25 May 2013

NOTD - Barry M Sequin Nail Effect White

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Barry M have recently upped the stakes when in comes to interesting nail polish effects on the high street. From textured to confetti effect and huge range of glitters, Barry M now offer an amazing amount of unique nail paints for £3.99 each. 

The fairly new Sequin Nail Effects come in three shades - SNP1 (white), SNP2 (black), SNP3 (pink). You can always rely on good ol' Barry for some creative nail polish names - not! 

The Sequin Nail Effects are described as textured sparkle for your nails and they are just that... but I'm still a bit on the fence with this 'textured sparkle' malarky. I received the Sequin Nail Effects in White as a present for my birthday, which was a good neutral choice to try out. However from applying it straight to my nails I decided it was a bit too sheer and I wasn't sure on the white, so I decided to apply it over Barry M Lychee (NOTD of Lychee here).

In my head I was hoping for a 'cookie dough with glitter' look to my nails and it kind of is,  but there is just something about the texture (which is like liquid sand) that I'm not too sure about.

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I kind of feel the texture doesn't need to be there really and if it was just a smooth sheer-ish nail polish with suspended sequins it would be similar to jelly sandwich nails (here is an example if your aren't sure what I mean) which would still be unique but pretty. So to remove some of the texture I decided to apply Models Own Pro Matte Top Coat which did help but again I'm not that in love with it. Having said all of that I have seen swatches of the Sequin Effect in Pink and it does literally reminds me of birthday cake on the nails which I actually really love!

As for application I found it did apply fairly well though it does feel a bit gritty to apply and the finish definitely isn't smooth to touch but quite rough and semi-matte. But I guess a clear or matte top coat could be applied to fix that.

This is definitely a unique range of nail paints from Barry M but I'm just not sure! 

What do you think of this textured sequin effect?

Fee xo.


23 May 2013

10 Things I Hate About Makeup - Part 1

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Cheery title I hope you'll all agree! 
Today instead of praising beauty products I thought I would let you know my pet-peeves when it comes to all things makeup related. 

 I will also be doing a '10 things I love about makeup' post so that it isn't all doom and gloom.

*Warning - This may be a ranty post*

1. Eyeshadow applicators 
Just why? It is now 2013 and I think most of us have realised that using our fingers is a much better tool than the crappy foam/plastic applicators that come with eyeshadows. I think the only time I have used one with an eyeshadow was when I first tried eyeshadow and surprise surprise realised how rubbish the applicators were so ditched them for using my fingers and then finally in my late teens discovered makeup brushes. Eyeshadow applicators just need to be eradicated! 

2. High Street makeup is becoming too pricey! 
For me high street makeup has always been the savvy option. Pop into Boots pick up a few things and spend £15 max... now you pick up a few things that you want to try out and maybe repurchase that mascara you love and BAM your receipt states £35 and you shed a little tear and try to think 'ooooh but the Boots Advantage points I will have now'... or maybe that is just me. Of course you could say it is the rate of inflation but I really am sure most mascara were around the £5 mark a few years a go and now the likes of L'Oreal, Bourjois, Max Factor etc are bringing out mascaras that are £12... I don't care about how it will 'nourish' my lashes or give them '3D volume' I want a mascara for £5 again!

3. 'Beige' should never be a foundation shade nor should it be the only shade that free foundation samples come in! 
Warm beige, true beige, sand beige, classic beige, deeply beige, creamy beige. These are just a few of beige shades that can be found in foundation ranges. Sometimes a foundation with only 9 shades can have three different types of beige. Yet I have never heard of anyone class their skin tone as beige - ever! Warm, olive toned, honey maybe but beige is just a shade that old people like to wear, a lot. As for foundation samples in magazines I don't know where to start really, so I won't, but it is definitely frustrating that all brands follow the same path and don't cater for lighter and darker skinned people when it comes to free sachet samples.

4. Unhygienic makeup stands, disgusting testers and opened makeup! 
Where to start with this one! Of course I am pointing my attention towards unmanned stands in places such as Boots, Superdrug and various supermarkets as they generally aren't up kept to a good standard and are pretty darn messy and un-hygienic. Clearly it is annoying that testers are messy and aren't wipes with alcohol but what really annoys me is when people open actual products and test them?! So many times I have not been able to buy a lipstick/concealer/foundation etc in a specific shade because they have all been opened and used. Or even worse is when you purchase a product to find out it's already been used when you get home! But for that I see a simple solution - a sign on the makeup stands that states that if you open any product that isn't a tester you have to pay for it. It of course wouldn't solve the problem but I'm sure it would reduce it. It really does need to be made clear that it isn't acceptable.

5. Cheap but Useless Makeup sets 
I guess this one doesn't apply to me now, but I remember when I first got into makeup (I would be around 13) I wanted one of those large makeup sets that contained everything. You could normally buy them from Argos or Bodycare for around £10. I'm even sure they still exist. But looking back they were such bad quality! I'm talking crumbly eyeshadow, course makeup brushes and dodgy shades. I was hoping that the beauty industry/brands now, over 10 years on, would be a bit better but it really doesn't seem the case as I found out when playing with my nieces Hello Kitty Makeup set last Christmas . The £25.00 case from Argos contained hair bobbles, a brush, nail separates and then of course the usual glitter, lip gloss, eyeshadows and mini nail polishes, all of which were terrible quality. I really was amazed at how rubbish everything was... the nail polish didn't actually dry, the lip gloss was a sticky mess, the eyeshadow didn't transfer onto the little applicators and it was all in the cheap plastic packaging that actually ripped and became sharp! Brands such as MUA and Beauty UK have proven that makeup can be pretty good quality and cheap so there is just no need for nameless brands to cash in when it comes to large makeup sets for young girls and teens.


As I rambled on so much I have decided to write a part 2, so you can look forward to more ranting soon!

Let me know what you hate most about makeup. 

Fee xo.



22 May 2013

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Speed Dry Drops Review


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Today I have a bit of a miracle product to share with you, if you paint your nails often or always leave painting them until the last minute before heading out the door. 

I purchased the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Speed Dry Drops back in February and since then it has become one of my staple nail items. 

The Speed Dry Drops are designed to be used after painting the nails to speed up the drying time. Just simply add 1-2 drops of the liquid on to each nail and wait.  Within 1-2 minutes the nails are touch dry and within 4-5 minutes the nail polish will be set hard, so no risk of smudging or denting them! To give you an idea of the normal full drying time if I applied 3 coats of nail polish to my nails it would take about 15 minutes for them to be fully dry so this really does speed things up!

When you add the drops to each nail the drops do spread over the nail and floods the cuticles which is supposed to condition them, however I can't say I have noticed any difference... though I do take care of my cuticles anyway.  Within a minute or so the drops have been absorbed which doesn't change the finish of the nail at all - always a good thing.

This is just a handy addition to your nail kit if - You enjoy nail art and want a totally set base to work on. Are always on the last minute painting your nails. Or like me, seem to always do them before bed and then end up with the thread print of the duvet embossed in the nail polish!

You can find the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Speed Dry Drops on eBay for £3.99 with free p&p - here.

Fee xo.

21 May 2013

Oh My Birthday Haul - May 2013

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As promised, here is my Birthday haul!

 Apparently I'm hard to buy, or so I'm told! But this year I received so many lovely gifts that are me all over. My favourite gifts were the Charbonnel et Walker Pink Champagne Truffles as they are my absolute favourite chocolates that I only have at Birthdays and Christmas. Also the Orchid I received is just amazing as it's actually artificial so I will be able to keep it forever!

As for beauty related presents I received so many new nail polishes (Color Club, Barry M & W7) which are just perfect for summer. Plus lots of lovely Revlon lip products courtesy of the wonderful Maxi from The Lipstick Blog... I think this was because she was shocked I hadn't tried out any of the Revlon Lip Butters! She also tracked down the Chanel Peridot nail polish iPhone case that I was seriously lusting after. 

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If you would like reviews of anything in this post just let me know in the comments. 

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, I received so many that I couldn't reply to all of them but it certainly made me feel very special!

Fee xo.
 
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