The “Yellow Polka-Dotted": Lemon Fizz Nails with Acrylic Bow and Pink Glitter Spots

Yellow polka-dotted nails with acrylic bow on accent finger and sequin heart on thumb.




Items used from left: China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Konad pink special polish, yellow acrylic bow with pink dots, and pink translucent glitter. QA30 stamping plate from eBay.





I was inspired by a pretty yellow acrylic bow and decided to do matchy-matchy nails to go with the theme. 


Apply pale

Le Blush Créme de Chanel-Révélation

When I first saw Chanel were launching a cream blusher I was delighted!  I believe it is not yet available in the UK but it's coming soon!  I managed to order mine from Nordstrom in the US-I also bought a second one, in the shade Affinite, but that one is on back order so hasn't yet arrived.  Having said that, I can't wait for it to arrive having tried out Révélation today!

Révélation is a peachy coral with a hint of pink.  Right up my street.  This is hands down this is the best cream blush I have tried.  It feels like velvet to apply and dries to a powder finish but without losing it's dewiness.  It dries quickly but not so quickly that you can't work with it.   It's not got the stickiness that the Stila convertible colours or the Illamasqua cream blusher has.  It's easy to blend with your fingers or with a brush (I dabbed it on using fingers then blended out with a Real Techniques Expert Face brush).  It's buildable.  It's going to look fab on pale girls like me and amazing on olive skins.  It's love already.

I have to be honest I hate posting pics of myself on my blog but I think to show how lovely it is it is needed....here it is just applied over my foundation with no other make up on apart from foundation.

 And here it is with the rest of my make up on.

 

If you're looking for an easy to use cream blusher I would definitely recommend you have a look at these Chanel beauties!

Disappointing products

I quite like these posts...let's face it, not every beauty product out there is amazing!

I have been storing stuff away and jotting down in my notebook when I have come across products that, for me, were disappointing for some reason and here are my thoughts on 6 products that just are not rocking my world.  I'll say from the outset, I am quite surprised 3 of the products are from Laura Mercier as it's a brand I thought I quite liked.

Usual disclaimer-just because I don't like these products doesn't mean other people don't love them-this is just my own opinion.  Two of the products in here I know LOVED by other beauty bloggers on the whole.

First up with have an eyebrow and eyelash enhancing serum

Peptalash from Indeed Labs and Hi Brow

I blogged earlier in the year here about my love for RapidBrow and Rapidlash.  I used to apply them religiously but when they ran out I thought I would try something else so picked up these two products-Peptalash from Indeed Labs (£24.99 from Boots in the UK) for my lashes and Hi Brow Eyebrow Growth serum (£14.99 from beautyexpress.co.uk) for my brows.  Now firstly, I was recommended the Eyebrow Growth serum by a beauty salon in Dubai and when I went to pay for it I remember being quite shocked how much it cost (AED350 which is £61) but I didn't want to cause a fuss so just paid for it.  Now I realise I have been royally ripped off again in Dubai seeing how much it costs in the UK!

The reason I don't like the Peptalash is purely because it makes my eyes sting even though I obviously don't apply it in my eyes!  The reason I don't like the Hi Brow is that the plastic wand is SO hard I find it painful and scratchy to use.  And because of this I just found I didn't bother to apply it everyday as I had with Rapidbrow and Rapidlash.

I've just had false eyelashes and my lashes are now quite short and damaged so I have cracked open another Rapidlash and it's so much nicer to use!

Second up is a beauty bloggers fave that I just don't feel lives up to the hype and it's the L'Occitane Amande Shower Oil.

L'Occitane Amande Shower Oil

The smell is delicious but I find that the product 'sticks' to my skin on contact with water leaving a milky white residue that is difficult to remove.  I will no doubt use it all but I expected to fly through this bottle but in reality this has been in my shower since January and every time I use it I am disappointed.  Having said that I am currently using the dry body oil from the same range and do really like that.

Lastly are three Laura Mercier products-the Silk Creme foundation, the Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder and the Lip Glace in Orange Tulip

Laura Mercier Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder, Silk Creme foundation and Lip Glace in Orange Tulip

I won't repeat myself but I blogged about my experience with the Silk Creme foundation here.  I just could not get it to work for my skin type whatever I did-and I tried everything!

The Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder was just horrendous-the fall out when trying to apply it from the palette was awful as you can see here-it literally goes everywhere!

One dip of my kabuki brush in the powder!

When applied on the skin it just gave a ghostly white cast and just didn't seem to blend at all.  The only way I could get it to work was to use the Real Techniques multi task brush, dip it lightly in the powder, push the brush bristles down on the back of my hand to 'push' the product down the brush shaft and then lightly tap and roll the brush on my skin.  Far far too much hassle!!  I did use it all as it was expensive but I will definitely not repurchase!

Finally the Lip Glace.  Don't get me wrong, the formula on this is pretty damn perfect.  If you hate your lip gloss being sticky then Lip Glace's are for you because they feel like water on your lips.  I also like the colour of this lip gloss, what I HATE is that it settles into every single line on your lips and within minutes looks like a milky mess.  You can kind of see it already seperating in the picture below and this was literally within seconds of applying it.  I will probably try this on top of a lipstick in future rather than gloss on it's own.

Have you tried any of these products and loved them?  What products aren't floating your boat at the moment?

Fiddle Leaf Fig in the Foyer

Squeezing in one more post before the weekend! I'm so excited about my new Fiddle Leaf Fig tree that this one couldn't wait until Monday.

Tonight, Brad and I went to dinner and to search for a banana plant to go in the foyer. You guys may remember in my recent Foyer Re-do post (check that out here if you missed it), that I mentioned possibly picking one up this weekend.  I've been wanting a fiddle leaf fig for the longest time, but pretty much gave up on it since I've heard they're really hard to find.  So we went to Lowes and the pickins were slim. They had one really sad looking banana plant. So we went to Home Depot to hopefully find a better banana plant and lo and behold... they had 4 fiddle leaf figs! You better believe I scooped that baby up as fast as I could. Brad was cracking up at how excited I was about this "fiddly" tree.  The one we snagged is in pretty good shape. The other three were really sad looking and brown in a lot of spots.
I got the tree for $34 and picked up this beautiful pot for $45. It was a splurge, but the pot is almost as gorgeous as the tree.

I really love the look of it against the black French doors, (for more info on how I painted those, check out this post), but I'm a little worried about it being that close to the air vent. Don't want the leafy guy getting chilly. The issue with it being on the other side is that there is a closet door that would open up against it (the French doors swing into the living room/office, so that's not an issue on the side it's currently on). So I'm going to see how he does (yes, he's a "he") next to the vent for a while.  Other than that, it should be the perfect place for him because this room gets a ton of light.  We shall see...

So do any of you have a fiddle leaf fig? Any tips? Hope you guys have a fabulous weekend!!

Mac Flamingo

I may be a little late to the party with my review of this lipstick from Mac's All About Orange collection but it's so lovely it's worthy of a mention!

Flamingo was first launched in December 2011 as a limited edition and now it's back-sadly limited edition again. 

I ummed and ahhed about buying any of the lipsticks and looked at online swatches several times.  It was sold out on the Mac UK website but when Selfridges got the collection in I snapped up Flamingo.

I'm glad I did as this is right up my street as a summer lipstick even though it's a Lustre finish which I am not that bowled over by.

But the lustre finish makes it shiny and glossy and also pinker than it appears in the bullet.  It's a semi opaque pink with a hint of coral.  Perfect for daytime and I suspect something I will use regularly over the summer!  It's much more wearable than I expected it to be.

You may still be able to find it on counter and also on ebay (be careful and always go for sellers with high ratings when buying make up).  It would be so much easier if Mac just launched this into its permanent collection!!

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Easy Summer Dress OOTD ...and something new underfoot

Happy Friday, Loves!
Today I wanted to share a really easy (and affordable) look with you all. Well, minus the bag. Because if you guys know me at all by now, you know that I like to invest in my handbags. I don't have a ton, but my philosophy is that I'd much rather invest in a few classic handbags that go with anything and that I can carry forever, rather than spending a lot (or a little) here and there on a huge collection of trendy bags over the years that would add up to the same amount anyway. Trust me. It works out.

But no worries, you can totally put any type of bag with a look like this. I was dying to break out my new Target wedges (you may remember from my recent Target shoe haul post here) in this gorgeous shade of coral. Pairing them with an easy dress like this in a natural tone allows you to have fun with your accessories! No matter what you put with a dress like this, you can't go wrong.

Oh, and I know...The OOTD posts have been a little few and far-between lately.  It's for good reason... Do you notice something different in the photos below?

and no, it's not the awkward between-the-legs birdhouse shot. 

I know, it's probably a bit hard to know what you're looking for unless you had a before shot to compare it to, but we totally built a patio this past weekend! Look for a post for the completed photos and how-to details of that coming up soon...

Anyway, I'm pretty much loving it. Because this is my favorite spot in our backyard to take photos,  I now don't have to worry about getting my shoes messed up in the grass and dirt.  Plus, we have an awesome spot for outdoor patio things that don't really work on our screened-in porch, like our grill and gas fire pit. 

It's still a bit muddy around the edges, but I can't wait to spruce it up with some pretty plants.

Ok, so back to the outfit details...

details:

dress- Forever 21

shoes- Target

necklace- BCBG

earrings- Henri Bendel

bag- Louis Vuitton Neverfull GM

double ring- Henri Bendel (these are available again!) 

 Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!

Don't miss my June Favorites video that just went up on my YouTube channel today as well!

Label addict

I have been wanting to write this post for ages but I've finally gotten down to sitting down and writing it following a discussion I had over twitter with my friend Jen at the weekend who you can find over at Daisy Rose Beauty about problematic skin.  I was hesitant because it's the first ever post I have written with no pictures!

Over the past two months I have become completely label obsessed.  Not designer label, I'm talking ingredients labels.  Particularly in skincare.

I am absolutely NO expert in skincare at all.  I love reading about it and getting recommendations for new products and my two favourite blogs for skincare are Caroline Hirons and Rebecca at Be Beautiful.  The way these two ladies write has given me a real interest in what I am putting on my skin and I feel I have learned about different ingredients, their benefits and the building blocks of a good skincare routine.

My interest started after I had a horrific experience in January with Liz Earle cleanse and polish cleanser.  It broke me out horrendously, I have never had such instant, deep routed and painful spots.  They sat under the skin, quietly raging away and never came to a head.  My skin made me want to cry.  Even though I stopped using the Liz Earle after 3 days it took 2 and a half months for my skin to recover.

Mistakenly I thought Liz Earle contained Shea Butter and immediately started telling anyone who would listen it was the Shea Butter in it that was making me break out and I actively avoided any product with Shea in it on my face.

It wasn't until I one day realised that the Ren Number 1 Purity Cleansing Balm contained Shea Butter. I was using it and loving it so I went back for a second look at the Liz Earle ingredients.  No Shea.  But it did contain both Beeswax and Cocoa Butter which I have heard can cause breakouts for some people.  Ahhhh mystery solved I thought.  Shea = good.  Beeswax and Cocoa Butter = avoid like the plague.

Then I realised that the Kiehls light moisturiser I used every day contained Beeswax.  Wow.  So maybe Beeswax isn't an issue either.  I just needed to avoid Cocoa Butter.

Currently I have just started using the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm as my evening cleanser.  Ingredients in the balm include Beeswax (but no cocoa butter) so I wondered how my skin would react.  The first couple of days were ok then I started getting spots around my jawline.  I used it for 6 days and then travelled to Cairo.  In my travel wash bag I had thrown the Ren No 1 Purity Cleansing Balm and over the last 5 days my skin has totally cleared up.  Since I have been back I decided to give the Emma Hardie another try and so far so good.  But I have really stripped back my skin care to try and see if this is what is effecting me.  Also it is VITAL in my opinion that you use a flannel to remove this properly from your skin-trying to wash it off just doesn't cut it and leaves me feeling like I have a film of product on my skin.

I'll be honest, it's a frustrating process.  I like to read all ingredients labels now before I buy.  And if a product doesn't have the ingredients listed I won't buy it.  I spend a lot of money on make up and skincare, I want to at least know what I am putting on my face.

There are SO many ingredients in skincare that I don't recognise or understand what they are supposed to do.  So many of the ingredients use the Latin derivative and it can be a complex and confusing process.

I've also learned that Shea Butter is sometimes listed as Butyrospermum Parkii and Beeswax as Cera Alba.

If my skin breaks out over the coming days I will know it's something in the Emma Hardie as the rest of my skincare routine will remain the same as before I used the EH.  I will assume it is the Beeswax in it but to be honest there are so many ingredients in the EH it could easily be something else.

Other things I have learned through Caroline and Rebecca are that;
-I should be double cleansing especially as I wear SPF (I'm not-well until I see what happens over the next few days)
-I should be toning using an exfoliating and hydrating toner.  (I'm not, I am back to using Alpha H every second day to sort my skin out and it is working
-Neither of them rate muslin cloths for removing cleaner, both prefer flannels (which should be washed after every use).  I now use flannels to remove my cleansing balm in the evenings and to remove any face masks I put on before a final rinse with water.

I know Carolines perfect skin care routine involves a non foaming cleanser in the morning followed by double toning, any serums (heaviest last), hydraluron and then moisturiser.

In the evening double cleansing (balm then milk or gel). double cleansing, oil, serum then moisturiser.  It may seem heavy but Caroline says she is a fan of piling it on.  In all honesty I'm not, I prefer to start with a base cleanser and moisturisor and if my skin is ok slowly start to introduce other products into my regime.  I know many many people are eagerly snapping up Carolines recommendations and spending their hard earned cash on multiple products and starting anew-but if your skin breaks out how do you know what is irritating it.

Having said that, best line ever from Caroline has to be 'facial wipes are for flights, fannies and festivals'.  I don't use face wipes.  Or cleansing water now unless I am on a flight and it's the easiest way to remove make up or I am drunk and can't be bothered with the whole routine.

I have also learned that my skin CAN tolerate shea butter.  I loved the Ren cleansing balm.  I also know my skin tolerates rose and almond oil as ingredients and that Glycolic acid (which is an AHA) was my skin saviour in March when I tried the Alpha H Liquid Gold.

I've learned a whole new vocabulary-I know what Salycilic acid is (and how to pronounce it!), that hyluaronic acid holds 1000 times it's own weight in water so is great for plumping the skin.  I know mineral oil and parabens are skin nasties. I know Retinol A is a great anti-ager and and AHA's are acids but good acids.  I know silicone makes my skin feel so silky but also puts a barrier on the skin so is best in products like foundation primer.

As I have said I am stripping back my skin care at the moment to see if the Emma Hardie is causing me to break out.  Once I know or not I'll be slow introducing other products into my skin care routine.  I don't think it will ever be a perfect science but I am definitely happy to be more conscious of what I am putting on my face.

How have you ever gotten to the bottom of an ingredient that doesn't suit your skin?  Do you always read the ingredients before buying anything?

MAC Tropical Taboo Collection & MAC Illustrated Bags

Today I'm bringing you all my thoughts on yet another new MAC collection.  Two actually.  Is it me, or does it feel like they're spitting these babies out like crazy??

So first, Tropical Taboo....

This collection is full of Mineralized products. It's no secret by now that you all know that the Mineralize Eye Shadows are not my favorite. Unfortunately, I still feel that way after testing these from this collection. I'm still waiting on MAC to change the formula so that they come off as beautifully as they do in the packaging.  To me, they all seem to sort of blend together into shades that can look pretty drab. Sad, but true. Some of them that are more solid come off beautifully. It's mostly just the ones that appear to contain a few different colors swirled into one. Let's check 'em out.

Mineralize Eye Shadow: $21. 

Bossa Blue

Dare to Bare

Caribbean

top-bottom: Bossa Blue, Dare to Bare, Caribbean

Next, the Mineralize Skinfinish...

I've always been a fan of these. The two shades I have from this collection are actually really warm and beautiful. The shimmer is nice too... Not too glittery or chunky.  Just a beautiful shimmer.  I would wear these dusted lightly over blush or even as blush alone if you don't mind the shimmer on your cheeks.  I was impressed with the actual color payoff of these.

Mineralize Skinfinish: $30.

Rio

Lust

Rio (left), Lust (right)

Next, the Mineralize Blush.  Generally, I find that these are more on the darker side and more perfectly suited for darker skin tones. For me, I can definitely make them work by applying them with a lighter hand. This is the one I have from this collection...

Mineralize Blush: $25.

Simmer

I've always been a fan of the Kohl Power Eye Pencils. This collection has two.  I'm LOVING this shade. It's a beautiful blackened gold with beautiful shimmer. The other shade is Feline which is one of my favorite black liners ever.

Kohl Power Eye Pencil: $16.

Orpheus

Now on to the lip products! This collection has 5 Mineralize Rich Lipsticks. I have one, which I definitely think is one of the prettiest shades in the collection (I checked out the others in the product description photos I received with the collection which are GORGEOUS... I definitely need to check them out in person!).  I love how these feel on the lips. Really rich, creamy, and a bit sheer, but perfectly pigmented enough.

Mineralize Rich Lipstick: $22.

Lady at Play

Cremesheen Glass: $20.

 top-bottom: Japanese Spring, Fever Isle, Narcissus

How GORGEOUS is Fever Isle?? I love the pigmentation and subtle sparkle.

Lip Pencil: $15.

 Ablaze (top), Have To Have It (bottom)

These are both great lip liner shades. The Ablaze would pair perfectly with the Lady at Play lipstick above.  While the Have To Have It appears as a great nude, it's much more of an orange-toned brown. So don't expect to pair this with your really nude lip colors. It will pair much better if you're wearing a more brown shade.




I decided to combine the MAC Illustrated Bag collection with this one as well since there's just a few.  I really like these!  Some of you may know that the MAC Softsacs are some of my absolute favorite little cosmetic bags. These remind me of them... but a lot more fun. They're a great size too.
These are the ones I have (there are 4).

Illustrated Bag 1 by Indie 184, $36

Illustrated Bag 1 by Anja Kroenke, $36

So what are your thoughts? Any products that catch your eye??

Products sent for consideration by MAC Cosmetics with no obligations or agreements to feature or review.