Sunday 7 December 2014

Blogmas Day 7: My Christmas Wishlist

No matter how old we get, we all have a Chrsitmas wishlist. We drop hints, enthusiastically coo at things we want, and have a Pinterest board of wants that's never-ending. 

Seeing as I share quite a lot with you guys nowadays, I thought it would only be right for me to share my Christmas wishlist. Who knows, maybe it'll give you a little bit of Christmas shopping inspiration, give you something to add to your own list, or finally answer that pressing question: What am I going to buy Steph this Christmas?

Make-Up

Jewellery 

Shoes

Clothes

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Thursday 20 November 2014

Purple Is The New Black






 

Since dying my hair purple, I've had to completely re-evaluate my make-up routine, With black being to harsh for a day look, I was looking for something a bit more subtle. 

In almost perfect timing, Jane Iredale released their City Nights Collection, and sent me a few samples. 

The moment I saw the plummy shades of eyeliner and lipstick, I knew I had to give them a go. Such perfect hues for this season. 

I fell in love with the Jelly Jar Gel Eyeliner shade (also available in an olive green). It's a dark purple which means you get the definition you need when using it for winged eyeliner, and it's super blendable, allowing you to work it in with a variety of eye shadows for a smokey eye. 

It complements my hair brilliantly, but I think it's a shade that can actually be worn by anyone. I know that you can get brown liners for anyone who finds black too harsh, but I think this would be a more exciting alternative. 

As for the PureMoist Lipstick in Katerina, it goes so well with the eyeliner. Slightly different in shade with more of a reddy tone, it makes for a nice contrast. I've used another one of Jane Iredale's PureMoist Lipsticks, and it does what it says on the tin. Considering how strong the shades are, they aren't dry at all, and actually stay for quite some time. I also like to mix it with other shades, just to give any dry lipsticks I may have a bit of moisture and shine, 

The one thing I will 100% praise Jane Iredale's products for is that they last soooo long. I hate spending money on a product, using it regularly like I should only for it to run out sooner than expected. You don't need to use a lot of any of their products, so they last you a good few months, A worthy investment I'd say. 

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Tuesday 15 April 2014

Textured Nails

Nail varnish. 
Oh how I love it. Oh how I'm addicted to it. 
I am a self-confessed nail varnish hoarder, and this post is basically about how that hoard has just grown by two. 
Words cannot explain how much I love the fact that the world of nail art has expanded into so many forms, whether it's nail wraps, art pens, confetti, sequins, magnets, or crocodile effects. 

I used to bite my nails quite badly (sometimes if i'm stressed or nervous or bored I still do), but I must say the wide range of options available when it comes to nail art has become my motivation to stop. 

So these two nail varnishes were quite a spontaneous purchase, but these two textured effects I hadn't yet tried, so to a nail varnish hoarder, this purchase was a must. 




                                                                                                                                     


The Barry M Matte Nail Paint is the first matte nail varnish I've tried, and I was really impressed. I was a bit disappointed with the range of colours in this collections, which consisted of just this Burgundy shade, a Black, a Light Brown Caramel, a Nude Vanilla and a Brown Mocha. Granted, all of these shades would look amazing in matte effect,but I think this is an effect that I personally think if it was on every Barry M shade, I'd happily buy the entire lot with my life savings. 

It applies really evenly, and two coats is enough for an opaque, matte finish. I think for a grungey look, this particular shade is a nice, more Summery alternative to black. 
One thing that I was really surprised with was how long it was before the varnish chipped. I really love Barry M as a brand, simply for it's variety of shades and effects, but I do have a few issues with how quickly the varnishes chip, but this particular shade was quite resilient, and that was without a top coat, which would obviously take away the matte effect. 







As for Seventeen, I've never used their products before, but was attracted to their Rock Hard Nail Effects collection. Said to give your nails a gritty concrete effect, I was really curious as to how this would look. 
I really like the grey colour, and again it applied really evenly, and two coats is more than enough for an even finish. This is an effect that I think can only be noticed up close, but it does look good. The varnish is supposed to be matte as well, but the matte effect is nowhere near as noticeable as the Barry M varnish. 
This varnish also comes in a red, a black and a blue. 

Steph x x x


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