O.P.I. The man with the golden gun !

I got to look at the Opi bond collection today and there are some amazing colours in it.

For my the stand out as like many others was "the man with the golden gun" This gorgeous top coat is shot with real 18 Karat gold leaf particles.
When i saw this a few months back i must admit i was very sceptical...i mean have you tried some of the Opi glitters 2 weeks use and they dry up.
To my surprise this feels like a totally different formula than those, so naturally i couldn't wait to get home and try it out....




 

I applied only one coat and the result were amazing. I found it easiest to splodge the brush down in the centre. So you concentrate the gold particles in the middle and then paint them out evenly, for a smooth glossy finish, that dries fast too.

One thing i hate on my nails is uneven textures like glitter, but this was smooth and i cant stop looking at it

Incase your wondering the colour is a polish from tesco thats was 99p called cocoa its amazing!

I absolutely adore this top coat and at a hefty £29.99 it had to be worth it ... it is! You can still pick it up at beauty bay. I know a lot of places will sell out fast !

Please please Opi spoil us with more silver or copper leaf top coats!

Laura x

Mac Holiday collection 2012

Mac in general has always been a bit of hit or miss for me personally....but I'm starting to regret that statement.


The few products Iver tried in the past have either completely panned and not lived up to my expectations, which are pretty high considering the buzz about the brand. Or just been so so and considering the price tags on some of the items i want them to be well, for want of a better word epic!

But i couldn't help but blog about the new Holiday collection its filled with goodies that i want and I've not even swatched them yet.

Macs new collection is going against the trend of winter 2012. Gone are the rich nails, Dark plums, purples and pale skin. Replaced by a beautiful boudoir inspired collection. Sweet and sexy but still seductive with a few naughty hues, this look is all about the inner goddess.

Big falsie style lashes and pastel pinks and greens are the looks for this Christmas...I'm dying try Glamour Daze Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Devine Blue £16.50 Place stolen moment in your crease with lashings of Glamour daze false lash Mascara and black liner and that's one show stopping eye.

Extra Dimension Eye Shadow £16.50 Ready to Party (L), A Natural Flirt (R)

Extra Dimension Eye Shadow £16.50 Round Midnight (L) ,Tall, Dark & Handsome (R)

Extra Dimension Eye Shadow £16.50 Stylish Merry (L), Stolen Moment (R)

Extra Dimension Eye Shadow £16.50 Evening Grey (L), Divine Blue (R)

The glamour daze fluid line in femmine edge £15.50 looks gorgeous and would make green eyes pop such a girly colour just on its own with the paler shade would look sweet for a day look. Mystery Glamour Daze Kohl eye pencil  £15.50 Looks stunning too.

Fluidline £15..50 Left-Right: Feminine Edge, Catch My Eye, Little Black Bow

Left: False Lashes Mascara £19.50.  Kohl Power Eye Pencil £15.50 L-R: Raven, Orpheus, Mystery,  Feline

As for lips there's a range of nude lip sticks from frost to creme sheene outrageosly fun looks right up my ally £15.50. I think with such a girly look on the eyes you could go for a louder lip or slick on a nude lipglass like Talk softly to me £15.00 for ultra girlyness and perhaps a sixties feel too.

Lipstick £15.50  L-R: Beauty, Innocence, Outrageously Fun, Glamourdaze, Dramatic Encounter

Lipglass £15.00 L-R: Impossibly Sweet, Pink Fade, Talk Softly To Me,  Deliciously Demure, Flight of Fancy

Now the powder blushes just didn't do it for me in this collection although in person i might change my mind. 

AdPowder Blush £19.00 L-R: Easy Manner, I'm The One, Small Vanityd caption

I do however love the look of the skin finish in whisper of gilt such a beautiful colour and its rare to find a more golden shade of a highlighter that has just the Right amount of payoff.

Extra Dimension Skinfinish £21.50 L-R: Whisper of Gilt, Suberb

Ill take all the Glamour Daze nail polishes Santa !

Nail Lacquer £11.00 L-R: Endless Night, In The Limelight, Girl Trouble, Everything That Glitters

So all in all Mac your really make me change my mind...

I cant wait to go have a try of these, by the looks of things ill need to fight off the crowds first !

Laura x

Beauty Christmas stocking fillers

I love to window shop online whilst doing my Christmas shopping. I mean who doesn't love to shop and sit in your pj's drinking tea, beating the Christmas crowds!
So i sat down today armed and ready and came across a fewcute stocking fillers i just want them all...


I really loved these 5ml nail polishes from Mavala in gold and silver, from their top selling show time collection. Priced at £8.60 with free delivery from feelunique.com

They are individualy wrapped in Angel Packaging and come as duo, you could even split them up for secret Santa gifts (although ill have them all please) Its such a unique idea that you can pop them in the stockings or hang on the tree. That's my dream Christmas tree right there...decorated in make up!

This made me wish i was young enough to carry it around how cute is this Cult Favourite Tangle Teezer styled in a little flower pot in pink or blue. This would be great for children that hate having their hair brushed and will end hours of tears and tantrums.
You can pack the pot with their best hair bobbles, so never lose one again.

Its a little pricey at £12-£13 for a child's hairbrush, but you do pay for quality here. I love it 

I find Grandparents really hard to buy for. Like most of us we all buy things we want now, and whilst i realise its about the thought i have to like the gifts too. I have never used any Crabtree and evelyn products before but i really like the look of the Gardeners 60 second fix for hands.

It comes with 2 travel size 25g hand treatments infused with shea butter designed for fast results, on dry parched hands. Perfect for those that love to dig in all weathers.You could pair this with some really nice Gardening gloves for a perfect gift.

rrp £8.00 I think the price tag is really good here and the design and neutral smell of Fresh green clover, lavender, sage, rosemary, and thyme. is very unisex too.

Talking of men well kind of ...

I even use this product myself and its my favourite shave gel. The Mens Ice-cool Foaming Shave gel, smells really nice very masculine and leaves your skin feeling cool and refreshed. 

Chinese Date, English Oak and Witch Hazel helps defend the skin against irritation and razor burn, leaving the skin feeling nourished, softened and refreshed.  Its the prefect range of skincare that even the most heterosexual male will fall in love with!

Again this is on the pricey side for a stocking filler but they are worth it! (Insert appropriate Loreal Joke here....)

Laura x

Estee Lauder a French affair with Mascara

It's no secret that i have a fair few products of Estee Lauder in my own make up collection. 

Its a brand that my mum used when she was younger and after all doesn't every little girl want to raid her mums make up bag ? Its ironic then that as she changed her make up style opting for mineral based products, that i became obsessed with it in my own right.

For me though it all started with a small tester of projectionist Mascara in my opinion of the best out there for added length and drama.

rrp £20.00

I go back and forth from drugstore to high end Mascaras and i always come back to this!

But if you truly want stay proof, don't move an inch, cry all night and sweat it out and i still wont move Mascara then Double wear is your Friend...errr my friend!

This bad boy honestly gives you the most defined long lashed look with ultimate staying power. I actually hate (that's a tad harsh) dislike waterproof mascaras. No matter how hard you try not to,you end up pulling your eye and a few lashes out too not good. But some how it actually does come off with a good make up remover, and yes i know estee lauder is my holey grail but, i do like there gentle eye make up remover too. Its just the right amount of greasy.

rrp £20.00

One Mascara that i am loving at the moment is the Turbolash vibrating mascara it is on the more pricey end at £30.00 but i don't think its just a gimmick, again i feel this is sorely overlooked by its competetors. Hear me out...

We put batteries in our razors and our toothbrushes to make those more efficient so why not a mascara ?

It makes application a doddle, doubles your lashes and the results well i rest my case.

My Dead eyes withoutany make up on just a moisturiser!

This is after one coat....i'm alive!

Laura x

Lock in Moisture in bathtime bliss

As the winter months are drawing in are, and its starting to take its toll on our skin. It's crying out for moisture and that extra special attention. Central heating, in and out of bitter wind and the freezing cold British rain slamming onto our skin, well its no wonder then that you start to find the odd dry patch. But its not enough to slough it off with an exfoliate and a quick dab of moisturiser.

Just like our clothes the moisturisers we need have to become thicker !

So My favourite way to replenish my skin is with a critically acclaimed indulgent bath oil by Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil. 

rrp £31.50

This really is a cool little product that has several uses. It starts off as a wax that you simply warm in  the bath or a small bowl of luke warm water. It melts at body temperature so it doesn't take a long time. I drop a little in my bath water and let the steam carry the scent all around the bathroom.
The scent itself is really intoxicating and makes me feel like I've been transported to an Asian spa. Its made up of a blend of Coconut Coprah Oil (the coconut meat) and sweet scented Frangipani flowers. 
Its unlike anything i have smelled before. Its also Paraban,SLS,SLES,DEA,Mineral Oils,Artificial Colours and Silicone Free.

You can also use this nifty product as a deeply replenishing nail treatment for the cuticles and massage into the skin, the scent will follow you around all day. Or alternatively use as an intense hair mask. Apply a few drops into your hands and run through your hair cover with a plastic shower cap and towel for 15-20 mins and shampoo and condition as normal.


It leaves you with a lovely sheen on your skin and oh so silky soft.

A must have for any bathroom cabinet.

Laura x

Fireworks and sparkles MUA Nails

While your getting your welly boots on and your winter scarfs don't forget someone wise once said " your never fully dressed without your nails done" although i cant actually remember the person who said the quote it still counts right ?

Anyway tonight's the night that most firework displays are on so in celebration I'm getting all festive and fun by styling my nails up with MUA's version of a caviar manicure.

MUA Constellation caviar nails in Scorpio is a lush mixture of red, gold, pink/purple and green which actually goes really well, and looks really autumnal.







The step by Step guide that comes with it looked simple enough.

I really wanted to pick up the red in this with a nice rich claret colour so i choose one of my fave nails inc colours in Pavillion Road, i thought the Matt of the polish would make the caviar pop.

 So the order i tried this in is sesh vite clear base coat then two coats of Nails incPavillion Road

I found it easier to paint all your nails with one coat of colour then go back and do the second coat except the the "expression" nail wait to dry a few minutes, go back and do the "expression" nail and pat down. This worked best for minimal smudging !

I finished the look off with sesh vite top coat skip the caviar nail though... Happy Guy Fawkes !

Laura x

Passionate about masks

So i felt it was high time i tried a new mask, and seeing as i had to go to superdrug why not try an oldie but a goodie

Montagne Jeunesse do a large range of single sachet masks that start at 99p and are great for trying new things for your skin.
I usually prefer deep cleansing clay style masks but the smell of the passion peel off really caught my attention and the i noticed the packaging had changed slightly.SOLD.

I picked up the Passion Peel off at superdrug on offer £3.49 and comes in a handy squeezer bottle (those packets really do get you messy) its for up to 10 uses although I'm not so sure it would actually do 10 ill let you know...

Its scent is made up of pulped pomegranate, passion flower, raspberry, grape and cranberry it certainly smelt good enough to eat although i wouldn't recommend it! Its also animal friendly and suitable fro vegetarians.

The consistency of this was great like warm honey only not as sticky and didn't feel too drying either. 

Once on it did make my eyes water slightly and give a light tingly feeling on my skin which i liked almost a cooling affect. You felt like it was actually doing something which i need as i have oily congested skin that as you can see is breaking out at the moment.

You basically leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes it starts to get tighter and then you peel it off.

You most certainly need to rinse with a wash cloth and tone after as it did leave some residue but it actually came off  peeled off almost in one. It did leave my Pores feeling really clean and fresh and slightly tighter although with my skin that's impossible. I'll wait to see if this breaks me out as the ingredients are not too bad for your skin considering its a budget mask.

Overall for a cheap mask you cant go wrong and i think in their category and price range Montagne Jeunesse are the leaders. If i had one issue with was that when apply you cant face the tube towards you as it looses momentum and wont come out but that's really very minor

Laura x

Hi my name's Laura I'm 24 and ill admit one thing i am obsessed with all things beauty related !

I followed beauty blogs and beauty "gurus" on you tube for a long time now. I always tell my friends and family ill start one soon, given my background its no surprise really.

Beauty therapist by trade my real obsession's are nails and make up. I can be found in most drugstore's or department stores trying things out...Just one more lip gloss ?!

So here it is the very start of my blogger journey, follow me and share my honest non biased reviews of the things i enjoy and the not so much along the way...

Laura x