A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I adore China Glaze’s Ruby Pumps at Christmastime (me and everyone else) but I didn’t want to wear it quite so full on until a bit later in the month.  I decided to pair it up with a black creme for a little more subtlety.  Can you tell I’m still loving the whole dark nails thing?

HJ Manicure sent me a couple of their mini polishes to try and one of them was this rather basic black called Midnight.

Basic = a bit boring yes?… but basic also = essential… hmmm… like leggings! (stay with me, this analogy will make sense)… You want your leggings to be opaque, easy to pull on and look fabulous on the backside right?  Well, Midnight is your favourite pair of leggings.  It’s a beautifully glossy creme which is a solid 2 coater and really easy to apply.  I probably wouldn’t wear it on it’s own but combined with a coat of glitter (a fantastic jumper dress – see, this analogy is my best yet) it’s a total knockout.

The first picture doesn’t actually do this quick and easy mani much justice, I wore it up to London and had many nice comments on my ‘lit from within’ stumps. (Grow, grow, grow!)  The most realistic impression comes from the little finger in the top picture… you can see the red glow within the black base… see how it’s almost opal like.  The other fingers unfortunately make it look a bit gritty which it totally doesn’t.

Have you been wearing any combinations?  Do you like pairing polishes up with a great black base? Give me some ideas!

Introducing the Stumpsters!  My new look teeny weeny fingernails!

The fabulous LionLovingTiger brought it to my attention that every cloud has a silver lining and that now was the time to break out those dark vampy shades!  And she was so right!

I thought I’d break out the bottle of Jessica Nails polish I won in in a Twitter giveaway a couple of weeks ago.

I’m loving this polish!  The longevity is ah-mazing! 4 days so far and no tip wear that I can see, although maybe that’s because my ‘tips’ end below my finger pads now that I think of it.. oh well, either way, no chips or flakes or any such nonsense.

It applied like a dream, 1 coat to reach opacity but 2 to tidy it up.  It is a glitter (and boy does it sparkle).  I finished with a coat of Seche Vite (my first ever use – I know, shocking!)  Which completely smoothed the gritty surface that glitters leave behind.  I’m not exactly relishing the thought of removal, but Helen gave me some great tips that I will be putting to good use!

Buy Jessica Nails Polish from TSBeautyShop

George at Asda I mean…

They must be? How else can they possibly be knocking out such awesome shades for £1.50 a bottle?

This is hmmm… how can I best describe.  A gilded olive?

I hate greens, but this I love.  So if you hate greens too, try it…. seriously – it’s beautiful!

It’s a metallic, so there is some evidence of brush stroke but no more than my higher end metallic polishes and even less than some.

It’s called Superstar and really is something special.

Application and longevity are in line with the rest of the George shades I’ve tried.

Unfortunately, this will go down in history as the “last shade”.  The “last shade” before stump-gate.  No matter, it’s beautiful.

Look! *sniff*

My thumbnail broke last night on a ring pull 🙁  It didn’t just break.  It fractured halfway down the nail bed.

I’m trying to be grown up about it, honest I am!  I mean, they’re nails for chrissake, and I was overdue a chop… but I didn’t wanna chop them down to my knuckles!

On the plus side…

~ I can now type without waking the neighbours
~ My iPhone actually responds when I tap it
~ I won’t be waking up with random claw marks on my cheeks
~ Leila doesn’t have to dodge the nails of doom mid-nappy change
~ I can scoop product out of jars without that horrible “loadsofshitstuckundermynailsgetitoff” feeling.
~ I can pick my nose without damaging my brain 😉

On the negative side…

~ I have stumpy nails.

See where the break began?  Stoopid ring pull.

Ok, I realise this post is *incredibly* self indulgent, but I did have more in mind than just to invite you all to my pity party.

….

See how yellow my nails are?  That’s from using copious amounts of nail polish.

You’re supposed to be able to avoid it by using a good basecoat.  Not sure on that one, I do use good basecoats and it doesn’t seem to matter which brand I use… I still get yellow nails.  Infact, as an ex-smoker… my nails have never been yellower than they are now.

So my point is, this gives me the perfect opportunity to trial 3 things that have been waiting for a test.

1). Bubble White Nail Cleaner (available at Sally Beauty)

I have a sachet of this hiding somewhere in my bathroom cabinet, I shall dig it out and give it a try.

2). Barielle Nail Brightener

One of the goodies Barielle sent me.  I was a bit disappointed when I saw it was a cosmetic product as opposed to a treatment.  But if the Bubble White doesn’t do it’s job, I’ll be very pleased to try it!

3. Nailene So Natural/Real/Couture Glue on Nails (I *think* you can get these in Boots – any confirmation gratefully received!)

It’s been many years since I’ve worn glue-on nails… I hope technology has improved since then, or these will last about 45 minutes on my fingers.

So um yeah… every cloud and all that… *sniff sniff*

For the girl who has everything, priced at £15 each.

Click the image to go to the Nails Inc Christmas Shop.

They Say:

For the girl who has everything. Collect all 3 of these irresistible new shades with gorgeously glitzy crystal caps. These are the perfect stocking fillers and are the ultimate accessory for your dressing table. Snap up all 3 and treat someone to an extra special gift this year.

The shades available are:

Warwick Avenue – Soft Pale Pink
Henrietta Street – Deep Pink Red
Bow – Dark Purpler Shimmer

Special note for Mr. L:

*The girl who has everything*

So far, all the Ciates I’ve tried are consistent in formulation.  They’re thick but not quite gloopy and they dry like lightning.  If I knew how to thin nail polish down… I probably would with these.

If you’re quick enough, application is great!  It dries to a smooth glossy finish and lasts like the Duracell Bunny.

Plastic Fantastic is a great shade… it’s not mind-achingly beautiful, but it’s a solid mauvey pink which is sensible enough to be completely work safe.

Recommended.

So, I’m not a big glitter fan.  I’m really not.  I don’t mind how it looks (as long as it’s not rainbow coloured)… but the thought of the removal process makes me want to stick forks in my eyes.

Barielle sent me a couple of shades for review, and I may have physically shuddered in a glitter-induced repulsion when I saw this one.

I mean look…. it’s chunky!

However, the polish itself is a beautiful mid-toned blue, infact it’s quite an unusual combination… I’ve never seen blue and copper combined like this in a polish.  Website describes it as gold, but it’s definitely a more rose gold/coppery colour.

I am *so* on a blue kick since that George beauty.  And this Barielle shade is doing nothing to quench those flames!  B-e-a-utiful!

I don’t like the rough feeling that glitter polishes leave and despite a top coat… my mani still felt bumpy but there’s no denying the blue/copper combination works.

I’ve waited ’till removal before writing up this post, and removal was just as horrible as I had anticipated… in the end, I poured some polish remover into the cap of the bottle and soaked each finger individually before I developed RSI from all the wiping.

These Barielle’s are probably some of the longest-wearing polishes I’ve used.  6 days in with this one and I have absolutely no tip wear.  Application was fine, with no issues at all.  I don’t know if glitter polishes tend to have more or less issue with application than normal?  But this was good.

Are you a fan of glitters?  Any removal tips for me? Liking this one?

I’m supposed to be chopping my nails off in my 6 weekly “prune” but I want to enjoy them being long for just a while longer.

Anyway, here’s another from the Barielle Shade’s range…

Make it a Latte is a very pretty warm-toned brown with shimmer.  Perfect for Autumn.  When I saw it in the bottle I was very hesitant as to how this would turn out on my cool-toned skin, but it works surprisingly well.

You’ll also be pleased to hear that the above is one coat.  Yes ladies and err ladies, we have a genuine one-coat wonder in our midst!  You can see on the side of my thumbnail where I didn’t apply *so* carefully and it’s a little patchy, but elsewhere (where I took a little more time) it’s perfect!

Application was fine with no issues and drying time was average.  Wear has been really good with barely any tip wear at all.

Barielle Shades are available to buy direct from Barielle

Ok, ok, I’m sorry… I never normally post 2 NOTD’s in such quick succession, let alone back to back!

But I physically couldn’t wait to show you guys this one.

You already know how impressed I was with my first George at Asda polish experience… Raincloud, that smooth pale grey remember?

Well check this bobby dazzler out…

I can’t stop looking at my nails, truly.

This is the most perfect blue I’ve ever seen.

It’s called Indigo Dazzle and really is rather exquisite.

Application was a bit frustrating, it didn’t dry that quickly (unlike Raincloud) and when I applied the first coat it was a hot streaky mess as it tried to drag the polish off my nail as fast as I could lay it down.

I think the trick to this one is to appy a thin 1st coat to get the best base of colour that you can, then just go back and be fairly heavy handed with the 2nd coat (whilst trying to avoid bubbling from applying too thickly).  Considering I was much more heavy handed with the 2nd coat I only got 1 bubble which is pretty damn good for a £1 polish.

However, application issues aside… this colour does something to me.

It’s a true blue… no purple or green reflects allowed and it literally glows from within.  I’m so excited to have found these, it makes the weekly food shop *so* much more interesting!

George at Asda Nail polishes, can be found (unsurpisingly) at Asda, they’re currently priced at £1 a bottle and there were a staggering number of shades to choose from when I last looked.

Do you like?

Yano when you’re shopping… and it’s been an el-crappo experience… your money is burning a hole in your pocket but you just can’t find *anything* to commit to… everything is… for want of a better (or even actual) word… meh.

I had one of those days in town.. lots of nice money practically setting my pants alight and nothing that caught my eye enough to extinguish them.  Until I popped into Superdrug and sidled up to the Sleek stand.

I prodded at the blushers… meh.

I eyeballed the lipsticks…. meh meh.

Just as I was about to leave, frown intact – I cast my eyes downwards and caught sight of the nail polishes.  Nail polishes? I didn’t even know Sleek did nails?  Well, obviously I haven’t emerged from that rock of mine enough… cos there they were all lined up like beacons of salvation ready to save me from a shit shopping trip.

I picked up two shades: Royalty (Blackened Red Shimmer) and Poison Ivy (Blackened Green Shimmer) but got the guilts at the checkouts thinking of all those polishes sat at home still untouched and left Poison Ivy at the counter.

Anyway, how do I like Royalty?  I like it a lot!

It is absolutely packed with subtle shimmer – beautiful!

Application? It could be a one-coater if you were a little more careful with application than me.  The above photo shows two coats with no top coat (I’m so lazy about top coats).

It dries fast, perhaps a tiny bit too fast for slowcoaches like me… but as soon as I picked up the pace, I had no problems with application.

This is such a Christmassy shade, I can’t wait to check out the others available!

Nailed Nail Polish by Sleek is available from most Superdrugs.

Pudsey is an iconic figure associated with BBC’s Children in Need and Jessica Nails have released a limited edition collection of bear-shaped bottles timed to appear alongside this year’s campaign.

Each bottle sold will raise £2 for the BBC Children in Need Appeal.

The ultra-cute bear shaped bottles are available in 4 colours:

~ Bazaar – A delectable deep cherry red
~ Midnight Moonlight – A deep midnight blue with a subtle shimmer
~ Pharaoh – A stunning hot pink
~ Notorious – Decadent chocolate brown with a hint of shimmer

I’m partial to a bit of “midnight blue shimmer” and if I can indulge whilst supporting a very worthwhile cause, even better!

These retail at £8.95 each and can be purchased online from LookFantastic

You can also follow Jessica Nails on Twitter

I’m *nearly* over the whole matte top coat thing… a couple more mani’s then I’ll be able to move on.

This is Barielle’s Shades range in “Grape Escape” – It’s gorgeous.  It’s actually better glossy… but well, I’m a mattifying sheep.

Application is smooth – this is 2 coats.  No issues to speak of, perhaps a touch slow drying… but nothing a quick-dry top coat doesn’t fix.

Desperate to check out some more colours… looks like they have a lovely A/W collection out at the moment.  Let me introduce you…

Putt-E-On-Me – Classic clay

Blackened Bleu – Black with turquoise glitter

Lava Rock – Black with red pearl swirl

I don’t even like glitter and I’m salivating at the thought of the black/turquoise one!

L-R: Putt-E-On-Me, Blackened-Bleu, Lava Rock.

Check out the range at Barielle