My first professional Manicure

For Christmas my OH got me a Manicure at our local spa. I've been growing my nails for a while now after biting them for ages so I was excited to get my first manicure done.

The spa I went to used Leighton Denny nail varnishes, a brand I'd hadn't tried yet. I was excited by all the gorgeous colours they had and found it hard to choose. In the end the beautician suggested one from the new collection - shipwrecked a gorgeous pastel mint cream polish.

 I also had a glitter topcoat put on top. This one is Angel Dust. This left a very subtle glitter top coat and only showed up in some lights.

It was great having them done and chatting to the beautician as she gave me a few tips to keep them at their best (apply a cuticle oil, use hand cream regularly, file and buff them gently once a week) I do most of these except buff. I need to get a buffing block soon as I was impressed with how smooth they felt after and the nail varnish applied so well.

As I said before I've never tried Leighton Denny before but I was impressed with the perfect finish of such a pale pastel after 2 coats (we all know it goes nicer when someone else applies it, but still).

Here is the overall finish, my nails were all shaped to match (something I never do) and looking pretty.

If you look closely you can just see the glitter. It was a light covering. The nail varnish is more warm toned than the photo shows.

But them the problems started. I'm not sure if it's just me but since I had it done (sat) I'd broken four nails by Tuesday and they felt week. I'm not sure if it was the buffing and filing process and my nails weren't used to it, or my nails are used to having OPI Nail Envy before being painted or all coincidence. 

By Tuesday I was fed up of them breaking and there was a lot of chips on my nail tips so I took it off. For lasting four days is good for me for nail varnish but I'm slightly put off trying other nail varnishes from this range. Them breaking has made me worry about having other manicures done and makes spending £25 on one seem pointless.

Have any of you experience breakages from using Leighton Denny or after a professional manicure?

Any Advice?

Love M

xxx

Don't forget our giveaway

Make Up Haul

Over the past few weeks I haven't been able to resist the great 3 for 2 offers across all of Superdrug make up and the 3 for 2 on Maybelline make up in boots. I'm very drawn to lipsticks at the moment. It's a product I used to not even think about considering but lately I'm favouring a bright pink lip. (suggestions on brands and shades to try appreciated!!)

First up Superdrug last week. I was instantly drawn to the Sally Hanson nail shades as I hadn't seen them before. I've only just started noticing Sally Hanson nail polishes in boots and Superdrug. This one is called Glitzy Gal and while the nail seems a bit cheap to me I love the polish. It's jam packed with glitter and only takes two coats. Will do a NOTD soon. I'm yet to try the look nail pop. This is in the shade kimono a duo chrome nail polish in a khaki and gold shade! 

As I needed to get one more thing I went to the sleek stand. I was disappointed at first as there were none of the blush by 3 palettes and I'd been wanting one for ages! So we opened the draw below and there was one left in the shade Lace. This was the palette I'd wanted so I was pleased. L was with me at the time and also found the palette she wanted. I know you're not meant to but I do have a quick peek if what I want isn't on display. I have used the blushes everyday since I got them! I am in love with the colours!

 A quick trip to boots for lunch ended up with these three. I'm definitely not normally a lip gloss girl but a super stay 10 hour lip tint caught my eye. (I was hoping it would be similar to the YSL glossy stains I'm currently lusting over) I will do Lipstick Monday's with all the lip products. I love love love this gloss. Does it last 10 hours...... No it doesn't but it's a gorgeous bright pink shade I'm happy to reapply (Forever Fuschia) I also picked up my favourite mascara ever! Been using it for 3 years now and don't think it'll be replaced. I've tried lots. And lastly the Maybelline colour pop in Shade 80 cherry pop, this is similar to the topshop cult pink glittery lipstick but gives a gorgeous sweep of red sheer cover and smells amazing like cherries! I'm going back for more colours.

And lastly I picked up two of the Maybelline Dual 24 hour stay lip products (they come with a balm and stain all in one). Can you see a pattern. I was so impressed with the Maybelline lip products. Originally I swatched these on my hand in the morning and had to go back and buy them as they had lasted all day even with lots of hand washing. Unfortunately the lasting power on the lips isn't quite as good but I still love them and would buy more. I got shades 195(Raspberry) and 510 (Red Passion), a bright pink and cherry red. I also picked up a new gel eyeliner as I've almost used my first pot I bought when it first come out. I love this product!

I've been spending loads but couldn't resist a good deal. Plus I'm loving a bright lipstick now the sun is shining. Have you taken advantage of the 3 for 2 offer?

Love M

xxx


Giveaway ends on Sunday only 7 entries so far so great chance of winning x 

Lipstick Monday's Rimmel Kate Moss No3

Another weekend has flown by and today's lipstick Monday is one from Kate Moss collaboration with Rimmel. These are currently on offer in Boots for the bargain price of £3.99 I need to pick up no 1 before this offer ends.

I was lucky enough and this was donated to me by L as she decided she wasn't keen on the shade on her. This is a browny nude shade and very pigmented. It also has a really nice scent to it.

I recently started wearing lip liner with all my lipsticks as I find it really helps there lasting power and makes them look nicer on the lips.  Also it's a nice sleek black packaging with a secure lid that won't come off in your bag (no one likes lipstick covered in bag fluff). Lipsticks with secure lids are a must for me lately!

This lipstick is a nice texture and gives good colour in one swipe on the lips (which I love and why I can't wait to try the bright pink, I'm loving shades like this at the moment)

It's an easy to wear every day nude and a great price for an everyday nude. Have you tried any of the Kate Moss lipsticks?

Love M

xxx


Giveaway if you fancy winning some of the Giles Deacon Make Up :)

Free Food Friday

Bit of a different post today. Just wanted to share this with you. Last week I got a text from revolutions inviting me to sample there new menu. Me and L had done this before. It's a great thing to sign up to if you have a revolutions near you. You get invited in and you and a friend get a free meal off the new menu.

You get to pick between 3 time slots for around a week they offer it at ours. I picked Friday 5-8 for L and I. We picked a good time!

We arrived to a table reserved for us (great trick if you are going our for the night) and to be told drinks were BOGOF too.

Arrival cocktails. We started off with a strawberry woo woo. 

The food. How nice does it look and it was certainly tasty. We had the Caprese pizza and the Mezze board. This is a great night out for you and a friend. 


Me and L love going for cocktails and bite to eat!

 Time to order pitchers. We love that certain pitchers are served in teapots in there. We went with prohibition punch, It also means you don't get a glass of ice which is always a plus. 
This was a really nice sweet cocktail. Have you had any tea pot cocktails. 
What are your thoughts on these? Would you prefer a glass?

 Second pitcher (they were BOGOF so figured we might as well) WE went with the big jug of love. This was another sweet berry flavoured cocktail. 


We did find the menu slightly limiting when it comes to the pitchers as L isn't a fan of orange juice and we didn't want one with too much fizz in.

We finished with a Scarlet Miss Charlotte. This is a firm favourite with both of us that we usually get when we visit there. The use of the raspberry purée in it makes it lush.

We had such a great evening lots of tasty cocktails and food and it only cost us £16 each. We love finding great deals like this and can't wait for their winter menu to come out for another night out. L will be returned with her cocktail hour in July so will fill you in on their full yummy ingredients then.

Do you do any tasters like this? Is this something you'd enjoy?

Love L and M

xxx

Review: Mac Costa Chic

I think everyone is always excited about a Mac purchase...this one was particularly exciting for me as I had finally reached 6 empties and could claim my free lipstick!

So really no purchase required, but even so, here's the lipstick I chose:

Costa Chic is a Frost lipstick, it's an orangey coral colour with a slight sheen.

Mac state it is a frosty coral which perfect sums it up I think.

I've been looking for a colour like this for ages, I've found lots of corals but all of them had undertones that made my teeth look yellow.

This one made them look even whiter!

It has been on my lips non stop for the past few weeks, it's completely perfect for day wear, meals, pub trips, nights out and anything else you can think of!

It literally puts a smile on my face as soon as I put it on.

I hate photographing my lips so I'm afraid you'll have no pictures of them from me, so I've swatched it on the back of my hand instead.

It's not the same I know but you can still see the effect and the beautiful colour I am completely in love with!

Have you seen this colour before? Do you have coral colours in you lipstick collections?

I was so excited to get my free lipstick, what would you choose?

L xxx

Beauty Rehab

I am both proud and appalled at my usage this month...proud at how much I've got through and again, appalled at how much I still have to get through!

Here's what I managed to use up this month:

St Ives sugar body scrub: Love the tub so I can scoop handfuls out and it's not too expensive either, would possibly repurchase

Soap and Glory's Sit Tight: Love this product for getting rid of the extra orange peel on your thighs! The warmth as you sit down and do nothing just makes it feel even better too ;)

Nick Lowe Night Cream: I liked the consistency of this and it sunk into my skin nicely but felt a little too much for my oily skin sometimes, don't think I'd repurchase

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser: absolutely loved this tester from Red magazine, have bought the full version so I can review it properly!

Collection Illuminating Touch concealer: Loved the ease of use of the pen and the concealer covered very well, particularly the bags under my eyes! Would definitely repurchase as it was such good value for money

Natural Collection Antique Coral: Have had this for ages and absolutely loved the colour, perfect for spring and summer and would definitely repurchase

Schwarzkopf Got 2b Guardian Angel Hair Protector: I don't really use hair protector much but know i should so I made the effort to use this, I believe my hair is in much better condition for doing so though I'm not sure why! I only seem to blow dry my hair at the moment and rarely style it with irons or a wand so using heat stylers may be a different story. Because of this I wouldn't repurchase this...but if my hair gets worse I'll buy it again!

Tigi Bed Head Superstar Conditioner: Absolutely loved this product, would repurchase again without hesitation. Lovely smell and amazing results, if you're lucky you can get this in TK Maxx!

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation: More than loved this foundation too, it really worked well in giving a more awake effect and I have just repurchased another bottle for being so good and finishing 3 foundations off (see more below!) Goes on like a dream and is much higher quality than some of their other foundations

Lush Brazened Honey face mask: Was bribed into buying this one by the assistant even though I wanted the chocolate one, it was a bad decision and I haven't been back since! I didn't even finish this product, it didn't smell all that great when you had it on your face and it was so rough on my skin that it was almost painful to take off. Cardiff Lush I am not impressed, you lost yourself a customer!

Soap and Glory Off you Face Wipes: Had a breakout whilst using these wipes and I'm pretty sure it was caused by using these wipes. I don't think it was a reaction to them, more like it didn't clean off enough of the dirt off my face so it built up, wouldn't purchase again just in case!

Kerastase Bain Satin Shampoo: Loved this! Even though its for drier hair, my hair was never too greasy after using it and felt in great condition. Would definitely repurchase!

Charles Worthington Take Aways hairspray: Have had this in my bag for a while now for touch ups, the bottle lasted quite a long time (that's why it's a bit bashed!) but as far as hair spray goes, I'm afraid Tresemme Freeze hold already has my heart!

Inecto Pure Coconut Hair Repair Treatment: This was bought from Home Bargains when my hair was feeling awful after spending so much time at the gym and swimming in the pool, it worked a treat for the minimal price that it cost, though can definitely load the hair with product quite easily and it contains a long list of parabens that I'd usually avoid

Avon Care Smoothing Body Lotion: I absolutely loved this moisturiser, it sinks in so fast and really does work, my skin felt amazing. I particularly love buying them when they're on offer which they frequently are, they must be a good seller as there's a few varieties and I would definitely repurchase

Soap and Glory Pulp Friction: Loved this product. Loved the smell, the texture, the foaming and the results. Would definitely buy again, especially in the 3 for 2 deals!

No7 Beautiful Skin Night Cream for Oily skin: Initially I loved this product as it wasn't too heavy on my skin and is a thinner cream almost like a lotion, however as time went on I wasn't very inspired by it and I didn't feel like it was doing much for my skin. Wouldn't buy this again

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer: I quite liked this product, I do feel that it worked quite well at keeping my make up on longer than it would otherwise and for the price (around £6 I think) is definitely worth it if you just want your make up to last a little longer. However i think for now i will still continue my search for the ultimate primer!

So there we have it...I've been trying extra hard to use up more products and I have a feeling it won't be long until another post either!

Do you think I've done well? Have you been doing a similar thing recently or have you given up on using old products and given into temptation for new ones?

L xxx

NOTD: Max Factor Silver

When I go out I absolutely love wearing metallics on my nails, they always look good no matter what you're wearing and if I haven't decided what I'm wearing yet it's my fail safe go to colour to make sure they always look good!

The latest metallic to add to my collection is Max Factor's Silver:

It's a dirty pewter coloured metallic that literally seems to go with everything.

I wear a lot of gold and only occasionally some silver, but as this colour is a bit darker than most it doesn't seem to matter which one you're going for as it always looks great.

The consistency is a little thin so you need a few coats to build it up, I think I used 3 for these photographs.

However the effect is worth it and the multiple layers seem to add to the metallic effect and make it look less flat.

This was £3.99 at full price, I bought it in Boots 3 for 2 deal which has sadly ended but Superdrug currently has a 3 for 2 deal on that covers these if you are still interested!

These Max Factor bottles are definitely worth the money for 'fashionable' shades that you may not wear as much but you don't want to sacrifice quality just because you don't want to spend much.

I really do love metallics!

I'm getting ready to go away at the moment and I'm struggling to choose which nail varnishes to take, I'm torn between this metallic and Models Own Champagne which is a gold colour.

Both would be perfect for taking for any nights out that I have and just generally putting me in a good mood ha.

What metallics do you have? Do you have any favourite shades you think I shouldn't go away without??

L xxx

NOTD Tattoo Nails

After reading the brilliant lips so facto blog and seeing a NOTD she did of tattoo nails I knew it was one I'd be doing. I immediately started searching eBay for temporary tattoos to do it.

For this you will need

• Temporary Tattoos (I got some of mine from this seller)
• Good top coat
• Cotton wool and water
• A base coat colour ( I personally love this look with nude but I'm sure it would work with different colours depending on your tattoos you pick)
• Scissors
• Scrap Paper

Start by painting your nails with your base coat colour of choice. I used to coats of No7 so simple. Once nails are dry use the scrap paper to get a rough shape of nails and draw around them. (I use these as stencils to cut out from the tattoo sheet so you can pick the section of the tattoo you life easier)

Once you've draw around your nail shape cut it out (this doesn't have to be too accurate) Then place over the bit of tattoo you've chosen for that nail and cut.

Remove the clear plastic and place the tattoo over the nail. Soak some cotton wool in water and press onto the backing paper onto the nail. Leave for around 30 seconds until the backing paper comes away.

Repeat this on all the nails. if any peels up just press it down. Then put on a good few coats of top coat of the transfer will come off quickly.

Mine have a few marks on them wear I pulled the backing paper away to early but I'd know not to do this next time. This is a different alternative to nail wraps and a great nail art for beginners.

What do you think of this look?

Love M 

xxx

H and M haul

After popping into H and M to get this scarf, I was drawn to some gorgeous summery skirts so last weekend I had to pop and get them.

I love them, they are a cute tulip shape, a light material and come with a little belt, all for 7.99, perfect for summer. I think I'll be going back to get more colours.

I got it in this gorgeous bright pink coral colour. One thing I will say if you a lady with hips/bum like me you'll probably need to go up a size

Next I picked up this funky pattern one. They also have this pattern in black and white and the skirt in plain cobalt blue and black. I think these will be great for summer days and nights on holiday. Link (I've linked what I can as if I see something on someone's blog I like to know where to get it)

Next this pale denim skater dress caught my eye. I don't own a denim dress and couldn't resit this. It's so flattering with the pulled in waist. It's a very cleavage dress though. I can't find this one online but it's still in store and was only 14.99.

Who can resist a cute skater dress? I find this cut so flattering. Love the little floral pattern. I think I'll be picking up lots more in this style. I love being able to throw these on with leggings for work. Only 12.99 link

And finally I picked up this striped dress. It has an exposed zip at the back and is cinched in at the waist. It's loose fitting so will be comfy for those hot days. Again only 14.99 link. This is definitely one to try on as off the hanger it doesn't look that great.

The only other thing I picked up was a plain white vest. I struggle to find a good white vest that isn't see through so if you have any suggestions that would be great.

What do you think of these buys? Have you been in H and M much lately? I'm loving there summer collection.

Love M

xxx