Nail of the Week: Barry M (180) & OPI’s Pirouette My Whistle

This week’s Nail of the Week is one of my favourite looks to sport for the winter time. I used Barry M’s nail paint in number 180 on all of my nails and then OPI’s Pirouette My Whistle on my index finger. 

Barry M’s number 180 is a deep icy blue with a shiny finish. OPI’s Pirouette My Whistle is from the NYC Ballet Collection and is a clear polish containing both micro-glitter and larger glitter pieces. The Barry M nail paint has been in my collection for quite a few years and I’m not sure if it is still available, however I am sure there is a dupe on the market.

What are your favourite nail combinations for the winter?

O.P.I – I Have a Herring Problem

Over the last few days I have been sporting O.P.I’s I Have a Herring Problem on my nails. I Have a Herring Problem is from the Dutch collection released earlier this year and is a dark grey/blue with tiny silver micro-glitter.

I don’t own many dark shades in my nail polish collection, but this is definitely one of my favourites; especially this time of the year as winter is starting to loom. This polish was opaque after two/three coats and has a glossy finish. As always with OPI polishes, the staying power on my nails was excellent and there was no chipping!

What are your favourite winter polishes?

L’Oreal Absolute Eye and Make-up Remover

For as long as I can remember I have always used Simple’s  eye make-up remover as my eyes are extremely sensitive and I wasn’t sure if other brands would be too harsh. However, I have been using waterproof mascara a lot since the summer as I found ordinary mascara was smudging around my eyes due to my skin suddenly deciding to be oily! The Simple eye make-up remover just wasn’t working when it came to removing waterproof mascara. I would go to bed thinking it was all off and then I wake up panda eyed in the morning!

On one of my recent shopping trips I decided to have a look at other eye make-up removers available and came across the L’Oreal Absolute Make-Up Remover for eyes and lips. I was drawn to this product as it claimed on the bottle to remove all make-up, even waterproof and that it was suitable for sensitive eyes. 

£4.99

I have been using this product for a couple of weeks and am amazed at the results! I haven’t used it as a general make-up remover, or on my lips, but I have incorporated it into my routine as an eye make-up remover. To use this product I simply shake the bottle to mix the two separate liquids together and dispense some onto a cotton wool pad. I then hold it onto my eye for 5-10 seconds and wipe off of the eye make-up. I was surprised at how easily the waterproof mascara came off! No scrubbing needed! PLUS, no panda eyes in the morning!

Holly Jolly Holiday Tag 2

Long time no blog posts! Sorry! I’ve been super busy with work, university assignments and have had zero time to get a post up for you all! Since it’s FIVE WEEKS til Christmas today, I thought I’d restart my posts with the Holly Jolly Holiday Tag 2, which I recently watched on Lindsey’s (aka BeautyBaby44) YouTube channel and get into the holiday spirit!

Do you start your holiday shopping on Black Friday or do you leave it until the last minute?

Well here in the UK we don’t have Black Friday as we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. However, I do start my Christmas shopping quite early and usually have my presents all bought and ready to be wrapped up by the beginning of December. This year I am a little behind since I’ve been pretty busy, but I’ve put a list together and decided what I’m going to get everyone. Now it is just a matter of getting round to buying it all!

If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be?

My favourite Christmas movie by far is Elf, although I had never watched it before until 2 years ago, but I got it on DVD last year and it was played many times. I’ve even watched it a couple of times already to get into the Christmassy mood! So yes, that would be the Christmas movie I would love to be in!

Which do you like better, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Well, since Christmas Eve is my BIRTHDAY, I find it hard to choose between the two since I am celebrating different things on each day! If I had to choose though I would probably say Christmas Eve since I have an amazing day celebrating my birthday and then in the evening I start to get excited for Christmas! :)

When does your family put up the Christmas tree and who decorates it? 

We usually put our Christmas decorations up about 2 weeks before Christmas, although I tend to put mine up in my room towards the end of November! My dad and brother don’t tend to show any interest in putting up the Christmas tree, so I usually help my mum set it all up. However my mum likes to be in charge of the decorations as she likes to have everything in a specific place and its easier not to get involved hah!

White lights or coloured lights?

I prefer white lights. I think they looked classier than the coloured lights which can look a bit tacky sometimes.

Are you guilty of peeking at your presents or do you like the surprise?

When I was younger my brother and I used to go on a present hunt haha! My mum was never very good at hiding them; they were in the same place every year! However, now I don’t look for them AT ALL, I love the surprise!

Would you rather live in a gingerbread house or Santa’s workshop.

I would rather live in Santa’s workshop! Whenever you see versions of it on films it always looks like such a fun place with different things going on all the time, so I think it would be more interesting.

Tell us your Christmas Eve traditions.

Like I mentioned in a previous question, Christmas Eve is actually my birthday so my family’s traditions might not be the same as others. I usually have a lie in on my birthday and then when I get up I open up my presents and cards. My dad then usually makes a fry up for all of my family, which is my favourite breakfast but incredibly unhealthy so I have them very rarely. Then it’s become tradition to go to the cinema on my birthday, movie of my choice, and go out for dinner afterwards. In the evening my extended family come over and we have a chilled out evening before getting some shut eye and waiting for Santa ;)

If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone who would it be?

My boyfriend :)

 

What tops your tree?

My mum has a fairy that tops our tree which she has had forever!

Can you name the twelve days of Christmas?

I could look this up, but I shall do it without cheating!

A partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, 4 calling birds, 5 gold rings, 6 geese a-laying, seven swans a swimming, 8 pipers piping, 9 milk maids milking, ermmm I don’t think that that’s right but it’s as much as I can remember haha!

Have you ever gone Christmas Carolling?

Nope, I’ve never gone Carol singing :(

Do you countdown to Christmas? If so, how many days are left?

Yes, I am a big kid and countdown to Christmas as it is my favourite time of the year! There are 34 sleeps left til Christmas!

What are some foods and treats you can count on having every holiday season?

Well the most obvious one is Christmas dinner. Turkey, pigs in blankets, brussel sprouts (erugh), veggies, potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings and lashings of gravy! Followed by Christmas pudding and custard mmm!

Whenever I go to family parties over Christmas the buffet food tends to be the same also! Leftover Turkey sandwiches, picky Chinese/Indian pieces, crisps, salads, chicken legs etc.

I also eat a lottttt of mince pies over the Christmas period and have many a trip to Starbucks/Costa Coffee for anything pepperminty!

How has Christmas kept its magic for you as you’ve grown older?

I think that I like to keep the Christmas traditions alive by eating festive food, watching Christmas movies and decorating the house so you cannot escape Christmas. This, for me, keeps the Christmassy feeling going and I love that feeling!  

Benefit’s “How To Look The Best At Everything”

Benefit has recently released a new flawless makeup complexion kit, which I think are ideal presents with Christmas just around the corner. The new kits are called “How To Look The Best At Everything” and come in 3 different shades, light, medium and deep. Considering I have extremely fair skin, especially in the winter months, I picked up the kit in light. 

£24.50

The kit comes with sample sizes of some of Benefits most well known and best selling products:

• The Porefessional – A balm primer used to minimise the appearance of pores.
• Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow – Benefit’s most recent brightening foundation in the shade Champagne.
• Boi-ing Concealer – Industrial-strength concealer in shades 01 and 02.
• Hello Flawless – Powder used to either set foundation or as light coverage itself, also in the shade Champagne. 

Within the kit is also a small powder brush, a mirror and a fold out instruction guide on how to use each of the items included.

Overall I think that this kit is fantastic in giving you the chance to try out some of Benefits products if you have never used them before. I would say the products I use the most are the Boi-ing concealers, which I mix together to create the perfect shade to cover my dark under eye circles and the POREfessional primer, which I use under my makeup to ensure that my makeup stays put all day and it noticeably minimises my pores. However, I haven’t really been using the foundation or the powder as, although this is meant to be targeted for light shades, I find that the shade provided is too dark for me and makes me look orangey.  I will definitely give them another chance come spring/summer next year.

Have any of you tried out this kit? What did you think?