Foiled again..

 Barry M Foil Effects in Gold

Having been obsessed with nail wraps recently for their easy application, non chipping, non smudging, long lasting finish and available in so many colours and designs, I was quite intrigued when Barry M brought out a new range of 'foil' nail polishes that claim to give the same effect as the wraps. 

Available in both silver and gold, it applies like a regular nail paint and requires only one coat. Don't get me wrong, I love their nail paints, and I don't know if it's just me who has been unlucky with them being opened, closed and tried on by others whilst on the shelf, but I find them extremely thick to apply and no so 'quick drying'. 

I am slightly disappointed, I still like the effect it has given, but I don't think it gives the same foil finish as the wraps and isn't really any different to your average metallic gold or silver polish. I applied my black shatter over the top, hoping to get a leopard print look, but ended up with something that looked a bit more like tiger stripes! I do think it will be lovely for Christmas though and I haven't actually got anything like this in my collection.

Barry M Foil Effects are available to buy in Boots and Superdrug stores or online for £3.99 each.

Have you tried the Barry M Foil Effects yet and if so what are you opinions?

Jessica

♥

MAC Splurge..

 L-R: See Sheer lip stick, Plink! lip stick, (both swatched below) MAC 318 lip brush

 Tenderling blush

 L-R top: Humid, Sumptuous Olive, Creme de Violet, bottom: Bitter, Beauty Marked eye shadow pans

You know how it is, you get carried away with online shopping and before you know it you've spent a WHOLE WEEKS WAGES ON MAKEUP?! Woopsie.. It was a good deal though, I purchase most MAC products from Debenhams.com, if you sign up to their beauty club card scheme, you receive 5 points per £1 spent online, and 3 points per £1 in store when you spend £25 or more, and so 500 points saved up = £5 off any beauty or fragrance item of your choice! The more you save, the more you can spend, and there are regular offers, as on this occasion you received 1000 points when you spent £50 or more in a single transaction. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest offers with Debenhams on Twitter and Facebook!

P.s No, I haven't been asked to say this, I simply want to share these fantastic offers with you! :-)

Here is my latest haul video!

*************************************************************************


The winner of my OPI 'Touring America' mini collection is...


************
Pandora
************


Congratulations to you! A huge thank you to everyone who entered!

Jessica

♥

How to: Minx Nail Wraps

Design: Minx Dual Edge Marian Newman key

Whenever I wear Minx nail wraps, I more often than not get asked, ''Aren't they difficult to apply?'', the answer is no! They are in fact extremely simple to apply, so if you're a nail wrap virgin wanting to apply your first set, here is a step-by-step guide I have put together (which personally I find the easiest method) to achieve the perfect Minx manicure!

How to: Get MINXED! 


♥ Start by choosing your preferred design. I love this brand because they offer such a wide range of patterns and colours, but there are plenty more affordable and easier to get hold of nail wraps on the market! 



♥ Most nail wraps come in a variety of sizes to suit different shaped nails. Match your nails up the the sheet of wraps to determine the correct size for each nail. If needs be, trim with nail scissors down the sides and on the rounded end.

♥ Carefully peel each wrap away from the sheet. Warm the sticky side gently under a low heat hair-dryer for roughly 10 seconds.

♥ Place the rounded edge as close to the cuticle as possible without covering it. Smooth down the centre and edges with your thumb or orange/cuticle stick. If any bubbles have appeared under the wrap, hold under the hair-dryer for a few seconds and smooth down again.



♥ Fold the excess at the end together and trim off using a pair of nail scissors, as close to the free edge as possible.


♥ Using a nail file, preferably glass/crystal, file away the remaining excess, almost at a 45 degree angle. Make sure not to file on top of the edge of the nail as it will catch the wrap and might not last as long.


♥ Complete the same process on all other nails, et voilà! 

I generally find that the nail wraps last a good 4-5 days before they begin to peel at the ends. When it comes to remove them, simply hold under a low heat hair-dryer and gently peel off!

I hope this has helped! :-)

Jessica

♥ 

OPI 'Touring America' giveaway!

Hoping to get my hands on the new OPI Muppets collection, I was disappointed to find that my local beauty suppliers hadn't yet got them in stock. Instead, I had a little look at another recent collection from OPI, 'Touring America'. Resisting temptation, I only picked up one shade as I seriously need to cut down on nail polish splurges :-( I chose 'French Quarter for Your Thoughts', a beautiful medium toned grey, I'm loving this for A/W 2011!

Now for the exciting bit! I will be giving away one of the 'Touring America' mini's collection, (I feel it's time for another blog giveaway!) This will be the prize for one lucky winner (I'm so jel, I'd love to keep this for myself!).. 

The set includes 4 mini versions from the collection:

My Address is ''Hollywood''

''We put this pretty rose-pink on the map!''

French Quarter for Your Thoughts

''Want beads? Then show us your sexy gray nails!''

A-Taupe the Space Needle

''You'll climb to new heights with this creamy-rich taupe.''

Honk If You Love OPI

''Don't let this delicious dark grape pass you by.''

This giveaway is now CLOSED!! But stay tuned for more ;-) 

Vanity of Vanities

I guess you could say this is where the magic happens :-P If you watch my YouTube videos, you might recognise the background, I just pull out the table so I can film against a blank wall. Once just your typical desk where I would innocently study for school exams, now has since been transformed to an place in my bedroom where I can sit down, apply my makeup, and then take it all off again at the end of the day..

The cream painted draws on the right (see first pic) came from Ikea, originally plain wood, but I transformed it to match my room, however, I'm pretty sure these have been discontinued. Once used to store my makeup but now holds stationary bits and bobs, as my makeup collection was overflowing and had to be transferred to a larger set of draws! The clear plastic cup, from TKMAxx holds my face makeup brushes and the glass tea light holder, bought as a gift, holds eye and lip makeup brushes. The large mirrored trinket holds 2 kabuki brushes, and the little one holds cotton pads, bought as a set from Laura Ashley. The light-up mirror is by Revlon, and also has a magnified face on the other side, which is just brilliant for makeup application! The cream painted wooden tray came as a Christmas gift containing bath goodies, but now holds my everyday skincare including muslin face cloths (Liz Earle & Origins), brush cleaner (MAC)and makeup setting spray (MAC Fix + & Evian Facial Spray). 

I might give you a sneak peek to my makeup storage/collection at a later date, it just needs a slight bit of TLC first!

Jessica

♥

Perfect Pout: MAC 'Captive'..

I recently made a new discovery and fell in love, and then I fell in love again. The item in question being MAC's lip pencil in 'Dervish', a stunning pinky mauve tone which I have been using not to outline my lips but to fill them in, however, this wasn't very practical, and as you can see from the texture it became quite drying, so I went on the hunt for a lipstick form of Dervish that would be more moisturising and easier to apply..

'Captive', when swatched next to Dervish looks in fact a very close match, although slightly more plum toned, and clearly appears a lot more creamy and smooth.

Left: MAC 'Dervish' lip pencil, Right: MAC 'Captive' lipstick 

But, when applied to the lips, they do look completely different shades. The natural colour of my lips is actually quite dark, so this might make the difference, I'm not complaining though, Captive is beautiful and could just be my Autumn lip. It will do, for now ;-)

Jessica

♥

Box of goodies..

After recently being announced the winner of Cas's (HairandBeautylicious) 'Caribbean Giveaway', I was so excited when I came home this afternoon to find it waiting for me! The giveaway was inspired by a holiday to Jamaica holiday she had been on, and included products she enjoyed using whilst away on holiday, which I thought was such a great idea! She had filled a pretty pink box with such a variety of goodies, it was hard to fit them all in the photo! It consisted of face masks, cleansers, moisturisers, nail polishes, makeup and she even threw in some sweets! I cannot wait to have a mini pamper sesh using all of these :-)

Once again a huge thank you to Cas for holding this amazing giveaway, you can check out her beauty blog HERE!

Jessica 

♥