Lacquer love!

Looking at my current nail polish collection it's hard to believe that just over six months ago I owned less lacquers than I can count on my fingers.

With most things beauty I go through obsessive stages, one month it's blush the next lipgloss, my only constant addiction has been lipsticks which I'm sure you all know I have zero restraint for.

Nail polish is quickly catching up though, I love the fact that you don't have to spend a lot to find a great polish, it's one of the only items that I really think goes against the belief ' you get what you pay for'.

At least 90% of my collection are from the drugstore, most costing less than £5 each. I find it really difficult to justify spending more than that on one when I know how great the cheaper ones are.

If I ever buy an expensive polish which rarely happens it's because the blogger hype got to me or it's a really unique shade.

On to storage, hopefully it may give you some ideas for your collection.

Up until recently my polishes were kept in a cardboard box not great visually or organisation wise all piled on top of each other.

While talking to a good PR friend she told me she stored hers in a fish bowl and how great it looked to have all the colours on display.

Genius! It seems such a shame to hide them.

I did think about venturing into my local Pets at Home store on my search but going into a pet shop with a persuasive four year old can only lead to one thing, something small and furry!

Instead I went somewhere much safer, TKMaxx.

Ok, so it isn't quite a bowl more of a half bowl on one leg but it still works and looks great on my dressing table.

I also use a divider for the polishes that I have quite a few of from the same brand.

Again from TKMaxx, it has six compartments and is pretty but at the same time functional. I love going to the home section of TKMaxx, most things aren't necessarily made for make-up storage but are easily converted!

Like I said above drugstore polish rocks, here are my fave brands:

• Mavala - £3.49 Tiny and great quality but perfect for those of us that only use the same colour a few times.
  
• Barry M - £2.99 Fab colours and good quality, always on offer too!
• Revlon - £6 something! Love these, amazing quality and on trend colours.
• Sue Moxley - around £4 Gorgeous shades and a great matte range.
• Collection 2000 Hot Looks - £2 Great colours
• 17 Lasting Fix - £2 something Nice quality, lasting power and on trend shades.
• N.Y.C Quick Dry - £2.99 Love these, such great quality and colours!
  

Talking of N.Y.C here is my current colour of the week, Canal Street.

There is only one word to describe this shade, beautiful!

I've been wearing it all week and I love it, this warm reddy/purpley brown is perfect for Autumn.

Not as harsh as black this deep shade looks really amazing on the nails. It has so many colour dimensions to it that it changes constantly, there are tones of red, purple, copper and brown.

Do you spend or save your nails? Any more brands I should know about?
xxx

Minerals revisited after many rocky relationships! Is this a keeper?

I've had a few brief encounters with mineral make-up in the past. Wooed by their tall promises of better skin and a fuss free flawless coverage I purchased many brands but was mostly left bitterly disappointed.

The majority didn't mix well with my combination/oily skin leaving me looking shiny, powdery and quite frankly gross after a few hours of wear.

While others the colour was just never right. For some reason mineral make-up shades are much harder to match, I find they are often too yellow or golden in tone meaning I resorted to buying two shades to mix, not cheap!

The only one I ever found that matched my skin and had lasting power was Perscriptives All Skins minerals, a great foundation but unfortunately no longer available except perhaps in a CCO somewhere.

I mourned this loss and moved on, well back actually to a base of a liquid kind, until now!

Cue total 360 foundation routine.

Last time I used Bare Minerals seems like yonks ago, I purchased a starter kit and didn't think much of it, nothing stand out for me so it was passed along to my mum.

My make-up loving mate, Helen, came to stay last week and gushed about her love for Bare Minerals latest foundation Matte, intrigued I gave hers a go.

Instant love.

It offers:

• Great buildable coverage, covers blemishes and redness really well due to the yellow tones which equal out the red in the skin.
  
• Offers a matte but still slightly luminous finish
• Is non cakey on the skin
• Lasts all day with no touch ups until about 6pm, easy to layer on top for flawless finish again
• Is great for carrying around if touch up is needed (highly unlikely even on my melting face)
• Easy to apply for an even finish
• Looks great on the skin in daylight, huge bonus!!
• Feels light on the skin, weightless!

It is a great foundation for a lovely even finish and lasting power but it isn't perfect, here are some cons:

• Expensive, a 6g tub is £24, Bare Minerals used to offer 9g for that price! They have since changed their packaging and added a twisty, non spilling lid which apparently warrants the loss of an extra third ??
• It is going to run out quickly, I have had it just over a week and already I can see it going down!
• The colours aren't great, I tried many and most are very yellow toned or very golden nothing softer. The MA tried to sell me Medium which to be quite honest looked purple, I ignored and plumped for Light, not perfect but good.
• It takes me longer to apply this than any liquid but in my mind worth it due to longevity.
• It does seem to emphasise the pores on my nose, not good but I do have a solution (read on)
  

I don't know why but most people think applying mineral make-up is fast and fuss free, personally I find it takes twice as long as any liquid base.

Lots of swirling, tapping, buffing and arm ache to get a nice flawless finish, the result is worth it though.

I apply mine using probably my top brush of all time, Sephora's professional mineral powder brush (45) which is one you must grab at a given opportunity. Super soft and dense it's a mini kabuki with a handle, great for everything!

To combat the pore problem I mentioned above, I'm happy to say I finally have a use for my Laura Mercier Mineral Primer which until recently sat unloved in my drawer.

A really nice product to have for mineral lovers, the soft white powder buffs into the skin evening out the texture and colour creating a good canvas for the foundation and disguises pores amazingly.

I am wearing it here but not a great close up, sorry!

Unfortunately I smashed my camera a few weeks ago so I don't have any 'as seen on' pics to offer you but when I get another sorted I will post some.

Are you a fan on minerals? Have you tried the Matte version??
xxx

Help:clear skin, will it work?

Although I have never suffered from acne and rarely get breakouts I know plenty of people who have. I have seen first hand how much it can affect their confidence, the way they live and ultimately who they are.

My brother in his late teens developed severe acne, he tried absolutely everything going to banish the spots.He took every tablet, tried all topical treatments and even resorted to using a facial tanning machine (not recommended) to get some UV rays at home.

Nothing helped, his acne didn't get any better and as a last resort with the advice from his dermatologists he was given a course of Roaccutane to take.

Roaccutane is an extremely harsh drug given to people with the severest of acne cases to prevent excess sebum production. It is so strong that certain cancer patients are given it to kill the rapidly dividing cells and it can cause some pretty awful side effects (some patients become suicidal and majorly depressed).

Luckily he had none and his acne did clear up eventually but maybe your currently in a similar situation? You've tried most acne treatments but nothing has worked and your considering the harsher drugs like Roaccutane?

Help:clear skin with the exclusive Bedcrumb purse.

Have you ever given food supplements a go? Really cleansed from the inside to improve your skin's condition?

I know there are a bizillion on the market right now and help:clear skin is one of them but the thing that stands out for me is that help:clear skin is 100% natural, has NO side affects and is clinically proven to improve the skin after three weeks of use.

Which coincidentally I will be putting to the test!

Well not me personally but my guinea pig for the next three weeks, Anias, a brave friend (for posing with zero slap) and a qualified beautician.

Anias has suffered from breakouts and uneven skin tone as long as she can remember so she will be taking help:clear skin twice daily and updating me on her progress.

I have to say after researching the brand it does look very promising, medical trials have shown that acne sufferers saw a whopping 95% decrease in inflammation within just two months.

I really recommend taking a look at the Works with Water website if your considering investing in supplements to treat your skin, there's a lot of information on how and why it works.

As far as skin supplements go Help:clear skin isn't cheap, a week's pack costs £14.79 and a month's supply is currently £49.99 but with the added bonus of 10 free sachets and a free designer purse to keep them in.

The quirky and girly essentials bag was designed by up and coming boutique fashion brand, Bedcrumb and is free with every months supply ordered online at the moment.

Help:clear skin is also available to buy at Tesco, Asda and Waitrose.

I'll update you in a week on my testers progress if I can convince her to pose sans make-up again!!

Have you ever tried a skin supplement? Did they work?
xxx

Storing your stash - Brushes

So you have your make-up, you've built a nice collection but how do you store it? Where do you go to buy your storage solutions?

Well, in answer to these questions my next few posts will be all about how I keep my collection in order (most of the time) and vaguely stylish on a small budget.

It's taken me almost two years to get my stash organised but I'm loving the finished result.

I'm not a matchy, matchy kinda girl so there is no set theme to my storage, it's a bit of this and that. I like to call it quirky organisation, modern convenience meets shabby chic!

First topic, brushes!!

Arguably the most important beauty tools in any collection because let's face it what's a great blush without a great brush!

Above is the only piece I have that is purpose made for make-up storage, everything else I use is random home ware I've converted to house my cosmetics.

I love this vintage brush holder by Paul & Joe, it has two compartments and houses my smaller sized brushes, it isn't as deep as other holders making it perfect for my brushes with shorter handles.

I'm not sure if this is still available as I purchased this from Zuneta about a year or so ago but it's worth searching for as it's a great size for smaller brushes, most are much too deep.

All my larger eyeshadow brushes are housed in this pretty, cream, 'shabby chic' inspired toothbrush holder that I found on King's Road in Zara Home.

I always look in the bathroom section of home ware stores while out shopping as they have great vases or holders which are the perfect size for brushes in some lovely designs.

This distressed mirrored vase was a gift from a friend and I believe it was from TKMaxx ( I stand corrected John Lewis, sorry Hel) which 'btw' have some of the best stylish but cheap storage solutions around.

I love browsing their home ware section and I've found some great bargains over the years!

As it's quite a deep vase I stuff it with tissue paper at the bottom which helps to raise the brushes and also makes a nice soft but sturdy base for them.

Now this is probably my favourite piece of storage, I found this pale pink, shabby chic vase in a random home shop in a market town near me a few months ago.

I was expecting it to be expensive but when I turned it over it was under a fiver! What a bargain and I must go back for more soon.

I find the key to finding great storage is to have an open mind while you shop, as make-up is on my brain most of the time anywhere I go I'm thinking 'ooh what can I put in that?'.

The best places to look:
- Zara Home
- TKMaxx
- Matalan
- Supermarket home sections
- Bathroom shops
-Small gift/home ware shops

Hope this helped and I'd love to know how you store your stash?!
xxx

Snap up a copy

I picked up a copy of this months Marie Claire on Saturday to ease the boredom of train travelling and not only did I get a great read but one of my favourite nail polishes free with it!

Boudoir brand Ciate have two scarlet shades available with this edition, Mistress, a classic red and Dangerous Affair, a burgundy.

I went with Mistress and I love it!

A really bright but classic red with a slight orange undertone, a great staple for any beauty addicts nail polish collection.

Two coat perfection

Ciate make some of the best nail polishes on the market including one of my all time favourite shades, Sugared Almonds (click to see), the only bottle I have ever nearly finished.

At £9 a bottle Ciate isn't cheap so it's worth grabbing Marie Claire to get your mitts on one or two (I'm going back for Dangerous Affair)!

Marie Claire are also offering readers a generous 25% off all orders on the Ciate website with the code CIATE25MC which ends on the 27th October.

I've already made my wish list so expect a Ciate haul soon! Did you grab a copy?
xxx

Winging it

Winged eyeliner forms the basis of my everyday signature look which 99% of the time goes like this, contoured cheeks, defined eyes, lashings of mascara and a nude lip.

As I don't have the biggest eyes I find that I need to emphasise them with eyeliner to make them stand out. I know not everyone likes the winged look but as my eyes are almond shaped this effect works best on me.

Over the years I have tried hundreds of eyeliners, you name it I've probably bought it! Across all budgets to all types! Gels, cakes , liquids, powders, felt tips, brushes and pencils.

This eyeliner is quite possibly one of the best I have ever tried and the funny thing is I would never have tried it if it hadn't been given to me at a recent event.

I do NOT usually wear black ever so would never have bought it but this liner has changed my look/opinion completely.

Most blacks I find are simply too harsh as I'm fair, dark browns are usually much more flattering but Abyss isn't the usual flat black.

Even when it dries which by the way takes seconds (super fast) it stays looking shiny and glossy making it strangely much more wearable.

I know a lot of people find getting the perfect line with a liquid eyeliner difficult but this is one of the easiest I have to apply.

The applicator (felt tip) does not drag allowing a fluid motion and the tip is nice and fine giving you a lot of control to create the line and shape you like.

Personally I like a thicker line, I don't really wear eyeshadow most days and like my flick to do the talking so I use the tip on the inner corner and then use the side of the liner to get a thicker line across the lid.

I then use the tip again to draw on my flick, voila!

Although I do love a lot of eyeliners regarding their application and finished look the thing that is the ultimate test for me is their lasting power.

I have very watery eyes annoyingly, which means the majority of the time eyeliners disappear in my outer corner.

Precision Ink is described as waterproof by Illamasqua and although it is very long lasting and hard to remove it is stilled rubbed off by my tears if they water.

Having said this it does withstand my acid tears much better than most of my other favourite eyeliners, YSL eyeliner Moire, Bourjois Clubbing liquid liner and Mac's Liquidlast liner.

Removal is like most other strong eyeliners, any oil based eye make-up remover will do, I use Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover (best ever).

If you want a really good liquid liner the Precision Ink is fabulous, it's unique finish, ease of use, super fast drying time and lasting power make it well worth investing in (£16.50).

I really love this product and hope Illamasqua bring out some more colours, a dark brown and sapphire would be amazing.


Would you like to see a winged eye tutorial using this on YT? Let me know below :)
xxx

Mac's Venomous Villains Sneak Peek

Mac's hottest collection of the year, Venomous Villains was unveiled last night to some very excited British beauty bloggers a week early.

Inspired by the Dark Side of Disney the collection has four parts corresponding to each of the evil cartoon villains.

Cruella De Vil, the fur loving, skunk haired glam villain from 101 Dalmatians.

Evil Queen, the jealous and vain beauty queen from Snow White.

Maleficent, the witch/dragon who is quite possibly the scariest Disney villain of all time from Sleeping Beauty.

And last but not least Dr Facilier, the voodoo villain is from The Princess and the Frog.


Whether your a Disney fan or not this a large collection with a great variety of colours and products, it's definitely not one to miss.

Initially I wasn't that interested in the collection after seeing promo images months ago and the not exactly attractive packaging but in real life and when swatched there are some real must haves in VV!

If your a lipstick lover like me check out the lippies, all the shades are gorgeous. I walked away with two, the nude of course, Innocence Beware and a bright red/pink in Toxic Tale.

Nude addicts Innocence Beware is one you won't be able to resist, it's a very pretty pale pink not unlike Creme d'nude just a little pinker and a little sheerer in colour when applied. It's also a CREMESHEEN formulation so super soft on the lips.

The other one I purchased was Toxic Tale from the Evil Queen collection, an amazingly bright coral red. Stunning when swatched I had to have this shade, I think it may be the right tone to ease me into wearing red lips.

New to Mac are the Magically Cool liquid powders, a strange product that looks like a powder but feels like a liquid but then looks like a powder when applied! Confusing!

There are two shades of this innovative new powder formula in Dr.Facilier's range, Truth&Light, a champagne shimmer to highlight and Cajun, a bronze shimmer.

I was lucky enough to receive Cajun in my Mac bag so I can't wait to try this out and review it for you. I'm intrigued to see how it blends with my foundation and other products.

Innocence Beware, Toxic Tale and Cajun.

I'm happy with my two purchases but there was one more item I'm desperate to get my mitts on, the nail polish in Mean & Green, an amazing purple with green pearl effect. Check out Muhsine's swatch over at Bubblegarm.

Unfortunately it sold out on the night so I'll have to grab it on Monday when the collection goes online or in store on Thursday!

Have you made your list for VV yet?? Whats on it? Do I need more (probably)?
xxx