Well Hey There Sailor...

I don't know about you but I love the MAC Hey Sailor Collection, it's just perfect for summer and the nautical packaging is beyond cute.

I picked up four items from this collection (all for lips!) when it came out and thought I'd share with you two of them.

On top is the Suntint in Au Rose with SPF 20. On the bottom is the Lipstick in To Catch a Sailor. I love that name ;)

Anyway, I guess you want to know how I got on with them?

Suntint - first thing to say is far.to.sticky. I'm afraid this is just not great for me. I am so disappointed, this should have been the perfect summer tinted lipbalm, instead it's just a sticky layer on the lips and unfortunately I actually found it to be drying so not a recommendation from me. The one thing I would say is that the tint is nice though.

Lipstick - this is a shimmery gold shade and I promise I will do some proper on the lips photos of it soon. In the meantime I would say that I like this. The texture is good, buildable, doesn't sit in the lines in your lips or run and has a nice strong tone to it. Steer clear if you don't like shimmery finishes though as this is slightly frosted. Which I know some people are offended by.

So Suntint no Lipstick yes.

Any of you tried these items from the Hey Sailor MAC collection?< /center>

Holiday Wishlist No1

1. Jessica Simpson Wedges (link)
2. River Island Luggage (link)
3. River Island Dress (link)
4. Forever 21 sunglasses (link)

So zeee lovely boyfriend finally relented on Sunday and said that we might have a holiday towards the end of summer.  A beach, chill out, dream holiday.  There is just something about the sunny weather that makes me feel like I need a week to sit and chill on a beach in the sun.  

Oh yes. 

I am so excited at the thought that I have been putting wish lists together!! Here is my first one. 

We are thinking of going to Egypt - has anyone been?  Do you have any recommendations for September or October time - not too far away and good weather??

Anyway, I am going hunting for bikinis next.

And in the meantime - diet time!!

Benefit High Beam - Luminescent Complexion Enhancer

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Benefit - High Beam £18.50 (link)

So I've recently been really getting into Benefit makeup.

Years ago I had this amazing little bronze highlighter that I used everyday which was just perfect for me. Seriously. It made me look fab all sunkissed and healthy but sadly I could no longer find it as it had been discontinued. Depressing.

Anyway over the years I've seen their makeup but never really gone back to it. However recently I've been using their mascara, bronzer and this little beaut.

I'm hooked.

The texture of this is just lovely. All silky and light and it applied over your foundation and powder perfectly and blends beautifully.

I like that it's such a pale shade too, much more subtle for highlighting in the day. Gone are the days when I could get away with a bronzey face all year round and lots of shimmer - my clients would just think I was nuts I think seeing as my curly hair can even freak them out!

I would definitely recommend this I think that it is perfect for everyday wear and seeing as a little bit goes such a long way - worth it!

Do any of you ladies use this? Have you any other benefit recommendations for me!?

Summery Shellac - Rosebud

I showed you my nails with nude and shimmer on last week. I loved it although it grew out really quickly this time!! Think it must have been the weather.

So time for a girlie, summery shade this time I think! I love it although it doesn't necessarily go with much!!!

What do you think ladies??

Who Says You Can't Wear Black and Brown Together

Top - Matalan (link)
Skirt - H&M (link)
Shoes - New Look (old)
Necklace - Debenhams (old)
Handbag - Louis Vuitton

So I wanted something smart to wear for cocktails and a catch up.  Not a heavy dancing around the handbag night.  More of a sit and sip white cosmopolitan cocktails (try this if you haven't as it is divine!!) in the Alchemist in Manchester kind of night. 

I remember years ago it was always a little taboo to put black and brown together.  It was like some unwritten rule (I believe it is the same with navy and black).

For a while I lived by this rule and in all honesty I was pretty unhappy when I saw the two paired together!  But nowadays I don't feel like that at all and regularly pair the two together.  Not only that but so does everyone else!

This outfit is inspired from that thought.  Fashion evolves and you can always break the rules should you so chose!  Here's to breaking the rules ladies.

You like?

Mixing CND Shellac colours

As you know, I love shellac. I seriously don't know how I managed without it for all those years!

Obviously though, with it lasting so long you need a colour that you won't get too bored with. Which is tough. I love dark colours for that, it is easier to get tired with bright colours.

Dark colours can also seem a bit out of place in these months. So this time I went for a nude. I wanted a little more character to it though so I had a shimmer put on top also.

The colour combination is cocoa and iced coral. I like the combination but I must say, I thought it would be more of a gold shimmer than the greeny tinge it has!! I still like it but I think I need to opt for a more gold shimmer next time!

There are loads of colour combinations online which are much more exciting which is great for a bit of variety!

What do you think?

Anyone else mix colours when having a gel manicure?

Hello happiness

MAC Lipglass Orange Tempera

So for the first time in a while I absolutely adore the most recent limited collection from MAC.

I don't know what it is, but a combination of the packaging, the colours and the products available just seem to tick all the boxes for me!  It's just so cute.  

I absolutely love the nautical packaging and don't want to throw it out!

The colours are a mixture of brights and nudes, but exciting nudes if you know what I mean. They have an orangey tone, or gold tone or something to make them a little more exciting. 

I do actually really like MAC lip glasses but I only have 2!  One is the Viva Glam Cyndi one and the other is a bronzy gold.  Neither of them get out much due to the vibrancy of the colour and the impact that could have on my clients!  So I went for this muted colour to wear alone or with my now many MAC Lipsticks.  

I wasn't disappointed.  It's a lovely texture and shine - it feels smooth and  moisturising rather than gooey and sticky on the lips. 

The horrendous facial expression picture above is me with it on.  Very muted. 

Result. 

Anyone else wearing any of the Hey Sailor range!?

Do you like my dress?

Dress - Therapy

I love this dress.  It's a 'sports' dress.  I think I might be wearing it a bit too tight but ah well!  I like it that way haha.

It's gone down to £23 from £38 from House of Fraser, so I just had to share it with you!!

Style Envy - Jessie J

I don't know about any of you but I have a serious style crush on Jessie J at the moment.  It is ridiculous.  

On saturday night I was particularly loving the midi length body con dress she was rocking (along with her hair and makeup - seriously, I need to get me some wigs so I can look different every week!).  

It got me thinking about what to wear this coming weekend for a night out and whilst looking on asos.com on sunday morning at like 8am I spotted it in the 'new in' section.  I couldn't believe it because normally these things are only available WEEKS later.

Guess what.  It's only £22!  Bargain.  

It's at times like these I love asos.  Personally, I got scared because I have too many wobbly bits at the moment to really get away with this but for those of you who also lusted after this dress - you can purchase it here (<---- link) if you are brave enough! 

Gel Polish Manicure At Home

The Process

Before

After (No.1)

After (No.2)

As a lot of you will know, I've become addicted to getting a gel manicure. It has meant that my once short, uneven and downright nasty nails have actually grown without breaking off and look nice and neat for 2 weeks at a time.

The process involved is basically a gel base coat, 2 layers of gel polish and then a gel top coat. All cured under a 36watt UV lamp.

I really enjoy going and getting them done and my nail technician is both good and lovely and she only charges £15.

Now I know in the grand scheme of things £15 isn't that much, however I go every two weeks - therefore it ends up being £30/month. That's ok but I'm trying to save a deposit for a house so any chance I have to shave off the monthly outgoings is good to me.

So when KGB had a deal for a gel manicure set for £79 I thought why not and that I would have made my money back in a few months.

So firstly - the kit. It's by Gellure - one of the many at home manicure brands it's hard to find much out about. They have one video on YouTube and that is it. They sell through BodyReform.

When considering whether or not to purchase I had a look for some reviews and there weren't many, but the couple I found were positive.

So, usage then.

Not great. First thing to note is the lamp is 9 watt only. My heart literally sank when I saw this. I had attempted to contact them to ask on YouTube but hadn't had a reply and maybe I shouldn't have purchased on this basis but stupidly I assumed it could only be 36watt.

So obviously, curing time is longer. I can handle that. What I couldn't really stand was the fact the actual gel polish was a NIGHTMARE to apply and full of fibres!!! I couldn't believe it. So basically, I'd apply a layer or part of one and then the brush would pull it off with the next stroke. Painful.

Anyway, I applied a much thicker coat the second time and it made it a bit better but I'd say slightly uneven in terms of finish. Definitely not rivalling Shellac. Top coat on and cured and the result was as shown above (after no.1)

The random thumb picture is to demonstrate that curing won't work on thumbs unless you do them separately, as the cleanser you use at the end just dragged it back off!

I could see that within a day though it just wasn't going to last so I applied a further coat and top coat which resulted in after no.2. Which was a little dark but much better finish.

And now to wearability. My nails feel like paper again, despite the layers being as thick as when I have had Shellac. It's just not a strong and has resulted in 3 nail breaks. Unhappy times.

What I would say though is that aside from the broken nails it has lasted in terms of chips etc. I'm on day 13 today and it's still in tact, but it doesn't look as fresh or shiny as Shellac.

Overall thoughts?

Not the best quality. If you want a long lasting nail colour then this may be ok for you. If you want strength too, maybe not.

For me this wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be, but it will do for emergencies - like if I can't make a nail appointment one week. I don't think though that I would recommend it.

Electric Blue

Top (actually an under dress) - New Look
Skirt - Vero Moda (link)
Black pump Slippers - Primark

Ah electric blue - such an amazing colour.  I also love these style skirts, although if I am honest I worry that they drown me given I am such a short person!  

This one isn't too bad though because it is kind of a mid-length so I can actually get away with this.  Well I think I can!

What do you think ladies?

Simply Beach - Elle MacPherson Intimates Lingerie

Elle MacPherson - Dentelle Underwired Bra - £36.00
link

Elle MacPherson - Dentelle Thong - £21.00
link

I was recently offered the opportunity to review some underwear from the Simply Beach Wesite (link). 

Simply Beach are a website that offer both beachwear and underwear.  

They have a huge range with various brands such as Freya, Calvin Klein, Wonderbra and Triumph. 

I had heard lovely things about Elle MacPherson's underwear in the past and it always looked nice and luxurious, so I decided to place an order for a bra and thong from her range (you can get shorts at £23.00 if preferred).  

Now I have what might be considered a larger bust - at the moment I am a 34F, although this varies depending on my weight (I am slightly heavier than I would prefer at the moment).  So the first thing I noticed about this site was that I had a lot of choice for my sizing.  Which is a massive bonus, because usually I just miss out on all the pretty underwear.  

I was pleased that the above range came in my size and placed an order.  Amazingly it arrived the next day - which I always love.  (Delivery is £1.99).  Everything came on their hangers and packaged separately in clear plastic within the parcel - again I thought this was good. 

In terms of the underwear itself, this set is beautiful on (I thought I would save you the picture haha!) and good quality, I feel like the pictures on the website are a good reflection of the product and I actually preferred it in real life.  

I would definitely recommend this website for underwear and I am glad they are now on my radar!  I will be having another look for bikinis next in the hope that I might get to go on a sunny holiday at some point in the near future!!

Do any of you use simplybeach or online websites for your underwear?  I usually get it in person but would definitely order online now.

Wishful Thinking - Monsieur Teal

Buy Topshop Slippers here <---

Well hello there Monsieur Metallic Trim Slippers.  Isn't it about time you got in my life?  Definitely feel like I might need these...

Anyone got these, or any other slippers like this?