Nailing It

For me O.P.I was always in the realms of salon only manicures and I only recently realised you could buy these in places like John Lewis (my spiritual home)...where have I been all this time!

Anyway in the States the O.P.I range is available in make up heaven Ulta which is where I picked these up on a 3 for 2. I got one FREE!!!!

I didn't stray too far from the normal here with a nude, pink and red/orange and then went on and painted my nails every day as I couldn't decide which one I loved more.

The first that I picked up was 'Cajun Shrimp'. A vivid red with hint of coral this has livened up my summer fingers and toes. I know that loads of bloggers have swooned over this colour and I am not surprised. I'm in love and I can see this taking me straight through Autumn and Winter by providing me with that much needed pop of colour.

As with all reds it is hard work; the slightest chip will take you from perfectly groomed to scraggy nailed but for me it is worth the maintenance.

 

The perfect nude nail is illusive as far as I'm concerned but this does come close. 'Mimosas for Mr & Mrs' is surprisingly that perfect shade for when you don't want to your nails to clash with your couture like at a wedding. 2 coats will mean your own nail tip shows through but with a creamy and classic finish.

 Last is the baby pink which comes from the OPI Minnie Mouse collection called 'Chic from Ear to Ear'. This plays to my inner child and those days when the only colour that would do was Barbie pink and this is exactly what it is. 

It takes 3 coats to get to the opacity that I prefer and it has a feint fine glitter running through it. This is a frivolous colour if you will and has lasted well through the summer days. I'm not sure it will get quite so many outings as we head into the winter months but I look forward to pulling it out of my nail collection again as Spring starts to show in March.

 

Is this not the most perfect colour collection ever? I could last the rest of my life with just these 3 colours...but what fun would that be!

Summer Boots Haul

I have an addiction and seem to only be posting haul posts recently but there is so much on the wish list and so little time! This is simply the outcome of my last little walk around Boots in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol.

First the not quite such exciting stuff; deodorant (I will only use Sure - guaranteed to work), double face pads and Batiste, which as far as I'm concerned is now an essential.

I like to have my 'everyday' make up which doesn't always include the high end products as they are often expensive to keep replacing. As a result I picked up these 2 Rimmel products; the Stay Matte powder in number 1 'Transparent' is raved about by almost everyone and I have had a few comments about it on my own posts when I've written about more high end powder products and the Wake Me Up concealer.

I really do like both products. The stay matte powder provides a gentle coverage and if buffed on with a slight hand avoids looking too chalky. It is not as long lasting as the Benefit Stay Flawless but topped up during the day keeps the oil at bay. I brought the concealer as day time alternative to the YSL touche eclat and actually think that it provides better coverage but of course isn't quite as easy to apply or as long lasting. It is certainly much needed by Friday of every week. 

There was a 3 for 2 on Bourjois so I chanced on the Healthy Mix foundation rather than repurchase the Rimmel Wake Me Up. I genuinely really do like this and can't tell much difference between the 2 drugstore products. It certainly provides good coverage and the finish is as you would expect from any foundation promising a radiant finish. 

It is here I must admit that the full reason for my trip to Boots was to pick up this simple lip crayon after reading rave review after rave review. I am loving the burst of bright glossy colour that 'Peach on the Beach' leaves me with and had lots of compliments from friends when I wore it on a recent night out.

I have been wanting to wear a white nail varnish for a while and think that they can look great on their own as well as provide perfect base coats for those brights. I wasn't so lucky with this one and the Maybelline option is the only drugstore white I could find. It is very thin and took 3 or 4 coats to get totally opaque.

The micellar solution from L'Oreal is an attempt at replacing the irreplaceable Bioderma which is now finished! This does not remove waterproof masacara and is a little more drying around the eye area than its French competitor but I am enjoying using it as part of my evening skin care routine, and first thing in the morning to refresh my eyes.

Please link up any drugstore hauls you have been posted about recently.

USA Beauty Haul

It took all of a nano-second after my flight across the Atlantic was booked before I started thinking about what goodies I would be picking up from the US of A! This little lot was all picked up in one glorious 45 minute sweep around ULTA (thanks to my cousin) where I worshipped at the alter of all things beauty. It is the US version of Boots and it was amazing!

In the end I didn't stick to things that were just available in the US and so managed to grab a few bargains. The EOS lip balm was a mere $3.99 when it is £5.00 here and this is the pomegranate flavour. Love love love this and it got a lot of compliments when I whipped it out through out the trip. 

I have been wanting the Urban Decay eyelid primer for a while and so this $12 bargain was never going to be left behind. 

In my head I was after Essie but who can resist a 3 for 2 on OPI especially when they are also $9 a pop! This little collection includes Cajun Shrimp (the red/orange), Mr & Mrs Mimosa (the nude) and finally I'm All Ears (the pink) from the Minnie Mouse collection. I am going to do a separate post on these so that I can show the colours properly. I was so excited about finding these. 

Then there are the L'Oreal purchases. The voluminous carbon black mascara is something I haven't seen in the UK and was recommended by my cousin. This gives some serious length and piled on goes some way to giving the bold lashes that I covet. This has already been re-ordered via the in-laws who are in the States now. 

It was really hard to choose drug store make up over there because there are NO TESTERS! What that is about I do not know and it was very annoying and not something I am used to. As a result I played safe and didn't go too crazy which I think my credit card was happy about. These colour riche balms from L'Oreal give a sheer wash of coral and pink colour which are perfect for me and my phobia of bold lips. 

The photo doesn't show the Real Technique eye and face brush collections that I also managed to sneakily pick up and again they were definitely a little cheaper than here in the UK.

If only the luggage allowance hadn't been so restrictive!

Bodyshop Haul

The Bodyshop is one of those place I firmly remember as a teenage favourite, which evokes memories of white musk, strawberry shower gel and body butters in an array of sickly scents and pastel colours. The shop had indeed fallen out of my favour and I rarely visited it. But this has changed....

My friend recently hosted a Bodyshop party and whilst the classics above are still firmly available I have to say I was really impressed with loads of the new collections, scents and the quality of the make up. I walked in and as a total beauty junkie I was like a kid in a candy shop and ready to feed my addiction.

I found it so difficult to restrain myself as your able to have a real play with all of the products in the comfort of your own (or friends home) with a glass of wine and loads of girly chat. I ended up ordering this little lot and when it was delivered it was like a mini Christmas Day!!!

• Pink grapefruit body oil
• Ginger sparkle shower gel and hand cream
• Gold shimmer dust
• Eyeshadow quad in smoky moonstone (not pictured)
• Sandalwood and Ginger essential oil

I don't want to do a full review of every product in this post because some of them deserve a little more attention but I do want to mention the essential oil. I was so excited to see that Bodyshop had embraced home fragrance and the rep had a few of the scents to sniff. I have a little oil burner at home and anything with the heady scent of sandalwood and ginger is a winner in my book. This creates a warming enveloping scent perfect for cold dark nights. I have also used this to scent my radiators by dabbing on cotton wall and rubbing over the front. When our central heating turns on it fills every room with its feint scent which is so nice, rather than using fake plug ins! My next plan is to do the same things on my car fans. They also have this scent in a reed diffuser and scented candle, both of which are now on my wish list.

I loved the smell of the pink grapefruit range, it is quite strong but is clean and refreshing. The rep said that you can put this on straight out of the shower and just let it soak in, but my skin is so dry that I can use this as a normal moisturiser and still don't get any sort of oily film on myself, clothes or bedding. I wouldn't say this is a nourishing as a normal cream based body moisturiser and is actually quite summery so I'm looking forward to trying this again when the weather heats up. 

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