Illamasqua - Nail Varnish - Perseid

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Perseid

Okay so I have nowhere to go and nothing to do but that doesn't stop me having weekend nails. I couldn't wait to try out my new nail varnish from Illamasqua so last night they went straight on!

Perseid, part of the #Creators collection, is described as a galactic black glitter with a glossy finish and it lives up to its description. Think meteor showers and galaxy nails without the fuss! They pack a lot into this nail varnish as the glitter is a mixture of sizes adding plenty of texture, I do love the feel of textured nails rather than smooth they feel so much more robust. Although the varnish is predominantly black there is also a hint of purple/blue/green in the varnish, especially when catching the light, the glitter particles are also different galactic fitting shades.

With Flash

Natural Light

I ended up wearing two coats although one coat looked good enough too. It applies easily, dries quickly and I found any areas where I'd gone onto my skin was easy to fix as once dry I could peel it straight off, I try and clean up in warm soapy water but hadn't done when I took the photos so although there are a few misses most came straight off the skin but not the nails. It's and award winning chip resistant formula and although I've only been wearing it for 16 hours I would usually have chipped a bit by now but my nails look the same as when they were first painted.

Such a great nail varnish, I love Illamasqua and will be adding plenty of there other nail varnish shades to my Christmas wishlist. 

Make-Up Bag Updates, Hello Illamasqua Goodies, Hello Barry M Goodies!

I'm all for rewarding myself with goodies and I'm trying to fit a few more treats in before 2014, the year of saving. Okay you can guarantee that I will still be buying myself some treats but I will also be setting myself some goals when it comes to saving, nearly half of my pay. Well I've been back at work for 6 weeks and I've been busy, right now I'm super tired so grateful that it's the weekend but I'm also looking forward to going through my goodies, especially now my cold (and gross face) has just about cleared up.

First with the Illamasqua just a few treats but I'm super excited about them all, I love Illamasqua, they're a brand I truly respect.

Nail Varnish in Perseid, Precision Gel Liner & Masquara in Raven

Now I really can't wait to try these products, especially the gel liner but the first thing I'll be trying is the nail varnish, tonight! 

Next up is my order from Barry M. I was actually doing a survey that I had received in an email from Barry M and it made me realise that although I've used Barry M for years I only ever buy the nail paint and the dazzle dust, I don't ever think of more than that. Barry M are more than that I just haven't moved with the times, I was speaking to a friend at work today and she viewed Barry M in the same light, bright coloured nail varnish and dazzle dust not everyday make-up. At the end of the survey I was given a code for 20% off so it would have been rude not to! 

In Ivory.

I would never think of Barry M for foundation but I'm really looking forward to giving this a go. If it works for me then I can guarantee I'll stick with it, especially at £5.99.

Top Row: A bit eyeliner mad but I have two Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in black and champagne, bold waterproof eyeliner n purple and Blink precision eyeliner.

Bottom Row: Eyeshadow Pencils in Bronze and Brown Black.

I've been so excited about trying the Barry M palettes and finally I have not one but two, one natural, one full on.

Obviously I had to buy some more nail paint, from l to r: Dusky Mauve, Red Glitter, Emerald Green & Crystal Glaze.

I have so much to try out you could say I don't need any more cosmetics this year, this won't happen but I really do need to get trying everything out along with my previous KIKO motherload.

So those are my recent cosmetic treats although there have also been a few wardrobe updates which I will post very soon!

What's in my Birchbox October 2013 AKA My First Birchbox

Okay, you may have noticed something is a bit amiss here, Birchbox October 2013? Yes, I know we're in November, I've been meaning to post this for a while but I knew I wasn't going to do a proper post this month as it is my first Birchbox and I took up the subscription (Thanks James) after the box was out. It was actually viewing Laura-Faerie's review that prompted me to finally sign up for Birchbox, plus it meant we both received £5 worth of reward points.

I was super excited about this box and heavily impressed with the amount of goodies included especially the theBalm Staniac, I never have blusher in my handbag, I really should as most of the time I need it so this is the perfect size. I do love full sized items but I'd honestly take more things to try as although I don't mind paying a bit extra I do like to know that the item is worth it, even if 99% of people asked say the product is the bees knees I want to know if it will work for me. I love everything I received in last months box so roll on November! 

Bonfire Night Nails

Taken with flash...

...and in natural light

Now Halloween has been mentioned by myself a lot but I've barely mentioned Bonfire night, apart from the Bonween combination celebration. I love Bonfire night almost as much as Halloween, it is just a special time of the year. I don't think it is as prominent as it was when I was younger, I could swear when I was little local fireworks displays were always on the proper date, 5th November, now they tend to do a combination thing on the nearest weekend which I find disappointing - although if I'm ever doing anything at home like this time it is always at the weekend as I never have time in the week as I'm sure none of my friends do. Never the less I've decided to deck my nails for Bonfire night!

I've cheated as my base coat is simply the wonderful Barry M classic matte nail paint in burgundy crush which I already had on. After having it on for four days I still can't stand to remove it as it is such a lovely colour so instead of jazzed it up a bit with Bourjois laser manicure topping in sun scales - I only bought this the other week, actually at the same time as the Barry M nail paint, I bought this Bourjois nail topping as I knew it would be perfect for Bonfire night (and after), the fibres remind me of sparks coming from the bonfire or sparklers! I love how easily the topping applies (and removes), sometimes I find it hard to get the effect even but this was super simple and the topping really does add some glitz.

Barry M - Classic Matte Nail Paint - Burgundy Crush

I've recently been rediscovering my love for Barry M (more on that later) and had to pick up more nail varnish, especially from their matte range.

Barry M - Classic Matte Nail Paint - Burgundy Crush

I bought two, the first one I tried is the Burgundy Crush. I have a large number of red nail varnishes, it is the go-to colour for me (and I'm sure most), especially for my toes, but I couldn't resist another. The burgundy crush is a traditional style vampy dark red varnish, it makes me think of Rimmel black cherry lipstick (90's nostalgia, again!). The matte finish is perfect, the colour does kind of remind me of blood the way it dries but it also makes me think of ganache, which aren't really similar. It does have a matte finish, especially in comparison but there is a slight shine - not as much as other matte varnishes I've tried. So this doesn't matter, the colour is perfect and for me so is the finish.

Another great thing about matte finish nail varnish is you can actually see it drying. It always applies in a way that would suggest a shiny finish but as it dries the shine lessens. The varnish itself dries rather quickly - I usually think the cheaper the nail varnish the longer it will take to dry but you can't deny Barry M is a quality brand at a very reasonable price, within 10 minutes my nails were fully dry. Now, how does it last? Well it lasts okay, you can't apply a top coat as it would ruin the finish. I've been rather labour intensive with my hands the last few days and there is just one slight smudge along with a tiny chip - something I cant actually touch up so I'm not disappointed.

Although I do like my expensive brands Barry M once again proves you only have to shop on the high street for a quality product. 

Bonween Fireworks - End of Week Summary

It's been a funny old week. I've been busy, I've felt super busy on top of that I've had a cold following on from the other bug I had. I think it was Wednesday when I noticed I had a swelling under my armpit, the pain was excruciating but eventually got better only it led to other glandular swelling plus a stinking cold. I would have said I was full of a cold but today I realise I wasn't, only because I am now full of a cold and in bed watching Keep on Burning - The Story of Northern Soul.

Fortunately I kept it together enough for last nights Bonween celebrations, a nice mix of Halloween and Bonfire Night. The celebrations were full of baked goods, fireworks and films so all very fun.

The baked goods included this very messy attempt from me to recreate a long lost recipe:

we also had oat crunch, treacle tart and parkin! I also did a double load of pretzels.

and the fireworks, well before they were lit they looked something like this:

Sadly my drink is the very clear one to the left.

and of course once lit (safely, at a safe distance) they looked more like this:

We were lucky to get a moment in-between the really bad rain. I did take a video which I'm sure I'll upload at some point but right now the urge to get back into bed is too strong.


I hope everyone else has had a fun weekend and is having a much more relaxing Sunday than I am!