Palate Cleanser of the Week - Sally Hansen Kinetic Copper

Hello!

Much like I still love me a crackle polish, I still really love the magnetic nail trend. Despite running this little mini series I do find myself itching to jazz up a manicure rather than leaving it plain, and magnetic polish fits the bill when I can't be bothered to get the stamping gear out, or my inspiration is lacking. This polish is just too pretty, copper shimmer that looks like tigers eye when the magnetic affect is applied (and it's one of the best ones I've used - I had no trouble with application at all.) Here is two coats, with no topcoat and I wore it without issues for two days.

I'm not sure the Sally Hansen magnetics ever came to the UK, but I picked this up at good old Poundland, and they had a few colours available. Quick!

Hx

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Untried Month - Barry M Magnetic Blue

Hi all!

Did you know Barry M have launched a range of magnetic polish? Their PR have been pretty quiet about it, so unless you've seen them in Superdrug or Boots you might not know. The colours aren't all that exciting, but, at last, we have some different magnet patterns to play with! YAY! I have been wanting a star shaped magnet and have been tempted to order one from evilbay, but then I saw this. It's not exactly a star, it actually looks more like a Union Jack to me, but I really like it. You do need to hold the magnet for a longer time, or the pattern fades away a bit, but they have the same "lip" on the lid as the other magnetic polishes available in the UK so it's easy enough. These pics show one coat with flash and no top coat.

The other colours are burgundy, lilac and charcoal. I have the burgundy and will probably end up with the other two as well...you know me! The charcoal has a really interesting fishnet sort of pattern and I can't wait to try it out.

Will you be picking any of these up?

Hx

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NOTD - Magnetic lurve

*LeGasp* a NOTD that's not part of a challenge! I have quite a few magnetic polishes now, but they all have the same wavy magnet. So I was placing a Born Pretty order and slipped a pink magnetic polish into my order. It came with a little magnet on a stick, with diagonal lines across it, which I was worried about using since I'm used to having the little "lip" to rest on my finger, but actually it was fine. And the magnet is strong! I find with my other magnets you have to hold it there a long time or the pattern kind of "slips" back into the polish, but with this the pattern jumped onto the nail immediately and stayed there. Fab. You can order Born Pretty magnetics here - don't be put off by the crackle pattern on the lid! I thought they'd sent me the wrong thing at first! I also got this Claires magnetic polish from my birthday club friend Alyssa B and decided to do an accent nail with it. It's really shimmery, almost glittery and I love it! It has a diagonal pattern magnet on the lid too, but spaced further apart than the BP one, so I used the BP magnet.

I LOVE these polishes! How shimmery is the silver! If all the Claires magnetics are like this I want MOAR! And how pretty is the BP one? So elegant. And it's called Blushingham Palace - how cute! I didn't wear top coat because it was a quickie mani, but I really didn't need it. Both polishes faired well and lasted a day of intensive laundry folding, dish washing and sock pairing - which usually kills polish within seconds - with just a little tipwear. Can't say fairer than that.

Hx

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31 Day Challenge - Day 21 Inspired by a colour

Earworm alert!

Since I had a few gold polishes that I hadn't tried yet (namely the Nails Inc Metallic) I decided to be inspired by gold for this challenge, and do a skittles mani of different gold polishes. On my little finger I used I coat of Barry M Gold Foil Effects (yes I caved and got it, not tried it for stamping yet but I may do tonight for the inspired by a song challenge so will keep you updated!) THe on my ring finger is 2 coats of Collection 2000 Hot Looks Parma Violet topped with 2 or 3 coats of ELF Golden Goddess. Middle Finger is Nails Inc Magnetic in Big Ben. Index is Parma Violets again with Beauty UK Disco Nights (gold shatter) and thumb is Barry M Gold Foil with 3 coats of W7 Gold Dazzle.

I really like this, it was easy to do and is quite eye catching. Although more often than not when people notice my nails they don't say anything - so not sure if that's a good thing!

Just wanted to say a few things about the Barry M gold foil. I wasn't sure on getting this as I've seen pics of it on other blogs where it looks streaky and uneven and just plain awful. Now I know my nails aren't the best, far from it in fact, but I found it easy to apply, not streaky or brushstrokey and it does look foil-y. This was one careful coat. Admittedly on my thumbs where I have a little bit of splitting it didn't look quite as perfect, but still pretty decent. So if like me you've been put off by bad swatches then don't let it deter you too much. And if you spend £6 on Barry M in Superdrug at the moment you get the new Lilac Foil Effects polish for free. I didn't spot the croc effects polish yet though...

What do you think of my Goldfingers? Another earworm? Oh, go on then...

Hx

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October Favourites

Evenin'

I gave my nails a break and kept on my blue mani for an extra day, so today I have my October favourites for you. I didn't buy an awful lot this month, due to being penniless! So there are just a few bits that I've picked up or rediscovered that I'm loving.

Polish first, of course!

2true Fast Dry Colour Quick Shade 10, 17 Magnetised Green, China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Accessorize Baby Blue

My favourite mani this month (although I didn't like the formula of the base colour)

17 Fast Dry Fury, Stamped with 2True Fast Dry Colour Quick Shade 8, Maybelline Orange Couture and  BM04. Full post here.

Brunette eyebrow pencil by Vital Radiance, Beauty UK Pearl Eyeliner in Eclipse, Garnier BB Cream in Light, Rose and Co Apothecary Rose Petal Salve

I always used to use a matte eyeshadow to fill my eyebrows when I needed it - which wasn't very often - but I saw this eyebrow pencil in Poundland and thought I'd try it. Now I know what a difference it can make to "do" your eyebrows. It makes my whole face look more defined and really frames my eyes.I don't do it everyday, but when I'm doing my "full face" or a strong eye it completes the look.

I now have 5 of Beauty UK's pearl eyeliners and can't recommend them enough. I got Eclipse as an "extra" from a blog sale and love it. It's a very dark slate grey and is great for lining a smokey eye.

I wasn't sure about buying a BB cream from Garnier - at £9.99 it's a lot more than I'd usually pay for foundation or tinted moisturiser, so I sent off for a sample to try it. The first time I used it I used way too much and ended up super shiny and felt like my make-up was sliding around my face all day. The next time I made sure I used it over primer and didn't use as much and it was much better. Somewhere in between a foundation and tinted moisturiser is perfect coverage for me as I have good skin and barely ever get spots, but have a few uneven patches of colouration and freckles. I'm still not sure if I would buy this for a tenner, but it's on offer in Tesco at the moment for £8, or I might try 17's one for £5.99 next time I'm in Boots.

I got the Rose and Co Apothecary Rose Petal Salve in my October Boudoir Prive box and it is fast replacing my Lemony Flutter as my favourite cuticle treatment. It doesn't have the grainy texture of lemony flutter and turns into more of an oil on the skin. I even use this on my lips (I do this with Lemony Flutter too). I wasn't sure if the scent would put me off but it just reminds me of Turkish Delight. I'm not a great fan of Turkish Delight, but it's bearable! And makes my lips feel great. I want to try their Cherry Salve too, but I will wait until I've finished this one and the Lemony Flutter (which I feel is never gonna happen since it's HUGE!)

L'Occitiane Shea Hand Cream Hibiscus Flower, Original Shea, Desert Rose, Kleenex Facial Cleansing Wipes

Last month in Marie Claire they were giving away a L'Occitiane Shea Hand Cream in four different "flavours" (am I the only one who calls scents and varieties of beauty products "flavours"? You wouldn't eat it...). I picked up the original shea butter first, and when I used it almost all up within 2 weeks I picked up two more! Yes, I bought 3 copies of the same magazine...and still haven't read it! I can honestly say that it's the best hand cream I've ever used and my hands and nails have felt so much better, especially now the weather is getting cold - which is tough on my hands. If I don't get a huge bucket of this stuff under the Chrimbo tree I will be buying one in the new year!

I am a facial wipe fan, and these ones from Kleenex are really good. Apparently Kleenex as a company started as a way for women to remove make-up, so their new range is going back to their roots. These wipes are soft and quilted, so they're strong and don't make my skin feel dry and I don't feel like I have to scrub at my eyes to get my mascara off!

So, there are my faves of the month. I am on a self imposed spending ban so Novembers favourites will be things I'm rediscovering and digging out from the stash! The spending ban wont be too hard I think, there are only 2 polishes that I think I want (Barry M's Croc Effect crackle and the green/gold one from the Models Own Beetlejuice collection) but I can hold off on those since I don't have a place for them in my 31 day challenge! And then December will be all about Christmas, so maybe my faves for that month will come from Mr Claus!

What have you been loving this month? I tell you I'm not loving this cold weather! Am avoiding putting the heating on for as long as possible...it's chilly in here I tell you!

Hx

PS This post meant to go up last night, but it seems I neglected to hit "publish". Ooopsie! The 31 day challenge will resume this evening!

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Let the 31 day challenge begin!

I'm sure you have seen this 31 day nail challeneg floating around the blogosphere recently. I've seen lots of people taking part and it seems like fun so like a good sheep I'm joining in! Jumping firmly on the bandwagon, here I go!

Day 1 is red nails. I have a magnetic polish from FashionistA to show you. FashionistA launched their Magnetism polish range with the girl group The Saturdays and the range includes silver, blue, purple, green and red. Each polish is named after one of The Saturdays (I have no idea which is whose, to be honest I couldn't care less, it's the polish I want!) but since I already have blue, silver, purple and green from 17 and Nails Inc I only went for the red, All Fired Up Red, which apparently is Rochelle's colour (I'll take the press releases word for it...). I didn't go for any of the other colours since all the magnetic polishes from the three brands I have are exactly the same in bottle, brush and formula - so I can only assume they are the same. In any case, the colours are similar enough that you don't need more than one of them (although the mind boggles at the price difference. I'm looking at you, Nails Inc.) FashionistA's Magnetism retails for £6 at Superdrug, making it the middle ground since you buy the magnet separately for £3. I didn't buy a magnet since it's the same design as the 17 and Nails Inc ones I have. BUT the fact that you buy the magnet separately gives me hope that more patterns will be available soon... Anyway, onto the polish!

This is 1 coat of All Fired Up Red with a coat of Seche (which didn't play nice and has shrunk it a little...). As with most metallic polish the finish is a little muted, so if you want shine you'll need topcoat.

Pretty, no? It's a pink/purple toned red, perfect for autumn and winter. I love it and when it comes off my fingers tonight it will be going on my toes instead :)

I thought this would be a good opportunity to show you the red polishes in my collection on a nail wheel, since red and purple drew for first place in the poll I put up a few weeks ago. Here they all are, barring China Glaze Ruby Pumps (swatched on my glitter wheel), W7 Earthquake Red (swatched with my crackles) and FashinistA All Fired Up Red (swatched with my magnetics). All 2 coats unless stated in brackets.

1. Leighton Denny Viva la Diva, 2. Barry M Bright Red, 3. 17 Fast Finish Knockout Red

4. Miss Sporty 150, 5. MUA Shade 6, 6. MeMeMe Pin Up (3)

7. 17 Fast Finish Ruby Dazzle, 8. 17 Lasting Fix Chateau, 9. Natural Collection Raspberry

10. Collection 2000 ?, 11. Barbara Daly Envy (3), 12. Models Own Garnet

13. 2True Fast Dry Colour Quick Shade 8, 14. Nails Inc Tate, 15. Nails Inc Victoria (3)

16. Essie Wicked, 17. Bourghesse Sanguino,18. 2True Crystal Shade 2

A few dupe-y ones there but nothing identical. I'm a wee bit peeved that 15, 16 and 17 are so close though. I know I definitely don't need all three...

Anything there you'd like to see a full swatch or mani? I think red will feature highly in my Christmasy nails!

So, that's the first day of the challenge done! I've added a tab at the top so you can check out the rest of the challenges, or even join in yourself. Let me know if you do!

Hx

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NOTD - 17 Magnetised in Grey

Hi loves!

Sorry my posts are a bit sporadic at the moment, technology hates me. I usually bluetooth pics from my camera to my laptop as the cable stopped working, but now the bluetooth on my laptop has stopped working too. So, I was bluetoothing the pics from my camera to my phone, and then uploading to my laptop from there. BUT now the cable for my phone has stopped working too. It charges my phone, but it wont send data. Grr. So now, I'm bluetoothing photos from camera to phone, and then emailing them to myself to get them on the computer. Can you say long-winded? What's worse is that the emails take FOREVAH to come through. I'm writing this post at 4.30pm and I emailed myself the pictures at 11pm last night and they're still not here (Actually now about 47 hours ago and they're still not here...nicked the BF's lappy, then emailed myself from there. LeSigh.). I have ordered a new bluetooth dongle for the lappy, and as soon as it arrives normal service will be resumed!

Anywho, I have the Grey Boots 17 magnetised polish to show you today. This and the green are my favourite, followed closely by the purple Nails Inc one. The blue 17 one is pretty enough, but was a bit trickier formula wise, and gave a more subtle effect. I'll wear it again soon to show you. I desperately want the red one from FashionistA, and a little birdie tells me they'll be in selected Superdrugs from Wednesday, and hopefully on the Superdrug website Monday or Tuesday. Plus, Superdrug has free delivery until Christmas, so although their website is a bit rubbish it's worth a look!

I held the magnet the other way round for this manicure, giving me vertical stripes instead of horizontal, and I think it makes my nails look long and elegant. This is one coat over one coat of Collection2000 Hot Looks All That Jazz, which matches almost perfectly (there's a swatch of that too). I really love the effect this polish gives, it really looks three dimensional! I think I need a brown/bronze one of these, it'd look just like a tigers eye stone - amazeballs!

Collection 2000 Hot Looks All That Jazz as the base

Have you got your paws on any magnetised polish yet? Do you love it as much as me?

Hx

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September favourites!

Helloo!

I missed out on doing an August favourites post because of my computer issues, so I'm catching up! First up, the nail polishes that have been part of my favourite manicures this month.

 Clockwise from top: Miss Sporty Electric Beige, (my go-to goldy-y stamping colour), Boots 17 Magentised Polish in Green, Revlon Facets of Fuchsia, OPI Nail Envy, Revlon Galaxy, Models Own Grace Green, Collection 2000 Hot Looks Milkshake, No7 Milan, OPI I Lily Love You

Click the links to the posts to see the manicure's I've done with these polishes!

As part of Operation Fit and Fabulous I've been trialling these supplements which contain Biotin for hair and nails. My nails peel like crazy, so I'm trying to keep them pretty short and square to try and combat them, and trying a supplement can't hurt. I've heard reviews saying Biotin gives people spots, and I have got one at the moment. I NEVER ever get spots on my face - I could probably count on my fingers the amount I've had in my entire life, so I hope this is just a coincidence and I'll stick with them. I have 2 months supply so you'll get a proper review once the two months is up!

Vivo cosmetics eye monos in Dusky Pink, Pale Gold and Mink, and Primer 25ml.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these products. The eye shadows are soft and well pigmented and I've worn at least one of them most days since I got them. great for an everyday eye as they're shimmery but not full on glitterball, which I like. And the primer is the first face primer I've used (after swatching lots and putting them back because they're too expensive, I still want Benefits Porefessional though...) It just evens out my skintone, so I can slap it on with some concealer and be out the door for the school run, or use it under foundation to make it glide on and last longer. I really love how it feels on my skin, silky and soft. My only negative is that there's only 25ml in the bottle, and it's quite a big bottle so after a few uses it feels a bit empty and is hard to get out. But that could be solved by depotting it if I can get some wee jars or something.

ELF Srudio Stipple Brush and Avon Angled Blush Brush

I'd only ever used a flat foundation brush before, but found myself always needing to blend with my fingers afterwards. As I said I've got good skin so when I wear foundation I only need a light touch and the ELF Stipple Brush is great for that. I've read some bad reviews on it, but figured if it was no good it's only £3.50 and I could use it for powder, but for me it's perfect for foundation and it washes well without shedding or bleading. And the Avon brush is a good multi-purpose blush brush, and I use it for blush, contouring and highlighting. And it's super soft!

Sleek Santorino Blush and Sunset palette

I had been looking for a super-bright pink blush for a while when the lovely Liloo held a wee giveaway for this blush - and I was lucky enough to win! It's mega bright and very pigmented, so the lightest touch is needed, but now the summer is over and my tan is fading it's a perfect colour for wind-chilled cheeks! I picked up the sunset palette from a blogsale and love it. Its the first Sleek palette I own, and it's a very considered purchase - I couldn't decide which palette I would get the most use from as I already have a lot of neutrals and better suit warm tones. The golden shimmer in this palette makes the colours really warm and I've even managed to use the blue, which is quite frankly amazing because despite having very blue eyes blue eyeshadow usually makes me look like a drag queen. I shit you not.

And finally my nail wheels! I got these from ebay for a few pounds and have had great fun playing with them (despite getting a headache from the stench of polish everytime I do...) There is a little poll in the sidebar asking which you'd like to see first - if you wouldn't mind voting I'd be ever so grateful!

Things I've not been loving this month:

• Frogs. My cat has become an expert frog hunter and every morning for the last few weeks I've had to rescue at least one frog from the confines of my conservatory...
• My nails. They split, they break, they're stained. Ah the life of a nail blogger...
• Dieting. 3 months or so in and I'm starting to hate it. I've lost 26 pounds, which is great, but I just want biscuits for breakfast, bread for lunch and chips for tea. Porridge, soup and salad is wearing a bit thin.
• Spiders. Seriously, what is it with all the Arnold Schwarzespiders at the moment? I saw one run across the floor from the corner of my eye and thought it was the cat!

What have you been loving (and hating) this month? If you've done a favourites post, send me your links!

Hx

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NOTD - Boots 17 Magnetised Nail Polish in Green

Ok, so you know I wasn't spending anything in September...well technically these 4 polishes came under the opportunity not to be missed category. First up, I'm sure you've heard of the Site BuyaPowa by now (if not sBudgetBeauty has a great explanation here). Basically, you join a co-buy and have the chance to get an item at a much reduced price (because buying in bulk is cheaper). They were running a deal on Nails Inc's new magnetic polish in Houses of Parliament (purple) and as 100 people signed up for the co-buy we all paid £7 instead of the usual £13 with free postage. Bargain, or so I thought.

I'd eyed up the Boots 17 magnetic polishes and when I won a £10 Boots evoucher for painting my face like a pokeball in Klayer's make-up contest and I knew what I wanted. Since I'd got the purple Nails Inc polish I got the green, blue and silver (3 for 2 ;) ) and had to pay £2 plus postage with my £10 evoucher. They all came on the same day and as soon as I got them I swatched them on my grubby paws over the polish I was wearing. The effect was WOW and as soon as I saw it I loved it, but then I noticed something. Both bottles are exactly the same! There is not one discernible difference that I can see, apart from the labels. The magnets are the same, the size and shape of the bottle, brush and cap and the design on the detachable magnet cap - exactly the same. How can Nails Inc charge £13 for a polish that Boots is charging £5.99 for? I'm willing to bet Houses of Parliament is the same colour as the Boots Lilac magnetised polish too, although I don't have the two to compare. I've also heard new brand FashionistA are bringing out a magnetic polish line, available in Superdrug. They have more colours, though they're priced at £6 or £7 a bottle, and you buy the magnet separately for £3. They look exactly the same too...

Anyway, on to the manicure. I used Boots "Green" magnetised polish (I have the Nails Inc on my toes but can't get a good pic). First I used a coat of a Miss Sporty polish in a similar colour, so I wouldn't get it opaque without "wasting" the magnetised polish on two coats. When applying the magetised polish you have to do each nail at a time, so polish the nail and hold the magnet over while it is still wet before moving onto the next nail. As soon as you hold the magent over the particles in the polish "jump" to form the pattern, but you should hold the magnet for 10-15 seconds to set it. The longer you hold the magnet over the crisper the image will be. And if you don't like the pattern you get or you mess up, you can just paint another coat on and try again!

Identical!

I lurve this polish. You know I love shatter? Yeah, magnetic polish is the new crack-le. See what I did there? *insert tumbleweeds* Ok, I'll shut up. But seriously, I need as many colours as I can get my paws on and as many different magnet shapes as I can too. But Boots definitely wins over Nails Inc, for the insane price difference alone.

Have you tried magnetic effect polish yet? Will you?

Hx

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