Laura's look Book - Konad Nail Art - Turquoise & Pink Flowers

This look is all China Glaze today. I love both of these colours, so naturally putting them together made sense :]

Products Used; China Glaze For Audrey,
China Glaze Emotion,
BM Plate 205

I love this look and the contrast of colours, the cream of the bright turquoise and the metallic shine of the deep pink. It's not the nicest floral design I have, but it is nice all the same.

Chanel - Ombres Perlees De Chanel Eyeshadow Palette

I had been after this palette for a while, so I was very glad when I finally got my mitts on it. The colour selection to me seems to be neutral and smoky, there aren't masses of looks that can be done with the colour selection, but they are good staple colours.

I have never had Chanel eyeshadows before, so I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of quality. I have found that they are very smooth and buttery, so lovely in texture! In terms of colour pay off some of the shades are better than others, I found the lightest colour and purple were hardest to work with, They weren't as pigmented as the others so they took a little more work in terms of pay off and blending.

The packaging is very sturdy and has a great mirror in the compact as it's really quite big, so it's a useful palette for travel. It comes with 2 double ended applicators, 3 sponge heads and a brush head, though it would have been useful to have more brush heads rather than those annoying sponges! But at least there is one brush!

Overall, it is a good palette, I love the colours though some colours work better than others. However for the quantity and quality I think it is overpriced.

The velvet-like dust cover


Front


Back


The palette inside


The shades


Swatches


The accompanying brushes

Laura's Look Book - Konad Nail Art - Girly Floral

I have wanted to do a girly nail look for a while, and so I decided to do one today.





Products used;

China Glaze Good Witch?
China Glaze Harmony
BM plate 224

I love this look, the pink sparkly base with the purple metallic design couldn't be any girlier if it tried! I have provided a natural light picture and an artificial light picture, however it was so difficult to photograph how it looks in real life, as it doesn't show the glitter as well and it captures too much shine, and I don't think it captures how metallic the purple is. Picture difficulty aside, I hope you like it :]

Laura's Look Book - Konad Nail Art - Blue & Silver Swirls

I've not done some Konad in a while, so since I have some time off I thought I'd get to it :]



Products used;

Calvin Klein Indigo Blue,
China Glaze Devotion,
BM plate 19

I have been dying to use a China Glaze Romantique polish for some nail art since the swatches I did in my review of the collection. I used one of my favourites from the new bunch of Calvin Klein polishes I bought as a base too, so really it was 2 birds 1 stone :] It came out OK, but the BM plate design is quite skinny, so I found it hard to cover my entire nail (and I have small nails too), so the designs are harder to use then the Konads where the design is bigger and therefore it's easier to cover the whole nail with the design. With this bm design I had to do a bit of patching up at the sides, hopefully it isn't too noticeable. Either wau I think the design is nice and I like this colour combo :]

Calvin Klein Nail Varnish Haul & Reviews

So, I recently managed to get these polishes for around £3 each on sale. I had seen them before and so had alsways wondered what the quality was like, as you can get them so cheaply considering the RRP is £11 and I have only ever seen them sold for £5 max, it made me wonder how come they were so cheap. Where they rubbish? Some are mislabelled is this the reason for the cheap price? So, here is my review, see below my thoughts on them. (Natural light swatches appear more true to life).

Navy Sparkle


Artificial light


Natural light

Navy Sparkle is a deep blue varnish with green shimmer shot through, which gives it an iridescent effect. This looks blue, however when light hits it green shows through, however the picture does not show this all that well. The formula is thick, pigmented and covers well, but also dries quite quickly. Overall, it is a beautiful and good quality polish. 2 coats was all that was needed.


Hannah Pinktana


Artificial light


Natural light

Hannah Pinktana is a sheer pinky purple colour with holographic shimmer. The colour isn't sheer enough that you don't see it which is nice, and the shimmer is enough to give a holographic effect (not shown very well in the photo. For the best effect I'd say 3 coats, however my picture is only 2 coats and I think it looks really good. It dries pretty quickly, and overall is a lovely colour and quality varnish.


Madly Mauve


Artificial light


Natural light

Madly Mauve is a deep purple with blue microshimmer, making it an iridescent colour that shows through as purple and blue. The formula only needed 2 coats max, dried pretty quickly and is a really lovely colour to look at and wear. This colour was so difficult to photograph, so the pictures do it no justice.


Tutu


Artificial light


Natural light

Tutu is not really a tutu kind of colour, it is black with multi-coloured glitter, however, the main glitter that shows through is a bronzey colour, as the seems to stand out better against the black. This is a minimum of 2 coats, as one coat was still too washed out looking, however I used 2 coats in the picture so I guess 2 would do. This is a lovely unique shade, and a little different. The glitter is very fine so the finish isn't rough or lumpy. A lovely shade and a workable formula.


Hint of Pink


Artificial light


Natural light

Hint of pink in the bottle looks like a dusty rose, however on the nail it appears brighter and more baby pink. This went on perfect in 2 coats, however the colour isn't exactly unique, however it is nice. A staple barbie pink for those pink lovers, good quality, but not overly unique.


Bombshell


Artificial light


Natural light

Bombshell is a bright red verging on the pink side. Very nice texture and a little different from the average red, as it is quite bright and pinkish. 2 coats was enough to get the best coverage, however the finish wasn't overly glossy. Good quality, nice colour, and a colour that is bright and pretty.


Indigo Blue


Artificial light


Natural light

Indigo blue is a gorgeous bright and vibrant blue with silver shot through to give a metallic look. This has to be one of my favourite blues in my whole collection. In 2 coats it was perfectly opaque and the colour pay off was good. This is the glossiest out of the bunch, and it is a lovely shade, with a lovely texture and finish. Overall a really good quality varnish.


Crushed Rose


Artificial light


Natural light

Crushed Rose is a colour which I thought would be my favourite, it looked pinky in one light, but coral in another (in the bottle). However, when applied it was very thick and and gloopy, it also streaked pretty bad and didn't dry as well as the others. It is a lovely pink/coral colour, but the formula lets it down. It's a case of loving the colour but not the formula.


Fuchsia Rama


Artificial light


Natural light

Fuchsia Rama is not just a cool name, it's a cool colour too. In the bottle it is a deep purpley pink, however on the nail it appears more bright pink with a purple tinge. It is a lovely colour, fairly unique. The formula applies well and covers well as 2 coats worked out fine and gave a lovely opaque finish and drying time was good, however the finish itself is anything but glossy. The finish appears to be in the middle of matte and glossy, it isn't overly matte or glossy but somewhere in between. Therefore I find this lets it down, as it looks like the finish isn't supposed to be like that.


Silver Streak


Artificial light


Natural light

Silver Streak is a lovely metallic silver. This is just like any other silver pretty much, however the texture is good, though a little on the thick side and the finish is ok. I'd say 2 coats is all that is needed. It covers evenly and the drying time is good. Overall a lovely silver polish for those metallic lovers.


Overall, good quality varnishes, especially since they can be acquired to cheaply. A lovely variety of colours, and great value for money. Why are they so cheap? Well, although good colours, not all of them appear high end on the nail, while others do, so maybe it is the mislabelled bottles and the fact they haven't built up this high end cult following like brands such as OPI and designers like Chanel and YSL.

Hope this review has helped :]

Wet N' Wild Beauty Benefits Bronzing Powder

This is a really cute product that I got from an outlet for £1! So no matter what it's faults I really can't complain! I have sensitive skin and it doesn't cause any reaction unlike a lot of powders do, so in terms of quality for your skin it seems very good. There are a few shades in the bronzer, some lighter colours and different colour tones, so there is bound to be a complimentary shade there for everyone, even when mixed together. It isn't overly glittery so you won't end up with a glitter ball face either. The design is pretty... well before you use it and it gets ruined! And to top it off, it isn't tested on animals either, which is definitely a benefit.

Brush and mirror inside the compact


This is a pretty design for a bronzer, it seems a shame to ruin it by using it!


Swatch of the bronzer colours


It also says it can be used as an eyeshadow, so I had a go;



There was too much fall out, and it involved mad layering as the colours really aren't pigmented enough to be eyeshadows. So you could have a bash at using it for eyeshadow, however it isn't ideal.

Laura's Look Book; Pinky Goes To The Dark Side

Yes, not the most wearable pink look, so pink has gone all dark!



Products Used;

MAC Phloof!,
MAC Da Bling,
MAC Passionate,
MAC Beauty Marked.

I love my new sigma brushes I earned off Luuux, products like passionate that were a nightmare to use normally was a lot more usable with these brushes. I also didn't need to clean up, it worked out pretty well. Hopefully this is a sign I'm getting better with the brushes and with make up :]

Inspired Looks - Pixie Polish - Peacock Nails

So, I saw this Indian Peacock look by the lovely Lyndsay of Pixie Polish, and wanted to try my own version. She is a very talented lady so it wouldn't be nearly as good as hers, but I love the look anyway. I had the Bundle Monster plate, so why not? :]



I tried to recreate a free hand peacock feather.... and failed, it's fair to say I'm no good at art! My first time using my nail art brushes and acrylics, so I feel I can be forgiven! Here's what I tried to accomplish;


(image from allposters.co.uk)

Products Used;

Urban Decay Aquarius,
Urban Decay Hashbury,
Konad Special Polish Black,
Black, brown, blue & green acrylic,
BM plate 15.

I found the bundle monster peacock so difficult to use, it was impossible to get the whole image picked up on the stamper for some reason. I had a good bash at it anyway :]

Laura's Look Book! Bright Pixi Look

So I did this using the Bottom row of the pixi palette that I show you and review here!



I love this look! It is pretty simple, anyone can do it, and it is lovely to enjoy the last days of summer with a bright eye look! I just used the lighter greeny colour on the lid, and then brought the bluey teal into the outer corner and crease. The colours required a little layering to get the colours to the optimal pigmentation, but they are very easy to use. For £10, this palette really provides for some great looks!

Shop review; Beverly Beaute

So, in my last post I promised a review on the shop I bought my last polishes off, and this was Beverly Beaute. Now this has UK in the URL however it is actually an American store that ship to the UK.

Here was my order;


Cost
Shipping is a steep £5, however this is flat rate, so no matter how much you buy it is £5 to ship it. This means it's best to fill your boots to make it worthwhile. Is it worthwhile? Well OPI is well below retail at £5.95 which is virtually half retail price, and China Glaze is £5.50 per bottle, so I would say so.

Selection
There are allsorts of brilliant products such as Essie, Nubar, China Glaze, Orly, Zoya, OPI, Seche and more, and lots of different collections past and present of those brands. So I managed to get a China Glaze 2009 collection no longer available in stores. So, the selection is varied and often pretty good with no longer available polishes part of their catalogue, however you aren't guaranteed that they will have what you are after, as they don't have every polish from every collection.

Communication
Communication is poor, nay, worse then poor. I registered and never received an email with any details or anything, and then I couldn't even get back onto my account, it just came up with a pop up with gobbledegook written on it, and because I couldn't get into my account and they never sent me a confirmation email of my order, or an email saying whether my order has been despatched or not, I had no idea if they had sent it or not! So, I emailed them enquiring about my order and inability to get into my account and received no reply. So, in terms of communication, what communication!?!

Time Scale
The products arrived in a week, which is really good going, so in terms of despatch and arrival, it was pretty quick. Though, I don't know when they despatched due to their communication (as stated above) being beyond abysmal!

Product
Luckily my products showed up and in good time, and I received the right products which is always good, however a couple of my bottles had scrapes and bashes on them;

It's purely cosmetic and not a big deal, the products still great, but as a perfectionist it is a little annoying to me! I did get a free nail file, cuticle stick and toe separators though, not sure if that is with every order or if it is because of the damaged bottles I got. Probably just freebies with every order.


So overall? I would shop here again but I will definitely be using my precautions in future (and you should too). The product is good (if not a little dog eared), it arrived in good time and at a good price.

Here are my step by step precautions for internet shopping. I would advice you carry out these when shopping on this website, or any other new website you are unfamiliar with;

1) Pay credit card, that way you have more protection if your order doesn't turn up. If they offer payment through PayPal then do that rather then giving them your details.

2) This is a biggy, especially in terms of Beverly Beaute. Print screen the completed order page where it says what you have ordered, your payment and your address, or print out a physical copy of this screen, so if it doesn't turn up you have evidence for the credit card company that you did buy from that website, and they know exactly what you purchased and when you purchased it. Remember try to get the page URL, products you ordered, your address, the date and payment details in the screen shot or on your print out. This is vital evidence you may not need, but if you do at least you have it. In Beverly Beaute's case it is very important to do this, as they do not send any confirmation emails, so you have no evidence of what you have bought, when you bought it, or how you paid for it sent by them, and you can't even contact them to get these emails as they do not email you back. When shopping elsewhere make sure you keep confirmation and despatch emails.

3) Make sure you have the contact details of the company for any enquiries or problems you may have.

4) Keep an eye on how long your order is taking, remember when you ordered it, their estimated delivery date (if they provide it) and how long it has been since you ordered. If it's over 3 weeks or an unusually long time and still your order has not arrived, then it may be time to contact them, if they ignore your enquiries and you still haven't received your order and you are pretty sure that it isn't going to arrive then contact the credit card company.

5) Know the action you take. Make sure you know what number to call or the protocol you undertake
when getting in contact with the credit card company. Familiarise yourself with the things you need to do when claiming.

I will update this protocol when I think of more steps. I hope this helps both in terms of shopping online, and with this company in particular.

China Glaze Romantique Polishes

I got some China Glaze polishes I am VERY excited about!! I missed this collection, so when I saw them for below retail I jumped at the chance to buy them. This was the spring 2009 collection. (I will be reviewing the shop I bought them from in my next post! Please stay tuned for that!)

So here we go! I have taken a picture of a swatch with the bottle in both bright sunlight and normal light, I have also provided a scruffy swatch of how it performs in konad stamping. Excuse the picture quality, I had to do them on my iPhone.

I bought Harmony, Emotion, Cherish, Devotion & Adore

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


Firstly, Harmony. This is a beautiful metallic deep grape purple. It covers well and is a lovely deep colour without too much silver, it isn't too frosty. It does very well with konad as it is a pigmented one coater!

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


Emotion. This is a lovely deep pink, not quite dusty rose, but along those lines. This is a one coater that also does very well for stamping and isn't too silver frosted, yet it maintains the metallic feel.

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


Cherish. This is a lovely light yellow-based green. This is has been described as mint before now, however I wouldn't say that was too accurate, as mint tends to be more blue based, whereas in person this just doesn't look too minty at all. It appears a little more frosted, however the colour pay off is still good.

Bright sunlight

Natural light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


Devotion. This is a lovely metallic silver shade, though in some lights it looked a little purple, though maybe that's just me going a little bit loopy! Anyway, it is a staple silver metallic that everyone needs; it is pigmented, smooth in application, and is great for Konad stamping. It's very frosted, but very gorgeous.

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


And Finally, Adore. This has to be one of the most beautiful blues ever! It is a bright and beautifully metallic blue, though not overly frosted. It is very pigmented and very smooth to apply, it is also thick so great for Konad stamping. Who doesn't love a blue like this? It is definitely one of the beauties of the collection.

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


So, my overall thoughts. I am always on the lookout for normal nail polishes that apply well, dry well, are beautiful in colour and texture, but also can Konad stamp, and these polishes tick all the boxes. They are very good quality, pigmented, beautifully metallic and very well textured polishes. If you can get your mitts on them, I say do so! :]