Review! Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots

Hey guys!

I hope you're all keeping well!

I got these nail polishes from my wonderful mummy, who brought them back for me from her trip to England. I was super excited as I have wanted the L'Oreal Confetti polish for ages now, and these are pretty much the same.

The colours I got were Rainforest Canopy, Speckled Pink and Chalk Dust.

 

Speckled Pink and Rainforest Canopy are the same as Chalk Dust but with coloured nail polish instead of clear. 

The coloured ones go on pretty sheer and you have to layer them up 2 - 3 times depending on what kind of look you want. The 'polka dots' don't show through too much after maybe the third coat, but if you have the clear one you can out one coat of that over top and it looks really nice. Doing this also gives a bit of a dimension effect (?) as in the pink dots are a little darker than the clear ones. I can't explain! But you will see what I mean in the next picture.

Chalk Dust over Speckled Pink & Earnie and Birdie by Catrice

This is after 2 coats of Speckled Pink and two coats of Chalk dust.  The texture stays relatively smooth which is nice and they don't chip easily. I would recommend using a clear top coat over them as I found that some of the dots would poke up and snag on things. Also it's a good idea to give them a good shake before using so you get a good concentration of polka dots! 

Overall I really like these nail polishes, I don't think I'll pick up anymore of the colours as I already have loads of colours to layer with the clear polka dots. 

I hope you enjoyed this review! Let me know in the comments what your favourite nail polish is! 

Don't forget to follow & like me on twitter, instagram, facebook and she said beauty!  

Ta-ta for now! xo

First Impressions: Essence Cuticle Balm, Nail Balm, All Round Talent, Nail Care Pen & Penneys Beeswax Handcream

Phew! That was a mouthful of a title!

So lately I've been trying to look after my nails and hands a bit more. I got a manicure before my holiday to Spain, and I'm convinced the cuticle oil & vitamin D from the sun did them a world of good. I can see the difference in the new nail growing, so I'm trying to keep it up.

I started by getting the Nail Care Pen by Essence seeing as it seems the easiest way to apply all them good oils to the cuticles and nails. I usually do it after I've taken off my nail polish and washed my hands. I haven't used it enough to see too much of a difference but I have noticed my cuticles are a lot softer, and I haven't has any dry/rough skin around the sides of my nails, which I normally do.

It contains: vitamin a & e, gingko extract, jojoba oil, avocado oil and almond oil.

The other Cuticle/Nail item I got was the Nail and Cuticle Butter Stick from Essence. It's very like the oil pen, but this one is more moisturising. You apply it the same as the oil pen, by rubbing it on your cuticles and around the nail area, then gently massage it in. I love the smell of this, it's just like beeswax handcream!

It contains: vitamin e, shea butter, lanolin and beeswax.

I then got the Essence All Round Talent nail polish. This claims to be an "all-in-one base or top coat, ridgefiller, hardener, optical whitener and sealer". I figured why not try it out! I just have to wait until I remove my current nail polish to try it and see if it can live up to its claims. It does have a purple tint to it so I believe it will whiten, but I'll wait and see about the rest... Update: I just tested it on my baby finger and just as I suspected the purple tint to it does lend to the whitening effect BUT I put it over my pink nail polish on my other finger and it altered the colour, only a bit, but still noticeably different to the other nails. (Nail with brightener is more of a lighter pink, the rest are fuschia pink.)

The last things I got are two hand/nail creams. I got a hand, nail and cuticle cream from Essence (I told you I had a think for it haha!) and a beeswax hand cream from Penneys (Primark) for 1,50€! 

The nail cream does the same job as the other two I mentioned before, so I won't go on about it too much. It's a water based cream.

It contains: pro-vitamin B5, natural beeswax and glycerin.

The other hand cream I got from Penneys is a beeswax and jojoba oil cream - it smells amazing. Just sayin'. I got this to try out because I have seen so many people talking about hand creams, and yes I know it's coming up to summer but you have to have pretty hands to show off all the pretty summer manis! And anyway, it's never a bad thing to look after your skin, no matter where.
I got this primarily to keep in my handbag so I would have no excuses for not taking care of my hands, but I definitely am going to get another one, especially seeing as they're so cheap (1,50€). I would recommend everyone to get your hands (pun intended) on some when you're next in there!

It contains: Beeswax, Jojoba oil & Almond oil

That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed! I will definitely keep you all updated on how it goes regarding all my new lotions and potions! Keep an eye out on twitter, instagram and she said beauty for updates!

What have been your recent discoveries? What's your nail care routine? Let me know in the comments!

Ta-ta for now kittens! xo

NOTD Tutorial: Matte Pink & Gold Glitter

Hey everyone!

Today I'm going to show you how to do my Nails Of The Day (NOTD)!

This is my first post of this kind, but lets hope it's the first of many.
You can find my previous NOTD pics on my Instagram or Twitter feed, both visible in the sidebar.

Have fun!


What you need:

1 Base colour - I chose a bright pink but you can use any colour you want.

1 Glitter polish - I used a golden coloured glitter, but again you could use silver or any other glitter colour.

 

How to: 

Paint your nails with 2 coats of your base colour

Leave to dry (~10 minutes)

Once it's dry, apply your glitter polish to the bottom of each nail

When you've done this, go over the bottom again to build up the density of the glitter

Do some small upwards strokes so the glitter appears to be settling gradually at the bottom of your nails

And you're done! You can mix up the colours however you like, and add your own flair to it. 

Final result :)

This is another combination you could use!

I hope you enjoyed my first tutorial!! I'm planning on doing more, so keep an eye out. Make sure to check out my other online hangouts for updates and news - twitter, instagram & she said beauty, all of which are available in the sidebar!

Have you tried this out? What colours did you use? OR what colour combo would look good too? Let me know how I did with my first NOTD post in the comments below! 

Ta-ta for now! xo

My Wishlist: May!

Hey everybody, I hope you're all well!

It's time to do my wishlist again - already? Time's gone so fast!
I have a couple of items scratched off my April Wishlist, and on their way to me, but I've seen so many more things I'm lusting over since then.
I'm also due for a favourites post too, and there's so many new products I've discovered since the last one, exciting!

But enough waffling from me, on with the show!

Wishlist: May! with Wet n Wild, wef, srth

Stila Illuminating Powder Duo in Kitten - I've seen lots of reviews of this product, and after trying Benefit's High Beam highlighter, I think either a cream or powder highlight suits me better. Shaaanxo uses this in nearly all her videos and it gives a beautiful dewy finish, without being too 'in your face'. I have an E.L.F fan brush on it's way, so I'm excited to see how this works out!

NYX Powder Blushes - I have one in 'Natural' which I got in Spain, and I love them. I love the formula of them. They're super soft and perfectly pigmented. I've heard the darker browney shade 'Taupe' can be used as a contouring shade so that is definitely going on my list.

NYX Lipsticks - I have one of these on it's way from Cherry Culture, in 'Narcissus', along with some lip liners too. Their matte lipsticks are supposed to have a great formula that isn't too drying on the lips. And they come in so many shades. I've fallen in love with lipsticks lately so I'm definitely going to get more of them.

Milani Lipgloss - I'm going to admit it right now - I really want these mainly because they're dupes for MAC Lipglasses. I don't wear lipgloss that much but the one I have my eye on is a dupe for Nymphette by MAC, which looks fab on bare lips.

MAC Lipstick in Snob, Girl About Town - I've decided to bite the bullet and go for it, I'm thinking of asking a friend of mine who lives where there's a Brown Thomas, to pick me up a MAC lipstick. I love lipstick so much right now, I feel I should invest in at least one high end one. The two colours I'm deciding between are Snob and Girl About Town. I like the look of Snob moreso than Girl ABout Town as I think I might have a dupe for it lying around somewhere.


Wet 'n Wild Palettes - These are a drugstore holy grail in America, I hear so much about them everywhere. I have to find out a cheap way to get them to me, here in Ireland! 'Walking on eggshells' is the most popular palette as far as I know, but I'd love to try some new, bright colours.

Make-up Academy Matte Perfect Primer - Ever since I saw Hannah from Midnight Violets review this and compare it to Benefit's 'The POREfessional' I've been um-ing and ah-ing over ordering it from the MUA Website. I absolutely adore my Benefit primer but the price is what puts me off a bit. I only have a sample size so it runs out quite quickly too.

And finally..
L'Oreal Top Coat Confetti - Since I've gotten into painting my nails more and more often, and seeing as it's summer soon (yay!) I'd love this so I could do a 'Mini Egg Mani'. I've been collecting a couple more nail polishes recently and I've decided that I'll do a Haul Post of my new ones and also maybe a tutorial post on any interesting manis I do!


That's it for my May Wishlist! Thanks for reading & as always, take a peep at my twitter, instagram & She Said Beauty profiles, they can also be found in the sidebar!
Let me know in the comments what you think of the items on my wishlist! Have you got any of them? Have you invested in a more high-end product, if so, was it what you expected? 

Ta-ta for now! xo

Holiday, life decisions & new feature!

Hey everyone!
Sorry I've been away from the keyboard for a bit but I was on holiday in Spain (have you seen my pics on Instagram?), which was a-mazing!

I got to see some beautiful places and meet some new and awesome people. There was also a load of beauty brands over there that aren't available in Ireland or England, so it was nice to be able to get my paws on some of those things. PLUS I got a few new clothes too which I might post about later! The weather was mixed with the first day being rainy, but then as the week went on everyday was better & better. Overall I had a fantastic time, and it was nice to be able to relax and forget about my worries and college and all the rest!

When we came back it was back to work - no more sangria for me! And back to college too. Which brings me to what I really want to whoever reads my blog know, maybe it's just because I've had a weight on my shoulders for the past few weeks and I've finally been able to make the decisions I need to get it off there, that I'm in the second last week of my first year of my course and I've made the choice not to go back to it in September. I loved it at the start and I value everything I was taught, but it's just not me.

I don't know exactly what I'll do instead but it's definitely something to do with make up or beauty.
I was in a department store on Friday just looking around and decided to get my brows done by the benefit brow expert, I also got some information on what qualifications you need to have to work at one of the beauty counters and it actually sounds really fun! I haven;t discussed my plans with my family yet but I know they will be supportive of my decisions.
I've been looking into beauty schools around Ireland and eyeing up some 'one day makeup' courses, but who knows yet!

Sorry if it's a bit of a rant but I've been busy with sorting all this out for the last few days so that's why I haven't had time to sit down and do the posts I planned for when I was back.

Aside from all that, I have decided that, as I'm finishing up with college and have the opportunity to wear nail polish for more than 24hrs - working with food or in a restaurant doesn't allow nail polish, I am going to do more Nails Of The Day posts, with nail polish hauls & some tutorials too! Let me know if you think this is a good idea in the comments!

Keep an eye on my twitter feed & Instagram feed for news and updates!
You can also find me on She Said Beauty!

What are your 'on holiday must haves'? 
Have you gone in thinking you love something then changed your mind? Or are you loving what your doing in college/uni? 
Would you like to see NOTD, polish hauls & nail tutorials? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading - it's a big confidence boost to know people are reading my little blog, and it helps me show my passion.

Ta-ta for now! xo

Apologies and Updates

Hey everybody!

I feel awful I haven't stayed true to my promise of a post but fear not, I will be back soon. It's been busier than expected and all other things going on.

But let's move on!

October tricks and treats!

Nails and Make-up...

Adorable little spider web nails. Very simple, but still very cute and hallowe'eny! 











Here is a little step-by-step pic of some skull nails that only require 2 colours! 

Another easy nail look! This can also be done with a glow in the dark nail polish over the white base coat for an extra spooky effect!







Glow in the dark nail polish is available from eBay, and from Claire's.

      

But enough of the nails, if you're looking for a more subtle, sexy but still spoookey make-up look for hallowe'en look no further! 



I love this look personally. It's so easy and basic, but the little diamantes add a touch of class to the whole look. 
It also gives the option to glam it up even more if you want, by adding some dark purple, or red eyeshadow. 

If you really want something freakish, here's the perfect thing for you! It still has the element of simplicity but it also has pizazz!




Maybe some of these have given you an idea for hallowe'en, or maybe they've been inspiration for your own spooky nail design! Whatever the case I'd love to hear from anyone who's tried them, or has found even more cute hallowe'en looks, in the comment section!

Thanks for coming and I hope to see you for the next instalment!

Ta-ta for now!