Invogue Neons: All That Jazz

I posted a few days ago here about my love for the Nails Inc Feather dupes from Invogue. Whilst debating which of those shades to buy, I also noticed the neon shades and fell in love with All That Jazz. I had wondered whether to pick up some of the new neon Models Own shades when I got the Fruit Pastels, although neon has never really been my thing, and none of the colours screamed out to me. But this one did! 

This colour is perfect, a gorgeous pinky purple which dries into an almost matte, jellyish finish. Its had to describe, it really is like nothing I've used before, but I suppose it is similar to the Models Own ones. They are also a bargain at £3.49, with two other shades available, Firecracker, neon coraly orange (this looks lovely too and I might be tempted by this one), and Green Light, neon green.

All That Jazz is a little sheer and I went for 3 coats, but wow is it bright, I couldn't get a picture which does it justice. I really love this shade, it is such a unique colour and dries to such a beautiful finish. Like the Feather polishes, the neon is also amazingly quick drying so you don't have to wait to apply a second coat. As much as I loved the matte finish I couldn't resist trying it with a top coat, and my gosh is it gorgeous! I may have only just discovered Invogue but they are fast becoming a favourite and I can't wait to see what else they have to offer! If you haven't tried any of their polishes then do!

What do you think? Do you love this shade as much as me? 

NOTD: Invogue Feather Effects (Nails Inc Dupes)

I'm sure everyone has heard about the Nails Inc Feather polishes by now. They contain different coloured strands which when built up on your nail, give a feathered effect. I have been debating splashing out £11 for one of these for a while, but am glad I didn't as Invogue (now stocked in Superdrug) have released a range of dupes for the Nails Inc shades priced at a teeny £3.49.

l-r Sunset, Jaye Bird, On The Money, Parakeet (I bought Jaye Bird and Parakeet. I love the names! So much better suited to the effect than the Nails Inc names).

The Invogue feather effects are almost exact matches for most of the Nails Inc range pictured here although unfortunately not the last one which I think is the prettiest! I'm also missing Brighton here which is an exact dupe for On The Money but I couldn't find all five in a pic!

The Invogue polishes are amazing! I was so surprised to see how close a match they are for the much more expensive Nails Inc range! I absolutely love them!

As I mentioned, after convincing myself I didn't need all four shades (and with a little hope that they bring out a dupe for Nails Inc Edinburgh) I went for the blue and white Jaye Bird and the beautiful orange, yellow and turquoise Parakeet. I have used Parakeet over Seventeen Quicker Slicker Sailor Boy (I love this colour). This is two coats with a little touching up over the areas which hadn't got as good a coverage. 

Parakeet is beautiful! It looks amazing over the darkish blue shade as the colours really stand out but I think it would also look fantastic over a coral for a summery shade. I really love the effect, I wasn't convinced at first but if you get a good enough coverage it really does give a feathered effect. It makes a nice change from glitter too as the strands almost give a matte finish. It reminds me a bit of hundreds and thousands, cute!

I am so impressed with these polishes and considering buying the other two if I can find them in a store. I love it when the cheaper brands bring out dupes for more expensive makes as I still loathe paying £11 for a nail polish and this is a perfect example of why spending more isn't always the best thing to do! 

Has anyone else tried these? Do you like the feather effect?

March Empties

So who can actually believe it is April already?? This year is going by so fast. March has been a bit of a rubbish month with all the snow and it has just generally been really boring. There could be some exciting things on the horizon for April though so we shall see how that goes. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this year and finally getting my Masters finished! 

But anyway onto the point of the post - my March empties. I am trying really hard not to buy things I already have loads of, which is mostly skin and body products, so I am slowly working my way through my stash! This month there haven't been too many empties, but they have all be things I needed to use up or had a stash of.

Simple Hydrating Moisuriser: This is something I seem to have had forever and it just didn't want to empty! It was a nice moisturiser but nothing amazing and I have found nicer ones since. It does do the job though and I do like the Simple range. Repurchase? Nope, I am now using the Garnier Wake Me Up Moisture Match and like it much better.

Anatomicals Your Nose Smells Rose Body Cleanser: This was a Glossybox sample and not something I would have chosen for myself as I'm not the biggest fan of rose scented things. As a body wash it did the job but I wasn't loving the smell or the jellyish texture. Repurchase? No 

Dr Renaud Hydrating Creme: Another Glossybox sample but this time one I loved! It smells like raspberry and is a gorgeous thick moisturiser without leaving your skin greasy. My only complaint was that it didn't last long and although it was a smaller sample (30ml, full size 50ml) I wouldn't pay £25 for such a small amount. Repurchase? I did love it but not for the price, so no.

Elemis Softly Softly Moisturiser: This came free with my Cosmo magazine (been using up lots of samples this month). The first thing I noticed (and really hated!) was the smell. I'm not sure what it is supposed to smell of but I really didn't like it and as nice as it was for making my skin feel soft and refreshed, I couldn't put up with the smell of it. Repurchase? No, and it has put me off trying other Elemis products as I really hated it!

No7 Quick Dry Top Coat: This is my favourite ever top coat! It gives such a shiny, gel like finish and I always get compliments on how shiny my nails look when I'm wearing it. I use it over every polish I wear and it dries within a minute, perfect if you can't stand sitting waiting for nails to dry! It is a bargain with No7 vouchers so I always stock up when they're being given out. Repurchase? I already have a few spares from when we last had No7 vouchers! I can't run out of this one! If you haven't ever tried it you should!

Schwartzkopf Volumising Powder: This is my total saviour when it comes to my flat, fine hair. Rub a little in and you get gorgeous volume and thicker looking hair which lasts all day (I have to brush it out on an evening). I use it daily and it really does make a huge difference. I hate how fine my hair is and this makes it look so much thicker. I can't even explain how much I love this! Repurchase? Yes, yes, yes! I already have!

So there we go, my empties for the month. Nothing very interesting but my stash is slowly reducing! I am a little disappointed with some but others are daily favourites. Have you used any of these? Had any disappointing samples recently?

Simple Nail Art 5: Glitter & Studs

I have really been enjoying creating designs for these nail art posts. I had got stuck into the habit of simply swatching different nail colours as I have so many lovely ones I wanted to post about, but this has made me shake things up a little and try out some more interesting nail designs. Today's nail art isn't something I would wear everyday, but I wanted something to go with my dress for when I went out last night. I debated doing some Easter Egg Nail Art but liked this idea better.

I have used No7 Just Black for the base. Then for an accent nail, I used tweezers to very carefully place the studs down the centre of my nail where I had dotted a little nail glue. Using tweezers makes this soooo much easier and you can make sure they are in place before you drop them into the glue.

For the glitter gradient I used a limited edition Seventeen polish, Glimmer in the Night from the Dazzle the Night set (there were two colours released). I love this for the gradient as it has small silver glitter pieces but also slightly larger ones which really stand out. I sponged this onto the nail tips quite thickly and used very small amounts on the sponge to blend it out up the nail.

This design is so simple to do and I love the glitter gradient, something I haven't really tried before. This is a perfect night out design for me and I am really happy with the way it turned out.
Would you give this a go?

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

4. Pastel Gradient