Barry M Autumn Gelly Collection Swatch and Review!

Hi!

It's not often (in fact, I think this is a first) that I swatch an entire collection, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's not often that I like an entire collection enough to buy the whole set, and as my polish budget is fairly limited I can't afford to buy a polish just to swatch if I don't love it. And secondly, I rarely have the time to sit and polish my nails over and over in one sitting. Nor do I think my pictures are anything special! However, when I saw the Autumn Gelly nail paint collection from Barry M I wanted, nay needed, them all, my youngest bubba just started full time school (sob) so I managed to spare an hour for some swatching, and the sun was shining so I hoped to get a decent pic. No excuses, so off I swatched!

Barry M has come up trumps with this collection of 6 polishes from their Hi-Shine Gelly range, all named after spices (with the exception of Cocoa) that are perfect Autumn colours. Most are unique to my collection, which is getting rarer and rarer these days, and I think filled a gap in Barry M's range too. It's great to see some more muted, unique colours. All of my swatches show two coats with no topcoat. The formula was thinner than I've come to expect from the Gelly range, which isn't a bad thing as some of them, especially the white-based colours (I'm looking at you Huckleberry) can be a little on the thick side. I had no issues with application, and the dry time was great.

Mustard is exactly that; a mustard yellow cream. This is probably the most unique of the set, unlike anything I've got in my collection. I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I do, but it has a warmth to it which means it avoids the baby-poo look!

Cocoa is the darkest of the bunch, a dark brown that's not too red but avoids looking black. I can imagine this looking beautifully cosy with some gold glitter.

Cardamom was my favourite, although it is slightly darker on the nail than in the bottle it is still a lovely dusty mid-green.

Chai is a perfect grey cream. It comes a close second to Cardamom for me and I've already worn this again.

Paprika is Cocoa's redder, paler sister and reminds me a silky melted milk chocolate.

Lastly, Chilli, which is the reddest of the collection, and I think it will make a lovely autumn pedicure colour.

It's hard for me to pick a favourite here, but if I was pushed I'd go for Cardamom with Chai a close second, and Mustard bringing up the rear! I've already worn Chai with some stamping, but I broke a nail before I could get a good picture :( Anyway, I can see myself reaching for these over and over in the next few months! Which is your favourite?

I purchased these myself from Superdrug, where they are currently on 3 for 2 - so you can get all 6 for a few pence less than £16. What a naughty enabler I am!

Hx

Pin It

Models Own Speckled Eggs skittles!

Hi!

I know these polishes have been blogged to death, so I'll keep this short and sweet! When I saw the Models Own Speckled Eggs collection I wanted them all - not something that often occurs (honestly!). But when I got them I was underwhelmed so they sat in the untrieds drawer for a few weeks until I decided it was close enough to Easter to whack them on my nails. Well, I wish I hadn't waited now, because I really love them! Even the yellow is super pretty on the nail. These are all just two coats, which gives perfect coverage and just the right amount of glitter. They're not bumpy or rough either, and I think they'd even look good with matte topcoat. Pinkie to thumb, they are Goose, Swan, Magpie, Dove and Duck.

I'm not always a fan of everything Models Own brings out, but this time they hit the nail right on the head. Can we have neon versions, please?

Hx

Pin It

Introducing Moyra UK - Swatch and Review!

Hi loves!

Today I have an exciting European polish range that is new to us UK lacquerheads to share with you! According to their Facebook page Moyra is a European nail brand loved by nail technicians across the world for the world class quality, affordable prices and amazing colors. And what an array they have! There is a huge classic range with every basic colour you could every need, and then there are suedes, gel effects, sands, glitter, neons, holos - literally everything you could want and bang on trend too. Today I have a pastel shade, a gel look and a cheeky holo to share with you!

First up is this perfect lilac creme, a must have shade in any collection. The formula on this one is thin, but not unmanageable and I hardly had any clean up to do. Despite it being thin it wasn't at all streaky and here I used two easy coats. I couldn't resist adding a little stamp to this one!

Next I tried the gel look, Nathalie, a lovely shimmery red. It makes a nice change to have a gel effect polish with shimmer, as usually they're cremes. The shimmer in Nathalie makes it look so lush and juicy, I don't often wear red, but this one I could reach for over and over again. This was two perfect coats, with no topcoat. No topcoat, people! Shiny!

Finally the star of the show for me. Luna is a light green holographic polish which, for a budget brand, has the most amazing linear holo rainbow you could ever wish for! Again, two easy coats and no application issues at all. And the stunning result? I could stare all day...

I am super impressed with these polishes, especially at the price point. The pastel and holo polishes are just £3, while the gel looks cost £4, for a full size 12ml bottle. Bargain! At the moment you can purchase from Moyra's Facebook page, with a website coming soon. The range really is huge, so I'm sure there's something you'll love! I'm eyeing up the neon texture polishes next ;)

Hx

The product featured was a PR sample provided to me for free for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own and 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer in the tab above for further details.

Pin It

Off topic Tuesday - Sleek iDivine Garden of Eden Palette

Hi!

I have a love of eyeshadow palettes, and have added to my collection considerably recently. One of my most recent purchases has been the newest addition to Sleek's iDivine range, the Garden of Eden Palette. As you would expect from the name, the palette consists of several green toned hues, complimented by earthy browns in a range of finishes. There are 12 shadows included in the palette, housed in Sleek's usual surdy matte black case with a mirror and (useless) sponge applicator. I have to say, I love these palettes, the design is sleek and practical and the mirror is big enough so that you could use it for your full face of makeup if you needed to. The shades are all named (yay! I really appreciate it when a brand takes the time to name their product...) and are:

Top row

Gates of Eden - beautiful shimmery golden orange

Eve’s Kiss - sweet lavender toned neutral

Paradise on Earth - darker, less pink version of Eve's Kiss

Python - deep brown shimmer

Forbidden - matte mid-brown with gold glitter flecks

Flora - deep satin brown

Bottom row

Entwined - matte dark brown with gold glitter flecks

Adam’s Apple - matte light green

Fig - really pretty golden green

Evergreen - gorgeous blue toned light green

Fauna - stunning blue toned dark green

Tree of Life - perfect satin finish dark green

This whole palette is stunning, especially the shimmer and satin finishes, but I have to say it is let down by Forbidden, Adams Apple and Entwined - the matte additions. They just don't have the same creamyness and great colour payoff as the other shades. Maybe I'd have better luck with a primer, but even then I think I'd struggle to get them to blend. And I just don't understand the addition of the glitter to the other two, it's chunky and serves no purpose. That said, the rest of the shades a re so wearable, I have been reaching for it everyday. I've been using Eve's Kiss and Fig quite a lot for a daytime look, and even with my blue eyes they look great just with a little smoky black eyeliner. The look below is a bit more dramatic, using Fig, Fauna, Tree of Life and a dab of Evergreen.

Have you got any Sleek palettes? Would you recommend any? I love their blushes too!

 Hx

Pin It

Enchanted Polish February 2014

Hi!

I'm excited about today's post! I have never understood the whole Enchanted Polish hype to be honest (I'm the same with Lynderella or anything limited edition, slap a limited label on anything and it somehow makes it less desirable to me...maybe I'm odd), yes they're pretty but are they really that special? I have always been curious, and since EP release a "monthly" polish I decided I would treat myself to February's for my birthday. Now this was a risk for two reasons - the most obvious being that recently EP has been releasing the monthly polishes as 'surprises', meaning you don't actually get to see the polish you're buying until you have it in your hands (or the first person who gets theirs puts it on Instagram). So it's a big risk, but I knew that if I didn't like it I would be able to sell it on quite easily, as this time there was only a half an hour "window" in which to order so people were bound to miss out. The second risk is one I used to take all the time, but not so much recently. It was an expensive polish (probably the most I have ever spent on one polish) and it is obviously sent from the states, which to my mind brings up all sorts of images of customs fees, damaged packages and Royal Mail hiring a bomb squad to destroy the little bottle of pretty...

Anyway, it arrived, I love it and all is well! February 2014 is a pink toned dusty purple holo that is just about as me as you can get. A lot of the earlier swatches I saw showed it as more pink, but to my mind it is definitely a dusty purple leaning to pink. I'm on the fence about the formula - it is very thick, forming strings and blobs almost imediately, and application was tricky as it dragged a little bit. If you were careful you could get away with one coat, but I stuck to my usual two here. I stamped a little leafy pattern from the new Pueen buffet plate set as an accent, and left it topcoatless, worried about affecting the fiery holo.

The sun even came out for it's debut! I am happy with my purchase, for the most part and I'm sure the formula can be fixed with a bit of thinner (when I eventually get around to buying some...) and I'm sure it will stamp well. The pre-order for March and April 2014 is this evening I believe, but I wont be ordering. I don't think I like buying polish before I know what it looks like, it's scary! I got lucky this time, but usually Lady Luck is not my friend!

Did you go for February 2014? What do you think about the whole blind buying thing?

Hx

Pin It

Holla for Holive!

Hi!

Earlier this week I reviewed Lacquerdaisical's holo topcoat, Holla On Top, and today sees the turn of possibly the prettiest green polish I have ever seen! Holive is an pale olive green holo with added specks of glitter and oh my giddy aunt it made me swoon! Green isn't a colour I reach for often (apart from mint greens, one of my many many weaknesses...), not because I don't like it, but because it doesn't like me but this one even suited my skin tone. I wasn't sure how opaque it would be so I used two coats over OPI Stranger Tides except on my pinkie finger which was two coats alone. As you can see, I needn't have worried about opacity, but undies are an option if you don't want to use too much of the precious holo! I'd say this was paler than olive green, more like somewhere between mint and olive, with a leetle touch of lime maybe? Perhaps that's why I love it so much! Looooooook!

So pretty and delicate! Lacquerdaisical polishes are available on their Facebook page, and this one is just £7 for 15ml.

Hx

The product featured was a PR sample provided to me for free for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own and 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer in the tab above for further details.

Pin It

Palate cleanser of the week - Purple for B-Eat eating disorder awareness Smitten Polish Siren's Song

Hello!

A bit of a different post for this week's palate cleanser. Still an unadulterated swatch, but this time it's polish with a purpose! This week has been eating disorders week, and Beat is a UK charity providing helplines, online support and a network of UK-wide self-help groups to help adults and young people in the UK beat their eating disorders. My weight has always been something I've struggled with, and I can only think that if I'd had some help and support, somewhere to turn to when I was a teen I might not be in the place I am now. Anyway, purple is Beat's ribbon colour, and so a purple mani was born! Smitten Polish Siren's Song was a lovely gift from another blogger friend and although I painted my mum's nails with it once I've never worn it. It's a pretty purple/blue duochrome and I was perfectly happy to wear it alone!

I  love purple anyway, and this is a good-un! What's your favourite purple?

Hx

Pin It

Valentine Week! Lacquerdaisical Elphaba's Downfall

Hi ladies and gents!

Valentines day is nearly upon us, so this week has been nominated Valentines week! Starting off with some simple nail art featuring the last of the Lacquerdaisical polishes I was sent to review, Elphaba's Downfall. Elphaba's Downfall is a red jelly packed with red micro glitter. It really looks like yummy glitter jam! I freehanded the heart tips on top of Barry M Lychee. Since I reshaped my nails into almonds I've had to change my approach to nail art a little bit, as not everything is suitable but this was perfect and super easy. I think the hearts would look great in gold over the nude base too.

I believe Elphaba's Downfall refers to Elphaba from Wicked and Dorothy's ruby slippers, although I've not seen Wicked so please correct me if I'm wrong Alexia! I adore musicals though and Wicked is top of my list - and currently on tour in Milton Keynes just a stone's throw from where I live. I am so gutted that I wont be able to go :( Anyway, this polish is definitely a ruby slipper polish, so if you are going to see Wicked on tour it would be perfect! You can find Laquerdaisical polishes on their Facebook page!

Hx

Laquerdaisical Elphaba's Downfall was a PR sample provided to me for free for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own and 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer in the tab above for further details. All other products featured were purchased myself.

Pin It