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I love nailvarnish! You will never catch me without it on, so I will be posting weekly my favourite, with swatches and a small review on each.

Today I'm reviewing two of my favourite pink nailvarnishes, one Barry M and one Stargazer! Both are so cheap but so beautiful and well worth it!

Stargazer, available in New Look and other small chemists £2.50


This is probably my favourite nailvarnish ever! The formula is really different to any other NVs I have tried. It glides on in the smallest layer ever (if that makes sense? Its quite a thin formula) yet it holds so much pigment. Because of the thiness of it, it dries in a matter of seconds. I've also worn this under UV light and because its a neon pink, it glows! It chips in a few days, but because it dries so quickly you can always just put another layer on. I definitley recommend stargazers make-up in general if you're after bright neon colours!


Barry M £2.95 - 279 Bright Pink


This colour as you can see is a gorgeous baby pink, its quite abit brighter than it is in these pictures but you get the drift! The formula is creamy and thick, like most Barry M nailvarnishes, and it takes a while for a layer to dry, but its worth the wait for the cute colour!

Whats you're favourite nail varnish colour? Have you tried any of Stargazers make-up before?

XXX

OKAY OKAY, I know I say this EVERY time I get a new nail varnish, but I have again found my perfect favourite nail polish from Barry M – Apart from Pink Flamingo, of course.
297 – Blue Glitter
(in sunlight)
This nail varnish is AMAZING!  It is so beautiful, I’ve only been wearing it for one day and I’ve already had numerous compliments on how pretty it is!  In real life it is a lot more stunning than in the pictures, I’d say it is more of a teal/blue/green in the flesh.  It sparkles whenever you move your hands and I’ve fallen in love with it.
In the pictures above I’m wearing two coats – so you don’t need too much product to get the gorgeous glittery effect.  It dries in quite gritty – you can see in the pictures, but I much prefer the gritty look rather than a flat effect, if you know what I mean? It just stands out a lot more.  The one thing that lets me down about this polish though, is the fact that it does take ages to dry.  You can probably tell in these pictures that the middle nail smudged so I had to apply more to cover it up – but this isn’t just a normal smudge, its a ‘if-i-smudge, half-the-varnish-comes-right-off-the-nail’ smudge, which sucks but I can live with it.
(with flash)
I also picked up 292 - Navy

This is a beautiful colour and the only one I have like it in my collection, but obviously I’m not as amazed by it as the previous one.  To the eye this looks more like a dark dark blue/black, but in the light it shines blue which is very pretty and quite elegant as well.

What does everyone think of my new favourite nail varnish? D’ya reckon you’ll pick some up when next out shopping?

I have two new favourite nail colours which I have both purchased in the last month… I guess I should really put these in my ‘March Favourites’, but I’ll do a separate post for that!
Firstly we have
Barry M – 305 Pink Flamingo

I ADORE this colour, I do admit I have too many pink nail varnishes, but this is my new favourite.  It is a bright pink but with a peachy undertone (I think), which I am obsessed with at the moment.  It’s darker than the Barry M baby pink swatched here, and I love wearing this shade.  I picked this up in Boots where it was part of a ‘Buy two Barry M nail varnishes for £5’ - (There is now a 3 for 2 offer on Barry M items – so go check it out!). ( I will swatch the other colour I bought in this deal soon!)  I applied three coats of this shade and it started chipping within two days.
Secondly, we have
No7 Speed Dry Nail Colour – Coral Kiss 39 –

I bought this with the Boots £5 off No7 voucher, so this only cost me £1.25.  At first I just bought this as it was a bargin and I didn’t want to waste the voucher – But I am SO glad I did pick this up.  It is my perfect red!  I am wearing it right now and I feel ‘adult?’ aha, and sophisticated wearing this.  Again, it is more of an orangey red which I love.  This also does dry relatively quickly which I was impressed at.  I applied this three days ago and only the tips of my nails have started chipping, so it has good lasting power!  Also, I only needed two coats of this polish, as it is very pigmented, which saves time and product!
What did you guys purchase with your Boots £5 off No7 & Ruby Millie vouchers?  Has anyone tried these shades before?XX

I’ve been buying Barry M Dazzle Dust pigments since I was 17 and used to be addicted to them. I’d never before seen such a wide variety of colours and such good quality products for reasonable prices.
I decided today to swatch the ones I have for you and tell you what I like about them etc.


Top Row – L-R 64 (Fushcia), 74 (Purple), 34 (Cherry)
Bottom Row – L-R 29 (Yellow Gold), 44 (Bronze), 3 (Pink Gold)
64 – A vibrant pink, very bright, have only used this doing make-up for a theatre production.
74 – A nice deep redish purple, very charming, but again, would not wear this out unless blended smoothly with a black. Could wear this as an eyeliner though?
34 – I actually have two of this colour, and I have no idea why as I’m not too keen on it, it kinda looks like a bruised eye colour? Its a dark purple with blue speckles.
29 – A bright yellow, good for dramatic smoky brown eyes.
44 – The perfect bronze shade in my opinion. This is definitely one of the more wearable ones from my collection. I’m making a mental note to wear this shade more!
3 – The most adorable pink which shimmers gold in the light. So girly!

Top Row L-R – 14 (Khaki), 13 (Pale Green), 92 (Aqua Gold), 69 (Saphire)
Bottom Row L-R - (GLITTER DUST) 15 (Gold Iridescent), 4, 10 (Silver) (DAZZLE DUST)(Grey), 11 (Charcoal)
14 – This is a moody green pigment, very emerald and attractive.
13 – A cute pale green, very easy to blend.
92 – I’ve never worn this, again, it was for a theatre production of A Midsummer Nights Dream.
69 – Ugh, this colour is so gorgeous!! Its a blue which turns purple depending on the angle you look at it, its so pretty.
15 – A gorgeous shimmer which sparkles gold in different lights, I adore this colour and use it as a base on my eyelids, all the way up to the brow bone for definition on nights out. You could also use this as a cheek highlighter possibly? I will swatch it next to MAC’s vanilla pigment soon for comparison.
4 – A silver glitter dust, which in my opinion is toooo glittery. Literally chunks of glitter where everywhere after I used this. Its so pretty though, use for special occasions?
10 – Another one of my favourites, a gorgeous silvery grey, great for smoky looks. I like blending this over 15, with a touch of 11 on the edge for the perfect glamorous look.
11 – A dark dark black with a hint of white glitter shimmer, although not glittery at all and nice and easy to blend. Although it is very pigmented so you only need the tiniest amount!
Conclusion! - I only wear about three of these shades when going out at the most. Barry M are famous for having the loveliest colour collection and I’m so grateful that we have this choice on the high street, but obviously not all these shades are wearable on a day to day basis, but its good to have the choice. Slowly, make-up brands have been catching up with Barry M and creating new pigment shades (Gosh, for example), however Barry M’s cute packaging, originality and good pricing will always make them my favourite high street make-up brand.
I have a few of their lipsticks which I will be swatching for you all soon! XXX
P.S I was recently VERY lucky to win a competition by http://www.beautyjunkielondon.com/ to review clinques instant lift for brows – pencil. She wanted someone with dark eyebrows and a make-up blog to review it as her eyebrows are quite pale and I won through random generator! Once I get the product I will mail her the review and you will be able to see it on her site! Thanks Beauty Junkie!! XX
P.P.S – All the photographs are my own, please include a link to my blog if you are to use them anywhere else, and send me a link to where you’ve posted it. I bought all these products with my own money.

I currently only own two Barry M lipsticks and I love them both so much! Here they are on my lips -
147 -

This is one of my favourite lipsticks, its so beautiful.  Its a gorgeous light peachy pinky coral and its just stunning, I haven't seen a lipstick like this colour and the pigmentation is great.  It can make your teeth look yellow if you put too much on though!
52 -

52 is a brave neon purplish pink, which has been quite fashionable the past year.  There was a week not long ago where I wore this everyday, I just love it.  It is daring and you need to be confident to pull it off.  I didn’t realise quite how bright and purple is was until I took pictures of this!
Conclusion - Barry M have the most beautiful and daring colour collections which is great for those wanting to be different.  The packaging is black and sleek (I’m sure you’ve all seen it!).  The only thing about these lipsticks is that they are quite drying.  They aren't really moisturizing at all, I always need to apply alot of lip balm before and after I use this, but this definitely wouldn’t put me off wearing them!
I hope everyone's having a lovely weekend! XX
Small note – All pictures included are mine, please ask me if you want to use them on your blogs/website and put a link back to my blog.

This is quite a diffeerent post, but I thought I’d share it with you all! I’ve done a few photo shoots in the past and I always really enjoy them. I had one a few weeks back with the fabulous David Michael (link to his website here!). David is a proffesional photographer who has his own studio and he is such lovely guy. It was my first proper shoot with him and he made me feel very comfortable and even helped me out with a few photography tips! The make-up artist was Emma Quinn (Website here!) who was also fabulous (It was great to sneak a look in her make-up kit!)
The inspiration was from America's Next Top Model, and one of their recent shoots involving coloured paint/powder splattered on the girls faces for a portrait beauty shoot. My colour was blue! And the powder Emma used on me was Barry M Dazzle dusts!! I’d never really thought of using them like this but it really works. I’m pretty sure she used ‘Bright Blue 57’ and Turquoise on me but I’ll find out for definite!
So here are a few of the pictures; be aware, I do look slighty alien-ish/boyish!


And this was the other model, Tanya, who is completely stunning, and such a sweet girl! Again, the powder used is Dazzle Dust!

Hope you like the pictures as much as I do. Its a tad late but I’ll be posting my February favourites this weekend! XX

You’re probably all bored of me raving on about Barry M but I wanted to do some updated swatches of the lipsticks I have because they’re so pretty!  I’ll get right to it -

52 – Vibrant, neon pink!  Perfect for brightening up any outfit.

146 – A cute pink with slight blue/lavender undertones!  Has a slight gloss and sheen to it, unlike most other Barry M lippies, which is nice! 

54 – Love this shade when lightly dabbed on my lips with a bit of gloss.  It’s way too bright and neon (I find) to wear with a full layer (if that makes sense?) so I put the tiniest bit on for a hint of orange/peach which really brightens my face up.  Very drying when worn alone.

147 – One of my favourite Barry M lippies but one I wear less and less because its so drying!  Its a beautiful pink peach colour but it really emphasizes any chapping, flakes or dry skin so make sure you’re lips are in perfect condition when you wear this!

150 – The newest addition to my collection and I have been wearing it constantly!  Its gorgeous, a very natural blushing pink brown on my lips, you can hardly tell I’m wearing anything.  It’s not drying either, its surprisingly moisturizing which I love.  I think this colour will suit everyone, I really recommend it.

 

What I think – Barry M are incredible for unique colours and I always love looking at their makeup stands.  The lipsticks are great for colour choice but are so drying.  #52 & #54 are so dry in fact that its kind of hard to even apply straight from the bullet – you need to warm them up with a lip brush.  They really accentuate any dry patches on the lips so do scrub your lips before hand and apply lots of balm.

#150& #54 are my favourites and the ones I wear most often.  Barry M have also bought out a few deep plum, purple shades which I’m also dying to get my hands on, I think they’d be perfect for this winter!  I’ll let you know if I get them!

What are your favourite Barry M lipsticks or products?  Do you have any tips on making them less drying?

XXX

I don’t have a wide variety of lip-glosses for a beauty blogger, as I’m definitely more of a lipstick girl.  I hate sticky lip-glosses and my hair always gets stuck to my lips, no matter what the weather.  But I have quite a pretty collection and although I don’t wear them much, they’re very nice to look at!

As you can see, I love pink and coral colours – I don’t think other colours suit me as much, or I’m just not brave enough to wear them in general.  I don’t own any red glosses as I prefer to wear my red lips matte or just with lipstick – I’m not sure why but I feel like red glossy lips are a bit too much, on me anyway!

I’ll swatch and review each gloss in brand order for you!

The Body Shop Limited Edition Glosses & Permanent Hi Shine Lip Treatments

 

Top to Bottom: Love Gloss #19 (Limited edition out NOW for Winter collection), Love Gloss #13 (Permanent), Lip Bloom in Tulip Peach (LE), Crystal Sparkle Gloss (LE), Lip life Gloss (LE) , Hi Shine Lip Treatment in 01 Pink Cream, Hi Shine Lip Treatment 17 Golden Coral (LE).

(Swatched top [left] to bottom [right])

I love the two Love Glosses in this selection for just adding a touch of shine and shimmer to the lips over lipstick – very pretty and feminine (I’ve even stocked up on the LE one because I love it so much!).  The other limited edition ones that TBS have released are gorgeous aren’t they?  I especially love the peach one and the pink with lots of shimmer in.  The two hi-shines are pretty but very sticky – in fact all of them are very tacky apart from the love glosses, but I like them for special occasions

The Body Shop Permanent Love Glosses

L-R Love Gloss #01, Lip Colour 10, Lip and Cheek Stain 03 (LE), Love Gloss #16, Love Gloss #18

I have almost all of the love glosses and a few of the old ones and I really like them.  They are a tad sticky but the colours are nice and they are all quite pigmented so you can wear them alone or with lipstick to create a unique shade/gloss which I like to do with them.

Bourjois and Barry M

 

L-R Bourjois Effet 3D Les Nudes in #34, Bourjois Eau de Gloss in #13 Rose a L’5eau, Barry M Lip Gloss in #11, Barry M Glossy tubes in #4

The Bourjois Effet Les Nudes is my favourite lip-gloss ever!! I love everything about it; the smell, the consistency, the wand, the colour! Its my perfect nude lip gloss, the wand is a brush so the application is made easy and it is not sticky!!  Its incredible, I will forever continue buying this!  The other Bourjois one is okay but I’ll admit I hardly ever reach for it, I find it quite gritty?  I love Barry M products in general and the lip glosses are nice – lovely and pigmented, but sticky, but the thing I love about them the most is their smell – delicious, like sweets!

Miscellaneous – Benefit, Sephora, Revlon & Natural Collection

L-R Benefit Her Glossiness in ‘My People, Your People’, Sephora Ultra Shine Gloss in #11, Revlon Super Lustrous in #21 Pink Crystals, Natural Collection Juicy Lips

Nice glosses but all quite tacky – especially the Revlon one.  The Sephora one smells delicious and is nicely pigmented.  I love the Natural Collection peach shade – its so affordable and the colour is lovely, but it does sometimes separate in the tube if I don’t use it much.  I got the Benefit one free in Glamour magazine a while back and use it every now and then.

MAC Lip Glass

L-R - Strange Potion (VV Collection), Live and Dye (Blonde, Redhead and Brunette Collection)

I only have two MAC glosses, can you believe it!!  But I love them both but use them rarely as they are both LE and I don’t want them to ever run out. 

So that's my whole lip gloss collection!!  As I said, my favourite is the Bourjois Effet Les Nudes, its incredible, go try it out in store!  I definitely think I have too many glosses so won’t be buying anymore for a while now until I finish a few.

What’s your favourite lip gloss?  Do you know of any other non-sticky ones?  Which ones above do you like the look of?

I have currently retreated to bed after burning my poor little knees in the sun today, so I’m now cheering myself up with nail polish swatches!  I’ve built up quite a collection of swatch pictures which I just haven’t got round to posting as I’ve been so busy, so I thought I’d put them in a post together!

Nails Inc – Candy

 

I obviously snapped this up when it was a freebie in instyle magazine and I’ve worn it lots since and really like it.  Recently all I’ve been wearing on my nails is bright, vibrant, dark colours, and it was nice to take a break from those and wear this as its quite a neutral pink colour.  It lasts well, doesn’t chip for a few days and is easy to take off.  The images above are three coats which gives a nice opaque finish and I find the colour very feminine, yet smart.

Revlon – 093 Tropical Temptation

I’m not quite sure how to describe this colour, I’d say its a pink peach, but quite a milky one.  Its very pretty, not quite as bright and stunning as Barry M’s Flamingo Pink, but still very wearable and stylish, especially for this summer!  I really couldn't get a decent picture to show you the true colour of polish, but I tried, and above you can see it looking slightly different in different lights – pink in sunlight and rather peach coral in tungsten light.  I do find that Revlon polishes chip quite a bit, and for the price (RRP £6-7) I wouldn’t expect that, but the colour is nice so I don’t mind all too much.  Oh, this is also quite a pain to apply as it streaks a bit, and takes a while to dry so you need lots of patience and time when applying this!

Barry M – 161 Vivid Purple

Sorry for the horrible short, smudged nails in these swatches!  Vivid purple is gorgeous but pretty daring and not for everyday use.  Not completely sure why I have this colour, but its nice to have if you want to match it with a purple dress or shoes or something!  Its quite pigmented so you only need two coats, and its pretty much the same as the other Barry M nail polishes in terms of chippage!  Good value for money and a nice one to have in a nail varnish collection!

Hope you enjoyed these swatches, I’ve actually cut down on buying nail products for a while as I have far to many, so I will start swatching all the ones I’ve gathered soon! Which is your favourite out of these three?

XXX

I love lipsticks SO much, I don’t want to start counting how many I have as I’m sure its a ridiculous number, but I can’t seem to help falling for them!

BARRY M SWATCHES -

146

A beautiful bright barbie pink!  This is one of the more soft, moisturizing, sheer lipsticks in the BarryM range and it has a really good colour pay off and pigmentation.  A beautiful colour which I would wear with dark smokey eyes!

54

A gorgeous vibrant orange, its shockingly bright but so on trend this Spring, Summer!  The pictures above show the best pigmentation, but when I wear this out I only apply a small layer over lip balm for a cheeky orange tint.  This is one of the most drying Barry M lippies though, so keep balm to hand!

REVLON SWATCHES

005 STRAWBERRY SEUDE (MATTE)

005 is the perfect matte red in my opinion.  It is so pigmented, has great lasting power and is just the most beautiful, elegant vampy red.

004 PINK ABOUT IT (MATTE)

These pictures do not do this lipstick justice.  It really is the most unique pinky-red which can be built up from a flush of colour, to full pigmented lips (above).  These lipsticks are in the matte range as well which means they are striking and just glamorous.  If you wanted shine you could always pop gloss over the top.  Again, this doesn’t budge so you won’t need to keep applying.

So there you go, some beautiful lipstick swatches to drool over!  Has anyone also got these lipsticks? What do you think of them?  What do you think about matte lipsticks? XXX