Much Loved - March

This month I've been sticking with Winter shades. (Where I live it's raining every day, colder than ice and wind that makes you think you'll end up in Oz) I'm ready for S/S seasons, I even have all my new products ready and waiting. Fingers crossed for a little sun so I can break out the pastel nail colours.

I have been obsessed with OPI nail polish in the shade 'From A to Z-urich'. For me personally this is the perfect red shade for winter months as it's a deep red, without hitting the burgundy scale. It's very wearable day and night and seems to go with every outfit. I've had this on my nails more times than I can count these past few months and I've never bored of it. It's beautiful paired with a true red lipstick.

Floris - Hand Treatment Cream in 'Rosa Centifolia', has been a must for me. I usually use Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream through colder seasons, but after trying this and loving the results it has been firmly placed on the top spot for excellent repairing hand cream. (Sorry Clarins) Not only does it leave your hands soft, supple and nourished but it smells so good, I've become addicted to sniffing my hands like a strange person when I've applied this. A fair few odd looks have been cast my way recently. It smells like a rose garden in Summer, pure nose happiness.

Soap & Glory - Lid Stuff / 'What's Nude'. My Naked Basics and Mac palette have all been forgotten about in a draw because of this palette. It has been in my personal makeup bag for months and I adore it. I even placed one in my kit and others have been converted to the S&G side. It really is an amazing palette, the quality for the price you pay (£10) is astounding. It's finely milled, creamy powder is highly pigmented, it blends so easily and lasts all day without creasing or smudging. A true pleasure to work with and to wear.

Lila 'lli - Line, Define, Fill in the shade 'Chinatown'. A lovely plum/ red creamy pencil that is multi tasking. You can use this as an eyeliner, as a lip liner or to line and fill the lips all in one. I use this as a liner for the lips mainly to keep lipstick looking sharp. It's lasting power is amazing and it does not feather which is a thumbs up. It's a creamy formula which doesn't snag or drag. This has been my go to liner for both reds and purples this Winter season and probably will continue to be so for many a year. Pure love for this product.

Revlon - Colourburst Matte Balm in 'Elusive'. I won't go into loads of detail surrounding this lip balm crayon as I've seen many blogs written about these lately, I would hate to bore you on what you may have been reading about already. But I will add that I enjoyed these colours and the texture of them. I've been using mine almost daily and have loved it so far. Although in summer I probably will stray with all the new beauty products that are going to be released.

That's my round up of products that I used most and loved in March, I hope you enjoyed them and you are having more joy with the weather where you live. What are your Spring beauty items going to be this year? Leave a comment and let me know below!

Ciao x

L'Oreal, Skin Perfection - Velvety Soft Toner

I am a huge toner fan. Not only do toners help the look of pore size, they also can regulate oils produced and even get those pesky last bits of make up you may have missed whilst cleansing.
I haven't really seen many reviews on this product, so I thought I would add a comment or two on it after using well over half of it up.
The scent is pleasant and refreshing, it doesn't make me recoil with horror. The formula is very thin, water like in viscosity. The solution is clear/ milky in colour.
I had a little trouble with the amount of product that would come flying out as I tended to get either a drop or two, or a soaked cotton pad; the flow of the toner is unpredictable so beware.
The application was nice, there was no sting on the skin, no redness after application, and no drying or irritation. It is suitable for all skin types including sensitive so I already knew these factors would not be included in this product from the beginning of use.
It does leave the skin silky soft and does remove impurities. However, personally a toner to me tones the skin, leaving pores closed; hence making the appearance of them look smaller. This did not achieve that at all. It also didn't really seem to regulate or balance out oil, I tended to see increased oils on the face half way through the day, particularly the forehead and chin.
I think if you have very dry, dry - normal skin this would probably be a great toner for your needs, but other skin types would get no benefit from using this toner. I know far superior toners for the same price that would suit other skin types better.

Overall, I don't think I would purchase this again for my skin type. If I had sensitive or dry skin I probably would buy this in a heart beat, as it did leave my skin baby soft.

Morgan Taylor Review and Swatches

Whilst I was in my local beauty supply shop this week I saw a new nail stand and I got rather excited.
I have been hearing great thing's about this brand from others and have been wanting to try them for at least a month. Finally I had my chance, so I snapped a couple up.
Choosing the colours I wanted to try first was the hardest as they are all stunning, there was so many colours that were just unique. So for now I have 'Little Misfit' and 'Fame Game' as I thought these would be a lovely combo. I adored all the shade names!

The very same night - I was doing my nails, the surprises with these nail lacquers was never ending. I spent half an hour uhhhing and ahhhing whilst using them. They truly are the best nail polishes I have ever used and I've tried pretty much every brand. From the exquisitely innovative custom-designed bottle with ergonomic cap that fits in your hand like a dream (even my man hands) to the formula with a perfect opaque coverage without any brush marks or streaks.
The glitter was the most amazing out of the two, two coats without any colour underneath and I had a full opaque glitter encrusted nail that was sparkling like a treasure chest. Little Misfit had a flip paint effect, it looked different colours in different lights. Purple, pink, green, silver, grey were the spectrum of colours that was amongst what I saw in different positions as I turned my nail.

(Fame Game is on the left and Little Misfit on the right)

The drying time was fairly fast around 3 minutes first coat and 5 minutes for the second. With a top coat the polish has lasted over a week now with only one small chip from the top left edge of my little nail.

Would I recommend them? Absolutely! Morgan Taylor's unique spectrum knows no bounds, ranging from the classical to avant-garde, and from subtle to unconditionally spectacular. Perfect for expressing every mood, attitude and personal style.

Sally Hansen - Sugar Coat, Textured Nail Colour

£6.99 each/ 11.8ml.
Made in the USA.
Available on the high street.
8 different shades to choose from.

I chose the shades:
600 - Sour Apple, A lovely mint green.
400 - Sweetie, A buttery yellow.
300 - Cherry Drop, A pillar box red.
200 - Sugar Fix, A brilliant white.

As you can see from the swatches, all the shades have a 3D texture to the nail colour, making it appear that the nail is coated in sugar, as indicated in the name.
I really liked how all of the colours were opaque in two thin coats, the formula has a slight rubber like finish. This did prove a little harder when I came to remove the polish from the nail. I had to soak the nail in acetone for a little longer than I normally would have too.
The polish dried fairly quickly, around 1 minute on the first coat 4-5 minutes on the second coat.
Good lasting power, it remained without chipping or wearing for a good 4-6 days; depending on how rough I was with my nails.
The colours aren't particularly unique but the finish is something I have not encountered before. This was the main reason I liked them so much.
My favourite was the white 'Sugar Fix'. It was the most unique, which people commented on. It gave me personal memories of growing up in the 90's. A good white opaque nail polish was rarer than a unicorn; we would use Tippex of all things. So this one really impressed me and made me smile the most. Definite thumbs up!

Overall, I liked these nail effect colours. They stood out from all the effects polishes that have recently flooded the market. Not for the colour or formula but for the unique factor and the two shade opaqueness.

Beauty Buys

I find I buy beauty products on quite a regular basis. so, I thought I would keep you updated on my beauty picks. This way you get to see what I'm trying out, what colours look like via swatches and perhaps what I may be reviewing later on. (Sneak peeks!) Not all the products I show with be reviewed on this blog, but if there is something in particular that you would like to see more of, leave me a comment below.
On to the beauty buys.

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Barry M - Flawless Matte Finish Foundation.
I picked up two shades, Ivory and Nude, I tend to pick up one that matches my skin tone in the Winter months and one that will match me in the Summer months, when I get a little bit of a tan.
Matte finish, med/ full coverage, blends easily and seamlessly. Thumbs up on the hand swatch, fingers crossed for the same on face application.

Philosophy - Divine Satin Finish Illuminating Powder.
I chose the shade deep, as I thought this would perhaps make a brilliant bronzer. I loved the packaging, esp the mirror - which includes a 'Philosophy' Statement. Too cute! It comes in a lovely compact with a brush included, handy for on the move.

MUA Luxe - Velvet Lip Lacquer.
I picked up the shade Reckless, which is a deep ruby red. It's very pigmented, one swipe and opaque loveliness occurs. The gloss is quite dense and thick, not sure on lasting power as of yet but does have a great finish, it's between a matte and a gloss, I personally enjoy the finish.

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 Maybelline - Colour Tattoo, Cream Eyeshadow.
I opted for 65 - Pink Gold.
A light pink shadow with gold flecks running through it, I loved the colour as it reminded me of one of my favourite MAC eyeshadows. It's a lovely creamy texture, very pigmented and easily blendable.

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 NARS - Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil.
In the shade - Baroque.
Having not tried the Velvet Gloss pencil before, I thought I would pick one up and have a little test. A beautiful colour, a great finish. Not the most opaque but the colour is buildable. Easy to apply, soft and no drying out on the lips (Brownie points for soft, nourished lips).

Maybelline - Great Lash Mascara.
I get this in Blackest Black, I have this in both my kit and personal makeup stash. I use this everyday on the bottom lashes. The wand is the perfect tiny size to reach all those hard angles and teeny lashes that tend to hide. Just brilliant.

Superdrug - B. Rich Lipstick.
I was so impressed with the last one I featured on 'Beauty Buys' that I went back for another, this time in the shade 'Carmen'. A deeper red than the Marilyn.
They have brilliant staying power, you can blot and sheer these out to a natural stain effect or pop on the rich, creamy opaque lipstick for a bold and beautiful look.
Perfect for all day or night. Thumbs up for these, and affordable too.

Barry M - Silk Nail Paint.
This is in the shade - Pearl.
A soft, velvety pearl white colour in two thin coats. Easy to apply, give a beautiful finish and last for a good week, with a top coat applied. (For the silk effect with no top coat it lasts 4 days). I really liked this polish on swatch and I did go back and purchase another two shades.

Collection - Naturally Matt Foundation.
In the shade - 3 Beige.
I was told this stays matte all day long until removal and I was curious. Not as easy to blend out, limited colour range - will form a true opinion once I have tested this fully. Who knows this could be a wonder product?

I hope you enjoyed 'beauty buys', if you would a full review of an item or would like to see more of this type of blog post comment below and I will keep you updated with purchases I make and full product reviews!