YouTube Debut

I'm currently on holiday and my sister, which has a YouTube Channel, asked me to do a tag video together. I wasn't too keen at first but then I changed my mind and after many retakes and hysterical laughs, we managed to produce a video.

We chose the '7 Deadly Sins of Beauty' tag and it was fun - I'm guessing the key is not to take yourself too seriously! :D

So, If you wanna watch me talk gibberish (ehm Italian) click below. 

Her channel is - NicoleFashionsmetic

Pimp Your Glassware!

 I have these boring looking glasses in the house that I've been tempted to throw them away few times; we just have too many glasses and running out of storage in the kitchen... until I saw some pretty marbled glasses tutorials on youtube.

 It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it and follow the instructions strictly: you will also only need stuff that you probably already have around the house and it's a great way to finish those dried up, half empty polish bottles that you can't bear to chuck in the bin.

You'll need:

- boring looking glasses (any glass really, I also saw this technique being used to decorate Christmas bubbles)

- nail polish bottles (including a clear top coat)

- nail polish remover

- plastic cup

- toothpicks (actually, these were incredibly hard to find! I went to 2 Tescos and they were out of stock in both... I resorted to use some braun ones from my electric toothbrush, but please use ordinary wooden cocktail sticks yourself)

- masking tape

Step one: tape off the bottom of your glasses;

Step two: fill the plastic cup with room temperature water;

Step three: the fun starts! Make sure you open all the nail polish bottles that you're going to use and start dripping the varnish into the water. You need to layer the colour one on top of the other;

Step four: take a toothpick and start moving the polish around, making patterns; you need to work quickly because the polish will start to dry.

step five: The most delicate step, where you need to practice and master the technique in order to get good results - It's time to transfer your design into the glass!

Now you need to place your glass on top of the water and, to avoid air bubbles to form, start from one corner and then flatten the whole glass on the water. You need to find the right balance here: you don't want to go too fast and break the polish but either too slow.

Let the varnishes collect on the glass, then give a little shake and remove the glass from the water carefully.

You should be left with something like that - I used glitter polish here too... the sparkle looks really nice in the sunlight.

step six: patience! You need to leave the paint to dry completely and, to be on the safe side, I recommend overnight.

step seven: add a layer of clear top coat to seal the pattern and again, let it dry!

step eight: remove the masking tape and use some nail polish remover on a cottonbud to clean up possible smudges. 

TADA! You're glasses are done :)

Tips:

=> you can reuse the same plastic glass, but just make sure to remove any polish residue from the water before starting dripping the new colours;

=> make sure the water is at room temperature, otherwise the varnish will sink at the bottom of the cup;

=> not all polishes and brands are going to work well; I can recommend NOT to use fast drying formulas, for example;

=> don't have your nails done the day before because you'll be left with a messy manicure, that's for sure! ;)

=> handwash only.

Have you tried this project before? I thought it was a lot of fun and I will definitely try it again - Show me your masterpieces on Facebook, if you decide to give it a go. :)

xxx

Haul / House of Fraser

'Evening Ladies!

Just a quick heads up: if you're on O2 and download their priority moments app, there's a promo code to use in House of Fraser. You need to spend £40 and you'll get a voucher worth £15 (to be spent in January 2013)... not bad at all. 

Anyway, I was in town on Saturday and went to pick up a couple of things that I've been wanting to try for a bit - It was also 10% off beauty department... double whammy!! ;)

Laura Mercier Radiance Foundation Primer

I swatched this in SpaceNK few months ago, just out of boredom, and I was hooked.

It made my skin looks so healthy and radiant (dah!) and it went straight on my wishlist.

I have also seen it in many youtube videos and it does make the skin look beautiful.

It's a rosy/champagne shade and it's supposed to shine through your foundation and - as you can see in the picture below - it makes a huge different to my hand. I can't wait to try it out!!!

Nars Blush in Sin

I've been pondering to buy this one for a while; I tend to prefer warmer toned blushers so I pretty much checked it out every time I'm at a Nars counter but I was never convinced enough to buy it. 

Until the lovely saleslady tried it on me - It was instant love! I couldn't believe how this cool shade suited my skin in such a discrete way.

Sin is a deep plum, berry shade with just a tiny bit of gold sheen - Perfect for winter!

I can see myself pile it on my cheeks until march - definitely a new staple in my collection.

About the voucher: last year, I treated myself to a Bobbi Brown lippie - I'm thinking of getting another lipstick... Tom Ford anyone??! :D

I got Curve ID-ed

I've been wanting to try the Levis Curve ID for some time now... so I popped into a store last week to get measured.

Basically - you can read better and in more details on the website - they're measuring your proportions more than your size and based on that there're 3 main categories... for me, the verdict is Demi Curve.

I tried a couple for different style - they do skinny, straight, bootcut... - and the size was spot on and I bought a pair of straight leg ones. 

What I like in a jeans? low waist, bum shape and dark colour.

I love them!!! They feel and fit so good... and they're, also, doing the sale so I got mine for £59 down from £85 and I'm ok with that price for a pair of jeans.

Honestly, where can you get a pair of good jeans for lower? I'm used to buy Diesel, anyway. 

I had a couple of pairs from Topshop but they all end up in pieces; I don't know what I did with them but they didn't last me more than a year... and I have some Diesel's ones for 8 years AND they look good! Sorry but I do think you can see the difference.

Sorry for the crappy photo but I'll make sure to post some pictures of me wearing them soon :)

To compensate, I bought a couple of cheap tops ;)

Actually, I saw Essie-Button! wearing these in some youtube videos and I thought they were sooo pretty!

I don't, normally, shop in H&M anymore... simply because their stores, in Glasgow, are always chaos! I can never find what I'm looking for; also, the website is a bit crap (and I do a lot of 'window shopping' online) so I end up never finding what I want in store..

But I don't have an aversion for H&M, I want to be clear, in fact I used to shop there when I was living in Cardiff and I go with my sister in Italy...

Anyway, here is what I got - one was 14something and the other 19something... I like proper-lady blouses with a bit of a edge ;)

I like the pansies print and fake leather collar on this one...

... and I like the pastel mint colour  and pearls details on this one...

Have you tried Levi's Curve ID? Do you like them?
xx

State Side Swap - part 1

Few weeks ago, the lovely Betzy - from Betzy's Makeup - asked me if I'd fancy a swap with her... so, I jumped at the chance of getting some goodies from the USA.

My parcel arrived few days ago and ever since I haven't stopped playing with my new make-up.

(I'm gonna split the Haul into 2 posts as it's very picture heavy, sorry!)

First of all, the box: Betzy used a BirchBox to send me all the items and I'm sooo gonna keep it!!! :)

I'm, also, loving the floral tape - too cute!

Ta-Da!!!

I asked for brands that I can't find in Uk or items that are yet to be released in Uk (see Revlon Chubby Stick - exciting!!!) - and luckily, loving everything so far.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001 Honey

This is the one that I was - mostly - looking forward to try out!

I adore the Clinique Chubby Sticks and these look like exact dupes but cheaper... these really just came out in the States and it's really hard to find swatches online so I just picked the colour which looked most unusual but still wearable. 

The gamble paid off because I'm so pleased with my choice; I'm not really sure how to describe this colour so I'll just let the swatch do the talk. ;)

Believe me, It's so so pretty!

Maybelline Bouncy Dream Bouncy Blush in 60 Coffee Cake

I, actually, like the bouncy consistency - although you end up wasting product. I think it's easy to work with and easily build-able.

I picked this colour because I have too many pink blushes already - It's, actually, less orange than in the picture and very flattering on the skin.

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Eyeshadow Trio in Knock On Wood
I saw so many youtube videos where people rave about these eyeshadows... I chose this trio because pink and purple are my most used eye colours.
These are lovely - very buttery and a joy to work with. They have a great pigment payoff (even the lighter shade) and blend very well. I'd, definitely, love to try some more of these.

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blusher in Pearlescent Pink
Probably, my least favourite of the lot; as I said above, I have loads of pink blushes already so nothing particularly exciting about this product.
Still, lovely quality powder and I will, definitely, use it - safe blush choice!

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Burgundy Frost
Another WnW item - hehe :)
Pretty, deep red shade with a bit of shimmer in it - can't go wrong with a red manicure and this colour will work well for a pedicure, too.
It lasted well for 4 days straight and dried super fast. I think, for the price, you get a good deal here.

... part 2 to follow...

Debenhams 2/6

Chanel - Le Vernis nail colour in June
This is part of the Spring 2012 collection - as soon as I saw a spoiler, months ago, on lisaeldridge.com I was in love! It's just so pretty.
I don't usually spend that much on polishes - I just can't justify more than 5 quid on a nail varnish, really... they end up drying pretty quickly and I have never finished a bottle... a bit of a waste, if you ask me.
 I've been wearing it 'barely there' with 1-2 thin coats - it's so flattering on tanned skin; but, if you prefer, you can still build it to a more intense colour.
If you look at the bottle, it has a slight shimmer but it's really not detectable on the fingers and it's super glossy!

Bobbi Brown Brightening Finishing Powder in Brightening Nudes
This product, first, caught my eye on a youtube video; so, I had to pop in House of Fraser and swatch it. It's the perfect mix of neutrals, if you ask me - brown, beige and pink and the most stunning shades!
I have swatched the 6 squares separately here - only for the blog benefit - but I would never attempt to use them individually: all the tones work perfectly together.
 I can't explain how... but It really has a brightening effect on the face and also feels so light on the skin.
The packaging, also, is beautiful: I got to say that the mirror compact doesn't seem to attract fingerprint (as much as the Guerlain' ones) and it has a magnet closure. It comes in a pouch but it's made of cotton instead of the velvet (Dior/Chanel types) that gets dirty in a nano-second.

Have you seen/bought any of these items??
xx