Belated Christmas Nails

I totally forgot I had taken a photo of my nails on Christmas Eve, it was such a hectic day as we celebrate on in the eve, so everything was rushed and my dad and his girlfriend only landed back from Kenya at 5 that afternoon arriving home at 8 with puppy in tow. (I may have over boiled the potatoes due to puppy excitement) But here's a quick photo of my nails, so at least I'm not a totally beauty blogger failure!

Base: A free Maxfactor Red Polish I got in a Boots offer. On top I used OPI's I Lily Love you and then OPI Divine Swine for a bit of extra sparkle!

Nic xxx

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I know I've been the most rubbish blogger over this festive season, but I've been busy doing last minute shopping for my mom before Christmas, cooking the Christmas dinner and just generally spending time with the family. In the New Year I've got a whole list of posts to get through, which will be a nice revision break for me.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful time the last week or so, and enjoy whatever plans you have for tomorrow night. I'm having a few girls over for champagne cocktails and a bit of a dinner party. Nothing too exciting, but NYE is always so overrated I find, and I'm excited about our girlie night in. We're still using it as an excuse to dress up, so will try remember to take photos and do an outfit/make up post.

Before I go, I want to share a little photo of the newest edition to the family, Marlee.

 My dad picked her up on Christmas Eve, and she is 8 weeks old and the sweetest little thing ever!

Enjoy your New Years celebrations! 

Nic xxx

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EOTD: MAC Paradisco & Starviolet

 As promised, here's how I wore some of my new colours!

 The above were taken with the flash on,  you can see the lovely sheen of the colours. The bottom colour looks really pink, but the top one shows a truer colours, and you can see the peachyness of Paradisco coming through. Starviolet just adds a bit of depth, and can be built up if you wanted the edges darker.

 I used a wash of Paradisco, with my MAC 224 up to the brow bone, and then just blended Starviolet into on the outer 1/3 of my lid and slightly into the crease, with my No 7 blending brush.  I also used a bit of Bronze which I  lightly pressed right into the crease using my MAC 266 ( small angled brush). Then using my 224 I blended them all together.  Before applying my bottom eyeliner, I used my finger to just apply a bit of Paradisco along the lower lash as well.

For the eyeliner I used Estee Lauder's Double Wear Liner in Onyx, both upper and lower lash lines. Curled my lashes with Shu Uemura curlers. And for the mascara, I've actually forgtten what I used, which I know is a major blogging faux pas. It was either Loreal Telescopic (water proof) or Collection 2000 Skyscraper also in waterproof. For my eyebrows I used Christian Eyebrow Semi Permanent Powder in Irid brown, with my 266.

You can see individual swatches of the colours in my last post here. 

MAC eyeshadows are available at their official website here, or Debenhams who have 10% off still. here

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend, I'm back home from Uni now, and heading into London tomorrow my mom for some Christmas shopping. So excited!

Nic xxx

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MAC Haul

 I went to the MAC stand with the intention of picking up 1 pan to finish my neutral palette, and having a little swatch, but, I absolutely fell in love with the colours. They are so different to what I own already, and I couldn't resist. Debenham's had 15% off, plus I had £25 worth of Beauty Club points, so in my defense I didn't even spend that much!

Left: Bronze (Frost) gold brown with shimmer.

Right: Sketch (Velvet) deep burgundy/brown with a red shimmer. I went in thinking I wanted  Fig.1, but this just swatched so much better, and I like the added dimension with the shimmer, without being too obvious.

Left: Paradisco (Frost)  pinky-coral with a gorgeous pearl sheen. Think it would look great along the top of the cheekbones as well.

Right: Starviolet (Veluxe Pearl) pinky-brown plum, veluxe pearl finish are just to die for as well.

L-R. Bronze.Sketch. Paradisco.Starviolet.

(click to enlarge)

(how tiny my my little finger!!)

Metal X Cream Eye Shadow (Limited Edition) £15.50

Venetian Tarnish

After swatching for about half an hour, the lovely MUA showed me the new cream shadows, (which I had purposely been avoiding!) I've been really drawn cream finishes lately, so I knew it would be dangerous to even look. And then I ended up buying one! Total self control fail.

What MAC says: A powdery cream that almost instantly transforms into a blendable, buildable liquid metal finish.  A vibrant mélange of pigments, this highlighter quickly brings extreme brilliance, shine and multi-dimensional impact to eyes, cheeks, décolletage.

This is beyond gorgeous!! The colour is so dimensional, and I love that is multipurpose. I'm really looking forward to playing around with it. Might have to pick up another colour as well.

I love my new colours, and apart from Bronze, I've not seen too many people talking about them. So it's nice to make some discoveries on my own. All the finishes are great, and apply well, all the shimmery/sheenyness (not a word I know) is also perfect for festive season!

(I had planned to include photos of the new colours on my eyes, but decided to save it for another post, as it was a bit too photo heavy with them. So look out for that if you're interested in how to wear the more pinky/purpley colours)

Thanks for reading!

Nic xxx

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Winter Must Haves: Part 2

Part 2: Hair

During the winter, I hate leaving my hair to dry naturally, and it's really the only time of the year I used my hair dryer. With more heat, I like more protection! Using these products has really made a big difference in the dryness of the ends. Usually, my hair looks so ragged this long after a hair cut, but it's been nearly 3 months and I'm not anxious to get back to the hairdresser.

I try not to wash my hair too often, and rely on some dry shampoo to keep me going between washes, I wash it 2-3 times a week. 

Dove Hair Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner

I've just finished my first bottle of this, and decided to pick it up after reading about it on a few blogs. The smell, is so fruity, and lasts long enough that people have actually commented on the smell hours I've washed it. It really is nourishing, leaving my hair is silky, without being weighed down. 

Aussie Lucious Long Leave-In Conditioner

I use this on the days I've washed my hair, just a light spray all over my hair and then brush it through with my Tangle Tweezer.  Again, it smells great, just like all the Aussie products.

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

This stuff is seriously amazing! I've been using this since July and I've definitely noticed an improvement on my ends, even before I started using the Dove conditioner.  (It probably deserves it's own post.) I apply it on wet hair and wait about 15 minutes before blow drying, and sometimes if my hair's a bit fly away, I will apply it to the dry ends to smooth it out.

Lee Stafford Heat Protection Spray

I've always been a bit skeptical if heat protection sprays actually work, but there was an amazing deal in Boots back in September, 3 products for £10 so I got it for free basically. Thought it was about time I used one. I guess, it's no worse than using nothing at all. I use it on dry hair, on the days I occasionally use my straighteners, or when I use my Tresemme hot styling brush. I don't use it straight after washing as my Aussie leave-in is supposed to protect too.

I'm not sure exactly which product has made a difference, or if it's a accumulation of all them; but I'm pretty happy with the lack of dry ends, as well as minimised breakage. I've got a rotation of shampoos on the go,  but don't think I'll be changing my conditioner, or this routine for a while.

Uni is now done for Christmas (yaaaay), so I'm hoping to get back to blogging more regularly. My fingers have been itching to blog, but I had an essay that had to take priority.

Thanks for reading!

Nic xxx

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Winter Must Haves: Part 1

Part One: Hands&Feet

Saying I'm not a winter person is an understatement; I blame it on genetics, the South African in me cannot cope with the cold.  In the 13 years I've lived in England, I've never gotten used to it,  most people squeal in delight when it snows, I utter curse words and rely on my family trip back to SA over Christmas where it's Summer.  But, this year, I've tried to look for some positives in the gloom and have decide to do a series of posts on my winter must haves.

Lush Lemon Flutter Cuticle Butter
Although it's technically a cuticle butter, I have been using this as a night cream for hands & feet. It's very thick & rich with strong lemon (duh) scent, which reminds me of lemon sorbet. It does take a little while to sink in, which is why I apply it right before I go to sleep but my hands and feet feel so soft and moisturised in the morning.

Available at Lush in store or online here.£5.95 15ml

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
Noticing a trend here?  I keep this in my handbag for on the go moisture, although I never notice my hands get too dry, my cuticles do tend to suffer in the colder months. This is the first year I've really used cuticle cream consistently and it has definitely make a difference. It's a hard wax that softens with the heat of your fingers and applies without leaving a greasy residue. Love that it's a such a light weight tin, but getting the lid off the tin with slightly greasy fingers is a bit of an effort.

Available at a number of retailers such as John Lewis and Debenhams or online at Feel Unique here. £5.10 15g

Cath Kidston Intensive Hand Cream Cherry Blossom
This is my day-to-day hand cream, it's a light weight formula that sinks in quickly and leaves my hands feeling really soft without any residue. It has a floral fragrance but with a sweet smell of cherry at the same time. It's so nice, and the smell lingers subtly on your hands for quite a while. My only qualm with it is that it's large tube and so isn't too practical for my hand bag. It's also paraben and sulphate free which is always a plus. I received this as a present for my birthday in July, and as it's so large I still have loads left! (Thanks girls if you're reading!)

Available at Cath Kidston online here for £6


I've never suffered with overly dry hands, so the products mentioned may not be suitable if you need something a little more hardcore.  My favourite is definitely the Cath Kidston, I love the scent and how quickly it sinks in.

Nic xxx

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NOTD: OPI

I've opted for an OPI combo tonight, after wearing red and nudes the last couple weeks I've gone dark again in time for the snow, or shall I say slush, that is making an appearance.

I used OPI's 'Ski Teal We Drop' which is from their Fall 2010 Swiss Collection with 'Last Friday Night' as a topcoat from the Katy Perry Collection from the beginning of the year.

 In direct light

I adore the Teal, it's such a deep rich colour. I really love dark nails in the winter and this is favourite of mine. As it's such a deep colour, it almost looks navy on the nails/ from afar. (see below)  Friday Night adds a bit of festive sparkle  and also a slightly bluer tone to the teal as it's a blue based glitter. It's very sheer with super fine flecks of glitter with green and pink hexagonal glitter. It has a very even application and I only needed one coat. It's really too sheer to wear by itself but does a great job as a top coat.

Out of direct light.

Unfortunately, Last Friday Night was limited edition, but you may be able to find one on eBay. But Ski Teal We Drop is still available from the main OPI stockist Lena White who currently have a deal on for all twitter and facebook followers. You can get 20% off the RRP of £10.50. Follow them on Twitter here and get the discount code! The offer is valid until midnight 12th December.

I would definitely recommend OPI, the quality is great  and love all their limited edition collections. I have to say the most impressive thing is that I've got a few bottles in my collection that are a good few years old and still apply like a dream. Not a hint of gloop in sight!

You can find 'Ski Teal We Drop' here on the LenaWhite website.

Nic xxx

PLEASE NOTE: I am in no way affiliated with OPI, nor have been asked to write this post. I coincidentally came across their offer while I was looking for their Twitter after writing a draft of this post.

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Ruby Woo, I Love You

I was really hoping to get some more posts out this last week, but I had my mom's 50th over the weekend so I was home celebrating, but wanted to get a quick one up to share my love for MAC's Ruby Woo lippie!

I tried taking photos in my attic room at Uni, but the lighting is so awful the colours always seem to come out wrong, so I've used some photos from when I've been out.  And anyway, unless you've been living under a rock, or are totally new to the beauty blogging/ youtube world, you will definitely have seen swatches before.

It's a Matte finish which has the most impressive staying power ever, and I don't actually find it too drying, but I moisture my lips obsessively.  Just make sure to exfoliated your lips before applying, and use a good balm about ten minutes before you apply.

I'm hoping the photos show just what a statement Ruby makes, a deep true red that I'm sure will suit most skin tones!

(remember to click to enlarge!)

 Both outtings have been fancy dress, Halloween and then the middle photo is from the other weekend, hopefully you can tell I'm meant to be Sandy from Grease, minus the blonde big curly hair. (Excuse my face in the middle one, doing a bit of an awkward pose.) I can tell you now, fancy dress is something I won't miss when I graduate!

My housemate has also fallen for Ruby Woo, and I'm pretty sure she's worn it more than I have!

So, yeah, I highly recommend Ruby Woo if you're looking for a bright, clean, statement red, that will last and last. It's the perfect lipstick for nights out, meals or for a pop of colour during the day. It's staying power  really is something else! There's really no point looking any further. At least I don't think there is.

You can find it at Debenham's online here, they have 10% off at the moment.


Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Nic xxx

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My Week Without MAC

Hi girls, please be warned this is a bit of long one!

Having decided I rely waaaay to much on my MAC products, I avoided using any for the whole of last week. My self imposed rules meant where I would usually grab a MAC product, I had to go for an alternative. Foundation and concealer have been excluded as my Studio Fix is the only thing with enough coverage and the right colour match at the moment.

So here's what I've been wearing:

Not included in the photo are my standard eyeliner & mascara which I don't have alternatives for, and obviously my foundation & concealer. Looks so pathetic without them!

Eyes

Urban Decay 'Naked Palette'

Sin.Naked.Sidecar.Buck.              Sin. Naked. Buck

I didn't use Sidecar because the fall out is something stupid, which is frustrating as the shimmer is so lovely. So, I just stuck to the three on the right hand side of the photo. Using Sin with Naked blended into the crease for a bit of definition during the day; sometimes opting for a smudged eyeliner along upper lashline. Saturday night I went out, so I added Buck to create a darker smokey eye and used my Collection 2000 felt liner. I've also been using Primer Potion that came with the palette instead of my MAC PP.

Cheeks

Illamasqua 'Laid' Cream Blush      Benefit 'Coralista' Blush

I've been alternating between these two blushes. Coralista is just over a month old and I've really been enjoying it. Love the soft peachy shimmer.  Laid, I'm ashamed to say, has been in my collection since July and I hadn't used it once! So it was nice to have a play with it. Yes, it does looks scary and very bubble gum pink the pan, but using my Sigma F55 Duo Fiber Stippling Brush, helps avoid being too heavy handing and applies a light flush of health colour. Using fingers works well too, but I prefer the brush.

 Highlighter

Bobbi Brown 'Bronze' Shimmer Brick

I have really fallen in love with my MAC highlighters,  but this week I discoverd how gorgeous the Shimmer Brick is. I've been using the top two colours as a highlighter,  I just rub my fingers over both the colours and then blend into the top of my cheek bones. I only acquired it recently when my mom said she didn't use it anymore so I could have it. And absolutely love it. One day, I just gave my F55 a light swirl over all the colours and used it as a light shimmer blush, as the bronze tones work really well with my skin tone without being too in your face.

Lips

sticking to the highstreet

 
No 17 Mirror Shine On 'Beehive / Topshop Lipstick 'Coy'/ Avon 'Pout'

Beehive has been my go-to lipstick all week. It's gorgeously glossy without being sticky, and adds a slight hint of colour. I've had it for 4 months now and I'm nearly finished.  I feel less guilty wearing highstreet lipsticks during the day, saving my higher end for the evenings. 

I reserved Coy for my one night out and had to use it with Carmex otherwise I found it too drying. Gorgeous colour and I got a few compliments on it. I know it's a really spring/summer colour but I finally found it the other week after searching all summer for it, and couldn't resist.

As mentioned in my Avon Haul post, Pout is one of my go-to lipsticks during the day. In the bullets Beehive and Pout look really similar, but Pout has a better colour payoff, and is more of a creamy peachy/nude.

So, you can see I kept it pretty simply. I hardly ventured out apart from a few lectures and then out on Saturday. It was nice to reduce the amount of make up to choose from, so it really helped minimise my getting ready time, and that was actually really refreshing. Might have to start shopping my stash a bit more, I do feel guilty about the amount of make up I hardly touch.

I've really been enjoying The Sunday Girl's Sunday Shopping the Stash feature, and really motivated me to do my MAC free week.  It really helps rotating your make up and avoiding getting stuck in a rut (like moi!).

Phew! If you managed to get through all that I've very impressed. Thanks so much for reading. Please share your shopping the stash posts as well!

Nic xxx

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