OPI Pink Friday

This is allegedly Nicki Minaj's favourite colour from her collaboration with OPI and I can see why.  It's a beautiful, slightly creamy pink that is a bit paler than I thought it would be due to the fact that others have described it as a Bubblegum Pink, and for some reason for me that conjures an image of a brighter, more neon pink, which this is not.

As with all OPI polishes, this applies like a dream and you could just about get away with one coat, but to get a really gleaming finish you need two.  I used this under my NOTD Pink Lace which can be seen here.

In conclusion, this is a beautiful baby pink that has made a welcome addition to my ever-growing OPI collection.  You can purchase it alone from BeautyBay here for £10.50, or as part of the Nicki Minaj collection for £12.75 for four mini varnishes also at the BeautyBay here.

Japonesque Make-Up Brushes

Japonesque recently launched their range of travel brushes at Boots and a select few of their other brushes at John Lewis.  I am a total fascist when it comes to make-up brushes as they need to really perform to make my regular use cups.  Just to give you an idea, I have 3 small drawers of brushes that I keep for occasional use, one small drawer where I keep brushes that I'll 'probably' never use but don't want to throw out just yet, and 3 cups on my main dressing table where I keep brushes I use regularly, separated into brushes for eyes, powder brushes and base brushes.

I genuinely believe that the right brush can make the biggest difference to any make-up item and I don't see any point in spending large amounts of make-up if you're going to apply it with a poorly-made applicator.  So I was thrilled to get the opportunity to try out some of Japonesque's brushes and I've put them in order starting with my favourite.

Natural Pro Blush Brush (324)

I've been on a constant hunt for the perfect blush brush and have come close but never really got there....until now.

This brush is so incredibly soft and picks up the perfect amount of blush that allows the application to build at the rate you want it to.  It's just as perfect for blending blush down as it is for building it up.

This is my absolute go-to blush brush and I have a Mac blush brush that feels so tough in comparison, so it's safe to say I'll be sticking with this one for the foreseeable future.

It's priced at £27 and available here.

Natural Pro Powder Brush (333)

I'm not sure my pictures do justice to the massive size of this brush, it really is absolutely huge!

It's the perfect soft and fluffy powder brush that I currently use for setting my make-up with pressed powder.

However, the size of this would make it ideal for applying body powder and as it's bristles are plentiful without being dense, it would be virtually impossible to achieve a caked-on finish with this.

Just as the Blush Brush above picks up the right amount of product, so does this.

It's priced at £28 and available here.

Natural Mineral Make-up Brush (663)

I have several brushes I use for applying mineral powder but I find this to be firstly the easiest to use, and secondly the one that gives the best finish.

For some reason, a lot of mineral brushes are so incredibly dense that they pick up a wad of powder that no bashing against the side of the container will reduce.

There's truly a pattern forming here, but this is yet another Japonesque brush that picks up the perfect amount of product.

It also buffs the powder into the skin really well without caking it on and, as with all Japonesque brushes, it's incredibly soft.

It's priced at £19.50 and available here.

Synthetic Concealer/Foundation Brush (660)

This is a small, travel-sized, angled brush that you can use to apply foundation or concealer.

I've only used it to apply concealer (I think it would take a while to apply a full face of foundation with this!) although I have used it for removing foundation from sample pots which it's surprisingly handy for.

I wouldn't say I've had a huge amount of use for it as it's fine for application, but not ideal for blending and if you use as much concealer as me, it would take too long to work this in to the skin.

I do think it's good for blending under eye concealer, but it's really only a brush I use if I'm in a hurry.

It's priced at £15.50 and available here.



Synthetic Pro Angled Foundation Brush (314)

This is the least favourite of the brushes I received, mainly because it's less of a stand out brush than the others, but then again I feel there's only so much that can be done with a foundation brush.

The fact that it's angled does make it easy to get into various nooks and crannies.

However, I don't think it blends the foundation too well and the bristles aren't as soft as I'm used to in foundation brushes, although this is mainly due to the fact that it's synthetic.

I'm more of a fan of natural brushes but this is a good basic foundation brush that is well made and easily cleaned.

It's priced £19 at and available here.

In conclusion, I'm definitely a fan of Japonesque brushes as I feel they are generally well made and their range is really impressive as they also offer palettes, eye lash curlers and combs on top of the extensive brush collections.  They're not cheap, but I do believe that with these you're paying for quality and longevity so they're fantastic investment brushes that are firm favourites in my daily make-up routine.  Japonesque brushes are available now at Boots and John Lewis, both in-store and online.

*PR samples

Make-up Trends for Spring 2012 by Saisha Potts from Cafe La Moda (Guest Post)

I love make-up, there's no escaping that, however I'm most definitely not a dedicated follower of fashion.  Therefore, one of the things I feel my blog is missing is a fashion update in relation to make-up trends.   The lovely people at Cafe La Moda kindly offered to step in and share their wisdom, so here's a run through of spring make-up trends, as written by Saisha Potts:

Make-up Trends for Spring 2012 by Saisha Potts

Spring might seem a while off yet, but what better way to warm up than by updating your make up look ready for the new season. As always, there’s a make-up trend for everyone, whether you like to keep it simple or make a statement.

Skin

As always, beautiful skin is the essential starting point for any look and there are two options to go for. Many designers kept their models fresh-faced and natural with pink glowing cheeks, perfect for the English Rose complexions amongst you.
Alternatively, if you dread the thought of staying pale over the colder months, bronzed beauties also graced the catwalks. Designer Timo Weiland even went for a slightly sunburnt look, using NARS Zen Blush on the cheeks right up to the temples and a sweep across the eyelids. Use bronzer to define and contour your face shape.

Eyebrows 

Thick eyebrows are back! As with a lot of the make-up, natural, thicker eyebrows were also popular and often paired with natural coloured lips.

Eyes

There are a few options to choose from when it comes to eye make-up this spring. You could choose to keep it natural with earthy tones and a hint of yellow just under the brow bone to make your eyes stand out, the preferred choice of Derek Lam.

If this just isn’t colourful enough for you, there are other options to make your eyes pop. As with the clothes, pastel shades were popular. Try shimmery, slightly metallic lavenders or silvers for a light and feminine look. Alternatively, try Rodarte’s look using rich, midnight blues with black eyeliner for updated, and neater, smoky eye.  Really make your eyes stand out with long, defined eyelashes as seen in the Zac Posen show, inspired by a 1960s fashion shoot.

Lips

Again, there are two ways to go with your lips. Ultra glossy pinks and nude shades were everywhere on the catwalks and complete the perfect day look with a bit of glamour.

Alternatively, try something a bit bolder. Along with the ever-glamorous red lipstick, dark crimson, orange and shades of bright pink were also popular. If you’re going to go for one of these more colourful shades, make sure you create a matte finish to stay on trend.

Nails

For your nails keep them pale with pistachio greens, creamy whites or choose a colour that matches your skin tone. Alternatively, try tangerine oranges inspired by the 60s or sophisticated neons in shades of pink, green or blue.

If you’re bored of monochrome nails, try embracing the tribal trend that is a prominent fashion trend for spring and summer. Pamela Love created a tribal look by using cream coloured polish for the first coat with chocolate brown going from each corner of the nail bed to the top centre of the nail to create a V-shape.

Saisha Potts writes on behalf of www.cafelamoda.co.uk, the social fashion site. For all the spring 2012 makeup trends in one place visit Cafe La Moda by following the link.

Beauty Boxes: My Final Thoughts

I'm usually one of the last people to receive the beauty boxes, so consequently, when I get the notification that one of the four I'm subscribed to is on its way, I start getting my Google on to try and find out what everyone has received.  I don't mind the lack of surprise, I'd prefer to instead find out what to expect.

Beauty boxes can be really good fun.  I like the idea of being introduced to brands that I wouldn't necessarily come across and/or consider trying.  I like the idea of being sent make-up that wouldn't regularly feature in my standard looks and I think they're a great and cheap way of treating yourself to a few new goodies.  

Beauty boxes are a real novelty experience that a lot of people find exciting and enjoyable.  However, the novelty has well and truly worn off for me and therefore I've decided to deactivate my subscriptions.  There are several reasons for this; I believe that unless the box creators start really tailor-making the boxes to suit individuals (which is a big ask and probably wouldn't be cost effective) then there will regularly be people who are left feeling like there isn't much in the box that they can make use of.  The last couple of boxes for me have been a bit disappointing as there hasn't been much I could fully enjoy.

However - and this is a big BUT - I am a beauty blogger and I get sent a lot of things to review which are suited to my individual requirements, mainly because I wouldn't agree to review them if they weren't.  Therefore, as I regularly receive bits and bobs to try out from my considerably overworked postman (bless him), the novelty of receiving a box full of samples that are a bit hit and miss is going to be a lot less fulfilling than it would be to other people.  I'm not going to be able to make the best of what I've been sent as the time I do get for trying out beauty bits will be consumed with trying out the review samples I'm sent.  Therefore, it's not realistic for me to give my opinion on beauty boxes in general as I don't think it's fair; both to the lovely readers of this blog and to the beauty box creators.

I wanted to write this post just in case anyone was wondering why I no longer posted about the contents of my beauty boxes.  Although to be honest, there are sooooo many other beauty bloggers who are still regularly keeping everyone updated on what's happening in the beauty box world that I very much doubt my posts will be missed!

Five Things That I Love (February 2012)

I've done it again and left it far too long to write this list, which is weird as I really enjoy working out my monthly favourites, but there you go!  Here are my February favourites:

1.  OPI Varnishes

Source

I'm referring to them generally as I haven't decided on a favourite yet, but as a girl who really struggles with nail painting and general creativity when it comes to nail art, these varnishes really do deserve the credit they get, especially now they have a wider brush (I have no idea whether this is a new thing or not, but I tried them donkey's years ago and they didn't then) so I'm a total OPI convert, even if they do insist on stupid names.  If OPI isn't within your price range then Rimmel's 60 Seconds is also a fab choice, both for consistency and ease of application, but OPI have just pipped Rimmel due to the fact that they go opaque with a lot less effort.  I have an official OPI habit now and have amassed a painfully large collection in a very short space of time.  I'll be reviewing Pink Friday soon.

2.  Bioderma Sensibio

This is one of those products that arrives and immediately becomes part of your daily routine, therefore it's tricky to maintain enthusiasm for as it's so functional and effective, yet not particularly exciting.  However, it is amazing at removing make-up (especially eye make-up which is just melts away) and is amazing for sensitive eyes.  It feels like water without the sting and you can quite literally use it on the inside of the eye (so great for tightliners like me!) without any irritation occurring.  It therefore has a well deserved place on my love list for February.

3.  Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush

I bought two of these and the accompanying brush when there was a Buyapowa deal on for Escentuals.com.  I'll have to admit that the first time I used it I hated it and couldn't understand what the fuss was about as I struggled to get the application right and it either looked too sheer or too heavy.  I believe that the key to success with this is to buffer it in in layers and treat it like a very malleable stain rather than a liquid, if that makes sense.  It's interesting as it has the same consistency as a stain, yet moves around easily like a cream, so it's an odd little hybrid.  Now I've got the hang of it, it's safe to say that it is an absolute god-send if you're a fan of a really natural looking glow.  It's actually very easy to work with and gives that 'just been out running' and it's easily the most natural blush I've ever used.  Expect lots of "you're looking very well" comments when you start using this.

4.  Ginvera BB Cream*

This is still something I'm using every single day as it's incredibly easy to work with, smells nice and gives a lovely dewy, yet grease-free finish.  I've managed to cut my morning make-up routine down to just over 5 minutes (it's just too cold to get out of bed until it's absolutely necessary) and it's largely helped by this as it works fantastically at evening out my skintone, doesn't accentuate the dry patches on my cheeks and doesn't make me breakout.  I would say that recently I've noticed that my ever-determined oiliness has started showing earlier in the day than usual, but I think I would be asking too much to expect this to calm my oiliness too without the aid of a setting powder.  There are very few BB Creams that can literally replace moisturiser, primer, concealer and foundation (in my experience) and yet still be an absolutely breeze to apply, but this is definitely my HG BB Cream.  My full review is here.

5.  The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink In Moisture Mask

This has proved an absolute god send to use after ReAura treatments as it gives my skin the two things it's craving most after treatment; a boost of moisture and a cooling and soothing treat.  My skin feels really hot and slightly tight after using the ReAura (which is exactly as it's supposed to feel) and slathering my face in this and leave it on for an hour cools it right down and makes it feel calm and happy.  I would really recommend this to anyone who struggles with dry and sensitive skin as it really is a lovely mask.

*PR Sample

Discounted Mac at CheapSmells

I don't know if it's because I haven't looked hard enough or because it hasn't actually existed until recently, but I've always struggled to find discounted Mac products anywhere other than eBay, which I'm reluctant to trust as authentic.  Therefore it's been quite interesting to see Mac cosmetics appear on BrandAlley recently and now on CheapSmells too.

There isn't a huge selection but there's quite a few eyeshadows shades and a fairly decent pigment selection, so it's definitely worth having a look around and seeing if anything takes your fancy, especially as there's quite a good discount on most of the range.

Add to that the fact that there's an extra 20% until the 26th February 2012 and is most definitely worth a mooch.  The discount code is Mac20 and the range on offer can be found here.

NOTD Pink Lace

I've been playing around with nail foils lately and I did a quick nail job with them tonight, using OPI's Pink Friday as my base coat and a lace foil over the top.

I haven't tidied the edges yet (hence the slightly rough edges in the pictures) but I quite like the effect of the foils.

This is a really similar look to using shatter polish, but I feel that with shatter polish, your base colour is less dominant than with this lace foil, so I quite like the fact that the pink is more dominant in this look.

OPI's Pink Friday is available here and the nail foil I used is available from an eBay store here.  I'll be reviewing both Pink Friday and the nail foils individually soon.