L’Oreal Confetti Top Coat

This is – in my opinion – the best special effect top coat that’s around at the moment. I haven’t seen anything like it, the matte particles that are cut into different sizes create an amazing effect with minimal effort.

The particles are much denser that I would expect them to be, lots of top coats (in particular glitter ones) need several coats for the effect to have an impact, but I only need one coat for it to look like it does in the above photo.

The top coat gives a speckled effect that reminds me of duck eggs (especially over the blue that I have used above!) or yummy chocolate mini eggs. It reminds me of Illamasqua’s speckled nail varnishes when used over pastel shades but this top coat is around a third of the price and you can put it over lots of different colours which makes it so much more versatile. It also looks fantastic over beige and grey shades as the contrast is more dramatic.

It lasts really well, I would say around a week or so, it makes the colour underneath stay on for longer too. Of course, it does mean that it’s also difficult to get off when you want to take it off! But it’s not something that bothers me too much :)

I really hope that L’Oreal comes out with some more top coats like this, or that other brands might follow suit and bring out some more fantastic nail effect top coats – they make updating your nails really easy!

This sells for a bargain £4.99 in Boots stores, or Boots online here.

Have you tried this top coat or similar ones? Any that you can recommend?
B x

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Nail Envy – quite literally.

I haven’t had the time to take photographs or try out any products in the last week or so and therefore haven’t managed to post anything in a week – I still haven’t got around to organising myself so tonight’s post is just a collection of gorgeous nail designs that I’ve been dying to try out with my new nail art brushes that I ordered from Ebay (I’m sure I’ll be reviewing them soon!) :) I’ve gathered them from Pinterest, Tumblr and some fab beauty blogs etc and have supplied links to them all as best I can (some aren’t direct to the original image I’m afraid but if you know the direct link then feel free to send it me and I will edit it!). None of the below images are taken by or belong to me, and sadly none of them are my nails or designs!

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I can’t wait to start practicing some nail designs! Send me links to nice nail pictures if you like ;)
B x

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Benefit Feelin’ Dandy Lip & Cheek Kit

I knew that I had to have this little kit as soon as I saw it, with it promising a radiant look with some gorgeous Benefit products – I already loved High Beam and the Dandelion powder and had been wanting to try Posie Tint for some time. So, it seemed like the perfect set!

To start with, I absolutely adore the packaging, I think that Benefit make a really good effort with how their products look and the clever wording on them too. The box that the products come in is so pretty and you wouldn’t mind someone seeing you using it at all! It also comes with a mirror inside it as well as some handy hints and tips for applying the products within.

The kit contains four of Benefits products that all complement each other – Posie Tint (a pink tinted lip and cheek stain), High Beam (a highlighting complexion enhancer), Dandelion powder (a brightening face powder, however I like to use this as blush on my fair skin), and Dandelion Ultra Plush lip gloss (a lip gloss that matches the Dandelion powder).

The kit does exactly what it promises – it gives you a ‘radiantly pretty look’. The pink shades are beautiful and in my opinion suit my fair skin perfectly. I love that High Beam adds a real natural glow to the skin too.
I have fell for Posie Tint even more than it’s predecessor Benetint – it is the perfect girly yet soft pink that I adore wearing on my lips as it just makes them look fresh and glowy and not loaded with layers of lipstick. The Dandelion gloss also goes over it perfectly to add a bit of shimmer and shine.
I like using the Dandelion powder as blush as it is a pale enough neutral pink for me, however someone with a darker skin tone would probably be able to use it as an all over powder to add a radiant glow.

The kit comes in handy when I need to look a little more alive and fresh faced, maybe after a long night or even if I’m just going out shopping. The products in the kit never make you look overdone but look natural and really complement each other too. I think this kit would be perfect for wedding day beauty, I can see myself using this on my wedding day for sure, especially Posie Tint and High Beam!

Benefit also does two other kits in this range, ‘Go Tropicoral’ (which consists of coral shades such as Coralista powder and plush gloss), and ‘Sugarlicious’ (which is more of a nude toned combination of products and includes Sugar Bomb powder and gloss).
They retail for £24.50 each, and you can get them online here or at Benefit counters (where I am sure the Benebabes will help you which of the kits will be best for you).

What products do you love from Benefit? Have you got any of the kits yourself?
B x

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Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

This super intensive pre-shampoo hair mask is perfect for anyone who wants gorgeous healthy looking locks –it was originally created for Audrey Hepburn who wanted a treatment to repair her hair and keep it in great condition after being on movie sets! It is suitable for all hair types and adds elasticity, manageability, bounce and shine. It cares for your scalp, and also provides UV protection so colour treated hair is protected.

I’d wanted to try this product for a while so I was so excited last year when I found this in my goodie bag from the Cosmo Blog Awards! It’s a really thick, creamy formula which you apply to wet hair BEFORE shampooing – then pop on a shower cap or wrap a towel around your head and relax for a while. It is recommended on the tube to leave it for 10-20 minutes, the longer you leave it in, the more it will penetrate your hair. Then, you just shampoo and condition as normal.

What I love about it is that it makes hair look freshly trimmed, where the ends look neat and smooth, you can’t see split ends! It makes hair soft to touch and more manageable. I like to use it when my hair has had more wear and tear than usual, maybe if I have heat styled my hair several times in a week (I try my best not to use heat the rest of the time!). It is recommended that you use this once to twice a week depending on your hair type but I like to save it for times when my hair is particularly stressed out – however I would probably use it more often if it wasn’t such a splurge, as it says that results are intensified with frequent use!

It is quite a pricey treatment, but the good thing is that it comes in different sizes so you could pick up a small tube of this for around £12 whereas the litre bottles of this can cost £70! It’s a fantastic product and I will more than likely repurchase it. Having said that, in my opinion it isn’t particularly any better than other hair masks that I have tried – but I do think someone with really damaged hair would benefit more from this product that myself. I would definitely recommend giving this product a try, especially if you ever suffer from dry or over-styled hair!

You can get it here from Feel Unique where you can choose from a range of sizes.

What hair masks do you love? Have you tried this one yourself?
B x

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MUA Artiste Collection Palette

The MUA Artiste palette has been around for a little while now – it consists of 6 eye shadows, 2 blushes, a bronzer/contour shade and a highlighter. It’s a great product for travelling and being on the go. I like to take this with me if I’m staying away for a night, or if I’m going on holiday anywhere because it’s got just about everything you need! All you need to pack is foundation, mascara, a lippie, maybe some eyeliner and you’re good to go!

All of the shades are really pigmented, and feel soft and velvety to touch. They go on beautifully and blend really well together, particularly the eye shadows which all complement each other perfectly. The eye shadows give you the option of more natural looks, or even more colourful ones with the blue and purple shades.

Both the blush shades are very easy to wear, and I think they would suit the majority of skin tones as they are soft natural shades. The bronzer/contour shade and the highlighter are also great little additions to the palette as it gives you even more options to wear – plus, you don’t get many palettes that have these products in them!

The packaging is really sleek and high quality, and feels comfortable to handle when applying makeup. I also like that is has a clear top so you can see what palette you are looking at and what’s in it!

My favourite thing about this palette is that I can take it away with me instead of packing a bag full of eye shadows and blushes – it is just so convenient. I also love that the quality of the product is fantastic, especially for the bargain price of just £6!!

You can buy it here on the MUA website, or find it in your local Superdrug store.

What are your favourite on-the-go palettes?
B x

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Bioderma Crealine H2O Cleansing Solution

This has already had a lot of attention around the beauty blogosphere, but I feel it still needs a little mention from me! This is a make-up remover for both eyes and face, and is water based – it is also great for sensitive skin, and is fragrance free. The 500ml bottle is pretty huge for a makeup remover, and therefore will last for several months if you are using it every day all over your face.

I love how easy this makes it to take off all my makeup before I do a proper cleanse in the evening (usually with Liz Earle cleanse & polish, or No7 melting gel cleanser). It removes every trace of makeup including awkward mascara and eyeliner. It’s really gentle and never irritates my skin or leaves it feeling uncomfortable which many makeup removers do. It’s not greasy, but feels just like water! I soak a couple of cotton pads in this before gently wiping away my makeup.

This is, however, a little difficult to get hold of in the UK – it is a French product that can be found in many pharmacies over there. You can get hold of it on eBay though and for a bottle this size it is usually under £15 with delivery – so if you want to get hold of one yourself, do a little search on eBay as there are always plenty being sold.

Have you tried this cleanser? Can you recommend any other makeup removers?
B x

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Models Own Beetlejuice Nail Polishes

L-R: Copper Pot; Tropical Sun; Hayley’s Comet; Pinky Brown; Aqua Violet; Indian Ocean.

Above are the shades that I have swatched (the photos are taken with flash, but I have tried to capture them as true to life as possible).

I love the metallic/petrol colours that Models Own have created for the ‘Beetlejuice’ collection – they are areally pretty and they make a nice change from the usual nail polish shades that you see. There is a good range of shades in the collection, with 9 in total (however I just have the set of 6). Inspired by the wings of beetles, each multi-tonal polish has four pearlescent shades mixed into one to create the effect the polishes give (which is extremely hard to catch on camera as the shades move and change in different lights).

You need 2-3 coats to get the best effect with these polishes as they are quite sheer, but the effect is amazing once you have built them up. I found them to last around 4 days each, depending on what I was doing. The bottles are a very generous size too!

The Beetlejuice collection is probably one of my favourites that Models Own have created. I really do love these shades and I think that Models Own have such amazing shades and effects in their ranges that can’t be seen elsewhere on the high street – they are all just fantastic.
RRP £5 each, or £20 for the set above with 6 shades in it – you buy the set online here.

B x

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