NOTD Essie ~ Chubby Cheeks

I haven't bought an Essie polish for ages but if you follow me on Instagram, you'll have noticed that one 'fell' into my basket in Boots the other day *ahem*!!  This is 'Chubby Cheeks', a beautiful soft yet bright coral & I love it!  (It's currently on 3 for 2 so is the perfect time to try them!)

Admittedly, the finished photo is dreadful - I'm not quite sure what happened there - but I've remembered why I used to love Essie polishes so much.  The brush is a great fit on the nail making application simple & very quick & the finish is great.

I used my usual Strong Adhesion base coat by China Glaze & Seche Vite top coat & I'm currently 5 days in & just starting to get tip wear.

Do you like Essie polishes?  What's your favourite shade?

Black, grey & berry

             

            

Black, grey & berry by fortytherapy 


Berry is one of my favourite accent shades to wear in autumn & winter so I'm pleased to see so much of it around at the moment.  I'm also extremely fond of wearing a titfer or two & there are some great ones on the shelves although this year I'll be wearing trilbys & fedoras rather than my trusty berets & beanies!

This outfit is so simple to chuck on for everyday but whilst it's not too cold yet, I've teamed it with a poncho rather than a coat - it also helps with the *whispers* hot flushes!!!

I started with the grey denim leggings from Next as I have these in 3 other shades & I love them, they're just so comfortable & a really great fit - completely hold in the muffin top!!  With them, I've added a simple white vest & over-sized jumper with faux-leather sleeve panels, both from H&M.  I know that unfitted tops are not the most flattering on me & make me look bigger than I am but I just feel so comfortable in them!  And as long as they're teamed with skinny bottoms, I can get away with them!!

The long black poncho is from Next, as are the black slouchy boots.  The fabulous berry coloured fedora is from M&S, not somewhere I go in much these days as my local store is not much cop sadly but I found this online.  The bucket bag is from H&M, they have some fab things again this season.  I think they've tweaked their sizings as I find the tops a much better fit on me at the moment.....or maybe I've dropped a couple of pounds?!

I've thrown in a berry shaded matte lip crayon & nail polish too for good measure, sometimes a bit of co-ordination is good!  And I may just have sneaked this gorgeous Tissot watch on to my board too!  This is what I'm hankering after for my 'big' birthday next year from the hubby.  I've been leaving several hints lying around & have pointed it out to him in the jewellers - several times! - but unless I physically glue a picture of it with instructions where to buy it, I don't think it'll sink in.  Bless him, he's not great with hints!!!

How do you feel about berry shades?

NOTD Rimmel Salon Pro ~ Rhythm & Blues

 

 

 

 

I have to be honest here & say that when I went to the shops the other day, I was on the hunt for After School Boy Blazer by Essie but it's still sold out everywhere so when I spotted this navy blue polish by Rimmel, I though I'd give it a shot instead!

 

I'm a huge fan of the regular Rimmel polishes but this is the first one I've tried of the Salon Pro range.  I love the colour although it's not as blue as I'd like, it looks more like a black with a slight blueish tinge to it to me!  Both of my daughters asked why I'd painted my nails black.....

 

I don't think the longevity is great, I started getting some serious wear on the tips just the following day, not at all great.  To be honest, I find the regular Rimmel polishes wear much better.

 

Although I thought the brush was just the right size & firmness, I hated the short stumpy lid, I found it really difficult to hold & control.  The first coat was really streaky but it covered perfectly in 2 coats & as always, I finished it off with Seche Vite top coat.

 

So, I don't hate it........but I don't love it either & I wouldn't rush to buy another from the Salon Pro range.  I think I'll stick to the regular ones!

 

 

 



NOTD Essie ~ She's Pampered

 

 

I believe Essie She's Pampered was one of the A/W '12 special editions & I picked the little beauty up from the Boots clearance shelf a couple of months back but hadn't tried it until last week.

 

As with most of the Essie polishes, this has a great formula, thick & opaque enough to get away with only one coat but the photo above is with 2 coats & Seche Vite top coat.  It looks more fuschia pink in the bottle but I found it more of a red with a hint of pink.  Either way, it's a beautiful colour ideal for this glorious sunny weather we're having!

 

I managed a week with absolutely no chips & minimal wear on the tips, this is another Essie hit for me!

 

 



NOTD MUA ~ Summer Pastels

 

 

 

1.  Lush Lilac

2.  Strawberry Crush

3.  Frozen Yoghurt

4.  Moody Mink

5.  Pistachio Ice Cream

 

So a couple of months ago I picked up these wee MUA bargainous gems in Superdrug for the princely sum of £1 each.  I'd seen a lot of people wearing summer pastels & loved them but really wasn't sure how I'd like them on me seeing as I'm usually a vibrant bright or gothic dark nail polish kinda gal!!

 

As it happens, I've loved them all but I surprisingly loved Pistachio Ice Cream the most (very similar to Essie Mint Candy Apple don'tcha think?!)

 

For the price, the longevity is great & I usually had around 3 days before any wear on the tips.  The photos are all showing 2 coats of polish (with my trusty Seche Vite top coat!) & although some colours could have benefitted from a third coat, in general I've been very pleasantly surprised by these polishes & they're a great size for travelling too! 

 

The only downside to these are the thin brushes but come on, for £1 I'm certainly not going to be shedding any tears about it & I can't wait to see what new colours MUA will be releasing next!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



NOTD Essie ~ Turquoise & Caicos

Last week I hunted out my old Tiffany bracelet that I had for my 30th birthday & I decided I wanted to paint my nails to match the packaging!  After asking the Twittersphere for some suggestions of colours, by far the most popular choices for good colour matches were China Glaze For Audrey or Essie Turquoise & Caicos.

 

So the next morning I hot-footed it into town & went to the beauty wholesaler where I usually buy my China Glaze products but they didn't have For Audrey & according the sales person, were unlikely to get any, booo!!

 

Next, was onto Superdrug as they had a 3for2 offer on & Boots didn't.....well, every little helps right?!  I bought the Essie polish along with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation which I've read many good things about & L'Oréal Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer.  I'll do reviews on those soon but for now, the polish.....

 

 

 

 

The colour is divine & a pretty good match for the Tiffany packaging.  As always, I applied my China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat to begin with & then the first coat of polish.  I have to say, I was quite shocked at how thin in consistency this seemed as I usually find Essie polishes to be really opaque & cover exceptionally well with just one coat.  However, this was not the case here.

 

Even with 2 coats of colour, the coverage was still a little streaky for my liking & I think it could've done with a third coat to be perfect but I didn't have time!  I think next time I'll try it with an opaque white base colour on first & see if that helps with the coverage.

 

I finished with my trusty Seche Vite top coat & although I had about 6 days with no chipping or flaking before I removed the colour to change it, there was some serious wear on the tips going on.  Again, this just wasn't like any other Essie polish I've tried before so I was quite baffled.  But like I've already said, the colour is beautiful & I had lots of compliments on it, I'll just try an alternative  application next time & see if that makes any difference!

 

I also bought a bargain (£4.99) ring from H&M that matched the polish perfectly, another great summer favourite!!

 

 

 

 

What are your favourite summer colours?

 

 

 

 

 

NOTD Essie ~ Snap Happy

I'm a fairly recent convert to Essie polishes but in the few weeks I have been using them, I'm really impressed.  I stumbled on a Boots clearance sale a couple of weeks back & found some great bargains on Essie polishes, some were knocked down to a bargainous £1 each!  I bought 2 bottles of Snap Happy, a gorgeous corally-red, 2 bottles of She's Pampered, a lovely bright not-quite-fuschia- pink, a bottle of Beyond Cozy, a silver glitter polish & 2 boxes of a trio of minis (Leading Lady, Snap Happy & Beyond Cozy).  Couple with the 3for2 offer, I got all of these little gems (almost £60 worth) for the grand sum of £5.50!!

 

 

 

 

    I usually begin my manicures with China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat & always finish with Seche Vite, which in my humble opinion is the best top coat available.  I've read very mixed reviews about it but I honestly love the stuff.  When I paint my nails & use both the base & top coats mentioned, my manis last a least a week before they start to wear on the tips (& I start to pick the polish off...naughty!!)

 

The China Glaze base coat is a fairly new addition but I think it adds to the longevity of my manicure.  It has quite a rough texture to it when applied which, I presume, is where the Strong Adhesion part comes in to play.  The first coat of colour sticks to it like glue & dries really rapidly.  I find the Essie polishes are opaque enough to get away with one coat but I always apply 2 anyway, just to be on the safe side!

 

  

The application of Seche Vite goes against everything I usually do as a nail tech.  You must apply it while your polish is still slightly wet or I find it doesn't last as well.  And you apply in quite a thick layer, again going against the 'thin coats of polish' principle & it dries ridiculously fast!  But trust me, this top coat will give you the glossiest, most long-lasting manicure you can imagine.

 

 

 

 

But back to the NOTD.  I LOVE this colour, it's so bright & summery (ha, no such luck!) & even makes my winter-pale hands look ever-so-slightly tanned.  I feel this will be a regular wear for me from now on & I can't wait to see it on my tootsies, hopefully it'll be another week-long mani too.  I feel my bank balance is going to be much worse off though as I expand my Essie collection.....!

Beauty haul #1

I'm really depressed with all this snow that is showing no sign of stopping so yesterday I had a wee mooch around town & bought a few new bits to try in Superdrug.

1.  MUA Primer £4

2. Tresemmé 24 Hour Body Plumping Powder  £5.49

3.  MUA Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde £1

4.  Essie polish in Eternal Optimist £7.99

5.  Sleek Pout Polish in Perfect Plum £4.29

Over the years & through my work, I think I've used pretty much every cosmetic & skin care brand available in the UK but I'm still keen to try new stuff.  Now, I'm a stay-at-home mum of three on a very strict budget but even I am a tad dubious at the quality of the MUA products being that they retail at such low prices.  I really hope to be impressed with these though.  I've used the Primer this morning for the first time under my foundation & I have to say, it felt really smoothing when it was applied.  I can't say that it has made a huge difference to the application or indeed the finish of my foundation but to be honest, I was in a real rush today.  Tomorrow I will take more time & see if I notice a difference.  But hey, for those sort of prices, they've got to be worth a shot right?

Tresemmé is a brand I have a love/hate relationship with.  I really like most of their styling products but I often don't get on with their shampoos & conditioners which is a crying shame as they're such good value!  I've been looking for a volume booster for my hair for when I'm in a beehive kind of mood so it'll be interesting to see how it fares......watch this space!

Although I have several boxes full of nail polishes, Essie is a brand I've never got around to trying for some reason.  Actually, I do know the reason.....the price!  Normally, I wouldn't dream of spending £7.99 on a nail polish as I tend to buy mine in my local salon supplier so I get them at trade prices but I keep reading such good things about them, I decided to use my Superdrug points & get one!!  I love the colour, a neutral warm pink with a hint of brown so I feel a mani coming on tonight to give it a whirl.  I have to say though that I adore the range of colours offered by Essie but although their stands are brightly lit, this can sometimes be a tad misleading on the colour you're actually getting.  I thought this colour was more brown in the store but it's still lovely so it's all good!

I've tried the Sleek eye shadow palettes before & I LOVE them.  They're really densely pigmented & they have huge staying power but it's a first for me with the lip colours.  I'm hoping it will be as richly pigmented as the powders although the Pout Polish is a tinted lip conditioner, not a lipstick or gloss even but still, I want it to have some impact on my lips!  Incidentally, when trying out lip colours in stores, don't swipe them on the back of your hand.  As a former MUA, I've always taught my clients so test colours on the pads of their fingertips as the thinness & colour of skin is very similar to your lips so you will get a more realistic & accurate colour!!

 

So I'll be giving these products a shot over the next few days & will blog a follow-up on them asap.  À bientôt!!