NOTD: Deborah Lippmann's Ruby Red Slippers

Well hello there!

It has been a while since I've done a NOTD but i thought this was appropriate for the time of year. I spotted this a long time ago courtesy of the blogging world and fell in love; there were many copies such as Essie's Leading Lady (post here) which i tried and loved but there really isn't anything like the original is there?

Eventually when a website (beauty bay maybe?) had a post Christmas sale and I found a discount code I couldn't resist!

Ruby Red Slippers is a black gelly type polish with loads and loads of beautiful dark red glitter particles in various sizes. It is perfect for Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas, so get it now and all of your manicure problems are sorted for the next 2 months!

Another thing i like about DL polishes is that they are free from some chemical nasties and they don't test on animals. I would love to avoid all products that come from companies who test on animals but after looking into it extensively and having a few skin issues with reactions etc i just can't seem to work out how I can get by, which is disappointing and needs change. And is an entirely different topic for another day!

I LOVE the square shaped bottles, they are really classic and the lids are really sturdy too. They don't look like they'd break any time soon which is handy as I can be pretty clumsy sometimes.

Also, Ruby Red Slippers? Doesn't it just take you back to your childhood and wishing you had a pair of sparkly red shoes that would take you away to a magical land? I know it's not just me!

On the nails how did they fair? Well I will start by telling you that I absolutely love it but I'm glad I didn't pay the full price for it. However much I love it, it takes a good 4 coats to get it opaque which is pretty substantial and I end up painting my nails red or black to stop me from using it all up.

Next up is the dreaded chipping. I've always been a fan of glitter tips as they're pretty hard wearing and can save your nails for weeks if you're clever about it but this just seems to flake off like no one's business and drives me mad! 4 coats painstakingly painted and then they flake off.

See the photos below for how beautiful it is and also how it has chipped already between painting them and taking photos:

Granted it doesn't look a neat paint job, it is extremely hard to get a gelly polish like this to look neat at the cuticles without extreme patience! I love the layering of the polish as it really gives it a 3D look and it looks lush....but it just flakes and it makes me so angry.

It is possible that the base and top coat combo weren't good enough for the polish and so that is why it chips off so easily, or it could be many things. I'm thinking that my patience may only let me wear this once a year but that way the bottle will last ages!

What do you think of glitter polishes from Deborah Lippmann? Have you got a favourite?

Happy Birthday seems to be the classic but there are so many it is very hard to choose!

(as a quick edit there seems to be a few left on Beauty Bay for £9 if my review hasn't put you off!)

L xxx

Essie's After School Boy Blazer

Hello there!

I'm quite excited about this post as it's another tick in my checklist to own all of Essie's Winter Collection 2013.
I've previously posted about Vested Interest and Cashmere Bathrobe which I loved and now I'm here to tell you my thoughts on 'After School Boy Blazer'.

As soon as I saw this one I knew I had to pick it up but I just couldnt find it anywhere - everyone clearly had the same idea! I trawled all of Cardiff stores multiple times, the internet and also 4 separate stores in London within a 2 hour walking spree and still couldn't find it.
I'd given up all hope until I went in by chance not even looking for it and there it was! Along with the gorgeous deep red of Twin Sweater Set, but that's another post....

This colour is absolutely beautiful. It's a super dark blue/black. The photos do not do it justice whatsoever and it's hard to describe which means I'm in a bit of a pickle trying to explain this!

The photos were taken after 2 coats of polish and one of top coat without flash (above) and with (below). You can see how SUPER shiny the polish shows up and I was given many compliments when wearing it.

It's such a chic alternative to black as you can definitely tell it's not black but it's so dark it could be.



As always with Essie products the application was easy with their awesome brushes, I find that they can fill most of my nails with one swipe which makes life easy and 2 with my thumb nails.

The colour almost looks to me like it's part of a beetle; it's so dark and shiny and almost looks black but has that blue/purple/green tinge that so many of them have, this one obviously being blue.

I don't think I need to waffle on for much longer - this polish is a clear hit with me!

Have you been stocking up on the new Essie Winter Collection? Which is your favourite?

Don't forget to come back and see the next polish from the collection!

L xxx

NOTD: OPI James Bond Skyfall

Morning lovelies!

I've been cracking out the winter shades over the past few weeks and couldn't resist but share my current favourite with you.
This was one I picked up last year after being obsessed with James Bond, 007 and OPI.

This is OPI's Skyfall.

It's a gorgeous deep burgundy colour that look absolutely beautiful against pale skin and darker skin.
I love wearing this colour as it looks great for day time and evening and I've had so many compliments on it.

You can see the colour below in flash and without flash:

It's a beautiful colour and I've worn it to work and social events with many items of clothing.
These photos were taken with 2 coats of the polish and a top coat applied.

I absolutely love it and imagine it will be used for a long time to come!

What are you favourite winter shades for nails? Did you buy any polishes from OPI?

L xxx

Essie: Vested Interest

Hello!

Here's the second in my Essie Winter Collection posts. I have previously written about Cashmere Bathrobe which is a gorgeous shimmery grey and will be getting a lot of use from me. 

I haven't managed to pick up any more of the collection yet as they seem to have sold out everywhere but I did pick up Vested Interest at the same time as Cashmere Bathrobe.

This is Vested Interest, a grey green colour:

Essie say:

'Stock up on the classics. This tweedy, woolen cool gray teal nail lacquer has sartorial style all buttoned up.'

I say this colour is completely different to anything I've ever owned and I wasn't sure about it.
But I love these kinds of colours for winter and as I wear lots of black and grey, this is a nice addition to my nail polish wardrobe for a subtle addition of colour.

Granted it's not a bright colour but for work colours like this are so easy to wear, both this and Cashmere Bathrobe have proved to be great staples and alternatives to the more commonly used reds and blacks of winter.



The polish applied easily thanks to the Essie brushes being so good, and only needed 2 coats for opacity.
When the top coat was applied you can see how shiny and pretty the colour becomes, it looks perfect!



These photos show the polish with flash above and without below, the colour is quite true and there's not a lot of difference between the two.




This colour was a surprise for me as I've absolutely loved it!

I've been desperate to get my hands on the blue and red from the collection, After School Boy Blazer and Twin Sweater Set but it seems it's not meant to be so far.
I've been trying a number of times on the Boot website without any luck, it's infuriating trying to load a page that constantly says 'generic error' and it happens every time I try to find something on there.

It's really put me off trying to use the Boots website at all, how useless!

One day I will get these Essie polishes...

Which Essie product is your favourite? Which of the collection will you be picking up?

L xxx

NOTD Orly Moonlit Madness

As the nights are getting darker and the weather is becoming colder I've started reaching for my autumn/winter nail polish colours. Last night I decided to raid my stash for a nail polish I'd yet to try. I don't have a clue where this one came from. I'm going to assume I probably inherited it (borrowed without returning) from my mum!

I've not tried an Orly nail polish before and this is the only one in my collection. Lately I've been lovely metallic shades and this one just drew me in. The bottle is huge and one that will definitely last a while.

Moonlit Madness is a gorgeous deep wine red shade with a shimmer throughout. The perfect winter red shade that's got a good depth to it. I found it hard to photograph true to shade and find it's one of those polishes that looks different in different lights.

I find sometimes it looks more red and others looks like it's got a pinky tone to it. I do love the way it looks and I always feel more glamorous with a colour like this on. I've especially loved pairing this polish with my Kate Moss 107 lipstick which I've been loving all over again this past month. (review of the full range here)

I was really impressed with the Orly polish. The brush was easy to control and for once I didn't make a huge mess of my nails. It was opaque in 2 coats and the formula was a great consistency and easy to work with.

So far I am chip free but it's only been on just over a day. The only thing I didn't like was the actually finish of the polish. For me I wanted it more glossy so I added a generous layer of top coat to it.

Have you tried Orly polishes? You can pick this one up from Amazon and Look Fantastic.

Love M

xxx

A/W NOTD: Nails Inc's Heddon Street

This is the final post in my A/W NOTD!

This week's is Nails Inc's Heddon Street and as you can see it is absolutely flipping amazing.

I love colours like these and love having them on short or long nails.

Look how luxurious the colour looks!

It's perfect for day time in work or at the weekend, and would be great for taking you from day to night if you have a Christmas party to go to.

I love how shiny it looks with a top coat and the metallic particles really do shimmer in the light.

I applied 2 coats of this as normal with a base and top coat and this lasted me a good 4 days.

You can see the bottle doesn't strictly look like the colour that it actually comes out as, which is sometimes misleading as I looked at this colour in my collection and wondered what on earth it was.

However it was a lovely surprise for it to come out looking as great as it did and it will be featuring on my nails a whole lot more now.

What do you think of this colour? I think it would suit so many skin tones.

Have you liked the other colours I've used in my A/W NOTD series? Which was your favourite?

L xxx

A/W NOTD: Nails Inc's Regents Palace

Another nail post in my A/W series!

This week's is a GORGEOUS shimmery metallic purple which whenever I use am surprised why I don't use it more often.

Regent's Palace is beautiful in every light and perfect for the party season.

It looks amazing whether you're wearing it to work or out in the evenings, therefore making it perfect for day to night events!

I personally love the red/blue/purple shimmer running through this and it applies really easily with 2 coats.

Couldn't help myself but take looooooooooooooooooads of pictures, it really does look a treat in the light.

What do you think of Regent's Palace? Do you have a similar purple in your collection?

Also, did you pick up Motcomb Street after it was free in Glamour magazine?! Love it as much as me??

L xxx

A/W NOTD: Nails Inc's Chester Square

Another of my AW nails!

This time it is Chester Square, a beautiful red brown colour.

This applies in 2 coats and gives a really glossy sheen, much like the other's I've previously posted about in this series.

I do love a glossy nail!

This kind of colour is great for day wear and night wear whatever you're doing as it's such a classic.

I find that it chips after around 3 days, but I'm one of those people that always forgets to reapply a top coat after the first time so maybe you could prolong it more!

What do you think of this colour? Is it one you'd wear?

I do love AW colours on nails!

L xxx

A/W NOTD: Nails Inc Motcomb Street

Following on from my last post, here is another A/W nail colour from Nails Inc that I've been using recently!

Nails Inc Motcomb Street is an absolutely beautiful inky blue/black.

Its unbelievably dark and applies almost in one coat its so opaque.

However out of habit and always aiming for perfection, I applied two coats plus my usual base and top coat.

The colour is gorgeous and looks perfect on my newly short nails.

I grew them long for the first time in ages but one snapped so I filed them all down and were left with tiny stubs in comparison!

However as soon as I applied this I remembered why I loved shorter nails in the first place:

I love the shine on super dark polishes like this.

Nothing can ever take away that a dark green, red, purple, black, blue or any other dark colour with a shiny flawless top coat looks absolutely amazing whatever you're wearing!

What do you think of this beauty? Do you love dark colours like this? What are your thoughts on long/short nails?

I'm so excited to be wearing colours like this again, I love A/W for so many reasons!

L xxx

P.S. Like this colour??? A little birdie tells me that Glamour are giving away 4 Nails Inc polishes in their issue out on the 1st of November....including Motcomb St!

Definitely worth the £2! I'll be picking up the gold I think!