Tag Archives: beauty

L’Oréal Paris new Color Riche Glitterati polishes launch and nail masterclass

Loreal color riche gliteratti nail polish

When it comes to my blog, a few things are more exciting than an event entitled Nail Masterclass, especially if it is with L’Oréal Paris.

The event took place in central London and a few bloggers had the chance to try the new Color Riche Glitterati collection and the Nails à Porter fake nails, learn to create a couple designs with L’Oréal’s nail expert Grace Humphries and find out more about L’Oréal’s new Nail Art website, nail-art.com, a portal where you can find the latest nail trends and expert tips.

Nail-Art.com

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Nail-art.com is now live!
Mega trend
we are told everything about it!

Nail-Art.com is full of advice, news, tutorials (easy to follow!) and has the colour expert, which is a tool where you can choose a colour and a level of difficulty and be presented with nail art ideas. They also have an app called the Color Genius, which helps you find the best make-up and nail colour for your outfit, and you can choose the match, blend and clash the suggestions! Clever, eh?

Color Riche Glitterati collection

Now, the new collection for the A/W13-14 and party season: the polishes are just gorgeous. As the name Glitterati suggests, all four shades are glitter based. What I really like about them is that you can use all as a topcoat, as an accent for nail art or on their own. They all have the Color Riche fan brush too, which is great! I swatched on the wheel with 3 coats; as you can see, the polish is very saturated with glitter. Two coats will also give a very good coverage.

Loreal giitterati collection

Sequin Extravaganza, Scarlet TInsel, Bling Bling Bang and Black Diamond

Sequin Extravaganza is an explosion of glitter colours and shapes. Clear base with mainly silver glitter in various shapes and sizes, it also has a bit of gold, blue, pink and green. This makes this polish quite multi-dimensional, and although there are so many different sizes, shapes and colours, it all sits together so well it creates the illusion of one layer. Pretty.

Scarlet Tinsel is a sea of beautiful dark pink fine glitter. It sparkles a lot and on its owns gives the nail a uniform cover.

The jellish blue base with sapphire blue glitter Bling Bling Bang is far from shy. The glitter is also a combination of small and fine with bigger circles and It has a jewel-like finish and looks amazing on its own, but also lush on black and other colours, with a little bit of colour shifting. I think I’ve been Bling Bling Bang(ed) – I actually tweeted it to L’Oréal. I have no shame.

Finally, Black Diamond is a metallic black with fine silvery glitter. It is the more discreet from the collection and looks beautiful on and it looks like asphalt when on. Like it.

Nails à Porter

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Nails à porter
Nails à porter in Killer Nude
Nails à porter in Neo Couture
Nails à porter in Femme Fatale
Nails à porter in Drama Queen
Nails à porter in French Touch

We also found out about a new product L’Oréal is launching: Nails à Porter, their answer to the express manicure. The new fake nails, hitting the shelves soon, are great. To start with, they are super flexible. They come in different designs, from the classic red and French manicure to bold gold and black. It has little stickers, a great selection of sized to match your natural nails and are said to last up to five days. I will be testing them soon and posting my finds! Exciting!

Masterclass

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Our stations, full of goodies
The set up
Colours…
7 in 1 saviour and 2-in-1 protect – great products!
My creations…

As we sat in our lovely manicure stations, nail expert Grace Humphries taught us how to create two nail designs: glitter tip and glitter half-moon and French tip, which I tried on the wheel too.

I ended up painting on hand (yes, one hand. Oh the shame to take to tube back with one untidy hand!) with Black Swan and a Sequin Extravaganza gradient from the cuticles. This combination is great!

At the end, there was a nail polish pick-and-mix, where we could take the shades we liked to enter their Nail Art challenge – to which I have promptly sent my design, using loads of the polishes I took home.

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The pick-and-mix
What came home with me – thank you L’Oréal Paris!

It was a lovely evening, packed with news and very informative. The people were lovely, the new polishes are amazing, the nails à porter are a very interesting product. Cannot wait to keep using the polishes!

Nails of the week: Spotty blue and yellow

blue and yellow spotty nails - somanylovelythings

It had been a while since I had a spotty manicure on. I’ve been meaning to do one for ages, and this week I finally got round to it!

I went for a pastel colours version: blue and yellow. This blue, Oxford from Nails Inc, has been a favourite for a very long time. The yellow came in the same set, and is called Wimbledon.

blue and yellow spotty nails - somanylovelythings

I used my one of my dotting tools to get the dots close to perfect (they never are!). Overall, a very easy mani to do, and very cute.

The polishes apply ok. As they are a bit on the old side, they stained a bit. I used two coats of the blue and three of the yellow.

blue and yellow spotty nails - somanylovelythings

Extra shine was given with the Seche Vite topcoat and durability is always fantastic with Nails Inc polishes!

Rating:

4_star

Product review: He-Shi Dark Foaming mousse

He-shi dark foaming mousse - somanylovelythingsFirst I tried the liquid tan from He-Shi and loved it. Thought I couldn’t really find another product that I would like as much… until I tried their dark foaming mousse.

When you pump it, the dark supple foam comes out. Application is great, the foam glides on the skin, the fact it is dark makes it easy to see where you applied and it fries very quickly. Immediately, you can see a darker tone, but this will develop over eight hours leaving you with a great glow.

It works the same way as the Express Liquid Tan I reviewed before, but I think I prefer the foam type!

The lovely colour last for about five days too, it is pretty much smell free and doesn’t transfer!

I am really in love with the He-Shi products – although I am admittedly laying off them for the moment as I have a great natural tan, fruits of my France holiday. But I will be hanging on to it, topping it up with He-Shi!

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Glō Minerals Smoky eye kit

glo minerals eye shadow quad - somanylovelythingsMy wonderful glō Minerals box came with this lovely eyeshadow quad called Smoky eye kit, which contains great neutrals great for everyday wear.

Packaging is nice and compact, great for your make-up bag and comes with a mirror and a guide for the use of colours.

The pigmentation is good, the lighter base colour is really subtle beige with a sheen. The lid colour is a mink shade, with a lovely golden sheen to it. Then the crease colour is a matte (but verging on satin) light brown  and the darkest liner colour is an almost black brown. Brushes pick the product well with little mess.

I used the darker eye liner colour to smoke it even more and give more depth for evening wear, so this is a good day-to-night transition palette.

As with the other glo Minerals I received (gloLash and Ultra brush), I have been using this almost everyday!

You can get the glō Smoky eyes kit and many other items from the glō Minerals UK website.

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Nails of the week: Pink and blue marble

pink and blue marble effect nails - somanylovelythings

So I rebelled last time and went for a single colour on my nails (missed it? Read about the bright green nails here), but now I am back to my normal (?) self – and it is marble time again!

I find this easy marble so good; the effort is really small compared with the impact, so I just love it, and need to stop myself from doing it every week (even tops the gradients for “cost x benefit”).pink and blue marble effect nails - somanylovelythings

If you missed, I posted a short tutorial on my last marble nails. For this one I did exactly the same, with a wooden stick, but using the turquoise electric dreams from Collection, the pink sweet tart from Revlon and French white also from Collection, finishing with Seche Vite topcoat.

This was done to go with a dress I am wearing for a wedding, is has got water colour flowers in mainly pink and blue, and I am very pleased with the result – it looks girlie, candy like and the mix of colours is great. I even tried “bigger” movements to create different patterns on the marble effect!!!

pink and blue marble effect nails - somanylovelythings

Rating:

4_star

Product review: glō Minerals glōLash Lengthening Mascara

gloLash Lengthening mascara

I was very excited to receive a glō Minerals box full of product to try and amongst them, there was their glōLash Lengthening mascara, which I have now been using for a while.

Their packaging is very nice, matte and shiny silver and it has a really nice weight to it. The brush is pretty standard, with nice bristles separation which feel very comfortable to apply. It doesn’t pick up a lot f product, so it doesn’t clump. At all. It separates the lashes really well and does what it says on the tin: lengthens.

It does not build up volume; after a few coats, the lashes are still super separated and defined; the effect is fan-like, really delicate, as it picks and coats each lash individually, even the tiny ones!

gloLash Lengthening mascaraFirst time I used, I wasn’t quite sure, but my lashes look very nice and I am loving it! Durability is good and it is not too hard to remove, which is also a bonus.

What glō Minerals say:

“Our Lash lengthening mascara is formulated to deliver nutrients and help your lashes to grow to their full potential. (…)

The exclusive antioxidant blend of vitamins A, C, E and green tea extract makes it safe for contact lens wearers.

It creates noticeably longer lashes by conditioning your lashes whilst you are wearing the formula. Apply the Lash Lengthening Mascara alone to define lashes or apply after Lash thickener & conditioner for thicker, fuller lashes.”

eye make up - somanylovelythings

Using my new mascara!

The formula is very mild and gentle on my eyes, so I am enjoying using this one; it became part of my daily routine!

You can get the Lengthening mascara and other products on the Glo Minerals website.

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Nails of the week – bright green

bright green nails - somanylovelythings

Shock horror – this week I have a single colour on my nails!

And it is green- a bright, acid kinda halfway between lime and avocado green, with a lovely golden sheen to it (delivered by the addition of “special golden pearl”
to its fomula).

Sounds great, no? And it is. Pure and pretty. I was going to add stuff to it but decided not to, it shines on its own.

I am wearing the lovely limited edition green number 427, Amable Chartreuse, from Kiko’s Sun Pearl collection. Application was alright, the polish is a bit thick and it feels like the rush strokes will mark, but it settles nicely and they don’t. I am using two generous coats, but the polish is very pigmented. The finish is just lovely – shiny and intense. And it lasted very well.

As usual, Kiko delivers great value for money – this baby was only £2,40 on their sale!

Product review: He-Shi Express Liquid Tan

He-Shi Express Liquid Tan - somanylovelythingsSunbathing. I was very close to forgetting what it feels like to look at my body and have that golden glow. I welcomed that tan-mail and thanks to  He-Shi, I didn’t forget. In fact, I developed a noticeable yet natural tan really easily.

The first thing that surprised my was the liquid consistency on the He-Shi Express Liquid Tan (I know, the clue is in the name!). It is like caramel water.

Their tanning mitt is a great tool to the perfect tan. Using that, I was able to quickly apply the solution on my whole body, without worrying about orange palms. The fact the liquid is dark serves as a guide so you won’t apply twice on the same place, and help you make sure it is well spread and avoid streaks.

Application was very easy, the liquid glides on the skin, a small amount goes a long way and it can be layered to build up colour. Packaging is very simple, the bottle easy to use during the tanning process.

He-Shi Express Liquid Tan - somanylovelythings

Now, I noticed a change in colour immediately, as the liquid is dark, but it really developed overnight into a golden tone which lasted a good 5 days – I didn’t apply too much, spreading it really well. It smells a tiny bit (only if you stick your nose on your skin and smell it, but I didn’t catch a single whiff of the biscuity smell during the day/night).

DSC_1606

What I also like is that, besides it being a great product, this is not tested on animals, contains moisturising agent, is Ecocert certificated (it means it is organic and natural – 100% natural DHA) and paraben and alcohol free! Nice, eh?

Thumbs up and definitely recommended.

So London, you might give me grey skies, but you shall not take away my tan!

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Selfridges London events

I am a huge fan of the brand events Selfridges holds at their stores – in London< Manchester and Birmingham – they are a cool opportunity to explore different products and have something done (most of the time) for free; the booking fee is usually redeemable against products!

In the next month a couple exciting things are going on for beauty lovers – specifically nail enthusiasts –  who might be around…

Chanel pop-up nail bar, from 31 May to 12 June

chanel nail pop-up boutique at Selfridge's London

Giant Le Vernis bottles and celebrity nail tech on the 06 June. £25 fee redeemable against any Chanel beauty purchases on the same day. Appointments with Sophy Robson are £30.

Ciaté Corrupted Neon pop-up, from 27 June to 04 July

Ciaté Corrupted Neon at Selfridge's London

Neon polish and glitter zing plus UV light topcoat! Complimentary manicure with any purchase!

From the 17-23 of June, Selfridges is also hosting a week long beauty festival with make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury. Make overs, as well as work shops and other activities are taking place!

And for whisky lovers, a tasting programme running in May and June – Whisky Rocks.

Events take place in other shops too, and you can find out more on the Selfridges website.

Exhibition Colour and Culture: Celebrating 40 years of Cosmetics à La Carte

colourandculture21For a very limited time only, Cosmetics à La Carte is holding a fashionable and colourful exhibition in London, to celebrate their 40 year anniversary.

The company, founded by Lynne Sanders in 1973, creates bespoke and ready to wear cosmetics in their London lab and took its first steps through the colour vibrancy of the 70’s, moving past punk and androgyny in the 80’s and 90’s to reach the current natural glow trends. In times of re-invention, recycling and creativity, where pretty much anything goes, what will the future hold?

The exhibition takes you through the company’s history and highlights, including the first nude lipstick for Princess Diana to bubblegum gloss worn by Lady Gaga; and in the literally hot preview(it was quite busy and the gallery was quite warm!), all was accompanied by champagne, that helped me keep cool, canapés and delightful mini-cupcakes.

Outside, so you know where to go!
History on the wall
When I was born…
Today!
Lovely lips cupcakes
So adorable!
Busts
Lady gaga Inspired bust
Kate Moss inspired bust
Princess Diana inspired bust
My favorite
Love the detail!
Grace Jones inspired bust
Made with thread!
So delicate…
…and pretty!
All the colours!
And more!
Illustrations on the wall…
…loved them!
The goodie bags!

What really grabbed my attention was the wall art. Really pretty, especially their timeline. The four centre-piece busts were also very interesting, the Princess Diana inspired being my favourite. That feeling that fashion, art and beauty go hand in hand was a constant throughout.

In the goodie-bag, a lipstick, in an appropriately red shade called Vintage. And and the offer of a complimentary custom blend cosmetic to be redeemed at their Motcombe St boutique. Nice touch.

Colour and Culture: Celebrating 40 years of Cosmetics à La Carte is on until the 26th May 2013, at 50 Redchurch Street, E2 7DP, from 10am-6pm daily. If you are in London, add this to your bank holiday activities to-do list!