Essie SS12 Collection Nail Polish Review

One thing that I love to do is paint my nails. I find it really therapeutic to tidy my nails while I’m watching a film, and I believe that a person’s nails say a lot about them. For this reason, I was delighted when Essie decided to send me some of their new products to review.

I got an assortment of colours as well as their top coat and base coat. I made sure that I left each polish without chopping and changing (which was something of a challenge for me, ha ha!) and really stuck it out to see how well they’d last. The verdict? I was really impressed.

Before each manicure, I used Essie’s base coat. I noticed that it dried quickly which was great, but as it was a base coat I can’t honestly say that I noticed too much else about it.

Next, I used my Essie polish of choice. I noticed among the colours that you did need two coats to build a bottle-worthy colour, but the finished results were gorgeous. One thing that really struck me when using these polishes was the thickness of the applicator brush – for my smaller nails, application was as simple as one quick swoosh which was brilliant.

The top coat, however, was really impressive. I’d never actually tried a quick-dry top coat before (call me cautious but I always do mine before bed just to ensure that they’re totally dry and smudge proof by the morning). Essie’s top coat was really glossy and seemed to dry my nails in seconds. What’s more is that this combination gave me an average of 8 days before any chips surfaced! I was delighted with the results.

All in all I really loved using these Essie products but the prices were slightly steeper for me. If you’re on a budget, I would definitely recommend purchasing the top coat and then maybe choose a neutral colour that you know will go with everything… how about a classic red? That way you’ll get lots of use out of your colour and you don’t need to worry about any colour clashes with the manicure that isn’t budging!

A really great brand, I’ll definitely be buying some essentials from Essie again.

http://www.essie.com

As seen on the Modern Girl’s Guide.

*Please note: this product was sent to me to review and I always provide honest feedback.

Rihanna ‘Who’s That Chick’ Inspired Makeup

Mixed Gems Beauty Challenge, Day 3 of 27

Today my theme for my June beauty challenge was a makeup that included acid brights. I love using yellow in my eye makeup and so I got to thinking about any yellow celebrity trends that I could emulate. Remembering one of my favourite songs and videos, I decided to interpret Rihanna’s bright makeup look from the video for Who’s That Chick. These photos were my inspiration…

As always, I began my look with the eyes. After filling in my brows and highlighting my brow bone, I shaded my tear duct and eyelid with an electric yellow eyeshadow. Then, I used a medium brown to shade my socket and a deeper brown to shade the corner of my eye. Underneath my lower lash line I used green pigment to create a thick liner, and I lined my water line with a black kohl pencil. Next came my eyeliner. Rather than creating my usual feline flick, I extended my lash line to a point at my tear duct which made the look much sharper. Then I finished my eyes with a thick coat of mascara and a pair of No.9 lashes from Peaches and Cream.

My skin was much simpler. Rihanna’s base was very fresh in this video so I kept foundation quite light. I used a really bright pink blusher and lots of highlighter to create a dewy look, and matched the bright pink blusher in my lips. By this point I had looked at my Rihanna photo quite a bit and I felt as though my lips weren’t quite cutting it so I decided to give myself an instant filler! Using a hot pink lip pencil, I lined my lips and went over my lip line so that my lips looked fuller.

I don’t think I’d have put these colours together before attempting this look, but I am loving the look and think I might wear this more often!

Kit list:

• MAC eyeshadows in Chrome Yellow, Mulch and Kid
• MAC pigment in Vanilla
• Lime Crime Magic Dust in Lime Criminal
• MAC blusher in Dollymix
• Barry M lipstick in No.54 and gloss tube in No.2

What do you think of this look? Have any of you created acid bright makeup looks of your own today? If so, post a link in my comment section or send me a tweet @RoseGallagherr.

Making sure I get my beauty sleep in time for tomorrow’s Kate Middleton inspired makeup!

ASOS Photoshoot with Preserved Vintage – Bollywood Makeup

A couple of weeks ago I teamed up with my friend Lucy at Preserved Vintage for her latest ASOS Marketplace photo shoot. Lucy has a lovely shop in Quiggins in Liverpool but she also sells online on ASOS. The time had come for her to photograph her latest stock and so I was on hand to inject a bit of my latest beauty must-have… Bollywood themed makeup.

Lucy arrived at mine with two models for the shoot, Kim and Dana. They both look quite different so it was interesting to see how different the same makeup scheme could look on both of them. I used a template for both which featured a variety of bright colours, but gave each of them a colour scheme. 

Kim was first for a cool makeover. Her paler skin contrasted the blue tones of her makeup really nicely, making everything look really bright.

Dana was next for a warm makeover. Her darker skin made the warm colours of her makeup look gorgeous, and I went to town with some golden tones for her highlighter.

When styling the girls, Lucy took their colour schemes into consideration and dressed them accordingly. The photos, and – of course – the clothes, were absolutely gorgeous! You can take a look at the entire collection by visiting the Preserved Vintage marketplace. Which is your favourite outfit? Leave me a comment to tell me below. (P.S there’s free post on all UK orders until this Thursday!)

Happy shopping: https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/preserved-vintage.

Kim Kardashian Makeup Tutorial

At University, I can usually be found doing one of the following…

• Having a burger with Lisa
• Making noise in the library with Lisa
• Exchanging weekend gossip with Lisa

Yesterday it dawned on us that Lisa had never fallen victim to my makeup brushes and so we decided that today would be the day. Contemplating Lisa’s dark skin (St Moriz kissed), long dark hair and dark eyes, there was only one thing for it – we were going to emulate one of our favourite celebrities, Kim Kardashian.

To start with, I used a light creamy colour on Lisa’s eyelids. Kim is famed for experimenting with makeup looks that go from a lighter colour into a darker colour, so I wanted to ensure that our contrast was as dramatic as possible.

Next, I used smoky browns to start adding depth to Lisa’s eyes. These were applied with a soft, fluffy brush and acted as a guide for the feline outline that was to come. After this I used black to frame and line Lisa’s eyes, and we applied an extra long pair of eyelashes to set the look off.

The real magic, however, came when we started to focus on Lisa’s foundation. I used bronzer to sculpt her cheekbones in a way that highlighted her bone structure; this is Kim’s favourite makeup tip! She always accentuates her cheekbones and so the makeup look really started to feel Kardashian-esque after we did this.

Not wanting to detract from Lisa’s eyes and bronzer, I used a small amount of blusher on her cheeks and finished her lips with a nude lipgloss. Et voila… a new Kardashian was born!

I love teaming up with Lisa to do creative things because we always have such a laugh.

Do you remember what happened the night Lisa and I took a stab at burlesque dancing for CoppaFeel! breast cancer charity? Why not take a trip down memory lane with us and read all about it by clicking here…

How to remove Shellac nails at home

Since CND have brought out Shellac nails, I have been addicted. One thing that I think always helps you to look groomed is to have a neat set of nails, and because I’m terrible and bite my cuticles (repulsive, I know) I rely on my nails to tidy up my hands. Shellac is the perfect way to maintain a lovely manicure without the fuss of having to touch up chips every couple of days.

One thing that I always used to consider a downside, however, was the removal process. Shellac nails, although fabulous, aren’t cheap, and so I was never too keen on purchasing their removal pouches. My usual remedy would be to soak my fingers in acetone, but this really dries out my fingers and I wanted a slightly less severe method. Convinced that there must be an easier alternative, I did a bit of Googling and was pleasantly surprised.

A forum thread recommended soaking your own Shellac nails off using regular nail varnish remover (with a fairly high acetone percentage), cotton pads and tin foil. Without hesitation, I got to work.

What I used:

- Boots own brand nail polish remover
- A nail file
- Flat cotton pads
- Strips of tin foil

Firstly, I took three flat cotton wool pads and cut them into quarters.

Next, I cut ten strips of tin foil, each about an inch thick and three inches long.

With a top coat, two coats of Shellac polish and a base coat to penetrate, I decided to do a bit of chiseling before I started to soak my nails. Taking a regular nail file, I slightly buffed the top of each of my nails, taking care not to file any of my actual nail. This removed the shine from them and thus made it easier for the acetone to sink in.

I soaked a cotton quarter in nail varnish remover and placed it over one of my nails. Then, I used the tin foil to wrap it up tightly and allow it to soak. Apparently the tin foil helps the nail to heat up and therefore allows the acetone to really sink in to your nails. I did all five fingers of one hand (because once it was done I couldn’t do the other one!) and left them to soak for ten minutes.

Call me a complete amateur, but when the time came to scrape off the withered Shellac I just used my nails! The varnish had gone so soggy that it was just a case of lifting it off slightly using my thumbnail from the other hand. If there were any small nicks that just wouldn’t budge, I simply buffed them off using the nail file.

Although I had prepared supplies to use a fresh cotton quarter and tin foil strip for each finger, I actually found that my little finger packages slipped quite easily on and off so I reused the ones I had made on my other hand… the recessionista’s guide to nail care!

My nomination for the Marie Claire Beauty Twitter Feed Award

Today I had a wonderful e-mail… I’ve been longlisted for the Marie Claire Beauty Twitter Feed Award.

In light of this I am over the moon. Marie Claire is a magazine that I love to read and I’m thrilled that they’ve recognised my Twitter feed as a source for all things beauty.

One thing that I do think is important to note is why I talk about beauty so much. I have worked as a makeup artist at the most wonderful salon, Peaches and Cream in Liverpool, and without such a fabulous job I doubt I’d have had half of the substance for my tweets! You can find a link to the Peaches online shop in my side bar… be sure to treat yourself to some lashes and ‘Rose’ glitter.

As a beauty fanatic, and someone who loves scouring Twitter for the latest updates and photos from the industry, I would absolutely love to be shortlisted in this category. From now until January 20th I need your votes. After this time, the shortlist will be announced and those who reach the next stage of selection will be invited to a ceremony in London. Please do take the time to use the link below and vote, it would mean the world to me!

VOTE FOR @RoseGallagherr IN THE BEAUTY TWITTER FEED CATEGORY

Here’s a little photo from Christmas of me in my rollers… ha ha!

The awards have caused a lot of controversy today among fellow bloggers. Some bloggers have questioned the motives of Marie Claire, wondering whether the blog awards are an excuse for the magazine to gain publicity on nominees’ blogs. I completely understand that the point is valid, but I’m too happy with my nomination to care.

As a fairly new blogger (Mixed Gems was launched in September 2010), I have noticed trends among the blogger community as to who tends to get noticed in such competitions. This is not to say that these blogs aren’t fabulous, because obviously they’re being noticed for being great; but, it does mean that the likes of the Marie Claire awards can seem daunting and pointless to enter if you’re not an established blogger. Now, as a longlisted Twitter candidate, I have faith that smaller bloggers can break through these patterns and I have been inspired to enter other competitions in the future.

Congratulations to all nominated candidates. Instead of wondering about Marie Claire’s motives, I think we should all just be delighted and celebrate the recognition.

Want to see what all of the fuss is about? Visit my Twitter page.