I am officially in love

This was actually a hard post to write! I found it quite difficult to articulate just how much I adore the L'Oreal Paris Glam Shine Stain Splash that I bought last week, but I'm gonna give it my best shot. Where to begin??? The colour (Lolita) is absolutely divine - I know many people will think "but it's just your lips...but better" but it just makes them look SO GOOD. The effect can be really subtle, or can be built up for a stronger look without being too in your face. It's perfect for both minimal makeup days, or days where you maybe want to focus more on your eyes but can't quite leave your lips totally bare.

The lasting power: I was not expecting anything great, despite the "stain" part of the name. I saw gloss and thought "easily wiped off." No. No no no. The first time I tried it, I had something to eat after about an hour of wear, looked in the mirror and it had only come off slightly where my lips meet - a quick press/rub together and it was good as new. It barely leaves a mark on cups/glasses when drinking also.

I was honestly not expecting both colour payoff and staying power, I really thought I'd get one or the other and now have a craving to check out the other colours in the range - I might need to flog a few more non-essentials on ebay first though!

Manic(ure) Monday - MUA Amaretto Crush

This is a brand new purchase which has become a firm favourite. MUA's Amaretto Crush is an absolutely gorgeous pink that is not too bright and in your face, but still extremely summery and pretty. It's been on my nails for four days now and has only worn off slightly at the tips. With a decent top coat you should be able to extend the wear even longer.

And just look how dinky the bottle is! (As a somewhat dinky person, I occasionally get over excited about similarly petite products. You should see me in the travel toiletries section of Boots)

And this is why wish lists are a bad bad thing

So it turns out that selling stuff on ebay + Feel Unique/Boots sales = happy blogger. It's been way too long since I had a little splurge, so without further ado let's get to the swag.

 

Skirt: I got this in a 50% flash sale on Asos a couple of weeks ago and it's become my new favourite item  already. It looks great with ballet pumps or low ankle boots and I can't wait to wear it wih slouchy jumpers when we get properly into Autumn.

L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection  3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution: I totally bought into the hype and caved, just as I ran out of eye makeup remover. Replacement items don't count as a splurge, right?

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer: Um...it fell into my basket on Feel Unique? It would have been cruel to tell it that it wouldn't be coming to live with me, honest.

L'Oreal Paris Glam Shine Stain Splash in Lolita: I'm not even going to try to justify this. I'd sleep with it if I could, I love it that much.

Real Techniques Setting Brush: I needed something to apply the Mary-Lou with. Needed.

Leighton Denny Small Crystal Nail File: This I wasn't even going to buy, but then I spotted the Boots "buy one get one half price" sale and well...I was getting the Real Techniques brush anyway, so I had to take advantage of the offer, it would have been rude not to.

 

Manic(ure) Monday - tools of the trade

Why does Monday always come round so quickly? In order to brighten up the most dreaded day of the week I'd start a little nail polish series, featuring my favourite shades and brands. Before getting to the pretty stuff however, I thought I'd start with the basic tools I use in order to get my nails into tip top shape for painting.

Leighton Denny Small Crystal Nail File
I've been wanting this for so so long, and finally caved last week when I had some spare ebay profit lying around doing nothing. I'm incredibly fussy when it comes to nail files, I'd rather gnaw my fingers off than put an emery board near them, and my cushioned file had just died a death on me. The texture took a bit of getting used to as I was expecting it to be uber smooth, but it's so quick and easy to use. A couple of swipes over your nail and you're done. And all it needs to keep it in perfect condition is a quick run under the warm tap :D

Boots 4 way buffer
This is the handiest thing to achieve neat and shiny nails in an instant. One side is the dreaded emery board, which is obviously ignored. Side 2 gets rid of ridges, while side 3 creates a smooth finish, and side 4 buffs your nails to subtle perfection.

Cuticle care
Depending on time (and generally laziness) I use either my No7 Nourishing Nail and Cuticle Care cream, or my Avon Green Tea Nourishing Cuticle Pen. Both products work to soften and neaten the cuticle before pushing it back if necessary.

Cuticle pusher
This particular product is no longer available in Boots/Superdrug, however there are a million similar pushers out there. I prefer ones with rubber tips as you can see, but you can also buy wooden hoof sticks - I think the rubber just feels a bit gentler on the cuticle.

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Base & Top Coat
I bought these ages ago when I found myself with several No7 vouchers to my name (does anyone else find the thought of just not using them utterly horrific??) and they work really well. I've never had my nails turn yellow from my nail polish when using this base coat, and top coat keeps them chip free for days - especially if you're a bit obsessive and do several coats over those few days :D

Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream for Dry and Sensitive Skin

I found myself out of my comfort zone a few months ago when I realised that the moisturiser I've used for the past decade had been discontinued and that I'd have to pick a new one. I actually hadn't got much further than checking a few reviews on the Boots website when I bought Nivea's Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream for Dry and Sensitive Skin. Maybe I'd been brainwashed by the length of the product name? Or maybe it was on offer in Tescos and I vaguely remembered that it had got good reviews on Boots. I'll leave it up to you to decide.

Although the product is a fairly light cream it definitely does what it says on the tin. It doesn't feel heavy or greasy, it just leaves the skin baby soft. It also has just a hint of that classic Nivea fragrance that evokes images of beautiful old women with perfect skin that they put down to 50 years of nothing but water and Nivea creams. It feels incredibly nourishing on the skin and sinks in really quickly so you don't have to wait too long before applying your makeup - something which is essential for me as I don't have a lot of time to spare in the mornings.

It also contains spf 15, which I actually found somewhat hard to come by when I was researching which moisturiser I was going to go for.

It retails for £4.99 which is an absolute bargain given that it performs just as well as mid-range products and although I missed having a pretty jar sitting on my shelf at first, the squeezy tube is really handy as it doesn't dispense too much product at once - a little really does go a long way with this product.

 

A more realistic wish list...

 

Top Row  

MUA Undress Your Skin Foundation

Mememe Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base

L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection  3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution 

Middle Row

L'Oreal Paris Glam Shine Stain Splash

Real Techniques Setting Brush

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

Bottom Row

Bourjois Intuitive Liner

Leighton Denny Small Crystal Nail File

Bourjois Paris Colour Boost Lip Crayon