Review: Barry M Sunset Daylight Curing Nail Paint in Peach for the Stars

Hello there!

Today's post is a review of a nail polish, which is something that I rarely buy nowadays. Over the years I have built up quite a collection and have pretty much all of the nudes, corals and glitters that I could possibly want - and I rarely wear many other colours!

However every now and then I cannot resist picking up something that's a different colour or effect and this was the case with the Daylight Curing range from Barry M.

My nail varnish rarely lasts more than a few days because of work and although I tend to do them once a week it would be great if they could last the whole week without too much chipping, so the long lasting effects of the UV type polish sounded worthy of trying, and of course they had a coral colour that was right up my street!

So I picked up the Peach for the Stars and also the Do it Like a Nude as well as the very important top coat.

Basically these are to act as an at home kit to give salon quality high shine nails that would normally be created with a UV lamp but instead uses daylight and the topcoat for the same effect, also requiring no base coat.

I have been wearing this shade for the last few weeks and really like it, I've had so many compliments too. I've worn it to work, the gym and wedding celebrations and it has been an all round winner.

I've been impressed at how super shiny it is too, I always love shiny nails and wasn't really a fan of the matte trend. Aside from a few times when I dabbled I always find myself straight back to super shiny topcoat.

There are 16 shades in total plus the top coat, all costing £4.99 which is great value anyway but likely they are on offer as they so regularly are in Boots and Superdrug. There are some reds and darker shades which will be great for the winter months that I will probably look into getting soon too.

What do you think of the Daylight Curing range? Are you a fan of Barry M too?

I have many polishes from their collection and plan on adding many more too! I really don't see why you would pay any more than this price when Barry M have such great colours and finishes.

L xxx

MAC Toledo Blush Ombre in Ripe Peach

Good morning!

I recently wrote a post on the beautiful Cinderella Fluidline Eyeliner Gel from MAC (post here), and mentioned that I was lucky to enough to also receive the Toledo Ombre Blush from my friends too.

The Toledo collection comes from Isabel and Ruben Toledo, it consisted of so many products it would be crazy to name them all! There was lipsticks, glosses, nail polishes, mascaras, eye liners not to mention brushes and make up bags. It's a really amazing collection and the colours are so pretty, if you get chance check out this post from Temptalia (click here) which shows some of the products, make sure you look at the stunning eyeshadow palettes!

The design is totally different from the normal MAC range and I love the way it stands out. The red is so eye catching and the faces are cute and slightly creepy, meaning I mostly can't stop looking at them.

What I also can't take my eyes off is the ombre effect of the blush itself.

JUST FEAST YOUR EYES ON IT




It's just beautiful and every kind of coral that I could ever want in one blush! Swirling my blush brush over this every morning is one sure way to get me happy, it's such a lovely colour and it complements my skin tone.

Ripe Peach is the perfect name for this blush.



So how does it look on? Peachy would definitely be the right term!

This is a great colour for every day wear, but you can also layer it up a little and get the colour to be stronger and more powerful looking.

I have often thought that some MAC collections can be a little hit and miss, they can be cheap looking or the products aren't as pigmented as the ones from the normal range.
This collection however has been really worth every penny, I've heard lots of others rave about the range too.

Do you like MAC collections like Toledo? Have you tried any of the products from this collection?

Do you like the look of this Ripe Peach ombre blush?

L xxx

Topshop Lipstick in Nuclear

Morning!

Quite often I buy things and don't post about them (which is scary really as I think I post quite enough!) and this lipstick is one of them. I've had it kicking around in handbags for a while but even though I wear it regularly I hadn't posted about it, so I decided to change that.

I bought it on a random shopping trip, as most of my purchases are, and it became my first ever Topshop make up purchase. I've heard lots of things about their products and so many rave reviews for things such as nail polishes to highlighters. I thought it was time for me to investigate too!

The lipstick I picked up is called Nuclear and it's from their regular range - i.e. not limited edition.
The packaging was a little odd, the box itself was fine but I did wonder why it was sellotaped shut. Is make up crime in Cardiff that high?!

I wouldn't be surprised actually, this is much more preferable to buying a lipstick and finding out someone else has already used it. Not that this is just a Cardiff thing but as it's where I live and shop most it does seem to be a problem!

I also love the starry pattern on the outside of the casing - the matte black background and shiny stars are pretty but still chic, good work Topshop. The lipstick is a sheer colour which is what I love for daywear, I do sometimes love a bold lip for day but normally for an occasion so I stick with sheer mostly.

The black packaging is quite elegant when the lipstick bullet is twisted up, and I think it looks quite expensive considering the actual price tag of £8. Below shows with and without flash:

The formula is really creamy and sheer, it's hydrating without being too heavy and contains enough colour to know it's there without being over powering. I'd say there's also a certain level of buildability too as you can definitely get a more intense colour if you apply a few layers as shown below

Here is what it looks like on the lips in day light (shocker that we actually had some!)

As you can see it's sheer with a glossy finish and I'd say a good few hours wear time. You'd need to reapply after a meal but then I would say you have to do that with most sheer lipsticks.

Also a little nod to the name - Nuclear. Anything sciencey and coral just screams at my attention and I couldn't leave the shop without it. It's super wearable and the perfect foray into lipsticks if you're not yet acquainted with them, and if you're like me, perfect for an understated lip for work.

It's definitely a winner in my books and I will be browsing their collection next time I'm in store to see if there are any similar offerings.

Have you got any favourites from the Topshop product range? Do product names grab your attention as well or is it just me that's a sucker for them?

L xxx

NOTD: Deborah Lippmann

Hey there!

I haven't bought any new nail varnish in a long time but when I saw these in a set in TK Maxx I couldn't leave them behind. Deborah Lippmann polishes are really well known especially their glitter ones - who doesn't love the Birthday polish with multiple coloured pieces of glitter?? Its beautiful!

So when I was there and saw a bundle of them together I couldn't resist.

In the set that I bought there was a beautiful classic red, a dark vampy purple and a bright summery coral.

First up is the red; aptly titled My Old Flame. 

This red is a classic colour that can be worn any time, its so beautiful on that I've been wearing it a lot recently.

Two coats of this is usually enough but it is quite thin so three can be required to make sure there aren't any streaks, I guess its all dependent on your painting skills! FYI mine aren't great as I'm too impatient so three is normally required for a smooth streak free finish.





Surprisingly I don't have a red like this in my collection and it has definitely filled a gap. The consistency is quite good and I was initially impressed but it can chip easily so it needs a few coats of topcoat and needs to be regularly replaced.

The purple; Dark Side of the Moon. This is also a beautiful dark purple that was probably one that I wouldn't have bought individually if it hadn't have been in the set.

This colour is also quite thin and needs three coats for opacity which is definitely the best with darker colours like this. Truthfully this isn't a colour that I would choose and  I probably won't wear it very much, I love vampy reds and dark navy or blacks but purple isn't something that I wear very often.

That said it is a gorgeous colour and being pale seems to set it off, I will probably donate this polish to a friend who will get the full benefit of it.



Last up is Daytripper - the gorgeous bright coral that's going to be just perfect for spring and summer!

Again this is a thin polish, are they all like or just the colours that I have?

It needed three coats for full opacity but did apply well. You could probably get away with 2 coats if you're more careful but generally I'd say it was a 3 coater!

Below shows the polish with flash to show the true colour of the polish, I'm not convinced that after a few days it didn't get a bit more orange so maybe the sunlight can affect this particular colour.

That said it is my favourite out of the lot and I can see my fingers and toes getting a lot of wear out of this colour.

Overall I'm pleased with my purchases however I'm not sure I'd pay full price for any Deborah Lippmann polishes if they are all like these. Needing three coats for full opacity means you will get through colours a lot faster, high street brands such as Essie manage to create polishes that can be opaque in 1 or 2 coats for half of the price so its a shame that these ones aren't either. As mentioned I also had an issue with chipping even though each layer was quite thin and allowed to dry in between each coat.

That aside they are great polishes and the range is fantastic, the glitter's are something that I always have my eye on...........I guess I'll just be waiting for when they are all in the sale to be getting them so my money can be saved!

What do you think of Deborah Lippmann polishes? Do you think the formula could be improved?

What's your favourite nail colour from DL?

L xxx

Make Up Revolution Ultra Professional Blush Palette in Hot Spice

Happy hump day!

Today's post is a review on something that I have been trying to get my hands on for MONTHS!

I was initially really disappointed as I went to Superdrug in Cardiff (both stores) to pick up this palette so many times and the stands were always empty. And I mean ransacked, covered in make up and with broken bits hanging off. I did tweet them and they responded saying they would speak to their store.
Eventually I went in and found one of these palettes but it was a lucky shot - the rest of the stand was still empty.

I was also disappointed that most of the boxes and general packaging were damaged for all of the products. I opened up a few of the boxes to make sure the one I bought wasn't broken inside (always suspicious!) and a lot of the palettes inside were cracked and scratched. It's just a bit disappointing to have to buy something that is already broken....

Nevertheless I managed to get one and was quite excited to get it home and photographed so I could use it.

The Ultra Blush Palette in Hot Spice contains a variety of 6 blushers in corally orange tones and 2 highlighters, as shown in the pictures below. It's probably a picky thing but I wish they had names, they don't even have numbers so it's a bit hard to refer to each one individually.

With all of my negativity so far, this was one palette I could not stop taking photos of. Look at how beautiful it is! The colours and finishes are perfect:

So how do they swatch? Is the pigmentation any good?

Here's the top row swatched without and then with flash:

These are all extremely wearable shades especially for me and my pale skin. You can see that there is a slight shimmer to the blushes but by no means is it glittery, this makes them great for day time as they give your skin a bit of a glow finish but nothing over the top. These are also really buildable so it's easy to layer on the colours for a variety of definition on your face.

The second row is as follows, without and then with flash:

Again, really wearable and suit my skin tone. I'm really pleased with the palette, especially for £6 as this means it has cost less than £1 for each one and that's pretty amazing.

If I'm honest although the colours vary when swatched on my face there isn't much variation. The highlighters are both flattering and not glittery at all, they seem to be really finely milled so they just have a shimmer.

The darker blushes are clearly darker but overall the variation doesn't show up too much but that's ok as the colour range is exactly what I look for so all of them will be used I'm 100% sure of it.

On my face, here's a few snaps:

These were all different blushes and the 2 different highlighters but this doesn't show at all! It's not a problem for me but may be if you are expecting a big difference. I just love the coral shade of things and couldn't care less - they're all beautiful!

So overall, what are my thoughts?

If you can get your hands on them, do! I've really enjoyed using this; the colour range is perfect, the pigmentation is great and the prices are CHEAP. I love that the palettes are in colour families, maybe in future they will have a combination palette for those who like to change up their blush colour all the time and create a NARS Virtual Domination type one as I'm sure it would be a best seller. Though having said that you could buy all six of their current blush, bronze and highlighter palettes for less than the NARS one!

I am really impressed with this palette as my first ever product from Make Up Revolution. I've got my eye on getting the Golden Sugar Blush and Contour palette whenever I can as it is beautiful and I'd love to try more from MUR.

Fingers crossed my Cardiff store will be better stocked next time I go in as there's so much I'd like to try and would have by now if I could!

What do you think of MUR? Do you love a blush palette? What else would you recommend from MUR?

I've recently added 21 blushes to my collection recently which is mildly obscene....let's not tell anyone else about them yeah?! Whoops!

L xxx