NOTD: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Prickly Pear

This is the first Gelly nail polish I have bought from Barry M, and I really love it! 

I am pretty obsessed with purple and lilac nail colours, but this is the first blue shade of lilac that I have and it's such a great spring/summer shade.

The nail polish itself was really easy to apply, the first coat was very sheer so it needed the second coat to get this opaque colour, this finish is nice and glossy but I think you would still need to apply a top coat just to get extra a couple more days out of the wear.

Elaine 

January 2013 Favourites

So last year I wasn't the best at getting my favourite's posts done, I think I did 3 if that, this year I'm going to be more organised and get a post up each month. I haven't done a favourites post in a long time so there are a few things that I'm really loving at the minute, quite a few things are new but that is because I have been trying out presents that I was given at Christmas, I think for future posts I will include makeup that isn't new to me but that I have rediscovered in my collection.

Real Techniques Brushes: Buffing Brush, Blush Brush & Contour Brush
These brushes are amazing, they are really easy to use and find they really help your makeup look it's best. I have found that the blush brush is great when using bright blushers as it picks up the right amount of blusher so you can build the colour or just get a hint of colour.

Sleek Blusher in Pixie Pink
I bought this after seeing Tanya Burr using it in one of her youtube videos (here), I don't really have many blushers and wanted to expand my collection. It is a really bright pigmented pink, but if you only use a small amount, you can build up the colour that bests suits you. I have really enjoyed using this blusher and have worn it nearly everyday.

MUA Cream Blusher in Dolly
I bought this when MUA first released their cream blushers, I never really wore it though as it seemed a bit of a faff, but recently I have been experimenting with the blusher and I absolutely love it. It does require a bit more effort than powder blush but it's worth it, I especially love blending the colour into my skin with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush. It gives my skin a really nice natural glow.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Liner in Brown
I already have the nude eyeliner from this range and really liked the texture of the liners, so I bought one in brown, the liner has a slightly metalic finish to it which I really like, it's great as a normal liner or smudged out for a smokey finish, I have worn this practically everyday this month.


Topshop Crescent Moon Highlighter and Sleek Bronzer in their Face Form Palette
I have really been enjoying learning to contour and find these products have been great to create a really lovely subtle contoured look. You can see my review of Sleek's face form palette here.

(L-R) Topshop Crescent Moon, MUA Dolly, Sleek Pixie Pink & Rimmel Scandaleyes

Barry M White Foundation Creme
I recently did a post on this (you can see it here) but this is a must for my pale skin, don't know how I managed without it... oh yeah I looked orange all the time!



Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish
I know I'm late to the party with this one, but I love this cleanser, I use it everyday and it's perfect for my winter skin, it's also brilliant at taking off my eye makeup.

Liz Earle Brightening Skin Tonic
I've never really been that fussed about toners before I know I need to use them to make sure my skin is cleansed thoroughly and they help to close your pores but I never really see a difference in my skin after using them, that was until I started using this toner, my skin looks brighter and more healthy after I use this toner. It's not a miracle worker and my skin is still in bad condition but I can see a difference when I use this. I love it!

Clarins Hydra Quench Moisturiser for Oily/Combination skin
I'm still loving this moisturiser, you can see my full review here, it feels lovely and rich without being too heavy or greasy, it has been an essential part of my skin care this winter.

Bioderma
The bloggers best friend. When I was in Paris in September I was sure to stock up on this as it is much cheaper over there as there isn't a stockist for it in the UK. Bioderma is essentially a cleansing water, but it is really gentle and doesn't leave my skin feeling tight or sore. I don't use this everyday but I have got in the habit of keeping it by my bed for days where I have been too lazy to wash my face with my Liz Earle or Emma Hardie cleansers, and that is why it's in my favourites I love being able to use it when I'm sitting in bed, it might not be the thorough double cleanse i probably should do but it's better than going to sleep with makeup on (which I have been guilty of too many times).
Rumour has it that Boots will be stocking Bioderma later in the year!

Full product reviews will be coming soon!

What are your January favourites?

Elaine

Barry M White Foundation Creme Review

I have really struggled to find a foundation/BB cream that I like as much as my Garnier BB cream for oily/combination skin, over the winter months I can't use the Garnier BB cream as it is  just too dark for my even paler winter skin, even though it is the light shade.

I have been a bit naughty and carried on using it hoping that blending it out and by using a lighter shade powder on top it will magically make it look the right colour, but it really doesn't, as Rachel pointed out I was looking a bit orange! She recommended that I try Barry M's white creme foundation, one of her friends mixes the white foundation with her normal foundation to make it the right shade. I have quite a few foundations that are that bit too dark, as they matched me in the summer or I have bought a foundation assuming the lightest high street shade would suit me and it hasn't, so I went out to get this straight away.

The foundation costs £6.19, I managed to get this at a large Superdrug, but out of interest I recently had a look in my local Boots (which is quite large) and they didn't stock any of the Barry M foundations, so this might be a bit tricky to find, especially if your local Boots or Superdrug have a smaller Barry M concession stand.

The foundation creme range is described by Barry M as...

 'Suitable for all skin types and available in a complete colour range to provide the perfect base for make-up. The creamy base is enriched with moisturisers and vitamins that help keep skin smooth and supple for all day wear.'

The creme has quite a thick consistency and does feel moisturising, I do find that when I use it I have to make sure I give the tube a good shake as it can get a bit watery. As the creme is thick, you only need to use a small amount especially if you are mixing it with another foundation.

The shade itself is a bright white, I don't think even the palest of skin tones could get away with wearing this on it's own, but I find that it mixes well with other foundations and you only need to use a small amount to make the shade lighter. 

I was a bit concerned that it may make my skin oily, especially as my Garneir BB cream manages my shiny skin so well, but it didn't make much difference I did have a little bit of extra shine but it wasn't as bad as when I use other foundations and a bit of powder sorts it out.

You have to be realistic with this foundation it's not going to create your exact skin tone but if you find that even the lightest high street foundation is just that bit too dark or if you have loads of your favourite summer foundation left you will find this white foundation creme extremely useful. I really like this foundation I'm soo pleased that I discovered it! I can definitely see myself repurchasing this many times.

 Elaine

NOTD: Barry M Coral

I love my new nail varnish from Barry M, it's a really vibrant red/orange colour for summer,which is great as the sun has finally come out!! I wouldn't say that this was really a coral colour... but I still love it, is it just me but when it gets near summer it seems that any red/orange/pink colour suddenly is called coral.

I have applied two coats with no top coat in this picture. I have been wearing this for the past couple of days and I was really impressed with how it has lasted, it has worn a bit on the tips after 3 days but I think that is pretty good considering I didn't use a top coat. 

This is a bit random but I applied this to my toes and I don't think the colour worked, I'm not really sure why but Rachel agreed... I would put a photo up but I don't think anyone wants to see my feet!

Elaine

NOTD Maxfactor Fantasy Fire and Navy Barry M

I've had the infamous Maxfactor fantasy fire varnish for a while and although I loved it, I found it slightly annoying how many coats you needed to get a solid colour, you can see the NOTD here. So I thought I'd try it out with different base coats.

I used one coat of Barry M's 292 Navy and then 2 coats of fantasy fire, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, I think it gives a nice petrol look! I will definitely be trying fantasy fire on top of other colour base coats in the future. 

Elaine 

NOTD: Peach Melba and Peach Me Softly

 It must be spring as both Rachel and I have just bought peach nail varnishes!

Barry M 318 Peach Melba
I wasn't sure when I first put this on as I don't think the colour really compliments my skin tone, but meh I've grown to like it. Like any other Barry M nail varnishes it goes on well, dries quickly and normally takes two coats, Perfect! Sorry it looks a bit messy I had my neon yellow Illamasqua nail varnish on before and I don't think I took it off too well around my nails.

Rachel

H&M Peach Me Softly
I bought this on Thursday when everyone was going crazy over the Marni launch, I think I was the only one to not buy Marni that morning!
I'm impressed with how well this nail varnish goes on, as my nails are full of ridges and these sort of colours normally show them quite badly. This is a bit too much of an orangey peach for me, but I think I will be definitely trying H&M nail varnishes again especially at £2.99!

Elaine

Rainbow Nails!

This is a post to show you all the different nail varnishes we used to make our new header!

(L - R)

Miss Sporty - Black

No7 - Night Silver 62

Topshop Nails - Starlight

No7 - Betty Blues 280

Barry M - 312 Indigo

No7 - Totally Teal 330 (one of our all time favorites)

Barry M - 291

(L - R)

Barry M - 299 Racing Green

Misguided - Misstique

Topshop Nails - Green Room

Barry M - 304 Mint Green

H&M Nails - Wanna Pepperoni (WTF?)

Barry M - Acid Yellow 300

Collection 2000 Hot Looks - 30 Sherbet Lemons (Awful! see Need for Neon post)

17 Fast Finish - Go Go 

(L - R)

Xtras - Phox 11

Nails Inc - Tate 

Barry M - Raspberry 273

No7 - Hot Pink 40

Topshop Nails - Painted on 002

Revlon - 990 One Perfect Coral

17 Fast Finish - Pink Grapefruit

Ruby & Millie - Orange 300C

Misguided - Misstaken

(L - R)

MAC - Dark Angel

Miss Sporty Clubbing Colours - 344

17 Lasting Fix - Parma Violet

17 Lasting Fix - Woo Me

Nails Inc- Jermyn Street

Topshop Nails - Mannequin 002

Topshop Nails - Hyperreal

Missguided - Missellaneaous

Rimmel Lycra Pro - 365 Beige Style

Nails Inc - Elizabeth Street

SS12 Trends - Brights Make-up

In all of the magazines they are saying the key trends for spring/summer make up are brights and pastels, so I really wanted to try out the brights trend as normally I play it safe. I went into Superdrug yesterday with the intention of buying Sleek's Acid palette at £6.49, as Sleek was the first make up brand that came to mind for a cheap palette that had a range of colours. But Beauty UK's make up range caught my eye, they are very similar to MUA, and offer a range of colour palettes and very cheap make up, I found a perfect bright rainbow palette for only £3.99, it doesn't have a name just number 2.

I was really pleasantly surprised by the quality and the pigmentation of the eyeshadows, swatches below.

(I can't wait to use the bright pink and orange in a block cover, although I think I'll stick to matching eyes) If you aren't taken by these colours here are some other bright options you can try.

MUA - Pop Tastic £4

Sleek - Acid £6.49

I also found a Sleek Palette in Superdrug called Carnival but I can't seem to see it online, maybe it's discontinued? If you don't want a palette, you can try single MUA eyeshadows for only £1 or Barry M pots for £4.49

We will be posting ways to wear the new trend soon.

NOTD: Strawberry Icecream

Very cute pink Barry M nail varnish in 309 Strawberry Icecream.

This polish took 3 coats before I could get a solid colour, so definitely not a nail polish you can put on in a hurry!