Nail Art (Post Two)

A fusion of leopard and tiger print in brown, blue and black.
I really enjoyed doing this nail painting (had a lot of time to spare at the beginning of the week and this is the result) I love the Andrea Fulerton pens, both ends are really useful and I hope to sway away from animal prints soon onto more detailed and difficult designs, but for now they look great and I get a lot of compliments for them. I chose the colours because they go with almost anything and I had no idea of outfits for the rest of the week.

Using the base colour "17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish" in "Forever" I covered each nail with two smooth coats (same three swish system as always) and put a few spots of "Barry M Blue Moon" on some nails. Then, I surrounded each spot with a broken circle of black polish using the nib of the Dot&Flick pen and added a few extra details and splodges to cover the empty spaces. I then decided to test out the other part of the pen (the 'flick' side) which is a very thin and long brush. You have to make sure that this end has just the right amount of paint on to 'flick' properly, but after a disaster on my left thumb I got the knack and painted a tiger print by swishing off each edge of the nail alternately, releasing pressure as I went to create the tapered end. After far less effort than the leopard print, I had a great nail art job!

This is just the tiger print on Emily's nails. It looks great on a bolder background as well as on short nails. Thumbs up (if you'll pardon the pun) for this print all round!

Piece of dried glue selling for £151,600.00 with still 1 day to go?

Homer Simpson Dried Glue Lookalike

A piece of dried glue which happened to form a likeness to Homer Simpson is selling on Ebay right now for over 150 grand..
How?!
I should've kept the many bits that I had from art GCSE, like the paint which dried to look like Jesus (just kidding, but it obviously could have made a fortune!)
Unbelievable, these people (82 bids) must have more money than sense.

Nail Art (Post One)

Grey leopard print:

Instructions:

Starting with Rimmel 60 Seconds in Grey Matter, cover the whole nail with 2 coats. (I start by lining the bottom of the nail, next to the cuticle and getting a nice smooth line, followed by swishing up either side of the nail and a final stroke up the centre to create a smooth finish.) After the base colour has completely dried, put a few spots of; Barry M Blue Moon, Barry M Matt White, and MaxFactor Dazzling Blue on each nail and wait to dry. Then surround each spot with a broken circle, using the nib, in either Andrea Fulerton Dot and Flick "Judy" or "Ruth" to define the pattern and add a few extra markings with the pens to finish. DO NOT use a topcoat as this will smudge the nail art pens no matter how long you leave it. Enjoy! :)

M.A.C Tanarama Frost Lipstick

This is one of the strangest lipsticks I've ever worn, although I think Soft Sable from the Glitter & Ice Collection might just take the prize for absolute weirdest lippy. It's a pale gold shimmery lipstick which is quite subtle and best paired with subtle smokey eyes. It lasts quite well and when used with a pale liner (never use a darker lip-liner with it!) can be used as a glittery nude colour. For those with strong coloured lips, it can tone down so other features can stand out for once. The shape with the pointed top is great as well as you can get to thinner parts of the lips and the cupid's bow too. Loving the typical MAC vanilla smell :)

BMW vs. Audi

One of the best advertisement wars ever:

Audi: 'Your move, BMW'
BMW: 'Checkmate.'
Audi: 'Your pawn is no match for our king'
BMW: 'Game over.'

M.A.C Glitter & Ice Lipsticks

This collection must be one of the strangest I have ever seen, but you can always rely on MAC to do something a little different. The collection is made up of six limited edition shades named Double Spin,  Such Flare!, What Joy!, Eloquent Air, Whirls & Twirls and Soft Sable in their own white cases. For this review I will focus on the latter three: a bright silver sheer colour, rose-gold shimmer shade and a brown/rosy taupe frost respectively.

(colours from left to right) Double Spin, Whirls & Twirls, Soft Sable, Eloquent Air, Such Flare!, What Joy!

Eloquent Air is a glaze finish, silver shimmered lipstick. The coverage isn't very good so it is better to think of this as an overcoat rather than a base coat just to add a little bit of sparkle. This lipstick has quite a drying texture and wears off within a few hours so will have to be reapplied often to ensure the best effect. The colour works with your natural lip colour to create a fusion between the two which is bound to be successful! 

Whirls & Twirls is a lovely pink colour with a slightly pearly gold shimmer sheen. As it is also a glaze finish, it has similar problems to Eloquent Air but will work fantastically with naturally darker lips or pale skin.

Soft Sable is a very strange colour. I chose it to be my halloween lip colour as the collection came out just before and I found the shade slightly spooky. It's quite an artificial muted brown with silver shimmer and a purple/pink tone. It has a semi-sheer frost shimmer finish and is a bold move for those brave enough. 

Heavanilli Massage Bar

I cannot believe LUSH has discontinued this massage bar! It was amazing to use as a moisturiser and as massage oils. It melts on contact with the skin and has a gorgeous vanilla / white chocolate / jasmine / cocoa butter smell which, being quite sweet, some smell as quite floral. It takes a while to sink in but you can use the LUSH vanilla powder to remove the excess oil if necessary. The price is £5.10 which can seem expensive, but it lasts for a long time and is glorious to use. If you can get your hands on any before it's all gone in the shops, get it!

INGREDIENTS: Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Fair Trade Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Perfume, Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum), Tonka Absolute (Dipteryx odorata), *Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellal, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Colour 73360

Andrea Fulerton Dot & Flick Nail Art: Black

The Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique collection exclusively at Superdrug has really caught my attention. I decided to try my hand at a bit of nail art because I wanted to wear some leopard print, but not sure I'd get away with it on a piece of clothing. Answer: NAILS! I ordered the double-ended nail pen off Amazon because I couldn't go into town that week and it arrived in about 3 days. I couldn't wait to get started so I picked out a few colours which went together well (somebody requested pink nails so I chose pink for the background) and got started. I started with some OPI cuticle oil to prepare my nails and then used Boots' 17 Lasting Fix polish in 'Fairy Cake' as the background colour. 2 coats and then onto the next: a few spots on each nail of 17 Lasting Fix in 'Woo Me', some blobs of 17 Lasting Fix 'Mini Skirt' and a few dots of the limited edition MaxFactor Nailfinity polish in 'Boji'. After letting them dry completely, I started outlining each spot with the fine nib of the pen, not full circles, but broken rosettes like on a jaguar's coat. (Jaguar print is different from leopard print and I settled on jaguar.) This became way more difficult when I had to use my left hand to do my right hand, but I think it worked almost as well :) 

When the base coat chipped a few days later I used the pen to fix it up and it lasted about a week before I got bored and picked it all off (I also had to take the colour off because I had CCF the next day) I've loved this product so much, I went and bought the silver version, more news on that soon!

Amazing Bedrooms!

Just a few pictures of amazing bedroom designs:

Radley Lansdown Collection

The gorgeous Lansdown Collection by Radley London features a regal inspired, dusty pink print on a black background. There are many pieces including a structured business card holder, cosmetic mirror, pencil case, wallet, blackberry and iPhone cases, purse etc. The print itself is the main selling point: it is exquisite. Some of the products show it off better than others however, such as the structured card holder and the make-up case. I found other pieces to be quite disappointing however: the scarf is not nice; it is made of a viscose/polyamide fabric which is a bit like velour and doesn't show off the print at all! At the original price of £69 this is simply not worth it. The blackberry case is very pretty and made out of nice soft leather, but unfortunately I have the Blackberry Torch which is a bit larger than the standard blackberry and mine just did not fit! The mirror however is perfect: lovely print on the front and a solid, brushed metal case. It is a perfect size for the handbag and has two mirrors on the inside, it also comes with a Radley dust cover to prevent damage when you are not using it.

Shu Uemura "Natural" Radiant Blue False Eyelashes

On the left is the colour shown on the Shu Uemura website and which I expected them to turn up in the post as.. But they arrived the colour shown on the right! (not complaining) They have a gorgeous, magpie-like green sheen on the shorter lashes and lovely flares off to the outer side. Either way, however, they cannot be described as natural! (unless you're an Avatar.. Unlikely.)

Jaeger Boutique Angora Spot Jumper

This wonderfully soft and fluffy jumper covered in playful, Dalmatian sized spots is lovely to wear and, unlike some jumpers, not at all itchy. The short sleeves are an odd feature on a jumper like this, but they make it playful and not all too much. The price is down to £80 from £160, not a bargain but a lovely piece of high quality. I will be wearing this throughout the winter and early spring to keep nice and cosy out and about.

The Best Driver Who Ever Lived: SENNA Film Review

You don't have to be a F1 fanatic to enjoy this film. The documentary is crafted in a way which makes it fast paced, exciting and also quite emotional. It covers Senna's Formula 1 career through the highs and the lows and I for one, despite already being a huge F1 fan and growing up with the sport, was completely fascinated by it. His first race win, on the 21st April 1985 was exactly a decade before I was born and unfortunately I never got to see him race because he died in 1994, only 10 years after his F1 debut. However, in the decade he was racing, Ayrton Senna changed the sport of Formula 1. Although the film may be slightly biased, it shows Senna as a great personality as well as a sportsman. I'm already looking forward to the 2012 season, bring on March 16th!

M.A.C Blue Tone Pink Lipsticks

Left:   MAC Pro Longwear Creme in Love Forever
This fuschia shade has a lovely creamy finish with a little shine and full opaque coverage. It is very bold, for those wanting a slightly paler colour I'd recommend 'Dress It Up' from the same collection. The lipstick wears very well, possibly not the 12 hours that MAC claims it should, but many hours with eating and drinking with hardly any transfer (yes, this would be the lipstick I'd wear on a date) I did find, however, that the circular lipstick column does make it harder to apply to the cupid's bow of my lips, but it's such a fantastic lipstick that I'll get used to it (fast!). A few dabs of the colour is all I need and then rub my lips together to spread the colour. All in all, a great product by MAC.

Centre:   MAC Sheen Supreme in Royal Azalea

This is a bright mid-tone pink with a lightweight formula giving semi-opaque coverage. It's got a lovely vanilla scent that has always reminded me of victoria sponge cake but no taste (unfortunately! Or fortunately, because I'd be licking it off all the time if it tasted of cake too) They are glossy but not very long-lasting and never apply on already balmed lips because it completely ruins the already fragile consistency. 

Right:   MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Saint Germain

This bright pastel pink is a bold choice when it comes to pink lipsticks, it's a stand-out candy floss colour which uses the same vanilla scent as other MAC lipsticks. The shape of this lipstick is great as the narrower top is useful when applying to the cupid's bow of lips and at the edges of the mouth. It is a very smooth formula and quite moisturising, the only downside is that is does not last that long (only a few hours) and you will need to reapply to get the full burst of colour, but it is beautiful and if you're looking for a Barbie pink: this is the one!

Shu Uemura Statement Eyelashes

Extreme Luxury: with a hefty pricetag of £300, these Mother Of Pearl Premium False Eyelashes are hand made with real mother of pearl. Admittedly, they are gorgeous, but for that price I could buy a whole gorgeous outfit. Even if I had that kind of money, I'm still not sure I'd wear them, even as the lover of sparkle and shimmer that I am.

Instead, I got these: Shu Uemura's Mini Star Glitz False Eyelashes. The navy and blue lashes are embellished with tiny little star motifs "to give a pretty twinkle to the edge of the eyes" They are a really pretty edition to my collection and with a pricetag of £15, they are a bit more afforable with still a sense of luxury.

Wild and Wolf Keepsake Collection

"A delightful range of charming and terribly pretty things, illustrated with vintage city maps, birds, deer and majestic crowns inspired by journey's of the heart. Fall in love with these beautiful keepsake items"


These adorable little pieces are a quirky addition to anybody's accessories. Each little item is perfectly formed and very prettily decorated with a variety of different background colours and theme focuses. I own two pieces in the collection: the mini hip flask and the smaller make up bag, each have become essentials with their delicate little details and cute colours. With varied price tags depending on the size and complexity of the item, this range is affordable and lovely but often difficult to find, I recommend looking on Amazon.co.uk, just make sure you get a good price!

Arm Warmers: Hobo or Haute Couture?

Dancers have used arm warmers and leg warmers to help them warm up for ages. Dance movies such as Step Up made the first push in popularising the knitted tubes and later certain school cliques were known to wear them (I wont mention any, only causes trouble) I've been wearing arm warmers and fingerless gloves for a while now (partly due to the fact I loved how they looked on Mitchell (Aidan Turner) the vampire in 'Being Human' actually.. I just loved the way he looked in general, but they HAD to kill him of didnt they!? Anyway, enough of that..) so, excuse me if I'm a little biased, but they're so cosy and you can't go wrong with a nice pair (or two) from New Look in the sales. BUT! Designer Donna Karan's ribbed cashmere-blend arm warmers, the grey ones below, are selling for £355 a pair! Personally, I think that's extortionate: they are plain and boring. (But a massive 'told you so!' to all the people who said I looked like a tramp at school.. You know who you are..) Joules has some nice ones, down to £6.48 in the John Lewis sale and Ted Baker are doing some gorgeous little angora fingerless gloves, down to £23 in their sale (white below)

Chanel Copies

Top designers have always been copied by less expensive brands. Chanel makeup seems to have been copied a lot recently due to the beautiful collections they keep creating.

So let's see, Rimmel:

On the left is Rimmel London's eye shadow quad in Sweet Smoulder, on the right, Chanel's eye shadow quad in Sparkling Satins.. Look! Twins!! However similar the colours look here though, the Rimmel version doesn't even come close to the sparkle, shimmer, colour longevity and blendability (I know i just made up a word, but it's a good one!) of the Chanel. Not to mention the fact that the Chanel version comes in a gorgeous compact that we'd all like to be seen out with. Sparkling Satins has been one of my top 5 eye shadows for years now and I wear them every week. With the amount I use them you'd imagine they'd run out but the colours just keep coming and they are brilliant value even with the pricetag. 

Barry, your turn next:

 

This has to be one of the best copies ever, many other reviewers have tested both and cannot tell the difference. I personally think the Chanel has a little more shine (and definitely lasts so much longer!) but for the price difference many will opt for the Barry M 'Dusky Mauve' version.

Revlon, you're up:

No one does glitter like Chanel. As shown above, Chanel is a clear winner in the eyeshadow stakes and the same is reflected here. Both limited edition vanishes are grey-green and sparkly but Chanel Graphite looks gold in some lights, silver shimmer in others while Revlon's Carbonite (come on, they even copied the name) is a much flatter colour. Unlike before, I think you need to splash out on this one if you want the real deal (lets face it, it is beautiful) but good luck getting any before it all runs out! Oh, and P.S. when you take Chanel Graphite off, it is a bit of a glitter fest, but then I like that so it's no problem for me!

The Nude Heels..

Nude heels must have been the individual must-have item for 2011 going into 2012. Made most famous by the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, they've been seen all over the red carpet during the past year. Designers such as Ted Baker have used them to show off their collections (and to be honest, don't you wish you could look like those you see wearing them? Yeah thought so). A leg-lengthening pair can be worn under anything; from dressed down jeans and top, or up, with a ball gown fit for a high school prom. Let's just wish that a pair of Louboutins magically arrive in the post.. Well, a girl can dream right?

Beautiful Butterflies

 Ted Baker's Autumn/Winter '11 collection butterfly print has been seen EVERYWHERE in the last few months. Although a lot pinkier and paler, Boots used the print in their Ted Baker collection, most prominently on the 'Make It Big' Vanity Case: a gorgeous circular case with large versions of all the pieces in the Origami and Butterfly ranges. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one when they were selling half price for £19! (A bargain in my opinion) The print appears much darker and denser on Ted's Womenswear collections, where the background is more mushroomy than dusty pink and the whole lot is darker on the back of the top.

Versace for H&M Collection

London went crazy for a few days in November around the huge H&M stores with thousands of shoppers emptying all the racks and shelves of the Versace collection. When I finally got there, I went to four of the stores searching for the elusive items left after the initial frenzy and found ,after a lot of drama which I wont go into, for your sake: some black leggings embellished with gold studded Versace signature Greek Key design; some tropical floral print leggings in turquoise and green; and some men's (Yes! MENS!! I happen to love them, even though they have a button fly and crotch down by my knees) quirky black and white chaotic, kinda zebra print design. Quite happy with my purchases, my bank account wasn't, because even though this is H&M, it's Versace H&M and it gets quite pricey..