So, here is my go-to outfit for this month’s not-so-summery summer days.  I wore it recently to see a band play at a pub, and I’ll be wearing it tonight with comfortable flats for a meal out with my partner.

Dip Hem Shirt, Vest and Skinny Jeans – Primark

Suedette Shoe Boots – New Look

Studded Skull Bag – Everything5Pounds

Handcrafted Silver Bat Skull Necklace – Birthday gift from my Dad (bought from Etsy)

What have you been wearing on these cooler summer days?

Naomi x

Barry M’s Gelly varnish has a thick but creamy consistency, which applies extremely smoothly with no streakiness.  However, if you have too much varnish on the brush it can apply a bit too thickly, so its best to apply as thin a coat as possible and build up from there.  I made the mistake of applying fairly thick coats at first so the coverage was instantly completely opaque, but I applied a thinner second coat over the top for good measure.  As with all Barry M Nail Paints, the Gelly dries to the touch rather quickly.  I put this on not long before I went to bed, but I didn’t wake up with fabric imprints on my nails, which is always a good sign with me!

Greenberry is an extremely beautiful greeny turquoise shade, and is delicately bright.  It’s almost a pastel neon if that makes sense!  It has a creme finish, and of course, an intense shine which you can almost see your reflection in.  In my experience, it’s quite rare for a creme varnish to have such a shiny appearance, so it definitely lives up to its name.  It doesn’t even need a top coat!

This Nail Paint lasts really well too.  I first applied Greenberry on Sunday, without a top coat, and didn’t remove it until yesterday, and after four days of wear chipping was minimal.  There were a few nicks at the ends of my nails on my right hand where I caught them on the zip of my bag, but other than that the varnish still looked as bright, shiny and smooth as it did when I first applied it – just like a gel manicure!

Overall, I am suitably impressed with Barry M’s Gelly Nail Paint as it looks great and lasts long, and to top it off Greenberry is a gorgeous colour.  The Gellies cost £3.99 each in Boots and Superdrug, which is £1.00 more than most Barry M’s varnishes, but its well worth it for that extra shine and staying power.

Have you ever tried a Barry M Gelly?  What did you think?

Naomi x

Early last month I launched my Budget Beauty Blogger Swap.  The budget for the swap was £10/€12/$16, and the aim was to buy your swap partner as many beauty products as you could within the budget – quite a challenge, but not impossible!  So far, I have already seen quite a few posts from bloggers sharing their swap parcels, and everything sent and received has been brilliant.

Today it was my turn to receive my parcel all the way from Beverly Hills in LA.  My swap partner was the lovely India, a US beauty blogger who runs beautynthbrains.  I answered the door to the postman this morning to see him holding a box with the US postal logo on it, and I knew what it was straight away.  As I’m sure you can imagine, I was really excited to see what was inside the parcel so I opened it in a hurry, and was met by this pretty pink, spiralled package, packed full of amazing products.

When I saw this little haul I was over the moon!  Everything India sent is exactly my colour, and I was really happy to receive products from so many brands that we don’t have in the UK.  I will be reviewing each of the products separately in the coming weeks once I’ve had a chance to use them properly, but here are my first thoughts on everything…

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Shimmer The Night Away

I was incredibly happy to receive a Wet n Wild eyeshadow palette, as I have heard a lot of good things about them and they are highly sought after in the UK.  The palette I received is Shimmer The Night Away, which features eight shimmery shades – four suitable for a smoky eye look, and four pinks and purples which are my go-to colours – perfect.

Everyday Minerals Stay Cool Matte Eyes Eyeshadow

Everyday Minerals isn’t a brand that I’m  familiar with, and I don’t own many mineral eyeshadows, so I’m really looking forward to experimenting with this.  The colour is a deep grey with a lovely violet undertone, which will incorporate well into my usual colour palette.

Sephora Nano Eye Pencil in Midnight Black

India and I told each other a few items that we had been lusting after, and Sephora Nano Eyeliner was one of mine.  I adore bold, black eyeliner looks so this is ideal for me.  I’ve swatched the liner on my hand and, as the Sephora website says, it is highly pigmented and glides on easily as it’s enriched with shea butter.

Sephora Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil in Fuchsia Pink

Sephora’s Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil in Fuchsia Pink was another of my requests, and it hasn’t disappointed.  I wore this today and it applies smoothly and lasts a very long time.  The bright pink shade is absolutely stunning, and the micro-glitter finish gives incredibly shine.  I think it’s reminiscent of Barry M’s Lip Lacquer Crayon in Party Pink.  Gorgeous!

Sephora Pencil Sharpener

I’ve been meaning to buy a new pencil sharpener for ages now as my old one is on its way out, so this was a great little accessory to find in my swap parcel.  India must have read my mind!

Model Co Lip Gloss

Model Co is another brand that I’ve never used before.  The gloss doesn’t have a name or colour labelled on it, but it’s a bright shimmery pinky red with a sheer finish.  I didn’t find the gloss overly sticky when I tried it on earlier, and it has an intense strawberry scent and flavour which I love.  The mirror on the tube is so handy too.  I’ll definitely be using this gloss on a regular basis.

Beauty So Clean Cosmetic Sanitizer Wipes

India also sent me four cosmetic sanitizer wipes which are for cleaning cosmetics before or after use.  Another nice little addition which will be carried in my make up bag for cleansing on the go.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with what I received in my swap parcel.  I imagine India went over the budget with her buys, so thank you India for being so generous and sending me so many fantastic treats.  I feel well and truly spoilt today!  Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph everything I sent, but hopefully India will share everything in a post of her own when her parcel arrives.  I posted almost two weeks ago so fingers crossed it will reach the US soon!

I plan on linking to everyone’s swap parcel posts in a blog post very soon, so if you’ve received your parcel and have blogged about it please let me know!

Naomi x

Firstly, how gorgeous does this lipstick look?  I’ve always been a fan of Illamasqua’s classy black packaging, and this is a fine example of such.  The packaging is practical too, as the lid is quite large and clicks firmly into place so there’s no chance of it coming off in your bag, which we all know can lead to a messy disaster!

The first thing that hit me when I opened this lipstick was its scent.  It doesn’t smell plasticky or chemically like some cheap lipsticks do, rather, it smells exactly like Krispy Kreme doughnuts – delicious, AND without the calories!  I honestly spent a good minute smelling it before I even applied it.  It’s just that good.

In terms of application, Tramp has it all.  I can honestly say this is the creamiest lipstick that I own, which to me is the sign of a high quality lipstick.  It smooths on effortlessly and feels extremely moisturising on the lips, and believe me when I say that the feeling lasts…  Not once have my lips felt dry whilst wearing this.  In fact, they feel noticeably softer after use, and there’s no need to apply a lip balm underneath or over the top.  Illamasqua lipstick has decent staying power too.  It always survives numerous drinks throughout the day, but it doesn’t stay put completely after eating, so does need a bit of touching up every now and then.

Tramp is a bright rose red, with an undertone of blue – a beautiful, classic shade that makes me feel sophisticated and sexy.  Ideal for Valentine’s Day!  I have experimented with several red lipsticks in the past and have found that blue reds look best against my pale skin tone and, though it doesn’t really show in the picture above, Tramp really brings out my blue eyes!  My eyes are my favourite feature, so I’m always happy when I find a product which shows them off.  Tramp also has a matte finish, which I prefer in red lipsticks as I don’t think bold colours need shine as they’re already eye-catching enough.

Unfortunately, I have just discovered that Tramp has been discontinued, which is really disappointing as I have lost it as soon as I found it!  So, for now, I will be keeping this beauty for best, and in the meantime I will attempt to find a duplicate, or an Illamasqua replacement shade.  Any suggestions?

To find your perfect Illamasqua lip product, you can check out their full range here.

Naomi x

*I bought this Illamasqua Lipstick in Tramp myself.  All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*

Jack Frost is made up of a pale, iridescent glitter which changes from blue to purple in different lights, and is suspended in a cloudy varnish.  The formula is rather thick and gloopy, but it applies easily and evenly despite this, and dries quickly too.  The glitter is so densely packed in you only need one coat over the top of a dark base for amazing coverage.  I haven’t used this on its own, but as a top coat it looks incredible and really comes alive.  Here it is over two coats of Ciaté’s Power Dressing…

Isn’t it beautiful?  Once on the nail, the glitter transforms and bursts with colour, not what you’d expect when looking at it in the bottle!  I chose to use Power Dressing as a base as it is a deep navy shade, which really brings out the blue tones in the glitter.  It reminds me of a starry sky on a clear, cold night, and the icy colours are perfect for winter.  I found it really difficult to capture the true beauty of the varnish on camera, but it changes from blue to indigo to violet with the movement of your fingers, in both natural light and indoor light.  I can’t put into words how much I adore this varnish.

If you want to add Models Own Jack Frost to your collection (and why wouldn’t you?), it is available online or in Boots stores, and costs just £5 for a large bottle.

Naomi x

Are you ready for Christmas yet?  I am!  This month has gone really quickly, and I have now opened all 24 doors of my Ciate Mini Mani Month advent calendar.  This week has been my favourite week of all – Ciate really did save the best until last in my eyes!  Here are the final six minis in all their glory… (All pictures are clickable for a closer look.)

Day 19 – Cookies and Cream

I’m sure I’ve said many times before that I’m not really a fan of nude shades, but I have made an exception for this one.  Cookies and Cream is a creamy nude beige colour, and it looks so clean and sophisticated on the nail.  The above photo shows two coats of varnish, and as you can see the coverage isn’t completely opaque, but three coats would do it.  A gorgeous neutral shade, perfect for the office!

Day 20 – Magic Carpet

Magic Carpet is the second exclusive shade to the Mini Mani Month, and it is one of my absolute favourites in the whole calendar.  The varnish is a beautiful dark magenta, and it is made up of large and micro glitter flecks.  It took three coats of Magic Carpet over two coats of Cookies and Cream to achieve the above look, which is rather a lot of varnish, and in all honesty it didn’t take to my nails very well.  The glitter didn’t dry that quickly, and it seemed to melt the colour underneath slightly so it peeled off.  I think I’ll use this as a thinner top coat in the future, or just wait a lot longer for it to dry.

Day 21 – Fade to Greige

I absolutely adore Fade to Greige.  It is a very dark grey with a violet undertone, which I think would compliment any colour.  The formula is lovely and creamy too, so it is a pleasure to apply and dries very quickly.  Another classy, sophisticated shade, perfect for versatile every day wear.

Day 22 – Sundance Caviar Pearls

Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to try these Sundance Caviar Pearls yet, but I imagine they’ll have the same easy application and lasting power of the other pearls in the calendar.  Sundance is made up of yellowy gold and bright blue beads, with a few flecks of gold glitter scattered throughout.  I must say, I am a caviar manicure convert after trying Ciate’s Mini pots, but this shade is probably my least favourite of the four in the calendar.

Day 23 – Mojito and Day 24 – Enchanted Rose

The last two days of the Mini Mani Month featured two Christmassy shades – green and red.  Day 23 gave me Mojito, a creamy lime green which forms the base of my holly nail art!  It applies like a dream and even, opaque coverage takes just two coats.  Mojito is actually a lot less fluorescent than it looks in the photo, which is a positive thing in my opinion as there is definitely such a thing as being too bright!

Today’s shade, the final shade in the box, was the third exclusive shade – Enchanted Rose – a beautiful red glitter varnish.  Enchanted Rose forms the berries of my holly nail art, and it has a very sparkly finish, perfect for Christmas day.  Unlike some glitters, it isn’t overly sheer, so it wouldn’t take much to build up a bold, bright glitter look.  Another winner!

And to finish, here is a picture of two coats of Day 6 shade, Angel Wings, which I didn’t have time to swatch in Part 1…

Overall, I have been extremely pleased with the Ciate Mini Mani Month.  The range of colours and finishes in the set is fantastic, and it was definitely worth every penny.  I will be using all of these a lot in the future, I imagine!  I’m looking forward to trying some more nail art designs with them.

That’s it from me for today…  I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas day tomorrow, full of love and laughter!

Naomi x

PS. Here are Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of my Ciate Mini Mani Month Round-Up, as well as my introductory post!

First off, I would like to wish my sister, Freya, a very Happy Birthday!  Today she turns 21, an important age, but she’ll still always be my baby sister, wanting all my things.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY FREYA!!

Now, down to business…  Today I opened the door of Day 18 on my Ciate Mini Mani Month advent calendar, which means it’s time for another weekly round-up!  This post will feature Day 13 up to Day 18, and I have swatches of all but one of the Paint Pots this time.  I must admit, my feelings were mixed this week.  There were a couple that I really liked, and one or two that I wasn’t keen on at all, but you can’t win them all as they say!

Day 13 – Glass Slipper and Day 14 – Speed Dial

On Day 13 I opened the door to Glass Slipper, a lovely blue glitter polish, and the first of the calendar’s three exclusive shades.  The glitter is very fine and beautiful, and doesn’t feel too rough in texture, but it isn’t really dense enough to wear on its own (unless you’re willing to apply 3+ coats).  It works perfectly as a top coat however, and is surprisingly easy to remove for a glitter.

Speed Dial is an unusual shade – it looks bright orange in the bottle, but I found it applies somewhere between a red and an orange.  It is more orange in real life than it looks in the photo above though.  I just can’t quite decide whether I like it or not!  It definitely doesn’t look that good with Glass Slipper over the top, but with the right outfit I can see it working.  Not one of my favourites, but not bad.  It applied evenly and has a creamy formula at least!

Day 15 – Headliner

Headliner is my absolute favourite this week…  I seem to have a thing for blues at the minute!  It is a dark turquoise blue shade with a stunning creme finish and I love it!  As you’d expect, the formula is great and, quite impressively, it only takes one coat to achieve a completely opaque finish (the photo above show two coats, however).  Headliner got me a lot of compliments when I wore it, and without a doubt I’ll be wearing this one a lot!

Day 16 – Big Yellow Taxi

Ick, I’m not liking Big Yellow Taxi.  I initially thought this looked okay as it appeared quite a creamy banana yellow in the bottle, but when I applied it I was soon disappointed.  It has a really strange gloopy formula, so it went on very streaky, and no number of coats seemed to be able to even the finish out.  The yellow shade is slightly too bright, and in all honestly it looks like tippex coloured in with yellow highlighter pen – not pretty!  On the plus side, it doesn’t leave any stains behind at all.  I don’t think I have the skin tone to pull this off, but it would probably look great against darker skin…  I may use it for Batman nail art though!

Day 17 – Power Dressing

I haven’t tried Power Dressing yet so I can’t comment much on the formula and colour, but in the bottle it looks like a classic deep navy blue, and I imagine it will have a lovely shiny finish.  I’m looking forward to using this!

Day 18 – Candy Shop Caviar Pearls

Candy Shop is the third out of four bottles of Caviar Pearls in the calendar, and so far they are my favourite.  The beads are very small and coloured in three shades – turquoise blue, pink and orange.  As with the other pearls that I have tried, these are very easy to apply (just pour over a wet nail, press down, and leave to set for 15 minutes), and look really striking against a bright varnish.  The purple shade I chose to pair the pearls with is actually Cabaret, one of the shades I didn’t swatch in Part 1, so now you can see what it looks like.

So there you go, a mixed bag of mostly brights this week.  Which is your favourite?  Please vote below!  Check back for Part 4 next Monday, on Christmas Eve, and if you want to see the previous shades in the Ciate Mini Mani Month, they are swatched in my Part 1 and Part 2 posts.

Naomi x

Dielle translates as ‘Modern Goddess’, and the brand aims to provide sophisticated nail shades which look as amazing on the nail as they do in the bottle, and which help to enhance every woman’s natural beauty and inspire confident self-expression.  All of Dielle’s nail varnishes are free of toxic ingredients, including the big three, and come in a wide range of impressive colours.  Every bottle contains 12ml of varnish, which is a generous size, and they retail for £12.00 each.  Dielle also support charities that work with women and children in Haiti, so every nail colour you buy will not only benefit you and your nails, but will go towards helping others.

The two shades I  have been lucky enough to try are ‘Bliss’, an eye-catching azure glitter, and ‘Imperial Crown’, a pretty purple with an undertone of pink.  Over the last couple of weeks I have tested and enjoyed both colours, and here’s what I think of them…

Bliss

Bliss is one of the latest colours to be added to the Dielle collection, and also a limited edition.  As mentioned before, the bulk of Bliss is made up of a fine azure glitter, which to me invites images of a tropical ocean – pure ‘Bliss’!  It has larger flecks of gold and silver glitter running throughout too, which gives it an amazing depth when on the nails.

The varnish itself has a fantastic consistency so it smooths on easily and not too thickly, and the glitter is distributed evenly and not at all sparsely.  As such, Bliss looks fabulous over Imperial Crown after just one coat, but I always add one more coat for an even bolder look.  What really impresses me about Bliss is how quickly it dries…  Without fail, it is completely dry to the touch in less than one minute, so it is almost impossible to smudge.  I know, it seems too good to be true, but every time I use it it dries quick as a flash!

This is how two coats of Dielle’s Bliss looks over Imperial Crown…

Isn’t it stunning?  You can really see from the photo above how the glitter sits evenly and doesn’t clump together into a lumpy mess, and how fantastically it shines.  I love it!

‘But isn’t it a pain to remove?’, I hear you cry.  The answer?  NO!  No it isn’t!  What makes Dielle’s glitter a cut above the other glitters out there is that it comes off as easily as a normal varnish, so there’s no need to spend hours scrubbing at your nails with countless cotton wool balls and gallons of industrial strength nail varnish remover.  Hallelujah!  The glitter flecks don’t rip the cotton wool to shreds either, which means fluff free nails.

Overall, Bliss is a very high quality glitter which gives a burst of shine and colour, without the worry that it will be stubborn to take off – definitely worth the £12.00 price tag!

Imperial Crown

Imperial Crown is a regal plum purple with strong dusky pink undertones, and is part of Dielle’s Brights collection.  I’m a sucker for purple varnishes, as my regular readers will know, and Imperial Crown is one of the more charmingly feminine purples in my collection, and is quickly becoming one of my go-to purples.  The varnish has a high shine, creme finish too, which looks luxuriously classy and just so happens to be one of my favourite nail varnish finishes.

Like Bliss, Imperial Crown is very smooth and also very creamy, so it applies easily and evenly.  Two thin coats is plenty enough for a completely opaque look, and as you can see below, the colour looks identical on the nail to how it looks in the bottle, which is a rare thing I find.  Imperial Crown dries quickly too, which makes me think that’s a positive trait which runs across the whole range!

I didn’t comment on the lasting power of Bliss as glitters are notorious for sticking around, but even without Bliss over the top Imperial Crown lasts for a good few days before showing any signs of wear.

Overall, Imperial Crown is an extremely high quality varnish, which looks absolutely gorgeous both on the nail and in the bottle, and given its lasting power and large bottle it is great value for money too.  Both varnishes have an incredibly luxe feel to them, which is difficult to match with a cheaper high street varnish.

I definitely plan on adding more Dielle nail colours to my collection in the future – I’m officially hooked!  And I hope you’ll try the range too.  If you’d like to check out Dielle’s full range of nail colours, you can do so by visiting their website, or by following Dielle on Twitter and Facebook.  Oh and you bargain hunters out there may be pleased to know that Dielle are currently running two amazing offers… 25% off Classy Christmas Cheer shades, and 40% off Lustre Gel Coat, so now’s your chance to try a high-end product at a low price!

Naomi x

*I was sent these Dielle Nail Colours by Dielle for review purposes.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own*

Just a quick post from me today as I want to share with you my recent nail varnish buys.  As well as the Models Own sale items I ordered a few weeks ago, I have acquired a few more shiny pretties lately.  In fact, they’re ALL glittery!  It must be the time of year, what with the party season and Christmas just around the corner.

The most exciting new varnishes in my collection are three from the new Models Own Wonderland range.  The range features five sparkly, wintery glitters, all of which give a different stunning effect.  The three I went for are…

From Left to Right:

• Northern Lights (pink micro holographic glitter)
• Southern Lights (purple micro holographic glitter)
• Jack Frost (Blue micro glitter in clear varnish)

Aren’t they ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL??  The photos really don’t do them justice.  I can’t wait to try them on!  I nipped into Boots to buy these yesterday and was extremely pleased to find them included in a 3 for 2 offer, so I got all three for a total of £10, saving £5.  If you want the whole set I recommend you grab these whilst they’re on offer as it works out cheaper than buying the full boxed set from the Models Own website!

The next varnish in my little haul is a new one from Barry M – Ruby Glitter.

Barry M released this shade along with a few other glitters a few weeks ago.  There are quite a few in the range that I would like (especially Amethyst Glitter), but I went for this one first because I instantly fell in love with it.  It consists of different sized flecks of black glitter, studded with red/magenta glitter.  It reminds me of Valentines Day (my birthday) for some reason…  It just has an air of passion and luxury about it!  Like most Barry M Nail Paints, Ruby Glitter retails for an affordable £2.99.

The final little gem in this haul is one that my mum brought back from Portugal last week – a lush purple shade from a range called ‘Yes Love’.

This varnish is Cadbury purple with a delicate golden shimmer running through it.  I’m wearing this at the minute and it looks really lovely on.  Apparently it only cost a bargainous 1 euro as well, which is a miniscule price tag for such a good quality varnish.

I’ll be reviewing all of these varnishes over the coming days and weeks, starting tomorrow with the ‘Yes Love’ purple so keep an eye out.  Which is your favourite so far?

Naomi x

Who Made Your Pants? are a Southampton-based lingerie company who hand-craft amazing, ethical pants for amazing women.  But they’re not just any lingerie brand, they’re a campaigning lingerie brand, which is what makes them very special.  The company creates rewarding jobs for vulnerable women from all over the world, and gives them a chance to learn useful new skills.  To keep costs low so that they can put more money back in to wages, training, support and advice, Who Made Your Pants? use material sold off by the lingerie industry at the end of the season to make their pants, and they can tell you exactly who made every pair of pants that they sell.

I’m sure you’d all agree that Who Made Your Pants? are an incredible brand, so in order to keep up the good work, WMYP need to keep selling lovely pants to amazing women like you!  There are many different designs and colours of pants available to buy from Who Made Your Pants?, starting at just £12.50 per pair.  So, if you can spare a few pounds, please consider purchasing a pair of pretty panties, not only for yourself but to help the brand and the women who work there!  Also, please pass on the word about Who Made Your Pants? in any way you can (blog post, Twitter, Facebook, through friends), as word of mouth is a powerful tool.

Here are just a few of my favourite pairs of pants from the Who Made Your Pants? website…

Brilliant Black – £12.50

Pirate Pink – £23.00

Something Blue – £18.00

Perfectly Pretty Light Purple – £18.00

Black and Caramel – £25.00

You can also buy gift sets, gift vouchers and even yearly pant subscriptions!

Thanks for reading, and please don’t forget to spread the word about Who Made Your Pants?!

Naomi x

PS. You can also follow Who Made Your Pants? on Twitter and ‘Like’ them on Facebook!