The Perfect Nude Nail

When I realised I didn't own the perfect nude nail colour, I went on a hunt. Luckily, my favourite nail range, the Barry M quick dry, had a couple of nude selections  and it was 3 for 2 soo...

This is the first one I tried out of the three I bought yesterday and I feel like it can't get better than this, this is the perfect nudey- beigey- pink colour, and because it's my favourite quick-dry formula I love it even more. The shade name is Winning Streak - all of the quick dry range have racing- related names which is pretty cool. I use two coats to make sure it's super opaque, over the Iron-Mani base coat, also from Barry M, and under the Seche Vite top coat, which is life.

Basically this is a staple, nude polish for a bargain at £3? £4? Less if you're me and you never just get one. Love it, over and out.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

2 Budget Gloss options

I am having a real lip gloss moment at the moment, which is inconvenient, because most of the world seems obsessed with the matte-est of matte lips. 

I just find gloss really easy to wack on and trust that it won't crack or crumble off in a really really unattractive way, which is my main fear with anything matte.

I also don't really have it in me to buy a high-end lipgloss (except the Clarins Lip Perfecters which are the bomb.com), so I set about finding a couple of bargain-ous highstreet options. These are the two I have been using over the last few weeks, both with a ridiculous price tag, so I thought Id share them with you.

First of all, this is the XXL nude (??) Lipgloss from Essence in the shade Soft Almond. This was something amazing like £1.90 from Wilko's, and I really like the formula, which is more wet gel rather than sticky? If ya know what I mean. Lovely stuff. Lasting power isn't great, but its lipgloss, what do you expect? It's not pigmented either, just adding a gloss of nude to the lips, really easy for every day. I personally think this a great find, and such a bargain. I do remember looking at the other colours and seeing a lot of glitter, so I'm not sure if I'll be going back for seconds, but it depends on the shades.

Lip Boss from Barry M. First of all, I think I love the name? I started off thinking it was a bit stupid, but I think I've warmed to the idea. I also think the packaging is really quite nice, its pretty solid and hefty. The colour looks neon- bright in the tube but it really isn't all that bad.

As you can see here, its more a wash of warm peach. Pretty inoffensive and pretty, probably more suited for summer but oh well. I remember this being £3.50, which is a pretty good deal. The downside to this product is the smell- which is something like really cheap oranges. I really hate it.

Between the two, I would say the Essence one is my favourite, colour and formula wise, and for the price you really cant complain.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Primark Does... Lips

The inner snob in me shivers a little a bit about putting something from Primark on my mouth. What if a small snotty child has sucked it or stuck it up it's nose or something? The grotesque possibilities are endless.
Snobbery aside, I bought these two lip products from Primark recently, and firstly, I'd like to comment that the packaging is actually fairly sleek looking. If you didn't know it was Primark, I think you'd be a little impressed, right?

Swatch- wise, this is the Matte Crayon in the shade 06. I have been pleasantly impressed with this product so far. I'm not hugely into matte lips at the moment, I'm more for the glossy, natural look as I have fairly small lips and I find the fresher- looking finishes just look...fresher on me. Ya get me? Anyway. It is smooth and thick feeling going onto the lips- not in a bad way- creamy drying down to a nice, even smooth finish. The key word here is 'dry', which is definitely does end up. BUT, not in an uncomfortable way. I found wear time to be surprisingly good on this, and instead of cracking or flaking (one reason I am wary of matte lips, even thought I love them), this tends to do a more stain-like fade on the lips.

The second swatch, and the photo below, is the lipliner used all over the lips.

It is a very creamy formula, really easy to apply, and definitely comparable to the Rimmel Exaggerate lip liners.

With the lip crayon added over the top, it makes the colour a little pinker and lighter, but the two definitely work colour-wise together. However, I'm not one for a thick, matte lip- as mentioned- so I don't think I would wear them together like this. Separately, they have a very similar creamy feeling which dries down to a comfortable matte.

The third swatch is Rimmel's East End Snob, which I added to compare the colours. It's pretty close to the lipliner, put a little pinker than the crayon, which is slightly more peach.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with these two products from Primark, you definitely can't go wrong for such a good price tag. Out of the two, I would recommend the lip liner, because it was £1 and a really nice staple pink/mauve colour.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

Clinique Cheek Pop | Melon Pop

These have had a fair amount of hype over the last few months, and I've been very slow to invest in one. The £16 price tag on such a small product can seem a bit steep, but the quality makes it worth it.

I chose Melon Pop because I love a peachy blush, especially in the summer. The finish of this blush is matte, without shimmer or glitter, but it still looks natural and pretty on the cheeks. It's definitely a buildable product rather than being super pigmented, which I actually prefer in a blusher, because blending scary clown cheeks is my least favourite thing. I apply this with the Real Techniques Multi Tasker and the lasting power is 6hours +.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Gloss | Review & Swatch

I've had this product for a while, and I've been back and forth with my opinion on it. But, I'm afraid, I've finally decided that I really do not like it that much at all.
I have mine in the shade 420 Glorious Grapefruit, which looks completely gorgeous and summery swatched here - a really bright but sheer orangey peach. Amazing.

On the lips it is definitely a sheer wash of colour, which I am totally okay with, and it's definitely not the way it looks or wears which makes me dislike it. It looks juicy and fresh, wears pretty well, and fades gracefully rather than patchily. However, there are a couple of things which just make the experience of using this gloss completely unpleasant for me.
Firstly, the smell/taste.
-A really obnoxious fake orange, which you think is quite fun for the first ten minutes, but then it lingers and gets into your mouth and tastes like you've munched up an orange soap, or a bottle of the Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel. Not nice.
Secondly, the texture is just so SO odd.
- It feels kind of gritty? When applied, it glides on smoothly and evenly and you're like  yeah, look at my lips. But then, that inevitable moment comes when you press or rub your lips together and it feels horrible...like there is a bit of sand accidentally mixed in.
If I ever wanted to try out another colour to see if the texture is consistent across the line, I'm afraid I'm put off with the scent, so I'm closing the door on this product forever I'm afraid.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

A Couple of Cheeky Kiko Purchases

As always on a Saturday, I found myself *accidentally* buying a couple of make- up bits on my lunchbreak at work. 

I wandered into Kiko, and these two beautiful vibrant shades fell into my hands.

Since I bought the 24- pan Kiko palette, I've become obsessed with picking up new shades and building up my collection. I have been so impressed with the quality of these shadows so far, there has only been one which is less than impressive- I go through my whole collection in my 'Kiko Palette' post which I did a few weeks ago.

These two shades are so vibrant and beautiful. I'm using my kiko palette to fill in the gaps in my eyeshadow collection, which is saturated with bronzes, browns and nudes. These are like Spring in an eyeshadow.

226 is the beautiful peachy pink, which I think would work amazingly well as a blush as well as an eyeshadow, especially because kiko eyeshadows come in such generous sizes.

252 is the muted lilac/purple. I am loving this colour so much at the moment, and I have nothing quite like it to create a bright, spring-y eye. Looking forward to giving that a go for sure.

As always, they are beautifully pigmented but silky smooth at the same time. When I create an eye look using these colours, I'll be sure to create a post on how they blended and wore- but knowing that the quality of my other eyeshadows is so good, I expect they will live up to others.

The lipstick is one of Kiko's smart lipsticks, and was on offer at 2.50, so I grabbed it. It's a pale peach: the kind of colour I LOVE this time of year. It's very sheer, a wash of colour with just the right amount of pigment to make it really pretty and wearable. Also- it smells like a MAC lipstick. I tried it on last night briefly and I couldn't get over how good it smells. It also leaves your lips feeling really nourished and plump. Definitely not a long-wearer, but one for the Summer months with a little more glossy- ness and the moisturising factor. (and the amazing price tag)

Thanks for reading!

Lou x