TOPSHOP Nails in AWOL

 

I love this polish from TOPSHOP it’s called ‘AWOL’. It’s a bright cobalt blue colour, which is fab for adding a bit of on these dreary January days to any winter outfit.

I really rate Topshops beauty range and think their Nail varnishes are good quality. I’ve now been wearing this colour for coming up for a week and it’s not chipped at all, which is amazing considering I’m normally the first to chip my nails within an hour of painting them!

How do you add a bit of colour to your life during these miserable winter months?

Motivational Monday #1

 

I am Back!! Apologies for the radio silence here on Lipsticks and Lashes over the past week. I courageously thought that I would come bouncing back from Thailand and be back to work and blogging just like that. However I ended up with a severe case of post holiday blues and jet lag! I’ve travelled a lot but never experienced jet lag before, it’s been a nightmare! I’ve been living off 4 hours sleep a night, it’s bizarre as I’ve been exhausted but can’t sleep! Works also been crazy with lots happening, so last week was a case of just trying to make it to the weekend in one piece!

On a positive note Thailand was incredible and I will be doing a massive post on it soon. I can’t wait to share it with you all, and I hope you’ve enjoyed all the guest posts whilst I’ve been away? I’d like to take this opportunity to say a massive Thank You to all the lovely ladies who contributed!

Back to today’s post! This is the first Motivational Monday post I’ve done this year, and boy do I need some motivation today! I need a kick up the bum more than ever to be upbeat and positive after last week. I am determined this week is going to be a good one, I am going to do things I enjoy, to feel happy and not let outside forces effect my mojo! Bring it on!

Happy Monday Lovelies!

Review: The Nanshy Kabuki Brush

Hello ladies & gents, as you may know Gemma is off in the Far East enjoying herself & no doubt soaking up some sun (I am very jealous - I want to be in Thailand instead of battling this cold weather). So as Gemma is away she asked if I would like to do a guest post to keep you all company for a day, and of course I said yes. I blog over at teapartybeauty.com which is mainly beauty & lifestyle posts with a little bit of humour thrown in (I think)... Without further ado here is my attempt at a post :)



The Nanshy Kabuki is so super soft. I mean stroking your face with the brush constantly soft. Not even with any makeup on it, like a weirdo with a makeup brush fetish. I really didn't want to take this brush for a test run as I didn't want to spoil how pretty it looked (maybe not so pretty in my poor excuse for a picture) or ruin its softness. But trial it I did. I can confirm its now not as pretty & new looking as it was, but it's still just as soft.    As I've said countless times before (on my blog & twitter) I have used the Nanshy foundation brushes & adore them, and more recently the amazing new Eye Brush Set (review here). They are my favourite brushes by a long mile. Therefore I had high expectations for this bad boy, and I was not let down at all.    The Nanshy Kabuki Brush comes in 2 colours, white & pink or black & grey. Both look equally as gorgeous & soft. I opted for the pink & white as it matches my pink Nanshy makeup blender & my White foundation & eye brushes, and I'm nothing if not a matcher. I mean just look how pretty it is.   I tried to take a close up of the bristles to show just how fine they are & how many, but my shoddy iPhone is just not up to the job of doing this little beauty any justice. Damn you Apple. Pass me a Samsung. Now.    Anyway, technology rant over & back to the brush at hand. I am in love with this brush. It's the perfect size to cover all areas, not too big that it can't get in the crevices of your face, leaving you with unsightly patches, and small enough to fit in your makeup bag. See, perfect.    The bristles are synthetic, which makes them animal friendly, cruelty free & PETA approved. And not to mention not at all scratchy. This also makes them incredibly easy to wash, taking back their original shape once dry & not taking half a week to dry either. I haven't noticed any shedding or fall out either. I think they are practicing brush magic over Nanshy HQ.    Seriously I cannot rave about Nanshy enough, not just this Kabuki brush but also their foundation brushes, eye brushes & blender sponges. Again, they have hit the nail on the head & I am hooked. I cannot wait to see where this brand goes next & see what other little treasures they have waiting for us all to discover.  

Have you ever tried anything from Nanshy before?

Autumn/Winter Lipsticks

 

Hello, My name is Feranmi and I'm from Perfect Imperfections. I thought I would share with you all the lip products I've been loving this autumn and will continue to wear during the colder months.

In terms of lip care, I normally exfoliate my lips everyday with a toothbrush because no one wants that crusty chapped look, I also use a lip scrub weekly, I like making my own scrub and this week I'm using lemon and sugar.

 

The first lipstick is the infamous Rimmel 107 from the new Kate Collection,I think this is the perfect shade for the colder months and I can truly say it does suit every skin colour. It is a deep red with hints of purple and its a matte formula. If you want a darker shade but is still close to red, I would advise you to pick this up. 

 

The next lipstick is a nude, I think even though people tend to wear more darker lip colours its still ok to wear a nude. It can be paired with a really heavy eye look, I have chosen the Rimmel 19 from the Kate Collection again. I think this is a nice browny type of nude (clearly I'm not good at describing colours) it really suits medium to darker skin tones. I would really recommend checking out the Kate Collection as they have some amazing colours and are reasonably priced.

 

Then next two products I have are from MUA and the  first one is their lip liner in brooding plum, this is very pigmented but when it comes to staying power it isn't the best of lip liners. This is something I'm willing to overlook because it is just £1. The next product is a lipstick from MUA in shade 1 and this a brighter red compared to the 107, I think i'm going to wear this lipstick closer to Christmas time.

 

The last product is a lip balm for days I don't want to wear a lipstick, this is the NYC Applelicious lip balm in Big Apple Red and I reviewed it sometime back. This is a very nice and moisturising lip balm with a red tint and I find it nice worn alone or under a lipstick.

 

Thank you so much to Gemma for letting me be a guest on her blog as I absolutely love her blog. If you would like to find me, my blog is called Perfect Imperfections and I'm on twitter @Feranmi75

Get Your Coat...

Hello! I’m Rachel, your guest blogger of the day!

As the title will tell you, this post will involve coats. Extra points to those of you who spotted the pick up line! I’m going to share with you my top five winter coats this year. If this winter is anywhere near as long as the last (snowfall in April?!), you’re going to be hanging onto that coat for some time yet. 

1. Combined Faux Leather Coat – Zara £109

I love winter for giving me the opportunity to wear something that’s perhaps a little more traditional and sophisticated. For that reason, I absolutely adore coats from Zara. This is one of my favourite coats that I’ve spotted; it looks classy and stylish, and yet the leather panels give it a slight edginess. The model pulls off the exact look that I wish I could!

2. Borg Lined Parka Jacket – Topshop £95

My second choice is this parka jacket from Topshop. This is definitely more on the casual side, especially compared to number one, but there’s something about a parka that doesn’t go out of style. It’s chic and casual, perfect for those days where you need to head outside and just want to shrug something without putting too much thought into it.

3. Biker Jacket – H&M £34.99

Not everyone wants a big heavy winter coat, what I love about this biker jacket is the faux sheepskin – compromising on size shouldn’t have to mean completely compromising on warmth, although this might not be the one to wear out in a blizzard! I’d wear this paired with perhaps a thin jumper, skirt and woolly tights and black Chelsea boots.

 

4. Melton Reefer Coat – Warehouse £95

Military style coats never go out of fashion, year in year out, they return. There is something so timeless about the slight rigidity of the coat, along with the double breasted buttons. I really like the colour of this particular coat; it’s a kind of creamy beige and compliments so many outfits.

5. Queen Coating Flared Coat – French Connection £180

This is my most expensive pick and I would say the girliest out of all the coats. There is something quite regal about this coat, as indicated by the name. I adore its sleek black appearance with the concealed fastenings, and just the slightest hint of fur at the collar. This coat practically radiates elegance and I think it would be a beautiful addition to any wardrobe.

This has been lovely, thank you to Gemma for the opportunity to write for her blog! You can find me over at http://justabitofRach.blogspot.com

 

Rachel

X

Street Art || Sarah Connolly

Todays post has been written by the gorgeous Sarah, who is the co-founder of Feted Magazine. Check out the website here for more details. Hope you enjoy her piece on street art!

Some call it vandalism while others call it public art, but regardless of what people think of it street art brightens towns and cities and is the most primitive form of showcasing an artist's work.

Banksy was my first love when it came to art. His creativity and anonymity makes him and his work even more appealing than it already is, so where better to scope out some street art than from his native Bristol?

I’m a huge street art fan and am the proud owner of pieces by Pure Evil, Cassette Lord, Mr Brainwash and RYCA, and in my opinion there's no better place for artists to show off their skills than on the streets where people of all ages and backgrounds can witness what they’ve got going on. It creates enjoyment and colour, and artists are only right to take advantage of the unique opportunity they’ve got to publicise their work for free which the rest of us creative souls can only dream of.

Below are pictures of some street art I came across while walking through Bristol a few weeks ago. I had no idea it was such a creative and colourful city or that there was such a huge street art scene there beyond Banksy. How wrong I was.

 

 

 

 

 

The Extra Mile: 5 must have products

Hello everybody! I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed the festive season and have had plenty of R&R time J It’s definitely my favourite time of year what with all the food. And presents. And more food!

 

My name is Aisling (looks there’s my face!^^) and I have a blog called bl0ssombeauty. I blog about a mix of different things from beauty and fashion to general lifestyle things and food recipes. Basically anything that tickles my fancy! I would love it if you check out my labour of love and share your thoughts with me, and maybe even hit the follow button J

The lovely Gemma has kindly allowed me to write a guest post on her amazing blog, so to get right down to it, I’m going to share with you my 5 must have products that can take you a step further in achieving a polished look.

 

1.       Foundation Brush

Have you ever wondered how to get that flawless ‘looks like skin’ finish? A good foundation brush to help you buff the product into your skin is the answer.  Thankfully I’ve never fallen into the trap of slapping on my foundation with my fingers, the horror bacteria stories my Mum shared when I first started wearing makeup put me right off! My favourite foundation brushes to use are both from Real Techniques, the Expert Face Brush and the Buffing Brush. Both are great for working the product into the skin.

2.       Primer

Let’s face it, none of us have perfect skin (if you do, tell me HOW!). So when your skin is paid a visit by the little bumpy red monsters or you have bothersome scarring, a primer is your best friend. A primer acts as a base under your foundation and helps your foundation to glide over most lumps and bumps. It helps you achieve a flawless finish and also clings on to your foundation to allow it to last longer. What’s not to love? I got my hands on the ‘Tarte clean slate poreless’ primer and really liked it up until I started to break out. How frustrating! I have heard good things about primers from Smashbox and Illamasqua though so they are on my list.

3.       Exfoliator

As the brilliant Caroline Hirons once said, if you don’t prep your skin properly for makeup, you might aswel be applying makeup to a wooden table. While cleansing and moisturising are just as important, a good exfoliator is a must have to make sure any dead or flaky skin cells are gotten rid of. I’m currently enjoying the Michael Todd Tropical Fruit Exfoliant Scrub.

 

4.       Top Coat

How did I ever do my nails without this?? A top coat is almost like a protective layer on top of your favourite nail polish and is available in a matte or glossy finish. My go-to top coat is the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Anti Chip. This stuff works like a dream by speeding up the drying process so I don’t have to worry about smudging my efforts. Which I always used to do!

 

5.       Mascara

Now when I say mascara, I mean that ‘BOOM look how amazingly long and thick my eyelashes are’ kind of mascara. This type of mascara is of course almost impossible to find, but I think I’ve come close with the L’oreal Telescopic False Lash Effect mascara. Have you found any mascara that does the job right? Having length and volume in your lashes can really transform a look and opens out your eyes to give that dramatic effect. Or if you really want hit the drama button, stick on a pair of falsies and you can’t go wrong ;) (unless you’re terrible at applying false lashes.....like me)

There we have it ladies, the 5 products that I couldn’t imagine not having in my stash. I really hope you enjoyed my guest post, thanks so much again Gemma for having me! If anybody would like to follow my blog I’d love to have you, so come on over and say hi J

Thanks for reading

Aisling

xx

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