Nails

Nails, NOTD

NOTD – OPI I don’t give a Rotterdam & Revlon Stunning

July 17, 2013

This was my first OPI varnish and I have to admit it was the name, not the colour that sold it to me. I purchased “I don’t give a Rotterdam” purely on the basis that I missed my boyfriend (who lives in Rotterdam!) and the name cheered me up!

Luckily I found it on Fragrance Direct for £3.99 so managed to grab a bargain with full RRP at around £11.50!

It’s a lovely bluey grey with a light shimmer, a really unique shade that I’ve never seen elsewhere. It applies as well as you would expect an OPI shade to, and is quite lovely alone.

I decided however that I needed to up the game a little, so added two layers of Revlon Stunning for a little extra va-va-voom! Stunning is a mix of micro and hexagonal glitter that is slightly holographic. I found it in a local Poundland saving myself a few pennies, and it is quickly becoming my new favourite glitter varnish.

Finally a touch of Sally Hanson Clear for take-off to stop that horrible scratchy glitter feeling! This is a great top-coat, both fast to dry and long lasting. You can find it here on Amazon for £6.99.

Totally hellbent for giving a Rotterdam about fabulous nails!

– Gem

Make-up, Nails

Elf haul part 1 – Gemma

July 17, 2013

I accidentally talked Amie into ordering a massive Elf haul with me on one of their frequent 50% off days recently and here’s what I chose!

Mineral Infused Face Primer – Clear

This has been on my wishlist for a very long time! I love a good primer and I’ve heard nothing but good things about this one! I’m also tempted by the green toned one at some point to deal with my awful red cheeks.

Clarifying Pressed Powder – Ivory

Can’t ever have too many pressed powders, right? This photographed quite dark, but at first look it should be okay for summer. Definitely not Ivory enough for my pasty winter skin though!

All over cover stick – Ivory

Despite having a long term love affair with the much hyped Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer I figured I could use something with a little more coverage for stage wear.

Eyelid Primer – Sheer & Pearl

I’ve been a huge fan of the sheer eyelid primer for a long time, in fact I think this is my third or fourth repurchase, so I figured I’d give the pearl finish a try too.

Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick – Movie Star

Lip crayons have been big news for absolutely ages and I can’t believe this is the first one in my make-up collection! When I try out a new lip product I absolutely always for a bright red because it’s my most worn colour.

Lip Stain – Crimson Crush

This has been out of stock for every ELF order I’ve placed since they released the line about a year ago, so I’m very pleased to finally get my hands on it! I love lipstains for day wear as they are so long lasting. Note also bright red!

Lipstick – Fearless & Nostalgic

Last time I bought Fearless I managed to fall in love with it and swiftly break it in half a few hours later, again this has been out of stock for a while so I grabbed one whilst I could. I love the ELF lipstick formulas so I could have gone mad and happily ordered all the ones I don’t own if Mr. credit card hadn’t frowned at me so sternly.

Nostalgic looks a lot more cream than nude and I’m crossing my fingers that it doesn’t give me “concealer lips”…

Bamboo flat brush & smudge brush

Like discount eco tools – bamboo handles and synthetic soft bristles. I already have a few brushes from this line and they are lovely.

Nail Polish – Metal Madness, Glitter Glam, Chocolate, Fire Coral, Smokey Brown & Innocent.

I have such terrible issues with my nail varnish collection that I didn’t even realise till the order arrived that I already own two of these…oops! Elf nail polishes aren’t my favourite, but are far from terrible and were only 50p each…I just couldn’t help myself!

Also I have a feeling that I will be very good friends with Metal Madness for a very long time!

So there you have it, now do excuse me whilst I go dive into my big box of make up! Swatches and reviews coming soon as well as Amie’s ELF spoils!

All products can be found at http://eyeslipsface.co.uk/

Totally hellbent for another ELF bargain haul!

– Gem

Beauty Boxes, Festivals, Hair, Make-up, Nails

July 2013 Glossybox

July 13, 2013

Glossybox day is always the most exciting day of the month!

I’ve been doubly excited about the July box since I saw the gorgeous turquoise print a few days ago as part of the “ready for summer” theme, and I’m glad to say the contents were just as exciting!

After a long day in the sun at work organising a performance for some pupils at my music school, I was filled with glee at my lovely blue box. Despite my hot, sweaty, impatient demeanour I took my time drawing that lovely blue ribbon to reveal the treasures inside.

I am happy to say I will use everything inside the box, in fact I’d used the first item within seconds of spotting it!

Anatomiocals spray misty for me facial spritz

Anatomicals is not a brand I’ve heard of before but I rushed to cover my face in this cooling lavender and peppermint spray the moment I realized what it was. I was still wearing a full face of make-up at the time and it cooled me down and made my face feel refreshed without budging my war paint even a bit!

Alterna Haircare bamboo style boho waves tousled texture mist

I love the wavy just-come-from-the-beach-or-alternatively-from-a-vicious-headbanging-session look so I’m sure I’ll get lots of use out of this. It has a very light summery scent so I’m sure I’ll enjoy that regardless of how good it is at giving me big blue summery waves.

Pukka Ayurveda radiance serum

I’ve become slightly less excited about skincare items in my Glossybox as I find I never really get a chance to properly try them out. I have so many skincare samples and minis I fear I’ll never get around to really giving them a go, but the tripple whammy of Wacken > Bloodstock > Sunkfest next month means I should have plenty of reasons to pack my skincare minis and leave my full sized staples at home!

Ciate paint pot in “Pocket Money”

I’ve been meaning to try a Ciante polish for a long time, but begrudge £9.00 for something I will use one or two times then relegate to the back of my nail varnish drawer, so this was a nice surprise.

I love the warm neutral shade, and the packaging is very pretty however my boyfriend broke the trademark bow within two seconds of seeing it proclaiming “I want to eat it, it looks like dessert”…..

Coola Organic Suncare Collection mineral face SPF 20 rose essence tint

I hate hate hate the feeling of oily sun lotion on my face and sadly stick to foundations with SPF rather than a dedicated cream, reluctantly using a light spray sun protection in the hottest of weather. This however looks like it might be my new favourite product!

The full size product is a tad on the pricey side at £29.99 got 50ml as you have to throw away suncare products every year, but if it protects my face and keeps my skin from looking like an oil slick I might be swayed.

Overall verdict

Although I prefer a mix of more make-up products I’m really happy and impressed with this box, and I think I will get a lot of use out of it on my adventures next month!

You can order a Glossybox here for £10 (+ P&P) per monthly box.

Totally hellbent at almost being set for adventures thanks to my new miniatures!

– Gem

Nails, News, NOTD

NOTD – Etos Quick Dry 8

July 13, 2013

This was a bit of a rushed job on the way to work, but I loved the colour so much I had to do a post (my poor cuticles)!

I picked this up in Rotterdam on a visit to see my lovely other half for the bargain price of €2.50! I’ve got a few of the Etos quick dry range, you could consider Etos to be the Dutch equivalent of Boots and thus this is a bargain own range line.

It applies very easily and dries faster than any UK quick dry formula I’ve tried!

Downsides? Hrm, well I’m not the biggest fan of numbered shades rather than names but I suppose I can let that slip!

The left hand picture with flash is a much closer to the true colour than the shot on the right without!

I can’t seem to find an online purchase link but you can check out the Etos range here.

Totally hellbent for summer brights

– Gem

Nails, NOTD

NOTD – Avon Opalesce

July 11, 2013

Photographed in natural sunlight

I’ve been wanting to try out a flake-glitter topcoat for a while, and when I saw this blue tinted one from Avon I simply had to try it.

There’s two coats of Avon Speed Dry in Fast Time Teal as the base (one of my favourites as you can see from how much I’ve already used! I love fast dry nails, as I really can’t stand waiting for them to dry!

The Avon Top Coat in Opalesce didn’t seem to have much pay-off by way of glitter at first but when I pressed the brush down a little firmer I got way more flakes off the brush and onto my nails!

I used two coats of the top coat to get a half jelly look!

Avon nails varnishes are available online or from a local Avon representative.

Totally hellbent for blue and glitter ALWAYS

– Gem