NOTD - Barry M Ice Cream Nails

As much as I love my dark, shimmery polishes, sometimes brighter, creamier shades call out to me. This week, I fancied something a bit cheery to contrast with all the black I usually wear! That resulted in me pulling out a five of my prettiest Barry M shades.

Brown - Barry M 'Mushroom'
Blue - Barry M 'Pure Turquoise'
Pink - Barry M 'Strawberry Ice Cream'
Yellow - Barry M 'Lemon Ice Cream'
Purple - Barry M 'Berry Ice Cream'

 

As you can see, I really loved Barry M's 'Ice Cream' collection of nail polishes. I think they were released about two years ago, but you'll still find them for sale.

The background for these pics is the cover my Mum made for my drawing tablet - isn't the fabric lovely? Not a fabric I'd have chosen myself, but it stands out well against all my dark sketchbooks and gloomy boxes of abused paints!

Do you own any of these nail polishes? Are you a dark bright polish kinda girl - or a bit of both?

REVIEW - Stargazer Baked Eyeshadow Duos

One of the latest offerings from Stargazer, these baked eyeshadow duos offer buildable colour in a range of eight beautiful shades. The shades range from super wearable smokey silver-black duos to funkier lime- bronzes...

Baked eyeshadows come housed in sturdy, little black pots with a clear window so you can see exactly which shade you're reaching for. There is also a label providing all of the information you could possibly need on the bottom of the pot.

The eyeshadows themselves are slightly domed (as with most baked products) with lines of colour streaked across the surface. I think the bronze colour has been sprayed on, so will probably vanish after a good amount of use. The stripes are just about wide enough to be able to pick up the colours separately with an eyeshadow brush.

[[ 'Ecology' green/ green + bronze, 'Ascot' lilac/ lilac + bronze ]]

Stargazer 'Baked Eyeshadow Duos' are pretty darn versatile - use over a primer for a sheerer wash of colour, a sticky base for max intensity or a coloured base to really make them POP. Personally, I favour a sticky base, with Darling Girl 'Glitter Glue' being my absolute favourite. The texture is soft, blendable and really easy to work with.

Priced at £4 each, available from the Stargazer website.

Products provided for review purposes. Opinions 100% honest and 100% my own, as always!

FOTD - Red Lip Love

Dontcha just love red lipstick? I seriously think every woman should own one! There's something pretty empowering about red lips which means they feel amazing to wear. Then again, lots of ladies say they find red lips a bit intimidating - I say, 'FEAR NOT!', go find your perfect shade and rock it like no other.

These are the best red lips I think I've ever applied. The secret, for me, is in layering products and contouring the shape. My lips look SO MUCH fuller than usual down to some nifty shading at the corners and highlighting the centre.

EYES - A smudge of Too Faced 'Black Suede' eyeshadow for mega subtle eyelining, Max Factor 'False Lash' mascara.

FACE - No.7 'Beautifully Matte' foundation, Collection 2000 'Lasting Perfection' concealer, Collection 2000 powder, Fyrinnae 'Centre Stage' highlighting powder, Topshop 'Nutmeg' blush.

LIPS - Collection 2000 'Damson' lipliner, discontinued Rimmel lipstick (name label has worn off!), powder, Ben Nye cherry red eyeshadow, Yaby white eyeshadow.

EYEBROWS - MUA 'Shade 19' eyeshadow mixed with Too Faced 'Black Suede'.

Sorry about the crazy over exposure, it's that or nothing right now in my dingy little uni room :( Top picture is most colour accurate!

What's your favourite red lipstick? Do you fear or embrace it?

REVIEW - Freshlook Colours Green Contact Lenses

Ever since I was a mini 'goth' kid, I've loved the look of contacts. My 11 year old self marveled at the spectacle of Marilyn Manson's single white contact he occasionally wears and wished I was ballsy enough to try them. Yup, the idea of wearing contacts terrified me to the core, so much so that I developed quite a fascination. However, this fascination/ admiration was from afar - until recently...

I received a pair of Freshlook lenses in my chosen colour (green) and finally overcame my fear! They come in a small box, with details of diameter size, base curve, lens strength etc. The lenses themselves are in individual plastic pods with a thick foil seal. It should be noted that the pods ARE NOT resealable - so if you plan to wear these for the month that they last for, buy lens cases and solution.

So, here's my natural eye colour - dark, warm brown. My eyes are actually darker than flash would have you believe - to the point where I've actually been asked if my eyes are black before! This has been one reason I've never bothered with lenses in the past - would they even show up?

Yes! Miraculously, they did. The effect was pretty subtle in standard lighting and gave my eyes more of a hazel look than a straight up green. Again, flash would have you believe these contacts give an obvious colour, but on my dark eyes, they didn't. Still, they were pretty and quite natural looking.

Since this was my first time wearing contacts, popping them in got a bit annoying! I kept blinking them out and having to rinse them with lens solution - so if you're a first timer, definitely have some solution to hand. I found  the 'look up, blink and look down' method useless - much easier just to place them where they ought to be in the first place. In future, I'll definitely do lower liner/ mascara AFTER lenses, too.

These Freshlook Colours lenses were really comfortable, which surprised me! I expected lenses to feel weird, but after a few hours I forgot I was actually wearing them. If you're looking for comfy, natural looking lenses, I'd definitely give Freshlook...well...a look.

Available from Getlenses in a range of colours and strengths.

Product received for review purposes. All opinions 100% my own and 100% honest - as always!

Beauty Blog Link Love

Chanel La Ravissante Rouge Allure Velvet is the little glimpse of summer we've been waiting for. See it in action on My Funny Valentine.

The Pink Sith asks: Did you know that Nordstrom Rack has Stila makeup palettes? Well now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

At theNotice, Rae solves the Great Beauty Blogger Problem: taking photos after the sun's gone down. Check out her classic smokey eye to see the proof for yourself.

At Love Lust & Fairy Dust, Jude warns us to never underestimate the power of a Tom Ford Lipstick. Check out her cautionary tale with a very happy ending.

Beauty woo me thinks red hair is like Marmite.

Curious about Kevyn Aucoin's makeup line? Check out Krasey Beauty's swatches and review of some key pieces!

Want soft lips? Check out Jenn from Spiced Beauty's L'Oreal Le Balm in Rose Elixir review.

Want to know how to create beautiful side swept curls? Madame B Fatale shows you how!

We all need a little sunshine in a bottle to brighten up dreary winter skin. Miss Beauty Nerd is painting herself with Benefit's new Sun Beam!

Mariella at Musing on Beauty experiments with Makeup Geek Eyeshadows and creates a quad with her favorites.

At Lipstick Musings, Shannon is shocked to find out there actually IS great organic skin care out there! She's starting with Hollybeth's Rose Geranium Facial Moisturizer. Come see what the fuss is about!

Love Chocolate and The Body Shop? Then don't miss out the latest/greatest The Body Shop Chocomania Collection.

Phyrra gets nekkid with the new Let's Get Nekkid collection from Cult Nails.

Prime Beauty is looking to get in shape and what better fitness coaches than Hans and Franz! Her hair needs some work too and UNITE Haircare really PUMPS HER UP!

Jellyminx shares her top MAC eyeshadow picks. Do you share any of her favourites?

Check out Tracy at Beauty Reflections's new bronzer crush, Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Bronzer in Daydream.

Learn how to create the perfect Valentine's Day look with a subtle, shimmery purple Valentine's Day Makeup Tutorial at Handmade Reviews.

REVIEW - Neom 'Rose and Neroli' Organic Treatment Candle

Nothing quite beats a beautifully scented candle for a little bit of luxury at home that the entire family will love. Neom candles are not only organic, but they're jam packed with essential oils in beautiful blends of scents aimed to relax, energize or just boost your mood.

Each candle comes beautifully presented in a sturdy card box printed with Neom's logo and the product name. The flash of gold which sits just below the lid gives a real luxury feel against the crisp white of the rest of the box - very chic. The candle itself is housed in a weight, clear glass with the Neom logo printed across. A simple and traditional design which would blend effortlessly into any style or colour of room.

Neom candles are made with vegetable wax and pure essential oils, which means they burn clean and smell strong. I found the 'Rose and Neroli' scent lingered for hours after the flames were blown out - I could actually smell it very clearly even when it wasn't burning. The rose is clean and fresh, not grannyish, the neroli surprisingly zingy.

[[ When I first lit the candle - in a power cut! ]]

This kind of scent, which Neom claims soothes, lifts the spirits and calms the mood was definitely what we needed when our power cut! We may have been sat in the dark, cursing the electricity board at first, but we soon calmed down, chatting and joking quite merrily with this little gem burning away in the background.

Neom home candles cost £37.50 each, which may seem steep, but when they burn for 55 hours and you're only supposed to burn them for around 2 hours at a time, the scents are strong, they burn clean, the packaging is gorgeous, the wax burns away evenly AND they act as holistic treatment...It's fair.

Available from the Neom website.

Received for review consideration. All opinions 100% honest and 100% my own - as always!

FOTD - We Are Stardust

'Allo colour! I've missed you! I've been dying to do this look for weeks, but was back home in Manchester and had left all my BRIGHT eyeshadows a uni. I used to love this kind of look when I was just getting into make-up, it's kinda a blast from the past...

Ahaha, I love how you can tell how freakin' wonky my nose is now I have my nostrils pierced. Check it out in the fourth picture down, holy cow. Before you say, it's not badly placed piercings - my nose twists slightly to one side.

EYES - UDPP, Yaby white, Ben Nye 'Fuchsia' blush, MUFE 92, MUFE 102, Yaby black, Collection 2000 felt tip eyeliner, Barry M pencil eyeliner.

FACE - Collection 2000 'Lasting Perfection' concealer, No.7 'Beautifully Matte' foundation, Ben Nye natural pink blush, Fyrinnae 'Centre Stage' highlight, Collection 2000 face powder.

LIPS - MAC 'Honeylove' and a random brandless pink-gold lippy.

Then I swapped the lips for Stargazer 130 lipstick - which is a touch darker and less blue than the photo suggests. It's basically just incredible - if you're a purple lipstick fan, you need this in your life!

What's the brightest eyeshadow you own? How do you wear it?