Lana Del Rey Inspired Nails

 

Did these free hand last night but I don't have thin nail art brushes so they're a little messy (hence the smaller images haha!). Not bad for a first attempt though. Also the first time I filed my nails into points rather than the normal rounded/squoval shape. I quite like! I'm calling these 'Short Style Del Reys', cos I couldn't cope with Long Style ones!

I used Revlon's Gray Suede as the nude base (bought from Poundland!), with Revlon Red and Topshop's Silver Bullet for the tips. And stuck a little diamante on the thumbs for extra glam fun.

Lana Del Rey for UK Vogue March 2012 shot by Mario Testino

Oh hello

I thought I'd start this up again. So, let's go.
Here's some photos of my nails recently. Woo!

 Barry M Raspberry with LA Colors white

 Bourjois Rose Lounge with Topshop Silver Bullet tips

 Free manicure I received at the Bourjois Boutique pop-up shop in Shoreditch last Sunday by a lovely girl who works for the amazing  Sophy Robson. Not sure what happened where that little gap is by the black, but I filled it in with Pink Grapefruit by No7, which is the same shade as the pink she used (can't remember the name!) Gotta say I loved this manicure! It's chipping now, but lasted well for the week.

NOTD: Barry M Dusky Mauve

The notoriuosly hard to photograph Dusky Mauve by Barry M, aka exact rip-off of Chanel's Paradoxal. I've never been interested in those grey, murky colours, always seeing them as a bit... bleurgh. But I love this. The photo shows how it looks pretty much all the time - a murky grey with purple undertones. Unfortunately you don't see much of the gorgeous purpley sparkle that you can see in the bottle here but I love the colour anyway.

NOTD: Revlon Red

Well, nails of the week. 680 Revlon Red. I applied this on Tuesday evening, took the photo Saturday morning. Only had to touch up the tips on my thumbs because there was slight wear. This is the only Revlon nail varnish I have; I actually won it from a Boots competition ages ago. I really like the formula, it's not too thin or thick, applies nicely and gives great colour. I was feeling in the mood for a classic red and this is perfect. I love the bottle too and you get quite a lot at 14.7ml.

Lush Christmas

I was excited when I saw the new Hottie massage bar on the Lush site a little while ago as it said it was good for poor blood circulation, because of the ginger and black pepper oils in it. I went to try it out in-store and the slightly crazy face-mask wearing lady there gave me a hand massage to demonstrate it. She melted loads on, leaving me with very greasy hands, but then added talc to soak it up. If you don't go over the top, you can get just enough to leave yourself nicely moisturised.

I like the smell (it's quite subtle I think, cocoa butter with a hint of ginger), and the bumpy Lego-like side feels great while it lasts, but does unfortunately wear down quite quickly, especially when used for a back massage.
The problem I find with it is that when your hands and feet are like blocks of ice (as mine always are at this time of year), the bar doesn't melt! I used it after a warm shower the other day though and it felt lovely to melt the oils into my legs and feet, and by doing so, getting my hands warmed up.

I also got a block of the new Christmas Snow Globe soap. Oh my GOSH this smells so good. I usually prefer warmer scents in winter but I can make an exception for this. It contains lemon myrtle and grapefruit oils, and kind of smells like sherbet. I've only used it on my hands so far, but it leaves them feeling quite soft so I'll try it in the shower too.

As a quick update...
the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Lip Protectant Stick continues to be a disappointment, but the classic Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant continues to be a god-send in this weather. The boyfriend has even been asking for it to cope with his man-cold.
I've been putting some Dream Cream on my hands before bed and before going out in the cold and it protects them so well. I now understand why people rave about the Angels on Bare Skin cleanser. (Argh forgot! Mental note: must pick up a Baby Face cleanser before they disappear!)

NOTD: Lilac tips

Did this quick mani last night whilst watching Remember Me (good film!), using No7 Stay Perfect in Sugar Syrup 40, with Barry M's 308 Berry Ice Cream for the tips. I then discovered I had some little gems, so stuck one on each thumb. Subtle and pretty, I think.

Elle... again.

Just found this downstairs. The free Clinique lip gloss is tiny! But I never finish lip glosses anyway, so no point being greedy. The colour's nice, it's sheer but can built up for a pretty berry toned pink. 

Oh, and they have a new subscription offer... a free Benefit kit.