades available, some with shimmer and some without. All of the shades that we have tried have been really glossy and moisturising, so they feel great on your lips. The lip butters retail at £7.99, which is often criticised for being too high, so it's best to grab them when they're on offers, such as 3 for 2, in Boots or Superdrug. The butters are very pigmented and the colour can be built up or kept subtle and natural. They are so easy and smooth to apply that they are a good lip colour for on the go, as you really do not need to pay too much attention to the application.

Creme Brulee

Juicy Papaya (NEW)

 

Strawberry Shortcake

Sweet Tart

Sorbet (NEW)

Tuttii Frutii

Candy Apple

Sorbet, Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake

Candy Apple, Tuttii Frutii, Juicy Papaya.