My Top Nail Polish Picks for Autumn

My Top Nail Polish Picks for Autumn

Thursday, 20 October 2016

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It's safe to say that Autumn is really upon us now, with Summer  long since over. Gone are the pastel shades, bronzed goddess skin  (HA!) and no make up make up looks, now the fun can really begin. I'm talking deep berry lips, golden bronze eyeshadows and, most importantly, the autumnal nail polish. Here's a run down of just a few of my faves. 

Eve Snow London Nail Lacquer in Skyler - £14 from Net-a-Porter

Despite sharing a name with my least favourite character from Breaking Bad - seriously does anyone like Skyler?! - Eve Snow's Skyler is one of my all time favourite polishes. I can never resist a blue polish, so much so that I'll take any excuse to wear it year round. This is why Skyler is perfect, the cool icy blue shade has a touch of grey in it, that makes me think of the sky just before it snows, making it really appropriate for this time of year. The formulation is lovely; creamy, opaque after only two coats and it lasts about a week without chipping. Nice.

Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy in Up the Ante - £7.99 from Boots

The Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy formulation is the best on the high street and my absolute favourite formula out there. It has an amazing consistency, applying smoothly and evenly, it also acts as a base coat, meaning it lasts a really long time before needing to be re-applied. The colour is beautiful too, a warm pinky purple that looks good all year round but especially good in the Autumn.  

Butter London Nail Lacquer in Poole - £12 from lookfantastic

Like Skyler Butter London's Poole is a nail polish that would normally be considered more of a summer colour, a duck egg blue-green, (incidentally my absolute favourite nail polish shade), it has just a hint of grey in it that makes it more seasonally appropriate. It doesn't have the best formula, I've found that without a top coat it is prone to chip within a day or two, with a top coat the longevity lasts about a week, so fairly standard, but the colour more than makes up for the crappy wear time. It's worth reapplying.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Watermelon, Blackberry & Chilli - £3.99 from Boots

I've been a fan girl of Barry M's Gelly Hi-Shine nail paint for ages, they make up more than half of my nail polish collection. They last really well and they leave a beautiful, plumped and glossy finish after only two coats, one for the darker colours, not to mention the incredibly cheap price point. Watermelon is a deep forest green, Blackberry a navy blue that reminds me of the Berol Handwriting Pens we had to use in primary school and Chilli a deep rusty orange red. All of them are stunning, but Blackberry is my favourite, even though I have no idea why it's called that when it's blue... weird.

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint in Sprint Finish - £3.99 from Boots

Autumn is the time for deep berry shades and this raspberry pink is stunning. The Speedy Quick Dry nail paints are amazing, almost as good as the Gelly Hi-Shine's, with a cuticle hugging brush that makes application a breeze and a formula that lasts reasonably well and dries in seconds. Blink and you'll miss it.

China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Tinsel Town - £4.99 from Amazon

I am not a fan of glitter nail polishes, because generally they're a nightmare to remove and really ain't nobody got time for that. This might be the exception to the rule because it comes off so easily. I only have a few China Glaze polishes but they're really good quality. Tinsel Town is a gun metal grey with fine hexagonal flecks of silver glitter running through it.  It looks really pretty as an accent nail or layered on over another colour as a full on glitter mani. It actually lasts quite well and doesn't chip or flake too badly. I like it a lot, for a glitter polish.

What will be gracing your nails this Autumn? Let me know by commenting below - I always reply so check back -, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx

Barry M Coconut Infusion Nail Paint Review & Swatches

Barry M Coconut Infusion Nail Paint Review & Swatches

Tuesday, 10 May 2016

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The beauty industry is having a major moment with coconuts, coconut oil, coconut water, the numerous benefits of this humble nut - is it really a nut? - means that it is everywhere these days. And it looks like it's finally made it's way to our nails, including Barry M's latest release.

My love for Barry M's Nail Paints is seriously well documented. For me they're up there with some of the best on the market and I've even known them to out perform their high end counterparts. The overall quality is excellent, they have an incredible colour range and a really affordable price point. What's not to love? In the past few years Barry M has added a ton of new formulas to the line up - Gelly Hi-Shine, Speedy Quick Dry and Daylight Curing to name but a few - and I've loved them all, although it does have to be said that the Gelly Hi Shine formula is my favourite. So when I saw their latest drop of coconut infused polishes I was intrigued and a purchase was inevitable.

The range is made up of nine polishes: five summer ready shades and four beachy nudes. Now I'm not a huge fan of nude polishes and the other two colours in the collection, whilst pretty, aren't something I would normally go for.  But the three I did pick up are right up my street. I chose Laguna: a sky blue, Bikini: a bright turquoise-y green and Surfboard: a light pink-y lilac. The colours are lovely, but very similar to a lot of my other Barry M faves, not that I'm complaining. Now onto the important part the formula. Described by Barry M as 'a unique and caring blend' the polishes are formulated with Coconut Oil, Coconut Water and Vitamins B & C to both condition and hydrate the nail with High Reflective Resin for a super glossy, high shine finish. The polishes are designed so nourishing on the nails that Barry M advises against using a base coat so as to feel the full effects of the new formula.

After trying out Laguna I'm happy to report back that they're really lovely! I used two coats in the above picture, mostly out of habit but the finish was pretty much opaque after just one coat. They apply beautifully and I can already see an improvement in the condition of my nails. I really like them.

Coconut Infusions retail at £4.99,  a pound more expensive than the regular paints but definitely worth the increase, and are available at Boots and Superdrug.

Have you tried any of Barry M's Coconut Infusion Nail Paints yet? What;s your favourite? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

October & November Beauty Favourites 2015

October & November Beauty Favourites 2015

Sunday, 29 November 2015

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October and November were not the easiest of months. I won't go into too much detail because it's taken over too much of my life without taking over my blog as well. Instead we're gonna talk beauty favourites, October's and November's. I'm not gonna panic about the fact that 5 seconds ago it was July and now it's the end of November. Nope I'm not gonna even think about it. So instead let's talk favourites.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper - £8.99 from boots.com

My love for the Rouge Edition Velvet formulas is well documented, but in the past I've alway been more of a Olé Flamingo/Pink Pong fan girl. In the past two months though Hot Pepper has been my go to bold lip for nights out. It is long lasting, comfortable to wear and the most beautiful, bright, pillar box red. I use it regularly anyway but can see myself getting way more use out of it during the Festive season.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 - £5.99 fron boots.com

I've recently been diagnosed with adult acne, which is way more common than you'd think but still pretty horrible, and embarrassing. Anyway it's due to a hormone imbalance and whilst my medication to rebalance everything and prevent the little buggers is kicking in I have been loving Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer. I think I may even love it more than Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer (I know, may the god's strike me down!) . The coverage it gives is fantastic, and that's what I've needed. It blends seamlessly into the skin, doesn't crease and lasts hours. Application is fairly standard, with a doe foot applicator, and the colour match is really good. The shade range, is sadly, limited, with only 3 shades in the entire range and absolutely nothing for those with darker skin tones; which I think is such a shame, but otherwise it's such a good concealer for such a good price.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hr Skin Perfecting Full Coverage Foundation in 100 Ivory - £7.99 from boots.com

I reviewed this foundation a while back, and well it wasn't a favourable review (read it here). So how come it's one of my favourites this month I hear you ask? Well, while there are some definite formulation issues that still stand, the coverage it gives is second to none. Be it under eye baggage, redness, scarring or big, juicy blemishes, this bad boy will cover it. I like to use quite a rich moisturise before applying because it is drying, quite badly drying actually and it does sit on the skin for a while after application. But like I said the coverage it provides is fabulous and the wear time is decent too.

Burt's Bees Refreshing Lipbalm with Pink Grapefruit - £3.69 from boots.com

AKA my new favourite lip balm. Burt's Bees is amazing for lip balm, using all natural ingredients; including coconut oil, beeswax (obvs) and pink grapefruit seed oil, it's super moisturising, leaves my lips in amazing condition and smells incredible. LOVE IT!

Nails Inc in St Pancras  -  Currently Unavailable

Okay, it's official, I am in love with this colour, and it's pretty serious. It's my new favourite polish, I'm taking it off to put it straight back on again. That's how awesome it is! The obsession is so real.  St Pancras is the perfect Autumn/Winter colour; a deep wine red that makes even my short, stubby nails/manfingers look elegant and sophisticated. ALL THE HEART EYED EMOJIS!!!! Sadly telling you guys about it makes me a major tease because it's not available anywhere. And I've looked. Sorry Guys :(

Fleur De Force Lipgloss in Starry Starry Night - £6.99 from feelunique.com

There are a lot of lip products in this post... Anyway if you read my recent review of Fleur's make up line (read it here) you will know 2 things: 1. I am a BIG fan of the whole collection & 2. Starry Starry Night was my favourite item in the entire line. I'm not normally a lipgloss fan BUT the formulation of this is more like a high shine liquid lipstick rather than a traditional gloss.  It's an absolutely beautiful colour, with a really nice finish. It also smells incredible, has decent wear time and fades to a nice even stain. Love it!


What are your favourites? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses.blogspot.co.uk. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - &  pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx

Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish in Mercer Street & Regents Place

Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish in Mercer Street & Regents Place

Sunday, 19 July 2015

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I'm a sucker for a blue nail polish, we all know this, I might even go so far as to say that blue is my favourite nail colour. Ever. Well it's a toss up between blue and blue-green/turquoise (read more about that here and here). I'm also a sucker for a gel formula, and a huge fan of Nails Inc, so when I saw these Nails Inc Gel Effect Polishes in Mercer Street and Regents Place in my local T.K.Maxx, for a fraction of their normal £14/15 price tag (I paid £3.99 each) it was an actual no brainer and they had made their way into my basket and to the till before you could say Lauren do you really need another blue polish? Let alone two? The answer, of course, being yes brain. Yes I do.

Mercer Street is a gorgeous cobalt that calls to mind a perfect, cloudless blue sky on a swelteringly hot day somewhere over the south of France (not that I've ever been). Whilst the long lusted after (seriously I've wanted it forever!) Regents Place is a stunning lilac toned cornflower that is more reminiscent of bluebells and spring time. My personal favourite is Regents Place, which is currently adorning my toes and tips, but both are seriously beautiful and really pop against tanned skin, which sadly I don't have.

Now let's talk application, formula and longevity, you know the technical stuff. The application is ridiculously easy, the brush is fairly standard, nothing special but really easy to use. The real star is the formula which is both thick and creamy yet easily workable and leaves a glossy, hi-shine finish which I love. It does take 3 coats to get opaque coverage but that's fairly standard with Nails Inc. I only picked these up on Friday so I haven't had the chance to check out what the longevity is like but other blogger reviews promise a good 5-6 days of wear time before needing to reapply, so I will definitely let you know if this is the case.

*Post Update:* Regent's Place has lasted really well on my toes and is still chip free 5 days in but it didn't last as well on my finger tips, chipping after 3 day on my fingers. 

Nails Inc had a bit of a revamp last year which included redesigned packaging, which I really like, it's so sleek, and an increased price point, which I don't think is justified as you actually get 2ml less product but hey ho. Overall I am really impressed and will be adding more to my ever growing and now quite frankly ridiculous nail polish collection. 350 and counting... it's pretty bad guys!

Have you tried any of the Nails Inc Gel Effects? What do you think? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com, Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - and pinterest to stay updated.

Love love love xxx

P.S. My mum picked up the daisy dish (in the pictures) for me for £2 in the Next Sale, she got it for me in white as well and I'm OBSESSED with them. Be prepared to see them in way more blog photos. Also let me know if you'd be interested in seeing any homeware hauls or anything like that.

L x

The Blues

The Blues

Tuesday, 21 April 2015

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L-R: Soigné in Vodka Bleu, Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay Seven Day in Uptown Blue, Essie in Avenue Maintain, Nails Inc in  Kensington Park Road  & Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Blueberry.

If you were to rifle through my, quite frankly ridiculous, nail polish collection (300 and counting) you would probably notice that the majority of shades are blue. There's just something about a blue polish that I just can't resist. So I thought I'd share my faves. My 5 Shades of Blue if you will.

Soigné in Vodka Bleu - Vodka Bleu is a really rich dark turquoise-y blue with a seriously awesome formula. It's super pigmented, opaque in just one coat and ridiculously long lasting. Wild horses can't drag this bad boy away! It has an awesome brush, it applies absolutely effortlessly and just looks so gorgeous on the nails.  Love it. 

Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay Seven Day in Uptown Blue - I haven't had this that long but it has fast become one of my fave light blues. Spring means pastels and this lovely polish more than fits the bill. It is such a pretty sky blue with an almost fluorescent quality to it that really pops. It would look amazing against tanned skin (unfortunately I'll never know being paler than the moon and all.) Not only is the colour pretty special but the formula's awesome too, for  a colour this light I would expect at least 3 coats for it to be opaque but it's really thick and creamy and only took 2. Winner.

Essie in Avenue Maintain - This is one of the first Essie polishes I ever bought and to this day it remains one of my favourites. The colour is super pretty, just a lovely sky blue that is perfect for springtime. I super love it. 

Nails Inc in  Kensington Park Road -  This is one of my most used nail polishes ever! Seriously you can actually see a line from where I've used it so much and with so many nail polishes that just doesn't happen very often. It is a really beautiful neon blue that demands attention, you can't not look at it. It's so pretty but bad ass at the same time. I love it so much. It is all the hearteyed emojis!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Blueberry - This is the most gorgeous lilac toned cornflower blue, like Uptown Blue it has a neon quality that really stands out. The Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine's have a fabulous formula: opaque in 2 coats, reasonably long lasting with a shiny gel like finish - hence the name - and they're cheap as chips.  Lovely. 

What are your favourite nail polishes? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also,f you have a minute check me out on instagram, bloglovin, facebook & pinterest.

Love love love xxx

2 Stars & A Wish #12

2 Stars & A Wish #12

Thursday, 30 October 2014

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In the last couple of weeks I've tried out some really fab new make up and I've had quite the job trying to limit my Stars to just the 2 but somehow I've (almost) managed it.

This week I'm gonna do something a little different and start with my wish first as it informs one of my stars. 

My Wish goes to Liplift Peel by Être Belle 

Liplift Peel by Être Belle 

I got this in a subscription box last month and was genuinely quite excited about it. With winter coming, bringing with it chapped and dry lips, I thought this would be ideal in helping to keep my lips smooth and nourished during the winter months. The Liplift Peel promises to replenish and define the lips by gently exfoliating and removing dead skin for 'perfectly soft lips' sounds good right? Wrong! It absolutely wrecked my lips. It completely dried them out and left me with a very attractive (and crusty!) rash across my top lip. I couldn't wear lipstick for 4 days! It was horrendous. I can honestly say I have never seen my lips in a worse state. Now I don't know if I'm allergic to something in it or if my lips are particularly sensitive but I would definitely not recommend it. So not impressed. But this brings me to my first star.

My First Star this week is actually a tie and it goes to Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner and Blistex Intensive Moisturiser. 

Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner and Blistex Intensive Moisturiser

Because the Liplift Peel utterly destroyed my lips I've been using the Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner and Intensive Moisturiser to return my lips to their (less crusty) natural state and they've been amazing. I've been using the Intensive Mosituriser as a base, letting it sink in before slicking on a layer of the Daily Lip Conditioner to seal in all that nourishing, moisturising goodness and the combination of the two has been a total life saver. My lips are almost completely back to normal and it's all thanks to these two. 

My Second Star goes to Revlon Gel Envy Color Stay Longwear Nail Enamel in Up the Ante

Revlon Gel Envy Color Stay Longwear Nail Enamel in Up the Ante

 I came across this a couple of weeks ago in an Essie Button video and it was love at first sight - the nail enamel, not Estée...although I do love her - and I had to get my hands on it. The colour is a ridiculously pretty pinky-purple that is both gorgeous and super wearable. It's also really versatile, it's light enough to be worn in the summer but warm enough that it can be rocked in the winter months too. I've never tried a Revlon nail polish before, the main reason being I really don't need any more nail polishes, but I was so impressed. The formula is kind of amazing, it acts as a base coat as well as a regular polish and gives a really nice gel finish plus it lasts ages. The longevity is amazing, I've had it on my nails for nearly a week now and whilst there's some minor chipping it's nothing too major. I am in love with it and you'd better believe more will be making there merry way into my now frankly ridiculous collection. 

So those were my Stars and Wish for the week? What did you think? Agree? Disagree? Let me know on twitter using #2StarsandaWish or by commenting below, if you do comment I try to reply so check back :) Also check out my facebook, Bloglovin, instagram & pinterest. You can also drop me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. 

That's me for today but I'll be back on Sunday. Until then...

Love love love xxx

Review of Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Enamel in Turquoise Block

Review of Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Enamel in Turquoise Block

Sunday, 19 October 2014

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 Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Enamel in Turquoise Block 

 Swatches of Turquoise Block 

As a brand I find Bourjois to be a bit hit and miss. Whilst the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation and the Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Stains are firm favourites of mine there are some things, as with most brands, that I’m not so fond of, like the nail enamels for example. BUT after seeing this on the shelves of Boots it was lust at first sight and I had to have it. Sadly it's definitely a miss. 

The formula dries really quickly but I think this is due, at least in part, to how watery it is. It takes 4 coats to be opaque and even then it's streaky. It's got quite a thick,  fan-like brush that is meant to make painting quick and effortless however I found it really clunky and difficult to manoeuvre, which made for messy application. Not only is the formula poor and the brush tricky to use the longevity is pathetic! It doesn't last at all, it started chipping off my nails within hours of application. The colour is so pretty but other than that I was really disappointed. 

Have you tried any of the Bourjois Nail Enamels? What did you think? Let me know on twitter and while you're there feel free to check me out on facebook, Bloglovin, instagram & pinterest ;)

Love love love xxx

Friday I'm in Love #11

Friday I'm in Love #11

Saturday, 13 September 2014

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L-R: V05 Smoothly Does It Curl Defining Mousse, Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Chai and Frizz Ease Dream Curls Daily Styling Spray.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Chai

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Chai

I am struggling to remember a time when I haven't mentioned a Barry M Polish and for the life of me I don't think such a time exists. Good Old Barry, the undisputed King of High Street nails, will always be one of my favourites. Chai is a new release, part of Barry M's new Autumn collection. I love grey nails, always have and this one has become a fast favourite. I won't bang on about the formula and how good it is, we all know how good Barry M's formula is. So all I will say is that it is gorgeous and let's just leave it at that. 

V05 Smoothly Does It Curl Defining Mousse

I use this on an every other daily basis and yet have somehow never actually mentioned it on here. This is a staple in my haircare routine (which has taken years of perfecting by the way) and one of the strongest weapons in my frizz fighting arsenal. The mousse is amazing it get's rid of frizz and strongholds my hair into smooth curls rather than fuzzy ringlets. It is also really longlasting, it's a little bottle but it goes a long way. 

Frizz Ease Dream Curls Daily Styling Spray

This is a recent addition to the aformentioned frizz fighting arsenal (I like the metaphor, I'm sticking with it.) John Frida deserves a medal for Frizz Ease. The spray is really light weight and gives me really nice curls without any kind of sticky crunchiness. My curls are quite tight but this relaxes my hair a little bit, leaving me with looser, frizz free curls. I am in love with it. 

Picture via www.amazon.com

This week I have been really poorly, I have acute laryngitis which is refusing to shift. I've almost completely lost my voice and am coughing constantly so it hasn't been a great week to be honest. Now when I'm sick there are a couple of things I like to do to make myself feel better (read more about that here) but one of them is to lose myself in a really good book. And this week that came in the form of How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern, which I thoroughly enjoyed. How to Fall in Love tells the story of Christine Rose, owner of a recruitment company and lover of Self-Help books, who meets Adam when he is trying to commit suicide by jumping off the Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin. Determined not to let that happen Christine and Adam strike up a deal in which Christine has 2 weeks to prove to Adam that life is worth living. I thought it was amazing and really brave of Ahern to write about such a taboo subject.  I couldn't put it down, I thought the story itself was lovely and very moving and I loved it. 

My SOTW this week may seem a little bit strange but hear me out. Like Whoopi in Sister Act 2 my taste in music is completely eclectic, whilst I will admit to a passion for classic rock, particularly from the 80's and it is no secret that I love Bruce Springsteen more than I love... well anything. Anyway I have gone completely off point here, the point was I love music and in anticipation for Cilla (which starts on ITV on Monday, I can't wait!) I downloaded Anyone Who Had A Heart performed by the lady herself and I kinda love it. I already had the Dionne Warwick version on my iPod but Cilla's is surprisingly good. Being a 90's child I only knew Cilla Black as the red haired, Liverpudlian present of Blind Date but... she can sing! Who knew?! Mark my words I will be singing this loudly and proudly in the shower just as soon as my voice returns. 

So those were my loves for the week. I am off to bed for the rest of the day, probably the weekend, where I will be coughing and croaking until someone brings me tea. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! If you find some time and feel like cheering up a poorly girl, check me out on twitter, facebook, Bloglovin, instagram and pinterest and give me a cheeky like or follow ;)

Love love love xxx

PS If anyone would like to see a post detailing my haircare routine and the sheer effort it takes to maintain my hair then let me know either by commenting below or on twitter. If you do comment I always reply so do check back. L xx

Maybelline Color Show in Coral Craze

Maybelline Color Show in Coral Craze

Saturday, 15 February 2014

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I have been using my much talked of make up ban as a reason to make the most of the make up I already have. Particularly where nail varnish is concerned. My nail varnish collection has reached the dizzingly high number of 170 and I am pretty sure that I have used less than half.

                                   

   Maybelline Color Show in Coral Craze

I bought this at the height of my nail varnish obsession last year (it was bad guys) and I've never used it. I have 7 Maybelline Color Stay polishes and haven't used any of them, so I thought I would test out Coral Craze first to get me in the mood for spring.  The colour is absolutely gorgeous and had a really smooth formula that made it super easy to apply. On the downside it did take 3 coats before it became opaque and has already begun to chip even though I only painted them a few hours ago, however I think the colour is beautiful and more than makes up for what is lacking.

Until next time feel free to take a sneaky peek at my twitter, facebook, Bloglovin, instagram & pinterest

Love love love xx

The Cheer Up List (from damn unpretty to pretty damn happy)

The Cheer Up List (from damn unpretty to pretty damn happy)

Wednesday, 5 February 2014

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So this post is a follow up to my last post Damn Unpretty (read it here). I thought I would share with you the list of things I do to cheer myself up when my self esteem or my mood goes on the down swing. Try any of these when you are having a particularly bad day and I guarantee you will feel better :)

 

Nails in Hip Hop by Rimmel London Salon Pro Plus
      

Paint my nails - Usually red, red is the colour of confidence and it seems to be my signature colour (I love that). I love painting my nails it's really therapeutic and I like looking at them when I've finished, it gives me a small sense of pride (particularly when I don't smudge them) and seeing the pop of colour on my nails makes me happy.

 

Put on lipstick - I think my lips are my best feature. Elizabeth Taylor famously said 'Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and  pull yourself together.' I love that. Whilst I'm not a big drinker, I feel like I can face anything if I've got the right lipstick on. My favourite winter lipsticks are: #1 Seduction by Collection 2000, #500 Diva Red by Rimmel London & Pom Pom by Soap & Glory. I am also obsessed with Apocalips by Rimmel London in Apocaliptic (pictured).

Happy Place :)

Go for a walk - I live a five minute walk away from Bedford Park, which during the summer is absolutely beautiful. Whenever I feel myself stressed to the point of breaking I put on my iPod, listen to happy music and walk round Bedford Park until I feel better. It's so peaceful and secluded that even though I am in the middle of the park it feels like I'm the only person in the world. It's my happy place.

Listen to music and dance my face off - I defy anyone not to feel better after dancing around and getting out of breath and silly. My personal favourites to do this to are: ACDC's You Shook Me All Night Long, Journey's Don't Stop Believing,  Amii Stewart's Knock On Wood and Grace Potter's Something That I Want.

Read - There is nothing I love more than forgetting my troubles and immersing myself in a good book. I don't have a definitive favourite book because I love so many but some of my favourites are: The Girl in Times Square by Paullina Simons, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, How to Love by Katie Cotugno, The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins, Harry Potter (obviously) and The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. I love anything by Jodi Picoult, she's a fabulous writer. I also just finished reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by the gloriously funny, beautiful and amazing Mindy Kaling, I strongly recommend it.

  

                 

Knit - Knitting is my therapy, and I'm not alone Amanda Seyfried, Ryan Gosling, Zooey Deschannel, Julia Roberts and Tom Hardy all enjoy knitting. It's so therapeutic and calming because you have to concentrate and can't think about anything other than what you are doing. It really quiets a frantic mind and I always get something cool out of it. Win-win.

Baking - Is amazing and when done right results in untold deliciousness. It is simply not possible for anyone to feel sad whilst baking and then getting to eat chocolate fudge brownies. I'm not the world's best baker (I'm trying to get better) but I love it so much.

Have a bubble bath - Normally I prefer showers to baths, I have to really be in the mood for a bubble bath but when I am there is nothing quite so relaxing as a hot bath full of gorgeous smelling Soap & Glory Calm One Calm All bubbles (my favourite bubblebath). My flat only has a shower, so whenever I go back home to see my mum for the holidays I make sure I have as many bubble baths as I can to make up for it.

Wear super fluffy slippers - I was originally going to say wear high heels around the house just because. But I wore heels out last night and my feet have not forgiven me yet for subjecting them to shoes that torture them no matter how beautiful. So instead I'm saying slippers. Slippers are one of man's greatest inventions, closely followed by Smartie cookies, the iPhone and MAC make up. These beauties are currently adorning my feet.

Honestly it is not physically possible to be down about life when I have the plush, yellow face of Homer Simpson's face looking back at me. Plus if I wiggle my ankles it looks like he's eating my feet, there are literally hours of fun to be had in these slippers.  

 

Go swimming/for a run/to the gym - I will be the first to say that exercise SUCKS. However the feeling of accomplishment when you have finished coupled with the endorphin high does not. I personally prefer swimming because it's like a form of meditation. I just zone out and before I know it I've been swimming for over an hour and am exhausted. Before I came to uni I used to go to the gym at home twice a day. There were 2 reasons for this 1. There was an instructor there who was so beautiful and amazing I was hoping he would become the next Mr. Lauren (he didn't) and 2. I got a little bit addicted to the rush I got after, which is not the healthiest thing in the world.

SING - Singing has been scientifically proven to improve mood. On days where I am feeling ugly or sad (and I have the house to myself) I love nothing more than expressing my sorrows through the medium of song. My favourite songs to belt out are Barbra Streisand's Funny Girl, On My Own from Les Mis, Don't Rain On My Parade again by Barbra, Idina Menzel's version of Let It Go from Frozen, The Rose by Bette Midler, My Man (Barbra again), Defying Gravity from Wicked, Don't Stop Believing by Journey and anything by Queen or Meatloaf (as you can see I do this a lot). No matter how bad I sound I always feel so much better after. It's really therapeutic. I find it's best to choose a song where you have to belt out the notes, because you can let all your emotions out with the song and afterwards you feel so much better.

I have loads more - including a Pinterest session involving animals wearing hats/pyjamas, watch a film or a entire TV boxset (I strongly recommend Scrubs) in one sitting, facemasks and surfing youtube but I think I might be starting to bore you now. Hopefully this list helps you go from this...

to this...



Until next time lovelies check me out on twitter, facebook, Bloglovin, instagram & pinterest :)

Love love love xxx

Never judge a brand by it's price tag

Never judge a brand by it's price tag

Friday, 15 November 2013

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I must confess myself as something of a make up snob. Don't get me wrong I absolutely adore high street brands (so much so that the people in my local Boots know me by name) and my make up stash is made up almost entirely of high street products. Having said that the brands I tend to favour usually come from the higher end of the scale, purely because I have always found better results with those that cost a bit more.

However I was shopping with my friend, fellow shopaholic and enabler the other day when we made a quick detour into Body Care where I was introduced to the brand Technic. The quickest way to my heart is through good music and nail varnish (I have 150) and they had shelves and shelves of nail varnish.

Usually I wouldn't give this brand a second glance, NOT because it looks like it would be awful but because I find it very hard to believe that you can get anything half decent for less than a pound. How very wrong I was. I was like a tiny child in a sweet shop, grabbing at everything and anything and getting thoroughly overexcited. After what seemed like hours of perusing the make up I settled on 3 new nail polishes and a new eyeshadow pallet.

L-R: Carnival, Turkish Sea, Siona Island. B:Electric Beauty Metalix Eyeshadow Pallet, all by Technic

This cost me a total of £5:49! As someone who has spent £70 on nail varnish in one hit (I got into so much trouble that day) this seemed like a total revelation. Desperate to play with my new make up I hurried home and painted my nails in Turkish Sea, using Carnival as an accent.

Nails in Turkish Sea & Carnival by Technic

The nail varnish was fantastic. Two coats and it was completely opaque. I always find glitter polishes difficult because I find it impossible to resist chewing it off but this one wasn't too bad, although it did take a few coats to get a decent amount of glitter. Unfortunately it only lasted a day before it began to chip which is pretty poor, however for the bargain price of £1 a pop I will definitely be adding more Technic products to my collection.

 As a strapped student (with a pretty serious make up habit and an out and out nail polish/lipstick addiction) I sometimes have to make the difficult decision between make up and food, and more often than not make up wins. Well not anymore. Now I can have both :)

Until next time guys for more nail polish related chatter and fun times check me out on twitter, facebook, BlogLovin, instagram & pinterest.

L0ve love love xxx