Nails of the Day - Beauty UK Glam Nails in Aztec

With part of my birthday money I decided to treat myself to some new nail varnishes and came across this brand in Superdrug where they were on offer (3 for £4.99). I got Voodoo (a red with gold shimmer), Gun Metal (silver) and this one (Aztec).

As you can see, Aztec is a bright gold with a subtle shimmer to it. The application was perfect and 2 coats gave enough coverage (but I used 3 out of habit). The picture is the varnish after two days and it lasted well I think! Not bad at all for the price.

Lava nails

This week I painted my nails red and then decided that I wanted to do some sort of nail art so I ended making a red-orange-yellow gradient and then realised that it would look good with black crackle over it. The result:

For this look I used the following polishes:

L-R Barry M Instant Nail Effects in Black, Sally Hensen Double Duty Strengthening Base & Top Coat, Rimmel London Lasting Finish 050 Tangerine Dream, Collection 2000 Hot Looks 29 Big Hair and N.Y.C. Long Wearing Nail Enamel i114A

I started off with my base coat and then used 2 coats of my red varnish. When that was dry I used a sponge to apply the orange varnish to 3/4 of my nail and then to apply the yellow to the tips. I then used the crackle and the top coat to take away the matte effect.

It really reminds me of lava, especially with the black crackle over the top. I love it and it wasn't too hard to create!

Wednesday Wants

It's been a hectic week of university work and I barely had time to do my wants! But I worked it out and here they are..


1) Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat - £5.95 from Amazon

I really want one of these! I've seen it all over the blogs I read as well as the forum that I frequently go on. Seche Vite protects your nail varnish as well as helping it to dry. I am desperate to get my hands on a bottle of this. Get yours here.






2) Cute Birdie T Shirt - £18 from ASOS

This T Shirt is so me. I adore the design but I do prefer my t shirts to be tighter than this generally. Anyway I'm thinking the outfit that the model has on but with 3/4 length black leggings and some pumps would be a brilliant spring/summer outfit! Get your T Shirt here.







3) Black Multi Square Abstract Print Scarf - £22 from Debenhams

I am a sucker for scarves and have a ridiculous number of the woolly variety. However, once it gets to spring it's too warm to wear my cosy scarves! I turn to this sort of material/style and I own a couple already. This would make an excellent addition to my collection. Get yours here.






4) Off White Pleat Dress - £46 from Topshop

Not my usual style this one, much more elegant! I think it's really pretty though and would love something like this to wear in the summer when it's really warm. Get yours here.







5) Sketchy Monkey Vest and Short - £20 from La Senza

Spring is an excellent time for new pyjamas with the weather getting warmer and the spring cleaning underway! These pyjamas will help you not overheat during the night and look cute but simple at the same time! Get some here.







6) Stripe Longline Top - £16.99 from New Look

I have a top similar to this already in blue. I got it from Primark last year and loved it but it's wearing thin already. I love the shape of this and purple is my favourite colour! Over some black leggings I think this would look awesome. Get yours here.







7) Coral Seedbeed Bangle Pack - £12.50 from Dorothy Perkins

The colours in these bangles go really well together and I think the whole set is absolutely beautiful. Get yours here.








8) Booja-Booja Raspberry Ecuadorian Chocolate Truffles - £4.98 from Goodness Direct

I had some Ginger Wine Booja Booja truffles at Christmas and they were absolutely amazing. These beautiful chocolates are vegan and therefore dairy free which means I can eat them! They're rather expensive (this pack is only 100g) but they are definitely worth it. I now want to try the rest of the flavours so if anyone wants to buy me a pressie.. hint hint! Get a box of your own here.




9) Pastel Collection - £20 from Models Own

I've not had the chance to try this brand yet and have heard some good reviews. There are a few boxsets on the website that are total bargains and this is the one I want. Pastels are the colours I want to wear when it gets to this time of year! Check them out here.

10) Tonal Spot Red Dinner Plate - £6 from Whittards

I always imagine my own kitchen full of snazzy china from Whittards! I always ramble on about their patterned mugs and teapots but the plates are pretty awesome too. Get one of these here.







Billiesue

Models Own New Polishes

Just a quicky this morning! I saw on the Models Own Facebook page that they've added four new colours to their range so I thought I would let you guys know.

L-R - Pink Fever, Concrete Mixer, Bronze Rage and Blooboo

I've been wanting to try Models Own for a while now and I'm thinking this might be my chance because I'm in love with Pink Fever and Bronze Rage. I've already got a colour similar to Blooboo otherwise I'd be wanting that one as well! You can grab yours here for £5 a bottle.

Billiesue

Touched By Nature - Relaxing Rose Bath Souffle

I forgot to take a picture of this lovely little bath product before I used it but you can find it here. I bought three of these fabulous looking bath souffles from Touched By Nature last week and this is the first one I tried. To be honest I was a bit apprehensive because most bath bombs that I've tried that are not from Lush have fizzed away with barely any smell and definitely haven't had any beneficial effect on my skin. I was pleasantly surprised. This little souffle fizzed away, releasing a gorgeous powdery rose fragrance and turned the water an extremely girly pale pink. It even had little petals in and was a really girly Sunday afternoon treat! The smell was just as strong, if not stronger, as Lush bath products and the Shea Butter made the water soft and silky. I could feel the benefits of the Shea Butter softening my skin as soon as I got out of the bath!

I used Lush's Ring Of Roses Buttercream and Joy Of Jelly Shower Jelly to wash with and then used a liberal amount of Bare Naked Lady Dusting Powder when I got out of the bath. The whole experience made me feel relaxed, refreshed and very girly! At £1.50 each those Bath Souffles are an actual bargain and are better than other bath bombs I've tried that costed twice as much. They come in a variety of fragrances so make sure you check them out on the Touched By Nature Facebook page!

Billiesue

wednesday wants

Yep it's that time of the week again! Here are the things I wish I could have:

1) Illusion Aztec Nail Polish - £4 from Accessorize

I very nearly bought this yesterday but decided not to after all the nail varnish bargains I got on Monday. The colour is amazing and is multi-tonal so looks very different. The only problem with this one was that the lid is actually larger than the bottle! I expected the bottle to be slightly bigger for the price which may be what put me off. However, the beautiful colour more than makes up for that. Get yours from your local superdrug or online here.





2) Teal Blue Nail Varnish - £1.50 from ELF

I got an email from ELF the other day telling me about their four new nail varnish colours and this is the one that caught my eye. I adore the colour and hope it's not limited edition because I might need some new eyeliners soon and maybe then I can justify a spare £1.50.. if you can justify it sooner you can get it here.






3) China Glaze Crackle Glaze Nail Polish in Lightning Bolt - £8.95 from Amazon

I know.. nail varnish again. I'm totally addicted at the moment. One of my favourites is the Barry M crackle polish and I think that this white version would make a great addition to my collection. Especially for the summer! Get yours here.







4) 50s Dress Big Polka Dot Halterneck Dress - £22.99 from Dresses Tiger Milly

Look at this beautiful dress. I wouldn't even have a place to wear this to but it doesn't stop me lusting after it. I'm thinking red heels and bright red lipstick... Get one here.








5) Skin Sin Body Lotion - £8.50 for 250g from Lush

I vaguely remember trying this when it was still in Lush stores but it was discontinued not long afterwards. It recently became available on the Lush website in Retro Lush. This lotion smells just like cherries which (as I keep mentioning) is my favourite fragrance. Get yours from here.






6)Brain Tablets Necklace - £10 from Shottle Bop

 I think I could do with some of these brain tablets "For when your brain don't work proper, and all your thinks are wrong". Maybe this necklace would give me some luck when I'm taking exams? Or maybe not. But it is pretty! Get yours here.







7)Easy Smokey Eye Gift Set - £14.25 from Eyeko

A bargain set which costs 20% less than buying the products individually! This comes with a mascara, liquid eyeliner pen and an eyeliner pencil with two colours. All products I would use over and over again! Get yours here.







8) Russell Howard Ladies College Tour T-Shirt - £15 from Russell Howard Merchandise Site

This isn't really a want.. more like a have because I bought it this morning! I was so caught up getting my Ocean Colour Scene and MCR T shirts that I didn't think of the other gig I went to that week... Get yours here.







9) Disney Alice In Wonderland DVD - £12.99 from Play

After seeing my friend's Disney DVD collection I have realised that mine is pretty rubbish! A lot of my Disney films are still on VHS but I actually don't have this one at all. Which is weird because I love Alice In Wonderland! Get your copy here.







10) Ladies Bobble Jumper - £16 from Peacocks

So simple and yet so cute... I love this jumper. I'm thinking skinnies and pumps for a simple and slightly emo look! Get yours here.
















What are you guys wanting this week?
Billiesue

Touched By Nature

I had some more retail therapy yesterday when my order from Touched By Nature arrived. Touched By Nature is a wonderful little business which sells essential oils, oil burners, candles, candle holders, incense, incense burners, bath bombs and much more. I was tempted by the candles and bath bombs mostly. I ordered on Sunday and got this fabulous delivery last night:

The bath bombs all smell lovely and are wrapped beautifully as you can see above (in the lower right hand corner). They're not tested on animals either and they're not badly priced. What more could you want? I'll let you know what they're like when I get a chance to try them. For now I'd like to tell you about the bits I have tried.

 

Cherry is my favourite fragrance and flavour in everything. This candle smells really nice and fruity and it's my favourite colour - purple! You can get one from Touched By Nature for £3.50.

While I like to have a nice relaxing or sweet smelling candle burning in the evenings, I also love having a fruity refreshing candle burning while I'm sat at my desk studying. This Peach Nectar candle ticks all the above boxes. It is lovely and refreshing during the day (especially on this lovely spring day when I had the window wide open for the first time this year!) but is equally lovely in the evenings. These are also £3.50 and there is a whole range of these types of candles in different fragrances so check them out!

The inner goth in me absolutely adores these. They're called Weeping Rose candles and they are £4 for a box of four. The outside of the candle is black but once you start burning it you find that the middle is red and this is what drips down the side of the candle. It looks absolutely beautiful. The scent of these candles is a simple but relaxing Rose.

This also appeals to my inner goth but past that, it is absolutely beautiful. I'm going to have to buy myself some more tealights because I can see this being used a lot in the evenings. At a mere 2.70 each I adore these.

This is left over from the Valentines Day stock and was put up on sale not long before my order was delivered. I was quick and managed to nab one before it was too late! They are usually £3 but now they're £2.50 and come with either a vanilla or strawberry tealight. I'm so glad I saw this before it was too late because it looks so cute on my windowsill in the evening.


In summary, you absolutely must check out Touched By Nature. You can look on the Facebook page here. As well as the beautiful products, the customer service is amazing and the business is run by a lovely lady who couldn't be more helpful.

Billiesue

Nail Varnish Bargains!

So I needed a bit of retail therapy yesterday and I had a bit of money so I wandered into the local TJ Hughes while I was in the shopping centre doing my food shop. I ended up in the make up section and found myself the most fabulous bargains that I just had to tell you about.

These little glitter polishes (7ml) were £3.99 for the 6. They're not a known brand name (in fact I've thrown the box away and can't remember what the name was!) but they look awesome nonetheless. I love my glitter nail varnishes and these have huge chunks in as well as the small bits of ordinary glitter. They are each a different colour as you can tell: pink, silver, green, blue, purple and gold. The varnish is almost clear but with a hint of colour. They will make great top coats I think!

CCUK 103 White and Bourjois Paris 11

These polishes were both 99p each. The CCUK Diamond Gloss attracted me because I don't currently own a white nail varnish and have wanted one many a time for nail art designs. It is a very plain white but at 12ml for 99p I think it's brilliant. The Bourjois Paris colour is fabulous. I already have a sort of tangerine coloured varnish which is bright and in your face. This orange is totally different, a nice pastel shade with a shimmer to it. This bottle is 8ml.

L-R 018 Rose Orchid, 247 Opal and 040 Dancin'

These were 49p each for 8ml. A bargain for such good quality stuff! Rose Orchid is a very pale pink with a slight shimmer to it. I've got it on my toenails at the moment and it's a very pretty nude colour. I know I already had a white in my basket but Opal is much more than just white. It is impossible to catch it in a photo but it's a gorgeous "opal" colour with a purple/blue shimmer. Dancin' is another neutral colour but this time a pale brown with a slight shimmer. Good for those days when I'm not feeling so daring.

NYC i114A and i104A

99p each again for 13ml. i114A is a nice pastel yellow with a shimmer (the bottle isn't dirty but it was hard to get the price label off!). I already own a bright yellow but this one is a nice pastel shade which will be good for summer. i104A is a very sheer varnish which is mostly just blue shimmer. I tried it out last night and it is my favourite of the bunch! I'm glad because I picked it up and put it back a few times, unsure if I would like it. It has a quality which makes it excellent in sunshine because it is a different colour each time the light shines on it.

Kubiss 31 and 62

I've never heard of this make before and I suspect it's a cheap one, similar to MUA at Superdrug but these colours grabbed me. They were 99p each for 9ml. Shade 31 is a really nice lime green colour, totally different to any of my other greens and again, perfect for summer. Shade 62 is a yellow/orange colour with a shimmer to it. Really nice.

Rimmel London 60 Seconds 340 Torrid and 530 Star Dust

Last but definately not least we have these Rimmel London polishes. I love this brand and already have a few colours. These were also 99p for 8ml. Torrid is not as red as it looks in the photo above. It's a deep chocolatey brown with lots of shimmer. I tried Star Dust last night and love it. It is a light gold with lots of shimmer and looks great with my Barry M Nail Effects over the top.

I also got 2 little tubs of lots of different jewels to use for nail art for £1.99 each but my camera died before I could take a photo! The woman at the counter said to me "oh are you doing a nail art course?" and I had to explain that no, I was just addicted to nail varnish!

I do love a good bargain.
Billiesue

Nomads Spring/Summer Collection 2011

 Today the sun is shining, it's not too cold and the spring/summer Nomads catalogue came in the post! It's definitely getting more springlike by the day. Those of you who have never heard of Nomads need to have a look! It is a company selling very bohemian clothes which are just perfect for the summer. Many of their clothes are actually one of a kind as they are handmade. They are also very ethically sound. Anyway I thought I'd show you the things in the catalogue that I really wanted as I flicked through it this morning!

Cut Out Flower Tunic Dress - £42.50
This dress is lovely and is available in black, pink or purple. The neckline is a beautiful cut out flower pattern and the dress is the perfect length to wear either alone or with leggings as shown in the picture. Get one of these from here.

Spiral Maxi Dress - £37.50
I fell in love with maxi dresses last summer and am looking forward to being able to wear them again in a few months! This pretty dress is available in pink, green or brown and I love the pattern on them because it is slightly different than what you usually see. Get one here.

Peacock Halter Neck Dress - £34.90
First off, the colours on this dress are to die for. The pattern is also pretty awesome! I love the style and length of this dress as well, this might be the dress I push out the boat and buy! If you feel the same you can purchase one here.

Paradise Maxi Skirt - £32.50
While I was obsessed with maxi dresses last year, I never tried out a maxi skirt. I love this one, it's really summery and looks perfect for those super hot days. I wouldn't wear that very daring top with it though! It is also available in black and can be bought here.

Multiway Skirt Dress - £34.90
You get the best of both worlds with this one! You can wear it either as a dress (on the left) or a maxi skirt (on the right). Very tempting because it is basically two items of clothing in one! It is available in rust (left) or green (right) from here.

Salsa Tie Dye Dress - £49.90
This one is available in expresso (as pictured), purple and turquoise. I love the tie dye print on this dress and am especially in love with the brown one! The length is perfect as well. Get yours here.

Floral Mini Dress - £24.90
Its a cute one this dress. It's quite short to be wearing without leggings in my opinion but sometimes needs must when you're overheating in August! Anyway I really like this little dress. It's also available in turquiose.

Bollywood Organic Cotton Tunic - £37.50
This looks really lovely and slightly different from the other tops I wear with my skinny jeans. It's also available in coral and turquoise but I just love the way the colours blend together on this one. It is beautiful. Order one yourself from here.

Striped Babydoll Dress - £22.50
The colours on this dress are just amazing. The colours do vary though so that's maybe not the best reason to get this dress. I love the shape of the dress too and its quite cheap compared to the other dresses! Get one from  here.

Thai Scarf With Pom Pom Edge - £6.90
Last but not least we have this beautiful, eyecatching scarf. It was really difficult to choose just one scarf from the range as Nomads always carry a wide range of beautiful scarves, jewellery and bags. I urge you to check out the rest of the collection!

You can check out the rest of the Nomads range on their website here.




Do you feel summery yet?

Billiesue

Spring is on its way!

Need proof? I took these photos yesterday in the countryside and it made me excited for the approach of spring.

More proof that spring is on its way... Lush have just announced their Mother's Day products so I'm going to give you a tour around the range!

First up we have similar ballistics to last year but in different scents. If you didn't see the Lush Mother's Day range last year, they are flower shaped ballistics on sticks.. very cute. So this year we have Avobath, Space Girl and Vanilla Fountain and they cost £3.60 each for 110g.

Avobath is the ballistic to choose for waking up in a morning in my opinion! It's full of zesty lemongrass and mashed up avocados which soften the skin. It's lovely to have this as an option because many mums don't like girly, flowery or sweet things (e.g. mine!).

Space girl is much more girly ballistic! It smells like love hearts in my opinion but Lush describe it as blackcurrant fruit pastilles. Either way it is wonderfully sweet and girly.

The last flower is also a sweet one, Vanilla Fountain. This is the same scent as Vanillary perfume and Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder. It's more than just vanilla to my nose.. more like toffee!

This is the Happy Mother's Day gift and it consists of one of each of the flowers in a vase which is actually two Keep It Fluffy Ballistics. These are a lovely vanilla and jasmine fragrance, girly but luxurious at the same time. This gift is all held together by a cute little knot wrap. You can bag one of these for £18.50.

This is Tiny Hands. Lush are well known for their solid products which need less (or no) packaging and are therefore more environmentally friendly. This is a solid handcream which means no pot and so no plastic! It is full of argan oil, aloe vera, cocoa and shea butters to soften your hands, especially if they are dry or cracked. The fragrance sounds lovely too, vanilla and mild florals for a nice girly smell. These are £3.95 for 60g.

The mamma mia day gift box makes a refreshing change in my opinion because this year it is not dominated by sweet, pink and girly things. This box contains The Olive Branch shower gel which is a gorgeous gel with a mediterranean style scent of mandarins and olive oil. Creamed Almond and Coconut Smoothie is a really softening smoothie which you use in the shower and it smells like cake to me! I use it for shaving mostly but I love how softening it is on the skin. Miranda is another softening product which smells of refreshing and zingy kiwi fruits, it is one of my favourite soaps that often gets overlooked. Sugar scrub is a fennel, ginger and lavender smelling scrub that is excellent for cellulite. Finally there is a Tiny Hands solid handcream as described above! This box is £19.96.


So I hope that's given you some Mother's Day ideas or even some ideas for things to buy yourself!

Billiesue