FOTD and An Experiment

So lets start off with a very quick face of the day.

Products used

L'Oreal Collagen Eye Filler

No7 Protect & Perfect Day Cream

Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation in 100 (very light ivory)

Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer 01 (nude beige)

Bourjois Mineral Radiance Pressed Powder 02 (vanille)

Eyebrows - Natural Collection eyeshadow in Midnight

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Eyeshadow - Boy Crazy all over the lid, Azuki bean in crease and under lower lashes, Moshi Moshi to high light in the centre of the lid.

Cheeks - Mac Sakura Blush

Lips - Poppy King for No7 in Confidence

Mascara - Collection 200 Big Fake in 17 (ultra black)

Now on to the experiment!

I blogged a few days ago about the amazing staying power of the Integrate nail polish I had tried and how I was unsure if it was the polish or the Orly Bonder that cause the phenomenal wear. I decided to set up an experiment I gave myself a new manicure using a cheapy Polish (actually it was free with the big fake mascara) from Collection 2000, it's one of their new "hot looks" and the colour is 43 fruit salad.

The experiment is as follows, the left hand is Orly Bonder and the right hand is OPI Natural Nail Base Coat.

Right Hand - OPI

Left Hand - Orly

Pretty colour huh. Both were topped with my normal Seche Vitte, Let see the damage from Saturday morning to Tuesday night.

Right Hand - OPI

Left Hand - Orly

As you can see the thumb and the index finger on the OPI have chipped a little but but considering I am right handed thats not bad going.

Right thumb

Right index

I am a little bit bummed about this to honest I wanted the exceptional wear to be down to the Orly Bonder (I have decided there was no clear winner they both wore about the same) but it does seem to look like the Integrate is just a really really good polish. Is it crazy that I would consider flying back to Japan just to get my hands on some more bottles of this.

FOTD and things i'm loving/hating right now

Konichiwa :D

Lets start with things I am love, love, loving right now.

Spring - it's awesome, sunny, warmer and cute baby animals.

Illamasqua Emerge cream pigment as a blush, perfect peaches and cream complexion - so pretty

Cherry Blossom - I'm a little bit obsessed with Sakura and I am finding a new Cherry Blossom tree everyday.

My Hair, growing out the black and going back to red.

Joan Harris - she pretty much rocks and I totally would!

Mac Candy Yum Yum lipstick, where have you been all my life Mwah x

Having some things to look forward to - Mani/Pedi booked, Red Panda feeding and possibly Royal Ascot Woo Hoo.

Things I am Hating (hate is a strong word but they definitely make me a sad panda)

Spring - time to break out the SPF and the Hayfever tablets lol

Cherry Blossom - it's pretty much over and every time I see a tree that was stunning last week with no blossom now it makes me want to cry

Mad Men - I have watched all 4 seasons and now they have put it on hiatus, I need my fix.

Whats happening in Japan - It is one month today since my world shook, luckily I had a home to return to. There is this phrase "your god never gives you more than you can handle" seeing the Japanese people act with such grace, humility and patience I have never felt this more.

So on the the very simple face of the day

This is my daytime work look at the moment

products used

L'Oreal Collagen Eye Filler

No7 Protect & Perfect Day Cream

Shu Uemura UV under base mousse in beige

Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation in 100 (very light ivory)

Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer 01 (nude beige)

Bourjois Mineral Radiance Pressed Powder 02 (vanille)

Eyebrows - Natural Collection eyeshadow in Midnight

Cheeks - Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Emerge

Lips - Guerlain Rouge Automatique in 161 (cherry blossom)

Mascara - Collection 200 Big Fake in 17 (ultra black)

nail of the day - Integrate RD701

Integrate is a Japanese brand which comes under the Shiseido umbrella. So no surprise this was part of my mini Japanese haul, I had hoped to haul more but shopping was cancelled due to the abrupt nature of our departure. This was picked up in a 7/11 very late on the night before we left in a last ditch attempt to find some souvenirs. As you can imagine I was not expecting it to be up to much but what an absolute gem this little nail polish is.

The colour can only be described as a warm toned version of Paradoxal by Chanel. It is a slightly pinker beige purple and with a very light champagne flash instead of the lilac of Paradoxal. It is an absolutely beautiful shade, subtle but definitely interesting I am now wishing I had bought a back up.

On a second note this is the first time I had used Orly Bonder as an undercoat so I don't know if the longevity of this polish is down to the polish itself or the base (an experiment to follow) but I painted these on monday night and these photos were taken on Saturday morning. Check out the wear only minimal tip wear and a slight chip about to happen on the index finger. I can't believe how long it lasted and still looked pretty much perfect.

Indirect sunlight

direct sunlight - beautiful shimmer

indirect sunlight again

If anyone know where I can buy back ups of this online please drop me a line and let me know because I can't be without this in my life ;)

Nails of the Week

Just a short update of the colours I have been wearing this week. Firstly we have the Bourjois So Laque! 37 Bleu asphalte, this is from the pretty ballerina collection which seems to be dusty pinks and greys and it is a nice change from the neon brights and corals which seem to be on offer in most spring collections at the moment.

It is their standard formula so I don't know why I found this a bit of a pain to apply but it just seemed a little bit gloopy. The colour is a bit meh too it is slightly more lilac in the bottle than on the nails and I wasn't expecting it to look quite so dark on me but perhaps that is because I am so pale. It also doesn't play well with the seche vite so there was a tiny amount of shrinkage but no chips.

natural light

artificial light

This is one from my Japanese haul, it's by Majolica Majorca and the colour is RD420. It is a vibrant red in the same vain as Mavala Rococo Red or China Glaze Ruby Deer. It is not creamy or opaque but it is really highly pigmented and it applies beautifully. This is my first Majolica Majorca nail polish and they do seem like pretty good quality. The wear was good also no chips or tip wear and it didn't leave my fingers all stained after removing it which is unusual for me and red.

Japan experience and NOTD

So i'm back sorry it has been such a long time without a post but there has been a lot of processing I have had to do.

On Thursday 10th of March me and my husband boarded our flight to Tokyo for an 8 day holiday, We love Japan and have been before so were really excited to be going back and although we had no firm plans the possibilities were endless. After a 12 hour flight and 1 hour airport transfer we were at the hotel, they let us check in early and I set about unpacking and settling in for the week. We decided on a short nap then a shower and we were off out for some wonderful Japanese food.

We had been napping for about on hour when the room started to shake, my husband looked at me and said "what was that" "were having and earthquake I joked" but then it didn't stop. It got worse and worse the room shook, swayed, rattled and we dropped from the bed to the floor crawling into the door frame of the bathroom not knowing quite what to do. Finally the juddering stopped and only the swaying remained it was like being on a ship in a storm. We decided we should try and see what to do so we staggered out into the hall where the hotel staff told us we should remain in our room.

We could see people pouring on to streets as the aftershocks rolled through we flicked on the news and as the full horror of what had happened began to sink in we realised things were bad. Needless to stay we had a very different holiday until we were finally ordered home by my husbands company a few days early. My respect for the Japanese nation is immense and if anyone reading this can spare some money for the Japanese red cross please help the people who have lost everything other than their dignity.

Right so that is where I have been now on to the nail of the day! With crackle top coats being the main nail story at the moment so I decided to check out Boots 17 Nail Xtras crackle top and I think you will agree it's a corker. It is a very light gold colour and I think it will compliment a lot of different colours, it looks stunning over blues. You have to be extremely sparing with the application to get the crackling effect but it does crackle very nicely.

I have paired it here with a little nail polish I picked up in a family mart in Tokyo. The brand is MFC and the colour is either RS-3 or 07D but I don't read Japanese so I can't be sure. Anyways it's a nice beige pink colour and applied really well.

Direct sunlight

in the shade

Illamasqua - Toxic Nature

So you have probably seen this all over the blogosphere already but it is worth sharing. I wasn't lucky enough to make it too the blogger event on thursday night but the lovely team at Illamasqua invited me round to the flag ship store on Saturday for a sneak peak.

The collection is based around what would happen if nature stuck back and was conceived when Alex Box was stuck like lots of others by the ash cloud last year. It set her cogs in motion as to how we really have no power over mother nature and she can wipe the floor with us whenever she wants.

Aren't the promo images just beautiful, so inspiring. The look is all around distorted proportions with large eyes, slim noses and low cheeks. There is a lot of contouring and playing with shapes and I love it.

To me the crux of the collection seem to be the new matt cream pigments

top row - Bedaub(mint green) Delirium(rose taupe) Mould(grape purple) Hollow(toffee beige)

bottom row - Dab (lilac) Emerge (peach)

The standouts for me were Emerge which makes such a beautiful blush on us pale skinned gals. Bedaub which can be blended out as a colour corrector on red patches and Hollow which is an awesome contour colour. The can be used anywhere and I will definitely purchasing a few of these to play with.

But the fun doesn't end there there are also two lipsticks and glosses and 4 nail colours.

This is Divine the fuchsia pink gloss blended over Atomic the fuchsia violet lipstick. Then flare the neon orange lipstick and finally Glister but I will come to that in a bit. There is also Torture which I forgot to swatch but it matches the lipstick perfectly.

There are five polishes

Purity - peach

Bacterium - pearlescent ash ochre

Radium - lime shimmer

Stagnate - grey mauve

Gamma neon - orange

Below is Bacterium which everyone is going nuts for and I can see why, it applies like a dream as with all of the polishes I have tried from them and it is such a unique colour very mother of pearl/oyster it just catches the light so beautifully I can't stop staring at my fingers.

Under room lights

Natural light

The show stopper for me was Glister the Nude Anti-eyeliner eyeliner. It takes a lot to drag me away from my good old black cat eye so I want to give this a proper review o it's own because it is really something quite special.

I had a wonderful time at Illamasqua and they make you feel so welcome, this brand really is going from strength to strength and it because of their dedication to letting their customers express themselves and constantly challenging themselves to push the boundaries.

So get over there now and start pre-ordering!

Red Lipstick Series - Illamasqua Sangers

Today I'm bringing you a real treat, this is the red lipstick to end all red lipsticks. I have heard that Illamasquas Box lipstick is amazing but report of it being very drying means I just never got round to getting it. When I saw the images for this one (it's part of the valentines collection) I just knew it had to be mine.

On to the review

Colour (5/5)

Sangers is billed as being blood red and it lives up to it, it's gorgeous it can look dark and vampy or vibrant and punchy depending on what light you are in. It is really multi-tonal and I really think this would suit any skin tone. This is so pigmented which means with a quick slick and mushing your lips together you would have full coverage in the blink of an eye.

Application (4/5)

This was quite draggy on the lips when I applied it straight from the bullet but this meant it stayed exactly where you put it. I also allows you to build up just the right amount of product without overloading the lips. Not a matte and not a gloss means it is a very low maintenance application and the square tube give you nice control.

Ronseal Factor (-/5)

For the first time I am not quite sure how to score this. The website sells the product on how it should make you feel emotionally and not the benefits of the formula. It is an interesting concept but nothing you can really test with a pass or fail as it will be individual to the person wearing it. I am giving this one a pass and the score will reflect.

Wear (5/5)

I wore this from 8 this morning until 7 tonight and I touched it up once. The touch up was more for me than the actual fact it needed it. I can't even say it was a stain cause it wipes clean off with a makeup wipe it is just intensely pigmented and stays put, I ate, drank and talked loads and it remained perfect. Best wearing lipstick ever!

Price (4/5)

I have scored this high because I don't think £15.50 for a premium brand is a lot of money compared to the price of some of my recent reviews this wins hands down on the value for money. This is just over what I would consider to be drugstore prices and the quality is impeccable. I might invest in some more of their lipsticks, you will have to let me know which ones you like readers ;)

Packaging (4/5)

This really appeals to me I love the chic lines of the Illamasqua packaging they classic black with the branding is classy and the square shape literally gives it an edge. I love square packaging as you can set it down without it rolling away! Plastic but feels really sturdy.

How it left the lips (5/5)

After reading about box I expected this to be really really drying and I was pleasantly surprised. It does have the texture of a matte but not the feel. It feels strange on your aware you are wearing it but it is neither drying nor moisturising. It wipes away really cleanly which is a massive plus in my book and left my lips feeling fine.

Overall 27 out of 30 is very impressive and I have to say I love the product, Illamasqua is be a brand I will definitely be returning to.