A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Looking for something vampy, glossy and with just a hint of purple?

Precision Nails in shade R03 VIP Very Important Polish might be what you’ve been looking for…

Another great Winter shade and a winner for lovers of dark, vampy nails… VIP is a 3 coater that makes my fingernails look like black cherries!

Consistent with the other shades in the range, I’m really appreciating these dark polishes now that I’ve chopped my nails a little shorter.

Another polish  from the Precision Nails Glam Rock Collection, this time a little number called The After After Party (R04).

It’s a sophisticated midnight blue with shimmer that looks very clean and elegant against a cool, pale skintone.

I was concerned that the inky blue might stain my nails, so I doubled up on the base coat… but I’m pleased to report that it didn’t even so much as stain my cuticles.  Good job!

As with the other shimmers in the range, I wish that it had just a touch more sparkle.  In the bottle, the multi-coloured shimmer is very special and that doesn’t translate to the nail.  Having said that, it’s still a very beautiful midnight blue with just enough shimmer to keep it interesting.

Another three coater, it’s one of those polishes that need that last coat to really shine.  Application was good and wear has been fine.

The new SpaRitual Winter 2010 collection is titled Imagine and features 6 on-trend shades for the season ahead.

Unconditional Love – Deep rose foil metallic
Living in the moment – classy, understated mushroom crème
Health, Wealth & Happiness – Luxurious dramatic two-tone blue, purple metallic

Endless Possibilities – Intense black cherry plum crème
Dreams Becoming Reality – Dramatic teal blue crème
A World of Compassion – Deep lilac crème

Not only big 3 free, all SpaRitual shades are also vegan.  One of my favourite things about the brand is the packaging.  The bulbous bottles feel luxurious and curvy, whilst the caps are simply perfectly shaped and proportioned for use.  The patented design features rubber grips which are moulded for a comfortable experience.

I was sent two of the shades from the collection to swatch… I’ll start with Endless Possibilities:

Endless Possibilities is a cherry black creme, incredibly glossy with a smooth glass-like finish.  THe above photo shows no top coat… nice huh?

It applied very nicely, and was opaque in two coats.  Impressive.  I didn’t experience any chipping but as with most very dark shades like this, tip wear was apparent by the end of the 2nd day.

Another 2-coater, Health, Wealth and Happiness is one incredibly sexy shade.  A Blue/Purple duochrome… the two-tone flashes are spell-binding yet sophisticated.  Application was consistent with the other polish and again, the swatch shot features no top coat.

Wear was a little better on this polish… again, no chips but tip wear wasn’t quite so apparent.

SpaRitual polishes are priced at £7.23 (exc. VAT) each and available online from SpaRitual

Recommended!

I was sent these a while ago now via the brilliant r8beauty, probably around the time my camera went up in a big puff of smoke and I have been absolutely DYING to play with them but holding off until I could do them justice with a photo incase they were amaze.

Rebel Nails are a simple stick-on concept that can be customised with an almost infinite number of designs from animal print to high-shine chrome.

I found application a touch tricky, though the instructions provided were clear and easy to follow.

Firstly, I had to trim EVERY nail sticker.  They were all far too wide for my narrow nails and even after trimming, I found that I had been a little too cautious and should have taken off more than I did.  Something to remember for next time.  It looks far better once on the nail if they’re a little too narrow for your nail bed than too wide.

I also experienced more problems with creasing on the ones that I hadn’t trimmed enough.  It really is key to ensure you personalise these nails to fit your own properly.

But how does the overall effect look?

Pretty darn brilliant even if I do say so myself:

My little nail and ring finger are both perfect fits (and applications) but at the time, I thought I’d trimmed too much from the sticker.  You can see though that they look far better than my index and middle fingers yes?

Stickability is impressive.  I achieved 4 days before a little peeling but if I’m completely honest with you… I wanted them off my fingers after day 1.  I found that the free edges (no matter how well I filed) just kept catching on things and feeling ‘scratchy’.  I wouldn’t have lasted 4 days if I weren’t testing them for wear.

For me, these are great for special occasions…. nights out and the like.  They feel very comfortable on the nails… the thin membrane of sticky foil is light and unobtrusive.  It’s just that rough nail tip that I couldn’t put up with.

Removal was 100x easier than I had anticipated.  I switched on my hairdryer, gave a nail a quick blast before peeling back the sticker which left barely any residue, gunk and absolutely no damage behind.

Rebel Nails offer around 100 desgins on their website, with prices starting at only £4.99 a set.

I’m loving the look of these Snowflake Red ones for Christmas.

Do you like?

I mentioned last week a nail polish that had instantly hit all the right notes and soared into my top Winter favourites list.  Here it is:

Glam Metal by Precision Nails is a beautiful gunmetal polish with an array of multicoloured sparkle.  The sparkle is subtle, perhaps just a touch too subtle.  I would have been doing cartwheels had it been just a little more apparent.  As it stands, this is a stunning shade for a Winter manicure.  The finish makes the polish look almost chrome-like (in that slightly grungey way I love).  I’m not sure if you can make out from the swatch above… but the gunmetal isn’t an out-and-out grey.. it has the teeniest hint of purple/taupe to it.  You can see why I’m loving this can’t you?

Application was good, thinner rather than thicker and the above shows three coats.  Drying time is average and wear has been good with no chips to report.

It’s a double NOTD today!

I received a couple of Models Own new nail polish shades the other week and finally got a chance to wear them last weekend.  I was a bit dubious about Vintage Pink when I spied it in the bottle… it’s kinda…. fud.

It’s something my Nan would have worn… had she worn nail polish.  That makes sense in my head.

What I’m trying to say is… throw in a couple of mint imperials, a plastic rain-proof headscarf, a shopping bag that doubles up as a trolley and a pint of guiness and you’ve got this nail polish.  Everytime I look at my nails, I need to double check the mirror to assess the length of my crowsfeet.

I’m not feeling it.

However, application was fabulous… which is just as well really ‘cos old ladies get the shakes.

Moving on…

Models Own Prussian Blue is more my cuppa tea.  It’s a bright royal blue that lends itself really well to a bit of mattification (is that a word?).  It’s a nice shade for the winter and compliments my cool tones well.

Both polishes were done in two coats and I’m not sure if the formula has been re-jigged since I last tried a Models Own polish back in the Spring… but these applied really nicely and far less thickly than I expected based on previous experiences.

I didn’t keep Vintage Pink on much longer than it took to go for a ride round the block on my mobility scooter, but wear was great on the matte!  It wasn’t until the 3rd day that I began to notice a bit of tip wear… I’m just not used to mattes lasting that well, are you?

The 11 new shades are shown above…

Any of them taking your fancy?

Models Own polishes can be purchased online or in Boots stores nationwide, priced at £5 each.

The beauty blogosphere has been rumbling with news of a collaboration between slick nail art gurus WAH Nails and high-street favourites… polish maestro’s Models Own!

As originally reported by ElleUK last month, the pairing is set to bring nail art to the UK High Street in the shape of some new Nail Art pens!

It’s a marriage made in heaven if it means that we can recreate fabulous designs like these in the comfort of our own homes:

image credit: WAH Nails

Now, if only the pairing could come up with a way to bottle the talent needed to mastermind designs like the above… that WOULD be a bestseller.

Can we have some WAH/Models Own nail art tutorials thrown in too please?  PLEASE?

What do you think of this collaboration?  Hit or Flop?

When I was in London last week I was on the hunt for some of the new Accessorize Illusion nail polishes… you know, the duochrome ones.  Sadly, I only found one solitary polish and I nearly had to beat someone up to get my hands on it first.  It’s ok, I only broke a couple of her fingers… she can always paint the other hand.

It was totally worth it though right?  Look at those gorgeous purple/green/amber flashes! *dies*

Please excuse my death-warmed up hands… we were having double glazing fitted and the house was an ice-box sans windows.  My hands were ready to drop right off.

What d’ya think?

That is a bloody gorgeous duochrome to feed our inner 8 year old’s craving for something PURRRRRRDY right?

Application isn’t too shabby but it did need a good 3 coats and a healthy splodge of quick dry top coat for optimum shininess.  Wear has been good… no chips, just some minor tip wear.  Removal was a bit of a pain thanks to the glittery bits but othing too soul destroying.

My niece came over yesterday and the first thing I did was thrust my nails in her face and demand to know if she’d ever seen anything like so completely amazing?  She looked at me in the way only a 7 year old can when embarrassed by someone old enough to know better.

But she agreed, it was pretty cool.

Priced at £4 each for 10ml… Accessorize Nail Polishes are available instore (though I can only ever find a couple – usually by the tills), online (full selection) and I believe they’re coming to/are already in Superdrug?  Or did I imagine that bit…

Anyway, the moral of the story is… go and hunt them down, even if it means maiming your fellow shoppers in the process.

…geddit? rides? as in horses… as in cowboys? as in Tex… oh forget it.

Due for UK release in February, OPI will be introducing 12 new shades for their Spring/Summer collection which takes it’s inspiration from the U.S’ 2nd largest state.

Talking of O.P.I (which, I quite clearly will until I get bored)… does anyone know what O.P.I stands for?

No googling… no cheating… I DO actually know (‘cos I cheated) but that’s not the point.  Let’s pretend it could stand for ANYTHING!  In your mental little world, tell me what O.P.I would stand for?

For me and my bank account, it would have to be something like… Overall Purse Invaders.  I read one on Google that proferred “Ohmygod Pooh Inside” – I chuckled, though being over the age of 4… I probably shouldn’t have.

Um.  Where was I?  Oh yeah…  Texas Collection!

San Tan-tonio – The Perfect Honey Tan
Y’all Come Back Ya Hear? – Texan Tangerine
Guy Meets Gal-veston – “Engaging” Coral
Big Hair… Big Nails – Rosy Blush

I Vant To Be A-Lone Star – Starry Silver-Blue
It’s Totally Fort Worth It – Shimmering Lavender Grey
Austin-tatious Turquoise – Bodacious Blue Green
Don’t Mess With OPI – Lean, mean kick-grass Green

Too Hot Pink to Hold ‘Em – A hot pink winning hand
Do You Think I’m Tex-y – A ‘berry’ sexy shade
Houston We Have A Purple – Galactic violet
Suzi Loves Cowboys – Rich campfire chocolate

I couldn’t make the preview but have already picked a personal favourite (or two) after having looked at Helen’s shots from the event.

Her swatch shot:

image used with kind permission from JustNiceThings

Are there any shades in particular standing out amongst this little lot for you guys?

After seeing the swatch shot over at Just Nice Things – I’m lusting after It’s Totally Fort Worth It, but do have my reservations on how many coats I might need to apply to get the look I want from this jelly finish.

Other than that?  I’m not sure… nothing is filling me with overwhelming excitement, however… O.P.I (more than any other brand) have the ability to create slow burners for me.  I’m actually still indulging in the odd Swiss Collection bottle that I’ve now decided over a month after release that I simply cannot live without.

The O.P.I Texas Spring/Summer 2011 Nail Collection will be released in the UK in February, priced at £9.95 a bottle and avilable from LenaWhite.

Following the roaring success of Estee Lauder’s previous nail polish release and the fact that I simply couldn’t have anymore love for Surreal Violet than I do, I had super high hopes for their Christmas collection.

I was given Extravagant Pearl at a recent event and I have really mixed thoughts on it.

Extravagant Pearl is one of two polish releases for Christmas 2010, the other being Extravagant Night (a dark plum with mesmerising micro-glitter).  Looking at Extravagant Pearl in the bottle, I expected it to be a sheer, layering polish… it isn’t.  The above shows three thin coats and if you don’t mind a visible nail line, you could be done in two.  Oddly enough, the reviews I’ve read of the darker Extravagant Night show that one to be a 4 coater!

Anyway, I’m going off on a tangent…

Extravagant Pearl is quite a difficult colour to describe… but I think I’d call it NARS Albatross in a nail polish.  A pale, warm gold with shimmer.  Lots of shimmer.  A little too much for me.

It looks quite frosty and for some reason makes my normally narrow nails look wide and fat.  It needed a top coat too thanks to the micro-glitter making the surface of the nail quite gritty to the touch.

I want to love this shade, I really do… it is packed so completely full of beautiful multi-coloured sparkle in the bottle I was sure I would be on cloud nine with this on my nails.  But I’m just not feeling it.

I tried layering it over black to see if I loved it more… I still don’t.

Urgh, what’s wrong with me?  It’s clearly very pretty and sparkly and totally Christmassy.  It even works well against my skintone… perhaps I just don’t like frosts?

Wear has been marvellous… 3 days now with no tip wear at all though it was a little slow to dry between coats.

What do you guys think?  Am I crazy for not loving it?

Estee Lauder Extravagant Pearl is a Limited Edition shade released as part of the EL Christmas/Holiday Collection.  It’s available online or on counter and priced at £12.

Whilst Illamasqua’s Viridian was released with a flourish and huge interest from nail bloggers excited to see the emerald green featured in the campaign shots… not quite so much was said about Scarab, Viridian’s quieter and more conventional sister polish.

Which is a bit of a shame, because as you can see… it’s a proper Autumn/Winter beauty!

Scarab is an almost sanguine red with flecks of copper fire that really come to life when caught by the light.  This was the other item I was sent from the Art of Darkness collection… I very nearly squealed when I first took it out of the box!

It’s true to bottle colour and as with most Illamasqua polishes I’ve tried… applies beautifully and is practically opaque in one coat.

I do have one issue with this polish though… wear.  I had enough tip wear to bother me by the end of the second day and I don’t usually suffer with that at all until the 3rd day.  I should absolutely point out that this was whilst wearing it layered over another polish for my Ruffian manicure.  I shall wear it alone and report back/edit as necessary.

Illamasqua polishes are on the pricey side and Scarab will set you back £13.00 if you choose to indulge.  You can buy online or on counter.

…shame about the picture though.

I chose Precision – Party Like a Rockstar for the gold under-layer because of it’s hawt metallic qualities.  Over the top, I added Illamasqua Scarab to create a nice, Wintery feeling manicure.

Unfortunately, the flash firing in the photos simply shows Party Like a Rockstar as a solid yellow and not the beautiful metallic gold that it is in reality.

I was a lot easier to achieve that I thought it would be… a little bit of patience is honestly all that’s needed.

For a great how-to on the Ruffian inspired manicure, check out one of my favourite nail blogs Lacquerized.

I can’t even tell you how many people admired my nails yesterday… oh ok, about 9 separate people and they ALL wanted to give it a go for themselves once I explained how it was achieved.

Have you attempted Ruffian Nails yet?  Which colours do you think would work best together?