Liz Earle Strengthening Nail Colour

Exciting news for Liz Earle fans- she is releasing 12 nail polishes! There will be three sets- Classic Nudes, Bold Brights and Deep Darks and they launch on the 29th August. It's great to see Liz branching out into nails as she has already conquered skincare and has some of the best selling products in her range. 

The nail polishes are 5-free which means they are free of Formaldehyde, Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde Resin and Camphor. They contain avocado and borage oils which will condition your nails. They will retail at £7.50 each for a 12ml size which is a great price compared to rival nail polish brands. You will be able to buy them at lizearle.com, QVC, John Lewis and Boots. I can't wait to try these out and I'm sure they will be featured in a blog post sometime soon! :) 

My Favourite Fragrances

I always have a few fragrances that I wear different times of the year and daytime/evening perfumes. My favourite go to fragrance for summer days is L'Occitane Eau De Toilette in Cherry Blossom. I first received this as part of a set for Christmas a few years ago and love it so much that I get it every year ( thanks to my lovely boyfriend). It is L'Occitane's best selling fragrance with top notes of cherry, freesia and black currant which makes it ideal for summer days in the sun. I used to just save this for special occasions but got so addicted that I use it pretty much every day! 

My fragrance for the evenings at the moment is Gucci Guilty. I find that it is too heavy for me to wear in the daytime but is perfect for going out in the evenings. It costs £39.50 for the 30ml and £52.50 for the 50ml in Boots, although the prices may differ between retailers. 

Top notes- mandarin orange and pink pepper

Heart notes- geranium, peach and lilac

Base notes- patchouli and amber

If I am going out somewhere nice in the daytime I will wear my Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction. It is from their Secret Garden collection and I was first introduced to it by my friend a few years ago who was given the whole set by her then boyfriend. Every time I went round her house I would spray one of them as I just love how fresh they smell on my skin ( I still do spray hers even though I have my own). The scent is red plum and freesia and it is gorgeous! I can spray as much of this as I want and it doesn't get overpowering and the smell stays fresh all day long. I bought mine while I was at the airport and it came in a set with the matching shower gel and body lotion. Bliss! 

There is one fragrance that I love but don't own at the moment and that is Giorgio Armani- Armani Code. I was first bought this fragrance 6 years ago when my boyfriend and I had only just got together and he went away to Ireland for a week ( this was my first present from him-yes soppy I know!) . It still reminds me of that time 6 years ago so I love repurchasing it just to reminisce a little. I think it is a fairly heavy fragrance, for me anyway, but it is perfect for the evenings. 

Top notes- jasmine and orange

Heart notes- orange blossom

Base notes- honey and vanilla

It costs £41.50 for the 30ml, £47.00 for the 50ml and £71.50 for the 75ml. I will definitely be buying this again soon as my Gucci Guilty is running out. 

Leighton Denny Ultimate Manicure Case

All I have to say is wow! As you know I am a Beauty Therapist so I obviously have various boxes and cases for my kits but hadn't really found one that looked the part as well as doing the job, until now! I spotted this case on QVC ( which I'm addicted to) but I kept umming and ahhing whether to get it or not and thinking the usual ' do I need it' etc etc. In the end, my boyfriend bought it for me as a surprise, probably to stop me whining and asking him whether I should or shouldn't get it! I'm so glad he did! 

It arrived very quickly, quicker than other items I have ordered from QVC and was perfectly packaged so there was no damage to it. It was £36.36 and worth every penny. It is black and rigid with two zips running horizontally around it, separating the compartments. 

The first section opens up to reveal enough space for 30 Leighton Denny nail polishes, each held into place in a foam plinth cleverly included in the box. 

The second section is empty but big enough to fit even more polishes, if like me you have an addiction! You could also use it for your tools- files, cuticle pushers, buffers etc and still fit some polishes in. The handle and the box itself is sturdy enough, however Leighton did say to carry it from the bottom if it is full of polishes which is definitely what I will be doing, I don't want to risk ruining this lovely box!

I would definitely recommend purchasing this, it's very versatile and the perfect height to accommodate polish bottles whilst looking very neat and expensive! 

Xx

New Makeup Brushes

I've been meaning to get some more makeup brushes for a while now as I dirty so many while I'm working on bridal parties/ clients. I have a mixture of Mac and Real Techniques brushes in my pro kit so i went to Boots and bought 4 more. 

I bought the Real Techniques Shading Brush and the limited edition Duo Fiber Collection. I like these brushes as they don't lose bristles and they wash up quickly and easily. 

The Shading Brush was £7.99 and came in a plastic box with a clear front so you can see inside. The brush itself is firm enough to hold its shape, yet soft enough to apply eyeshadow comfortably and effectively. 

The Duo Fiber Collection was £23.99 which is a fantastic price for three good size brushes. Again, these come in a plastic see-through box with a brief description of each brush on the reverse. In the kit comes a face brush which I will use for powder, a contour brush and an eye brush. I love the look of these brushes, the handles are white with the 'Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman' logo on one side and the name of the brush on the other side. These brushes are designed for lighter application of product, therefore enabling you to build up colour gradually. A few of my clients don't wear any makeup at all so only want a barely there natural look when I do their makeup so these brushes will do the trick nicely. They're also perfect sizes, the face brush fits well on the contours of the face so will be great for applying powder. Some brushes I own are either too big or too stiff to work product in properly so I'm really excited to add these to my collection and begin using them. 

I will  eventually do a post on all of my makeup brushes and my pro kit so you can see what I carry around with me when I do a bridal party and what the essential products are. 

Xx

Essie Mademoiselle Nail Polish

This nail polish has been on a list of beauty bits and bobs that I add to whenever I see something I like or someone tells me about a product I should research. I saw it on Instagram a few months back so I googled it and decided I needed it in my life! It wasn't until I went to Boots for makeup brushes and walked past the Essie polishes that I thought I should pick it up. 

I have a few Essie nail polishes in my kit at work but nothing as pale as this one. It's a pink with no glitter or sheen to it which I like as it makes my nails look clean and bright. My nails aren't particularly in a bad condition, considering I have worn polish almost consistently for 10years, but my free edge has never been very 'white'. I'm always envious when I get a client at the salon who's nails have a long perfect pink nail bed tipped with a nearly opaque white free edge, jealous much! However I need not worry anymore, this Essie polish does the trick. It transforms my nails from dull and boring to gorgeous and healthy within minutes, creating that 'barely there' look. 

I like the shape of the bottles and the 'Essie' brand name running down the side of the glass. The only downside for me is the brush as its quite wide so it is hard to judge how much polish is loaded on it. I have said before though that I am used to painting with OPI brushes so with more practice I am sure I will get better! 

I first applied OPI Natural Nail Basecoat followed by 3 thin coats of Mademoiselle, finishing with my trusty Seche Vite Top Coat. I have already recommended this colour to my boyfriend's sister who is getting married next year and wants a hint of a colour on her nails. I think this one could be it! :)

Xx

Evening Out makeup(races)

Hi guys! So I mentioned in a previous post that I was going horse racing in Newmarket and said I might post a few photos of my makeup/outfit, so here they are... :)

Sorry for the awful photos, I am in no way photogenic! 

Makeup- I wore Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer, Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation NW25, Mac NW20 Studio Finish Concealer, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder on my t-zone, Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Powder on the rest of my face, Bourjois Poudre Bronzante to contour slightly, Nars Orgasm Blush. 

Eyes- Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer, Vanilla and Shroom under brows as a highlight and inner corner of my eyes, Omega across my eyelids and into crease, Woodwinked on outer corners and blended into crease, Charcoal Brown smudged from lash line and winged out into crease, Carbon along lash line as a liner, Charcoal Brown used to fill in my eyebrows. I then curled my lashes and applied L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara. (All eyeshadows are Mac). 

I then applied Mac Riri Woo lipstick all over my lips. This is a gorgeous matte red that suits most skintones. 

Brushes used- 

Real Techniques- Buffing Brush, Deluxe Crease Brush, Powder Brush, Contour Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush, Base Shadow Brush. 

Mac- 266 angled brush for brows and lash line, 316 lip brush. 

Daniel Sandler Blending Brush. 

Outfit- My dress is from Missguided and so is the belt, my bag is from Dorothy Perkins years ago and my sunglasses are £3 from Tesco! 

If any of you are thinking of going racing, it's such a good day/night out! We usually go when there is a band playing in the evening but they do all sorts of different entertainment. 

Nails Inc Wellington Square

Hi guys! Hope you're enjoying the summer so far, we have been getting nice weather here( Suffolk) for a few weeks on and off which is unusual for us! So I'm in a summery mood and thought I already have a nice nail polish colour on my toes, why not paint my fingernails too?! 

I decided on something peachy/ pastel as I was going out to dinner with an old friend wearing a blue and white dress so thought it would contrast nicely. Nails Inc Wellington Street was my final choice, I do have a stupidly large amount of nail polishes to choose from which always takes a while ( I'm ridiculously indecisive). 

I bought this polish months ago from the Nails Inc website, along with two or three others. I'm really into the whole pastel trend at the moment, especially as the sun is shining which makes me very happy! Pastels suit most people but you need to find the right colour for you, for example pastel yellow may not suit everyone- definitely doesn't look right on me :( and i would love to be able to wear it. The only downside I find is that they are tricky to paint. It may just be me but I have to concentrate a lot when I paint with them, being careful not to overload the brush or use too little and risk streaks. This colour needed 3 coats plus base coat- OPI and topcoat- Seche Vite. Overall I am happy with the colour and it matched my outfit really well, I wore a dress from Missguided which I will probably include into a haul post as I have bought way to many clothes recently! 

Xx