Showing posts with label nails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nails. Show all posts

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

First Impressions #3: Barry M Quick Dry Nail Polish

Another first impression post. Sorry about the lack of post on Monday, but I went out to meet with a friend at short notice and forgot to edit this blog post, but the schedule for blog posts still remains the same. Anyway, I popped into Boots on Saturday to pick up some essentials that I needed to get and some new items I wanted to try out. 

I had heard a lot about these new Quick Dry Nail Polishes from Barry M and knew I needed to try one of them out. I absolutely love painting my nails and buying new polishes to try out, so when I heard about a Quick Dry range, I knew I needed to put it to the test. As most of my nail polish collection is Barry M, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed by the formula and application and I, sure enough, wasn't. 

Sorry about my chipped nails in the picture above!
Barry M Nail Polish in Pit Stop 512 - £3.99
This colour looks grey in the bottle but when applied is more of a grey-lilac colour. 
Packaging: First of all, the packaging of the product is the same as all Barry M nail polishes are, except for the black and white checkered lid. I love the packaging as it is simple, classy and good quality. The black and white lid allows the polish to stand out in my collection, so I am aware that it is a 'special' nail polish.

Description: There isn't really a description at the back of the product. However, on the front of the nail polish it says 'Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint'. I have to agree with this description as this nail polish does dry very quickly. Once you have completed applying one coat onto your nails, the first nail that you first applied onto will be dry. Obviously it won't be completely bone-dry but it isn't wet either. Once both applications have been applied, after about 5-10 mins your hands should be okay to move around without the risk of smudging. However, just check your nails before doing this.

Consistency: The consistency of the product is very good, just like all Barry M nail polishes are to be expected. Although the first coat of nail polish does appear stringy and patchy and doesn't appear to be very good, however after the second coat, it is perfect. Very opaque, smooth and no patches. Also, the brush on the nail polish is very different from the normal Barry M polishes. The brush is much more spread out, making it easier to apply and coats the nail in one swift movement. This will make it so much easier for those of you who find it hard to apply nail polish anyway. 


Price (reasonable or overpriced): £3.99.  This is a great price for this product. Great quality, application, colour range and the fact it drys quickly, makes it such a reasonable product and is so hassle-free.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Definitely, I have already recommended it to my friend that I met recently and I would recommend it to anyone.

Would I repurchase it?: Definitely, next time I make a trip to a Boots I am picking up another colour.

Verdict: 5/5

Hope you enjoyed this blog post. Do you like the Barry M 'Quick Dry' Nail Polishes and if so what is your favourite colour?

*All opinions are my own and all photos were taken by me.  

Saturday, 24 January 2015

Updated Make-Up Bag Additions!

In a few of my previous blog posts, I have shown you guys what I had recently bought, make-up wise. I really enjoyed writing my thoughts and opinions on these products and as I haven't done one of these posts in a while, I thought now would be a good time, since I have bought quite a few bits over the last couple of months.

As I was quite late to the make-up scene, I haven't got tons and tons of make-up and most of these products I am about to show you are my own opinions and have been tried and tested. I had heard about some of these products from other bloggers and YouTubers and wanted to give them a try myself.


My make-up bag is from John Lewis. It is from the brand Catseye but it is not on the John Lewis website, so I could not provide a link and I'm not sure of the price either. I got it for my 17th birthday and I absolutely love it. It is really big and is supposed to be used as a wash bag for travelling, but I prefer to use it as a make-up bag. I really love the size as it enables me to see my make-up and means I don't have to rummage around looking for something. The picture on the front is a retro, vintage inspired picture of some women in old-style swimsuits and I love how cool it looks. I love this bag and it is perfect to store my make-up.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 Ivory
An essential to any make-up bag is a foundation. This foundation has been repurchased for the second time illustrating that I love this foundation. First up, I adore the packaging. The glass bottle and vibrant orange lid makes it stand out in my make-up bag, making it easy to find, but also creates the impression of it being quite expensive, even though it is a drug-store product. I use the shade Ivory and the foundation is really easy to work into the skin and leaves it with colour and brightens up your entire face. The foundation has some glitter in it, which you cannot notice in the bottle or on the face but up-close you would be able to see it. This makes your skin look really nice and flawless. Another thing about this foundation I love is the fact it has a pump to distribute the product. This makes it easy to apply and means that you won't be putting too much product on your hand to use.                                          
Revlon Lash Potion Waterproof Mascara in 221 Blackest Black
My next item is a new purchase, I had never tried this product before or heard anyone talk about it before either. I saw this mascara on the Superdrug website for half-price and decided to order it. The packaging is quite cool with bright colours and a pretty pattern on the tube. This mascara is okay but I don't think I would repurchase it again. I found it quite messy to apply and the applicator was too big for my eyes. Once applied, the formula was clumpy and didn't have very good separation but was good on volume. I went for the waterproof mascara as I don't own one and I am pleased with this choice as it doesn't leave any smudging under the eyes, unlike some of my other mascaras. I will continue to use this mascara until it finishes, but I don't think a repurchase is in the cards.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 004 Sandstorm
Another classic make-up idea is a powder. I have the very popular and much-loved Stay Matte powder. I absolutely love this product and for anyone who has started to use make-up, I would highly recommend getting this product. It makes your make-up last all day and gets rid of any shiny bits, leaving a very 'matte' finish to your skin. I got the powder in 004 Sandstorm which is a bit too dark for my skin, but I do like it as it gives my face a slight bronze tone and adds a bit of colour without looking too much.

Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer in Natural 2
Another new purchase I bought online from Superdrug was this brightening concealer. I really liked how the applicator was a brush and you have to twist the bottom to get concealer out. This means you are not wasting any product and it makes it easier to apply to the face. This concealer adds a bit of highlight to your face and brings out your features more.

Rimmel Colour Rush Colour Balm in 700 Not An Illusion
I think I have spoken about this product before. I love these Colour Rush lip products by Rimmel as they are shaped like a massive crayon and are so easy to use and apply to the lips. The colour I have is a dark browny-red colour and really suits my skin tone. These lip products are super moisturising but also have a matte effect once dried. They last quite a long time but will probably need topping up every so often.

Barry M Showgirl Extra Lengthening Black Mascara 
I love this mascara from Barry M. Firstly, this mascara is so affordable for those of you that want a good lengthening mascara from the drugstore, get this one for only £2.99. It gives your lashes a great length and makes your eyes look so much bigger. Barry M have 2 mascaras, I have the 'lengthening' mascara but they also have a 'volume' mascara which I have yet to try out. This mascara is so easy to apply and is great for school as it gives a really natural look to your lashes.

Soap and Glory Supercat Extreme Eyeliner Pen in Carbon Black
Another new purchase is some black eyeliner. I have never owned eyeliner before, so this was completely new for me. I knew that I wanted to try some eyeliner out and experiment to see if it suit me or not. I decided to choose a pen eyeliner with a skinny tip to make it easier for myself, as I am a beginner in eyeliner. After multiple attempts, I think I am starting to get the hang of it now, however I don't think I suit cat-eye liner as it makes my eyes look really small, but with a small line across the lash line, it brings out my eyes a lot more. It is so hard to get the hang of, but after trying and failing, I have got my technique down and now it starts to look pretty good. If you have any tips on eyeliner, leave your advice in the comments, I would love to know how you apply eyeliner.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Classic Beige
I have heard so many good reviews about the Rimmel Wake Me Up and I have got to agree with them. This concealer is so good for under-eye circles as it brightens your under eyes and makes you seem more awake. This product is really easy to apply and has a creamy, thick consistency which is perfect for covering up dark circles.

Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Aurora
I didn't purchase the Tanya Burr products as these were a Christmas present from my cousin. I had always wanted to buy some of Tanya's products to try out as I had heard great things about them. The lipgloss I got was Aurora and is a summery pink colour. The consistency of the product is quite thick, so I wouldn't add loads of product as it can make your lips feel a bit clumpy and horrible. However, I apply the lipgloss with a few tabs in the middle and then lightly blend with my finger across my lips. This gives your lips a bit of colour and gloss, but doesn't make it too over-the-top.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Cool Medium 2
Another concealer! Another product I have heard so many good reviews about. The Collection Lasting Perfection concealer is ideal for blemishes, scars and spots that you want to cover up. I personally would not apply this under the eyes but you could if you wanted. This creamy texture counteracts redness and doesn't draw any attention to your blemishes. This has to be one of my favourite products I have bought so far.

Tanya Burr Nail Polish in New York Night

The last product in my make-up bag is a Tanya Burr nail polish in New York Night. Again, this was a present and I absolutely love this colour. I currently have it on my nails and the consistency is so thick that you could easily apply one coat if you wanted and not bother applying a second. This colour is supposed to be dark purple but once applied on the nails it comes up black, which I don't mind but just thought I would give a heads up. 

So, that's everything in my make-up bag currently. Let me know what your favourite make-up item is in the comments.                                

Tuesday, 6 January 2015

2 New Additions To The Nail Varnish Family

Not too long ago, I purchased two new nail varnishes from my local Boots store. As a nail varnish addict, I didn't really need any more polishes as I have one in every colour but I was tired and bored of them all so I decided to get two new colours.

Choosing a nail varnish is always a difficult task as you want to get colours and shades that you don't already own but you also want something a little bit different at the same time. As we are currently in Winter, I knew I want to get some darker colours and burgundy and red nails are my go-to colours so I knew what I was looking for as I went on the hunt.

I always pick Barry M nail polishes as they are my favourite, and in my own opinion, the best!

In the end I opted for these two colours...

Red Wine - Barry M
Red Wine by Barry M is quite a bright red colour, which is quite surprisingly as it looks quite dark in the bottle. I was a little disappointed in this colour as I thought it would be darker and it was similar to another Barry M colour I already had but I will still use it anyhow. I went quite safe and picked the normal Nail Paint instead of going for a nail polish that is magnetic or glittery or cracks, as I just wanted a staple, simple block colour. 

Side Note: These are NOT my nails 
The second colour I picked was...

Raspberry - Barry M 

Side Note: These are NOT my nails www.bebeautiful-beautyblog.com
I absolutely love this colour. It is a pinky toned red colour and it is definitely more red than pick. It is a dark red which I love and I am currently obsessed with this colour. When choosing the nail varnishes, I was torn between both of these colours and in the end, I opted for both. Another thing I love doing when choosing new nail varnishes is looking at what they are called, as I am kinda obsessed with names of products as a cute name or unique name of a nail varnish, makes it 10x better.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Sorry it has taken me so long to post but I have been super busy with Christmas and New Year that I haven't had time to blog, but I will try and dedicate more time to my writing.

Let me know in the comments what posts you would to see from me in 2015.

Monday, 25 August 2014

My Daily Nail Routine

Over the summer I have been trying endlessly to grow my nails. I always try and unfortunately fail at keeping my nails looking long and healthy. However, I end up breaking one and then this has a domino effect. Since being on holiday I found that my nails have got stronger due to the sun and therefore growing! 

I always find the only way I can succeed in getting my nails to grow and maintain themselves is if I apply nail polish and shape my nails. 

So, this blog post is going to be on my daily nail routine. I do this routine every time I get bored of the colour on my nails, so I'm going to take you through my step-by-step guide to maintaining healthy and fairly strong nails. 

Hope you enjoy! 

I thought I would show you what products I use on my nails first. 

  1. The first thing I do is pick out the nail polish I want to use on my nails. This happened to be a bright, neon dark pink (it looks more red in the pictures but on the bottle it is pink.) 
  2. I have my nail polish remover. Personally, I think it doesn't matter what remover you use, whether it is expensive or not, in my mind it all does the same job. My remover is from Tesco. 
  3. I have a clear nail polish which I am going to use as my base coat. 
  4. I have a Top Coat nail polish, which explains what it does basically. 
  5. 2 cotton pads. I prefer to use cotton pads rather than wool because I find it easier and less stringy. 
  6. A cuticle tool. I don't really know what it is called but it pushes down your cuticles. 
  7. Finally, a nail file. This is to get rid of unevenness and to leave your nails smooth and well-shaped. 




After having taken you through the products I am going to use, I am just going to show you what my nails look like at the moment. I currently have on Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint By Barry M in Blood Orange. 

                                           

Next, I'm going to remove my nail polish with the cotton pads. I use one pad for each hand. 


Then, I use my cuticle tool to push down my cuticles. It is important to push back your cuticles because it can lead to stronger, healthier nails. 

                                            

After I have done my cuticles, I file my nails. This gets rid of any unevenness in your nails, shapes them and smooths them. This is really good if you have broken your nail and need to sort it out. 

                                             

Once filed, I quickly go to the bathroom and wash my hands under some water. This is to remove any nail dust that has accumulated when filing. 

                                            

Once washed and dried, it's time to put on a base coat. I am using a clear normal nail varnish for this. The nail polish I am using is one I got on my holiday. 

                                           

Nails after the base coat...


Now time for the fun part, you finally get to paint your nails in your chosen colour. I also apply 2 coats to my nails, to ensure that all my nails are completely covered and so the colour stands out.


It does take a lot of practise and time to get your nails perfect and to avoid smudges. The amount of times I have smudged my nails or accidentally gone onto my skin, but keeping trying and you will eventually get the hang of it. 

Wait about 10 minutes until your nails feel a little dry and then add your Top Coat. This makes your nail polish last longer and avoids chipping. It also leaves a high gloss to your nails as well. 

                                                     

There we have your finished nails. Hope you enjoyed this blog post. 


 

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