Professional Beauty Excel & Haul

On Sunday I headed to Excel for the Professional Beauty Show. I've been a few times before as my moms company exhibits there, but usually I'm working; this time I just went to see the new stand and have a wander round. Yu also came along, and we had lovely, albeit, slightly stressful time trying to maneuver round the crowds. The show is obviously a professional one and it's based more towards salons and spas etc, but you can pick up some good deals on nail polish and fake tan, without having to buy in bulk! I took a few pictures (still trying to figure out my new camera!) to share or you can just scroll to the bottom to see what I bought! Enjoy.

OPI Heaven

Yu getting her eyebrows did by my aunt.

Young Blood.

Brushes galore at Crown.

Essie

My mom's stand! Calgel/Christian Eyebrow.

I had such a good day, time went far too quickly and there were stands I would have liked to have had a nosey at but didn't get the chance. One in particular was Young Blood, but they had a small stand and two girls were busy using the products from the little displays so we just left it. I've heard such good things, so it was a little disappointing I couldn't have a little play.

 Nail polishes were definitely the highlight, and myself and Yu went a little crazy. You can see her post on the day, as well as her purchases here. (I hope I didn't scare her off too much with my comment about silver dangling balls.)

L-R. OPI Pedal Faster Suzi! Mavala Fresh Melon. Essie Topless & Barefoot. Mavala Toulouse. OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy.

Crown C209 Chisel Pointed Fluff

I'm getting really excited for Spring now, and I don't actually own a lot of creamy, or pastel colours so I really found myself being drawn to the colours above, and it was hard to limit myself. Malava's new 'delicious' collection is amazing, and I easily could have bought every shade, but I went for Fresh Melon as it reminded me of Chanel's latest offering 'June'. Toulouse is a lovely bright pink salmon colour. I've had my eye on Coney Island for a while, and am looking forward to wearing it, it's a very creamy yellow peach that will look amazing with a tan (to be fair, all of them will!). Topless and Barefoot, I've wanted for months but where ever I looked it has been sold out, so I'm very happy to have my hands on it finally. And the last varnish, is from the new Holland collection by OPI, Pedal Faster Suzi! it's a gorgeous lavender pink with very small silver flecks in it, which make the nails look super shiney, rather than glittery. A lot of the range seemed to be more Autumn colours which we found a bit odd, but this one is very season appropriate and looks great on.

I highly recommend Crown eyebrushes, I bought 4 back in November and they have really impressed me. They hold their shape really well, don't shed and are super soft, I haven't look back since. I picked this one up for £3 so it was an absolute bargain, and I know it will last, as I already have the smaller version!

Pedal Faster Suzi!

Did anyone else go to Pro Beauty? Or picked up anything from the new OPI collection?

Nic xxx

...continue reading

Panels & NOTD

I popped into Zara on the weekend to exchange a top, and I laid eyes on this little piece. It was love at first site. (I fall in love with clothes and shoes far too easily!) The faux leather panels really add some zing to an otherwise very standard top, but it still remains very wearable. I paired it with black skinnys, flat ankle boots and a khaki parka jacket to uni today.

 Excuse the webcam shot. Couldn't capture my face with the camera. May need to invest in a tripod!

Zara 'Special Edition' £19.99

 I just thought it was so cool, and different to anything I own.  The material is so light and falls really nicely. I am a very happy girl and for that price you can't really go wrong. I couldn't find it on the website, but it's definitely worth popping into a store as  Zara has some really great stuff at the moment, I was very impressed. Might have to add a few items to my Christmas wishlist. 

Nails of the Day

 I am currently sporting Essie's Lady Like with a couple random silver accent nails through in. I picked up Lady Like at Professional Beauty North in the Fall Mini Collection last month, and I've worn it quite a few times already. It's definitely my favourite of the collection, it's great neutral colour, perfect for autumn and I would describe it as a dusty grey based mauve (if that makes any sense!) My camera seems to pull it a little more pink than it actually is though! My index finger in the photo below is pretty much how it looks usually.

I've also used love&beauty by Forever 21 in Silver. I'm not sure if the UK F21 stores sell the polishes but they aren't available online. But if you get the chance to try them, I highly recommend them. I've got a few in my collection, great consistency, apply easily and last well. Plus, they are super cheap! In the US they retail for $2.80. I am majorly impressed by the quality of these polishes, especially at that price.

The Essie Carry On fall collection is available at the BeautyBay.com in full size bottles for £8.50

here

Thanks for reading!

Nic xxx

...continue reading