Nails of the Week #9 : Nude is Better

Hello everybody !!

First of all, sorry for the lack of posts these past few weeks. I'm on holiday and strangely, I find myself with a lot more to do than when I was in uni/working ! So the posts are going to be sparse until, let's say, October (because I'm going to do something super exciting in September, I'll speak more about it later !).

Today I wanted to make a quick nails of the week post because I need to show you this pretty nail polish that I bought a few weeks ago (and I speak about it in my makeup favourites for a nude look, right here !) and that I can't get enough of !

It's the "Ivory Rose" by Maybelline. First of all, the colour is great ! Nude nails are always perfect, not matter the season or the occasion. If you don't really know what colour to wear, just put this on and you'll be ready to go with any outfit ! It goes with everything and makes your hands look so lovely.

As for the quality, it is also very good. The brush is like that of Essie nail polishes, it's big so it makes it quicker to apply the polish on the nails. It dries quickly, and stays on for quite a long time without chipping.

I can't find anything wrong with this nail polish, which is probably a good thing ! 

See you soon (well I hope haha) for a new post !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #8 : the Bronze Age

I don't know why I went for this title, but it sounds good to me. Maybe because I'm really into Ancient History at the moment... Anyways, it kinda matches the name of the nail polish I'm wearing so I guess it's okay !

I bought this nail polish a few weeks ago for 2.99€ only. The brand is Monop' Makeup, which is the new makeup brand of the shop Monoprix that we have here in France. It's a shop that sells various things, from food and drinks to homeware and clothes. They also sell a lot of makeup and beauty products, with brands that we can't find anywhere else in France (recently they started selling the Aussie brand which I need to try out, but they also sell Model's Own, Essie, etc.). But they also have their own makeup range, from which I haven't tried anything but two nail polishes. This one is called "Bronze Pailleté", which means Glittery Bronze.

The shade isn't really a bronze colour to me, but more of a silver with pink undertones. Either way, it is a very pretty colour, super shiny. When you are under the sun it sparkles so much !

This nail polish is exactly the same as another one I have from Kiko. I tell you, the colour is perfectly similar ! And I've almost finished it, so I'm glad I bought this one to replace it. It was even cheaper haha :P


Julia xx

My makeup favourites for a nude look ♥

Hello !

Instead of doing a post with my favourite beauty items in general, I've decided to split my favourites into a series of several themes. I'm starting with my favourite products to use to create a nude look !

Most days, I tend to go for natural makeup, without eyeshadow or strong lipstick, just because I can't be bothered to do it all the time. But a nude look doesn't mean a bare face either, and it's always pleasant to have a nice result with only a few products and very little time ! :)

Here are my favourite products I always use to achieve a quick nude look :

For the skin, I only use a bit of concealer (the Full Cover by Makeup Forever) to hide redness, spots and dark circles. After that I apply some powder, the Stay Matte by Rimmel, which is very good to keep a matte look for a while.

Then to add a bit of light, I use a tiny bit of High Beam highlighter by Benefit. It is so pretty, I adore it ! I put it on my browbone and on the top of my cheekbones, it gives a nice glow to the face without being too shimmery, which I really like - I'm not keen on proper glitter anywhere else than on my eyelids !

Of course you could add some blush on the cheeks and that's what I do usually, but I don't have a favourite in this category, I tend to use by Sephora pink blush (which has no name) all the time. Just a bit of pink on the cheeks make you look more alive !

For the eyes, I use my Vibrant Eye pencil by Kiko as an eyeliner. The colour is a dark brown which looks more natural and neutral than black, and which fits a nude look better. This pencil is really smooth and you can blend it easily if needed. The only other thing I wear on my eyes is mascara, and my favourite ever is the They're Real by Benefit - nothing new here, everybody knows how great it is !

(yep the pencil is disgusting and not even sharpened... sorry for that !)

Last but not least, I stick to a very light pink for my lips with the Apocalips by Rimmel (named "Show off" in France, no idea why they changed the name), this is the colour 201 "Solstice" - again the names are different in France, but this one really looks like the "Galaxy" colour you have in anglophone countries. It is not a real nude, more of a pink with a slight shimmer, but it looks natural enough.

I've added what I would use on my nails to complete the look : the is the Maybelline Forever Strong Pro  in the colour "ivory rose". It is a simple beige nail polish, which applied in three coats gives you the best nude nails ever. It is so chic and makes your hands look like delicate princess hands ! The brush is nice and thick also, like the Essie brushes, so you apply it very easily. A must have !

There you have it, my favourite beauty items for a nude look ! Maybe you have and love some of these already :)

These pinks and beiges are the best colours to make you look nice but effortless !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #7 : Princess Nails

Hello people !

Here we are, for nails of the week n°7 ! I really love doing these posts, I've got so many nail polishes so it helps me to check everytime I put a different one.

I went for something light and pretty glitter over it - "Muchi, Muchi" by Essie, and "Jo is in the House" by H&M !

This Essie polish is one of my favourites. It is a really pale pink, perfect for nude nails with one or two coats, but if you want the colour to be exactly like it is on the bottle, you can go with three.

Unfortunately, like every nail polish, when the quantity diminishes it gets all thick and it is a pain to apply it evenly on the nails. But when it's done, it's worth it !

I felt like I needed a bit of glitter in my life these days. This nail polish from H&M is great for its price, and it goes with pretty much every colour. I tried to apply it in a kind of gradient effect, I find it prettier than applying it on the whole nail.

Kinda looks like princess nails, doesn't it ?

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #6 : Lilac

Pastel nail polishes are my favourite : baby blue, pastel pink, mint... the only one that I'm not sure about is pastel yellow, but maybe I'll buy one someday to see how it looks on me.

But for this week, I've chosen a nice lilac shade from Kiko :

This colour looks amazing at this time of the year, especially when you associate it with other light colours in your outfits.

Kiko nail polishes are really good, they are so cheap and exist in so many colours ! However, the quality depends on each product, some are great, last a long time and dry quite quickly, but others take more time to dry completely. You have to be lucky when you pick one !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #5 : Blue Jeans

Hi there !

This week, I decided to try something new on my nails, and went for a deep blue colour. I've never painted my nails blue, except for pastel/baby blue, which is one of my favourite colours. I thought dark blue wouldn't suit me, but then I was given this tiny Yves Rocher nail polish, so I had no reason not to finally try !
... and I don't know what to think about it. I'll just show you how it looks :

The blue is darker in real life than in the pictures, it looks lighter here.

I'm not sure this colour suit my skintone very well... I feel like my hands look almost yellow haha, because of the undertones of my skin. But the colour itself is really pretty ! a nice navy blue, which I like to pair with denim shorts, beige blouses, lace, blue and white striped tops...
Also, I had never tried Yves Rocher nail polishes before. I've got this one and a red one, I've tried them both, and they are really opaque (if you're on the go you could definitely wear one coat only) and, best thing of all, they dry really quickly !
I prefer to wear dark colours on my nails during the autumn/winter, but these days the weather has been quite dull and I thought this suited the atmosphere perfectly, unfortunately.
Maybe I will get used to this colour eventually, by wearing it a few times :P


Julia xx

Nails of the Week #4 : Think Pink

This week I wanted to go for a light springy colour, and I ended up with a very girly manicure !

I'm wearing the "Eternal Optimist" by Essie, which is a light (but not pastel) pink, and I did an accent nail with a glitter nail polish from Claire's, which doesn't have any name nor number unfortunately.

The Claire's nail polish is sooo pretty, it has little holographic glitter and bigger pink sparkles. It cost me 3.50€ only, and the quality is really good, it stays on the nails for a long time. You can find literally the same type of nail polish in other brands like Models Own, but for a higher price. Sometimes cheap brands are more than okay, no need to spend a lot of money to get nice things !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #3 : a touch of gold

Hello everyone !

Here we are for the new nails of the week ! With something a bit different this time, I wanted to go with a dark shade for this week. Dark shades like greys and browns and purples are timeless and make you look somehow very classy and chic - at least I think so.

I've decided to wear my Chanel n°509, it's called "Paradoxal". It is a very dark purple colour, with the tiniest purple sparkles, you can't see them when the nail polish is on your nails.

As you can see, I added some glitter to do an accent nail. I thought the gold looked nice with the purple :)

And it is a nail polish by H&M, it is the "Stay Golden". 

They look great together, the gold makes the more "boring" purple pop instantly. 

I have to say, Chanel nail polishes aren't the best in terms of lasting finish ! Their colours are often great, but for the price you pay, maybe they should try and make them last longer on the nails... because when I wear it I have to apply some polish on the tips every other day, if I want to keep it for the week. 

So just a tip : if you want to try and buy a Chanel nail polish, maybe wait until you have a voucher or something, don't pay it full price, it is kinda not worth it in the end.

See ya !

Julia xx

Nails of the week #2 : In Stitches by Essie

Well, it seems like everytime I speak about how sunny the weather is, it suddenly gets worse in the following days... ? I'll stop mentioning the weather from now on I guess, if it always brings us rain and clouds !

As a consequence of this brutal change in weather, I'm not in the mood for wearing pastel colours on my nails for the week. Instead I've chosen a lovely dusty pink, which goes with everything I wear. 

It is the "In Stitches" by Essie.

As you probably know, Essie is a very good brand. They have a lot of shades and every collection they make is amazing. The only thing is, as for OPI, the price, unfortunately ! Although Essie nail polishes are a bit cheaper than the OPI ones.

I only have three Essie polishes, and they are all pinks ! I have a fushia pink (which I'll probably wear in the summer only), this dusty pink and a very light nude pink. They're all so good, I love wearing them ! Easy to apply, quick to dry...

I've noticed this one doesn't stay on very long, it goes off quite quickly on the ends of the nails, even with three coats on. That bugs me a little because I hate when you can see the white of the nail on the tip of the finger, but it's not overly important either, it won't stop me from buying other Essie nail polishes in the future !

Julia xx

Nails of the week #1 : I don't give a Rotterdam by OPI

Hello !

Now that spring is coming and the sun is there more often, I've been more excited about painting my nails. I always paint my nails and never go without nail polish, but I don't know why, these days I've been super happy to do it ! That's so strange. But I truly feel like buying new colours, bringing back my pastel polishes, etc. 

So I thought I could do "nails of the week" posts sometimes ! Just to show you a few of my favourite colours and brands.

This morning I've applied the nail polish that I'm going to wear this week. It is the I don't give a Rotterdam by OPI, from the Holland collection. I remember when I first saw this shade, I fell in love with it and knew I had to buy it.

(Sorry, I just noticed that I have applied the nail polish very badly and I haven't taken off the excess. Oops !)

It is a light blue shade, almost greyish at time, and it has tiny silver sparkles - or speckles, you can't really tell. It is a very good colour for spring and as it is an OPI nail polish it does stay on a long time (but of course you should always wear a top coat on it). The only thing is that the colour is very sheer so you have to apply quite a few coats to get a good coverage. I've applied four coats here (!), but luckily it dries very quickly so it doesn't take hours to do your manucure anyway.

I do hope that the weather this week will be nice enough for me to wear springy clothes to match this nail polish !

Julia xx

Review : the Rimmel 5 in 1 nail treat

Hello !

I love painting my nails. In fact, I never go without nail polish, because for some strange reason it makes me feel like I'm naked. So to prevent my nails from being in bad health, I pay great attention to the base that I use before I put the colour on.

And as I'm quite happy with the base/top coat I'm using at the moment, I thought it could be useful to speak a little about it !

This nail treatment is supposed to be 5 in 1, protecting your nails from the polish when applied as a base, and making it last longer (and be more shiny) when you add it as a top coat.

I always go for two-in-one nail products to use as a base and a top coat, it is much more practical (and less expensive, let's be honest !) than having different products all over the place. I was a bit sceptical about the actual efficiency the product would provide though, but now that I've been using it for a while I can safely say that I wasn't disappointed !

As a base, this treatment really does a good job. It dries quickly, makes your nails all shiny and pretty, and protects your nails from the colours of the nail polishes. I've never had yellowy/dry nails since I've been using it.

As a top coat, it gives a very shiny finish to any nail polish. And again, it dries very quickly so you don't have to wait for ages before being able to touch something ! I really saw a difference about this, when comparing with my former top coat (it was a L'Oreal one, but I can't remember its name). Concerning the lasting power, it is quite good, although the polish tends to fade on the tips of the nails after a few days (which I guess happens with any nail polish and any top coat when you think about it, because it is the most exposed area of the nail with which we keep touching things all the time etc.).

So to sum everything up, I would recommend you to try this nail treatment, it is very good for its price - I don't actually remember how much I paid for it but it's Rimmel, so not really expensive. It does its job very well and spares you from buying two different products ! I'll be buying it again when it runs out, but for now it seems to last a while, I use it every week, sometimes twice a week, and I've had it for some months, yet it is still half full !

Julia xx

Wishlist : August '13

Hello everyone !

As it is summertime, I've been posting less regularly these past few weeks. I'm enjoying the sun as much as possible, because we didn't get the chance to have a good weather before.

That's why my August wishlist is a bit late ! I've stopped doing wishlists every month, because surprisingly I don't always have special things I want to buy, and these months I couldn't think of items to include in a wishlist. But this month I do have some things I would love to buy so I put them all together in here.

 

1. La Riche Directions semi-permanent hair dye, in the colour "flamingo pink". I'd like to try a pink ombre !

2. Models own nail polish, in not any particular shade. I'll just see what colour attracts me the most ! 5.99 € at Monoprix (here in France).

3. The Match Perfection concealer by Rimmel, around 8€.

4. Misumi black tile print skater dress, New Look, £17.99. The pattern looks amazing !

5. The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green. Everybody seems to love this book so I'm getting more and more curious about it !

That's all for this month. Hopefully I'll get to try all these bits soon !

Julia xx

The Bourgeois Magic Nail Polish Remover

Even though I love nail polish, it always bothers me to take it off. It takes ages, the nail polish remover smells awful, and when you have glitter on you can spend hours to remove it completely... It is a real chore. 

So when I heard about this new nail polish remover, I thought I needed to get it because it seemed a lot easier to deal with than the average liquid nail polish remover.

Most people probably know how this works ! The inside looks like this :

The product is in it, and you just have to put your finger in the mousse thing, twist it a little bit, and the nail polish's gone ! It is quite quick (but definitely not one second as they claim on the pot) and works really well. If you're wearing glittery nail polish, you just have to wait a little longer, but it takes it off as well.

What I also like about this is the smell : it really smells of red fruit and vanilla ! At first you have that strong smell of typical nail polish remover, but then it fades and there is this sweet smell, it's amazing.

And also your nails and the tip of your fingers are nourished because of the almond oil, which again is amazing. 

This is the most perfect nail polish remover ever ! It just makes everything easier when it comes to taking off nail polish. I'll definitely buy it again soon !

Julia xx

Beauty : my all time favourites

Hello people !

Today I'm going to share my beauty favourites. As I don't try enough products every months to make monthly favourites, I decided that it would be good to share the products that I particularly love and that I still will be using for a while.

The first product is skincare : it's the Crème Prodigieuse by Nuxe for normal to combination skin.

I got this cream in a Christmas box and at first I was afraid to use it as I have oily skin, but I decided to give it a go anyway. And I'm glad I did !

First of all, the cream smells delicious. The texture is not too watery nor too thick. It moisturises the skin, but without leaving an oily feeling when you've applied it. I use it as my daily moisturiser since maybe January and I still have a lot in it. I really recommend it, Nuxe are said to make really good skincare products and that one proves it to be true !

Another Nuxe product that I cannot live without is the Rêve de Miel lipbalm.

I made a review about it a few months ago, saying how good this balm was. I repurchased it last month and I'll probably be using it non stop from now on.

It is very moisturising and recommended if your lips are really chapped. The texture is thick and smells of honey. The best lipbalm I've ever tried !

Next is a Lush product ! I've tried a few of their face cleansers, but I always go back to this one (and I'm definitely purchasing it again soon) : the Aqua Marina.

 (I'm not putting a picture of mine, because it's empty haha, I've filled the box with bubble bath things !)

This cleanser is amazing. It smells reaaally good (it may not be to everybody's taste but I love it !), very fresh and "natural" etc. The texture is a bit unusual, a pinky cream with seaweed on it. The seaweed can be difficult to handle in the beginning but you get used to it. It works like most of the other Lush face cleansers : you take a little amount of product in your hand, pour some water on it to make it melt a little and then wash your face with it. When you're done, you face looks so clean and pretty. The only thing is that it leaves some areas of your skin quite dry (if you naturally have dry patches sometimes), but that's the only thing I noticed.  Anyways, this product is perfect for daily use, to clean your face in the morning and then in the evening after you've taken off your makeup.

The next product is a statement one. It is so famous that I won't talk about it much, everybody knows (and probably has) it. It is the Naked Palette, by Urban Decay. Here it is, without the brush because I've stored it elsewhere :

Do I really need to explain why this palette is fantastic ? The colours are perfect, either for everyday wear or for a going out/party makeup, the eyeshadows are very pigmented, they last very long (I don't even use a primer anymore and they still stay all day on my eyes)... And 12 eyeshadows for about 45€ (even though I paid a little less when I bought it, which was two years ago) is quite a good deal !
This palette will last me a very long time, this is the only real palette I own and it is definitely enough for now ! I love using it, the colours suit my skintone perfectly and I like them better than the ones of the Naked 2 Palette. Love that !


Another eye product in my favourites, a mascara this time. I've had the chance to try this as a sample, which was sent to me after I asked for it online (thanks to a website offer). And now I use it all the time and I'm really considering buying it when I run out of it because it's so good ! It's the Le Volume mascara by Chanel. It looks like this :

 

I'm really happy that I got to try it because it's amazing. I love the brush, it curls your lashes very well and makes the mascara easy to use. Your eyelashes look longer, more voluminous, but not dramatic either. I've had it for about two months and I've been using it non stop ! I just fell in love with it. 

The last face product of my favourites is a lipstick I've already talked about, but I love it so much that I have to add it to my list. It is the l'Oréal Caresse lipstick in "dating coral".

As I've already swatched it and talked about it in a previous article, I'll just add that it's one of my favourite lipsticks, the colour is wonderful and goes with every makeup. When I don't want to put a lot of colour on my lips, I go for it because even though it's a coral, it has a nice glossy finish that makes it look fresh and simple. Maybe I'll try other colours of this range, because this one is so good !

My last all time favourites product is a nail polish. Even though I love nail polishes to death, I don't tend to have one or several favourites in terms of colour, because it changes all the time depending on my mood. But there is one nail polish that I love all the time, that I could wear any day, and which is maybe my favourite colour ; it is the 529 Graphite by Chanel. 

You can see how much I love it by the so little amount of product that is left here ! I've never finished a bottle of nail polish before, I will be so sad when I finish this one... And I'm not sure about buying it again because of the price and because even though the colour is wonderful, it doesn't stay really long on the nails.

In spite of the negative "technical" aspects of it, it will stay on my favourites forever just because of its colour. It looks beautiful and shiny in the bottle, and it's even greater on the nails. Have you ever seen real graphite ? well that's what inspired the nail polish, and I think they did a good job.

Aren't they the same ?

 

 

So this colour looks great on the nails and I love wearing it. Favourite colour ever. Thanks Chanel, you're way too expensive but you did right with this one !

***

So I'm done with my all time favourites. I would recommend those products to everybody, they worked out great on me so I hope it does the same for everyone else !

Julia xx

Spring selection : nail polishes

Bonjour !

As the weather is starting to be nicer (it was about time, since we're almost in May), I'm feeling more... springy these days. So I decided to make a few selections of things that would suit perfectly for the season.

I start with one of my favourite make-up things, i.e. nail polishes !

I chose ten of them, and I split them into three categories. I swatched them on adhesive tape because it would take me too much time to do it on my hands properly.

So here is my selection :

You can see already that I only chose light colours... I'm keeping the brighter ones for summer I guess !

So here is the first category, the pastel nail polishes :

They are all from Kiko. It is an Italian brand of quite cheap products, but in general the quality is good. They have an amazing range of colours for their nail polishes, and most of mine are from this shop.

I chose a very light green, a light blue (it's not a baby blue, but a little brighter) and a lilac. These are staple colours for spring, when you want colour but still with soft shades.

From the left to the right, you have the 345, the 339, and the 330 (Kiko nail polishes don't have names).

Then, the nude nail polishes :

I don't have many nude polishes, so it was easy to select these !

I'll describe them starting from the bottom of the picture.
The first one is the "Don't Touch My Tutu", in the mini version (I got the New York City Ballet kit). It is very sheer, and you'll have to apply at least four or five coats to make it opaque, but you could also wear it with two or three coats for a very discrete and classy result.

The Essie nail polish is "Muchi, muchi", an amazing "French manicure" pink. Again it's a sheer shade so you'll need maybe three or four coats to have a very pale pink on your nails, but you could go for a French manicure effect with two coats too.

The last one is the "Naked" by Urban Decay, which comes in the Naked polishes kit. It is a plain and simple beige, almost with orange undertones. You can have a good and opaque result with two coats only.

And finally, the last category : the pearly/almost glittery nail polishes !

Again, two Kiko polishes in the selection !

The first one is the 371. You can't really see it in the pictures, but it is a nude beige with gold glitter in it. It put it in this category because of the glitter, which really make the colour prettier. On the nail you don't really see them though, except in the sunlight. But still !

The other Kiko one is the 303. It is one of my favourite nail polishes ! It is beige, with almost pinky undertones, and silver glitter. Two coats are enough to have a good colour. It goes with everything and suits any colour for an accent nail manicure. 

The first O.P.I polish is "It's Totally Fort Worth It", from the Texas collection. I bought it (with the other O.P.I. one) during the winter sales, half price each so I got one for free, yay ! The shade is very difficult to describe, it's a sort of pearly white with pink/light purple and gold undertones. Again it goes with everything so I tend to wear it a lot.

The other O.P.I. polish is "I Don't Give a Rotterdam", from the Netherlands collection. I think it's quite famous ! It is a light blue with tiny silver glitter on it. And you can really see the glitter when you apply the nail polish on your hands, it's not only in the bottle like the Kiko 371. It is beautifuuul !

***

That's all, here are my ten nail polishes for spring ! Of course I could have chosen more, maybe add some brighter colours like a pink or a bright blue, but I'll keep that for summer, when the sun is around a lot more !

Julia xx