Friday, 20 July 2012
Monday, 16 July 2012
Now Playing: Top 5
As you may have gathered, I've been spending the days and nights on the streets of New York City, and boy am I having fun! So, I thought I'd share with you my playlist for this trip:
1) Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean
I love this guy. He's a hero to many people after the news that emerged a few weeks ago about his first love, and after his album 'Channel Orange' came out, I had to have it. The songs are all pretty good, traditional Frank Ocean style, but this song stood out for me. I don't know why as such, but it's just insane.
2) Get Free by Major Lazer (feat. Amber Coffman) (Andy C remix)
Picture the scene: me gliding around the streets of the Upper East Side, drifting whimsically to this song. It's amazing, and the original version is seriously relaxing. This version? Not so much, but it's such a great summer anthem.
3) Octopus by Bloc Party
I love Bloc Party, 'Signs
1) Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean
I love this guy. He's a hero to many people after the news that emerged a few weeks ago about his first love, and after his album 'Channel Orange' came out, I had to have it. The songs are all pretty good, traditional Frank Ocean style, but this song stood out for me. I don't know why as such, but it's just insane.
Picture the scene: me gliding around the streets of the Upper East Side, drifting whimsically to this song. It's amazing, and the original version is seriously relaxing. This version? Not so much, but it's such a great summer anthem.
3) Octopus by Bloc Party
I love Bloc Party, 'Signs
Nails: We go together like...
I don't know whats going on at the moment. I'm having a serious nail obsession, and after seeing multiple slideshows on my Flipboard (the MOST amazing app, and it's free!) I decided to show off the polish combos that will be gracing my toes for the rest of my New York trip, and for the rest of the summer.
It's clear to see that matching toes and nails was so last season! It's been a long time since I've seen a woman with red toes and red fingernails, posing the question: if we don't match, how do we coordinate?
With peep toe shoes on the rise, and gloves simply not an option in the summer, manicuring and painting nails has become almost as vital as the weekly shop. And yes, for me it's become more of a bi-weekly thing, with my favourite polishes popping out every 3 days to splash a new colour onto my nails. Is this over obsessive? Perhaps. But it's summer, so what's not allowed in the sweltering summer months?
Red and Metallic
I've seen this literally everywhere! Mostly, women wear the metallic on the toes and the red on the fingers, but personally I'd wear it the other way round. There's a very select range of colours that I'll wear on my toes and red is up there at number one!
So, my favourite red polish?
Tate polish by Nails Inc is absolutely gorgeous. Not too coarly, not too dark, it's that classic shade you see on all the old Hollywood movie stars. (buy here for £11) (pictured below)
And the metallic?
There's a tonne of options here, but to celebrate the olympics, here's my pick of the best bronze, silver and gold!
Obviously, if you're trying to save money and time, buying Nails Inc's The Metallics Collection (here) seems the best plan of action, as you get three polishes for less than three polishes costs (comprendez?)
But these are my favourites:
Gold: Essie's Good as Gold (buy here) (plus, the adverts for these metallic shades at the moment are divine! Pictured below)
Silver: Nails Inc's Cambridge Terrace (buy here)
Bronze: (apart from a tan, I never normally sport bronze - after all, it's all about the gold. But here's a polish anyway. And if you're lucky enough to naturally olive skinned, try and avoid this colour as it'll be too close to your actual skin tone. If you're orange, go for it - it might look really hot). Essie's Penny Talk (buy here, although there's none left in stock - boo hoo)
Off Shades
Pretty hard to describe, but I feel Peter Philips described it perfectly in July's Vogue: "I prefer unmatched fingers and toes. I like fuchsia on the hands, say, and then a red on the feet. I like things a bit 'off'". And as Chanel's creative director of make-up, I not only listened, but I acted immediately, applying fuchsia and red (as he told me to!) Here's the fuchsia I chose (Dior's Vernis in Plaza here) and I chose my favourite red for my toes.
Deep Sea
The ocean was a huge trend in the spring, and as we're all going to the sea this summer, why not channel it in nail polish? (yes, these thoughts come to me in the middle of the night)
Blue nails have always been a big hit for me, and my favourite polish doesn't quite match my usual tastes. It's on the 'cheaper end of the scale' shall we say, but it's incredible. The shade is Sea Breeze (apt, no?) and it's by Boots' range called 17. The best bit? It's £2.99. Buy three here
Then for the feet you have two choices: do I go dark blue (as if you're getting deeper into the sea)? Or do I go green (because the sea is often described as green... Sometimes)
Navy: Chanel's Blue Boy (if you're going for a lighter navy) or Blue Rebel (if you want a real navy). Either weay, these are both from the Jeans de Chanel collection which I L.O.V.E
Green: Again, two choices; do I go super light that I can wear again? Or do I go darker so it vaguely looks like the sea? I love this Nails Inc polish called Hyde Park Gate which will satisfy all your lighter green needs here. As for a sea green, I don't normally venture into such unknown territory, but I saw this on MAC's website (Screening Room. It's more bluey than greeny but it's still here) And this OPI Go on Green shade.
If this post has taught me anything, it's that some nail websites have the most awesome features (see OPI for 'try on a shade' and Nails Inc for 'design your own bottle and packaging' - that's more fun than it sounds!) and that matching is soo last season.
But, if you insist on matching, please make it acceptable with Chanel's hottest shade, Holiday
It's clear to see that matching toes and nails was so last season! It's been a long time since I've seen a woman with red toes and red fingernails, posing the question: if we don't match, how do we coordinate?
With peep toe shoes on the rise, and gloves simply not an option in the summer, manicuring and painting nails has become almost as vital as the weekly shop. And yes, for me it's become more of a bi-weekly thing, with my favourite polishes popping out every 3 days to splash a new colour onto my nails. Is this over obsessive? Perhaps. But it's summer, so what's not allowed in the sweltering summer months?
Red and Metallic
I've seen this literally everywhere! Mostly, women wear the metallic on the toes and the red on the fingers, but personally I'd wear it the other way round. There's a very select range of colours that I'll wear on my toes and red is up there at number one!
So, my favourite red polish?
Tate polish by Nails Inc is absolutely gorgeous. Not too coarly, not too dark, it's that classic shade you see on all the old Hollywood movie stars. (buy here for £11) (pictured below)
And the metallic?
There's a tonne of options here, but to celebrate the olympics, here's my pick of the best bronze, silver and gold!
Obviously, if you're trying to save money and time, buying Nails Inc's The Metallics Collection (here) seems the best plan of action, as you get three polishes for less than three polishes costs (comprendez?)
But these are my favourites:
Gold: Essie's Good as Gold (buy here) (plus, the adverts for these metallic shades at the moment are divine! Pictured below)
Silver: Nails Inc's Cambridge Terrace (buy here)
Bronze: (apart from a tan, I never normally sport bronze - after all, it's all about the gold. But here's a polish anyway. And if you're lucky enough to naturally olive skinned, try and avoid this colour as it'll be too close to your actual skin tone. If you're orange, go for it - it might look really hot). Essie's Penny Talk (buy here, although there's none left in stock - boo hoo)
Off Shades
Pretty hard to describe, but I feel Peter Philips described it perfectly in July's Vogue: "I prefer unmatched fingers and toes. I like fuchsia on the hands, say, and then a red on the feet. I like things a bit 'off'". And as Chanel's creative director of make-up, I not only listened, but I acted immediately, applying fuchsia and red (as he told me to!) Here's the fuchsia I chose (Dior's Vernis in Plaza here) and I chose my favourite red for my toes.
Deep Sea
The ocean was a huge trend in the spring, and as we're all going to the sea this summer, why not channel it in nail polish? (yes, these thoughts come to me in the middle of the night)
Blue nails have always been a big hit for me, and my favourite polish doesn't quite match my usual tastes. It's on the 'cheaper end of the scale' shall we say, but it's incredible. The shade is Sea Breeze (apt, no?) and it's by Boots' range called 17. The best bit? It's £2.99. Buy three here
Then for the feet you have two choices: do I go dark blue (as if you're getting deeper into the sea)? Or do I go green (because the sea is often described as green... Sometimes)
Navy: Chanel's Blue Boy (if you're going for a lighter navy) or Blue Rebel (if you want a real navy). Either weay, these are both from the Jeans de Chanel collection which I L.O.V.E
Green: Again, two choices; do I go super light that I can wear again? Or do I go darker so it vaguely looks like the sea? I love this Nails Inc polish called Hyde Park Gate which will satisfy all your lighter green needs here. As for a sea green, I don't normally venture into such unknown territory, but I saw this on MAC's website (Screening Room. It's more bluey than greeny but it's still here) And this OPI Go on Green shade.
If this post has taught me anything, it's that some nail websites have the most awesome features (see OPI for 'try on a shade' and Nails Inc for 'design your own bottle and packaging' - that's more fun than it sounds!) and that matching is soo last season.
But, if you insist on matching, please make it acceptable with Chanel's hottest shade, Holiday
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Nails: 'Imported Bubbly' by Essie (Review)
I bought this polish from Walgreens in Times Square, after realising that my red nails were beginning to look worn out and chipped, and obviously, I hadn't packed the same colour!
So I decided to go to the Essie counter and pick a colour that I didn't own, one I really wanted to try (and for $8 they're a lot cheaper in the states!)
I chose this colour for three reasons: 1) I liked the name, and felt classy buying it 2) White is my favourite colour, but I wanted something 'not quite white' 3) I love pearls, and they're always my 'go to' accessory.
I first applied one coat, allowing it to dry and realising that although it gave my nails a nice pearlescent shimmer, it wasn't quite right, as my nail still showed through. After the second coat, it was getting better, but by the third coat it really began to build up a nice coverage and a gorgeous colour.
I didn't apply a top coat, and I decided to road test it on the streets on Manhattan, to see if it chipped, faded or lost its shine.
I'm happy to say, that after 3 days of testing, it still hasn't chipped. The pictures below are from today: three days after, and the polish is still as shiny and as smooth as it was when first applied. The colour isn't quite what I imagined it would be, it's slightly more silvery than pinky, but it's still pretty gorgeous! Score!
But surely there has to be a downside to this product? Well, as with all pearlescent polishes, you have to apply it very carefully to avoid brush marks on the nail. It's harder than you'd imagine, and even though mine appear to be smooth from a distance, when I look at them closely the notorious strokes are there! No matter how hard you try, there's always going to be a few, which is obviously a problem.
The other downside is my thumb nails. I don't really know what's happened, and this is probably not the polish's fault, but I have really small bumps on my nail surface, almost as if grains of sand were stuck under one of the layers. I can't really work out why this has happened on only two nails, but I just thought I'd warn you. Just saying!
Overall, for the $8 I payed, this product delivered. Not only because I managed to get rid of my dull red nails, but because it was exceedingly good value for the results I got!
So I decided to go to the Essie counter and pick a colour that I didn't own, one I really wanted to try (and for $8 they're a lot cheaper in the states!)
I chose this colour for three reasons: 1) I liked the name, and felt classy buying it 2) White is my favourite colour, but I wanted something 'not quite white' 3) I love pearls, and they're always my 'go to' accessory.
I first applied one coat, allowing it to dry and realising that although it gave my nails a nice pearlescent shimmer, it wasn't quite right, as my nail still showed through. After the second coat, it was getting better, but by the third coat it really began to build up a nice coverage and a gorgeous colour.
I didn't apply a top coat, and I decided to road test it on the streets on Manhattan, to see if it chipped, faded or lost its shine.
I'm happy to say, that after 3 days of testing, it still hasn't chipped. The pictures below are from today: three days after, and the polish is still as shiny and as smooth as it was when first applied. The colour isn't quite what I imagined it would be, it's slightly more silvery than pinky, but it's still pretty gorgeous! Score!
But surely there has to be a downside to this product? Well, as with all pearlescent polishes, you have to apply it very carefully to avoid brush marks on the nail. It's harder than you'd imagine, and even though mine appear to be smooth from a distance, when I look at them closely the notorious strokes are there! No matter how hard you try, there's always going to be a few, which is obviously a problem.
The other downside is my thumb nails. I don't really know what's happened, and this is probably not the polish's fault, but I have really small bumps on my nail surface, almost as if grains of sand were stuck under one of the layers. I can't really work out why this has happened on only two nails, but I just thought I'd warn you. Just saying!
Overall, for the $8 I payed, this product delivered. Not only because I managed to get rid of my dull red nails, but because it was exceedingly good value for the results I got!
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Out this month: MAC (and it's out of this world...)
MAC Heavenly Creatures
July: the month of sunshine, vacations and July Fourth. Surely this month can't get any better? Well, it really can. Once or twice a year, MAC launches a mineralised collection, and this year, it's out of this world.
Heavenly Creatures is a collection of Mineralised Skin Finishes, Mineralised Blush, Mineralised Eyeshadows and various creamsheen glasses. There are also other products, like Charged Water Moisture Eye Cream (which looks good, but it isn't as visually stunning as the others).
As this collection isn't out until tomorrow (July 5th), I haven't yet purchased any of the products. Think of this as my shopping list for tomorrow, which will encompass everything I want to buy. Do remember though, that I'm judging these on looks alone (oh the horror) just like judging a book by its cover.
MSF's:
I'm absolutely buying one of these. How can I not? Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they also fit exactly what I love. Having glowing golden skin is exactly what I want, and I'm hoping these will offer them! Out of the four, there's two that I'm definitely going to try out!
Centre Of The Universe - 'coral with gold shimmer'. I can't wait for this glowing coral to be present on my cheeks! It's such a gorgeous colour, that coraly-orange swirled with gold, it's top of my wish list!
Earthshine - I love gold. Simple as that, and this gorgeous bronzey-golden hue to it, it's right up my street! Virtually all my makeup revolves around this colour palette so what can go wrong?
Blushes:
Solar Ray - I like my blush to be really subtle and understated; as natural looking as possible. So this baby pink and gold blush should not only give me a light tint to my cheeks, but also a glow (which everyone knows is my biggest beauty wish!)
Supernova - I haven't seen anyone not recommend this product! For those who like blush to be very obvious but pretty at the same time, this is an absolute must-have! Again, the swirl of gold will (hopefully!) add a futuristic glow to the cheeks whilst the hot pink blush will definitely add a really gorgeous tint!
Eyeshadows:
Invisible Light - As previously mentioned, I love muted shades and limited palettes when it comes to my makeup (as it never really goes out of fashion!) so this one automatically appealed to me. The lighter shades (of extracted with a smaller brush) will look so gorgeous on the inner corner of the eye (and these light colours in the inner corner make eyes seem wider and a lot brighter)!
Earthly - Again, another prefect shade in (and on) my eyes! And is it just me or does it look awfully similar to Earthshine MSF? Not sure whether it's just the colour that's appealing to me - if it is, I might try Earthshine on my eyes.. I'm sure that's not allowed but who's going to stop me?!
So as you can see, the whole collection is absolutely perfect! Some say the pigments in the colours aren't strong enough, but for me, softer shades are always better. In the colours I like, I don't think anything too strong would be overly flattering, but I suppose of you go for the green-blue colours, pigment is everything.
Personally, I can't wait until they launch tomorrow, mainly because I want to see them all! They really are the most gorgeous range I've seen for a while! Who knew swirling colours could make me so happy?
(I've tried to insert the pictures in the right order, but as I'm on mobile I can't really tell! Apologies)
July: the month of sunshine, vacations and July Fourth. Surely this month can't get any better? Well, it really can. Once or twice a year, MAC launches a mineralised collection, and this year, it's out of this world.
Heavenly Creatures is a collection of Mineralised Skin Finishes, Mineralised Blush, Mineralised Eyeshadows and various creamsheen glasses. There are also other products, like Charged Water Moisture Eye Cream (which looks good, but it isn't as visually stunning as the others).
As this collection isn't out until tomorrow (July 5th), I haven't yet purchased any of the products. Think of this as my shopping list for tomorrow, which will encompass everything I want to buy. Do remember though, that I'm judging these on looks alone (oh the horror) just like judging a book by its cover.
MSF's:
I'm absolutely buying one of these. How can I not? Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they also fit exactly what I love. Having glowing golden skin is exactly what I want, and I'm hoping these will offer them! Out of the four, there's two that I'm definitely going to try out!
Centre Of The Universe - 'coral with gold shimmer'. I can't wait for this glowing coral to be present on my cheeks! It's such a gorgeous colour, that coraly-orange swirled with gold, it's top of my wish list!
Earthshine - I love gold. Simple as that, and this gorgeous bronzey-golden hue to it, it's right up my street! Virtually all my makeup revolves around this colour palette so what can go wrong?
Blushes:
Solar Ray - I like my blush to be really subtle and understated; as natural looking as possible. So this baby pink and gold blush should not only give me a light tint to my cheeks, but also a glow (which everyone knows is my biggest beauty wish!)
Supernova - I haven't seen anyone not recommend this product! For those who like blush to be very obvious but pretty at the same time, this is an absolute must-have! Again, the swirl of gold will (hopefully!) add a futuristic glow to the cheeks whilst the hot pink blush will definitely add a really gorgeous tint!
Eyeshadows:
Invisible Light - As previously mentioned, I love muted shades and limited palettes when it comes to my makeup (as it never really goes out of fashion!) so this one automatically appealed to me. The lighter shades (of extracted with a smaller brush) will look so gorgeous on the inner corner of the eye (and these light colours in the inner corner make eyes seem wider and a lot brighter)!
Earthly - Again, another prefect shade in (and on) my eyes! And is it just me or does it look awfully similar to Earthshine MSF? Not sure whether it's just the colour that's appealing to me - if it is, I might try Earthshine on my eyes.. I'm sure that's not allowed but who's going to stop me?!
So as you can see, the whole collection is absolutely perfect! Some say the pigments in the colours aren't strong enough, but for me, softer shades are always better. In the colours I like, I don't think anything too strong would be overly flattering, but I suppose of you go for the green-blue colours, pigment is everything.
Personally, I can't wait until they launch tomorrow, mainly because I want to see them all! They really are the most gorgeous range I've seen for a while! Who knew swirling colours could make me so happy?
(I've tried to insert the pictures in the right order, but as I'm on mobile I can't really tell! Apologies)
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Now Playing: Top 5
1) 'Ridin' by A$AP Rocky feat. Lana Del Rey
It's been a while since Miss Del Rey has graced my speakers, and now she's back. This song is so good, and as I'm in New York this week, it's been like a theme song for the whole trip! Love it, love it, love it!
3) 'Saturday Smile' by Gin Wigmore
Okay, off Lana now, and onto something super sad. It's clearly a good day if this song doesnt make me shed a tear or two.. or three. It's so good, and the lyrics are so emtional! Shame Gin Wigmore has a bigger fanbase in New Zealand, it means we can't hear any of her music, but YouTube will keep me going until she blows up over here!
4) 'When Darkness Falls' by Netsky feat. Bridgette Amofah
If I'm being perfectly honest, I only bought this song because it was free on iTunes this week. I feel terrible, as the first time I listened to it, I realised it is such a good song! Not many songs will make me spontaneously dance in the middle of the street, but this one did: JOY!
5) 'Sixteen Saltines' by Jack White
Sure, this song may be a little old now, but after watching him perform in Hackney, London last weeked, I fell in love with this song all over again. Such a shame it's quite short, but again, Jack has got such a great voice! and it's also reminded me about how much I need to eat Saltine Crackers again... Mmmm, that's tomorrows mission in NYC!
It's been a while since Miss Del Rey has graced my speakers, and now she's back. This song is so good, and as I'm in New York this week, it's been like a theme song for the whole trip! Love it, love it, love it!
2) 'Dayglo Reflection' by Bobby Womcak feat. Lana Del Rey
I'd be lying if I said that I've really missed LDR... So once again, I'm obsessed with this song too, mainly for it's really relaxed vibe but also her vocals!3) 'Saturday Smile' by Gin Wigmore
Okay, off Lana now, and onto something super sad. It's clearly a good day if this song doesnt make me shed a tear or two.. or three. It's so good, and the lyrics are so emtional! Shame Gin Wigmore has a bigger fanbase in New Zealand, it means we can't hear any of her music, but YouTube will keep me going until she blows up over here!
4) 'When Darkness Falls' by Netsky feat. Bridgette Amofah
If I'm being perfectly honest, I only bought this song because it was free on iTunes this week. I feel terrible, as the first time I listened to it, I realised it is such a good song! Not many songs will make me spontaneously dance in the middle of the street, but this one did: JOY!
5) 'Sixteen Saltines' by Jack White
Sure, this song may be a little old now, but after watching him perform in Hackney, London last weeked, I fell in love with this song all over again. Such a shame it's quite short, but again, Jack has got such a great voice! and it's also reminded me about how much I need to eat Saltine Crackers again... Mmmm, that's tomorrows mission in NYC!
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