NOTD - Essie 'Splash of Grenadine'

Essie Splash of Grenadine

I've had no time to paint my nails in the last couple of weeks so I was determined to splash some colour on them now that spring has officially arrived. 

 I pulled out this little Essie number which I'd picked up a few months back but hadn't yet tried.

Splash of Grenadine is a warm, juicy lilac pink, very pretty and totally perfect for spring.
The formula was great, easy to apply and not too thick and gloopy. This is two coats with Essie Good to Go topcoat. You could get away with one decent coat though.

Splash of Grenadine

Not many colours are elegant, fun, bright and work appropriate, but this one definitely ticks all those boxes. I can see this being one of my favourites.

Would you be partial to a splash of grenadine?

Nudes & Neutrals Nail Wheel - Picture Heavy :)

They're easy to wear, effortlessly chic and forgive even a shaky hand, don't we all love a good nude nail polish?

Once upon a time 'natural' coloured nails were all about the French manicure and those sheer baby pinks which contrasted strongly against those vixen, wantonly reds and their even brasher, brightly coloured sisters.

Nowadays, nudes come in all different tones and there is definitely more than one way to go naked on the nails. Baby pink doesn't even get a look in....

I invested (well... all of £1.50 or something like that) in some nail wheels from ebay just before Christmas and I've been organising them into colour families, both for fun and also for my own reference. My collection has quadrupled since last year and sometimes I look into my nail boxes and just can't choose. These nail wheels will definitely help the painstaking decision making process :)

So, here is the 'jeans and t-shirt' nail wheel. My current and somewhat modest (hmmm must remedy that...) collection of neutral shades:

Here you can see the beautiful shimmer in the two Essie shades in the middle, Au Naturel and Sand of a beach

Another gratuitous pic of the Essie polishes! Check that fine shimmer!

Unfortunately I smudged the OPI, it took at least 4 coats to get that depth of colour, it's a very sheer polish.

 The OPI Altar Ego polish was my wedding day choice. It looks a lot better on the nail than on the dead white plastic of the nail wheel but it is quite sheer. It adds a pretty irridescent pink shimmer and is suitably bridal. It would make a nice layering polish, in fact I might try it over one of the others....

Here you can see the very fine shimmer in the Model's Own Pro polish (centre)

Swatching them all the wheel was a revelation, they are all quite different (to me at least!). I realised how much I really love some of them, and I have to say that it's an extremely close call between the two Essie polishes and my Ciate one, but I think that Ciate my still win the crown for being my favourite.  I also had a hankering to wear the Barry M Mushroom shade again, it's just so effortlessly chic and makes me feel 'expensive'!

Which shades do you like best?

Nude polishes, the line up!

NOTD - Essie Au Naturel

(Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a NUXE REVE DE MIEL lip balm! Giveaway closes on WEDNESDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2012!)

 Picture heavy post this one, because this is oh-so pretty and au-so naturel ;)

Essie Au Naturel (daylight)

Another perfect nude to add to my collection (which is growing at an alarming rate). This now rivals Ciate's My Fair Lady as my go-to nude. This is two coats with Essie Good to Go top coat.

Essie Au Naturel (artificial light)

 This polish applies beeooootifully. It's smooth and even and despite being quite sheer it's almost opaque in two coats. It's not meant to be a totally opaque polish though, it's a barely-there beige with a fine pearly shimmer which brings it to life and stops your nails looking  a bit flat.

Here you can see that gorgeous delicate shimmer!

 This would be a lovely bridal colour for brides who don't like the whole French manicure thing or more pinky-pink nudes.

As I'm no longer a bride (sob) I will have to content myself with wearing this as a married. Here are a few gratuitous hand shots to show off how elegant this polish makes the hands look...

Nothing else to say but LOVE LOVE LOVE....

What's your favourite nude polish?

New Essie treats

After a stressful couple of weeks (hence the lack of posts this month), I decided to treat myself to some new nail colours, partly to celebrate my new healthier nails, and partly because by chance I found Essie nail polish being sold at half price.

Essie is relatively new to Brussels. They started stocking it at some Di branches (Superdrug type stores) about two months ago, but I didn't know that they had it at the incredibly posh 'Haute Parfumerie' down the road from me on Place Stephanie. Senteurs d'Ailleurs has taken up a whole block on Place Steph and despite it's gorgeous dark alluring appearance it remains, to me at least, prohibitively intimidating. There is the parfumerie at the front, all black shelves and burning candles and shop assistants gliding around in sleek black suits. At the back via a separate entrance is the brighter, but equally intimidating 'Haute Cosmetique', where you can buy skincare and make-up. This is very much like Space NK in the UK.

So, the other day I saw a little paper on the door of the 'Haute Cosmetique'; 50% off all Essie polish.

I didn't really need much more encouragement to push open the door and shamelessly start grabbing bottles.

Splash of Grenadine

I was drawn to the sorbet berry gorgeousness that is Splash of Grenadine....

Mint Candy Apple

the chic, cool minty turquoise that is Mint Candy Apple...

Lapis of Luxury

the beautiful periwinkle tone of Lapis of Luxury....

Sand of a Beach

and the prettiest lilac, nude shimmer that is Sand of a Beach (how much do you love that name???)

Sand of a Beach has an incredible pink-lilac shimmer to it which I've tried (and probably failed) to capture here. It truly is STUNNING, like crushed mother of pearl on your nails. I can't wait to wear this!

These bottles were reduced to €6.89 each which is a great price for Essie polishes here in Europe. I urge all you pretty polish lovers to get yourselves down to Place Stephanie before they stop the offer, which I expect they will do soon, especially after I raided the joint again yesterday and also picked up Cute as a Button, Tart Deco and Au Naturel for good measure.....

Don't they all look purty together?

Senteurs d'Ailleurs is on 1a Place Stephanie, Brussels. If you're an expat and your hankering after brands you thought you could only find in the elsewhere then know that the Haute Cosmetique stocks Khiels, Laura Mercier, Bumble and Bumble, Molton Brown, Tom Ford Dermalogica & Eve Lom amongst others. The Haute Parfumerie stocks Jo Malone, Ormonde Jayne, Penhaligons and lots of other hard to find scents.

So, what colour should I try first?

NOTD - Essie French Affair

The oracle has spoken. Well, kind of. Here is the NOTD as chosen by some of you.

I'm so happy to be showcasing my new & improved nails! If you want to know more see my post on the product which saved them. 

Anyway, onto the colour. This is Essie French Affair, a cool-toned, almost lilac creamy pink. It's very opaque and was actually a bit tricky to apply neatly but with a little clean-up operation using a fine eye-liner brush and some remover I think I did a half-decent job.

 This is two coats with Essie Good to Go top coat. In these lights it leans more baby pink than it actually is, but everyone knows that pinks/purples are especially hard to capture on camera. It's actually a much cooler, brighter and lilac-toned shade which tops off the fingers like those candy sweets which contain so much colour they turn kids hyper.

I haven't worn a colour like this in.... well, actually I don't think I've ever in my life worn something like this, but I really like it! It's fun, and fresh and makes me long for spring. Oh, and it's uber girly and after weeks of slobbing about in unflattering jeans and manky old walking shoes because it's too wet and cold to go about in anything else, I'm welcoming a return to hyper-femininity...

Would you have a French Affair? ;)

NOTD - Essie 'Rose Bowl'

This was part of my American beauty haul and I tried it for the first time yesterday. It was not what I was expecting.

I think I was conned into thinking this would be more pink than it is. I'm a sucker for names and Essie went and named this Rose Bowl. To me rose means pink. I know that roses come in a myriad of colours, but I don't think red rose I think pink rose.

Essie Rose Bowl - artificial light

This is red. Like a true old-fashioned golden-age of Hollywood red. It could almost be a coral red in fact. It does have a pink undertone, but mostly this is pure glamour red.

The formula is much thicker than I would have liked and made application a bit more tricky than usual. On the plus side you could get away with one thick coat if you were in a rush, but two coats give optimum depth of colour. I topped it with Essie Good to Go fast dry top coat.

I wasn't sure I was crazy about it when I started to apply it. It wasn't the colour I was after. I wanted a more pronounced pink to the red.

After a few hours I realised that I couldn't stop staring at my hands. This shiny, bright uber glamorous red was incredibly cheering and made me feel like a bit of a fox.

Essie Rose Bowl - daylight

So in conclusion, me likey very much! I feel like I should be purring....

NOTD - Essie Trophy Wife

This just shows you the power of product naming. I bought this for the name, not the colour, although the colour is gorgeous in the bottle. Another bottle that I bought is called California Coral, so chosen because I'd just been to California.

Make whatever judgement you see fit.....

In the meantime here is Trophy Wife in all her glory:

Essie Trophy Wife - Indoors

Essie Trophy Wife - Outdoors, you can see the shine better here

I myself love the colour but I'm not sure she loves me. I'll try living with her a few days and see. I think it's the shimmer that doesn't quite convince me. I also think that the last time I wore a blue-y toned nail polish was in 1990-something.....

So what do we make of her royal trophy-ness?

USA Haul! - Part One

So here is the bulk of what I managed to pick up on my trip. I'd say 50% are nail products, but that's just because I'm nail crazed at the moment and everything was just so cheap out there I thought 'what the hell'!

I'm really excited about the new brushes though. Particularly the Real Techniques ones which are only available online in Europe, I think at www.love-makeup.co.uk.

Real Techniques Face Core Collection brushes -

I got mine from Ulta. They had sold out of everything  in the range and there was only this one kit left which is the face core collection. I think it was something like $15 which is an AMAZING price for such quality brushes. The case it comes in also works as a stand if you bend it back and secure it with the toggle supplied. Genius. What I love about these brushes is the unique shape of each of them. They are not your bog standard flat foundation brush and powder brushes, these are really formed to fit into the contours of the face for a flawless airbrushed finish. I have only tried the largest brush and the tiny concealer brush so far, but I'm loving them already, they are so, so soft and a pleasure to use. Big love to Sam Chapman who created them, this girl can do no wrong.

The other brush I got was a flat-topped face brush by Sonya Kashuk for Target.

 I just adore the handle, it's not only gorgeous to look at (it has a micro glitter/shimmer finish which the camera won't pick up) but it's also ergonomic and feels great in the hand. I haven't tried it yet but it's also incredibly soft. I just sat for 3 minutes brushing it up and down my arm, it feels that good.... yes, I know, I'm sad.


Also from Target I bought a whole load of Essie nail colours.

Essie nail colour in California Coral, Midnight Cami, Rose Bowl, French Affair and Trophy Wife (bought that one for the name!)

I have California Coral on my nails at the moment and it's a great replacement for my Rimmel Coralicious which glooped up on me and became unusable. I love the quality of these varnishes, they apply beautifully and last really well on the nails. I can't wait to try the others. No doubt there will be a few NOTD's coming up.

I also got some Sally Hansen nail stuff as no one knows nails like Sally.

Insta-dri nail colour in Quick Sand and Racey Rouge and Miracle Nail Thickener

Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips 

I wish I got more of the Sally Hansen colours, they are just brilliant! I have Racey Rouge on my toes and it's the only 1 coat polish I've tried that you can really use just one coat of. Drying time is incredibly fast too. These would be great if you really have very little time to do your nails and want maximum effect. And talking of maximum effect, I finally got my mitts on the nail polish strips. These are not stickers but strips of real nail polish which you transfer onto your nails. They come in a variety of designs as well as just plain colours, but I picked the black lace one and the gorgeous blue glitter effect one. I'm waiting for my nails to grow before I break into these babies as unfortunately they can only be used once. They do last a good week to ten days though (so I hear) and they are much much cheaper than getting a professional paint your nails for you.If you're curious, here's a video showing how it works.

Still hungry for more? Stay tuned for part two where we'll be talking lip scrubs, mega power pore strips, and no-budge liquid liners.

Click here for part deux!