Nails of the week – dark with glitter flakes

Resisting is not my forte – and I couldn’t when saw W7 Jupiter, from their Planets collection, for £1.50 in a stall in my local market. I had to pick it up.

Have to admit I wasn’t very impressed with the effect; in the bottle, it is so colour changing that really looks like it could be something out of this planet, of curse, the Venus surface. But it wasn’t. In fact, it was just a metallic brown with a pink or blue shimmer at times.

Anyway, it served perfectly as base for a glitter flakes topcoat I wore before – Glow, by Ana Hickmann. Seriously, I wore it over red and the effect was beautiful, but over this brownish colour, it was just stunning. Golden, orange, red, to green, as it caught light; the colours and texture of this effect was formidable. I started with just the tips, as I wanted a dipped effect, but it was so lovely I decided to cover the whole nail. It did look a bit gradual, as the tips had more layers of glitter. Loved it!

Application was great for both. Two coats of the W7 polish provide a good coverage. Durability was also ace, even with the many coats I used there wasn’t a single chip in sight after a week.

Rating:

What I wore – 30/06/12

I have been a bit busy, so sometimes I am not able to photograph five outfits a week; the weather hasn’t been too bad – ok, it hasn’t been brilliant, but at least the temperature has gone up a couple degrees, and the leg bearing opportunities have increased.

This selection takes advantage of that – I took the plunge and I may have gone home slight cold and/or with wet feet, but it is summer and I will insist. I also have a new red in my life: MAC’s Lady Danger, discovered last week. I am obsessed, but that doesn’t mean I forgot my first love Russian Red.

I finally got round to hemming two maxi skirts and a maxi dress I bought a while ago, so I am wearing this lovely, bang on trend tribal-esque print dress on Monday, to open the week.

I had a little bit of a retro feel on my outfit on Tuesday- I love wearing retro inspired stuff, usually don’t stick to a particular decade; I just pull some elements, a few little touches, and make them work with my wardrobe and inspiration.

On Wednesday, I wore a dress I bought ages ago and didn’t have the chance to wear: this lovely tomato print dress. I fell in Love with D&G vegetable prints (the aubergine to be precise), but sadly my budget does not stretch that far, so I made do with what I could find – and what I lovely find that was!

Finally, on Friday, I wore a favourite dress of mine, bought in Thailand a few years back; I feel it hasn’t gone out of fashion, and I can always count on it to feel pretty.

Wanna see what they are? Here is the nitty-gritty:

Monday

Tribal-esque print maxi dress (Primark), sand colour wedges (Território dos Pés, Brazil), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), prince frog ring (New Look), bracelets (Topshop and New Look), Revlon lip butter in Strawberry Shortcake.

Tuesday

Balck and white polka dot skirt (River Island), should ruffle black top (H&M), gold belt (Primark), tricolour court shoes (Zara), owl earrings (Primark), tiger ring (New Look), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), flower ring (a shop in Brazil), bracelet (H&M), MAC lipstick Lady Danger.

Wednesday

Tomato print dress (New Look), nude slingback peep toe sandals (Topshop), bracelets (Topshop and New Look), rings (H&M, Accessorize, Primark and a shop in Brazil), MAC lipstick Lady Danger (not shown).

Friday

White dress with red, green and purple leaf print (a boutique in Thailand), red slingback peep toe sandals (Aldo), big stone ring (hand, custom made in Marrakesh), silver knuckle ring (New Look), little rings (H&M, in a set), believe ring (Disney Couture), bracelets (Primark and Topshop – skulls), Lancome lipstick in in Hot Stuff.

What about you? Obsessed with anything lately?

Nails of the week: blue and glitter

This week I was going to do a French and half moon manicure using two shades of blue but it didn’t turn out nice. At all. So I removed it all. Decided to stick to the blues but only in alternate colours, with a glitter topcoat – a recurring combo for this blog!

The light blue is no stranger to us; I wore Nails Inc. Oxford in several occasions, but never in more than one nail on each hand. The darker blue is Electric Blue 336 from Kiko; application was smooth, the colour is quit solid and it applies evenly.

I used two coats for both polishes. The topcoat is a pretty transparent base with some holographic coarse glitter and hexagons, that seemed to give the polish a “wet” look. The polish was easy to apply, it has a good amount of glitter in, but as I like a lot of glitter, I had to dip and stir the brush to make sure I picked up a good amount.

I liked the effect; it was very pretty in light, but with direct bright light, it looked a bit weird; it didn’t have colour and on the lighter shade of blue, it seemed something like yellow-ish glue residue (hence the out-of-focus pics, where you can actually see how it looks like). Durability was top; it was still looking great after seven days! But overall, for me, it just lacked oomph.

Rating:

This week’s outfits – 23/06/12

Hello all, this post should really be called “last week’s outfits”; I was so ill with flu that I wore pyjamas over two whole days of last week, so I only have three outfits to add!

Monday

Black bodycon skirt (H&M), black and white stripey blouse (Primark), prince frog ring (New Look), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), bracelets (all from Topshop), tri-colour shoes (Zara), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger (IN LOVE with it!!!).

Tuesday

Black trousers (Zara), mint green top with sheer back (H&M), believe ring (Disney Couture), tiger, leaf and birds rings (H&M), spike bracelet (New Look), mint green with silver toe cap shoes (Topshop), MAC Viva Glam lipstick in Nicki.

Wednesday

Green flower print dress (Primark), white embroided bolero (a shop in Brazil), gold leaf hair clip (Primark), triple snake ring (New Look), pearl ring (Primark), birds ring (H&M). nude sling back peep-toes (Topshop), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger (told you I am obsessed!).

And this is it for this week, you’ll be glad to know I won’t be posting any pyjamas pictures!!! I will soon be posting the latest! What about you? Excited about anything you have been wearing lately?

Nails of the week – cold tones and silver glitter

A pretty pale mint green dress with silver sequins from Lipsy was my choice to attend a wedding, and I thought I would give myself a manicure to match.

I first thought of contrast, but then decided to go with several cold colours and a sprinkle of glitter to glam it up!

Most of the nail polishes I used are from Nails Inc; the lilac (Cambridge), the blue (Oxford) and the lime (Wimbledon). The green is Anna Hickmann in Vibe and the pale mint green (which is a perfect match for my dress) is H&M in Pear Ice cream.

Have to say that for being creamy colours, all of them were easy to apply and two coats were enough for the a solid finish. I had tried the blue and both greens before, and they didn’t disappoint. The lilac one bubbled a bit, that was annoying; but as it was in the corner of the nail, it didn’t bother me as much as it would normally.

The lime colour is stunning; I must wear it again soon,alone, need to come up with something interesting to use in more extensively!

Then I applied the glitter puff – I am in love with them! This time I used the silver again, but not on the tips but near the cuticles, as I used the gold a couple of weeks back. I am having to hold myself now to buy a bigger set from eBay, damn, they can glam up any manicure!

Rating:

Product review: MAC Prep+Prime Skin Brightening Serum

I went for a makeover at MAC last week; I do this quite often, every time I need to buy foundation of powder, as the £25 booking fee, redeemable against products, is just the right amount to get these two beauty staples. Obviously, being me, I can never stop at that amount and damage is always done!

On this occasion, I had a wedding to attend, so nothing better than to have your make done and your lashes put on for you!

I was introduced to another product from their Prep+Prime range. I am no stranger to them; I have used them for ages – from primers and fix+ (another saver) to the setting and fixing translucent powder. But this is different.

The Prep+Prime Skin Brightening Serum is described as a “serum formulated to instantly brighten, smooth, firm and hydrate the skin while providing a plumper, more evenly toned finish to the skin. Natural anti-oxidants help to strengthen the skin against UV-related damage while MAC charged water ensures deep, long lasting hydration.”

At a first glance, what really appealed to me was the serum consistency – it is quickly absorbed by the skin and leaves a lovely sensation. It spreads well and you don’t need a lot to cover the whole face. The make-up artist described it as a treatment as well, as it will contribute to general skin brightening over time, with constant use. Another thing that drew me to it is that you use it before your primer.

However, what really made me fall in love with it were the visible results: used in conjunction with another new discovery (yeah, I may have gone a bit overboard), the Fortified Skin Enhancer in adjust, which works as a primer and has SPF 35, my skin looks more radiant, brighter, and the make up definitely lasts longer, looking good, hydrated and fresh.

So, I am sold. I have already incorporated it into my daily make up routine!

And just for the sake of it, here is the whole lot purchased; yes, I need to start exercising self-control!

Do you have any skin prepping products you swear by?

Stylist Beauty picnic

I was lucky enough to get one of the 100 tickets to the Stylist Magazine Beauty picnic which took place in Manchester Square gardens, in central London. The picnic was part of several events hosted by the weekly free magazine in the run up to their “London edition”, where they will give a fabulous insight into the capital we love so much.

I attended the event on my own, and I am used to going to this kind of functions solo, but I wasn’t very sure what to expect from the event, where you should take your favourite beauty product and you might be featured in the magazine.

The experience

Overall a delightful experience, just my type of event; I felt pampered, valued and special; the slogan on their massive, pretty sign, in the middle of the garden, really couldn’t sum it up better: “the art of the perfect picnic”. Indeed.

Check my pictures below!

The picnic

Manchester square is a beautiful garden in the centre of London, just behind Oxford street. Upon arrival, some extremely hospitable members of staff would welcome you, hand you a goody bag and a drink – M&S cava, Bucks fizz or juice – and offer you some picnic food: sandwiches, mini sausage rolls, quiches, cocktail sausages and later profiteroles and mini sweet tarts; all provided by Marks & Spencer.

The sight of the tent was glorious; and the fact the had a harpist playing throughout the event just made it even more special.

Treating the readers

Inside, a relaxing yet sophisticated atmosphere, created with flowers, candles, soft seating, mini manicures by Rococo, hand massages and make overs by Space NK. Everyone giving you the beauty treats was very nice and chatty, and so the Stylist magazine team – what a lovely bunch!

My first treat was a blissful hand massage with a beautiful red-head therapist who is also a ring designer (and she designs mermaid themed rings – mind you, she was the picture of a mermaid herself) and followed by a mini make over, with smokey eyes. Fell in love with a brow pencil from a brand I didn’t know, Kevyn Aucoin, so will have to check it out at Space NK.

The queue for the mini manis was quite long (can you blame the girls for going crazy over the amazing shades?), so I decided against it to appreciate the harpist and chat with other attendees, who seemed to be enjoying the event just as much as me.

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The goods

The good bag was expensive and in-line with the event’s caliber; it contained a lipgloss from Lipstick Queen (RRP £20), a nail polish from Rococo (RRP £12) and a bath/shower gel from Beautannia (RRP £30), all available to purchase from Space NK. Sadly, the lipgloss is not my colour and I haven’t really worn lipgloss for ages; the nail polish is a lovely hot pink, but I have too many of very similar shades, if not the same. Bath/shower gels are just not my thing, I don’t get excited by them (mainly because I cannot have a bath, as my already low blood pressure plummets and I faint, but I might try, it smells great!). Having said all that, I wasn’t expecting to get a goody bag, and it was very thoughtful of the organisers and sponsors to offer one, so the fact that I might not use all the products doesn’t even count for me as a minus. Also, they could make lush gifts, as they are very nice, luxury products on their own right – just unlucky I got the colours I did.

I absolutely love this type of events and wish I attended more; you always hear they happen, but I suppose it is just a matter of keeping our eyes peeled. And I shall.

Thank you Stylist magazine; I had a FAB time!

Nails of the week – green and pink polka dots

Recently, I bought a nail dotting tool kit from eBay; it was very cheap and I love polka dots!

I wanted to try the pastel green and pink combination for quite a while; so thought polka dots would be perfect.

The green is called Vibe, from Ana Hickmann and the pink, Candy Pink, from Kiko. Both had a good coverage and were good to apply, especially for being creamy colours; there was very little unevenness, the colours were quite solid and two coats provided a great coverage! It does “bubble” a tiny bit, but not too much to bother me!

Initially, I did all nails green with the pink accent one and put pink dots on all greens and green dots on the pink. Thought that was a bit too much, so left the spots only on the accent nail; think that was a wise decision to ease myself into the idea! Looked too busy before!

The tool was easy to use, as I expected; the dots were of the same size; just one thing I wasn’t very happy about is that I didn’t quite nail the positioning of the spots; I am a bit ocd with symmetry; but I suppose that with practice I will get to a positioning of the dots I am happy with!

Overall, quite cute. Wasn’t sure about it soon after I applied, but it grew on me. I am really enjoying trying different things on my nails at the moment!

Rating:

This week’s outfits – 16/06/12

This week was really busy, I was so rushed off my feet and feeling a bit miserable at the weather. I managed to put my pins out only once, and even so, it wasn’t the best weather! Friday was so crazy I didn’t have time to photograph my outfit… I will replace that for the outfit I wore for a wedding on Friday eve; not the best picture, as they were taken indoors in poor light – apologies for that!

Still,this is what I wore:

Monday

Bow print blouse (Primark), black pencil skirt (H&M), tricolour court shoes (Zara), resin ring (Sobral), star ring (Primark), bracelets (pack from Topshop), NYX lipstick in Chloe.

Tuesday

Nude lace skirt and black top (both H&M), nude court shoes (M&S), nude stud bracelet (Primark), rings (believe – Disney Couture; all others from new Look), MAC lipstick in Captive.

Wednesday

Teal dress (Primark), tricolour court shoes (Zara), flower bracelet (Primark), snake ring (New Look), NYX lipstick in peach bellini.

Thursday

Navy and nude heart print dress (Little Mistress), nude slingback peeptoes shoes (Topshop, not pictured), nude stud bracelet (Primark), rings (believe – Disney Couture; all other from new Look), Lancome lipstick in hot stuff.

Friday Evening

Pale mint green and silver sequins dress (Lipsy), silver platform slingback peeptoes (Miss Selfridge), light grey clutch bag (Dorothy Perkins), earrings (New Look), green flower bracelet (Primark), rings (Disney couture, New Look and H&M), MAC lipstick Viva Glam Nicki.

Eye make-up look challenge – purple and gold

This week I am trying something a bit more elaborate. A great friend of mine, Gisele, is doing a make up course in Brazil. She posts her practice eye make up and I decided to choose one and do my own version. I used the similar colours but made some changes and ended up with something a bit more dramatic and less subtle.

I started by applying a primer, then spreaded the gold pigment across the lid. Using a pencil brush, I outlined the shape with the purple shadow, blending the line closer to the inner corner into the gold and filling the shape at the outer corner. I added a couple of shades of purple to give it depth . I then blended the purple into the gold. The pigment was quite thick, so kinda “contaminated” the purple, it goes everywhere, so the purple became less intense! Eyeliner was applied, with an exaggerated flick on the outer as well as in the inner corner, creating a slick line.

TO get to this point everything was really smooth, and quicker than I thought. The final touches, however, took a while. I then applied eyeliner to my water and lower lash line, creating a very long flick, and applied some gold from the inner corner. Finally, I put some supra colour cream to fill the gap between the top and bottom lines flicks. Pigment was added to the brow bone for highlighting.

I had problems with my false eyelashes; this set was a new one I tried, and it was quite cheap, it was quite stiff to mould around the lash line. Plus, I couldn’t find my duo glue and used something else, it didn’t go in properly, so i removed the lashes and took ages looking for my glue. Found it, but my patience was gone. Then lash wouldn’t sit well, and I had to re-touch the liner, and it is a bit thick. So my lash application was far from perfect and I apologise for that, but I couldn’t deal with it anymore.

However, I was pleased with the results, and see many colour combinations working with this one. It is quite exaggerated, and I am not sure I would wear it out anywhere, but I liked the end result it. It was particularly good training defined shapes and lining techniques. And learning to always go for good quality eyelashes – mind you, I have applied those in four friends (I bought one of those packs with ten pairs) and managed to do it beautifully; it is only when applying on myself.