Collection Hot Looks Fast Dry Nail Polish

Collection (2000)* Hot Looks Fast Dry Nail Polish 8ml - £1.79 at Boots / shade 48 Candy Floss (a pastel pink) and 49 Angel Wings (a light grey similar to the Rococo polish worn by Lily in this post on llymlrs.

If there is one thing I could never be tempted into spending more than I have to on, it would have to be nail varnish. Never have I paid more than five quid on a polish that I will no doubt be picking off within 24 hours of having it slapped onto my short nails. Admittedly, I do own a few Nails Inc. polishes which I do feel extremely posh using, but I got those free with Glamour magazine. As much as I enjoy the totally unnecessary colour names by O.P.I. I have never added one to my ‘must buy this before I die’ list. If I literally had money to s**t on then I would more than likely buy some posh polishes, but I don’t and so I stick to Collection, Rimmel and Models Own to accessorize my finger nails.

I get sucked in by cheating advertising schemes and good product reviews when it comes to foundation, perfume, skincare, heck even toners! But I always find that the cheap polishes do what I need them to – stay shiny for a few hours whilst I’m out, and then gradually chip away whilst I forget that I even put it on. It is one area of beauty I am not too bothered by; I do love ooh-ing and ahh-ing at nail art sites, like Wah Nails, but as long as my nails are short, neat and clean then I do not mind what fancy brand or shade they are. At the end of the day, no one’s really going to notice if I have Chanel or Dior on my nails are they? – are they?

I’ve got a few of these Collection Hot Looks polishes, they’re really small and cute and are only £1.79 so if I urgently need a colour that I don’t have, I just pick up one of these. If I want to treat myself, I go for Models Own or the Rimmel polishes. I’d love to have some Wah Nails nail art done on my nails if I ever visit London again, but this would be a serious well-earned treat in my eyes! Maybe one day –when I get a real world job- I will be buying O.P.I. and Nails Inc left right and centre, but for now, I have a five pounds limit on treating my nails. What polishes do you use? Am I being totally naive? Do the higher brand polishes actually have staying power of more than a couple of days?

 

P.S. I’m sorry about the bad quality images, I didn’t realise at the time that the top image is slightly blurred.

*I bought these polishes whilst Collection was still Collection 2000, I hear that they are now rebranding themselves as Collection.

The POREfessional*– Pore Zapping Ray Gun not included*

The POREfessional is on the left compared to the new Hello Flawless foundation on the right.

Benefit The POREfessional pore minimizing Pro-Balm - £23.50 at Benefit counters

I always wonder why anyone would use a primer over make up. The instructions always say something like ‘use alone, under or over make up for silky smooth skin’ but I thought the rules of a primer were to use before applying foundations so that your make up would stay put all day. That was until the day I spent fifty quid at a Benefit counter in Boots in order to receive my eye cream freebie – desperate times. As I mentioned in my last post, I patiently awaited the release of the Hello Flawless foundation and when that day arrived, the little blue plastic was used and my best friend caught me as the Benefit lady handed over my bag of goodies into my slightly psychotic –gimme gimme – and clammy hands – busted.

Sales techniques worked on my poor naive little brain, and I fell for the ‘I’ve been wearing this foundation since last night at like 10PM and it’s STILL on 7PM TODAY. You NEED the primer, I’m telling you’ line. Oh em gee, fifty pounds later and I was the proud owner of three new Benefit items. Proud until the moment I realised I’d spent a month’s worth of travel, on approximately 55ml of coloured liquid. However, luckily for me, the products actually do what they say they do. Of course, the obvious thing happened and the thing that I originally wasn’t too bothered about, was actually the thing I grew to love most.

I apply a pea sized amount of The POREfessional over my t-zone and cheeks with the Real Techniques buffing brush, and even before applying foundation over it, the difference in my skin is already visible. My pores are smoothed and my face looks brighter. In terms of how long my foundation lasts with this compared to without, I couldn’t tell you, what I’m most impressed about it this: you know there comes a time of day when we look in the mirror and foundation has begun to crack –!?- and cling to areas of your face where quite frankly, you wish it would not. At this point, we’d usually whack out our powder, concealer and foundation and get buffing. Three weeks down the line and we’re due a new foundation –who knew all those ‘touch ups’ would require so much foundation? One day, I followed the Primer recommendations and buffed a small pea of primer onto my cheeks and over my nose. Amazingly, it smoothed out my foundation and I looked like it was 8am and I’d just applied my whole face.

Next time you leave the house, leave your foundation at home and instead, take your primer – if you use one, as I’m sure they all do the same thing really. Only I decide to spend almost twenty five quid on one…. hm. When that time of day comes just gently sweep over some primer with your foundation brush and see if it works for you. I’m amazed with my new discovery, and I am sad to admit that I will be spending my money on this again when I run out.

 

To see my skin when wearing the primer check out my most recent FOTD here and I tend to upload a lot of facey photos to my Instagram and Twitter – @inordinateplush for both.

All that Glitters and Sparkles

H&M clutch / Mac All That Glitters / H&M TREND necklace

I thought I had been converted to silver for life until recently; in fact there wasn’t a point – until now- where I realised I was loving gold again. I think the high-street is stepping it up a notch when it comes to gold at the minute, I’ve especially loved gold chocker –style necklaces like this one. It is my graduation ball on the 26th May, I have my dress booked ready to try next week –no peaking yet though- and I think this sequined clutch will look so amazing with it. The dress is va va voom  red so I am hoping that the clutch will look amazing with it. I haven’t went with your typical ‘ball gown'-esque’ dress as quite frankly, I just didn’t want to look the same as everyone else, and lets be honest, I’ve never been one to follow rules when it comes to evening wear. Not sure how to do my make up mind, does anyone have any suggestions? Would a matching red lip look too red?

I kind of wish I had of been charvy when I was little, as I’m sure I’d of owned one of those chunky rose gold star-bar bracelets; I think I could rock one of those at the minute, in a ‘I used to be a charv, so don’t mess’ kind of way. Only I wasn’t, I was the good girl with braces. Is anyone else loving gold at the minute or is it just me?

April Favourites–‘that changed mah life’*

Mac Cremeblend Blush So Sweet, So Easy / Benefit It’s Potent! eye cream / Benefit The POREfessional / Aussie Luscious Long leave-in conditioner / Miss Selfridge dress

Helloooo May! This month it is my lovely Nana’s birthday –happy birthday Nana June- and in all honesty, it has come around all too quickly! Not because it’s my Nana’s birthday –obviouslayy- but because that means it is June next month, which means we are half way through 2012 almost, which means I am almost 22! Bloody hell, it will be Christmas before we know it. Anyway, my favourites for April have genuinely changed my life, maybe not the dress, but the rest, have changed my life. The dress can be seen in THIS POST third  row down, and unfortunately is the only picture I have of it. I wore it for my friend’s birthday party and I felt so purrrdy. It’s a beaut. The Benefit eye cream has actually made a difference in my under eye area which I am so impressed with – I always thought eye creams lied to be honest. I bought the Mac blush on loan day just so I could use my stippling brush and I love it! I wore it in this FOTD and it just looks so perfect with my skin tone. I have a review coming up of the primer, but let me say this: this stuff, is a true miracle sent to me from gawwdd*. The Aussie leave-in conditioner is actually my first ever Aussie product I’ve used; I could use the crappest shampoo and conditioner in the world, but if I use this after it could of been bloody Chanel shampoo for all I cared - Amazing stuff!

If you do anything this month, watch Hart of Dixie and listen to 212 –I’ve been a woman obsessed! *I keep thinking I’m a southern American woman, and everything I say in my head sounds like the people of Bluebell, Alabama! What’s been your favourites this month?

April Reflections & Instagram Love

easy makeup / LUSH toner / crap weather at the Metro

dissertation lab work / Kiss falsies ..? / party face

outfit / new dress from Miss Selfridge / nails

bag from H&M / again / the blazer again, and a very tired Jen

into double figures on Instagram / easter bag / my first Lindt bunny

bunny love / outfit / procrastinating in Topshop

the weather got cold again / new stinky pills / new River Island mary jane flatforms

sunshine whilst doing my dissertation / catching up on the Apprentice / grey nails

wanting tie-dye in my life / face / new Revlon lip butter

The Body Shop free delivery was too tempting / one of my bezzies addicted to Draw Something with me / aztec clutch from UO sale

want these Topshop heels so bad / no eye liner / lots of lovely followers on Instagram – chuffed

FOTD post / disseration to-do list DONE / Super skincare to try out

cutest phone case ever that resembles a somewhat similar vibrating toy – some may say anyway / Super toner looking lush on my desk / lazy outfit

going to hand in my dissertation / bye bye reminder / minimal make up

the realization that I own too many lippies / one of my girlies looking hawt / leather ‘n’ lace anyone?

saturday night FOTD / wifeys / April GlossyBox was a BABE

April has officially been the most un-sociable month of the year. At one point I swear I had no life inside of me; my desk became my cave and one too many Red Bull was consumed during my late night dissertation sessions. I began to miss my family and going out with friends, but I stuck in and finally finished it. Come hand in day, the overwhelming sense of relief that I’d heard of just was not present, until Thursday and Saturday night where relief arrived in the form of an extra large gin & tonic or two – or five? I’ve spent the last weekend of April recovering and chilling out with friends and family. I also decided to make Monday a weekend too, I’m not quite ready to start my revision just yet – please God, love me a while longer and let me enjoy my insides feeling ‘lifey’ again. In terms of my blogging side of life, I received a few products to try out and so far so good; I finally jumped on the Disco Pants bandwagon and they are currently on their way to me, all shiny and new. How was April for you? Not very springy is it?