Models Own Ice Neons Pink Punch

I just want to say before I start that there is nothing wrong with this polish, I love Models Own and have plenty of shades that I like. I decided to pick up Pink Punch as part of a 3-for-2 in Boots, I loved the Fruit Pastel collection and although neon isn't usually my thing, I liked the look of this one. 

The colour looks gorgeous in the bottle, a lovely coral tinted pink. I love the look of the frosted bottle too, I know this is because they are designed to be kept in the fridge so they stay bright but to be honest I Models Own should make all their bottles like this. The lid states that the polish is a matt effect (I'd call it more semi-matte, it does have a little shine). I went for a top coat just to make it stand out more though, I prefer glossy colours.

On this picture the colour actually looks really nice, but it doesn't properly capture the brightness! It really is a neon pink, and a lot more of a pink than a coral, which is not what I wanted. I really didn't like Pink Punch, I am definitely team Pastel and I don't think I'll be bothering with any more neons in the future.

Have you tried the Models Own Iced Neons? They aren't my thing but maybe you love them?

Claire's £1 Nail Polishes

I needed a bit of retail therapy this morning, so headed to the White Rose Centre in Leeds. I normally head straight for the same few shops which I know I like, but today a poster in the window of Claire's Accessories caught my eye and drew me in, all nail polishes £1! My nail obsession is no secret and I couldn't walk past this any more than an alcoholic could avoid the pub.

Amongst the lovely shades of normal polishes (which I have to say I have never tried, it isn't a shop I usually go in) I noticed a number of different effect polishes, so I had to pick up a couple to try. 

I managed to limit myself to 5 in total (£5, such a bargain!!). I never expected to find these effects in somewhere like Claire's so these were a nice surprise! I chose two leather polishes, nude and burgundy, a glitter sand in a lovely gold and two sprinkle effects in pink and blue (they don't have actual shade names). I was really happy about the sprinkle ones as the Barry M sprinkles are so disappointing and these look so pretty.

How pretty is the pink sprinkle polish? This is two coats and the pink, blue and white glitter bits make it look gorgeous. They claim to be chip-resistant but I will have to wait to judge that one.

Have you ever tried Claire's polishes? I don't know how long the £1 offer is on for but its worth a look!

Barry M Corrector Pen Review

I usually paint my nails every couple of days, but I don't have the steadiest hand so I always end up going over the edges and making a mess on my fingers. I know a lot of nail bloggers tidy up with acetone and a small brush to get a neat edge but I'm lazy. I also hate nail polish remover, I hate the smell and the feel of it so tend not to use it. So when I heard Barry M were bringing out a corrector pen, I thought it would be perfect and had to try it (the only ones I had seen before were silly prices). 

The corrector pen is basically just as it sounds, it is a pen tip coated in nail polish remover to allow quick and easy clean up of your nails. The pen is slanted giving an almost pointed tip on one side allowing you to get right upto the nail and clean the edges. 

It doesn't smell so much like nail polish remover either, it has a slight melony scent which isn't awful. You also get two spare nibs in the cap meaning one the first nib gets too stained you don't have to replace the whole thing. I haven't tried changing it though so I'm not sure how easy it is to swap, but I can't imagine it being too difficult. 

 I used the corrector pen today to very quickly clean up around the edges of my nail. It literally took about a minute (it still isn't perfect) and was so simple to use. The pen is perfect for lazy people like me who don't spend ages painting really neatly and can't be bothered cleaning up with a paintbrush. It really does make a difference and neatens up your polish to give a perfect edge.

The corrector pen doesn't appear to be on the Boots website at the moment, but can be bought in store for £4.99, a bargain in my eyes and I can imagine I will get plenty of use out of it!

Have you tried a corrector pen before? If you hate nail polish remover like me then its perfect!

Collection Lasting Gel Colour Polish

Today's NOTD is another new release. Every brand going seems to have brought out a gel-like nail polish range, and Collection is the latest to join the club. Being a big fan of the Barry M Gellys and Maybelline's Color Show, I had to give these a go to see how they compared. There are 15 shades in the range which slightly disappointed me compared to shade range offered by the likes of Barry M and Maybelline as they all strike me as a little boring. Anyway, I chose Watermelon, the only shade that really caught my eye. 

Watermelon is actually the most gorgeous pink I own. I'm not the biggest pink fan but this has a touch of coral which makes it so pretty and I really have fallen in love with it. I might be disappointed with some of the other shades, but this one is gorgeous. The brush is perfect too, just wide enough to give easy application in one sweep. I did have to use three coats as I wanted a really bright colour but the finish is perfect, no lines and really shiny. 

I can see this being one of my summer favourites and as much as I like Barry M they don't have any pinky shades I love as much as this one. It did last well too, three days and no chipping, which is good on my nails. I am really impressed with Watermelon and I really do hope Collection bring out some more interesting shades as the formula and brush are great.

Collection Lasting Gel Polish can be bought here from Boots for £3.19 (surprisingly slightly more than the Gellys and Colour Show at £2.99). Have you tried any of the Collection Lasting Gel Polishes?

NOTD: W7 Metallic Mercury

Now I love my bargain nail polishes. I have over 170 (really!!) so I can't afford to spend silly amounts on one polish when I probably won't use it more than two or three times. I thought I was pretty good with my bargain brands. I love Barry M and MUA do amazing polishes for £1. But when I came across Nail Polish Direct I stumbled upon a brand I hadn't seen in years (I'm sorry to say if they don't sell it in Boots or Superdrug I probably won't own it, I don't like online polish shopping and silly delivery charges). W7 aren't a brand I hear talked about much, but they have a fantastic range of polishes including different effects for £1.95 over on Nail Polish Direct and free delivery! I couldn't resist that, so chose a couple of the suede effect and a metallic polish in Mercury. 

Mercury is a gorgeous bronzy pinky colour which shines almost gold and purple in the light. I couldn't capture how pretty it is in the picture as there was no sun! It reminds me of the Beetlejuice collection from Models Own, but at a fraction of the price! 

The bottles on these are a little like OPI and the tall caps make for easy application. The brushes aren't perfect as I prefer the wider ones, but for £1.95 I can't fault them.

I have been really impressed with W7 for the price. It lasted a good few days before chipping and looks so lovely I didn't want to take it off. I think I might have to get a couple of the others from this range, there are some beauties. I have never understood how people can spend over £10 on one nail polish when there are such amazing bargain brands around! 

I was really impressed with the service from Nail Polish Direct too, my delivery came within a couple of days and with free delivery who can go wrong! I can definitely see myself ordering from them again.

Have you ever used W7? If not you really should!

Maybelline Color Show Polka Dot Nail Polishes

Maybelline have been on it recently with new releases, and their new Color Show nail polishes are amazing. Shiny, long lasting colour for £2.99- who could resist. The Color Show range also has a new limited edition collection, Polka Dots. The Polka Dot collection consists of four shades, pink, blue, green and a black and white dupe for L'Oreal confetti. I have to say Chalk Dust (b+w) appealed the most to me but I won't buy something I have already, and it is an amazing dupe for confetti, so I went for Speckled Pink and Shooting Stars. 

Speckled Pink is beautiful. I think that is all that needs to be said. Just look at it! This took three coats but it dries really quickly so that isn't a problem. The pink allows the black and white pieces to show through really well making it really eye-catching. I had loads of compliments whilst wearing this, and it was the one which sold out first in my Boots! The one little complaint I have with this is how quickly it chipped. The normal Color Show lasted really well but this one chipped after only a day. A little disappointing but I might try it over a base colour next time to see if it lasts better.

 Now I love the Speckled Pink, but Shooting Stars didn't impress me as much. I love the blue shade, it is really pretty but the dark colouring covers the black and white pieces too much. It just isn't as effective with the dark base colour. Perhaps this would be better over a pale base colour to lighten it all up.
This picture was taken on the second day of wear and you can see how it has started to chip on my thumb and wear away on my first finger.

Overall, the Color Show range has really impressed me. They are great quality and value for money and for me beaten only by Barry M. I do love the idea of limited edition collections too, and these are lovely, just not quite up to the quality of the rest of the range. I have to say though, from other posts I have seen, Chalk Dust does look the best, with Speckled Pink a close second. The Polka Dot effect just isn't as good on a dark base. All in all though, not bad for the £2.99 price tag.

Have you tried the Color Show range? What do you think?

A little update...

I'm sorry to say things have been a little quiet around here recently, blogging has had to take a bit of a back seat as other things have taken priority over the last few weeks. I am a couple of weeks away from my draft dissertation deadline, so many hours have been spent stressing out about that, but I am nearly there, it is all coming together and soon an MSc will be mine! 

At the same time I started looking for a full time job a while ago. I have been going between two jobs, sometimes in one day and working silly hours just to save up a little money. I decided a while ago that enough was enough, I wanted something regular and with a chance of progressing. 

So that is my bit of exciting news- I have a new job which I start on Monday! It isn't my dream job but its full time and with a good company who I could see myself sticking with, unlike the job I have now! 

Hopefully once I'm settled there I can get back to normal and start blogging a little more. I have missed posting over the last few weeks, I have some lovely new bits I want to share, so watch out for those.

Anyway, hopefully my readers (there might be a few of you) will bear with me while I get sorted and hopefully get into a better routine working 9-5. That has to be the best thing! No more 10pm finishes!

I did manage to sneak in a little shopping trip today, there were a few bits I needed from Boots and I spotted these!

Models Own are 3-for-2 at the moment at Boots and I have had my eye on the Splash collection since I heard about it so I picked up Pink Paradise and Golden Shores, meaning I got Pink Punch from the Ice Neon collection free! I can't wait to try them, they look amazing! This new job also allows me to wear whatever nail polish I want for work, unlike my old one which doesn't allow it! So watch out for lots more interesting nail art coming up!

May Glossybox

This months Glossybox seems to have come around really quickly, which I suppose is due to the lateness of last months box. Anyway, I wasn't as impressed with the ones I had seen so far, so I wasn't really looking forward to this one, but mine is completely different from the ones I had seen!

There isn't really a theme to this months box as it is the second anniversary box, so rather than products fitting a theme, they have used brands they know and love. Who can go wrong with tried and tested brands! The total worth of my box this month was £47.50!

I'll start with my favourite pick, Headline Colors Nail Polish in Poolside Party (full size worth £9). So no suprise that the nail polish was my favourite product. I have a million polishes but this colour is lovely and I don't really have any like this one so a nice addition to my collection. They claim to have an ultra-high pigment level for intense colour and UV absorbers for staying power, erm what? Good for them if it works though!

Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara (full size £15). I love to try new mascaras and seen as I haven't been impressed with Maybelline's new offering, perhaps this will be better! It claims to lengthen and volumise without clumping. I loved the JPP lip crayon I got a few boxes ago, so hopefully this will be as good!

Collection Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner (full size £2.99). I actually use this all the time, its my favourite liquid eyeliner and I am about ready for a new one so I loved getting this even if it isn't something new to me. I have tried lots of liquid eyeliners and I prefer this one to every other! It has a sponge applicator rather than a brush which I just don't get on with. It is so easy to use and lasts really well. A total winner for me!

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray (full size £18.95). This one was a bit of a "meh" kind of find for me. I don't tend to use many products on my hair other than ones which volumise, as my hair gets greasy. I did used to have a really light V05 shine spray which I used to love and assume is discontinued so maybe this will be similar to that! Its so expensive though!

 Finally, Beautiful Movements Primer (full size £20 for 20g, 2.5g included). First impressions of this aren't great, I like the light feel of it but it doesn't give my skin the smooth flawless finish I love from my Seventeen Photo Flawless Primer. The fact that the Seventeen one is a quarter of the price also means I probably won't be converted to this one, but I will try it!

Also included were a lovely set of mini Glossybox nail files. I never take nail files with me and these are perfect for popping in your handbag when you go out. I think this has to be the most useful little extra included in my boxes so far!

All in all not my favourite, but still a really good box. I'm hoping the mascara will be good and I will use the eyeliner and nail polish, the only product I would swap would be the shine spray, but even the ones I will use more than cover the box value. I did expect slightly better from their anniversary box, but still value for money wise, it has been really good! It states in the booklet that an extra treat was included for subscribers of over a year which is nice if you got it, but I think a little unfair to newer subscribers!

What do you think of this months box? Did you get different bits?

Debenhams VIP Personal Shopping Experience

I wanted to post about something a little bit different today. This might be a long one and I didn't think till afterwards that I should have taken pictures, so sorry for the lack of them! My mum had got a voucher for a VIP personal shopping experience with some money to spend on a gift card as a retirement present from work. She wanted someone to go with her as she isn't the best shopper and wasn't sure what to expect, so today off we toddled to White Rose to see what it was all about.

First things first, we wondered over to the personal shopper area where we were greeted by Jacqui who was looking after us. She sat us in a little room with a sofa, brought us a couple of drinks (tea, coffee, wine...etc) and asked my mum a few questions about what she wanted. She then disappeared for about 45 minutes to pick some clothes, leaving us sitting feeling a little bored and forgotten about.

She returned with a rail of things for my mum to try, some of which were pretty awful to be honest and not really suitable for what she was wanting, but she tried plenty on and managed to find a few nice bits while Jacqui hovered around offering opinions and fetching other bits. She was pretty helpful but I didn't get a good vibe from her and she made a couple of fairly rude comments at the end to do with my mums choice of clothes which I found pretty awful considering her job was to make you feel good about yourself! I have to say if it were me I probably would have said something to her, but my mum isn't the type of person who would. I don't know whether she was put off because I was there and she felt like she couldn't get involved or what, but I wasn't impressed with her. 

My mum was pretty happy with her new clothes though, so we headed off to the next part of the experience, a beauty consultation. My mum was kind enough to let me have this one as she wasn't really fussed so I chose Benefit (MAC were going to charge £30 for it!). I was greeted by a lovely Benebabe who unfortunately wasn't wearing a name tag so I don't know her name, but I ended up having a good chat with her and found we even had some mutual friends! She talked me through the steps as she did my make-up. 

This was the finished look (excuse the puffy tired eyes!) I'll list the products used below:

Base: POREfessional

Foundation: Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in Believe in me Ivory

Concealer: Fake Up Light (I was disappointed with this, I expected it to be better than my Collection one at hiding my dark circles but it wasn't!)

Blusher: Hervana (Amazing!)

Highlighter: Watt's Up (Also amazing!)

Eyeliner: Magic Ink

Eye shadow: Longwear Powder Shadow in Nude Swings, Gilt-y Pleasure and Kiss Me I'm Tipsy

Brows: Browzings Medium

Mascara: They're Real 

Lips: Dandelion Ultra Plush Lip Gloss

Overall although I wasn't impressed with the concealer and the brows are a little much, I loved the blush and highlighter and was tempted to get them, although I had just taken my car for some new tires so couldn't bring myself to get them too! The girls there were fantastic and I picked up some good tips! I can't recommend them enough, I loved having my make-up done by them and they were all so friendly and chatty.

Once I had my make-up done and we'd been for a wonder round the rest of the shops, we headed of for the last part of the experience, free drinks and cake in the cafe! This was just what we needed after shopping and the cakes were amazing!

Just a quick couple of pics of the other bits I bought!

Sandals £3.50, dress £13, Primark. I love this dress, its such a nice print and really flattering on, but how cute are those sandals! I love lilac and they were such a bargain!

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara (£5.99 on offer) Polka Dot Color Show Polishes in Shooting Stars and Speckled Pink (£2.99 each buy one get one half price at Boots) and my little freebie foundation sample. I wanted to try the new mascara and have been looking for these gorgeous polishes so couldn't resist picking them up! I have Speckled Pink on now and its so pretty!

Overall, a lovely day! I'm not sure I would recommend the personal shopper just for the sake of going but as a present, with a gift card, the whole experience was really good. Perhaps if we'd had someone else it would have been better but I really enjoyed the whole day and my mum did too! 

Have you ever used a personal shopper? 

Simple Nail Art 8: Scalloped Nails

Its been a while since I did one of these posts, which is a shame as I was quite enjoying the experimenting. I did find something new to try today though, once again dissertation boredom has driven me to googling nail art! I love the scalloped effect on clothes but I never thought of using it on my nails! If you google it though there are some lovely nail art post using this kind of effect.
I decided to keep it simple as I'm feeling lazy today and although I love the graduated scallops that seem to keep appearing, I just went for two colours.
These are super simple to do and you just need something to dot with, I use the dotting tools you can get from about a million different ebay sellers for about £2. I used the biggest end of one of my dotting tools and the bargain (old style) MUA nail polishes in Frozen Yoghurt for the base and Plum Noir for the detail.

I painted two coats of the lovely Frozen Yoghurt as a base and left it to dry. I then used the dotting tool and starting from half way up the left side of my nail, dotted Plum Noir down diagonally, trying to touch the dots and get as close as possible to the right corner of my nail. These aren't perfect but you can do the scallops any way you like, I just prefer this look to scalloped tips. 

 I then went back over each nail and filled in the space under the dots. I actually ended up taking pictures of my right hand as it somehow turned out neater than my left, for the first time ever!

I stuck on some top coat, left it all to dry and cleaned up.....and there we go, lovely scalloped nail art!

I really love this affect, its so simple and quick but so pretty! I'm gonna try the graduated scallops next as they look really amazing. I just have to mention the MUA polishes quickly too. They are really
amazing for £1 and I love the purpley colours they do! I have the old style bottles but the new Essie-esque bottles are so pretty too! If you haven't tried them you really should!

Would you try scalloped nails? I love things like this that can be done quickly but look so effective!

Simple Nail Art:
1. Ikat Print
2. Toothbrush Splodges
3. Striping Tape

4. Pastel Gradient
5. Glitter & Studs

6. Dotty Flowers

7. Nail Art Pens

April Empties

I can't actually believe how quickly this year is going by! Were nearly half way through already! I feel like I have achieved nothing so far this year, although that will hopefully soon change! I have some exciting news which I have to keep quiet for now but hopefully this means everything I wanted to happen this year will fall into place and I cannot wait! I've been on a complete high this week, although part of me is waiting for something to go wrong, but I hope it doesn't!

Anyway, onto the point of the post. I have been doing quite well with using up my stash and this month has got rid of a few more duplicate products! I have about three different places I store extra toiletries and I always forget to look somewhere meaning I end up buying things I don't need (like dry shampoo, I seem to have them hidden everywhere!)

Schwartzkopf Volumising Powder: I love love love this and I know I keep mentioning it but it is amazing and makes my flat, boring hair look so much better. I seem to go through about one of these a month as I use it daily! Repurchase: Yes! I already have a back-up stash!

Trevor Sorbie Volume Mousse: This is another of my hair heroes. Along with the volume powder these pretty much make up my essential hair products. Anyone else suffering with flat fine hair needs to try these! Repurchase: Yes, I already have!

Dove Summer Glow Body Lotion: I bought this half price for about £2.50 and I love it. It does have quite a strong smell but I usually use it on an evening then when you shower in the morning it gets rid of the smell. It really is amazing for giving you colour though. I went for the deep version, but it also comes in light, and I have had so many comments about my "tan". One of my friends even said it looked better than her St Tropez! Its perfect for people like me who are too lazy to fake tan but like a little colour for a night out. The colour lasts a good 3-5 days before it starts to fade or wash off. Repurchase: Yes, its half price at Boots now!

Batiste Dry Shampoo Graffiti: I bought this as it was reduced, I think this is discontinued and they were out of stock of my favourite Tropical. I love these dry shampoos but as for this fragrance, it was a little strong and I'll be sticking to my old favourite from now on. I really do notice the difference when I've used dry shampoo, I don't have greasy hair, I don't use it for that, but it really does give some bounce to my flat hair once I've slept on it. Repurchase: Not this one, but yes on the tropical!

 Now the beauty products:

Rimmel Stronger Base Coat: I have been using this for a while now, its lasted me a good few months, and I really have noticed the difference. My nails aren't as soft and don't peel or break as often. They are even starting to grow and stay longer. I really like this and would recommend it for a cheap alternative to the likes of Sally Hansen (think it was £4.59). Repurchase: I have a No7 one I am trying now, but yes if that isn't amazing!

17 (now Seventeen) Photo Flawless Primer: This stuff is amazing! I have tried a couple of primers, but this is the best for a smooth, silky soft make-up base. It also keeps my make-up perfect all day and only costs £4.99! Bargain! I was a little worried it wouldn't last long, being a small tube but I have been using this since just after Christmas, so its lasted really well! Repurchase: YES!

annnnnnd finally: Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast Lip Balm: I bought this because it was £1 at ASDA and sounded like it would taste nice and it does! Its lovely! It is a little thick and leaves your lips a little white but it was perfect for me as I like a lip balm I can put on before bed so I don't need it on all day. Repurchase: No, simply because I have 1001 lip balms and don't need any more.

So there we are, most of these are things I use all the time, this pretty much reads like a favourites post! Do you love any of these?

The First Miss Glossybox!

So anyone who reads my posts (hopefully someone does!) will know how much I have been loving the Glossyboxes I have received recently! So when I heard they were going to bring out a box purely filled with high street products I had to order one! I do love the original Glossybox but I have found a few of the products included a little out of my price range, so as I consider myself more of a budget blogger, Miss Glossybox seems right up my street (or high street....). I know they are aimed at the younger among us, and considering the products in this months box, that may be the only problem, a couple of  products are things I would count as a little young for me. Anyway, onto the box!

I have to say, the overall look isn't as impressive as the original box, I'm not a fan of the bag. Instead of a lovely re-usable box, the products come inside a patterned bag. Ok maybe they could be reused, but I like my Glossybox boxes for storage. I also prefer the pink theme, green is not my colour, maybe they will have different ones each time? I think this time there was only one version of the box too, maybe next times will have variations? I like not knowing what I am going to get!

The first product I pulled out was the So...? Lovely Dry Shampoo, Floral & Flirty (full size 150ml £2.49, 50ml included). I love Batiste Dry Shampoo and use it all the time so this will be interesting to compare. After a quick spray though, I wasn't impressed with the smell. It doesn't really smell floral just strange. 

The second product, Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask (full size 75ml £4.95, 10ml included). I love face masks but I haven't ever tried a clay one so I'll be giving this a go soon! I really like the fact that they highlight in the information that the ingredients are natural and no nasties!

My favourite of the bunch, 2True Glitterati in Shade 6 (full size included £1.99). I posted a NOTD the other day with Shade 4, which I do prefer colour wise, but this one is really pretty too! I used it over my InStyle free Nails Inc polish. You do get a nice pinky tint from the base with pink and gold glitter. It does need a base coat though. I have been impressed with these for the price, 2True are definitely worth a look!

BeautyUK Eye Pencil (full size included £1.99). I wasn't too impressed with getting a plain boring black eyeliner. I have been wanting to try out the BeautyUK range so something a little more interesting or even a different colour would have been nice, but then who won't use a black eyeliner? 

Now the last couple of products were the ones I wasn't too interested in. Eye Rock Eye Tattoos in Lace (£5.99). I like the idea of these but I can't see myself at 23 sporting these beauties. They might be nice for fancy dress though. I suppose the idea of the boxes is for something you might not have tried otherwise. 

I have been hearing lots about these popbands recently (£4-£8). I like the idea of them as I hate having my hair tied up as I hate the feeling and don't like my hair getting kinked. Maybe this will be a nice alternative although I can't figure them out. I don't know if I'm supposed to undo the knot so it fits or tie it in like a bobble? 

Finally, the Glossybox extras, a lovely striped set of nail clippers and a nail file and a little lolly. These are a nice little touch and I love the stripes! 

Overall I'm not convinced by this box, I will maybe use half of the products, which don't cover the box cost. I really like the concept though, and I will get next times box just to see if it gets any better. I do think they are better suited to younger people than me, although a high street box aimed at my age group (18-25) rather than teenagers might perhaps bring them more money in as we will most likely have more disposable income, just saying!

The value of this times box is around £15, which is good to say the box costs £7. Miss Glossybox can be ordered from the Glossybox site and is a bi-monthly box.

Has anyone else tried this? I'm going to hang in for another and see how that goes, but I haven't been convinced away from the original box!