OPI The Spy Who Loved Me - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

 

First of all I would like to apologise for the lack of posts over the recent months. I have been really busy starting back at university after a fairly long break so haven't had much time to spend on my blog. I'm hoping that now I am settled that will all change!

 

Anyway on to the nail polish! Today I painted my nails with one of OPI's new polishes from the James Bond Skyfall Collection. I choose 'The Spy Who Loved Me' which is described as a 'romantic red with sparkle'.

 

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of The Spy Who Loved Me. The polish applied smoothly and evenly and was more or less opaque after the first coat which surprised me a little as you don't always expect that after just one coat! I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

 

 

This polish is really bright and eye catching and is a nice change from the usual darker shades that you tend to see at this time of year!

 

Let me know if you recommend any of the other polishes from the collection! I can't wait to see the movie!

 

You can purchase this polish from Look Fantastic for £11

 

Maz x

Orly Rage Nail Polish - Review & Swatch

Hi Everyone!

I decided to apply a metallic shade to my nails today and went for Orly's Rage nail polish which is a beautiful rose - gold colour with a slight silver flash to it.

I began by applying a coat of Seche Base followed by 2 coats of Orly Rage. The polish is more or less opaque after the first coat but I found that it was a bit patchy when dry in places, this was, however, corrected with the second coat. I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

 

 

I love this polish! It's great any time of the year and the metallic shade is bang on trend right now!

I purchased the mini size (5.4ml) bottle of this polish from Effortless Nails for £3.95

Maz x

How to Easily Remove Glitter Nail Polish

Hi Everyone!

If, like me, you love glitter nail polishes but hate how difficult they are to remove then you will definitely appreciate this simple method that I have found to remove them!

You will need:

Nail polish remover (100% pure Acetone will work best)

Cotton wool pads/ rounds

Tin/ Aluminium Foil

Method:

1. Begin by applying some nail polish remover to a cotton wool round and place on 1 finger, over the nail.

2. Wrap a strip of tin foil around that nail to hold the cotton wool round onto your nail, making sure that it is firmly in place over the nail.

3. Repeat the above 2 steps for each nail.

4. Wait for around 5 minutes.

5. Twist and pull each wrap of your nails and the glitter polish will come away from the nail easily.

6. Use another cotton wool round to remove any excess glitter polish left behind on your nails.

And there you go! A simple and effective way of removing glitter polish without scrubbing away at your nails!

I hope you found this useful!

Maz x

Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy Nail Polish - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy nail polish from the Navigate Her collection for Spring 2012. This polish is a beautiful lilac colour that has a purple shimmer to it in the bottle but not so much on the nail which is a little disappointing. To add some extra dimension I added a layer of China Glaze Snow Globe from their Christmas 2011 collection which is described as a sheer colour base with a multi coloured glitter in gold, aqua, green, blue and purple.

China Glaze Snow Globe

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Original Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Essie's To Buy Or Not To Buy. This polish applies smoothly and evenly and dries quickly. It's almost opaque after the second coat but there is a little bit of visible nail line. I then added one coat of China Glaze Snow Globe followed by a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

I love this polish and think that the colour is beautiful and perfect for a summer. The fact that the purple shimmer that you see in the bottle does not appear to transfer to the nail is a little disappointing but I thought that the addition of Snow Globe made up for it!

You can purchase Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy from John and Ginger for £9.95

You can purchase China Glaze Snow Globe from Effortless Me for £6.95

Maz x

Zoya Neeka Nail Polish - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

This week my nail polish of choice was Neeka by Zoya from the Mirrors collection which is described as a "dusted grape purple with flecks of golden shimmer and sparkle". I love Zoya polishes as they have such great staying power and a pretty unique selection of colours and finishes.

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Zoya Neeka. This polish applies like a dream and was fully opaque after the first coat. It's also fast drying which is great. I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

This polish is gorgeous and I haven't seen anything else quite like it. The dusty eggplant colour is gorgeous and the small golden flecks give the polish an extra dimension of colour.

You can purchase this nail polish from eBay for £10.55

Maz x

China Glaze Exotic Encounters & I Herd That Nail Polishes - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

I picked up a couple of the new nail polishes from the new China Glaze On Safari collection for 2012. I chose 'Exotic Encounters' which is a medium green- teal colour and 'I Herd That' which is a copper, orange and holographic glitter mix.

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of China Glaze's Exotic Encounters. This is a lovely opaque lacquer with a cream finish. It was smooth and easy to apply and fully opaque after the first coat. I then added 2 coats of I Herd That to my ring fingers as an accent nail (using China Glaze's Fast Track as a base). I then finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

You can purchase these polishes from Beauty Bay for £6.95 each.

Have you purchased any of the polishes from the collection? If so, let me know what you think of them in the comments section below.

Maz x

MAC Red Lipsticks

Hi Everyone!

A couple of Weeks ago I shared my pink MAC lipsticks with you and today I thought that I would write a quick post about my red ones. I love red lipsticks and own 5 MAC ones. I know that red can be quite a difficult colour to wear but I find that if I exfoliate my lips then add a lip primer followed by a suitable pencil, the lipstick looks great. If you are new to wearing red lipsticks I would go for a more coral based red such as Barcelona Red.

(L to R) Spice It Up, Lady Bug, Barcelona Red, Viva Glam Cyndi, Viva Glam 1

DESCRIPTIONS:

Spice It Up: Muted brown berry

Lady Bug: Yellow tomato

Barcelona Red: Coral-red

Viva Glam Cyndi: Coral-red

Viva Glam 1: Intense brownish blue-red

SWATCHES SHOWN ON NW20 SKIN:

(L to R) Spice It Up, Lady Bug, Barcelona Red, Viva Glam Cyndi, Viva Glam 1

I hope that you have found this post interesting and useful. Please feel free to share you favourite red MAC lipsticks with me in the comments section below.

You can purchase MAC lipsticks from MAC for £13.50 each.

Maz x

Essie Turquoise & Caicos Nail Polish - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied Essie's Turquoise and Caicos to my nails. This polish came out in the 2010 Resort collection and I have owned it for quite a while. I really like the polish which is described as a 'Tropical aqua shade' and I think that it is an ideal summer colour!

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Turquoise and Caicos. The polish has quite a thick consistency but applies smoothly and fairly evenly. I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

The coverage of this polish is pretty good and smooth. There is some visible nail line but it is not as obvious in real life as it is in the pictures above!

You can purchase this polish from Beauty Bay for £8.50

Maz x

Essie Cute As A Button - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied another summery polish to my nails, this time I chose Essie's Cute As A Button which is described as a 'bright and vibrant coral'.

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Cute As A Button. The polish applies pretty smoothly and evenly and dries quickly. There is still some visible nail line after the second coat but it isn't too noticable. I finished off with one layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

I love this bright summer colour! It looks great and is really eyecatching! It also makes your skin look more tanned!

You can purchase this polish from Beauty Bay for £8.50

Maz x

MAC Pink Lipsticks

Hi Everyone!

MAC lipsticks are my favourite lipsticks and I have quite a decent size collection of them! They have a very big colour selection so I thought that it would be fun and hopefully helpful to share mine with you. In this post I am sharing my pink MAC lipsticks with you!

(L to R) Pink Plaid, Creme Cup, Angel, Fabby, Snob

(L to R) Please Me, Girl About Town, Speak Louder, Bombshell, Milan Mode

DESCRIPTIONS:

Pink Plaid: Dirty blue-pink

Creme Cup: Light blue-pink

Angel: Soft pink

Fabby: Mauve with gold pearl

Snob: A ladylike mauve

Please Me: Muted rosy tinted pink

Girl About Town: Fabulous fuchsia

Speak Louder: Clean poppy blue pink

Bombshell: Bright rosy-pink with shimmer

Milan Mode: Sheer deep pink with multidimensional pearl

SWATCHES SHOWN ON NW20 SKIN:

(L to R) Pink Plaid, Creme Cup, Angel, Fabby, Snob

(L to R) Please Me, Girl About Town, Speak Louder, Bombshell, Milan Mode

You can purchase MAC lipsticks from MAC for £13.50 each.

I hope that you have found this post useful. Please feel free to share your favourite MAC pink lipsticks with me in the comments section below.

Maz x

OPI Color So Hot It Berns

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied OPI Color So Hot It Berns from the Swiss Collection for Autumn/ Winter 2010. This polish is bright red colour with a creme finish.

I began by applying a coat of Seche Ridge Filling Base Coat followed by 2 coats of the polish. It applies smoothly and evenly and dries quickly. There is some visible nail line after the 2 coats but it's not too obvious. I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

This polish is beautiful and a classic red shade. It's similar to Big Apple Red but that has slightly better coverage in my opinion.

You can purchase this polish from Beauty Bay for £11

Maz x

OPI I Vant To Be A-lone Star - Review & Swatch

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied OPI'S I Want To Be A-lone Star nail polish from their Texas Collection for Spring/ Summer 2011. I have had the miniature size of this polish in my collection for around a year now and have never worn it! It is described as a 'pale pastel blue with silver shimmer'.

I began by applying a layer of Seche Ridge Filling Base Coat followed by 3 coats of I Want To Be A-lone Star. This polish is very streaky and not the easiest to apply. It was more-or-less opaque after the second coat but still quite patchy in places so I applied a third coat. My tip with this polish would be to use a few brush strokes as possible when applying. I finished off with a coat of Seche Vite Top Coat.

I really like the colour of this polish, the pale, pastel blue colour is gorgeous and the silver shimmer gives the polish that little bit of something extra. It is quite similar to China Glaze's Sea Spray which, in my opinion, applies better but has less shimmer.

You can purchase this polish from John & Ginger for £11.

Maz x

MAC To Catch a Sailor Lipstick - Review & Swatch

Hi Everyone!

I have another one of the lipstick's from MAC's Hey Sailor collection to share with you which I was lucky enough to receive as a gift from my friend for my birthday! This one is called 'To Catch a Sailor' and is described as 'highly frosted tan'. This isn't the sort of colour that I would usually go for but I was intrigued after seeing one of Tiffany D's videos on YouTube.

I love the sailor themed packaging on the Hey Sailor collection! This lipstick is great. It gives a lovely frosty finish to the lips and isn't too golden. It's great when wearing a more dramatic eye for an evening look as it's fairly neutral but gives you that little bit extra!

SWATCH SHOWN ON NW20 SKIN:

You can purchase this lipstick from MAC for £14 (please note: this item is limited edition).

Maz x

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Lip Pencil - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

I thought that it would be fun to share my collection of Urban Decay lip pencils with you all. Urban Decay currently sell 10 different colours and I own 6 of them. The colour selection available is not massively varied like in other brands such as MAC but you should find what you need! The pencils contain Jojoba oil, Vitamin E and Cottonseed oil which Urban Decay claims will nourish your lips and improve with the smoothness of the application.

(Top to Bottom) Midnight Cowboy, Illegal, Ozone

(Top to Bottom) Wicked, Naked, Wallflower

I also have quite a few of the MAC lip pencils in my collection and compared to them these pencils have a much easier, smoother but thicker application. These are more creamy than the MAC pencils and do not dry out your lips at all which I can find is a problem with some other lip pencils from other brands. Despite the creamy texture of the pencils they are great and stopping you lipstick and gloss from feathering and help it to stay put.

COLOUR DESCRIPTIONS:

Ozone: Clear

Illegal: Rosy Neutral

Midnight Cowboy: Taupe Pink

Wallflower: Medium Nude

Naked: Neutral Pink

Wicked: Shimmering light pink

SWATCHES SHOWN ON NW20 SKIN:

(L to R) Illegal, Midnight Cowboy, Wallflower, Naked, Wicked

*Please note that I did not swatch Ozone as it is clear and would not show up on camera!

Overall these pencils are pricey but could quality. As I have mentioned above they do their job really well and prevent your lips from drying out. My only negative point would be that their current colour selection is not as large as with other brands.

You can purchase the Urban Decay lip pencils from in the UK from stockists such as Debenhams House of Fraser and HQ Hair for £12 or from the official Urban Decay website for $19 in the US.

Maz x

China Glaze Wicked Style - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

We are experiencing some seriously good weather at the moment here in the UK so I wanted to go for a bright pink nail polish to keep up with the summery theme! I chose China Glaze Wicked Style from the Electro Pop collection for Spring 2012. Wicked Style is described as a 'party tropical punch' and is a bright watermelon pink colour.

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Wicked Style. This polish has a lovely, smooth, creme application and was fully opaque after the first coat. I finished off with 1 coat of Seche Vite Top Coat.

I love this colour so much and it is definitely one of my top nail polish picks for this summer! (Click here to read my Top 10 Spring/ Summer Nail Polishes post).

You can purchase this polish from Effortless Nails for £7.95

Maz x

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Hi Everyone!

I decided to make some muffins today! I love muffins but they aren't really something that I make all that often as I have never really found a recipe that I was happy with until now! This recipe is so easy and makes a delicious batch of muffins!

INGREDIENTS:

250g Plain Flour

100g Caster Sugar

3 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

175ml Milk

75ml Vegetable Oil

1 Egg

125g Chocolate Chips

3 tbsp Caster Sugar

2 tbsp Soft Brown Sugar

METHOD:

1. Pre heat oven to 200C/ Gas Mark 6 and place 12 muffin cases into a muffin tray.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, 100g caster sugar and chocolate chips together mixing well.

3. In a separate bowl mix the milk, oil and egg together, blending well.

4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet all at once and stir together until the dry ingredients are moistened (the batter will be a little lumpy).

5. Divide the mixture up between the muffin cases and sprinkle with the caster and brown sugars.

6. Bake for 20-25 until golden brown in colour. Insert a skewer into the centre of one muffin to check that they are thoroughly baked.

7. Allow to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before removing and allowing to cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

These muffins are so tasty and an ideal size! They are much lighter than those bought from a shop and don't seem to stick to the back of your throat like many shop bought ones seem to either!

I found this recipe on All Recipes

Maz x