Under the sun series: Still Irreplaceable

Have I already run out of ideas and content to feature a nail polish previously blogged about? Fear not, I have a backlog of posts as long the channel tunnel. Today, I would like to share you a old favourite nail polish of mine, in a different light, as part of my 'under the sun' series. If you are new to the series, you can read about it here. If you can't be bothered leaving this page, it is essentially about giving great nail polishes the love they deserve and giving them a better chance to shine: a chance to see them under the best light ever created by nature: glorious natural sunlight. Essence irreplaceable is a big favourite of mine and I still like it just as much as the first day.


Oddly enough, I have not been wearing it much at all as a manicure but it has been without a doubt *the* nail I have been wearing the most on my toes this season. In fact, apart from a glittery black nail polish worn for about a week, it's pretty much all that I have wearing this summer on my toes. Don't panic, there will no toes on show (I am very much aware that showing toes and feet is very controversial on internet) instead, have a look at this irreplaceable manicure.






I can't stress enough how easy this polish is to apply and wear. Nail polish experts will notice right away that my application is not the neatest and that it looks like I've applied the polish 3 miles away from the edges. But in the grand scheme of things, and in real life, it really doesn't matter. That's the way I wear it. The truth is that Essence irreplaceable is a very forgiving shade due to its subtle colour. On my toes, it will last 1 week before losing its sparkle. After a week, it will start to wear out beautifully, a bit like an antique gold vase.
 





If you're lucky to have a friend who lives in a country which sells bargainous high street wonder Essence products, this is definitely a shade you would like to get your hands (and toes) on. I need a gallon of this stuff and it will be a sad day when I will have run out of my second and last bottle. The closest polish to irreplaceable I own and which is available in the UK is this little sexy number from Marks and Spencers.

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Emergency Lilac

So you're about to go on a week end away, you're all packed but you didn't get the chance to do your nails because you actually started packing at 11pm the night before. You quickly pack some nail polish, before you hop on the train, or you think you did but you can't find the darn bottle.

What to do? Chances are that if you're going on a city break, you won't probably be too far from a Superdrug, when you can pick up some 'emergency' nail polish. Now, 2true nail polish in shade 14 might not be the most exciting shade out there, but it's one of these handy colours which will go with anything and which will quickly make your bare nails presentable enough to visit his parents in two easy coats. More importantly, it's incredibly good value for money (£1.99) and the application is a doddle thanks to the flat brush.







2true polishes (well, the 'creme' finish skinny bottles anyway) are too good quality to be relegated to the status of 'emergency' polishes. In fact, it's almost an insult to the brand to treat them that way. Next time you're in Superdrug, give their stand a chance. Despite its low prices and the young audience that it therefore attracts, 2true has some gems which are 2good to be overlooked.






I particularly cannot wait for the release of the 2true paper lashes, for a funky accent on the outer corner of the eye. Paperlashes are usually so much more expensive that normal so I am really interested to see how much 2true budget brand will sell them for.





What: 2True nail polish in shade 14
How much: £1.99
Where: Superdrug and 2true online.
Purchased the product myself.

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You saucy mink

Getting back into blogging after such a long break is never going to be easy. To ease myself gently to it, I'd like to share with you a little bargain which has put a smile on my face.


I've always thought that when it comes to nail polish, and unless you're wearing a truly unique colour, that the general public don't generally notice whether the polish on your nails cost you 20 quid or whether you got it at the pound shop. In fact, there's nothing more satisfying when someone comments on your nails and you can say ‘It only cost me a quid, you know'. This is one of the main reasons I have been enjoying wearing MUA nail polishes. However, there have always been a few things which was spoiling my enjoyment of MUA nail polishes:


1) The terrible brush inside, making the application very laborious
2) The label is 99% of the time skewiff on the bottle, making the whole nail bottle of polish look really really cheap
3) Polishes have a number instead of a name, reinforcing the cheap look of the product.

To be fair, it was the brush which was my main bug bear. I was secretly hoping MUA would improve on their nail polishes but I was scared at the same time that improvements would mean an increase in price.


I had nothing to worry about. MUA listened to all the feedback and came back with 100% improved nail polishes, whilst selling them at the same price.Today, I have a lovely shade of polish to show you. It's called moody mink.





There's your first improvement right there. Polishes have a proper name now and everything. No risk of wonky label anymore, the whole label is ditched for a very sleek 'essie-esque' type of bottle. I won't be mad at you if you think MUA totally ripped off Essie's bottle design, it's understandable. MUA were definitely a bit cheeky there but the new design suits the new bottles so well, it feels so natural. Besides Essie have also changed the design of their bottles so I think there is definitely room for both brands to exist peacefully side by side in our beloved Superdrugs.

Without a doubt, the biggest improvement is the brush. It's nothing fancy, it doesn't fan out like the paddle brush in L'Oreal colour riche polishes but it finally performs its job perfectly.









If you have never tried MUA polishes before, there could never a better time to start. Own too many polishes already? How is a tiny £1 bottle going to hurt? Look at it, it's so cute and there's nothing wrong this new generation of polishes, this time. If you already own some first generation MUA polishes, you could even be a little indulgent, donate your first generation polishes and purchase your favourite MUA polish shades in their new format. I won't tell a soul if you did :)





What: MUA Cosmetics nail polish in shade Moody Mink
How much: £1
Where: Superdrug and MUA cosmetics online.
Purchased the product myself.

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Bronze Nails

'Tis the season to make your nails festive and today I have a gorgeous golden coppery bronze shade to show you. I am the first one to be surprised at the beauty of this shade.  My first experience of bronze nail polish didn't have the best start. I remember buying Models Own Proper Copper from a blog sale and not being able to wear it at all. It basically looked like baby poo.

  






Models Own Rage however is a total different kettle fish altogether. I predict that it won't be everyone's cup of tea and won't suit all skin tones but for me, it has enough gold in it to stand against the contents of a baby's nappy and I really really like it. To top it all, Bronze Rage applied very easily and gave me a beautiful opacity in just 2 coats.








In one week's time, well next Friday, I am hoping to wear a black skirt and a fancy gold embroidered corset style top for my staff Christmas Party (this is the plan so far anyway) and Bronze Rage is presenting itself a strong contender for my nails. I am thinking that maybe I could jazz them up with a gradient-ish gold glitter tips a la Lady of the Lane? We'll see...

I am once again very grateful to Sirvinya, without who this blog would be very bare at the moment. Take a moment to check out her blog, if you have a few minutes to spare. If we hadn't had this Sunday blogging date going on, this blog wouldn’t be very much updated these days. I think my mojo is hibernating.

Have you been on a Christmas Party yet?
What did you wear on your nails?

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Nudey Dudeys

It's been so long since I've blogged that I feel I have forgotten how to do it. To ease myself gently back into it, I wanted to share with you my impressions on the second half of the neons and nudes set from Nails Inc. After being very disappointed with the opacity of the neon side, playing with the nudes was a walk in the park. Just two coats and the white line of my nail was appropriately hidden.




I hope you will excuse again the 'lazy' manicure. These bottles are so small (only 4ml of product in each of them) and you really feel the big dent in the bottle after 2 coats on each finger. Porchester is such a lovely colour. It was love first sight. If I listened to my heart, I'd go buy a full size bottle right now. I feel it compliments my skin tone quite nicely. I didn't get along with Cadogan Square at all. I can't put my finger in it, it just clashes with my skin tone. It feels a bit like trying to pull off a shade of blonde hair on someone designed to be a brunette.






No seche vite was used in this manicure. Holding a normal size bottle of nail polish made the photograph taking easier






The little cherry on the top in this set was the timeless classic Jermyn Street and it made me fall in love with it all over again. I could have sworn to have blogged about it before but a quick search on my blog made me realise that I was wrong.


Jermyn street is quite simply the best brown nail polishes out there. Some of you will call it taupe but to be honest, I don’t know much about colours to distinguish between taupe, brown, mushroom and all that. Since jermyn street, I have not touched at my Barry M mushroom which I find quite bland in comparison. Jermyn has just the perfect dosage of purple in there and I don’t think I could ever get bored of this colour. I would totally recommend it!

  







  

It’s time of the week again when I have a blogging date with Becky. Hop over to my friend Becky aka sirvinya and check out her post of the day

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Neon Skittles

Everything beauty is just so Christmas focussed, I wanted to take a little step back, break from the mould and write about something a little different. I will embrace Christmas when I am ready but for now I want to write about something bright, something neon. Some of you will associate neon colours more with Summer. For me, neon is there anytime you want to brighten your mood and this is just what I need at the moment. Without wanting to throw my doom and gloom on you, I've spent most of the past week under the weather, mourning the loss of a close friend of mine. It's been quite cathartic to cry but now I feel the urge to shake myself out of it and inject some brightness into my life again.

 
Cue the Nails Inc 'Neons and Nude' boxset of mini polishes. I was lucky to win the boxset in a blog giveaway and the neon shades had to go on my nails first.
   
   





For you today, I have some swatches of the 3 neon shades: Westbourne Grove, Portobello and Notting Hill Gate.



The first shade which I felt compelled to try first was Westbourne Grove, the neon yellow-orange shade. I am not going to beat about the bush. I was very disappointed. Whilst I find the colour absolutely gorgeous, the application was laborious. The formula was smooth enough, but it was way too sheer. I paired it with my favourite nude polish underneath but even then it took 3 coats of polish to be able to appreciate the colour of Westbourne Grove. Then it's the finish I had trouble with. I do like matte polishes but when Westbourne dried on my nails, it looked decidedly dull.





Portobello and Notting Hill Gate were a little bit better in terms of coverage but they still required the application of a nude polish underneath, which defies the object of 'quick, let's just apply a bright ass nail polish to cheer myself up'. Enjoyment of the neon part of this box set takes time and patience.





There's something as well you should know. Bottles only contain 4 ml of product. Do not be fooled by the photos. 4ml is not much at all which explains why I only opted for a skittles manicure to show you how it looks when applied on the nails. The set is very cute but I find the price tag of £22 a little steep for sheer polishes. Maybe the other half will fare better in terms of opacity?  
   
   



If you like Westbourne Grove but feel slightly put off by its pigmentation pay off, I'd recommend BonBon by Beautyuk. You’ll have your bright orange/yellow fix quicker and with less effort. I moan, I moan but I am quite happy to be the owner of this set. It brightened my mood, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

   

I am once again eternally grateful to Sirvinya, without who this blog would be very bare at the moment. Take a moment to check out her blog, if you have a few minutes to spare. If we hadn't had this sunday blogging date going on, I am not quite sure I would have updated my blog at all these days

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Swatch Sunday – With a twist

I am feeling really poorly right now. Don’t feel sorry for me, I am nursing a bad head because I over indulged last night. But it’s Sunday, it’s the day when I have my blogging date with Sirvinya and business must carry on. For you today, I have some swatches of a little beauty from Gosh. Not a unique shade by any means, but definitely worth getting for the pleasure of its application. Everytime I play with Gosh polishes, I forget how dreamy they are to work with. My photos show 2 coats.






  

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A pop of confidence

Look Beauty is more than the small beauty child of popular Look magazine, more than the company who brought the high street an fantastic dupe of Chanel Peridot. They are a company, which, right from the word go, all year round (and not just throughout the month of October) has been donating money to an amazing cancer support charity from EVERY product that they sell.

The Charity is called 'Look Good, Feel Better' created to help women with cancer to look and feel beautiful again, empowering them to regain their self-image and the confidence to face the ordeal of cancer.I feel very ignorant as I had no idea that this charity existed and that Look Beauty was so actively engaged in the Charity.





In honour of the cancer awareness month of October, Look Beauty wanted to give even more to the Look Good Feel Better programme with an extra donation of 50p on each item from their Flirty Five pink products on top of the normal donation they give from the other products that Look Beauty have in their extensive range.





Today, I have for you some swatches of the beautiful corsage nail polish (£5) which applied so easily and gave me the beautiful glossy opacity you see in 2 coats.




  






There could never be a better time for you to adorn this corsage, as Look Beauty still has the 2 polishes for £6 offer on the website. Be quick, as I have no idea when this offer is finishing.



Finally, I wanted to reassure you that the rock candy lipstick is nowhere near as neon as the stock photo above will suggest. If I can get my act together in good time, I'll do my best to show you a more accurate picture. In the meantime, please pop over to my friend Adrienne, writer in chief of the Sunday Girl Blog for beautiful swatches of Rock Candy.


  







Further information:
http://www.lookbeauty.co.uk/index.php/look-good-feel-better
http://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/site/index.cfm
disclaimer: corsage was received for promotional and review purposes

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Purple Heaven – Sirvinya Sunday #1

I am on a Rimmel phase at the moment. The same day I purchased 'Pearly Queen', I also came home with Purple Reign nail polish. Purple Reign might not be as duo chrome as the rest of the Rimmel Metal Rush collection but it remains a stunning multi dimensional purple, with vivid flashes of blue shimmer.

  





Did I need yet another purple polish in my collection? No I didn't but if if I have an urge for purple, it's Purple Reign that I would want to reach first as the application was a doddle. The wide and flat brush should win an award and makes my life so much easier.





The smooth formula had the perfect consistency and allowed me to take all the time I need to guide the polish along the nail. Coverage is flawless and gave me the opacity you see on the photos in 2 fast drying coats. The finish is fantastic. No hint of streaks in sight, it almost reminded me of a foil effect nail polish.

   







They should have called it purple heaven.


   

  





Don’t ask me to choose my favourite rimmel polish. I can’t decide. What I do know is that there is only one which has let me down of all the ones I have tried: beige babe. Below, if you have a few minutes to kill, a summary of all the rimmel polishes I have reviewed to date on my blog.


   

 

 

what: Purple Reign nail polish from the Rimmel Metal Rush Collection
how much: £3.99
where: Boots and Superdrug
bought with my own pennies

Last but not least, I wanted to finish this post by giving a special shout to Sirvinya. We decided to go on a blogging date every Sunday at 8pm. I don’t know for how long I will be able to keep this up but for now I am enjoying the challenge and it’s a lot of fun.

  
Never visited her blog before? I would recommend her tutorial on how to make an eyeliner with any shadow of your choice.

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