Nail Polish Removers

You all know that I am a nail polish addict. So it stands to reason that I change my polish quite frequently. Here's the ones that I am currently using.

First up is the most recent one I’ve gotten. It is the Bourjois 1 Second remover. It is a pot with a nail polish soaked sponge in it that you basically stick your finger in and when you take it out the polish is gone. Is it as a straightforward as it claims to be? Yes. I find I have to twist my finger a couple of times for it to come out polish free but it does work very well, leaving your nail very clean. It works surprisingly well for slight glitters also. I‘ve tried it with chunky glitter and while it eventually works, it wouldn’t be my first choice. The glitter also rips the sponge slightly so when you take your finger out there’s bits of sponge all over it!

This remover also contains nourishing sweet almond oil. This makes it smells nice and coats your nails/fingers in a slight oil to help prevent them drying out.

I love this remover for when I’m in a rush. No need for multiple cotton pads or faffing about. Stick it in and away you go!

However, like most products there is a downside. For me, I find that despite the addition of the nourishing oil, the skin surrounding my nails has become incredibly dry. My cuticles became quite sore and I’ve being trying to mend them! This happened after solely using this remover for about a week (I got lazy and wasn’t bothered using remover with cotton pads!). I definitely just have to keep this remover for when I really am in a rush - dried and sore cuticles aren’t worth the convenience.  This probably won’t be an issue for most people unless you change your polish nearly daily like me.

Next up is the pricy one. Chanels Nail Colour Remover, at £13, it is quite frankly a ridiculous price for nail polish remover. I would much rather spend the money on Chanel polish than remover! It’s such a blah product to buy. However, I’d heard it mentioned that it was a good remover for polish that tends to stain. And it is. Polish comes off extremely easy with this and I also discovered that is very adept at removing glitter polish. A few swipes and it comes of nicely. This remover also smells amazing. It doesn’t smell like a normal remover at all. More like a gentle, sweet, smell.

The only downside is the price of it. And that it comes in a glass bottle so if you’re clumsy...well then.  As it is so expensive I only use this remover for deep staining polishes like dark blues and reds and for some glitters. It’s not something that I want to have to repurchase frequently but it is something I would pay money for again.

Finally comes my usual duo. I bought the Zoya Remove+ just for the pump bottle. I wanted a pump bottle and couldn’t find one anywhere. Of course a week after the bottle arrived I found one in a beauty supply store. Isn't that always the way. Anyway, the Zoya Remover was fine but nothing spectacular enough for me to go and repurchase. I just buy either a Sally Hansen or Cutex remover in Boots (I think it’s a Sally Hansen one in the Zoya bottle at the moment) and refill the bottles. I don’t have any preference for either of the types within those brands, I usually get something different each time.

I have tried the super cheap Boots/Tesco stuff before but I didn’t find it any good so I stick to the Sally Hansen and Cutex stuff. I also have a huge bottle of pure Acetone but I keep that for slight clean-up around the nails as I think it would be too harsh to use continuously on my nails/fingers.

Do you have preferences for nail polish removers or do you just use whatever’s handy?

E.O.T.D Feat. Mac Paintpot in Pure Creation

There I was with a hand covered in swatches as I went through my make-up to see what I should get rid of, when I came across my old Bourjois eyeshadows. Among them was a sole Bourjois pigment in Bleu Rosé that I think I bought discounted at an Off The Rail Live show in the RDS circa 2005/2006. Honestly I don't think I had ever even used it. So I decided to lob a bit of it on my hand to check the colour pay-off and where better to place it than over the blue patch already on my hand created my Mac's Pure Creation paintpot. 

As I applied the pigment the most beautiful blue-pink sheen appeared. It was so pretty I couldn't help but ooh and ahh over it. I couldn't wait to try this out on my eyes so the very next morning that's what I did.

Bourjois Bleu Rose and Mac Pure Creation

Pure Creation on it's own

Bleu Rosé over pure Creation

L- Bleu Rosé alone, R- Layered over Pure Creation

You can slightly see the sheen here, but in real life it looks exactly like the swatches, it is that vivid

To get this look I:

• Applied Mac Paintpot in Pure Creation all over the lid and above the crease.
• I blended Urban Decay Naked shadow from the Naked Palette between the Pure Creation and my skin just to make it softer.
• I patted Bourjois pigment in Bleu Rosé over Pure Creation.
• I used Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in 1999 on the lower lashline.
• I used Mac NC15/NW20 eye pencil on the waterline.
• Maybelline Gel Eyeliner was used above the upper lashline.
• Finally I used Chanel Sublime de Chanel mascara (A sample I had!).

The eye pictures are really not showing just how vibrant this looks together. I loved wearing it and I felt it just made my eyes sparkle. Going to be wearing this combination quite a few times!

See The (High)Light

L-R Bourjois Highlighting Powder, NARS Albatross, Benefit Moon Beam, Benefit High Beam.

I love highlighters. I think they give a great glowing and fresh effect and are a simple and quick addition to finish off your look. They really add definition to your cheekbones, even if you don't contour.

I have four 'proper' highlighters (I'll be showing some blush/highlighter hybrids in a later post) 2 powder and 2 liquid. I don't really have a preference for either formula but if I'm in a rush I'm more inclined to reach for a powder as I feel it's quicker to just it sweep on.

The swatches didn't work out too well in the photo, I probably should have drawn lines between them!

L-R Benefit High Beam, Benefit Moon Beam, NARS Albatross and Bourjois Highlighting Powder.

Bourjois Highlighting Powder: This is the yellowest of all my highlighters. It has a beautiful golden sheen and I feel it works best when I have a tan, so I'm more inclined to use this in the summer or on a night out. Sometimes it is just slightly too powdery.

NARS Albatross: This is definitely my preferred highlighter of the 2 powers. It is a white highlighter, so it is great to use when my skin is at it's palest. It has a high shimmer tendency so you need to be careful not to apply it too energetically or it will look ridiculously obvious.

Benefit Moon Beam: This is another golden toned highlighter. It's very glowy and pretty. I find the liquid highlighters good for using under the brow arch, in the inner corner of eyes and on the cupid's bow. I find they work better there than the powder highlighters.

Benefit High Beam: This is a pink toned highlighter, definitely more cool toned than the other highlighters. It does have an intense sheen, so this is another one that you may need to go easy on.

Do you wear highlighters? Which is your favourite?

Bourjois Violet Laqúe

My second and final Bourjois nail varnish.

                           

Violet Laqúe is a deep pink, like a cerise-raspberry colour.

Excuse the blurry pictures but it does show the colours accurately!!

I need to wear these older colours more often. Due to my own fault of continuously buying new nail varnish, these gems are often overshadowed. Shame on me!

Does this happen you? Are you always in awe of a new nail varnish that you tend to forget about some of the rest?

Bourjois Blue Délavé

I thought I would show one of my oldest nail varnishes. I bought this when I was in love with all Bourjois products. I think it was the French name, it made every thing sound so much more sophisticated and we all know how at 14 being older than you are is the most important thing, ever.

Blue Délavé is an extremely sheer varnish. This is about 4 coats. It really would be best to layer it over another blue varnish. 

I quite like it though, it seems like an icy blue. Cold, like an angry sea. 

I haven't bought any Bourjois nail vanishes in a long long time. I only have two left in my collection. Any other old Bourjois fans out there?

Nail Polish Collection: Breakdown Part 1

Happy Saturday! I hope everybody is enjoying the weekend so far, I'm just back from eating out for lunch, was yummy and a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Today marks the first in a series of new posts - a more detailed look at my nail varnish collection. Every Saturday for the next few weeks I will put up a post of my nail varnish collection. Some weeks it will be an entire brand, other weeks like today, it is just going to be a collection of random polishes, that I might only have one or two from the same brand. 

If you are interested it my collection overview, you can see it here and if you click the tab at the top of the page entitled 'Nail Polish Collection', you will find a list of all the nail polish and links to any that I already have individual posts on.

The first line-up

The ones I'm showing you today are all singles and duos from any given brand.

Duos: L-R Kiss No Name Pink and No Name White, 17 Miami and Nightshade, Ciaté Wait Until Dark and Mistress, Bourjois Bleu Délave and Violet Laqué.

Singles: L-R W7 Marine Crackle, Nails Inc. Basil Street, Isa Dora Subway Green, Barbara Daly Panache, Claires No Name Purple, Sephora by OPI Metro Chic and Sephora Wanna be a Star.

That's it for this Saturday's nail polish collection breakdown, next one will be posted next Saturday:)