A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

“But you said you were completely bored of shatter top coats?”

“I never said I was bored of silver ones.”

Out of all the 24 billion photos of seen of manicures done with shatter top coats this year, the silver ones always look the prettiest to me which is why I actually couldn’t quite restrain myself from adding this to a recent eBay polish haul.  I mean, it’s Color Club… it cost me less than a coffee.

I was too much of an impatient child to apply it over anything over than what I was already wearing so it jazzed up the Nails Inc. OMP! nicely.  It also reminded me how nice it was to have something to breathe new life into a tired looking mani without having to redo the whole thing.  Forty seconds later and I’m getting another 3 days wear from something that should have bitten the dust days ago.

I like it.  But I won’t buy anymore.  No, really.  I’m totally bored of them… unless someone brings out a holographic one…

Ok, we’re really done with this trend now yah?  Just one more? Nooooooo!

I first gave Ciate Starlet a blog outing in 2009 but it was in the depths of Winter and I couldn’t get the light to demonstrate the beautiful beetle-wings effect this lovely shade gives.

LOOK!

Pretty no?

Any excuse to show off a pretty polish (even the second time around) and I’m there!

Can we begin the weekend countdown now?

Starting this Sunday, News of the World’s Fabulous magazine will be bringing a little sunshine to what is turning out to be a rained off Summer!

Cut out and keep three differently numbered tokens over the next four weeks starting this Sunday from inside your NOTW’s Fabulous Magazine to get your mitts on this vibrant duo from Nails Inc.

Atomic and OMP! (that’s Oh My Pink!) are a pair of vibrant Summer-loving shades, guaranteed to bring out the sunglasses!

Once you’ve collected your three tokens, simply take them along to any participating Tesco Extra or Tesco supermarket to claim your freebie nail polish duo anytime between July 3-11.

Will you be collecting your first coupon this Sunday?

I know you shouldn’t love something for the packaging.  It’s shallow, meaningless and downright silly.  But I do love these SpaRitual polishes in particular for their packaging.  The rubberised handles with built-in grips, curvacious bottles that kinda remind me of ancient urns or something.

Inconsequential in the grand scheme of things but I guess it’s those little touches to a brand that set them apart from the rest.  That and the fact that these aren’t shatter top coats right? 😉

Pebble is a beautiful grey with just a hint of brown.  Not enough to make it a taupe… but enough to warm it up a touch.  The above swatch shows three coats but you could get away with two thicker coats as the coverage is more than acceptable as was the application.

L-R: Native Rock, Sacred Sands, Pebble, Moss, Driftwood, Twig

It’s a very laid-back Summer offering with no brights in sight but the Driftwood and Moss look particularly interesting.

I was also sent Native Rock from the new collection which I’ll show you later in the week. Are any of the shades from the new Summer collection catching your eye?

SpaRitual nail polishes (£8.50) are available to purchase directly from the SpaRitual website and spas/salons.

This is unexplored territory for me… white.  It’s one of those nail shades that suddenly become “bang on trend” and throw everyone into a fizz of polarised opinions on how great/terrible it looks!

Butter London’s Cream Tea isn’t a pure, stark white.  As the name might suggest, it’s a slightly creamy white that would work nicely for the tips in French manicures were it not so sheer.  The above shows three coats and there’s still a certain veil-like quality to the finish.

I’m on the fence… I think it’s one of those shades you appreciate more freely on someone else’s fingers than your own.

Butter London Cream Tea is available online from Powder Rooms priced at £11.95

What say you?  Do you ever wear white or off-white polishes?

Well, I’ve tried one and you still ain’t gonna convince me that I need scented nail polish.  Infact, if anything… the scent gave me a low-grade headache.  Me no like and I sniffed my fingers.  Once.  It made me feel like a pervert.

Scent-aside, Revlon’s Peach Smoothie is an adorable colour.  I can’t decide whether it makes me want to snuggle in a cable knitted jumper or go lick an ice-cream.  It transcends seasons with its peach loveliness.  Depending on your skintone you may also find this making a good nude shade.

It’s a little sheer and needs 3 full coats to avoid a VNL but I’ll forgive that because it’s a quick-dryer.  It contains a very pretty gold sparkle which isn’t quite as prominent as I would like.

Revlon Scented Nail Enamels are priced at £6.49 and available from Boots.com

* pr sample

My first Deborah Lippmann glitter polish.  It feels like every iconic DL polish comes with it’s own story firmly entrenched in popular culture.  Glitter in the Air was created by Deborah after she had watched Pink’s performance at the 2010 Grammy Awards (if you search on You Tube you can find it).

The most important thing you should note is that in the above swatch, I have LAYERED the Deborah Lippmann polish over Essie’s Sag Harbor.  The polish on my bare nail is VERY sheer… not a good look over yellow-stained tips.  I wanted you to be able to appreciate the glitter without the distractions from my ugly nails.

So again, I repeat… even with three coats… you will be able to see your own nail beneath Glitter in the Air unless you layer it over another colour.  Got that?  Right.

The overall effect of the mani reminds me of a baby’s birthday party… it’s ethereal, light, delicate and sunny.  A true feel-good polish for the playful amongst you.  It’s limited edition for Spring 2011 and has already disappeared from the website so if you want it?  Better get down to HoF fast!

£16 for 15ml at House of Fraser.  It’s undoubtedly pretty but has a hefty price tag to match.

* press sample

Butter London’s Founding Creative Director, Nonie Creme was on a flying trip to the UK earlier in the month and I was excited to get the opportunity to see her for a chat about the upcoming Fall collection and preview the shades…

Frequently looking to the catwalks for nail inspiration, Butter London’s Autumn/Winter 2011 collection is no exception.

Nonie Creme says of her new collection:

“My inspiration was a variation on jewel tones.  Imagine taking a traditional jewel tone palette, then moving each shade about two notes to the left, this means a garnet instead of a ruby, a dirty teal instead of a sapphire and an olive or patina gold instead of a brassy or yellow tone.”

The Limited Edition shade No More Waity, Katie finds itself in the main lineup and I’m very pleased to see Knees Up (one of my enduring BL faves) put in a reappearance.  Wallis, Bluey and Toff are all-new shades for the season.

Wallis

Inspiration: In honour of the Saucy Yank who ran away with the King’s heart.
Detail: A tarnished, metallic, olive gold, as mysterious and regal as its namesake.

Bluey

Inspiration: Vintage British slang for a pornographic film.  Ah, the good ‘ol days.
Detail: A slightly metallic dark peacock blue, perfect for fashionable birds.

Toff

Inspiration: A slightly derogartory name for a member of the British upperclass.
Details: A darker, dustier, brownish variation on rose pink.  Stop to smell them.  The roses, not the toffs.

No More Waity, Katie

Inspiration: One day my prince will come, and I will wrap him around my tiny, sparkling finger.
Detail: A soft griege littered with lilac glitter for the perfect marriage of fashion and fun.

Knees Up

Inspiration: A smashing metallic red for getting smashed in.
Detail: Brit slang for a drunken party.

Butter London A/W 2011 will be available instore at Harvey Nichols and online at The Powder Rooms.  Priced £12.00

What do you think of the new collection?  Any must-haves, disappointments or “mehs”?  Stay tuned later in the week for my interview with Nonie!

An oldie because my nails haven’t been this long for nearly a year but they do show off this gorgeous shade quite well (even if I do vainly say so myself!)

Butter London Scoundrel is a muted, warm lilac which sits nicely against cool skin tones like mine.  It’s one of my favourites from the brand and applies well without issues.

Look out next week because I’ve got a special interview with Butter London’s Founding Creative Director Nonie Creme and some Autumn/Winter 2011 previews for you!

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend party people! xx

How completely bloomin’ cheerful does this new Summer nail collection from Cosmetics A La Carte look huh?

The British company who are well-known for their bespoke makeup have released 5 bold shades that promise to extend this season’s hottest trends beyond our clothes!

Flash: An envious bright green
Inka: A warm shade of zesty tangerine
Viola: A tranquil lilac
Bonheur: A bold hot pink
Rhythm: A classic red go-to shade for timeless style.

Perfect poolside shades if ever I saw ’em!

The Cosmetics A La Carte Purely Floral collection are priced at £10 each and available to buy instore or online from their website.

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Do any of those shades set your fingertips a-quivering for Summer?

Is it a berry?  Is it a pink?  Can we call it a berry pink and be done with it?

Ciate Main Stage is a lovely rosy pink (I thought we were going with berry?) shade.  I do love pink… not for my clothes or things around me but chuck a pink lippie or polish at me and I’ll doll myself up quicker than Barbie would topple over were she made of flesh and bones.

As with most Ciates, the formula leans a little thick but gives great coverage.  Shown above without a top coat.

Ciate Main Stage is available to buy online from PowderRooms priced at £9.00

Oooh la la, American Apparel are serving us up a Summer scorcher with these new neon polishes…

A total of SIX new blisteringly bright shades are now available and I’m just a little bit excited by the thought of a Neon Red. (ok, a lot excited!)

The new shades are: Neon Orange, Neon Violet, Neon Green, Neon Coral, Neon Red and Neon Yellow.

Priced at £7.00 each and available to buy online or in store.  Up and at ’em!