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. 

Deal of the Day! Elle Magazine/Elizabeth Arden

Religiously reading ELLEGirl through my teens (best mag ever!), I was heartbroken when the magazine ceased to be. But then I discovered ELLE. And could never afford it each month. Which is where subscriptions come in. For the past year I've had a subscription, paying £12 for 12 months (best deal ever, right?). After accidentally stopping it (long story...) I've got myself a new subscription - £6 for the first 6 issues, then £16.80 for every 6 after that. Bit pricier than before, but you still save a fair amount off the cover price. And if you subscribe now, you receive a free Elizabeth Arden gift worth £41. It says on their site that the offer ends on the 6th Oct, but they've repeated it a few times already, so it may go on longer.

So I received my gift, which I was looking forward to because I thought it would be perfect for winter. This is what you get:

Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant (30ml)
Elizabeth Arden's cult product. I got this just in time, when I had a bad cold. I used it on my nose (a little goes a long way) to stop my skin from getting flaky and it worked wonders. Also good on lips. The tube seems kinda small but as you need so little I think it'll last ages and it's perfect for popping in your handbag.

Eight Hour Cream Intensive Daily Moisturiser for Face SPF 15 (50ml)
I was worried this might be really thick and greasy but it's not. Again, you don't need much and it's super moisturising. Great for the cold months.

Eight Hour Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15 (3.7g)
After having high hopes, I've been disappointed by this. It just doesn't seem to do much. I've found myself putting this on, then some of the skin protectant cream over the top. I prefer my Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm, to be honest.



By the way, I'm not affiliated with ELLE, or anyone in the beauty industry for that matter, I'm just fanatic about the magazine and like to ramble about things. 

A/W Favourite Nail Varnish & Rimmel Matte Finish

It's cold and rainy, rainy, rainy, windy and grey. I like this weather though. I love a/w dressing. I get to wrap up warm, accessorize with cute hats, mittens and scarves, and paint my nails lovely deep shades. Well I still paint them dark in summer too, but whatever. Here are 5 of my favourites:

(l-r)

Barry M 273 Raspberry (looks a deeper pinky shade in real life)

Barry M 292 (mine just has a number, but I think it's sometimes named Navy)

Barry M 299 Racing Green (looove this)

No7 Stay Perfect 115 Totally Teal (shade is similar to Racing Green, but this is a creme)

No7 Stay Perfect 100 Temptress (deep burgundy)

Both No7 polishes were purchased with the £5 off voucher they often do in Boots, so they were £1.75 each. I wouldn't pay full price for these because application can be a bit dodgy. First time I applied Totally Teal, it was streaky and lumpy, but was ok with a second coat. The brushes are good but feel like they're going to fall out of the lid.

Don't really need to say anything about Barry M, do I?

(shown on nails in the same order as above)

I then applied Rimmel's Pro Matte Finish Top Coat. This stuff is great. You get to turn any colour matte! It dries super fast and gives a gorgeous velvety smooth finish. Claims to last up to 10 days. Staying power is good, but you may need to reapply a little to the tips to keep them matte. 

Lush Goodies

I got these for a recent birthday gift and I'm loving them! I've always thought Lush was a great company, even though their products can be a bit pricey (although I know they say this is because of the quality of the ingredients). I've been using their solid shampoos for the past couple of years. One bar lasts me months, and they're brilliant for travelling. If you have coloured hair, just make sure you avoid ones with lemon juice in...

Angels On Bare Skin (above)

Lush's bestselling fresh cleanser. I've used the solid Baby Face cleanser before (which apparently they are discontinuing!) but this is different to use. You take a tiny bit and mix with water in your hand, then massage over your face. Rinse off and you have lovely soft clean skin! 

The Joy Of Jelly (above)

I always saw the shower jellies as gimmicky and thought they wouldn't last a few washes, but this is amazing! Not only the smell (rose, jasmine - it's addictive), but it seems like it'll last ages. Bit slippery to hold it in the shower, so I rub a shower puff over it a few times and you get loads of lather. I pulled a chunk off to try crushing it into the puff, which is a good way of using it too. 

Dream Cream

I'm not mad about the smell, but this is the best hand cream. I've used it all over as well, and the smell doesn't really stay, it just leaves your skin dreaammily soft. Love it. 

I need to stop looking on their website... they have new Christmas goodies! (No Halloween this year?) The Winter Bath ballistic sounds nice... Time to start a Christmas list.
Has anyone tried their new perfumes? I haven't had a chance to smell them yet.

Deal of the Day! Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Definer

Budget Beauty London's first Deal of the Day! It's a good 'un.

Head over to Poundland - yes, Poundland - and you can get TWO Rimmel twist-up eye liners for £1. Bargain. I think they've had them in for a while. They sometimes have Rimmel lipsticks and glosses, and some Revlon cream shadows. I got the liners in green and purple.

(top - bottom)

Prestige - E41 Kiwi

Rimmel - 231 Pine

Rimmel - 281 Aubergine

Swatched with the Prestige green liner at the top (I like my green eye make up!). It's a lot lighter and more of a khaki colour than the Rimmel one which is more of a darker moss green. They have the little sharpeners at the end too, which seem ok. They're not too smudgy and glide on smoothly. I'll have to go back for some other colors!

Hello!

By way of introduction, allow me to show you my everyday must-haves.

First, and most importantly (for me), is concealer. I have very pale skin, dark brown hair and the worst dark circles under my eyes that make me look half dead if not covered up. I don't use foundation, never have.

(l-r)

• Boots No7 Quick Cover Stick in 02 Extra Fair - if I need it, I smudge a little on my cheeks to cover blotchiness. 
• Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in 1 Fair - claims to last 16 hours. I haven't timed it, but it is good and the consistency is nice and smooth. Doesn't go cakey. 
• Elf Tinted Moisturiser in Ivory - this makes my face mega shiny, so I use a teeny bit with the above concealer, or just blend some over my cheek bones as a highlighter. 

• Natural Collection Blush in Pink Cloud - nice for a subtle pink flush to cheeks. 
• Collection 2000 Pressed Powder in 18 Ivory - been using this for ages, it's pretty good. 

(top - bottom)

• Benefit BadGal black eye pencil - free with Glamour magazine! 
• Prestige Eyeliner pencil in E41 Kiwi - if I'm not bothering with loads of eye make up, I like this or BadGal for a little smoky definition. 
• Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black Brown - great for filling in sparse bits and the comb is good to help blend and shape. 

• Avon SuperShock Mascara in black - bought this when it was on offer, so it was £4 or £5. I like big, long lashes, and the brush on this is brilliant. It doesn't clump and stays put all day. I think this is waterproof, but doesn't say on it. 

So! Those are my essentials. Bye bye for now!