Nail Polish Clearout 2017

January 11, 2017February 12, 2018 - Vicki Leave a comment

During 2016 I began to notice I was reaching for my nail polish collection less, I wasn’t excited about buying new colours or taking the time to even paint my nails. I have never been into nail art or trying out super fancy things with my nails, I’m pretty low maintenance in this department so I thought it was about time I downsized my collection even more (I did have a minor clear out of polishes that were past their best in the Summer)

Part of the reason I have been using my collection less is, I have found a lovely nail salon in my village and the ladies in there are so good and use really nice polishes, I never get gels only a manicure and polish which is only £10. So for the few times, I need my nails painting I have been going there to have them done professionally and its a nice pampering thing to do, a little me time.

I realised that I don’t need 4 polishes of a similar colour & that they were not getting used enough so I have managed to half my collection & my friends will be excited to get some new polishes. I love passing products on to people & one of my goals this year is not to hoard things that I know I won’t use, no matter how beautiful they are.

I condensed my collection down from 60+ polishes to under 30 and I’m very pleased with that number. Although after taking the photo of the colours I kept, I took 3 more colours out of the box to pass on. I have no desire to add anymore polishes to this and think I have a very good selection of shades, everything from bright oranges to black & a couple of glitters and duo chrome effects too. I think I have covered all bases.

I have kept quite a few of the Mavala Polishes as I really like that their bottles are smaller, I never finish a polish and their formula is so easy to apply and it dries quickly too.

I also enjoy the Nails Inc range and have a few colours, most of them have come free with Glamour magazine. I like how long these wear on me and the brush is a really nice one for applying in a hurry but not making a complete mess.

BarryM – always going to be a firm favourite and I think they have to be the best budget friendly nail polish brand. Their colour selection is huge and I have never been disappointed with the formula or application of their polishes.

I have tried to keep a good spectrum of colours and a few colours that I wear on my toes too. I love pinks and turquoise blues but I have a habit of wearing more nude shades most of the time. Glitter polishes are my pet peeve, I love how pretty they look on your nails but I detest removing them so I am only keeping two, one gold and one red option.

Although I am sad to let some of these colours go, how many blue polishes does one lady need? I fell out of love with Models Own as their formula seems to be quite thin and I only get 2 – 3 days wear without chipping. So I have parted with quite a few of them & some lovely colours too.

The NARS polishes although I really wanted to keep these I wasn’tusing them at all and I have similar colours in other brands that I prefer more and I know a couple of people that will love to have these in their life.

I am passing on many glitter polishes as I just can’t deal with the hassle of removing them.

So there you have it, I have started 2017 as I mean to go on. More organised and only keeping products I 100% love, even if they have sentimental value or cost me a fortune to buy. Its another step on my journey to living more consciously and more minimal.

Let me know how many polishes you own & how many you actually use.

Shopping My Makeup Stash June 2016

June 17, 2016 - Vicki 2 Comments

I love doing these Shopping My Stash posts each month, I discover makeup that has been neglected & forgotten about & fall in love with it all over again. These are my rediscoveries this month & I can’t wait to see everything.

Rodial BB Venom Skin Tint

During the warmer months I always reach for a lightweight base, thats not to say this Rodial BB Skin Tint doesn’t offer a good amount of coverage because it does but it feels extremely comfortable and lightweight on my skin. This is a great natural looking base that wears very well throughout the day and having quite a few foundations I seem to go through phases and this BB Cream had been pushed to the back of the drawer but Summer is here (in Cornwall anyway) and I will be wearing this on the days I want coverage but also a nice fresh, glowing finish.

bareMinerals BareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer

I don’t think I have used a concealer as good as this one, its amazing coverage, hydrating and so easy to blend. I like that it brightens whilst covering dark circles and it has a lovely lightweight consistency. I’ve been trying to use up a few half finished concealers and so I hadn’t reached for this one in a while. I’m thrilled to have it back in my makeup routine & if you’re in the market for a new concealer then I highly recommend this one.

BareMinerals Pop Of Passion Lip Oil Balm

I haven’t been wearing much makeup everyday but I do like a little colour on my lips & these bareMinerals Lip Oil Balms feel like you’re wearing a lip balm but they still have a really good amount of colour. I have been wearing the more neutral Blushing Passion shade quite a lot and thought it was time for more of a brighter Summery colour & Pink Passion is a perfect sweet pink shade. This is going straight into my handbag & I can’t wait to wear it.

Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette

LOVE LOVE LOVE this palette and I can’t believe Its been so neglected. I haven’t used this in so long, (I blame my out of control eyeshadow collection), I have looked this out & will only be using this all month long. It has 8 gorgeous shadows and they’re richly pigmented and just the best quality. You would never know this was a $3 palette, its up there in my top palettes. If you can get your hands on one of these you must add it to your collection, I promise you won’t regret it.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

It’s not a secret that Roller Lash is my favourite Benefit Mascara, in fact its up there in my top 3 mascara’s of all time. I love that it separates my lashes, holds a curl like no other and makes them look fluttery. I get no clumping or smudging throughout the day, it is jet black too! I forgot I had a fresh, unopened tube in my drawer so I am excited to have this as my mascara over the next couple of months. I think the packaging of this is just super sweet too.

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Moray

I have quite a few of these Stila Eyeliners, I really like the colourful shades. This green one had been totally forgotten about and I swatched it the other day & thought how well this would go with the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette. It is a pretty deep green and has a touch of shimmer running through. These eyeliners glide on & are easy to smudge out but also stay pigmented for hours.

Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Formentera*

This is a beautifully packaged cream cheek tint and if Summer isn’t the perfect time to use this then I don’t know when is. It is a pretty sun kissed rose shade and I think its a great shade for my quite pale complexion. I’m aways a little scared of cream products but this is just too beautiful to sit looking pretty in my makeup collection. I have been watching YouTube videos on how best to apply, blend and wear this product & I am ready to use it, A LOT! Oh & this has the most delicious vanilla scent, I haven’t smelt a makeup product quite like it.

*PR Sample

Two Beautiful Cheek Palettes

April 25, 2016October 16, 2016 - Vicki 2 Comments

I have really been getting into wearing blusher a lot more this year. I used to shy away from wearing them as I have quite naturally rosy cheeks & a little rosacea too so I felt that blusher often made me feel self conscious of that & made it look worse. I have learnt that I can wear blush if I apply it subtly and not on the apples of my cheeks, even if that is where you are meant to wear it.

I am so pleased that I have introduced blusher to my everyday makeup routine because I own some gorgeous ones and they just weren’t getting used. I have been using two of my blush palettes religiously this year and I have to say that between the two of them that have every shade I need.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot

This was a Christmas limited edition release but the single Box O’Powders are always for sale and they quite often release them as ltd edition palettes – I think atm you can get the Benefit Cheekathon Palette. You get 5 blushers, 1 Bronzer and a Cream Highlighter,

Dandelion 4g – Ballerina pink brightening face powder with a hint of shimmer
Bella Bamba 5g – Watermelon pink laced with shimmering gold undertones
Sugarbomb 8g – 4 beautiful shimmering shades of peach, soft plum, pink and rose that swirl together to create a gorgeous blush
Hoola 5g – Matte bronzer perfect for a natural sun kissed look
Coralista 5g – Warm coral blush
Rockateur 5g – Rose gold highlighting blush
Watt’s Up! 1.5g – A delicate champagne glow that will give your cheeks a luminous glow.

So a great mix of shades and finishes. I especially love Dandelion and Rockateur which are two very different shades but they look pretty work together too.

I absolutely adore the Benefit Box Blushes and although they’re quite expensive if you buy them on their own, they last a very long time on my cheeks and the colour pay off and quality is worth every penny. Which are your favourites?

Zoeva Pink Spectrum Blush Palette*

This blush palette is very different from the Benefit one, in that the packaging is so slim, sleek and understated – whereas Benefit opt for a more colourful, fun vibe. The Zoeva palette has four gorgeous pink toned blushers, which look as pretty on the cheeks as they do in the pans. The shades are flattering and the ideal for Spring / Summer.

You get a mix of satin and matte shades and as you can see all four shades are beautiful.

PK010 – Apricot pink nude
PK020 – Soft pink with peachy beige undertones.
PK030 – Dusky rose pink with soft mauve undertones.
PK040 – Pop of fuchsia pink

These are incredibly pigmented and blend beautifully. I haven’t worn Pop of Fuchsia as much as the others, only because its so bright and I think a little too pink for me. Its a really great palette for travel and I just think Zoeva products are the most incredible quality, I am always so impressed by them. If pink isn’t your shade the Spectrum Blush Palettes are also available in Coral & Nude.

The formulation of the blushes is enriched with vitamin E and is 100% free of parabens, mineral oils, perfume and phthalates.

•PR Sample

Current Favourite Bronzers

March 9, 2016 - Vicki 1 Comment

Current Favourte Powder Bronzers

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Soft & Gentle

Such a cult favourite and I never once regret purchasing this, I have used it so many times over the past few years & it still looks like new. Its such a pretty highlighter that can be used for a subtle glow or built up to be more intense. Its a peachy, warm tone with gorgeous champaign shimmery sheen and it reflects the light to give you that healthy look. Its not subtle so don’t get this if you don’t like shimmer, you can use a light hand but the shimmer is still going to show up.

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Starlet Mosaic

This baked highlighter is very shimmery, so no muted glow here! I love the four individual colours and have often used them as eyeshadows but they’re great to swirl your brush through all of them and it gives the most pretty peachy, bronze glow. I use this on my cheekbones for a beautiful highlight and it brings warmth and glow to my complexion.

MeMeMe Shimmer Brick Bronze

MeMeMe Shimmer Stack in Bronze

This isn’t as finely milled as the other products in this post but the colours and pigmentation are beautiful and intense. This gives the cheeks a bronze glow that instantly warms up your look. You get 5 colours in the stack and they can be used individually as eyeshadows and I think they work very well like that but I do prefer to sweep my brush across them all and use it as a glowing bronzer. It does have a metallic finish so you are not going to get a subtle finish with this but its such a good way at warming up a look and making your skin look fresh, healthy and glowing. This is like a holiday in a bronzer. Oh & this product has a really big mirror which is very handy, but I have so say the packaging feels quite bulky and I tend not to travel with it. I need that extra space for lipsticks.

Soap & Glory Wonderbronze

This is a very pretty multi shade bronzing highlighter, its great at giving your skin that sun kissed look without having been in the sunshine. I just swirl my brush round all the colours and apply it with my duo fibre brush, using this type of brush I find I don’t pick up too much product on my brush as I like to use this product more in the day time so I try to keep it quite subtle. Its lovely and lightweight and I find this lasts a really long time on my skin. When the colours are mixed its very similar to the MeMeMe offering but just slightly more peachy.

Essence Sun Club all in one Bronzing Highlighter in Sunglow

Without a doubt Essence is my favourite budget beauty brand, their product selection and quality is incredible and they always bring out the cutest limited edition ranges throughout the year. I have quite a few cheek products from them but I just love this bronzing highlighter, its so compact and easy to travel with. I like the see through packaging and you get 9g of product for only £3.50, total bargain. This has a slight coconut scent which always reminds me of holidays and it gives you a gorgeous sun kissed glow. Its a lovely copper with a little pink in there too. I am obsessed with this & Its always in my current makeup stash! Favourite Powder Bronzers

Primark PS Love Bronzer

This Primark offering was also a complete bargain & its not bad at all, I wouldn’t say it has the best staying power but I use this when I am only going out for a couple of hours & generally during the day. It hasn’t got enough of a glow for me to use at night but as a budget friendly offering its quite good. Although if you can get hold of any of the Essence bronzers then I would recommend those first. This PS Love bronzer gives a touch of warmth to the skin as well as a slight highlight, its quite subtle compared to the rest of the ones I have mentioned but I think thats because the pigmentation isn’t as good.

Bronzer Swatches

Laura Mercier / Soap & Glory / MeMeMe / MAC

Have you tried any of the bronzers I have mentioned and what bronzer do you reach for most often?

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Nail Polish Clearout 2017

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