The Weekend Face

I saw that you really liked my post last week of The Sunday Face so I figured I'd do this again. This time, it's a Saturday face, or really a general weekend face. Since I'm looking mildly healthier from repeated sun exposure over the past week, I'm going to be using even less make-up, but we still need to look presentable.

As you can see, I'm still not giving up the cheek tint, since it really gives you a lovely little pop of colour while looking very natural, but have switched to the Benefit Cha Cha Tint, because I'm less pale and more warm toned now.
Another thing I can't give up yet is concealer, this time, the pick is the Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer, about which I still have mixed feeling but am giving a couple more tries to be sure. Have you tried it? What do you think? I'll be reviewing it soon as well but I'm curious of your experiences.
What I always grab if I want a fast and pretty fix is my Inglot palette that you can see up close and personal Here. It has everything and it is immensely effective!
While I love the Rimmel Lycra Flex Mascara, on the more relaxed days, I will always grab my Eyeko Fat Mascara because well....I'll always love fiber mascara above all else.

Last but not least, what days SPRING IS HEREEEE! more than Barry M's Greenberry  polish? It has been a favourite since summer and you can see what it looks like on my nails in This post.

How's your face looking this weekend? And ladies, if there is sun where you are, enjoy it to the max!






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Fingerprint Nails

I stumbled upon this awesome idea last week and just had to try it because there was a time where I would play with my fingers and nail polish with immense joy.Sure, I was 3, but the joy of sticking your finger in polish has not gotten less.

 As you can see, I'm the eternal mint and pastel kind of gal and couldn't skip them this time either. I think we've established by now that Barry M's Greenberry is my alltime favorite polish and Essie's We're in this together is my go-to pink.
This time I did it on a white base but can you imagine how great a golden polish would look on a black base for Halloween?
As I wrote this, my mind has already decided that would be my Halloween manicure.

                              

The fact is, I need some more exercise in fingerprinting my nails, mostly in being careful with the amount of polish I stick my fingers in. If it's too little, you don't see it, and if it's too much, you get a blob of color (as can be observed on my ring finger in gracious pink).

What do you think? Is fingerprinting right up your alley or do you prefer leaving it to convicts?


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5 Shades | From Pink to Purple

What you are about to witness is a rare occurrence because pink is the color that sees my nails the rarest, but for some reason, it was looking at some of the pinks ( and I don't own many) and they were looking so cute that I decided to make it more interesting and create a pink to purple gradient.
I'm also experimenting with straight nails at the moment and they're seriously short. And I mean so short that I've almost filed skin while straightening them, but as I definitely prefer short nails right now, I figured it's as good a time as any to get my angles out.

Yes, I added a little dot to them just for the sake of it and by the looks of it, the color on my index finger would work really well with the color of the dot if I were to make a polka dot mani out of it, don't you think?

Speaking of colors, here's what I used:

Thumb  is Barry M, Index finger is Bondi, Middle finger is China Glaze, Ring finger  is Essie and Pinky is Revlon.
I kinda liked putting the names of the polishes in the picture and I might be doing it again. What do you think? Is it easier if I just write the name of the polish on the photo?               




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Fashion Week Nails

It's not a new thing that I really like the Framed Nails Look but have only been mixing the black base with metallic polishes. Yes, those look amazing, but looking at pictures from the NY Fashion week, I saw the black base being paired up with a really bright green and thought "Wait, that looks like my favorite mint!"     

How awesome possum is this combination? I'm totally and utterly in like with it! My nails could be a bit longer, but I've been keeping them short on purpose. The time will come when they will grow longer but I really prefer them short at this point, also because they are much easier to maintain and just give me that nice clean look I prefer.

What do you think? Do you like the combination? I think the black really makes the Barry M Greenberry color pop!                          




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Watercolor Nails

I've tried something I've seen a couple days ago and felt a compulsion to do myself. Now, there's a sneaky suspicion, I may have used a *weeeee* bit too many colors but it's a good thing to learn for next time: less colors.
But what I did are watercolor nails, and I really like the paint brush smudged effect it gives.

 I think next time they're going to be a bit more pastel and less Picasso than these. But they were super fun to have and for most of the weekend people have been staring at my hands. You sometimes forget your nails are so colorful and only when you hear people's reactions or you suddenly swoosh and it hits your sight that you remember the splatter.

Have you ever tried this technique? It's basically splotting color on a white nail base and smudging it with a plastic bag. Not neuroscience but definitely better if you try it a couple of times.

                          


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Best of Last Month | BritSpiration

It's been a month ( Actually, I think it is exactly a month, go figure) since I got back from London and I have had this sneaky suspicion that ever since I've been having a slightly british theme going on. Maybe not obvious at all times, but there have definitely been some bits and pieces I've picked up and have kept using since. Which makes it even better that I get to go back to London next month!
In any case, if you've missed my BritSpired Month, you can find the recap of it right here:

Let's of course start off with the London Photo Diary where I tried my best to document my wild roamings around the city.

Then we have the two polishes I've been quite obsessed with since: Barry M Greenberry , proud product of the Kingdom, and Essie Mint Candy Apple, proud cult color on the island.

What I've also gotten very fond of has been Statement Jewelry and have managed to acquire quite the little collection in less than a week's time.

And of course, last but not least: The smell of the Queen. Well, I actually have no idea what the preferred scent of the Queen is but it would be quite funny if it would be Yardley's English Lavender.

Now, let us all raise a pinky and who's up for a cup of tea?

             




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Fish Tank Nails

That sounded weird didn't it?
I've been reminded of a movie I had seen a while ago called ...yes, Fish Tank, and I supposed that stayed in my subconscious since I felt the need to draw on my pristine Mint Candy Apple nails.
As you can see, it's more of an abstract fish tank, especially judging from the colors used, but for some reason I really felt the need to recreate marine wildlife, Picasso style.

Apart from Mint Candy Apple, other polishes used were Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty, Barry M Prickly Pear and Barry M Grapefruit.

So what do you think of the sudden creativity wave that has hit my nails? A bit too abstract or does it work for summer?                     


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June Favorites

It's July. Just take a moment to think about that. More than half of the year has passed and I really can't believe it. It's like spring was just starting yesterday. Crazy! But it also means it's time for some new favorites to appear.

Of course, by the time summer hits, I use less and less things on my face and as you can see, there's almost no make-up in here.

What I was incredibly astounded by was the Real Techniques Shading Brush. I mean, you hear things about a product and you hear everyone hyping it up but you don't really expect it to be THAT great.And then you try it and it's beyond that great.

Let's stick to the face and say that I've found a surprisingly good white pearly eyeshadow. Just perfect for that little highlight on your inner eye corner and on the brow bone. It was sitting there in Boots, at the Natural Collection stand and basically, I just accidentally looked at it as that display really doesn't look too appealing. But guys, the shade is magnificent! It's called White Opal and that is basically what it looks like also.

One more for on the face is the Mario Badescu Enzyme Revitalizing Mask. My thing with Mario Badescu products is that some contain parabens and I prefer not interacting with those, but this mask is clear of that and leaves my skin in the most splendid condition!

Moving on to lips and not only, I think you've seen me swoon about the Moa Balm  a lot, and for good reason. It cleanses,it hydrates, it heals, it basically does everything in just one miracle balm. If I use it as my last step in removing makeup I get the happiest skin you could think of, and it seems to work wonders for acne also.

Balm-wise, I'm overjoyed to have gotten the Nuxe Reve de Miel because it's so thick and efficient, you just need to apply it once a day to get immediate results. Needless to say, I've gotten to the stage where balm is not a necessity anymore, all thanks to this little pot.

Then the nails of course. Favorites have been Essie's Mint Candy Apple and Barry M Greenberry. If my mint obsession was not obvious until now: here you go! You can see the Essie swatch Here and the Barry M one Here .

Hair - wise, I'm a devoted Aussie user, but since on my trip to London I only had hand luggage with me, it meant I could only do minis. And so it came to pass that the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner and John Frieda Full Repair met and formed the most beautiful pair in hair history. I cringe at the thought that my 3 Minute Miracle is about to run out, but one cringeworthy thought at a time I say. Keeping it optimistic.

The same kind of London circumstances happened with me buying the Body Shop White Musk Libertine Eau de Parfum. It was there, I was there, I saw it, I smelled it, and even if I usually am not a fan of musky things, this pink thing somehow attached itself to my nostrils in quite a convincing manner. And here we are, still as happy as ever with each other.                  



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Barry M Gelly Polishes - My 4 Favorites + Swatches

You have no idea how long I've waited to get my hands on these and because Barry M is mainly found in the UK, it was only on my trip to London that I managed to get my paws tightly clenched around them.The one color I knew I wanted was Greenberry  and you can see the post I did on it Here, but there were a couple of others that I also wanted to try out.

We have, from left to right:  Lychee, Prickly Pear, Grapefruit and Greenberry
They are definitely perfect summer colors and as I was saying in the post on Greenberry , I'm also impressed with their texture and lasting power.

                            
As per usual, the last two don't really look like in reality, Grapefruit being decidedly more pink and Greenberry...well more green. And both are much brighter.
Lychee is a sandy nude that is in itself quite light and looks good with and without a tan. Prickly Pear is that relaxing shade of lilac that looks very natural (even if it is purple) and organic on your hand. Grapefruit is definitely THE summer popper of the bunch. I mean, everyone needs that sort of bright pink for when the sun is shining. And Greenberry is just mint green perfection with saturation turned up.

They generally just need 2 coats, or 3 thin coats. I recommend the 3 very thin ones, as they will increase the time these polishes will last, chip free.

I think Boots still have the 1 + the second at half price on these so you can definitely mix and match if you want to try them out. I for one am very happy about getting them and I might even dare say that my summer color palette is covered. Or is it?


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Summer Color Alert - Barry M Greenberry

Oh how I've waited to get my hands on this polish! Ever since I first saw the the Gelly collection I knew I had to have this one. And right I was! The second I put it on I couldn't stop staring. Even with my unflatteringly short, nay, very short nails, it looks good. A task many a polish has failed before.Let me show you what it looks like first.

This is, of course, one of those shades that will never photograph in its true color. I can tell you it's slightly greener and a lot brighter. Basically, it's an absolute summer must have color.

Two coats have been used this time, like with most of the other polishes from the Barry M Gelly collection. I got 4 in total and will be showing you the swatches later this week.
Can't really say if it has more or vastly more shine than other polishes. I can say that it is shiny in a very lovely manner and that it lasts incredibly well. Prickly Pear for example, a pale lilac from the same collection, has endured 5 days on my nails, including a plane trip, which is where most polishes fail. It's also a reason I hate painting my nails before a flight, because I know that by the time I land, much of the polish will have flown away also.This had stayed on with no top coat and on longer nails.So that in itself is very impressive.

What can I say, I'm immensely happy I've got my hands on this glorious thing. Do you like it as much as I do?

                             
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March Favorites

Fashionably late as usual, I give you: March favorites!

To be honest, there initially was a very different lineup for this post but at the end of March, some goodies arrived and even after a pretty short period of testing, I have been HUGELY impressed.

                           

Moa Green Balm
I have been using this for everything, from cuticles to lips, to face and hands. It is a universal savior and a definite repurchase. It has helped all my exposed parts during the freezing winter days, cold and wind. And with the dry skin that I'm sporting, it's quite magnificent to be able to do that. 

Nuxe Reve de Miel

Have almost all of us heard of the supernatural powers of this balm by now? I know I've stumbled upon nothing but praise. Even so, I wasn't too keen to believe everything because it sounded too good. Well you know what? It is THAT good! I'll have a proper review up soon and you will be able to hear all about how it has turned my lips from papyrus to velvet.

Eyeko Skinny Liner

I'm a gel eyeliner girl. Very dedicated to the gel cause, but boy oh boy this liner has shocked me. It has unbeatable lasting power. And I do mean unbeatable. No smudging, no moving, and seriously intense black. I could definitely be converted to this liner.

Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara

My fondness for Eyeko is quite great and in case you haven't noticed how obsessed I am with this mascara, I suggest you click on the link above to get to the review I did of it. 

Rimmel Apocalips in Nude Eclipse

I have been wanting to get my hands on this ever since I first saw it and I was right to want it! It's the best kind of lip product. Liquid but with a lipstick finish that is not too shiny and not too matte. Just right and especially great for dry lips that sometimes I prefer to not put lipstick,but more liquid products on.

L'Occitane Hand Cream

Along with the MOA balm, this is still a great friend for when the hands are about to give up. It has got to be the thickest and most efficient hand cream I have ever tried.

And now to the favorite polishes: Sally Hansen The Real Teal and Barry M Mint Green.

You will find a lot of swatches for those on the blog, just type in Sally Hansen or Barry M in the search tab I have in the sidebar, because they are true spring colors.

Do we share any favorites here? What are some of yours?

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DIY Swatch Book

On Sunday I was looking around Pinterest and came across a picture where nail polish splashes were dropped on a page of a notebook, and it looked so great, that it made me think you could transform those into actual swatches. So I did.

You Will Need:

 - nail polishes of choice

- a notebook

- a black pen

Basically all there is to it is picking your polishes and smudging away in a somewhat organized manner on the pages of your notebook.Then label them. Actually, you could also use small labels if you have a label maker. Oh that would look so great!

 I picked some spring shades and only did one page for now but doesn't it look cute? And it's a bit of an OCD dream come true to be able to organize them so neatly in a notebook.

You can do it by color, by name, by brand, by anything you like.

I cannot wait to take some proper time and put all my polishes onto the pages of a notebook. And I also can't wait to put together lists, like spring colors, pastels, glitters, metallics... there's so many options!

So what do you think? Are you tempted to do this?

                     

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Brown Gold Foil Nails

This one is from the "young and proud nails" collection. Did this also a while ago and just didn't get to post it.
You might have seen my initial attempt of doing gold leaf nails HERE in baby blue and gold.

Well, because I liked it a lot and the outside was in a pretty gloomy state, I decided to recreate the manicure on brown.

                
The difference this time was that I used a top coat and it became unbearably shiny, therefor you can see a bit too little gold and a bit too much sheen.
It did look vastly clearer in real life, that much I can say!
The brown I used is Barry M Mushroom. Can't really tell you why they picked "mushroom" as a name because I have yet to see such a fully brown mushroom. My name of choice would have been "puddle".
Wouldn't that have given you a much clearer visual of brown?

In any case, puddle or mushroom, I still like the color. Prefer it much more in autumn though. By the time January hits, I like to go back to full on color.Not neon quite yet, but almost.

What are your winter colors? And would you be interested in a "favorite winter polishes" post?






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Favorite Nails Of 2012

On Monday I do Monday Blues, which means a manicure with blue polish. I've been doing it for a while so I figured I could post some of my favorite blue polishes and manicures of the last year.

You can find all of them on the blog, filed under NAILS in the menu on the homepage, or by clicking HERE, so if you want to know more about one of them, check it out or just ask.

I've arranged them chronologically, so I'll start out with the oldest, working my way up to the newest

My first water marble attempt*Polka dots with my eyebrow brush*Olympic Nails  

Gold leaf nails*Barry M Aqua Glitter*Rhinestone nails made with glitter   

The prettiest nails I've ever had*Oxblood glitter nails*Roses and polka dots 

Essie Bobbing For Baubles*Color block nails *Snowflake glitter ombre nails

So what do you think? Any favorites?                  

I do believe that the ladies are putting up they Monday blue nails as usual so you can check them out here:

Gosia from Life in Color!

Mihaela from Lacquerbuzz

Mandy from Chameleon Stampede

Marisa from Polish Obsession

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Favorite Products of 2012

Can you believe it's been another year already? While you're living it it feels long, of course, but when it comes to looking back it feels like it was just yesterday that I was on a train in Germany at -11C hoping to finally get home to that warm shower. I still get chills thinking of those temperatures, which just goes to prove how not so long ago it seems to have been.

Nevertheless, I will show you some things that have really impressed me this past year.    

                      
Vichy Eye Make-Up Remover is a recent discovery and you can read all my raving about it by clicking in the link.
Face Oils: both apricot and argan have been really good friends of mine this year.Starting to use face oils has really helped out my dry skin and if you want, you can read all about the amazing apricot oil HERE.
Rose Water: what a great thing this is! I use it as a toner and you'd be surprised how hydrating it is. I've also written all about it In This Post.
I love...Raspberry & Blackberry Hand Cream: so far, this is the only hand cream that I could feel, works.Normally you'd apply and reapply and still have dry hands, but with this you apply a couple of days and you're set for the week. And this is coming from a person working in an office with the most horrendously dry air.
L'occitane Almond Shower Oil: you would expect me to use oil in the shower also, wouldn't you? Well this one is the one! Smells incredible and is very friendly to my skin.

Make-up wise I also have, of course, a couple of great discoveries.

Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara: ever since I got it in June, I cannot stop raving about it. I also did a review when I first got it that you can find HERE
Rosebut Lip Salve and Dr Organic Rose Otto Lip Serum: are clear proof that I have a thing for roses. These two were included in my post about My Favorite Lip Balms and you will understand why after reading that. For the record, I've been using Rosebud since 2011 and still find it amazing.
Benecos Baked Blush: was the biggest surprise! I had gotten it and a beauty bloggers event but didn't want to use it because the color seemed too dark for me. Very mistaken I was! It is the perfect color with the perfect shimmer, because I do like my shimmers a lot.
Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer: still my favorite concealer. The texture is ideal for me, and so it the "match perfection" that it does. I've reviewed it Right Here back in the day.
Catrice Gel Eyeliner: has been a huge surprise, because I didn't expect such a great product for so little money. I wanted to try a gel liner and this was the only one I could find. Safe to say, we have never been apart since. The full post about it is HERE.
MeMeMe Beat The Blues Highlighter: I wanted Benefit's SunBeam for the longest time and when I finally went to get it, I discovered it was much too orange for me. And then I discovered this one. Match made in heaven! You can see the swatches and the full review in The Post I Wrote About It.
MUA Lipsticks: biggest surprise of the year! Who knew they had such nice lipsticks! It's about lipsticks in general, but if you want to see my favorite, then you can check out my post from earlier this week about the MUA LipBoom in Ok.com.


And last but not least, nail polishes

China Glaze: this was the year of me finally getting my hands on China Glaze polishes and I am extremely happy about that, because they turned out to be my favorite brand. The formula is unbeatable and so is the brush. The one you see here is Surfin' For Boys and it was the neon I had been looking for a long time! If you click on the link you will also see the swatches and you might agree that it's a gorgeous thing. As a matter of fact, I just wore it two days ago.
Barry M Aqua Glitter: I have a glitter obsession but this is beyond anything. First of all, it's a gorgeous polish that has incredible coverage for being just glitter AND it is so easy to remove! I sometimes don't feel like using glitter because I know what it means to remove it, but this one goes off like any other polish.
HERE is what it looks like on my nails.
Essie Bobbing For Baubles: the most craved color of the year. When I first saw it I had to have it, and it took a while before finding, ordering and finally getting it, but oh was it worth it! It's a color that works with anything. It's cool, it's classic, it's anything you like. On top of that, I think it is the most unique color I have seen. Try to give it a name, I dare you.
HERE it is, in all of its shiny glory.


So those were my favorites, what about you, what have some of your favorites been? Feel free to link me in your comment if you have a similar post up!





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Polish Obsession: Mint Nail Polishes

Last week, my Pretty Photos post was about my favorite color : mint. You can see the pretty pretty photos HERE          
Well, since the fact that I like that color very much is out,  I decided to show it to you in nail polish form.

I used to think "why does one need more polishes of one color?" but when it comes to this one, each shade is a different kind of awesome.
Here's what we have.

Australis Sweetpea that I used to to This Manicure
Barry M Mint Green  I used to do the Rose Nails
Benecos Expressive Mint
Herome Mint Mini I swatched Here
Mavala Aquamarine
Rival de Loop No 55


I think some of my Rimmel polishes might qualify as mint, but they have more of a blue tendency compared to these.

What's your polish obsession?
I have a couple of them but I always have a VERY hard time passing by a mint polish.




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Rose Nails against Monday Blues

Feeling a bit less than cheery on Monday is bound to happen but luckily I have the cure! And it's cute.

A while ago I saw this rose nail on Islaay's Blog and really wanted to try it out myself. Well, I did!
And I know what you're thinking, roses are red,violets are blue,your ring finger is green, what's that got to do with the Monday and the blue?

Well it just so happens, my dear Watsons, that I did not forget the blue, thus adding some wee dots of baby blue on the rest of my nails!

See what I did there? I blued it!

I'm a bit in cute mode right now and the rose and the polka dots combine two kinds of cute that I really like having on my fingers.

I tried putting roses on all my fingers but it looked a bit crowded, so I just let it be an accent nail, but I will definitely be doing it again, with other color combinations too.
The thing is, my favorite polish color is mint green, so when given the chance, I will never pass on putting minty goodness on my nails.

Hope that cheered you up a bit, and in case you're still blue, I invite you to come check the blog tomorrow, because there's gonna be an overload of gorgeous autumn pictures and autumn goodies!

But until then, let's see what the other Monday Blues ladies did.

Gosia from Life in Color!

Mihaela from Lacquerbuzz

Marisa from Polish Obsession



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