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

Fitness Friday: Hazel Wallace The Food Medic - Health Happyness and Me

Hi all!

Today's Fitness Friday post is a review of Hazel Wallace's latest ebook. More commonly known as The Food Medic, Hazel is an Irish medical student studying in Cardiff and has a huge passion for food and fitness. She has her own website and blog which you can visit here (Hazel Wallace) and not only details her Sunday Service workout suggestions but also recipes and reviews of foods.

She also has her own ebook called 'Health Happyness and Me' which I purchased a few weeks ago.

It costs £10.99 and has 110 pages in total.

The ebook is full of amazing illustrations which is what attracted me to it most - I'm a sucker for a superhero theme especially when its a female one, who doesn't wish they were like Catwoman or Black Widow?! The book is full of them too, it definitely creates a positive vibe that you can most certainly do anything you put your mind to!


The ebook contains some background to Hazel's life and how she came to be so enthusiastic and passionate about fitness. After this she details how she gets motivated, her nutrition and diet myths, how to plan and prep your way through clean eating, and training. There are also a few recipes at the end of the ebook.

If you've ever seen her instagram it will be enough to motivate you to buy this ebook as she is absolutely beautiful and and her dedication to her workouts is clear.

I loved how easy this ebook was to read - it had some really great advice and would be great for anyone just starting out or someone like me who needed a few new ideas and a bit of motivation.

One thing I absolutely loved was the quotes she used within the text, there are lots of them from many people but one really stood out to me and it was one that Hazel herself created:

'Striving to succeed according to someone else's definition of success will not offer you the personal triumph that you're searching for'

This really struck a chord with me - trying to please everyone else will not make you happy nor will it help you in your own journey in life. It's something that I definitely need to make a bigger effort to do, I'm mostly happy with my life as it is and need to stop comparing myself to other people and their ideals just because they aren't the same.

This ebook was a really good read and I've come away with a few new suggestions for workouts and slight changes in my diet. I am yet to try any of the recipes as I've been away with work but they look really yummy and are clean versions of food that many people will eat.

If I'm being picky I would have liked to have seen more recipes and also a few days of workout plans. I know that she is neither a personal trainer nor a nutritionist but any more meals or workout ideas I can get to keep my body guessing and keep me motivated would be great.
She also has a lot of recipes on her blog so it seems a shame to only have a few in the ebook when they could all be in one place together. There is a separate ebook for recipes alone which I don't own and maybe all of them are in there, I just think having them all in one document makes it easier to manage, but that may just be me. Some of the meal ideas sound amazing!

I've previously bought other plans such as Emily Skye's 28 Day Shred so I guess I'm comparing the two plans but Hazel Wallace is a normal person with normal struggles just like everyone else and this makes her a lot more relatable. 

I'd definitely recommend this ebook if you're looking for some motivation and if you need some tips to help you get started on your fitness journey. It's something you can refer back to when you need some help changing an aspect of your eating or exercising and I will be using it over the next few months to make sure I'm getting the most out of my workouts,

Have you heard of Hazel Wallace or The Food Medic? Do you like reading ebooks from normal people who have a passion for fitness?

You should visit her website and try out some of her meals and workouts - the smoked paprika and chorizo burgers just sound divine!

L xxx

FOTD

Good morning loves!

Now i have dark hair again I've been experimenting with my make up. I had no idea it would make such a difference to have my highlights dyed over and my hair is now back to my natural colour but has seemed to have made my 'normal' make up look like I've got nothing on!

I've had to change everything up so I've taken a few photos to show what I've swapped my products for, you can see how dark my hair is in the photo below:

I've always been a fan of Vichy Dermablend but recently it has really been a favourite of mine for its great coverage but natural finish. However in my usual Opal colour it has looked a little pale so I've been mixing in Rimmel's Wake Me Up to give it a bot more colour.

I've stuck with my favourite concealer though, now I've tried Nars I just don't want to use any other concealer as nothing works the same way as that does!

After setting my base with Rimmel's Stay Matte powder I've been using my Bourjois bronzer - never fails to make me look more contoured and also never seems to go down either! For blush I've been trying to finish off my old Coralista - I hit pan and panic bought another but that seems silly now that months later I've still got it!
It's still one of my favourite blushes though so I'll still be using it for years.

For brows I've been using Naked Basics' Faint eyeshadow for a little while now - its the perfect dark brown for my black brows. Doesn't look like I've sharpied them on and also isn't a weird red toned brown that some brands have suggested I use.

As for eyes I've been using some of my eyeliners recently and blending them in together for a different look. I've got a post coming up about it and how using eyeliners is a great easy way to change up looks!
These are a selection from Urban Decay, their 24/7 eye liner pencils are the best I've ever tried and I really recommend them if you're looking for a smooth pencil with great pigmentation.
This look includes Mugshot, Moonspoon and Glitter Rock.

And of course the wonderful Perversion - the ultimate black liner - along the lower waterline.

For mascara I've been using Benefit's They're Real recently, I've been saving it up as it's my last full size mascara but it is one of the best that I've tried for my lashes both length and volume.

This is a look that I wear on weekends, for me applying eye make up is something done in a haphazard way during the weekdays as my time is limited. But on weekends I definitely make more of an effort to wear different products and try different things.

Do you do the same and try to use different products? What do you think of changing your hair colour, has it had an effect on your regular products used?

L xxx

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Lightscapade

Hey All

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things post holiday. I will probably do some travel tips posts soon as before we went away we did loads of research and it definitely paid off.

Last weekend L and I caught up with one of our friends for lunch and a little bit of window shopping which of course meant me buying as I have no willpower! I've since put myself on a 100 day spending ban as I really don't need anymore make up and need to start using some of it up.

A few years ago now I picked up my first Mac products included in them was the Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle (review here!). I raved about it loads and it was a firm favourite for well over a year until disaster struck and a drink leaked in a bag it was in and it turned to mouse. I managed to dry it out and it was usable but never the same.

I love highlighters and tend to use the one in my naked flush palette but last weekend decided it was time to finially purchase Lightscapade (which after reading my review of soft and gentle I can see I wanted back then!) The packaging has been updated since I purchased soft and gentle. It's still classic monochrome but looks more modern.

Lightscapade is cooler than soft and gentle which I'm looking forward to trying as I'm so pale I think it will suit my skin tone even more.It has a range of colours from blues, to pinks to silver in it with a very fine shimmer.

On the skin on me it comes out slightly warm toned champagne. I really love how it looks on my cheeks.

As with soft and gentle it's really fine shimmer so no glitter ball look. I love how soft these highlighters feel and how they blend on the skin.

One thing to be aware of that L's eagle eye noticed is that this was also released in a collection on display last week (I can't remember which one) and the one released in the collection had an embossed finish on the powder but had the normal packaging but a gram less product and when it's the difference between 9 and 10g and the product is £23 that means you are losing over £2 worth of product for no difference!

Are you a highlighter fan?

Love M

xxx