A touch of elegance from Mavala

In September 2010, Elle Magazine celebrated their 25 years of existence and collaborated with Mavala Nail polishes to mark the occasion. The fruit of their creative juices? A stunning little purply grey nail polish. I can't believe it took me two years to realise how pretty it is. What the hell was I doing in September 2010? How could I possibly miss it? I don't remember what kept me so occupied back then. I remember I noticed it on lipglossiping.com but it was before the time I started to get into nail polish and share my pictures with you.


Well better late than never, and hoping you'd still want to read about it, this is just 2 coats of Elle from Mavala, which make my nails feel so elegant, classy and polished. If you have this in your cupboard, time to rediscover its beauty and treat your nails with it.










If you're new to Mavala, I couldn't think of a better shade to start your mavala adventures.

Too plain grey for you? This is what it would look like in this arty blurry shot. But I am not telling you which top coat I used. Pop over to my dear friend Liz from Cappuccino Lace and find out






what: Mavala Elle
how much: around £4
where: Boots
bought by me.

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Groovy Grey Nails from Gosh NOTD

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Last Saturday was pretty surreal. I remember it like it was ... well last week actually. I started off the day with my electricity company telling me I was in credit for a change, Tesco Express had just opened its doors in my little town, I was donated the much lusted after Golden Dragon from Gosh and and and and my friend bought for herself 'Groovy Grey' from Gosh which I was able to play with.






Now I knew I had to expect amazingness from this polish but I didn't expect I was going to be so blown away. All the photos you see are in one coat of polish. Yes, that's right just one quick coat gave me this stunning shade of grey. Application as with all the shades I tried from Gosh, (apart from the unique holographic) was a dream.


However, whilst one coat didn’t leave any patchiness and covered perfectly my nail line, I would recommend you to apply 2 coats unless your nails are perfectly ridge free and that you’re never going to do any housework.





If Lavender Love, Misty Mauve and Neon Baby, from the same limited edition collection apply opaquely and smoothly like Groovy Grey, boy you're in for a ride, a very happy one.





I leave you a with a little comparison: my latest favourite nail polish, Elf Desert Haze and Groovy Grey. Which colour do I prefer? Desert Haze, but its tedious and lengthy application in comparison will always make me choose Groovy Grey without hesitation.




Whatever you do this week end, include a little visit to Superdrug and grab your groovy grey, while the 3 for 2 for offer. You need it in your life, and preferably before the greedy gits sell it on eBay at 3 times its recommended retail price.




Name: Gosh Groovy Grey 003 (Limited Edition)
Where to get it: Superdrug
How much: £4.99

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Who needs Mac Carbon & Gesso?

Ever since, I got into makeup, I have been wanting to buy Mac Carbon, acclaimed to be the blackest black eyeshadow around and Mac Gesso. I resisted long and hard and instead, I went on buying endless black shadows and being disappointed all the time. If only I had opted for Mac in the first place, it would have been cheaper for me in the long run. But somehow, I couldn’t justify spending £11 in a boring black and white shadow, however crucial those shadows are. So I gave it one last shot, before making the Mac plunge and purchased this Nyx Eyeshadow Trio in white/gray/black (TS01) from eBay.





The palette comes in a black elegant and sturdy case and is about 9 cm in length (that’s about 3 inches and a half for your with the imperial system) and a mirror, and the obligatory sponge applicator. One swatch of the black and I knew I had made the right choice: super pigmented and most definitely the blackest matte I have ever swatched: smooth, velvety, black. What more could anyone want?

Is it deeper and blacker than Mac Carbon? I got no idea. Carbon was just a myth and I actually never swatched it. I don’t even want to buy it anymore and I fully satisfied with this one and I am at rest.





These are swatched straight onto the skin with no primer and I am in love with the black.
The white is good, much better than some of the matte white I have in my collection but I find it a bit chalky. As a matter of fact, I find all my matte whites chalky, so no surprises there. I don’t even know if Mac Gesso is whiter but I don’t fancy it anymore. I reckon if I use a white base, it will perfom well. I found the grey very good and not too shimmery. I am not sure when I am not going to use it, but for £2.94 (without postage and packing, which amounted to £2 proportionally? – I placed a big £40 order)  for this palette from ebay, new, this is by far the best buy of the year for me.






I use white and black nearly everytime in my looks, and this palette is super handy. The size makes it also handy for carrying around, and it has become one of my must haves.  I am thrilled. *Woop* In the same order, I bought some other gems from NYX, so keep your eyes peeled, I have only just started :)

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