New Nails from Miners - A/W '11

This week I received the new Miners A/W Nail Polish shades to review. When I first saw them online I couldn't wait to get my hands on them, they are so different to last years A/W collection. This time around they've gone for glossy opaque colours where as previously Miners have favoured the shimmery/frost finishes which I'm not entirely on board with. Before I even begin I love "Weekend in Paris" which may seem like a boring old red but it's a little on the pink side and different to any other I have in my collection. As we near the festive season I can't get enough of red nail polish. Without further ado.. here they are..

L-R - Fairytale of New York, London Calling, Bangkok Blues, Weekend in Paris and Plum

The first I tried was Fairytale of New York, it's the one colour I'd have never picked up so I guess I was out of my comfort zone. I wasn't expecting much and I wasn't exactly wowed. I don't think green is the best colour on me and this is not the autumnal shade I'd have chosen. It's more like a racing green. I really love the Miners formula, they go on nicely in two coats and are reasonably chip-resistant so I will definitely get through the rest of the collection and post as and when I wear them.

You can buy the new range from Miners.co.uk priced at £2.99 each

Have you tried anything from this budget brand?

Indian Summer

*What I'm Wearing*

Dress - Dorothy Perkins (in the sale at £7)

Belt - Primark

Sandals - H&M

Bracelets - Next

Earrings - Oasis

Nails - Hot to Trot by No7

*Beauty Breakdown*

Garnier BB Cream in Light

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

Benefit Dallas Bronzer

Urban Decay Radium and Sin eyeshadow

Urban Decay Zero in inner lash line and Ransom on lower lash line

Benefit They're Real Mascara

Maybelline Colour Sensation Lipstick in Mystic Mauve

YSL Touche Eclate for just £13???

I am so excited to tell you that right now on BuyaPowa you could bag YSL's Touche Eclat for the bargain price of £13!!! I'm even more excited because I asked you all both here and on my YouTube channel what products you would love for BuyaPowa to get at discount and Touche Eclat was something so many of you requested. It just goes to show that the system works when we tell them what we want. There were lots of other things we wanted of course and they want new ideas all the time so if there's one thing on your wish list right now that's just out of your price range PLEASE leave a comment for them to see.. I would love to see them bring on board another must-have that we demanded.

Ok.. on to the product.

I have tried it myself some time ago and like most people, loved it. The only thing that put me off repurchasing was the price. I tried other, cheaper versions from different brands but nothing really seemed to do the same thing so I gave it up as a bad job and moved on.

For those of you that have been making do with less effective alternatives or who just really want to try this cult product now's your chance.

To give you an indication of what else is available in this price range right now..

No7 Instant Radiance Concealer £13.50

Clinique Airbrush Concealer £15.00

But the original Touche Eclat could be yours for just £13!!!

If you're unfamiliar with how BuyaPowa works go to my blog post here where any questions should be answered.. for those already in the know here are the price points, before it even starts the price will be just £17.50 compared to the RRP £24.50...

You can view the deal and join the co-buy here and don't forget to spread the word if you do.. whoever brings in the most people will get theirs for FREE! Now that would be a bargain.

This is a fab deal to get on board for a relatively new company..

If they can do this.. what else could we ask for?

Magnetic Polish in Practice

This magnetic nail polish trend seems to have really taken off. I was really excited about it when I first heard and couldn't wait to try it. So many brands are launching their own version I wanted to try as many as I could to let you guys know which was best value.. so far I've tried two and I thought I'd share some pictures and my experience so far...

17 Magnetised in Gun Metal £5.99

&

Nails Inc Magnetic Polish in House of Parliament £13.00

I would like to point out I bought my Nails Inc polish from BuyaPowa last week in their deal. It ended up going for £7.00 so I paid 46% less than the RRP.

Here are some pictures of my nails...magnetised....

Ok... now you've seen them I have some thoughts I'd like to share. Firstly...Magnetic nail polish... not easy! It looks like it would be a piece of cake, right? Like the simplest nail art ever... not so! It is really really tricky to master. I've only done it twice and I can tell you that one formula was definitely easier than the other but I haven't perfected the application just yet. I haven't read anything about how the polish actually works but if I had to guess I would say it contains tiny iron particles (like the games you got as a kid where you could move the guys hair around... remember?) so when you hold a magnet over-top it draws those particles to the surface. I had a real tough time with the 17 version, You have to get the magnet (in the detachable lid) very close to your nail to draw out the pattern and I was convinced I was touching my nail and messing up my polish but it turned out the polish was touching the magnet... not the other way around...

From what I can tell the thickness has a lot to do with this. This is where it gets really tricky. You really only have one chance to get a full coverage per nail and you're advised to use a generous coat of polish but I think that's a mistake. The thicker the coat of the polish the more the iron particles lift toward the magnet and smudge your nails. Unfortunately if the application is too thin the magnet wont pick up any pattern at all. This is where the two brands differ. The 17 version needs a couple of coats or one really thick one if you're going to get an opaque finish, the Nails Inc is a one coat job. It's so difficult to explain in a blogs post which is why I have a video review in the works but I hope you don't find this totally pointless.

You can see from my pictures the Nail Inc polish gave me much better results.. the 17 was smudged due to the lifting problem I experienced. I have seen lots of positive reviews about the 17 version so don't think my review is the be all and end all... it's just my opinion. Perhaps these people have laid down one thin coat first and then another coat which they've gone on to magnetise.. I don't know. I will keep at it and once I've perfected it I will do my best to produce a How-To, right now I just wanted to share my experience so far.

Neither brand made this an easy effect to achieve and both chipped quickly which was very disappointing given how long it takes to apply. I like the effect, it changes depending on the lighting, the angle, allsorts. It's very unusual but I don't know whether it's worth all the effort.

Have you tried any magnetic polishes yet?

Thoughts?

Fashionista Arrives at Superdrug

You may already have heard about the new Fashionista range that hit Superdrug this week. I'm not sure if it's available in stores yet or just online (nowhere near me has it yet that's for sure). If their site is anything to go by the range will be a comprehensive one but right now all that's launched are the custom palettes. Lucky for me that's what I was most interested in!

The palette itself retails at £5 and there are 49 eyeshadows and 12 blushers which fit in the palette each at just £4. You could create a seasonal blush palette, an eyeshadow quad or mix and match for travel. I LOVE customisable ANYTHING as you know so this is what really has me excited about the Fashionista brand. You may remember I posted about The Saturday's magnetic nail polish? Well that's part of this range too! I'm interested to see everything else they introduce and will be getting my hands on a palette as soon as they arrive in my local store.

For now you can buy it from Superdrug online here

Have you tried anything from this range yet?

*EDIT*

I've since bought a palette..

you can find my swatches and review here

All New Eyeko?

I'd heard a little about the Eyeko relaunch but to be frank I couldn't have been less interested. Back when I was a newbie blogger I signed up to their ambassador scheme as it seemed 'the thing to do' at the time and sure I made a little money but I wasn't that interested in their products. I had bought some stuff to review in the hope I'd generate some commission but I just wasn't that impressed. I got rid of my affiliate badge from my blog and tried to forget about the whole sorry affair. This was quite some time ago and you can see why I didn't jump up and down when their new site launched.
That being said..something made me want to take a look today and I have to say... I'm interested. First and foremost their new stuff is available exclusively at Harvey Nichols (talk about re branding) and secondly their packaging is completely different. Their previous cartoon-esque designs seemed to devalue the products and nothing seemed good value for money. This was supposed to be a budget brand originally sold in Superdrug stores.. it all just seemed over-priced for what it was. The prices haven't reduced by any means but the products look a little more high end and well.. worth it.

The relaunch isn't yet complete. Right now all that's available is a variety of mascaras and eyeliners but the range will expand slowly over the coming months. Unfortunately where I would usually wait to see what bloggers have to say before I take the plunge and make an order Eyeko seem to have them all blinded by their affiliate commission so it will be tricky to find an honest review. I know this because I myself was sucked in to the same scheme.. I just find it so hard to promote something I don't really love. So I'm asking you.. my readers.. as and when and if you already have tried the new Eyeko range.. let me know what you think! If I make a trip to Leeds before the baby is born (it's possible) I will be sure to check out the Eyeko counter myself but in the meantime if you see a review you think is genuine or try something for yourself I would love to know. I'm willing to give them another go.

You can find Eyeko's new site here
Prices currently start at £9.50 for a skinny eyeliner

Beachy Waves at a Budget Price

How many of you have been dying to get your hands on a jumbo hair waver since all the Enrapture sponsored posts have been popping up in your reading lists? Well I have. I was entirely in love with the beachy waves and absolutely buying the styling tool.... until I saw the whopping £75 price tag that is.

I know, I know I've spent more on my beloved GHD's but that's TOTALLY different!! I am "blessed" with naturally wavy hair.. unfortunately if it's not in tip-top condition (which it never is) those waves are really just frizz so my GHD's were a necessity... you see? A curling tong or waver, however, is not an everyday styler for me so I just couldn't justify that huge expense. I don't want to question the integrity of the bloggers who received one for free and reviewed it favourably but I do wonder how many of them would actually have spent their own cash on the hair tool.

Anyway... that's not what this post is about. This post is dedicated to my much more budget friendly equivalent which arrived in the post today. When I discovered the price of the Enrapture Jumbo Waver I did a little research into what else was on the market. I found only a couple of reviews of the new Toni and Guy Deep Barrel Waver but it seemed to do the job and at £40 less I was prepared to chance it. I have only used it once so far but already I'm hooked. I have never tried the Enrapture version and so cannot compare the two directly but once I've found something that works for me I don't generally go looking for bigger and better. The Toni and Guy waver is perfect. It's easy to use, heats up fast (to one of 25 heat settings), has tourmaline plates (which prevent colour fading), a lock to keep the plates together when not in use and a 3m swivel cord which for me may be the best benefit of all... Nothing irritates me more than short cords on styling tools! Creating those beachy waves has never been easier! It's practically fool proof.. Nowhere near as much room for error as when using tongs or curling with straighteners... like the crimpers of the 80s and 90s you just section and clamp and are left with a perfect result every time..what more could you want?

If you weren't already convinced I'll leave you with some pictures of me rocking my new favourite hairstyle..

I only wish I'd had this at the beginning of the summer.. at least I will have it all through this party season :)

 

You can buy the Enrapture Jumbo Waver here for £74.99

or

You can buy the Toni and Guy Deep Barrel Waver here for £34.99

If money were no object I still know which I would choose!