Barry M Nail Paint Corrector Pen

I was perusing the aisles in Superdrug the other day when I came across a new product from Barry M, a Nail Paint Corrector Pen.  Now, I know there are already a few of these on the market, the most popular one by Nails Inc, but Barry M's version came with a much better price tag of £4.99.  

As the title suggests, you use this pen to tidy up nails after they've been freshly painted.  Although I've been painting my nails for years, I often end up with a splatter here or there on my nails and while it would be just as easy to dip a cotton bud (q-tip) in nail varnish remover, I find that the bud isn't as precise.  With the Barry M pen however, touch ups are a lot easier with the pointed nib allowing you to get into all the nooks and crannies.  The product itself is supposed to be melon scents, however I haven't really noticed that at all.  It's also acetone free and comes with two spare nibs to swap out as and when they dry out.  I know with Nails Inc pen, a lot of the problems came from the product drying up quite quickly, and whilst I've only been using it for two or so weeks, if the Barry M pen dried up quickly I wouldn't be as annoyed. 

Some might think it's a waste of money, but if you're forever changing your nail colour as often as I do then this might be a nice little beauty accessory to have.  I hear they are already hard to get hold of, so it's proving to be a popular product.  

Will you be trying this out or sticking to good old bottled remover? 

Essie Diffusion Line Nail Polish

(L-R: Watermelon, Tart Deco, Sexy Divide and Fiji)

For years I've stuck to Barry M's Nail Paints, not really knowing any better until I discovered the world of beauty bloggers and vloggers. Since then there has been an unbelievable amount of talk about Essie.  I'd even read that the Queen's hairdresser had requested Essie's 'Ballet Slippers' - the only shade she would wear.  I'd never got round to purchasing any colours before it's Boots and Superdrug launch a month or so ago as they were hard to find and once you had they were around £11 each.  When I saw the stand in my local Boots, I gravitated towards it, knowing I wanted the infamous Fiji but also picking up a few more along the way.  

My Essie collection began with 'Tart Deco', 'Sexy Divide' and 'Fiji'.  As soon as I got home, I applied 'Tart Deco' to my both my fingers and toes.  I wore 'Fiji' which is a gorgeous pale pink shade, to my nephews christening.  It's a nice muted, sophisticated shade great for weddings, christenings and other special occasions.  I picked up 'Sexy Divide' as it's very much similar to my favourite Barry M colour 'Vivid Purple' which is slowly running out.  It's a shade that I will no doubt be wearing a lot over autumn and winter.  Watermelon is my latest addition to my collection. I was drawn to this colour over all the other colours as it's a bright pink but without being too fuchsia. 

Before the Boots and Superdrug launch the polishes formulation and brushes were changed as part of the 'Diffusion Line'.  The new formula is extremely thick, creamy and opaque.  I found that one coat is enough with most of the shades I have, maybe two with 'Fiji'.  The brushes have been re-worked and are now a lot wider making application a lot less time consuming with only one or two swipes needed per nail.  As for the staying power, I'm impressed.  When I first applied 'Tart Deco', I put it through the ultimate test - a shift at Tesco.  My nails always break or chip when I'm at work but miraculously this manicure stayed in place.  It did start chipping around 3-4 days after which I was really pleased with.  

Essie's Diffusion Line is available in most Boots stores (I have yet to come across them in Superdrug but you can get them online here) and are £7.99 each.  I'm looking forward to building up my collection with more colours.  

Which Essie shade is your favourite? 

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Beauty Round Up: 2011

Over the past year I discovered YouTube and several beauty guru's who I follow religiously, including FleurDeForce, ThePersianBabe and Pixi2woo (to name a few).  Thanks to them, 2011 was definitely a year when I went beauty crazy and began trying more and more products, as well as becoming interested in writing more beauty based posts.  I have gone through my collection of hair, make up and skin care products and compiled what I guess will be my 2011 favourites.  

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

1. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish; £12.75 -  No surprises here, I've banged on about this product for months.  I've just passed my first anniversary with using this product and I don't think I'll ever not buy it now.  It had dramatically cleared my skin up and I can't rave enough about it.  

2.  Moroccanoil Light; £12.85 - £30.45 - After hearing so many reviews I decided to give this a go.  I bought the 25ml light version as my hair is extremely blonde at the minute.  It is honestly an extremely good product. You need only a small amount through your mid-lengths and ends which will decrease drying time as well as give it a healthy shine.  I will be re-purchasing this in full size (100ml) when I run out.

3.  MAC Prep and Prime; £18.00 - I've used this primer for years, it's always the one I come back to when trying others, as for me, it's the best.  It smoothes out any fine lines and pores I have before applying foundation and it has never caused any issues for my skin.  

4.  John Frieda Colour Renew Shampoo; £5.49 - After taking the plunge and dying my hair a serious shade of blonde, I invested in a bottle of this shampoo to counteract the brassy tones.  It has worked wonders and leaves my hair feeling soft.  

5. Chanel Nail Lacquer in Particuliere; £17.50 - I got this last Christmas and it has been one of my go to shades ever since.  I wear it a lot more during Autumn/Winter seasons and find it looks very sophisticated.  

6.  Clinique High Impact Mascara; £15.00 - Another product I have used for years.  Originally I'd only ever use the sample sizes of it when my mum, sister or auntie bought from Clinique.  This year I picked myself up a full size and I have never looked back.  I get so many compliments when I wear it, people even ask if they can have my eyelashes! I'm currently trying out Benefit's 'They're Real!' so we'll see if this still stays number 1!

7.  Barry M Nail Colour in Vivid Purple; £2.99 - A cheaper alternative to my Chanel.  This is another shade I wear all the time.  I've re-purchased a gazillion times.  I think it looks lovely on the nails, and even better with a tan! A good colour to wear on a night out.

8. Urban Decay Naked Palette; £35 - This is pretty much the only palette I ever reach for when I want to create a smokey eye or an everyday look.  For everyday I used Naked all over the lid, Buck to deepen my crease and then a liquid liner to create a winged look.  It is definitely a good investment palette and I'm already eyeing up the Naked Palette 2 out this month (anyone know what date?)  

9.  MAC Penultimate Liner; £13.50 - Speaking of liner, I have been using this pen over a year now and it is the best liquid liner I've used.  The felt tip pen application makes it incredibly easy to do even winged liner.  A great product overall!

10. Benefit PowdaWowzer; £19.50 £9.00 - Hoola Bronzer in particular.  This trio was a limited edition set that I picked up as I'd always wanted to try Benefit's boxed blushes/bronzers.  I now used Hoola everyday to contour and bronze my face.  I also use Coralista a lot too.  It is currently £9.00 in the ASOS sale (click link no. 10 above), but be quick as they will be gone!

So that is it for my 2011 favourites! What have been your favourite beauty products of 2011? If you've already done a beauty round up post, leave it below - I'd love to read about new products! 

Eye can see you!

I woke up this morning and was ruddy startled to find pairs of eyes looking right at me, 10 of them to be exact.  No, I haven't suddenly become barmy overnight, (keep your thoughts to yourself people) but I actually had a go of recreating the Giles 'Eek Nails' after watching Megan's quick tutorial, here.  

I used:

Chanel Particuliere

Barry M White

Rimmel London Black

Bobby Pin (for the eyes)

Top Coat

It was a pretty simple look to do and I found it fairly easy.  Mine aren't perfect like the ones pictured above and I've made my eyes slightly bigger (thanks to a lack of nail art pens in my collection) but I think they look pretty cute even so.  I feel they all look rather mischievous and that they all need names (okay, maybe I went a little barmy overnight and decided to personify my nails...)

This is going to be one of my go to designs for the new season, to go along with the print trend.  What do you think?

OOTD: Oh, for the love of Kimono.

Yes, you guessed it right, todays outfit of the day will feature that pretty blue Kimono which I just can't get enough off.  

The weather is gorgeous today so the sunnies will be out for an airing.  I'm surprised I didn't get a tan this morning on my driving lesson, the sun was beating down on the window.  

Kimono: Primark

Top: Primark

Skirt: H&M

Tights: Primark

Shoes: New Look - I know you can't see them!

Ring: Vintage

Necklace: Vintage

Sunglasses: Ray Bans Ltd Edition Wayfarers

I always seem surprised at how light my hair is, I always think it's darker than it really is.  I'm off to uni now but i'm getting paid to do so, no my lecturers aren't desperate to get us in.  I've got some student ambassador training to do and at £8.11 p/h why on earth not?

Have a lovely day in the sun guys!

OOTD: Pocahontas Chic

It wasn't the best of days weather wise today.  I decided to wear something slightly warmer both in colour and in clothing, than yesterday.  I felt a little bit like I should have come from the New World and have fallen in love with John Smith.  

Shirt:  Primark

Tank Tee: New Look

Leggings: H&M

Watch:  ASOS

Necklace: Primark

Bracelet(s): H&M and DollyBowBow

On my lips I decided to sport 'Belle', one of my new finds and my nails are Barry M Raspberry.  

Now to print out many a hand out and get on with a 1500 word draft.  Oh to be a student!

Kitschycoo.

I hope you've all enjoyed the sun over the weekend, I've been stuck inside Tesco for the majority but got out in the sun as much as possible.  I'm one of the many millions that adore Cath Kidston and I've been after some of their bedsheets for a while, but when you're a student, you can't always justify 60 quid to sleep in.  One of the perks of my job is that I get 10% off everything instore (apart from petrol etc) so when I saw some gorgeous Cath like bedsheets at £16.00 (£14.40 lesser discount), I jumped and bought myself some.  

How cute are they?

I also blitzed my room when I got home from work, it wasn't as untidy as it could have been but it needed a spring clean.  I now want to invest in some floral padded hangers to hang some of my favourite clothes from around my room.  

I'm now going to go give myself a manicure but i'm unsure whether to paint them Raspberry or Indigo? 

Adding a touch of S/S to my wardrobe.

One of the best things about working at Tesco is in April we get two paydays - obviously this is my months pay cut in half, but nevertheless it's still nice.  I would prefer if I got paid every two weeks as I always find the money is gone after two weeks.  So today I popped to the shops, setting myself a challenge.  The first was to buy the Naked Palette by Urban Decay but of course everywhere was sold out.  The second challenge was to buy something from Primark - lately I've walked in and walked out with nothing, this time I walked out with £38.50 worth.  

Floral Kimono - £10.00

This was the first item I picked out.  It's a sheer chiffon kimono which will be lovely over a tank tee and leggings or jazz up a rather plain dress.  You can't really see the colour well but it's supposedly duckegg.

Sheer Chiffon Shirt in Rust £10.00

Long Necklace avec Feathers - £2.50

I really adore my electric blue chiffon shirt, I only wish it was longer so I could wear it with leggings.  So when I spotted this shirt I had to get it, it's a lot longer at the back and is a gorgeous colour - more terracotta than rust though.  I also picked up two feather necklaces, this was the first - it's pink and looks extremely feminine.  I'm loving the hippie trend at the moment.  

White Feather T-Shirt - £5.00

Feather Necklace with Gold Charms - £2.00

I know, I've gone a bit feather mad but this T shirt caught my eye, great for the hot days in summer where all you want on are sandals, vintage levi's and a tank.  I go on about Vintage Levi's like I own a pair, I will soon :)

Tank Tee's in Cream and Purple - £4.00 each

These were my last buys, I wanted some plain tanks to go under the Kimono and also because you can get through so many in the warmer months.  They had lots of colours, I preferred these. 

I then went on to buying make up, starting off in boots I took the opportunity of two of the great offers.  

Barry M 2 for £5 or £2.99 each

I've been after Dusky Mauve (far right) so I picked it up.  The other two caught my eye in Epsom the other day, 'Indigo' and 'Raspberry' - two gorgeous colours for this season.  You're probably thinking 'why didn't you buy another polish?' I was going to but couldn't see any stand out shades like these.  

17 3 for 2

Photo Flawless Primer - £4.99

Lipsticks in Belle and Beehive - £4.49 each

I love my MAC Prep+Prime but I'd love to find a cheaper alternative that is just as good, I've heard really good reviews about this primer so I hope it will work for me too.  I've gone a bit lipstick barmy lately, building up my nudes.  I got these two, Beehive I've heard about and Belle I just liked.  I bought the highly recommended 'Apple Blossom' by Natural Collection for only £1.99 the other day too!

I popped into Next to buy some new Jeggings as mine are currently falling apart.  

£16

I only buy my Jegs from Next as I find they fit perfectly.  I just wish they lasted longer at that price!

Lastly I went into Topshop and bought an unlikely item.  

Foundation Brush - £7.00 (£6.30 lesser student discount)

I never usually pick up the make up items in Topshop, but I needed a new foundation brush and this one was so soft and a decent price to I decided to grab it.  My current foundation brush is starting to shed, i'll probably wash it and keep it but I needed a new one!

So spending wise it's been a good day, I'm getting some Cath Kidston like bedsheets over the weekend too to update my room a tad.  I also found out today that the fashion shoot we did for university got us an A+ which I was over the moon about.  My grades just keep getting better since I've been to university!

Have a lovely weekend, I'll be at the old ball and chain, Tesco as per.  

March Favourites and a cry for help.

Here we are again, another month gone.  Here are some pictures that sum up my month, what i've been watching, what i've been reading, what i've been wearing etc. 

Katy Perry feat. Kanye West

Clothing by Victor & Rolf

"absence is to love, what the wind is to fire, when it’s a small fire the wind kills it but when it’s a real fire it intensifies It, you see the thing is that the most important relationship you have in your life is with yourself, because no matter what happens you will always be with yourself” - DVF

I wish this was my make up collection...

Right, my cry for help is pretty much because I've been on the look out for Urban Decays Naked Palette (above).  I'm going shopping tomorrow and wondered if anyone knew of places that sell Urban Decay, apart from Boots and Debenhams.

New Make Up Products

I recently flicked through my weekly instalment of more! magazine when I came across two products.  One was a foundation by Max Factor which had been given rave reviews and another was Barry M 'Nail Effects' which i'd happily rename 'Magical Nail Goop'.

Xperience foundation is Max Factors new product, and it's gorgeous.  It's light, and covers well and gives the skin an appealing glow, not the oily one some products can give you.  I managed to get it for £9.99 as an introductory price, but it's now gone up to £12.99.  The only problem I found with it was how much you get, I know it will last me at least two months but I feel a 50ml bottle would be more substantial that 30ml.

I stole this top image from google, i'll post my picture below.  Barry M trumps all nail varnishes as far as i'm concerned.  Although I love my Chanel polish i'm not willing to pay £16.50 every time and at £2.99 a bottle, you can't really go wrong with Baz. I genuinely thought that i was going to be conned out of £3.99 (its slightly more expensive, probably because it contains magic dust) but I was plesantly suprised. You apply a base colour first, for mine I chose Chanel in Django and then apply Nail Effects over the top.  It takes only 5second for the pattern to appear and a further 5 seconds to dry.  I really recommend people try it, it is really good. 

Here's one I made earlier, Neil Buchanan eat your heart out:

Any make up you think I should try? Leave a comment and let me know. I think i'll do more make up reviews in the future.