Sweet Manicure

Hey guys

Today's manicure has got to be one of my recent favourite. It isn't particularly difficult but I just love the classic-ness (not a word) of it.

It's just a simple nude polish with a hint of white.

The colour combo reminds me of one of the sweets you can get in dolly mixtures and I actually craved them after doing this manicure but still sadly haven't had any. I wish I could say it's because of my health eating plan but it's mainly due to my laziness and not being bothered to go to the shops.

I used one of the nude polishes from Maybelline's color show range and added a bit of white at the bottom.

I also used my matte top coat that I'm totally obsessed with that I mentioned in my recent Superdrug haul to finish off the mani.

It did annoyingly chip slightly quite quickly (which explains my thumb) but apart from that I was quite pleased with the result. 

What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading! 

Superdrug Haul (Nail polish edition)

Hey guys

I'm a massive fan of Superdrug and often find myself browsing the make up section totally forgetting what I came in for in the first place.

Recently, I bought a few nail polishes. I know I've bought quite a few recently but I think I'm done for a month or so. These polishes featuring in this haul were not all bought at the same time. I just decided to put them all together in this one haul.

The first 2 polishes are from Beauty UK. It's been a while since I've bought Beauty UK polishes and I was looking for some polishes that had nice colours (that I didn't already have) and wouldn't break the bank. These cost £2.99 each.

 

I then got 2 of Maybelline's latest limited edition polishes in their color show range costing £3.99 each.

At the time, Superdrug were doing a 3 for 2 offer so I decided to pick up a matte coat from GOSH. I have been wanting a matte coat for ages and I was aware that Barry M were due to release a matte coat (which is actually cheaper) but I didn't want to wait. I think

this cost me £4.99 (can't quite remember)

I can't wait to try all these out especially the matte coat and I'll let you know how I get on with them and I'll be sure to share my designs with you.

What hauls have you done lately? Do let me know as I need to find new things to buy next month after pay day!

Thanks for reading!

(Throwback) Manicure Monday

Hey guys

This week's manicure is a bit of a throwback. I actually did this manicure last month but because of my exams I didn't get a chance to post it up when I wanted to.

For ages I had been saying I wanted to get dotting tools. Then as I was going through my various nail art tools I came across one! I was so happy as it meant I could try dotting designs and could also save a bit of money for the mean time.

I kept it simple as it was my first time and also I didn't have that much time. I was pretty tired from the library and had to get up early but by force I had to paint my nails.

Here is the result:

 I used Bourjois' nail polish is Violet Couture as the base colour

 Then I used 2 Barry M polishes in Lilac and White for the dots

I'm pleased with the results despite the rush and it being my first time using dotting tools.

I think I'll be doing a lot more dotting designs.

Any of you guys fan of dotting designs? 

Thanks for reading!

Watercolour flowers mani (GUEST POST)

Hey Everyone! 

Today I am going to be filling in for August while she concentrates on her exams, which I'm so excited about!

First just a quick bit about me and my blog. I'm fairly new to blogging as I only started in January and I mainly blog my nail designs and tutorials (although the odd beauty/make up posts make it in there now and again!). Doing my nails is just a hobby for me and something I love doing, and my blog is my own little space where I can share my designs and ideas with other people that love nails as much as me!

So today I've got a cute little design to show you all using (my favourite) Barry M polishes. 

To recreate this design you will need the following Barry M polishes:

Huckleberry (the blue used for the base colour)

Rose Hip (baby pink used for the flowers)

White, Gold and Key Lime (used for the small details on the bird)

Black, white and pink nail art pens

I've tried to create a watercolour style design for the mani, with the dark blacks and bright pink of the flowers. I wanted to do something quite challenging as well for the design so I added the tiny bird to my ring finger, as an accent.

The design is much easier to create than it looks. Just choose a nice light colour as your base colour so everything stands out. Then draw the flowers on freehand and just see how they turn out. The bird took a bit more work, and a lot of concentrating to get it looking just right, but I'm glad I put the effort in, because I love how it turned out! 

 

So I hope you like my design today, and that you all think I have been a worthy guest blogger for August!

Nicole x  

Bourjois Healthy mix Serum Foundation Review (GUEST POST)

Hello everyone! My names Sophie and I write the blog CosmeticsCase. Today I am going to be writing a post all about my favourite ‘Holy Grail’ foundation- Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation.  It’s not very often that I settle down to one foundation and pin point it as my all-time favourite but I feel like I have tried so many and they have never seemed to be just right. For me it’s like Goldilocks where she try’s all the different porridges and finally finds the right one. Okay…not quite Goldilocks and breakfast but you get my idea.

With Healthy Mix Serum Foundation on my skin. Powdered with Natural Collection Pressed Powder

Foundation- Shade 52.

Brush I use.

So I tried the original healthy mix foundation and wasn’t really a huge fan because although my skin is oily I have dry patches around my nose and I found it really clung to them which I was shocked about because so many people (with dry skin) had said it worked really well for them on dry skin. However for Christmas my mum brought me a few Bourjois pieces and I was quite hesitant to try the serum because I typically like really matte foundations and I didn’t think that it would work with my typical needs from a foundation. However the first time I tried it I fell in LOVE.

The foundation is hypo-allergenic which is good for people with sensitive skin. It claims to last for up to 16 hours but I would say it lasts 4 hours without needing powder which I expect normally because my skin is so oily. However before the foundation begins to really wear off I would say it last about 11 hours but then I take my foundation off by that point anyways.

I love the foundation for many reasons. Firstly its drugstore and super affordable which is a bonus because I thought that I would have to spend £20+ before I found an amazing foundation. It retails at £10.99 which although it’s at the higher priced end of the drugstore my bottle lasted me just under 4 months using it most days as I haven’t changed foundation since only for probably about a week.

Another reason I like it is for the smell because although I typically like a non-scented foundation this smells so fresh. In case you are wondering I use the Real Techniques Buffing Brush and just put the foundation of the back of my hand and then use a circular motion to apply it all over my face.

As for coverage with the foundation I feel like it provides a medium coverage and my skin isn’t the best I do have a lot of spots and imperfections. You can build this foundation because I have when my skin has been worse and it hasn’t looked cakey at all it looks really fresh and natural. I feel like this is a foundation that looks better over time which I love because I think over the day it looks nicer and nicer.

While all the factors above are part of the reason I love the foundation I mainly love the fact that this foundation provides a general healthy glow but provides such a flawless finish on the skin. It covers over everything so smoothly. I love this foundation for when my skin is looking dull because it instantly picks up my skin. There is a good colour range too however it doesn’t cater for a really dark skin tone. I do tend to powder it but that natural glow still shows through which I like. Overall I love this foundation and there isn’t one thing that I don’t like about it.

If you have tried this foundation let me know what you think.

Buy Here:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Thank you for reading my post let me know your thoughts and if you purchase it. If you have any questions about the foundation you can email or tweet me.

Love Sophie xo

BLOG: cosmeticscase.blogspot.co.uk

BLOGLOVIN: http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10368183/cosmetics-case

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/cosmeticscase

EMAIL: sophie.lou@msn.com

Mani Monday

Hey guys

Seems like forever since I've done a mani monday post! I've been writing up some different type of posts, trying to mix it up a bit and also I've been super busy with uni revision so any spare time I do have I tend to use to sleep.

I still have been painting my nails though because (as I've mentioned a few times), doing my nails is a way I like to chill and relax and keep just about sane in what can be an insane period.

This latest design reflects my love for stripes. This design was done without striping tape, all done free hand and I'm actually surprised at how neat it turned out, even on my right hand!!

 I used one of Barry M's Gelly Hi-shine polishes in the shade 'Guava'. Such a cool name. Makes me feel like going on a tropical holiday on a beach sipping cocktails... ( I digress)

What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading!

Mani Monday

Hey guys

It feels like ages since I've done a mani monday! 

Today, I decided to use one of Maybelline's polishes from their color show Street Artist top coat range that I picked up in my most recent superdrug haul. 

I'm not quite sure why I used such a dark colour because the sun seems to be making an appearance and I should be wearing beautiful bright pastel colours but for some reason I chose a darker colour.

 I used a dark blue polish as my base coat and then used the 'Alley Attitide' top coat.

I'm really loving these polishes. Such a quick and easy way to achieve great looking nails. Perfect for those times that I've feeling to lazy to create some kind of nail art design.

Have you guys used any of the top coats from this range? What do you think of them? Any other top coats you would recommend? Let me know!

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

#2014bloggerchallenge- nail art made easy

Hey guys

This #2014bloggerchallenge is all about nails! As a nail blogger you would think this would be an easy topic for me. However, since I regularly post about nails, I've been trying to come up with a post that isn't similar to my usual nail related posts.

So I thought I would talk about ways to make nail art easy. 

I'm a massive lover of nail art and people have said to me they don't have the time, skill or patience for it. To be totally honest I feel that way too. I've seen some intricate drawings and I definitely don't have the time, skill or patience for that. I prefer designs with shapes and stripes so I thought I would share a few ways I create my nail art:

1. Striping tape

If you regularly read my blog you'll know that I love striping tape. Out of the techniques I'll be giving this is the 'hardest' one because it requires patience and a steady hand but apart from that I wouldn't say it's that hard. It can be of putting because of the patience required but once you get over that hurdle it's simple. You can create as many stripes as you want, with as many layers as you want. You can just go crazy with it! You can read more about it here



2. Top coat

Using a top coat is such an easy way to get an artistic effect. You just put them over the base colour of your choice and you're done! I remember the crackle top coats that I used years ago but at the moment, I'm loving Maybelline's color show street artist range. They create such cool effects, and they last! I would totally recommend them.

3. Textured nail polish

These are another simple way to jazz up your nails. They just add that little extra to a simple mani. These type of nail polishes create an effect on your nails For example, I like to use Sally Hansen's sugar coat. There are loads more out there but these are my current favourite.

4. Nail brushes

These are handy to have and I quite enjoy using these when I can't be bothered with striping tape. 

5. Nail Stamps

I am actually yet to try nail stamps but from what I've seen they are an easy to create those intricate looking designs. As soon as I get my hands on some I'll be sure to let you guys see

6. Dotting/marbling tools

These are another set of accessories that I am yet to try but have seen some beautiful designs with. The dotting tool helps to create uniform dots and the marbling tools create a water effect.


Places to buy accessories:

Born Pretty Store sell great accessories such as nail stamps and striping tape for low prices with free worldwide shipping! I also happen to have a code giving 10% so feel free to use that as well: (ATX31)

eBay also sell great accessories but sometimes you have to search for the cheaper ones and some may come from abroad requiring a longer wait. If you're from the UK like me, there are some UK sellers, and some with free shipping! As a matter of fact, all my Sally Hansen polishes have been bought from eBay at a much cheaper price than from Superdrug or Boots.


I hope you have enjoyed this post. Sorry it's a bit longer than usual, I can talk about nail art for days...
Have you got any other suggestions for nail art? Do let me know. 
And if you've got your #2014bloggerchallenge post up, leave your link below as I would love to read them!

Thanks for reading!

Mani Monday

Hey guys!

I apologise for the lack of posts recently. I've had some intense weeks at uni and didn't have time/feel like writing. Unfortunately my crazily busy weeks haven't ended as I have an exam next week which of course I haven't started revising for... As it stands I'm currently taking a break from the all-nighter that I decided to pull.

It's been a while since I've posted a mani monday so here's my current manicure! I went back to my usual striping tape.

To create this look, I used a simple black from Barry M and one of the 'Polka Dots' polishes from one of Maybelline's limited edition color show.

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great week!

#2014bloggerchallenge- high end vs high street

 

Hey guys

Today's #2014bloggerchallenge post is all about the good old high end vs high street debate.

I personally think both have their pros and cons.

But from my bank account point of things being a student and all I'm more swayed towards high street. Superdrug and Boots (even though they now have high-end brands there as well) have some great products.

The only high end products I regularly buy are foundation and concealers. I've bought some lipsticks as well but they were from the cosmetics store so they were cheaper.

My favourite high street brands are MUA and Revlon.

My favourite high end brand is MAC.

What annoys me about high end products is that sometimes you spend all that money and the product sucks! I'll never forget my clinique disaster. Which has resulted in me not having any of their products since and I don't see myself trying them any time soon!

So since I only really have experience with high street products I thought I would give you my top 3 drugstore products at the moment. (It was a difficult choice to make...)

High street:

1. Undress Me Too palette by MUA. I'm always raving on about this product but it's for good reason! It's supposed to me a dupe to the Naked 2 palette. I haven't tried the Naked Palette so I can't really say if it is a good dupe or not but it's a great palette either way. Costing only £4 from Superdrug, (£3.60 if you have an NUS extra card) you just can't go wrong.

2. Revlon Lipsticks/Lip butters. So I'm technically cheating by putting them in the same category but they're very similar and I love them both the same. The colours are well pigmented and last long whilst keeping the lips in a good condition. They cost about £7 which when I'm being cheap can be a bit much for me but to be honest, they're worth the price.

3. Sally Hansen nail polishes. I'm a nail polish addict and I'm always looking for new nail polishes that won't chip after 1-2 days! Sally Hansen polishes last about 4-5 days chip free (which is good in my book) and don't cost the earth. They cost about £6 in Superdrug and Boots but you can get them cheaper on eBay and there are ranges and effects that I haven't seen in my store that I've managed to buy online.

What are you favourite high street brands/products? Any high end products you can convince me to try? Do let me know! And if you've posted your #2014bloggerchallenge leave your links below! I'd love to read them!

Thanks for reading!

Mani Monday- Street Artist Edition

Hey Guys

Happy Monday! (Positive thinking...)

I had an assessment today and one way I like to de-stress and chill is by doing my nails.

Recently, I bought a load of nail polishes which you can read about here

I really wasn't in the mood for waiting for nail polishes to dry so I can do some nail art design but I didn't want plain nails so I decided to try out one of the new polishes from Maybelline's Color Show Street Artist edition.

These polishes are a top coat effect so I just picked out some random nail polish I found in my collection which turned out to be one of the many presents I was given by my blogger secret santa. The polish is from Primark and the first one I've used from there. I don't know if their polishes are any good but I love this colour. I almost didn't want to put the top coat over.

As I was painting the top coat on, I wasn't sure if I was feeling it but the more I look at it, the more I'm warming up to it.

So far I'm loving them. Have any of you guys tried these polishes? What do you think of them?

Do let me know!

Thanks for reading!!

Superdrug haul

Hey guys!

Hope you've been having a great week. Mine hasn't been that great which resulted in a bit more shopping than I should have done...

So I thought I might as well do a haul post especially as it's been ages since I've done one.

I love Superdrug. They always have great deals on and I can get student discount which makes it very difficult to leave buying exactly what you came in for.

We've all been there. I'm only coming in to get boring stuff like cotton wool or deodorant or something but then we end up at the checkout with a handful of make up.

I must admit though, it's been a while since I've bought make up plus, I had a voucher for extra points so I actually don't feel that bad.  

First of all, I picked up a number of nail polishes. If you didn't already know, I'm a massive fan of Maybelline's color show range and now they've brought out two new limited edition ranges. I'm so bad with limited edition, because as soon as I see limited, I have to get them all. I'm even worse when it comes to nail polishes.

The ranges are 'Stripped nudes' and 'Street Artist'

Stripped nudes

Street Artist

I'm yet to own nude polishes as I've worried they'll look weird on my as I'm quite dark skinned but I thought it's about time I try it out as I have seen some great nude manicures.

The street artist range just looked amazing. I mean how can you say no to those? They cost £3.99 but they're currently on offer: buy one get one half price. That topped with student discount, I basically made an investment...

The two on the outside aren't actually limited edition, but I want to collect the range.

The street artist range nail polishes are top coats. I'm yet to try them out yet but when I do, I'll put a post up.

The next thing I picked up was an eyeshadow palette from MUA. I love MUA but for ages all they're good stuff has been out of stock so I had given up looking at stuff on their counter. Then as I was paying I spotted that all the good stuff had returned and so I picked up the Heaven and Earth palette. I currently own Undress Me Too which is an amazing palette. I had been looking for neutral eyeshadows and I had read a couple of reviews for this one and at the bargain of £4 I thought I might as well pick this one up.

The next item I picked up was one of Sleek's blush palette.

 I've heard great things about this palette for ages and I've been looking for a good blush that's well pigmented without being too harsh for ages. I haven't used it much yet as I don't wear blush everyday but when I have used it, I've loved it.

Lastly, I picked up Garnier's new micellar water.

I've heard loads about micellar water. I had wanted to get L'oreal's but the reviews I saw weren't encouraging. 

I personally like Garnier's products and the reviews I read about Garnier's were good so I was more swayed to to pick this one up. It also happened to be on offer as well.

That concludes my recent visit to Superdrug. I think I ought to stay clear of that shop for a while now...

Have any of you guys bought some great products from Superdrug or have any of you posted a haul recently? I'd love to know as I'm always looking for products to try.

Thanks for reading!!!

 

 

Mani Monday

Hey Guys

Happy manicure monday!

These are the colours I used to create this week's nails.

As you can tell, the one on the left is pretty old. The writing is rubbing off. It's from collection 2000 and the other one is from Maybelline's color show range which I did a review of once upon a time ago!

Another simple design but I think sometimes with striping tape less is more. Leaves it looking more elegant.

Unfortunately my thumbnail has broken leaving my nails a bit uneven but hopefully it'll grow back soon!

What do you guys think? Any of you obsessed with nail art like me? Leave your links below, I'd love to see them! 

Thanks for reading!