New Perfume Bargains from Cheap Smells

I love the Cheap Smells website, they always have really good deals and bargains available and not always on perfume.  Last week it was Tigi haircare at 60% off RRP.  The offers usually change on a weekly basis so it's worth popping past the website every so often to see what they have on offer that week.

 

The reason for my latest order was a special deal on a Lolita Lempicka flanker Forbidden Flower which I've been wanting to try for a while.  I wear, and love, the original Lolita Lempicka fairly regularly and had been waiting for a good deal on Forbidden Flower so I could try that too.

 

Along with it I ordered a bottle of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea and Lavender, I had the original Green Tea scent previously and liked it for every day wear.  It's a very fresh, clean, green scent that's ideal for wearing day to day if you don't want too overpowering a scent.  I love lavender scented things so when I saw the price of a huge 100ml bottle I couldn't resist.  I figured, at worst, it could be used as a nice, relaxing room or pillow scent.

 

As always with Cheap Smells my package arrived super fast, 2 days after ordering, and well packed.

 

The Green Tea and Lavender was a lovely surprise, it really is just the original Green Tea scent with the addition of Lavender which suits me perfectly, I like the fresh green scent of the original and the lavender has added a hint of floral warmth to it which makes it smell lovely and calming.

 

It's definitely not a scent for those of you who don't like lavender as it is a fairly strong and obvious addition but for people like me who are not afraid of the more mature, floral scents (otherwise known as something your gran might like ;) ) then this is definitely a winning addition.

 

 

Before even trying Forbidden Flower I was a little bit in love with the bottle; it's a pale golden yellow version of the usual apple design. The scent itself is very similar to the original with a bit more of a flowery, lighter opening.

 

It still dries down to the same liquorice tinged, soft powdery musk scent as the original although not quite as strong.  I wouldn't buy another bottle when this one runs out as it's so similar to the original, which I love, without actually being any better, it's still very wearable though and means I can save what's left of my purple apple for nights out.

 

 

So, overall, for committing the cardinal sin of buying perfume untried online this order worked out pretty well; two nice, new scents at a bargain price.

 

If you're looking to add to your fragrance collection definitely check out Cheap Smells, they always have a great range of fragrances at reduced prices and I can't fault their customer service after almost a dozen orders, if you sign up for their newsletter they will update you with their weekly deals which are often great for grabbing a bargain - and no, they aren't paying me, I just think it's worth passing on details of companies who offer good prices, fast delivery and the option to treat yourself more often.

Color Club - Secret Agent

This is Color Club varnish 910, Secret Agent, it's from the Alter Ego set I picked up in TK Maxx the other week.  None of these pictures are even close to the colour it is in real life which is slightly annoying, this bottle shot is the closest thing I could find online to how it really goes onto the nail:

 

 

 

 

It's an almost metallic looking lilac-violet colour in person, super shiny and reflective and quite unusual.  To me it looks like a sort of space aged purple, take from that what you will.  In the photos it's showing as blue though...

 

 

 

This one is closest to the colour it shows on the nail but still not quite right.

 

 

Again the colour if off on this one but it does show the gorgeous glittery shimmer running through the polish.

 

 

Why are purples so hard to photograph?  Any tips on how to do it better?  This polish is so lovely I'd like to be able to show it off properly but no matter how many shots I take of it they all come out with it looking blue, most frustrating.  If you have any idea how to stop it then please let me know in the comments below!

Holiday!

I am off to Spain today to visit my parents for 10 days, I've scheduled some posts already and I'm hoping to also be able to do a quick post while I'm out there with swatches of Kiko's new Holographic polish which is waiting for me at my their house.

Hopefully when I get back I'll also have the new Cheeky image plates waiting for me and can do a review post of them, as well as a rundown of what I bought while out in Spain - I have quite a big list. ;)

British Nail Bloggers - Weekly Round Up!

It's that time of week again!  Let's take a look at what the British Nail Bloggers have been getting up to in the past week.

Lou is back from her holiday and is showing off her new Chanel Nail Polish in a rare glimpse of the British Sunshine

Emma accidentally signed up to two nail challenges this month, so there will be lots of posts up on Imagination In Colour, including herAntique Nail Art post, amongst others!

Sam at Polished Art produced a special Teal Tuesdays manicure for Ovarian Cancer Awareness.

Lyndsay from Pie's Eyes went under cover this week with her Camouflage Manicure and liked it so much it stayed on most of the week with the addition of a matte topcoat.

Claire from nuthin' but a nail thing is all over the 30 Day Challenge and kicked off Day One with a Ladybird Manicure to cover off "RED".

Ruth relives school and tries to 'do the math' with her Blackboard-inspired nails this week!

It's been a busy week over at Polished Criminails, so let's take a look back at the last 7 days of the 30 Day Challenge!

Jo decided to take on the 30 Day Challenge this Month and is having tons of fun painting her nails a different colour every day!

September is Polycystic Overy Syndrome (PCOS) awareness month what better way to raise awareness than a manicure! And that is just one of the manicures on Enigmatic Rambles' blog this week!

Wendy from Wendy's Delights has made her own Water Decals for the September Polish Day themed Geometry

Charlotte from Charlottes-nails tried out some crayon nail art for the start of the Fall Into autumn Challenge.

Lucie from Lucy's Stash is experimenting with the 'ikat' pattern featuring Zoya Designer polishes! Check it out here!

Steph from Never Mind Suzie may be far away on her holidays so here's her holiday nails hope you're having a great holiday Steph

PrettyKittyClaws has had a blog makeover and did a Tape mani with the new KiKo holographics!

This week Nada turned 19 and to celebrate she did birthday nails!!! Enjoy this wonderfully simple manicure!

Laura at She Who Does Nails has been working on the 30 Day Challenge and particularly liked her piano nails!

The 31 Day Challenge started on The Crumpet this week, as did another awesome Giveaway featuring indie polishes

Kerrie's 300 follower giveaway over at PishPosh and Polish is still running and while you are there you should check out her Geometric Nail Art

Kerry does fimo for back to school with China Glaze Ruby Pumps!!

Sarah Louise creates some cheeky Bactiera Monsters , don't forget to enter her 2000 follower giveaway =D - Good Luck xox

Vic has done her first leopard print mani but it's orange, blue and gold. Leopard print nails are her new favourite but she's on a mission to never use the 'normal' colours.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Special Edition with Rose & Lavender

Clearly Liz Earle, or maybe The Prince's Trust, can read my mind and so decided to come up with a way to help me make the difficult decision of whether to replace my now almost finished Cleanse & Polish or not.  They did that by releasing a new version with the addition of Rose and Lavender, two of my favourite scents, meaning I had to go out and buy it despite having about 47 other cleansers on the go at the moment and promising I would use what I had before adding more.

 

The Special Edition is a larger size of pump bottle, 150ml for £19.75 which also includes two muslin cloths, and is available now.  I got mine in John Lewis but the website is also stocking it if that's an easier way for you to order.

 

 

 There's very little point in going into what Cleanse & Polish is all about as it's already a cult beauty favourite which has been reviewed and recommended on just about every beauty blog I read at some point or another so I'm sure you're all aware of it and what it does.  The Special Edition does exactly what the original does with the addition of two gorgeous new scents and a slightly fancier bottle design.

 

 

Personally, I love this new version.  I really like C&P anyway but this version smells fantastic, you can definitely tell there has been an addition of the two new fragrances and both the rose and lavender are lovely natural plant type scents without any hint of a synthetic nature. 

 

Liz Earle suggests that this version is more suitable for evening use as it's such a relaxing and calming fragrance but I intend to use it just as I would the normal version as I love the smell and I'm quite happy to be relaxed by it in the morning too.

 

 

 

Here's what the Liz Earle site has to say about their Special Edition Cleanse & Polish.

Our multi award-winning Cleanse & Polish™ is the foundation of fabulous skin. Working with The Prince’s Trust and one of their young entrepreneurs Rebecca Taylor, we’ve given our British beauty essential a new twist and added rose petal and high-altitude lavender essential oils to create this special edition. By purchasing this product, £2.00 will go towards supporting the vital work of The Prince’s Trust. This product is suitable for all skin types.

Ideal for your evening cleanse, this formulation works on every age and skin type, offering concentrated yet gentle cleansing power. This rich, concentrated cream removes daily grime and make up to leave skin clear, smooth and exceptionally clean. Used with the muslin cloth, it lifts away dead cells revealing fresh, radiant skin. Cleanse & Polish contains naturally active ingredients including rosemary, chamomile and hops to help tone and soothe, whilst cocoa butter softens, smoothes and moisturises.

This unique blend of rose petal and high altitude lavender essential oils helps to calm and relax, ideal for use prior to a good night’s sleep.

 

And here's the blurb from the back of the bottle, should you wish to have a read at that too. 

 

 

So, will you be adding the new Special Edition C&P to your bathroom beauty staples?

 

New Boots No7 Voucher

I picked up a few bits and bobs in Boots today at lunchtime and was pleased to see when I collected my receipt that I had also been given a No7 voucher.  I LOVE the £5 vouchers that Boots regularly do for No7 and I spend a small fortune at the No7 counter, on things I normally wouldn't buy, while the voucher deal is on by justifying that I am saving loads!

In truth, if there were no vouchers there are very few No7 items I would pay full price for, I struggle to think of any actually.  I find the brand rather over-priced and would rather spend my money elsewhere generally.  Don't get me wrong, there are some No7 products I love, their fast drying topcoat for one and also their micro-dermabrasion exfoliator but neither of them are so good that I would pay more for them than I would for a similar product from another brand which is what happens if you purchase at full price.

Anyway, on to the point of this post!  Out pops my voucher along with my receipt and I think to myself; I'll head over to the No7 counter and see if they have any nice new nail colours since they've re-branded or those blushers I want, but then I noticed that the voucher is not the usual £5 voucher; it is in fact £5 off skincare (lucky for you micro-dermabrasion exfoliator) but only £3 off cosmetics (not so good for you topcoat and blusher).

 

Now, £3 off their cosmetics is not to be sniffed at if you are planning on buying something anyway but it doesn't put everything at the No7 counter down to the excellent prices it used to, meaning I can't help but spend my money there, so instead of doing what I normally do and buying something extra I left the store.

 

As a one off, my £2 spend on a nail colour isn't going to mean much to No7, or Boots on a whole, but on average when these vouchers have been on in the past I would say I spend a minimum of £20 each time, often a good deal more (usually a good deal more in fact, this time around for example as well as checking out the new nail varnish I also had my eye on 3 cream blushers, I wanted to try one of their new foundations through the new skin tone matching service they have just launched and I fancied a couple of their make up brushes).  

 

If you take into account the amount of times the vouchers are on each year and multiple my £20 minimum spend that's a fair bit of money for one person to hand over to an individual counter and I'm sure I'm not the only one who spends more on No7 when the vouchers are on than they would normally.  It'll be interesting to see if the new style vouchers are here to stay and I'd love to see the No7 sales figures now they've changed them, I've always thought they must be a great boost for the brand's sales when they're being given out.

 

So, in conclusion, my favourite thing about No7 has come to an end. :(  I loved getting a little extra treat of a nail varnish with my meal deal when the vouchers were on and would specifically shop in Boots more often just so I could do that but now they'll set me back £4 a time I think I'd rather spend my money on other brands, like Barry M for varnish or Topshop for the cream blushes, who I generally prefer and work out cheaper. 

 

So, is it just me who's sulking over the new style vouchers?  Am I looking a (£3) gift horse in the mouth by not using them?  What do you think about the new style of vouchers, will they have an effect on your spending habits?

 

Barry M - Gelly Hi-Shine

I have no real clue what these are but I already I am pretty sure I want them, ALL OF THEM.  Barry M have just released this picture on their Facebook and Twitter sites: 

 

 

The real question is, what are they?  They seem to be being pitched as a Shellac or Gelish type alternative but I can't see how any polish can compete with a UV cured product for wear and chip resistance?  Although there have been a few similar sounding releases recently, I'm pretty sure Revlon or L'Oreal have some coming out soon, or possibly they are out already. 

 

 

Barry M also say 'one coat' which means they could be good for stamping?  But then again they say Gelly on the bottle so are they a jelly or sorbet like finish?

 

Who knows, not me, I just thought I would share the news, picture and speculation.  Fingers crossed Barry M give us more information soon!

Apparently these will be avaliable in Superdrug on September 26th & then in Boots on October 3rd.

 

What do you think they might be?

Rimmel Matte Finish Topcoat

This topcoat is one which has been in my collection for ages but it's woefully underused because I often forget just how much I love the effect it creates until I use it again.

 

A while ago now it seemed like almost every brand was bringing out a matte top coat, keen to try the look I picked up a bottle of this Rimmel Matte Finish topcoat in Superdrug to see what the hype was about.  I decided to go with the Rimmel as it was significantly cheaper than the other versions I had easy access to at the time and I didn't want to shell out on something I wasn't sure I would use much.

 

In the end that was a good decision because although it's one of the less expensive versions on the market (it's £4.49 in Boots or Superdrug) it works beautifully for me.  It does exactly what you would imagine a mattifying topcoat would do, gives whatever polish you put it over a lovely suede matte look to it.

 

It can really transform the look of your polish and it's so simple, you just slap it on like a regular clear topcoat and wait for it to dry.

 

For today's manicure I simply put a layer over my camouflage manicure from Monday.

 

 

I love how this turned out, it's only a subtle difference but it really adds to the camouflage look and makes it look a bit more authentic, although I'm not sure a city dweller with camouflage nails can ever be authentic, but I'm sure you know what I mean. ;)

 

 

 

I've been rather lax with my blogging this week for no real reason other than I rather fell in love with my camouflage nails and didn't want to take them off and all the exciting beauty and nail things I have ordered recently haven't arrived yet.

 

I'm off to Spain to visit my parents next week so hopefully the polish haul from that trip and the parcels due to arrive will mean more interesting posts in the near future!

Camouflage Nails

 

 

I decided to try this look after a friend's son asked to see some Camouflage nails.  I did a quick Google for inspiration and decided it should be simple enough so gave it a go.

 

I think the most important part of this look is choosing the right colours, obviously camouflage colours vary depending on environment and who is wearing them but there is a general look and set of colours which seem most common so I decided to stick with them for my first attempt.

 

I originally chose 4 polishes but after applying the first three I though it was best to stop, here's what I used:

 



Kiko 349, Kiko 347, No7 Beanie 20 and Bourjois Noir de Chine 17 which didn't make the cut.



First I applied the lightest shade, Kiko 349, all over my nails then I used a dotting tool to add random blobs of Kiko 347 over the top, it's surprisingly hard to get blobs to look totally random, I found.

 

 

Next I added No7 Beanie over the top, some of the blobs I overlapped others I just put beside the darker green shade, again, it seemed hard to make it look random and stop myself making a pattern.

 

 

At this stage I was going to add further black blobs on top but I decided it might be a step too far and rather than ruin the effect I had already created I decided to go with a 'less is more' mantra and just tidy up what I had so far.

 

Here are some final picture, post clean up:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out, I quite fancy trying the blue version at some point, despite not really knowing why or where you would use blue camouflage material.

 

 

British Nail Bloggers - Weekly Round Up!

It's my first week as part of the British Nail Bloggers Weekly Round Up, so without further ado, let's see what everyone has been up to this week!

Lucy from Lucy's Stash shows how to do a perfect Fishtail Braid manicure

The Nail Newbie tries a braided manicure too, but it is a peachy plait or a fishtail fail?

Emma's been feeling arty this week at Imagination In Colour, starting with a Purple Dotted Manicure and later a first attempt at 'brush marbling'!

Nada has been busy swatching the Orly Mineral FX Collection Fall 2011 sadly shes missing one of the polishes from the collection to make it complete!

Claire at nuthin' but a nail thing has been rainbow gradienting it up!

Things have been looking a bit patchy over at Never Mind Suzi as Steph tries out some MUA polishes.

Wendy from Wendy's Delights has found W7 Magnetic Nail Polish at New Look in store & online!

A simple nail tutorial for seaside nails perfect for the last weeks of summer 2012 over at Enigmatic Rambles.

Abi falls in love with A-England's Perceval and doesn't seem to realise its not autumn yet.

While reviewing some of her recent nail buys, Ruth also created a simple blue matte finish with some striking gold tips this week!

Lyndsay from Pie's Eyes discovers some great stamping polishes from the UK High Street and shows off her latest ColorClub purchases.

Jo at Northern nails has been comparing some W7 and Color Club polishes.

PrettyKittyClaws went to the Paralympic Opening Ceremony and celebrated with a Saran Wrap Mani featuring the new OPI Germany collection.

Sam at Polished Art created some Paralympics nail art.

Rachel-Karina over at Polished Criminails gets ready to undergo the grueling 30 day challenge.

Kerrie at Pishposh and Polish is hosting a giveaway featuring some holographic and great British Polishes!

Laura at She Who Does Nails has been trying out her new stamping plates and rhinestones with a Tiffany-esque floral manicure.

Charlotte at Charlottes-nails broke her laptop charger this week so has only posted one challenge post for the lazy days of summer challenge

Sarah Louise plays with Laquistry's Placid on Acid over Nails Inc's Great Dover Street to create Sparkly Leaves! She also thought it would be a good thing to reorganise her polish stash....bad idea.

The Crumpet has been celebrating her birthday this week. You can see this purple ruffle mani as well as some of her favourite purples.

Alexis at Glitter Tips takes a step towards becoming the craziest cat lady by painting her cats portraits on her nails!

Vic at Glowstars.net has probably pushed her nail art obsession to the limit with her Carnival mani.

It has been loads of nailart week for Dimpal at Crazy Polishes with Sea Life and Flowery Water Decals mani.