Thursday 30 August 2012

Chanel Frenzy

What I am wearing on my nails today??
Its none other than one of Chanels new offerings for the Autumn - Frenzy.
This shade really compliments my Nars Ramatuelle eyeshadow which Im totally in love with. I would describe Frenzy as a nude/putty colour, it has a nice consistency which is easy to paint with and quick to dry, I was in a hurry so this is only two coats but if you wanted it to look more opaque I would go for three.
 
Chanel Frenzy can be purchased from the Garden Pharmacy for £18.00
 


 
Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Nars Ramatuelle

It seems like I have been moving out of my comfort zone lately when it comes to colour. Im normally a neutral kind of girl as far as eye shadow is concerned but as soon as I seen the Nars Ramatuelle Trio I knew I had to have it. The palette contains a "silver, icy peach and matte apricot". Colour pay off is excellent and this shadow has lasted on my eyes crease free all day. These shots were taken at the end of my day so thats a good eight hours wear. Ramatuelle can be used wet or dry and would suit warm skin tones however I have a cool skin tone and can easily get away with this too. I mixed the silver and peach shades together and applied them all over my eyelid, then I applied some of the silver to the inside corner of my eye, and with a soft fluffy brush I applied the matte apricot to the crease and then popped some brown eyeliner and mascara on and voila, your good to go. I think this little palette is great for creating a different eye shadow look without too much effort.
Nars Ramatuelle is a limited edition and can be purchased from Nars for £33.00







Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Monday 27 August 2012

Essie Lilacism

Essie Lilacism is a gorgeous soft lilac creme which was released as part of the Art of Spring Collection last year. Lovers of the new boots diffusion line will be happy to know it is available with the new wider brush, yay !!
 
The colour is stunning although the formulation is a bit crap as I have one of the older bottles - you might not find that if you buy one of the new bottles from Boots or Superdrug. This is two coats and its sooo pretty.
 


 
You can purchase Essie Lilacism from Boots or Superdrug for £7.99.
 
Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx
 
 
 

Sunday 26 August 2012

Blog Hop

Go over and add your blog to the blog hop and check out some other great blogs as well. The blog hop is a fantastic way to connect with other bloggers and grow your blog. Click on the picture below and add your blog to the list.

BlogLoveTherapy



Get blog hopping everyone.


Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

The Weekend Post - Manicure Kit

This week I wanted to show you some must have manicure items that are worth investing in. I havent included the links for these items as you can find most of the items you will need in your local chemist or supermarket or even Boots or Superdrug. You dont need to spend a huge amount of money or buy the brands that I have shown, feel free to use cheaper alternatives but there are a few essential items which can go a long way to giving you gorgeous, healthy nails.
 I would also like to add that its a good idea to use a hand cream with SPF in it everyday which also helps to nourish your nails and cuticles.
Bourjois Magic Nail Remover 
I bought this the other day and absolutely love it. Yes it does take more than a second to remove your polish - it takes a couple - but this leaves your hands and nails smelling sweet and moisturised and not at all dry like some other polish removers.
Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment or any other cuticle remover
Definitely worth having this in your kit to help with over grown cuticles. If you dont push your cuticles back you can get ingrown nails or even worse - hang nails which can be pretty painful. It should only take you a few minutes but always remember to remove this after you use it because most cuticle removers containt Potassium Hydroxide or  Sodium Hydroxide which are both very alkaline (high ph) and caustic.  This is to help break down the dead ski and if left on it can cause irritation and dryness.
Leighton Denny Glass File or any other glass file
Crystal files are gentle on your nails and you can file back and forth which you shouldnt do with normal emery boards unless they have a very, very fine grit. Crystal Files have a special surface which helps seal the end of your nails and helps prevent peeling and chipping. NEVER, EVER use a metal emery board to file your nails, it will damage and weaken them!! Also I never cut my own or any of my clients finger nails as this can also weaken them and make them prone to breaking.
Cuticle Tools
You will need cuticle nippers, an orange wood stick, a cutistone and a hoof stick.
NEVER, EVER cut your cuticles unless you know which part you should be cutting ! Only use your nippers to trim off any excess skin. You can use your orange wood stick to clean round the nails when your painting - the pointed end is a little saviour for slips with polish. I love a cuti stone think of it as a little pumice stone for your nails - use it gently and in circular motions to get rid of dead skin and dead cells which accumulate or your nail plate. Use your hoof stick in circular motions after applying cuticle remover to push back the cuticles. You can also use this to clean gently under your nails.
Nail Brush
To keep your nails clean
Any Nail Buffer
Buffers are fab - they help to bring a beautiful shine to your nails but they also help to stimulate blood circulation which helps you to grow gorgeous, long, healthy nails. Just make sure you arent over using the refining side which helps smooth out ridges and imperfections.
Cuticle oil or Cuticle Conditioner
My most favourite cuticle treatments are Creative Nail Designs Solar Oil or Qtica's Cuticle Balm. Both are really rich treatments which should be used every evening - I tend to stick with evening as they can make your hands quite sticky and slippy, cuticle conditioners help to nourish your cuticles and nourished, well moisturised cuticles should never need trimmed with cuticle nippers they will only ever need to be gently pushed back with your cuti stone or cuticle stick. If you prefer to use something in the morning as well I tend to stick my current hand cream on and massage well into the cuticle area.
These are a few little saviours that every girl should keep in her manicure kit. You dont need to spend alot of money to have shiny, healthy nails and these items will help to get your nails in to tip top condition.
Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Saturday 25 August 2012

Chanel May

Well its the morning after the night before and I desperately needed to do something to cheer myself up !! Hangover Blues!! Note to self - Must stop drinking wine !!!
Anyway Ive had a long hot soak in the bath with copius amounts of my Neom Happiness bath oil chucked in for good measure and Ive given myself a good scrub with my favourite Soap and Glory Flake Away body scrub. Ive been reviving my hair with my John Frieda Full Repair Mask and Ive been painting my nails with the most gorgeous pink nail polish EVER !!!
Say hello to Chanel May.....
Yes, yes I know its August but this polish has always cheered me up whenever I have worn it. I just think its the prettiest pink - so girly and pretty.


What nail polish colour cheers you up the most?
Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Friday 24 August 2012

Essie - Damsel In A Dress

Hey Lovelies
 
I was loving my nude nails today but I thought, to hell with it Im going to have a change since Im heading into town tonight with friends - Im wearing Essie's Damsel In A Dress. This is a really unusual, deep, sexy looking irridescent purple . Just gorgeous - I love it. The formulation is great and really quick to dry but it does have the old brush which makes it a little harder to paint with although that being said I have found that the darker Essie colours with the old brush are quite ok to paint with, it seems to be the paler colours which pose a problem. Try to make sure you dont flood the brush, make contact with the nail around your half moon area and push the brush down towards your cuticle leaving a hair line gap of about 1mm, pull the brush back up towards your free edge.  This should give you a nice line of polish straight down the nail, then dip your brush back in your polish (clean it off slightly) and sweep up either side . I try to think of my nail in three sections and try to paint it in three strokes this helps to minimise that streaky look you get when applying certain polish.
Have a great weekend everyone.
 


 
Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Lipstick Fridays Dior Incognito


Hey lovelies

Hope you are all looking forward to the weekend.
The perfect partner for nude nails ???
Nude Lips.

Today I am wearing the beautiful Dior Addict Extreme in Incognito.
This lipstick is fantastic, it gives your lips a wonderful shiny finish and it feels lovely to wear. It isnt at all sticky or clumpy and acts like its infusing your lips with moisture.

 Now this lipstick has been billed as extremely long lasting. To be honest Im not bothered about the wear time, I dont mind re-applying my lipstick especially one as nice as this. This lippy however did stand the test of my morning cuppa which is only a good thing.

Hello Beautiful.....





 Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick can be purchased from Escentual.com for £22.80.
Have a great weekend everyone.

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx





Dior Incognito

Hey girlies

Hope you are all well.

So todays polish is one which I have been hoarding for a couple of months, god knows why because I think it may be the most perfect understated nude nail polish I have ever laid my eyes on, and believe me Ive seen a few !

Let me introduce you to Dior Incognito....


Incognito is a nude pinky cream with a hint of grey which is semi-sheer when applied and looks very similar to Chanel Rose Cache. The gorgeous Dior Incognito has a wonderful formulation which is long-lasting and quick to dry and gives you a beautiful shiny finish. I applied two coats but if you wanted more coverage you could apply three.


The wider brush makes it easier to apply for us girlies with bigger nail plates and I feel that this colour would complement any skin tone.



Dior Incognito can be purchased from Escentual.com for £17.15.
Im in love !!
Have you tried this yet?

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx


Wednesday 22 August 2012

Benefit One Hot Minute

Now some people may think this face powder is utterly pointless, but I think it gorgeous. Of course the vintage packaging is sweet as always but I love a bit of a glow and I think there is nothing more attractive than a luminous complexion which isnt caked in make up. When applied over your face and decollete this rose-gold powder will give your skin a beautiful, radiant healthy skin and you can wear it alone to give your skin a pick me up or over your make up for a flawless finish.


Ive been enjoying using this for a few weeks now and have had loads of compliments from; you look well to your skin looks amazing and to be honest I think that speaks for itself. Now you can use the little brush which comes with it but I prefer to use my big bronzing brush, just shake some of the powder into the lid and swirl my brush around in it making sure I tap off the excess then I sweep it over my cheek bones and forehead.


Now I have been heavy handed with it here so my camera would pick up the effect but you get the idea.


I purchased mine from Benefit for £23.50.

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx


Naked Nails

Well almost !!
I nipped into Boots yesterday to grab a spot of lunch and noticed that Bourjois have two for £8 on selected cosmetics.
This gave me the perfect opportunity to grab their new Magic Nail Polish Remover and a gorgeous nude pink ten day nail polish - shade no 13. Bourjois is a brand I never really reach for that much but after trying out my newly purchased items I will definitely be heading back to grab a couple more of the nail polishes in brighter colours.
The formulation of the nail polish is fab and I love the angled brush - I found it so easy to paint with and the polish was dry in a matter of minutes. Its basically the kind of polish you can just chuck on when your hurrying out the door to give your nails a slightly more manicured look. I love the natural look but I always like to have something on my nails whether it be Opi's nail envy or a paler polish - I think it just makes me feel like Ive made a bit more of an effort.
Im also loving the magic nail polish remover - although I would say it takes a bit longer than a second to remove your polish and I would say it would take a few seconds longer if it was a darker polish. That being said though it would be perfect for travelling and certainly alot more cleaner than nail polish remover and cotton wool.  A quick point about the ten day polish - it says it lasts ten days with touch ups so dont be fooled into thinking your going to have perfectly manicured paws for ten days.







Both of these products are on special offer - 2 for £8 from Boots.
Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx


Tuesday 21 August 2012

Models Own Utopia

Just a quick NOTD post I wanted to share with you all - today Im wearing the lovely Models Own Utopia with Opi's Servin Up A Sparkle as a glitter accent on my ring finger.
If you dont already own Models Own Utopia - its definitely worth a look - this is a gorgeous pale lilac/grey tone. Both of these lacquers have a fantastic formulation which makes them easy to apply. This is two coats of Utopia and two coats of Servin Up A Sparkle.





Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Monday 20 August 2012

Haul

Before you go hitting the shops to purchase the latest beauty products you need to check out Escentual.com.
I recently purchased a few items some of which are re-purchases of products I love and some of which had been on my beauty wish list for an absolute age. The products are all cheaper to buy online and they also have a sale on at the moment so you might get a few bargains. Warning this post is quite picture heavy.





I have lost count of the amount of times I have purchased this. This is one of my most favourite perfumes. It is a blend of pink grapefruit, coconut water, cyclamen and vanilla orchid just and is the perfect summery scent.




These lipsticks are amazing to wear - yes they are pretty sheer but give a pop of colour and contain
 Mango Butter which helps repair, nourish and protects your lips against dehydration.




 
 



This super soft bronzing powder will give you an amazing sun kissed glow. Contains an SPF15 and is infused with an exclusive Clarins ingredient which ensures your skin is continually moisturised whilst using it.
This is shade medium.





I have used this product for years - I alternate between this and the Lotus Oil. Both smell amazing but the Blue Orchid Oil will help rebalance your dehydrated skin and leave it feeling radiant and full of moisture. You should use this in the evening following your cleansing routine. Amazing product.




The Dior compact is just beautiful and this amazing powder is formulated with mica micro-particles to reflect the light and leave the skin looking extraordinarily radiant. Ive got my eye on the Rose Diamond as well.





I love the formula, I love the brush and I love the colour. This is a fantastic nail polish which makes me feel very glam  when Im wearing it. A point to note however the brush is on the large side which I quite like as I have quite big nails - if you have smaller nails you may struggle to achieve a really neat finish with the wider brush size.




So there are my beauty purchases for the month of August.
Hope you enjoyed my haul - would love to hear if you have tried out any of these products and what you thought of them.

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx