The Body Shop 'Born Lippy' Lip Balms.

Hello lovelies!

After my small Body Shop haul last week, I came across an offer for one FREE lip balm per customer if you looked on the voucher codes website. No catch. No need to purchase anything before hand to receive the lip balm. Claiming was simple: showing my phone with the voucher on to the person behind the till I get a lip balm. These 'Born Lippy' Lip Balms usually retail for £3 each so when my mum and I claimed on each we came away with more than £6 worth of Body Shop goods without paying a penny.

There were four 'flavours' on offer: Strawberry, Lychee, Plum and Toffee. In the small outlet shop in Spalding I went into, they had some testers to try. The lady in the shop gave some recommendations and suggested the Lychee flavour as it had some shimmer added. I loved the sound of this so quickly picked it up. After being told the others were slightly tinted, I settled for Strawberry as I assumed it would deepen my natural lip colour.

The packaging of these are quite funky. I quite like the lips printed on the tube, but not so keen on 'LOL' written on the strawberry tube. These clearly look as if they are aimed at teenage girls and women in there early twenties. 

The Body Shop 'Born Lippy' Lip Balm in Strawberry (L) 

and Lychee (R)

Strawberry (L) and Lychee (R)

Born Lippy in Lychee Swatch

One thing I noticed when I opened the Strawberry lip balm was the uneven colouring. As you can see in the second picture, the colour has not been evenly distributed in the balm. It had a strong strawberry scent and was lovely and balmy on the lips. Was it tinted? No. Hence why there is no swatch - there was no point. I was a little disappointed in this to be honest as I love a natural way to enhance my lip colour.
- Worth £3? No.

The Lychee flavour was far more exciting! The smell was not quite as strong as the strawberry but it still had a slight fragrance. When applying this, it did not feel as smooth as the strawberry and the shimmer caused the lip balm to have a gritty texture on the lips. However, the grittiness was worth it as it was very shimmery and looked beautiful. This would be great to top over many lip stains to give them a different look. And an added bonus: it tasted sweet too! 
- Worth £3? Maybe, but I am stingy :P

Overall, the lychee was my favourite as it was a little different. The strawberry would be great for the winter when I have chapped lips but their are many cheaper balms on the market that are very similar to the strawberry.

Did you manage to claim a free Body Shop lip balm this week?

Bye GFC, Hello Blog Lovin'!

Hello all beauty lovers!

I have seen today that apparently Google Friend Connect  is going to be no more. This is quite sad as I have enjoyed following blogs through this system. Silly Google.

Anyway, I would love it if all 13 of you (yes I haven't many followers, lol) would follow me on bloglovin'. I much prefer it to Google+ as it is similar to GFC.

I do work hard on my posts and it would be great if you could keep viewing what I write :D

I would just like to say, thank you for following in my first month of blogging and I love you all :)

Rimmel 60 Seconds 'Grey Matter' (805)

Hello all,

This is just a small one from my Fragrance Direct haul at the beginning of this month.

For ages I had been looking for a grey polish to add to my collection. Grey was a hot colour in the autumn/winter season last year looking good with winter clothing and tones. My idea shade would have been a light, soft grey that is feminine and not too 'punky'.

'Grey Matter' fit the bill for me. After seeing swatches online, I knew for ages that this was a polish I would like to own. So when I saw it on Fragrance Direct for 99p, I popped it in my basket.

Rimmel 60 Seconds 'Grey Matter' (805)

In the bottle, it looked like a light grey - perfect. On the nail, it dried a bit darker. Yes, I was a little disappointed but it was not unsightly. I feel this sort of grey is definitely a autumn/winter colour and is not too versatile for spring or summer. However with the current British weather, it's not too out of place!

The formula itself is OK - good, but not perfect. It seems to have a slightly thicker consistency to the polish, but it is nothing unmanageable. This polish self levels itself OK but some of the streaks are still visible.

However, the staying power has been relatively marvellous. Currently, I only have a tiny chip on my right index finger and I have had it on since Monday. 

Would I recommend this? Only if you like the colour. For Rimmel, this is an average polish. If you like super smooth nail varnish, you may not like this too much. If longevity is more important, I cannot recommend highly enough.

Are you a fan of grey nail polish?

Armani Code Pour Femme EDP

Hello lovelies,

This is yet another scent from the tiny collection of fragrances I own. Armani Code Pour Femme is a fragrance I fell in love with as soon as I smelled it. Released in Spring 2006, I did not discover this until January 2007 when I was looking for a 'revision' perfume (after being advised that scent and memory are closely linked, I decided to give this revision 'tip' a go). The lady at the counter told me to give this a sniff and it was my favourite out of the bunch. However being a cash strapped 16-year-old, I had to settle for the much cheaper Kylie Mingogue 'Darling' but I never forgot how beautiful this scent was.

I was lucky enough to buy the Eau de Toilette version later that year while in duty-free on holiday. I purchased a 50 ml bottle and was besotted with it. I then dedicated it to being my evening fragrance until early last year when my bottle ran out. So I requested it for Christmas and my Dad was kind enough to buy me a 75 ml Eau de Parfume - much more expensive than I expected to receive.

Giorgio Armani Code Pour Femme EDP

In my opinion, this is a timeless scent. The notes I get most prominently are white floral's and ginger followed by some citrus notes. Others have reported they pick up the smell of honey but it does not come out very strongly on me.

This EDP is definitely a winter or evening scent. This fragrance is heavy and long lasting so can be too much for my sense of smell in warmer weather. I feel the EDT could be used during the daytime as it is much lighter in scent but comes with a downside of not lasting as long as this one.

Would I recommend this to others? Yes. This is a very classy scent which could border on smelling slightly 'old' like Chanel No.5 or J'adore. If heavy scents are not for you, I would recommend the EDT version as it is just as pretty as this.

Have you tried Armani Code Pour Femme? Do you like it?

New Blog Design!

Hello all,

I just thought I would celebrate my new blog design a little. It now feels much more like me and less of a standard design like it was before.

I had been wondering for ages how to make it look prettier and then Laura asked her followers to give her some advise to which was really helpful to me too.

Unfortunately, my banner seems to now want to be 'brilliant white' like I had asked it to be but it will do for now.

I will probably update it more soon, but now, I must revise for my driving theory test!

Body Shop Haul!

Recently, I had another small haul because I cannot resist a bargain! After seeing that The Body shop were having 40% off everything including sale items, I had to get something. I love some body butters from the brand that I received two years ago and sadly they are starting to run out. I also have decided to do some early Christmas shopping because why pay more at Christmas time and why not distribute the cost throughout the year? I feel this is the best idea (at the moment that is :P).

After waiting all day for the package to arrive (it came at 4:30 pm by UPS, not Royal Mail), I was excited to open my box of goodies. Here is what I received:

Top: Strawberry Shower Scrub and Soften Gift Set (£7.20)

Middle: Body Butters - Raspberry (£3), Cranberry (£2.60), Moroccan Rose (£3)

Bottom: Rainforest Radiance Hair Care Kit (£2.60)

The top and bottom sets are Christmas gifts. I feel like I have received a lot for my money. The Cranberry Body Butter also would have been a gift but I saw a small imperfection on the cream where a flake of something had dropped in so I MAY have to keep it for myself :P

The body butters smell gloriously fruity except the Moroccan Rose one which, of course, smells of roses :) The one thing I found disappointing with this one is that the 'butter' is not as thick as the fruity ones which it the texture I like the most. It's thinner like body moisturiser which is OK if you like that but I love the thicker body butter. I'm sure I will get some use out of it though.

Have you taken advantage of the Body Shop sale and discount? What did you buy?

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipstain 'Don't Stop Blushing'

Hello all,

I thought I would blog about something a little different today as all I seem to talk about is nails and fragrance. So I thought I would review something I bought back in Easter when Boots had 3 for 2 on all make up at Boots. As a big fan of lip stain rather than lipstick I decided on a cheaper and longer lasting option than using my favourite Benetint which I now use primarily on my cheeks. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Stain 'Don't Stop Blushing'

After seeing the advertisements by Rimmel for a new, affordable lip stain, I thought I would give it a try as I love my lips looking slightly more pink than my natural colour. So I swatched the testers in Boots and made the decision that 'Don't Stop Blushing' was the shade I wanted. I also liked the idea that it had a lip balm on the end to prevent your lips from drying out or giving a natural shine. From this product, I expected it to be long lasting and transfer-proof.

Top: Without Balm, Bottom: With Balm

I was quite disappointed with this product. When I swatched the testers on my hand in the shop, this colour looked very pink. However on my lips, it was a very bright orangey-pink coral. This is not the best tone for my fair complexion and at first did not feel very confident wearing it as a day-to-day colour.

This lip stain is only transfer-proof if you do not layer its own balm on top of it. When I noticed it transfer the first time, I assumed it was because I put it it on too soon after application. So next time I used it, I made sure the lip colour had dried completely before adding the balm. This mad no difference. I would leave kiss marks on my boyfriends cheek, on my drinking glasses, on my food and it even (embarrassingly) had made its way on to my chin while eating a sandwich. So certainly not transfer-proof with the lip balm on.

Long lasting? Not as well as I had hoped. From my experience wearing this without the balm, it lost its colour within a few hours. I expected this to last all day because the word 'stain' implies it is practically tattooed to you all day.

One good thing about this? The felt-tip applicator. It allows for a controlled application meaning tracing one's lips is relatively easy. But that is where the positives stop because to get a decent amount of colour on the lips you need to use the side of the applicator as the top part dries out so quick.

Another thing I wish this product came with is a factory seal. I notice a lot of Rimmel products do not have a seal and then you cannot be entirely sure whether someone (selfish) has tried this out because they don't want to try out a communal tester.

For £5.99, I would certainly not recommend this product. It is over priced for its claims. I would suggest investing more in this kind of product and buying something from Maxfactor. For half the price, I would consider buying this product again but not for any more.

Have you tried the Rimmel Lip Stains? Do you think I'm being too harsh on the product?

xxxx

Elie Saab Le Parfum EDT

Hello all,

Just a fragrance post from a brand I actually own! Believe it or not, I do not just live off perfume samples I have scrounged from the shops. I did get this one for Christmas from my uncle. 

This is a scent that I had desired ever since I smelled a sample in Glamour magazine. I then tried it again in 'The Perfume Shop' as I wanted to be sure I knew what I wanted for Christmas and then I knew I had to have it. 

Elie Saab Le Parfum Eau De Toilette

This is one of the favourite fragrances of all time. It opens with citrus notes of mandarin blossom and orange blossom. I once put it on and thought it smelled like lemon meringue pie! It then eventually settles down where rose and honey notes become apparent but still does not lose the citrus scent entirely.

This fragrance is a very elegant scent that rarely offends the senses. It's very clean and not too heavy so is a good fragrance for the day time.

I feel one could get away with not buying the EDP as this EDT does last a long while. It is much more subtle but is not weak either. Others have also reported that the EDP and the EDP smell quite different but I cannot comment as I have not yet tried the EDP.

I would definitely recommend this to others as I have yet to find someone who dislikes the smell of this. Although it is not what I call a 'safe' perfume, I do think that could be enjoyed by many women.

And of course, I already own this! :)

Have any of you tried this?

xxxx 

Essie 'Neo Whimsical'

This is another polish from the Fragrance Direct haul. I have noticed that so far on my blog, I have only really posted about O.P.I and Rimmel. Well I want to change that and hence I decided to put something different on my nails recently and try Essie's 'Neo Whimsical' which can be purchased for £1.99 online. Usually, I do not tend to wear nude colours as I get far more excited about bright colours. But as my Mum had bought this, I thought I would try it out.

In the bottle, it looks like a dingy, milky pink. I was not too excited about trying it. However, the swatches online looked a lot better. As you know, sometimes the colour in the bottle is not what always relays on the nail so I decided to give it a go.

Essie 'Neo Whimsical'

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I expected the formula to be really runny and thin but it was not. One coat was translucent and a bit streaky but after the second coat it became opaque and beautiful. The picture above is three coats. Application was smooth and evens out when it dries.

The colour of this is more pink/lilac than I expected. It certainly didn't look murky like it did in the bottle. This would be a good base for a French manicure. The best thing I can liken it to from my collection is Nails Inc Elizabeth Street but slightly more toned down. It is definitely worth buying this over Elizabeth Street!

I would certainly recommend this to others. It would be good for people in a professional working environment or those that want to try nail polishes that are not too 'daring'.

Do you own 'Neo Whimsical'? Do you think it is a great understated colour?

xxxx

Lancome 'La Vie Est Belle'

Time for a fragrance post!

This is one of the perfume samples I picked up a while ago. I got this sample from The Fragrance Shop while I was visiting Lincoln. I had never heard of this fragrance by Lancome as I had only really smelled Hypnose by them before. So I had no idea what to expect.

It turns out that 'La Vie Est Belle' (English traslation: The Beautiful Life) is a relatively new fragrance by Lancome having been released in Autumn last year. The decription on the card is too long to relay on here but 'The Perfume Shop' website describes it as a 'Floral Fruity Gormand'. As I love sweet and floral scents, I was looking forward to trying this.

Lancome 'La Vie Est Belle'

This scent did not disappoint. The top notes smelled typically Lancome (I know that is not the best description but it is how I can describe the smell around the counter in the department stores.) The top notes are very floral and initially very strong. However, this becomes so beautiful when the base notes develop as it smells of praline and vanilla. The sweetness is just so enticing. The longevity of this is excellent as it lasts a long while on the skin.

This is definitely a sweet scent and not for anyone that does not enjoy a 'chocolaty' smell. It is also described as 'fruity' but none of the blackcurrant notes were very prominent on me.

Would I purchase this? YES! I love this. I could not stop sniffing it. I do however think it is an acquired taste. But if you are like me, you will think this is gorgeous. 

Have you tried La Vie Est Belle? Do you like it?

xxxx

Rimmel Metal Rush 'Gold Save the Queen'

Hey all,

Sorry I've not blogged for a while. I have been very busy this month trying to get myself sorted for a course next year. I've done tests and now need to sort a placement so I can do the course... it has been very hectic! And it doesn't seem like it will stop soon so I will blog when I've got time, honest :)

Anyway, the next polish I have purchased this week was Rimmel Metal Rush in 'Gold Save the Queen'. As you know, I have already reviewed 'Pearly Queen' from the same collection and did not get this until Thursday. Out of all four bottles of this collection, I would have placed this as my least favourite and would not have paid full price for this. However, I found this little gem in a reduced price make-up shop in a  place called 'Springfields' in Spalding, Lincolnshire. And what were they selling this for? 99p! I could not believe it. They are still selling this for £3.99 in Boots and Superdrug. So that is why I could not resist buying this.

Rimmel Metal Rush 'Gold Save the Queen'

This polish is a duo-chrome polish which has a base colour of gold. Other hues it contains is green, copper and even purple. The formula is smooth and easy to apply and the brush is short and fat for ease of application. This polish only needs two layers for it to be fully opaque although I am wearing three coats in the picture.

This nail polish really is more beautiful than I thought it would be. All the tones compliment each other perfectly. The benefit of this colour out of the whole collection is that it can be worn by all ages. For 99p, I might even buy another one so I don't miss it when I run out!

What do you think? Do you like 'Gold Save the Queen'?

xxxxx

OPI The Color of Minnie and OPI Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It

After receiving my package from Fragrance Direct (see previous post) I was desperate to try out the two nail polishes from O.P.I I had received in my order. They were Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It and The Color of Minnie. These complete my collection for the Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection from Summer 2012. This is the only whole O.P.I collection I have collected (mainly because I love all the colours of this one) and to buy the whole collection from Fragrance Direct would cost you £16 + P&P for full size bottles.

O.P.I 'The Color of Minnie'

First I painted my nails with 'The Color of Minnie'. This is a red polish with blue undertones. It has a slight shimmer to it so it is not a creme. The coverage of this is great. It is highly pigmented and in the above picture I am wearing two coats. The consistency is not too thick or runny and glides onto the nail with ease. This is a must-have red for any collection as it feels ultra feminine and very 'Minnie'!

O.P.I 'Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It' over 'The Color

of Minnie'

As I was desperate to try 'Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It', I decided to layer this over 'The Color of Minnie'. Now this was the controversial polish where a lot of people found it difficult to get the hearts on the brush. I found by following the advise I has seen online, turning the bottle upside down for a while really did the trick. Most times I did this I had about three on the brush! Every time I spotted a heart, I quickly dolloped it on my nail and brushed the polish on as normal.

'Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It' is a fine glitter polish with orange and purple flecks.This looked beautiful on top of 'The Color of Minnie' making it look hot pink from some angles. To me, the combination looks like 'I'm All Ears' which is possibly my favourite from the collection. This is a high maintenance nail polish if you want the little hearts on your nails. However, without the hearts it would purely be a top coat and would not have the same selling power as this does not look very impressive as a stand alone polish.

Do you like last years Minnie Mouse collection? What's your favourite of the collection?

xxxx

Balenciaga Paris, 10 Avenue George V

Time for another fragrance post! This time it is Balenciaga 10 Avenue George V. When I received this sample, I had never heard of this scent before. From the packaging, it certainly looked like a more expensive brand. However, it is a similar price to most other high end perfumes.

Inside the perfume card, Balenciaga do not have a description of this perfume. I was disappointed about this since most of the other perfume sample I had received gave an idea what to expect. I even found it hard to find a description of the scent online later realising it is known by a slightly different name. I tried this perfume with an open mind not having a clue what fragrance would be in the bottle.

Balenciaga Paris, 10 Avenue George V

For me, this smells powdery and a bit too mature for my tastes. This does smell slightly floral but this isn't the overwhelming smell. This is definitely a 'woody' scent which is something I do not enjoy in most fragrances.

If one was to buy the bottle though, it would look good on a shelf. The bottle is simplistic yet sophisticated. The bottle is like a 'cage' shape and it has a white, spherical top with black 'cracks' in that make it look very chic. 

Personally, I would not pick this fragrance if I wanted a new perfume. I still feel quite young and I feel it would suit my mum or grandma more than me.

Have you tried this perfume before? Were you impressed?

xxxx

This can be bought at Debenhams and other good perfumeries.

Fragrance Direct Haul!

Hello all! I apologise I've not posted anything for a few days. I have just been very busy and found it hard to get the time to come online. However, I have been looking forward to writing this post :)  (Do excuse the blurry photos)

This is what I have been excited for over a fortnight. My mum and I had ordered two lots of products between us. She placed the first order, then I made a second order. You may think this sounds odd but if you have been reading any of my perfume post, you will know my mum and I were organising party bags for someone's birthday. We wanted to put in each bag a nail varnish each. The cheapest place to purchase branded polish is Fragrance Direct (we do not have a pound shop near us :( ).

So we put in a big order! And this is what we got...

 Rimmel Nail Polishes
(L-R) Red Carpet,Fast and Fushia, Man Overboard (back, Dark Grey), Pink Punch, Euphoria, Star Kissed, Ethereal, Princess Pink, Celebrity Bash, Purple Addict & Magnetise.

Essie is 'Mojito Madness' & 'Neo Whimsical', Rimmel Glam Eyes Eyeliner

in 'Diamond Kiss' and 'Intense Plum'

The Essie 'Mojito Madness' and both Rimmel Eyeliners were what I purchased for myself while all the Rimmel nail polishes were for the party bags. My mum bought herself 'Neo Whimsicle' as she loves a nude polish :)

The reason we bought a second haul was because I had spotted Fragrance Direct had put more OPI polishes online and noticed they had 'Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It' available to buy. I have been seeking this one for ages but never seen it at the right price so I had to get it. And after my Mum had received more responses to the party invite, it meant she had to buy more polishes 

for each bag. So this is what we got...

The second haul.

(L-R) OPI: Nothing Mousey 'Bout It, The Color of Minnie, Rimmel: Magnetise, Grey Matter, 'Ready, Aim, Paint!', Sorbet So Good, Revlon Lip Gloss 'Shine City, Sally Hansen Salon Manicure 'Hidden Treasure', Rimmel 'Purple Addict'

A few bits for myself.

I got quite a few bits for myself. I bought:

• OPI 'Nothin' Mousey 'Bout It'
• Rimmel 'Sorbet So Good'
• Pretty Quick Nail Polish Remover pot
• W7 Eyeshadow Brush (04)
• Revlon Lip Gloss in 'Shine City'
• OPI Tiny Treats (Complete with mini Nail Envy, Chip Skip, Rapid Dry Top Coat and Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover)

My other OPI is the 'Colour of Minnie' which my Mum had seen before and love the colour.

Good news is, we over ordered accidentally so we got to keep a couple we liked for ourselves. I kept Rimmel 'Purple Addict', Sally Hansen 'Hidden Treasure', Rimmel 'Red Carpet' and Rimmel 'Grey Matter'.

I am so excited about all these products that I will share them with you soon. My favourite of the whole haul is the OPI Tiny Treats. I have heard a lot of good things about 'Nail Envy' that I cannot wait to try it out!

I'm a little disappointed in the colour of Essie's 'Mojito Madness' as it looked a little different that the photos I had seen. But you never know, I might be pleasantly surprised :)

Do any of you like Fragrance Direct? Do you tend to buy 'hauls' from there?

xxxx

This or That

THIS OR THAT TAG!

This is something that Yanzel Zoe has tagged me in which I'm ever so grateful for as this is my first tag for anything :) And I thought, I may as well fill this out considering I haven't written a lot about myself on this blog at all.

I notice some of the questions are very Americanised, so some of them I might not be able to answer. So I may put an alternate answer instead :P So lets answer these questions!

MAKEUP:
1. blush or bronzer - Blush, as I'm pale. Bronzer looks ridiculous on me.
2. lipgloss or lipstick - Lipgloss
3. eyeliner or mascara - Mascara 
4. foundation or concealer - Foundation
5. neutral or color eyeshadow - Neutral
6. pressed or loose eyeshadow - Pressed
7. brush or sponge - Brush

NAILS:
1. opi or china glaze - OPI because I haven't tried China Glaze... yet :P
2. long or short - Long-ish
3. acrylic or natural - Natural
4. brights or darks - Possibly brights?
5. flower or no flower - I don't understand this so, no flower.

BODY:
1. perfume or body splash - Perfume! I love the stuff.
2. lotion or body butter - Body Butter
3. body wash or soap - Body wash.
4. lush or other bath company - I do love Lush Bubble Bars!

FASHION:
1. jeans or sweat pants - Jeans
2. long sleeve or short - Short, with a cardigan for colder weather.
3. dress or skirt - Dress 
4. stripes or plaid - Plaid
5. flip flops or sandals - I don't wear either, to be honest.
6. scarves or hats - SCARVES! I wear them until I nearly boil to death in the summer :P
7. studs or dangle earrings - Studs.
8. necklaces or bracelets - Bracelets
9. heels or flats - Depends on the occassion. Heels are great to make me look taller lol
10. cowboy boots or riding boots - Neither, I have a pair of biker boots.
11. jacket or hoodie - Jacket,
12. forever 21 or charlotte russe - N/A
13. abercrombie or hollister - Neither. But after Mike Jeffries' statement about not wanting bigger women seen in A&F clothes, I will say Hollister on principle.
14. saks 5th ave or nordstrom - N/A.

HAIR:
1. curly or straight - Curly as I have naturally straight hair.
2. bun or ponytail - Bun.
3. bobby pins or butterfly clips - Bobby pins.
4. hairspray or gel - Neither
5. long or short - Long :)
6. light or dark - I don't know, I like my natural hair colour.
7. side swept bangs or front bangs - I haven't had either but side swept look better on most people.
8. up or down: depends

RANDOM:
1. rain or shine - Shine.
2. summer or winter - Summer.
3. fall or spring - Autumn because we sometimes get some bouts of hot weather then :)
4. chocolate or vanilla - Chocolate
5. east coast or west coast - In reference to Britain, 'East Coast'! Since that is where I hail from :)

Rimmel Metal Rush in 'Pearly Queen'

This polish for me has a story behind it, a silly one but a story all the same. Last Autumn when I needed a new pressed powder and eyeliner, I could purchase another product as Superdrug had '3 for 2' on Rimmel cosmetics at the time. Now I was stuck in the dilemma of being sensible (and buying another pressed powder as I get through powder so quickly) or taking the the frivolous option after I had spotted Rimmel's new (at the time) collection called Metal Rush and 'Pearly Queen' was my favourite of the collection.Silly me, resisted my urges and chose the sensible option but soon regretted not getting it. This resulted in me buying it a few weeks later at full price.

Rimmel Metal Rush in 'Pearly Queen' is part of a collection of four duo chrome polishes which Rimmel released late last year. Others in the collection are 'Purple Reign' (which I did own), Gold Save the Queen and Royal Blue. My favourite of the collection was 'Pearly Queen' by far as the colour looked soft and its lilac and green tones really attracted me.

Rimmel Metal Rush Nail Polish in 'Pearly' Queen'

As you can see, this is a very sheer polish even with three coats (shown above). Despite this, I'm still in love with it because only in some lights can you see the nail line but others it looks like a normal polish. This is a very nice polish for layering over others. It gives a different dimension to any colour you want to spruce up.

This bottle of nail polish is very easy to use. The lacquer is a good consistency and the application brush is perfect for my needs. I love that Rimmel use flat wide brushes as it makes painting my nails a lot easier and gives me a lot more control. This also last surprisingly well for a cheaper polish lasting about three days minimum.

As I have said, I previously owned 'Purple Reign' from this collection but this did not live up to expectation. I bought it in February and by April (the third time I had used it) it had gone thick and gloopy which made smooth application almost impossible. I was gutted because I loved the colour so much. However, I contacted Coty (who own Rimmel) who were very kind and asked me to send it back to them so I could have my money back from the purchase and delivery.

All in all, I would recommend Pearly Queen to those thinking of getting it. It is so versatile as it can be worn alone or as a top coat. I love this so much I'm tempted to get another bottle before they discontinue it :)

Do you love the Metal Rush Collection? What's your favourite colour?

xxxx 

Prada Candy L'Eau

I was going to post this review later in the week but I cannot wait to share my thoughts with you :)

Another sample from the hoard I collected on my trips around the town! This time is Prada Candy L'Eau. This is the Eau de Toilette version of their 2011 release of their Eau de Parfum, Prada Candy. This is a sample I managed to get from an extremely polite shop assistant in John Lewis in Nottingham.

With getting so many perfume samples in total, I knew there were a selection of the vials that I was desperate to try myself. This was one of them. Being a sweet fragrance, I assumed I would enjoy it as this is another kind of smell that I enjoy as well as florals. I was looking for a more sophisticated scent to the very young Britney Spears 'Fantasy' which I used a lot in my late teens and gained many compliments. 

Inside the card, this scent describes itself as 'The fresh and joyful allure of Prada Candy L'Eau lies in its mix of zest, radiance and sweetly addictive notes. Vibrant Citrus and delicate Sweet Pea magnify the trinity of Musks, Benzoin and Caramel.' This sample was sized at 1.5ml.

Did this live up to expectation?

Prada Candy L'Eau (sample)

One word that describes this product best is: WOW! I absolutely love this perfume. Although I don't smell caramel, per se, but I do smell a sweet vanilla musk which is absolutely divine. This is definitely a good 'grown-up' replacement for Britney Spears Fantasy. 

It lasted well for a Eau de Toilette. I could still smell it on my wrists at least four hours after I applied it. 

I would definitely wear this. This is my kind of fragrance for sure. Will I purchase this? Yes, at some point. I will probably ask for this for birthday/Christmas (they are both in the same month, boo hoo) as I like it so much. I would love to smell the Prada Candy Eau de Parfum as I would like it as an all day fragrance.

Would this be a safe buy? No. Sweet fragrances are certainly an acquired taste. On some people they smell absolutely glorious on, but with others they can smell as though they have been dipped in treacle. 

Have any of you tried this? Do you love it as much as I do?

This can be bought in John Lewis or Boots (which currently has £10 off any fragrance £50 or more) and any other good perfumeries. 

xxxx

UPDATE: I have purchased this item and my review is here.

O.P.I Thanks a Windmillion

After having bare nails this weekend (my nails are thanking me for it), I have decided to put on some O.P.I from my haul that I received from Fragrance Direct a couple of months ago. They are still selling O.P.I for £3.99 each which is such a steal that in my recent order I popped one in my basket that I had desired for ages (Nothing Mousie 'Bout It).

Anyway, the shade I decided to wear today was 'Thanks a Windmillion'. This is from the Holland collection released in Spring last year. I had seen this colour before in swatches and absolutely fell in love with it. Not willing to pay full price though I nearly spent over the odds bidding on this shade on Ebay. Fortunately, I lost the bid and picked this up much cheaper :)

'Thanks a Windmillion' is certainly an unusual colour. It is a creme dark teal-green colour. In my opinion, I do not think this shade is everyone's cup of tea. It is not the most feminine of colours and is not really a versatile colour if one likes their nails to compliment their outfit. I see this colour as more of an Autumn shade that could also be worn in the Spring too.

O.P.I Thanks a Windmillion

Although this takes three thin coats of polish to make this opaque, it is surprisingly thin on the nail. It does not seem to apply gloopy and is very fast drying between coats. As with most O.P.I I have tried, this does not chip easily with tip wear appearing after four to five days.

Do you like this shade? Do you disagree that it's not versatile?

xxxx

See by Chloe

I have decided to review some perfumes for the weekend! I thought I would take a break from the nail painting and bring something different. My nails are begging me for a break. Currently, I have a load of perfume samples because I was asking around the shops for my Mum as she was planning to make 'Ladies Party Bags' for a friends birthday and needed some samples to put in each bag. So I traipsed around the shops asking if they could give me any samples. In total I came away with over 20 and my mum got a lot from her journeys too. So we decided to keep a few of them for ourselves as we love new scents as much as the next person.

See by Chloe seemed to be a sample I was given the most by places. I received six samples total! So I assume Chloe is really trying to push this product. Each sample comes a small spray vial containing 1.2 ml of Eau de Parfum. Inside it describes the scent as 'An addictive floral fragrance: irresistible, sparkling & sensual.'

See by Chloe (sample)

This perfume is certainly floral. The smell of apple blossom is prominent through the initial top notes and heart notes. As it moves from the heart notes to the base notes, musk and a hint of vanilla become evident.

Would I wear this? Yes, if given to me as a gift. I enjoy floral scents and feel they are perfect for the impending summer time. The fragrance is inoffensive and I believe this could be worn by most people. Would I buy this for myself? Probably not. Not because I dislike the smell in anyway, I just find this scent forgettable and could not see this as my signature fragrance. Also I do like a pretty bottle as a bonus but See by Chloe's bottle is too simple and not very striking.

I do believe that if one wanted to buy a perfume as a gift for someone else and didn't know what to buy, this would be a very safe perfume to give.

Do any of you own this perfume? Do you enjoy 'See by Chloe'?

This can be bought at Debenhams, House of Fraser & The Fragrance Shop.

xxxx