Pinks and Pastels: My Favourite Spring Nail Varnishes

I was reluctant to post anything remotely Spring related whilst the weather was so hideous. It felt like I was tempting fate somewhat. But after a glorious weekend of sunshine in the English countryside, I think we can all agree that Spring has finally sprung! So I'm busting out the pastel hues and bright colours, and swapping out my berry polishes for light and breezy alternatives - bring it on, Summer. 

My first choice of colour this season is one that I've had knocking around for a while now, and it's Peach Melba by Barry M. A beautiful pastel tangerine, it's perfectly on trend this season, which is great as I've always loved those orangey tones. I particularly love the fact that this shade makes my hands look quite tanned which, I can assure you, they are not. Always nice to cheat a cheeky tan.

Next up is another Barry M shade, named Blueberry. A sky blue shade that screams sunny days and picnics in the park, I've been reaching for it a lot more than anticipated. Blues and purples aren't usually my cup of tea, but I've really surprised myself with this baby blue obsession. I guess it's good to keep myself on my toes - and this nail varnish for that matter - perfect with a pair of cute strappy  sandals! Barry M always delivers such a fail safe range of colours for an affordable manicure, so there's no doubt that my collection of polishes will continue to flourish now that I've discovered a love for a new colour family. 

Thirdly, a brand new laquer love - Plastic Fantastic by Ciate. This is my first Ciate polish; a gift in last months Glossybox. As I stated before, blues and purples aren't my thing, so I wasn't entirely sure whether I would like this bright berry hue, and I certainly wouldn't have ever picked it up if it wasn't gifted to me. The name is also a bit misleading, as I was bracing myself for some kind of sickly Barbie shade, but I tried it on anyway, YOLO and all that, and actually, I love it. It's darker than I expected, and I feel that it's the perfect transitional colour for seeing me into Spring. It still has the berry tones of Autumn, but it's light and sweet enough to be perfect for the season ahead.

Last but not least is Models Own Utopia. I borrowed this from a friend for my Grad Ball back in 2012 (gahh I'm old!) as it went perfectly with my dress, and I loved it that much that I bought my own bottle the following day. An understated lilac nude colour, it gives the nails a wonderfully feminine chic look, adding a real sense of sophistication, day or night. I included this in my Valentines post, (notice the cheeky recycled picture) and I do think that this is a neutral enough shade to be used all year round, but I am particularly drawn to it at the moment for reasons unknown. You know, for someone that doesn't like purply shades, I've not done too badly here, have I? 

So there you have it, my new collection of go to shades for the season ahead. Do you have any of these shades? What are your favourite colours for Spring? Let me know!

S.

P.s. Apologies for the week long hiatus. I had a rather hectic unplanned week, with no posts written or scheduled - won't be letting that happen again any time soon, I can assure you!  

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February Favourites

Well, it's March already! February, thankfully, shot past in the blink of an eye, and I'm so excited for the coming month, as the beginning of Spring is one of my favourite times of year, with all that excitement and promise of new and better things hanging in the air. I do have a few exciting things in the works for the month of March, which I'm sure I will share with you all in due time, and although I'm relieved to have got February out of the way for another year (maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't perpetually single on V-Day), there are a few products that I really enjoyed using. So I thought I'd recap my most loved products of the past month in a February Favourites post.

Lanolips//Lemonaid

I'm constantly battling dry, flaky lips, and in the transition from cold to slightly warmer but still pretty nippy weather, they needed a little extra care and attention than usual. I love Lanolips products for when good ol' Vaseline isn't quite enough. With the lanolin packing a whopping punch of moisture for my overly-parched peckers, this particular product became a permanent fixture in my handbag this month. A thick gloss with a clear, subtle sheen, that has the taste and irresistible smell of Sicilian lemonade, it has left my lips feeling supple and soft all month long.

Eye of Horus//Goddess Mascara

A new discovery for me in February was the brand Eye of Horus, and their beautiful Goddess Mascara. An organic lash enhancer with fantastic separating and lengthening power, packed with vitamins and antioxidants, I've found myself a little obsessed with it this month. In fact, it graced my lashes on pretty much a daily basis. I reviewed it more thoroughly here, if you're curious.

Liz Earle//Skin Repair Moisturiser (Dry/Sensitive)

I love the Liz Earle brand, in fact it featured in my January Favourites too, and this month I've only continued my love affair with her products, this time, with her Skin Repair Moisturiser. It's a much lighter moisturiser than I'm used to, and it's ideal now that the Winter months have almost passed and I no longer need that rich, creamy product to keep my skin plump and lustrous. The thing that I really enjoy about this moisturiser is how little you need and how quickly it melts into the skin. Like most Liz Earle products, it's packed with nourishing ingredients, including avocado oil, echinacea and beta-carotene, which are all essential in keeping skin healthy and beautiful. I only wish it had SPF in it, but I guess you can't have everything, can you?

L'Oreal Paris//True Match Foundation

Again, I reviewed this during the past month here, but I just wanted to reiterate how much I love this foundation. It definitely hasn't ousted my bareMinerals dependency, but I've found myself reaching for this brilliant base on those days when I need a little more coverage, or just when I'm feeling more of a matte vibe. I'm always amazed when I find such a great colour match for my skin too, so I'm sure the novelty of finding an adequate drugstore match will carry me well into March. 

La Roche-Posay//Effeclar Astringent Lotion

I discovered this product relatively late on in February, as you can probably tell from how little I've used, and usually I'd give a product a more thorough test run before including it as a favourite, but I'm so impressed with how quickly it's made a difference to my skin that I had to chuck it into this post. Toners have never been a product that I've been blown away by - they're just the middle man between cleansing and moisturising - but this toner has done an amazing job at making my pores look smaller, something which I'm really quite self-conscious about. It does smell a bit like paint stripper, and the instructions warn against using it around your eye area, but I find it gentle enough on my skin. I've never tried any other La Roche-Posay products before now, so I'm excited to explore the rest of the range. 

Eyeko//Skinny Mini Liquid Eyeliner

After including a L'Oreal liner in my January Favourites post as my new go to liner, it appears I spoke too soon. Eyeko has always been a brand that I've been curious to try, and after receiving it in last months Birchbox, I'm not sure I'll ever look back! It has quite a thin tipped nib and has no give to it whatsoever, making it absolutely amazing for practising my feline flick - a technique I'm determined to conquer. As well as this, it has fantastic pigment, and brilliant lasting power. I'll definitely be investing in the full sized version when my mini runs out. Perfection in eyeliner form. 

So there you have it, my favourite February beauty products! What were your favourite products this month? Have you used any of the products that I've been loving? Let me know!

S.

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