NOTD - Ciaté 'My Fair Lady' gets crowned

I'm so in love with glitter at the moment but it sure is a royal pain in the **** (insert what word you see fit) to remove.

My solution is the now probably outdated 'ring finger manicure'. But I don't care because I love what I've done here.

I'm also in a nude nails phase and my all-time favourite, most perfect for me nude is Ciaté My Fair Lady, a freebie in one of the UK monthly mags a while back (can't remember which, sorry!). It turned out to be the best freebie ever as I am irrevocably, irredeemably & unconditionally in love with this polish. I crave to see it's creamy, doll-like prettiness caress my nails in what has to be the smoothest lacquer I've ever tried. It has in actual fact been my most used polish and is the only colour I will need a back-up of. If I can't find this again I will cry.

I decided to jazz her up a bit by adorning my ring finger with OPI Crown me Already! which gives me that oomph that I'm looking for as well as considerably alleviating the task of the dreaded glitter removal in a few days time.  Only one nail to battle with as opposed to ten. Yay.

This is only one coat of My Fair Lady and one coat of OPI on top on the ring finger Amazingly smooth and even coverage in one coat. For a nude polish that's almost unheard of. I have to say that I have a pinky ridge-filler base coat on so that probably helps. I normally do two coats but today I'm loving just the one.

And just to show you how it sets off the hand, here is a (almost) full hand shot complete with sparkler.

Ciaté My Fair Lady & OPI Crown me Already!

Apologies for the really short nails. They are peeling and flaking insanely and the only way I can deal with them at the moment is to cut them down and hope that they peeling eventually grows out. When they are a bit longer I'm going to attempt the graduated glitter French manicure, maybe with a bit of midnight blue thrown in. Can't wait.

Do you like the nude/glitter combo?

Belgian Math

In my inbox today from those marketing geniuses at Galeria Inno, Belgium's 'premier' (read 'only') department store:
 

Dear Galeria Inno Advantage Club Member

4 crazy days of shopping will commence on the 4th November and continue until 13th November
See those crazy discounts? You see 'em???

Now look at the dates. 4 days, right?

You do the math.....

Shadow Wardrobe - Nudes and Neutrals

Seasons come, seasons go, but some colours stay all year round. Like most people my go-to day looks are based on more neutral tones on the eyes, that is, on the days I wear shadow. Most days it's just liner and mascara. The thing is, daylight is harsh and unforgiving, even more so in autumn/winter, so I've been reaching for my old fail-safes more than I have been in the last few months.

My number one eye colour, Benefit Creaseless Cream shadow in Birthday Suit (a lovely pewter -champagne hybrid) has unfortunately gone missing otherwise it would be here and I would probably have hit the bottom of the pot by now. The fact that I mourn it's loss every time I need to swipe something quick and pretty on my lids is testament to its performance and versatility. Nothing has quite replaced it and I will be buying this again as soon as I can find it

From top, clockwise: Sleek Storm palette, Chanel Nymphea quad, Jemma Kidd Eye Wardrobe (Brown), MAC Creamy Bisque, Body Shop 09 (now discontinued)

Anyhow, here are my other neutral beauties which by some miracle I haven't managed to lose.... yet.

Sleek Storm Palette

This is my desert island palette. Every colour is uber pigmented, smooth and just beautiful. The quality far outshines it's modest price tag (I think these palettes are about £5.99 / €8.50) and every woman should have one. My most used shades are the matte browns (3rd top row, 5th bottom row) and the golds. The black is also matte and can be used as a liner too.
The dark blue (4th bottom row) has suffered as a result of me dropping this on the floor on numerous occasions. Oops.

Nymphea (love that name) is my first and only Chanel quad. It's probably pushing about 8 years old now and it's still going strong. The beige shade is almost at the pan. These are very easy to use as they are not that pigmented. Anyone, no matter how cackhanded can put a wash of these colours on the lid and look more than fine. These are very flattering shades and the green and peach just give the other colours a bit of 'lift', plus they are so sheer that they can be considered almost nude. Pigment isn't everything though, and I do believe there is a place for sheerer eyeshadows as not everyone can cope with pigment-rich products. These are the European baked version whilst the Chanel quads in the US are pressed shadows and I've heard these are smoother with more pigment. If I go to the US again then I'll pick up another quad there for comparison. Sacrifices, huh?

This unassuming little quad is Jemma Kidd Eye Wardrobe in Brown. It was sent to me when I was a tester for the Beauty Bible a few years ago and I fell in love with it. It would be the perfect bridal make-up palette. The colours are satin and matte and there is a unique 'dirty' gold shade which gives this palette a lovely twist on the usual brown-nude combo. These shadows can be a little dusty in texture, especially the white one, but as you can see that hasn't stopped me from using it. I've always had compliments when I wear this. I really like the colour combinations of the other quads so they are definitely worth checking out. Available at lookfantastic.com . £24

Jemma Kidd Eye Wardrobe in Brown

MAC Creamy Bisque

This was a recent purchase on a quick visit to MAC a few weeks back and it's my favourite MAC shadow so far. This is so versatile and can be used all over the lid or as an inner-corner highlight. It makes my eyes look so fresh. Just this and a slick of brown liner has been my most worn look this month and definitely Mr P's favourite. It's basically a warm, pale cream-beige with a touch of shimmer. During the day it brightens the eye, and at night the shimmer comes to life and sparkles very subtly. Beautiful....

Very old Body Shop shadow ( 09)

Not very exciting, I know. But this old dull looking shadow has garnered more compliments than any other shadow I have! Everyone asks me what I have on my eyes when I wear this. It's a warm taupe with a subtle duochrome effect which leans lilac. Wierd I know, and I should probably have swatched it for you, but my camera is being pants and just to photograph this lot took me 15 minutes and wrangled my nerves completely so just believe me when I says it's really, really purrrrty. :)

What are your favourite neutrals? Has anyone got the Storm palette and the Urban Decay Naked palette..... how do they compare?

Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm and hand cream review

Nuxe is one of those niche brands that I always used to hanker after when I was living back in the UK. It never used to be that easy to find and it kind of added to the allure of the products. The famous Huile Prodigieuse was hyped about no end and I remember snapping it up at the Sephora in Paris when I took a trip there many eons ago.

Now Nuxe is much more readily available, not least here in Belgium where it is literally in every pharmacy on every corner. Now that I'm surrounded by it it doesn't have that same pull that once had. Funny that.

Still, the other day I was out shopping and I spotted the Nuxe shelf in the sadness that is Galeria Inno, Belgium's answer to John Lewis (and may I just say, what a weak answer). Anyway, I quickly scanned the shelf and remembered that I'd recently heard praise lauded upon the Reve de Miel lip balm. Genuinely needing a new lip balm I thought I'd give it a go and while I was there I also picked up the Reve de Miel  hand cream.

I've been using the lip balm for only a few days now but I'm so in love with it I don't want to use anything else. I was seriously in love my my little green Vaseline tin before this, but now I realise that while the Vaseline grants instant comfort and a lot of lip slip, it doesn't really provide long lasting comfort. The Nuxe balm on the other hand is a strange creature. It's like a dry waxy balm which is not greasy or oily at all. It smooths onto the lips without a hint of shine but provides instant relief which lasts and lasts and .... lasts. My lips feel so comfortable, but like they are naturally comfortable and not just lubricated which is essentially what most lip balms do. This is the only lip balm I've found which leaves me with soft, matte lips and as such it's the most perfect base for lipstick I've ever come across.

My lips have always been in a pretty sorry state, cracking and flaking all the time. Vaseline helps but I have to keep it in my pockets at all times because it just wears/slips/gets eaten off. Since I have the Reve de Miel I can just put it on in the morning and I'm pretty much set. I'm not sure if it's possible for this to happen, but it feels like it just sinks into the lips. Relief at last.

I expected it to smell overwhelmingly sweet like honey, but to my nose I can just pick up a light orange smell, perhaps with a hint of honey but very slight. It's a very light scent which doesn't get in the way of eating (although not much could get in the way of me eating).

I can see myself re-purchasing this time and time again. It's not cheap, I paid about €10.70 for my little pot but I'm sure it can be found cheaper online, I've seen it selling for between £7-£10 so definitely shop around.

Highly recommended. Score 10/10

I get through A LOT of hand cream. Just like my lips my hands tend to get very dry, and often crack and bleed at the knuckles. I think it's partly because I'm a bit OCD about hygiene and I'm constantly washing my hands. I can't help it.

Anyhow, I always need a few tubes/pots of hand cream about the house. I'm actually thinking of doing a future post on the various ones I've tried and listing my favourites. 

Nuxe Reve de Miel Hand and Nail cream contains honey, vitamin E, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, shea butter, and all sorts of lovely stuff. It's indicated for dry and damaged hands so I expected it to be thick and very rich, a bit like the L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream. In actual fact it comes closer to a lotion than a thick cream and is a lot lighter than I would expect for a cream meant for cracked and damaged skin. Having said that it leaves my hands feeling very comfortable, soft and non-greasy. At the moment my hands are not in the worst condition and this cream serves me very well so do not be put off by the 'dry and damaged hands' indication. It's a great hand cream all round. 

Again, like the lip balm, it doesn't smell of honey, but the smell of this is quite strong. I can't work out what it smells like exactly, but if you know L'Occitane's Shea Butter hand cream (the really famous one) then it's like a stronger, fresher version of that. I kind of wish it did smell a bit softer and honey-like as I'm not a fan of strong smelling hand creams. I've been using this before I go to sleep and the smell lingers on a bit too much for my liking.

I paid €11.25 for my 75ml tube. Again, prices will vary but I've seen it online for between £10-£11. 

I'm happy to use this up as it leaves my hands feeling lovely and smooth, but due to the scent I'm not sure I'd want to buy it again. Score 7/10

Have you tried Nuxe products? Any recommendations?

NOTD - Sinful Halloween

It seems very appropriate that I created this Halloween nail art using Sinful Colors nail polish....

Halloween nails a' la Fleur de Force!

I cannot take credit for the design, I just copied the lovely Fleur de Force so if you want to see how to do it then click here for the youtube video.

Add caption

My tools were: Sinful Colors nail polishes in Cloud 9 (pumpkin orange shimmer), Black on Black, and Snow me White, along with a touch of Mavala Bronze Green (155) on the top of Mr Pumpkin Face (that's the ring finger, folks). I topped everything off with Essie Good to Go topcoat as I didn't have a glitter topcoat like Fleur.

Sinful Colors

I used two coats of the orange. Once dry I formed the different designs on the nail using a cocktail stick dipped into the black polish which I previously blobbed on some paper. My tip is to practice the designs on paper first just so you know what you're doing! When the black was dry I blobbed a bit of white on the paper and added tiny eyes, and lines for the pumpkin and spider web. The pumpkin also has a touch of green for his stalk. Awwwwww...

I thought the left hand would be murder but actually it wasn't nearly as difficult as I imagined. I have a steady hand. I could have been a surgeon but decided to sing instead.... and blog.

Mr P thinks I'm missing a neuron or two, but I'm too old for Trick or Treat so I'll get my kicks from nail art, thank you very much.

Give it a go, it's so much fun. The spider web was actually the trickiest.... on my left hand it bears no resemblance whatsoever to anything at all. So maybe it was a good thing after all that I didn't pursue that career in surgery.

And for some completely non beauty related, check out my little pumpkin chilli light display....

Happy Halloween!

Welcome Lush haul

The new Lush store opened yesterday in Place Stephanie, Brussels so I went down there to join the fun. There was a band playing outside and lots of pretty sales assistants dressed up in fifties-style dresses with matching hair and make-up. The store is teeny tiny, but there was a good, fun atmosphere and everyone was obviously very excited.

I picked up some old favourites along with some new things which I hadn't tried before.

Jungle solid conditioner - my no 1 Lush product of all time.

Jungle solid conditioner (€4.95 / £2.95) was the first thing I threw into my basket. I need this in my life, really I do.  It's amazing for my thick, curly hair and smells like a lush tropical paradise. It's pretty small, it used to come in a massive block like their soaps which they would cut for you in whatever size you wanted. I preferred it the old way as these little ones don't last me long. I have a serious amount of hair, which is why I never go the hairdresser because I'd feel sorry for them having to deal with my crazy mane. Anyway, this baby Jungle will last me about 20 washes, so it's not bad really. Most bottles of conditioner last me for about 15-20 washes.

Karma Komba shampoo bar

 I've bought this little shampoo bar (€8.75 / £5.00) so many times. It smells like orange and patchouli and makes me more than happy to wash my hair. These do last a long time, Lush estimate about 60 washes, I'd probably get about 30-40, plus Mr P likes to use this too, so I'll have to re-stock sooner probably. It detangles beautifully and pairs exceptionally well with Jungle.

Snowglobe soap

Mr P loves his soaps. His favourite is Ice Blue which I couldn't see there yesterday, so I picked up Snowglobe (€4.50 / £2.50) instead. It's a Christmas one, but it doesn't smell very Christmassy. This is very citrus and fresh. There hasn't been a Lush soap I haven't liked yet, so I'm looking forward to getting to know this one.

Dirty Shower gel

Another purchase for Mr P. I love the smell of this though and I think we'll be fighting over it. It smells 'clean', slightly herby, and slightly minty too. (€7.95 / £4.95 for 100ml)

Grass (Supergrass en Belgique!) shower gel

Grass shower gel (€8.25 / £4.75 for 100ml) was my freebie which they threw into my bag at the till. I wouldn't have picked this up off the shelf, but I'm glad they chucked it in. I used it this morning and it really is a gorgeous, complex mossy green smell. Like cut grass in 3D. It's meant to be a smell that reminds you of Spring, but I actually find it very Autumnal. I think Mr P will like this too.

Vanishing Cream (L'Oracle) moisturiser

 I'm running very low on my Effaclar K (La Roche Posay) and seeing as my skin is behaving a little better I thought I'd invest in a slightly richer moisturiser. As it get's colder I'm going to need that extra bit of moisture barrier which Effaclar doesn't really give me. The sales assistant recommended L'Oracle (€ 25.95 / £16.95) (Vanishing Cream in the UK/US) as being great for sensitive, breakout-prone skin. It smelt divine too, so into the basket that went.

Colour Supplement in Dark Yellow (Jaune foncé)

 I was very excited to finally try one of the Colour Supplements (€15.95 / £7.95). They are tiny pots of highly pigmented cream which you mix with moisturiser or use neat. They can be used as foundations, tinted moisturisers and concealers.

Dinky, but this is the full size and not a sample!

 As you can see from the picture above, the pot is tiny, but a little goes a long way. I picked the Dark Yellow shade (there are 5 shades altogether but most of them are pretty light). I was attracted by the versatility of this product, and the fact that you can vary the coverage depending on the ratio of colour to moisturiser that you choose to mix. Today I gave it a try for the first time, mixing a little with Vanishing Cream. I don't think I got the ratio right, I felt I needed a bit more colour. Having said that it seems to blend into the skin beautifully, even when applied neat. I had trouble getting the swatches below to show up because every time I applied a streak of product to my skin it would just blend in completely! A good sign I guess.

Colour Supplement (Dark Yellow)

Dark Yellow swatched on hand

Dark Yellow swatched thickly on arm

 Catastrophe Cosmetic fresh face mask

 

I haven't used a Lush face mask in years. I'm trying to use masks more regularly as I think that my skin benefits a lot the more I use them. I've recently finished up a load of half used tubes of mask (great for Project Pan!) so I figured it was time to try something new. Catastrophe Cosmetic (€10.95 / £5.50) is a calming and purifying blueberry based mask which is meant to prevent breakouts and reduce inflammation. It's fresh, so you keep it in the fridge. I can't wait to try this out.

The only thing that upsets me somewhat is the price difference between euros and sterling. Some prices are comparable, and others are just doubled. It makes me feel a bit sore about spending my hard-earned cash there in future. Still, this is Belgium. Most things are more expensive here, apart from high-end cosmetics strangely enough, which I often find to be slightly cheaper than in the UK.

Detailed reviews of Vanishing Cream, Catastrophe Cosmetic and the Colour Supplement to come!

NOTD - OPI & Mavala - Crown me with Silver!

Crown me with Silver.... geddit?

Behold, lots of gratuitous pictures of glittery nails.  I received OPI Crown me Already! for my birthday from my lovely Godmother and I've been itching to put it to use. I'm not really one for glitter to be honest, but at the moment glitter polishes are de rigeur so I thought what the heck.

Now I'm for glitter. I'm upset that none of my pictures do this justice, but believe me when I say that it's like having millions of tiny diamonds at my fingertips. The particles just catch the light beautifully and throw it around all over the place.

OPI Crown me Already! on top of Mavala Silver

I layered the OPI over  Mavala Silver. I really don't like this silver, it's very blah and very pearly and streaks like crazy. My idea was that one coat underneath the glitter would give the overall look a bit more depth and thankfully it does. The glitter on it's own, though pretty would just look patchy.

So this is one coat of Mavala Silver and one coat of Crown me Already. When applying glitter polish the trick is to dab it onto the nail rather than draw the brush down like you would with normal polish. This way you get a better coverage of glitter and less 'bald' patches. LOL

OPI Crown me Already! Sparkly!

The last two pics I took in the bathroom, the light was better there for catching the reflection of the glitter.

I was tempted to make a video showing exactly how stunning this looks when the fingers move under the light. I'm hypnotised!

OPI Muppets Collection, here I come......

Will you be wearing glitter this season?