A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

…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?

I just wasn’t expecting to like it… but strangely, I do!

Bumster from Butter London’s Autumn/Winter collection is one of those ugly colours that you either love or hate.

It’s one of the two McQueen-inspired shades in the collection, named for the designer’s famously low slung trouser creation that shocked the fashion world at the time. Not a natural nail shade choice for the more conservative among us, it sits oddly against my skintone. However, I simply love how creamy it looks, opaque in only two coats and perfect for the camel trend we’re currently experiencing.

As much as I’m drawn to it, I do have to admit that it looks far, far better on my cousin’s olive-toned skin than it does on my pasty pink complexion.

Will that stop me wearing it? Not a chance… I can’t stop checking out my nails!

Butter London Bumster is available to buy online from Powder Rooms, priced at £9.75

With all this Chanel vs. BarryM nail polish dupe talk… how could I possibly have resisted CHARGING down my local Superdrug as fast as my fat little trotters could carry me (ok, I drove) before scooping up a bottle of BarryM’s new nail polish sensation Dusky Mauve to compare for myself?

Well I couldn’t.  Hence this post – duh.

So is it?  Isn’t it?

It most certainly is.

BarryM’s Dusky Mauve Nail Paint is a practically perfect dupe for Chanel’s Paradoxal – I’ll let the photos do the talking.

When Bazza met Coco… *cue music*

The only teeniest, tiniest difference between the two is that I feel the BarryM version may have a touch more sparkle in direct sunlight… but I’m not even 100% confident on that.

If you had wanted to indulge in Chanel’s Paradoxal but couldn’t quite stretch to the £16.50 required to do so… put those pennies towards the £2.95 dupe of the year and head down to Superdrug for BarryM’s Dusky Mauve instead.  No one will be able to tell the difference.

If your local Superdrug/Boots are out of stock, don’t forget that you can also buy BarryM’s Dusky Mauve Nail Paint online from the BarryM website which ships internationally.

This is an absolutely AMAZING Nails Inc. deal!

For TODAY ONLY, you can save £85 by purchasing a set of 10 Nails Inc. polishes for only £25.

I know they occasionally have some nice deals like this…. but usually with a few dubious shades that no-one wants thrown in… not this time!

Those are 10 flippin’ lovely shades and I don’t know about you but I’d be glad to wear each of them!

Also, look at the cute box they come in… what a great Christmas present they’d make for someone special… but I’m not sure I’d be able to keep my hands off them!

Shades include:

Berkeley Square – dark grey
Eagle Street – dusky nude
Duchess Street – vibrant purple
The Vale – deep plum
Eden Grove – vibrant real
Montrose Place – iridescent hot pink
Buckingham Street – hot pink glitter
Dean Street – pillar box red
Maple Street – metallic brown
Shelton Street – gold glitter

What do you think ladies?  Are you as tempted as I am?  I’m really cursing my little eBay polish haul from last night now… my fingers are hovering and I’m wavering… God knows, I don’t need more polishes in my life but I’m not sure I can resist!

Talk me down!

** You may also want to take a quick look here before ordering if you decide to go for it – it worked when I tested it late last night**

Steady yourselves ladies… this is a sparkler…

I received a bottle of Glitter Gal Cosmetics Marine Blue holo nail polish via R8Beauty (check them out on Facebook if you haven’t already) and when I first pulled it out of the envelope, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed.  I was right.

The holo effect is so wonderfully intense that it can even be easily detected without direct sunlight.  The formula was a touch thin and took three coats to achieve a fully opaque finish – I wouldn’t normally mind this at all, but as the bottle is only 9mls and I can see myself working through it quite quickly.

I’ve had SO many compliments on my nails and even got a “WOW!” from an SA in Superdrug yesterday!

The finish is smooth and doesn’t *really* need a topcoat though the addition of one does amp up the shine a touch, so if you can be bothered, I’d recommend.  The brush, although stumpy, didn’t give me any application issues and wear has been perfectly adequate.

Glitter Gal Cosmetics are an Aussie brand and there are currently no UK stockists.  You can purchase the Glitter Gal Nail Polishes online priced from AUD$9.95 each.  Sadly, when I added a few polishes to my basket, I was quoted a prohibitive AUD$25 for shipping.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a UK stockist soon.

This Autumn has been quite eclectic in it’s choice for nail shades… from muted greens through to grey purples and chocolate browns, it’s certainly not been as vamp-heavy as usual.

Leighton Denny are continuing down this path with a set of colours that don’t appear to adhere to one particular focus.  For some, this is a relief… for me?  I’m just genuinely pleased to see a lovely-looking gunmetal grey put in an overdue appearance this season.

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Indulgence: Classic, scarlet red will be centre stage for AW10 & this shade will suit everyone.

Prim & Proper: Bright, stark nudes compliment dark outfits. This  icy nude shade will help achieve a contemporary look.

Timeless: This sophisticated, feminine coral shade paired with subtle make-up looks will help to soften more extreme winter styles.

Captivated: Bright accent colours are perfect for brightening the winter blues. This electric shade will add drama and accessorise a look.

Embellish Me: An indulgent aubergine  to achieve a glamorous high-end finish.

Graycious: A strong, gunmetal shade is perfect for achieving sultry elegance, as well as trend-led more edgy styles.

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Priced at £11 each, they’re available to buy online from www.leightondennyexpertnails.com

Like a moth to the proverbial flame, I found myself in my local backwater Boots yesterday afternoon and they had just put out their latest delivery of BarryM.

Being the dedicated beauty blogger that I am *cough* and remembering that some of you are struggling to source this for yourselves, I thought I’d pick up two of the new Instant Nail Effects Nail Paints for a quick giveaway!

And when I say quick, I mean QUICK!

Answer this question in the comments below:

Which polish would you choose as a base coat underneath the BarryM Instant Nail Effects?

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RULES
~ Two winners (winning 1 polish each) will be picked at random early next week
~ Giveaway closes at 11.59pm this Sunday (you have 48hrs – ish)
~ Open worldwide

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Good luck!

I scoured high and I scoured low for this little bottle of Barry M Instant Nail Effects… it’s seemingly harder to acquire than the proverbial gold dust.

When I first saw it on Yinka’s blog… I didn’t think I was gonna like it.  I like NEAT nails and I’m not hugely into nail art.  Not really… I just like polished tips that add a bit of interest.  Instant Nail Effects looks haphazard… indeed it is.  It’s messy, it’s random…

But I kinda like it!

What I didn’t like was that I slapped a glossy top coat over it.  Next time I’m gonna keep the crackle matte.

Is this a new idea?  Nooooooooo…. these crackle polishes have been around for years, but as far as I’m aware – it’s the first time it’s been brought to the UK high street (correct me if I’m wrong!).

Wanna know how it’s done?  Watch the official BarryM tutorial video on how to make the Instant Nail Effects work for you here.

Do you like the effect?  I think the general consensus is that it works best over bold, pale colours… think bright pastels!

If you can source it on the high street, Boots are currently offering two BarryM polishes (including this one) for £5, otherwise you can purchase online from the BarryM website for £3.95 a piece.

I’m so late with this, I mean who cares now right?  We’re all onto the Christmas releases!

I care though!  I cracked this bottle open for my recent jolly up to London and although it didn’t turn as many heads as Essie’s Sew Psyched did… I felt all sophisticated a grown up in this shade!

Please excuse the photo, have finally managed to borrow a point & shoot that doesn’t hate my computer… but, it’s not fabulously colour-accurate.  In real life, Merino Cool is a touch more mauve.

3 coater and a touch slow drying.  I had a duvet imprint on my thumb all weekend despite a quick dry top coat and reasonable length of time before throwing myself in my pit after painting!

This photo has also prompted a nail chop!  Whilst I do love my nails being long… the above is a touch too long for practicality!  The number of times I’ve caught them on something and literally HELD MY BREATH as I glance down expecting to see that I’ve torn one right down to the cuticle… that’s when I know that they’re just not manageable anymore!

Anyway… I haven’t forgotten that I promised a comparison of my mauvey toned greige shades.  I will do one v. soon, I’ve just had another camera knock-back this morning from a company that I wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy (SimplyElectronics).

Thanks for sticking with me, I can see why proper ‘togs have camera backups now!  Alas, for me… I’m just a dabbler and Mr. L would infact kill me if I even contemplated the word ‘backup’ when talking about cameras.

Crappy Monday everyone! xx