OPI Summer Flutter

The OPI Summer Flutter collection was one of their little mini Summer collections released back in 2010. It was a four piece collection and I picked up two of the shades last year. 

Both of the shades that I have are that kind of glass-fleck effect, which makes them seem more than just another glitter or shimmer polish.

Catch Me In Your Net is a beautiful light sea blue with slight gold reflects. It is the perfect summer blue. Catch Me In Your Net also looks a bit foil-like at times.

Wing It! is an unusual pink shade. It has some orange/coral tones in it as well as a purple/pink micro-shimmer. This one reminds me of glorious summer sunsets.

The formula of these was slightly on the sheer side so both of these required 3 coats. Definitely worth it in my opinion though!

I think OPI did a great job with these two shades back in 2010. They epitomise Summer!

NARS Eyeshadow Duo: Kuala Lumpur

 Kuala Lumpur is my second NARS eyeshadow duo. I really like their eyeshadows, they are very soft, well pigmented and blendable.

Melon, Plum

The 2 shades in this duo are a melon coloured one and a light plumy mauve.

I’ll be honest, when I first applied this, I didn’t think it was a duo that I would use entirely by itself but more likely in combination with any number of other shadows.

However, as the day wore on, I found that I really like the combination of just those two colours. Kuala Lumpur creates a light daytime look but because of the purple shades in it, it is different to your average neutral eye look using browns and taupes.

Sorry the last 2 pictures are kind of blurry. I was rushing out to work when I took them and didn't realise it until I uploaded them.

To get this look I:

• Placed UDPP in Original on the lid.
• Used Mac paintpot in Nubile all over lid.
• Used the Melon shade of the duo on the lid and past crease.
• Used the Plum shade in the crease/outer corner.
• Maybelline Gel Eyeliner was applied to the upper lash line.
• Finally YSL Faux Cils mascara was used.

I will of course still use the duo with other eyeshadows but I now feel happy to wear it solo as well. 

OPI Venus di Violet

OPI's Venus di Violet is from the Collizone Italiana Collection of 2001 and more recently from the Colourcopia Collection of 2009. 

It is an interesting violet blue duochrome. Initially I thought it would be very sheer and a strictly layering only polish so I was pleasantly surprised to find this was not the case.

These photos are 3 coats which was enough to make it opaque.  It's very interesting as it starts to look more pink as it becomes more opaque. Love the name too!

Laura Mercier Lip Glacé: Orange Tulip

I’ve being wanting to get a Laura Mercier lipgloss for quite some time. I tried one out before and it was the loveliest formula. When I saw one of their new releases with their summer collection, Orange Tulip, I knew it was the time to finally purchase one. I got mine for £18.50 from House of Fraser.

Orange Tulip is a deep peach gloss. It is a crème finish – no glitter or shimmer.

The formula was as great as I remembered. No stickiness, good coverage and surprisingly moisturising. 

It wears as well as any lipgloss can and wears well. There is no distinct smell off it, which is nice for a change as sometimes when every single make-up product you use has a smell, it can be just a bit too much.

Just Orange Tulip

Orange Tulip over Mac's A Perfect Day lipstick

                       I’m on the look out for a darker peach lipstick though, any recommendations?

Have you tried any Laura Mercier lip products?

Some China Glaze Swatches!

Another round-up of swatches. This time they are all China Glaze and from the Metro collection of A/W 2011, with the exception of a sneaky one at the end.

CG in the City

A purple based glitter, reaches opacity quite well.

Urban Night

A deep purple

Skyscraper

A blue based glitter

Midtown Magic

A brown/black with copper glitter throughout.

Golden Meringue 

A super sheer pinky gold. Would look amazing over pink or white.

How You Know You're A Crazy Cat Lady

The word cat can be substituted with the plural cats or dog or any pet that owns you.

• You stand bent at an awkward angle because the cat has decided they want to sit on your back.You stay there until the cat decides to leave. 
• It is completely normal to wake up in the morning with a cat asleep on top of your head.
• You will sleep on the 'wrong' side of the bed because the cat has decided it is sleeping on your side. It doesn't even cross your mind to move said cat. 
• You make your cat a cup of tea on a winter's morning. In their own special cup and saucer. 
• You get up throughout the night to let your cat in and out as they please. Summer is notorious for this. 
• If you can't sleep and the cat is on the bed, you avoid tossing and turning too much as your cat will give out to you.
• You have walked around outside with your cat sitting on your shoulder.
• You have made a fool of yourself outside your house trying to rescue your cat from a tree/high wall/top of a tractor etc. Particularly during kittenhood/adolescence.
• You buy your cat presents at Christmas. And take photos of them opening it.
• You have a picture of your cat in a photo frame. On display in the house.
• You have more photos of your cat on your phone cat than of anything else.
• When your cat goes outside you tell them to be careful and look both ways crossing the road.
• When they come inside you say to them any craic/any news for me.
• If you are away and Skype home, the cat has to be brought on Skype.
• If they are on holidays in a cattery you ring the cattery after their first night to see how they settled in.
• People give you presents of things with cats on it - books, notepads, jewelary, cups etc.
• You write a blog post about cats on a beauty blog.

(Based on true life and genuinely not exaggerated.)

Estée Lauder Pure Colour Blush: Witty Peach

I never passed any notice of many of Esteé Lauder products. It just seemed like an ‘old’ brand or too mature or something. However when I saw EssieButton with this Pure Colour Blush in Witty Peach, it was instant lust.

When I checked to see if it was available on the House of Fraser website, it turned out that they were having a 2 day only sale with up to 40% off selected brands. If I recall correctly most beauty brands had 10-20% off and EL was included! Well, that just ensured that I was meant to get it!

Witty Peach certainly did not disappoint when it arrived. Firstly the packaging of the compact is sheer luxury. So elegant and beautiful.

The blush itself is an ombre blush going from light peach to pinky coral. It is of satin finish so it leaves a beautiful healthy sheen on your skin. It is pigmented but not so extreme that caution is needed when using it. It creates a lovely summery effect on my cheeks. Not quite a flush, more of a glow.

Swatch (on very (fake) tanned skin)

I don’t think this is a limited edition product but if you are considering a blush from Estée Lauder, this is a good choice.  It is £24 on the HoF website.

OPI Call My Cell-ery

Every so often I like to purchase a HTF (Hard To Find) OPI polish if I see one going cheap on eBay. I tend to veer towards greens and I like to ignore the people who say a polish is too sheer. And so I ended up with Call My Cell-ery which is from the Brights Collection I believe.

I don't think I've ever seen my nails look more disgusting than when I wore this polish alone! This is about 3 coats.

And so I knew it would be a layering polish. The next time I wore green, I slapped a coat of Call My Cell-ery over it.  The green it's layered over is Dior's Waterlily. Beautiful in it's own right, Call My Cell-ery gives it a beautiful glass- fleck effect.

I love how it turned out.

More Empties!

I've been collecting a number of empty beauty product containers for the past few months and I feel it's time to do an empties post!

What a pile!

This first lot is all the samples I've gone through. If you remember this post, I had quite a few built up that I wanted to use. I found some nice shampoos and conditioners through the samples but my favourite has to be the sample I tried of Dior's Forever foundation. I actually think it may be the best foundation ever. Blog post coming soon.

I used 2 shower gels and 1 shampoo. Rituals Yogi Flow I got free with a glossybox. It was nice but I don't think I will re-purchase. Nivea Happy Time is my absolute favourite shower gel. I've used it for the past few years. Honestly I think it's the only shower gel I ever re-purchase. I like to try new ones but I buy this every 2 or 3 bottles. It actually does smell happy and cheerful1 The shampoo I used up was the Aussie Mega Shampoo. As I've mentioned before I usually have 3 or so bottles of shampoo and conditioner on rotation so it takes me a while to use any of them up! I really like this shampoo, it leaves my hair feeling very light and soft. Will definitely re-purchase in the future.

An all-sorts category. Garnier Simply Essentials eye-make-up remover. I've had this knocking around the bathroom cabinet for a while. It was efficient and didn't irritate my eyes. I would re-purchase if I needed too but I use my Bioderma to remove all my make-up including eye make-up now. The Moringa Body Scrub from the Body Shop is my favourite scrub. The smell, the texture, the results, everything. I want to re-purchase but at nearly €20 it is an expensive scrub. I think I'll try some cheaper ones before I buy it again. Pearl Drops toothpaste was okay. I didn't notice a huge difference in whiteness and it wasn't my favourite formula. I won't be re-purchasing. Dove Invisible Dry deodorant. I really like this deodorant. It's one of those stick roll on ones. The scent is nice, not over-powering and it works well. I already have a new tube on the go!

A mini Johnsons body lotion. It was fine, nothing spectacular and I don't intend to get the full-size. Tea Tree oil. I like to use this on spots, will be re-purchasing. Two containers of La Roche Posay Toleraine Ultra. A fantastic moisturiser that I use both day and night. Great formula, thick enough to properly moisturise my dry skin but not so thick that it will never soak in. I'll be re-purchasing this for the foreseeable future.

Finally mascaras. Maybelline Falsies is a firm favourite of mine and one that I regularly re-purchase. I wasn't a fan of the Maybelline Colassal Cat Eyes, I just felt it did nothing for my lashes so I will not buy it again. Cover Girl Lash Blast. Really liked this one, very similar to the Falsies. Will probably pick it up again next time I'm Stateside.

OPI Chop-Sticking To My Story

I picked up this polish when TK Maxx had a few hanging around. It is Chop-Sticking To My Story by OPI and hails from the Hong Kong Collection (Spring 2010). 

It's a burnt orange colour but just slightly more browned. It is also a creme finish.

This is 2 coats and it was a really good polish to apply and so easy to get full coverage and opacity.

New Stuff From Penneys (Primark)

I wandered into Penneys one of the evenings after work last week and as I nearly always do, came out with a few new bits. They had some lovely pieces in, so I was actually quite restrained with my purchases for change!

First up is this colourful top. I love how bright it is and it is just nice and casual to throw on over jeans. It was €7.

As soon as I saw this top, I fell in love with it. A casual, stripy, ombre kind of top, it's the perfect 'beach' look. Loose and comfy. It came in this deeper rose pink shade but also in a bright pink version. It is sheer, so you need to wear a cami underneath.  This was €9.

Close-up of ruffle

I spied this dress a while back but never got around to getting it. It is a light material, with a little cinched in waist. I'm not sure if I like the belt, I might add a different one. I love the ruffle detail at the top and it's nice to get a dress with a low neckline. So many dresses I've seen lately are completely covered up and tight around the neck. Hate the feeling of it! Even though it's black, I think it's a lovely summer dress and can easily be brightened up with colouful accessories. It cost €9.

The last two items I got were shoes. They have such a great selection of shoes in there at the moment!

The first pair I got were the raspberry deck shoes. They are so comfy and cute and perfect for an Irish summer. They had them in navy as well but none left in my size when I was there but hopefully they'll get them back in. They cost €13.

The last pair of shoes I got were a pair of rose-gold flats. I actually think my eyes lit up when I saw these haha. I'm so in love with rose-gold these days, it's just so pretty! These were between €6-€9, I can't rightly recall and I already have the tags off.

Have you picked up anything nice any Penney's lately?