Lucy's Stash

Valentine's Day inspired manicure #3

2012-02-11T14:31:00.000Z

Hello lovelies!

So how are you preparing for Valentine's Day? Any special plans? I'm already thinking what manicure I will wear and I've already done some test manis. This one is number three and since it did not come out as nice as I planned, this won't be my Valentine's Day manicure.

For this manicure I've used Misa Poison Kiss, Zoya Isla, White Essence Stamping polish and red rhinestones.

SpaRitual Ripple Effect from Water Collection for Spring 2012 - Review & swatches

2012-02-10T11:54:00.001Z

Hello lovelies :)

Today I'll show you the second nail polish from SpaRitual Water collection. It's called Ripple Effect :) I've previously reviewed shade called Deep, you can read the review here.

Ripple Effect - dusty mauve creme. This is very beautiful shade, I fell in love with it the moment I saw it! The shade in the first coat looks a bit lighter, jelly-like and in the second coat it creates fully opaque creme shade. It applied like butter - very easily with smooth finish. Polish also dried quite fast and I haven't experienced any problems when removing it. These pictures are without topcoat. Overall, it's a great shade with great formula, I wouldn't be afraid to compare it to OPI creme shades.

Direct sunlight

The SpaRitual Water collection is already available online at www.sparitual.co.uk

*The polish has been sent to me for a review. I've expressed my own opinion.

SpaRitual Deep from Water Collection for Spring 2012 - Review & swatches

2012-02-09T18:41:00.000Z

Hello lovelies :)

SpaRitual indtroduced new collection for Spring 2012 called Water and I'm lucky enough to get to review two of the shades. The press release published here. The whole collection consists of six shades:

Deep – Iridescent Grey Shimmer

Ebb & Flow – Aqua Crème

Hidden Reef – Coral Shimmer

Lucid – Lilac Blue Crème

Ripple Effect – Dusty Mauve Crème

Undercurrent – Deep Blue Crème

Deep - dark grey creme colour with rose shimmer. Polish has really nice formula, it applied easily and finish was smooth. Pigmentation is very good, it is almost one coater. I've applied two coats for perfect coverage. Drying time was average even without fast drying topcoat. There is a very strong rose pink shimmer in the bottle but unfortunately it doesn't translate on the nail. There is a subtle hint of rose pink shimmer only. Well see for yourself. But even despite that the shimmer makes the colour much more interesting. If you like grey polishes, this one is a good one!

Direct sunlight

The SpaRitual Water collection is already available online at www.sparitual.co.uk

*The polish has been sent to me for a review. I've expressed my own opinion.

FeelUnique Beauty Box February 2012 - Review of the last FU box

2012-02-09T12:00:00.003Z

Hello girlies :)

New month, new beauty boxes! Yay! It's time to review FeelUnique's February Beauty Box. This one was really good, I think most people will like it :) Unfortunately this was last FeelUnique box :( FU Beauty box service is finishing and I am really really sad :(

So what was in the box?

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer - 'Improve or maintain thequality & behaviour of your hair with this amazing cult treatment loved bythe beauty industry! Great for over-processed, dry and damaged hair, the morefrequent use of this intensive treatment formula wills the more restorative theresult!' I've tried this product before and I can remember my hair was niceand smooth. Don't know what the big hype is about but it's quite good treatment.Sample size has 40ml valued at £5.95 (full size 150ml, £22.30)

Elemis Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Wash - 'This fresh hand andbody wash is a beautiful exotic fragrance of lime, vetiver, petitgrain andginger essential oils, combined with plant extracts of thyme, nettle andchamomile, in a soya, wheat and milk protein base. This skin friendly formulais deep cleansing, whilst the rich creamy lather is super gentle, leaving yourskin feeling fresh, clean, soft and nourished.' I won't be trying thisshower gel because I don't like the scent. So I can't really tell you anythingabout it except that it has 100ml which values at £6.13 (full size 300ml,£18.40).

Decleor Phytopeal Face Peel Cream - 'A soft cream formula whichexfoliates and smoothes the epidermis. It gently absorbs and eliminatesimpurities, and does not contain exfoliating particles, the gentlest and mostnatural way to renew your skin' I've got quite generous 15ml sample buthaven't tried it yet. I personally prefer peelings/exfoliators because my dryskin gets flaky every other day.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse - 'Multi-usage dry oil for face, body andhair.' There has been a big hype about this dry oil since it first appearedin the GlossyBox. It smells lovely, almost like Johnson's Baby Oil Iuse. I've tried it on my hand and it felt the same too except it absorbedfaster. Sample has 10ml, value of £2.83 (100ml costs £28.30).

Leighton Denny mini nail polish in Diamond Ivory - this shade is forfrench manicure. I will try to use it in a manicure and review it in a separatepost. Mini size has 4.6ml which values at £5 (full size 12ml, £13.25 atFeelUnique.com)

Kokorico by Jean Paul Gaultier - this is an extra sample we got inour boxes, it's a 1ml perfume sample in a black vial with pump. The scent isvery spicy, woody. 50ml retails for £31.05

There is a 10% discount code for all these products featured in the box,just use code BBFEB10B at the checkout. Expires 18/03/2012

I will miss you FeelUnique boxes!!!

February 2012 Amarya Beauty Box - Review

2012-02-08T20:15:00.003Z

Hi girls :)

Thank you for all the previous lovely comments! The 'Reply' to the comment function finally works so I'll do my best to reply to all comments :) I'd also appreciate if you would let me know if you like the new blog layout with big pictures :)

Now to the February Amarya box - I really, really like it! It's probably because it contains full sized Zoya polish hehe :DAnd also if you subscribe to Amarya and send them email with your name, date you joined my name (Lucie Hanuskova) as the person who reffered you, we will both get FREE ONE MONTH MEMBERSHIP! How cool is that?!

So what was in my box?

Essential Care Organic Avocado Replenishing Cream - 'A sumptuous aromatherapeutic night or rich day cream with nature's finest contribution to smoothing out lines and promoting skin regeneration'. Apparently this is a full sized item, it has 15 ml and retails for £6. Very nice price I think. It comes in a plastic tube, it's a vegan product, not tested on animals and free from chemicals. The cream is light and absorbs fast and it smells like lavender. I don't like lavender but I really like description and formula of the cream so I'll give it a try :)

There has been also a small sample of Essential Care Organic Rose Moisturiser (1.5ml) - 'Treat your skin to the best that nature can offer. A luxurious, antioxidant light-textured day-cream which is fully absorbed leaving the skin soft and velvety smooth. Deeply moisturising with shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil, aloe leaf, and the essential oil and hydrolat of damask roses. The cold-pressed plant oils, naturally high in antioxidants of vitamins A & E, and sea buckthorn help counteract the ageing and collagen-destroying effects of 'free radicals' and sunlight.'

Neom Happiness Travel Candle - 'it's the new uplifting spring/summer scent from NEOM. Essential oils of White Neroli, Mimosa and Lemon are blended to create a crisp spring garden scent. This candle is especially good for relieving tension whilst giving a little perk up. All Neom candles, hand poured in the UK, are 100% natural and high in essential oils to provide an aroma-therapeutic treatment.' it's a really lovely candle and I was over the moon to get a candle but unfortunately I can't stand the smell :( So I swapped it for another Zoya polish :D Candle retails for £13

Zoya Avery - I was secretly wishing for a long time that we get Zoya polish in our box...YES! Avery is pale peach shade from new Feel collection. Can't wait to swatch it! Retail price for the Zoya polish is always around £10

So this month's box was great for me! Nice face cream and full sized Zoya polish! What else could I ask for? :D

If you've missed on this month's box don't be sad, Amarya boxes are great every month! So once again, if you subscribe to Amarya and send them email with your name, date you joined my name (Lucie Hanuskova) as the person who referred you, we will both get FREE ONE MONTH MEMBERSHIP!

OPI Nicki Minaj mini Collection - Review, Swatches & Nail Art

2012-02-08T10:39:00.000Z

Hello girls!

I got my paws on OPI Nicki Minaj mini collection so here are the swatches :) In the beginning I didn't want to buy any of these because they are just not my colours but I thought what the heck, I'm a blogger and this is a new collection! :D The packaging is shiny silver metallic-like which I suppose should've been association to shade Metallic 4 Life.

Pink Friday - pale pink creme. This is actually a very nice shade of pink that doesn't make my hands look like dead :) It has quite good formula too. I was struggling a bit with the first coat - it was a bit too streaky but second coat evened it out. Pigmentation is reasonable for a creme shade, I've used 2 coats for a full coverage. Drying time was average and I had no problems with removal.

Fly - bright blue creme shade. Polish has lovely formula, it applied very easily. It also has good pigmentation, two coats were plenty enough to have a lovely opaque colour. In addition it dried fast and no problems with removal. If you're fan of blue shades, I can recommend this one (I'm not a big fan but I can give home to one small blue bottle ;)

Did It On 'Em -bright chartreuse creme. It's really strange shade, yellow with green mixed together, quite similar to Who The Shrek Are You? shade. The formula was good, it applied very easily. I've used two coats for perfect coverage. Polish dried fast and was easy to remove.

Metallic 4 Life - Black jelly base with different sized silver glitter. From promo pics I thought this would be my favourite polish but it's not. It's far away from being my favourite polish. The polish was quite gloopy, especially around the bottle neck and I had to be really careful to apply it so the glitter would be placed evenly. This is two thick coats but I could easily do three for better result. The finish is a bit gritty when it dries so I applied generous layer of Seche Vite topcoat. Also removal was more difficult because of the glitter. This was a big let-down for me :-/

And here is a little crazy Nicki Minaj Style stamping manicure I've created using Pink Friday, Fly, Did It On 'Em and black Konad polish.

Valentine's Day inspired manicure #2 Hearts & Stripes

2012-02-07T17:03:00.000Z

Hello girls :)

It's time for my second Valentine's Day inspired manicure. For this manicure I've used ZoyaBrie, Nails Inc. Oxford Circus, Essence Stamping White polish, OPI Let Me Entertain You! and INM Out The Door topcoat.

Artificial light

First snow in England and some beautiful macroshoots of snowflakes

2012-02-06T17:58:00.001Z

Hello lovelies!

Yesterday we had our first snow down here in South East of England and I managed to try my new lens and took some makro shoots of snowflakes. I really like them so I wanted to share them with you. I know it has nothing to do with nail polishes but it's about beauty of something ;)

Fun nails for my friend :)

2012-02-06T08:33:00.000Z

Hi everybody!

My friend recently asked me to do a manicure 'with eyes' for her an it was so cute I want to share it with you :) It is not anything precise or highly nail art but I liked it.

I've used OPI Wocka Wocka! as a base colour and then painted white 'eyes' with dotting tool on all nails. By the time I finished the white was dry. Then I painted the black dots to finish the eyes. I didn't have time for any cleanup so excuse a bit messy painting.

Valentine's Day inspired manicure #1: On clouds of love

2012-02-04T23:09:00.000Z

Hello lovelies,

so when I got creative I've done this Valentine's Day inspired manicure. It has been inspired by Nailside's Cloud manicure. It's first out of 4 manicures I've done so more to come ;o) I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's day but I thought when to do a hearty sweet manicure than at this time of the year.

I've used NailsInc. Oxford Circus (the lightest pink), NailsInc. Strawberry Hill (rose pink), NailsInc. Picadilly Circus, NailsInc. Queensgate Mews (dark wine red), Essencewhite stamping polish. Seche Vite Topcoat

A England - The Legend Collection: Princess Tears. Review and swatches

2012-02-03T19:07:00.000Z

Hello lovelies,

today I'll show you my last A England polish from new The Legend collection. It's beautiful Princess Tears!

Princess Tears - dusty mauve colour with pink duochrome effect, all packed with holographic particles. The pink duochrome effect shows mostly on daylight and under artificial light and disappears on the sunlight :) The colour is really beautiful, the holographic particles are fine and create elegant effect. The formula with this polish was very good however less opaque than with Saint George and Bridal Veil. I've used two coats for a full coverage. Application was smooth and polish dried fast. This is without topcoat.

You can already purchase polishes from The Legend collection online at www.a-england.co.uk or by sending your order to Adina at hello@a-england.co.uk The postage is free worldwide!

I've previously reviewed Saint George from The Legends Collection here (or click on the picture)

and Bridal Veil. Click here (or click on the picture)

*This polish has been sent to me for a review. I've expressed my honest opinion

Nail Mail on my 2 year bloggiversary!

2012-02-02T22:21:00.000Z

Hi girls,

I got a nail mail today so I thought I would show you :) it is also my 2 year bloggiversary today! 02/02/2012!!!

In my nail mail today I got OPI Nicki Minaj mini set so I hope I'll get to swatching them soon. I also got Fast Drying Basecoat, Nail Strenghtening basecoat, Top coat de Poshe, AHA cuticle cream and Polish reviver from Poshe. I'll be testing Poshe products for a while before I'll write a review. Thank you for them Alanna!

Also don't forget to enter my 2 year bloggiversary giveaway!

A England - The Legend Collection: Bridal Veil. Review and swatches

2012-02-01T09:26:00.001Z

Hello lovelies,

would you like to see another holographic beauty? This is the second shade I have from A England The Legend collection and I'm really glad I can show it to you today!

Bridal Veil - black holographic colour leaning a bit to charcoal shades. This is another A England polish with absolutely flawless formula! This is only one coat and it applied great. It dried on me very fast and I had not used any topcoat. Even removal was good and I didn't experience holo particles all over my fingers.

The holographic particles are really tiny so the holo effect is very subtle which makes this polish great for people who don't want their nails scream 'COLOUR!!' :) It reminds me of a starry night with thousands of tiny stars. Really beautiful!

Artificial light

Click to enlarge to see the cool holo effect!

I've reviewed Saint George from The Legends Collection here (or click on the picture)

and Princess Tears. Click here to read review (or click on the picture)

*This polish has been sent to me for a review. I've expressed my honest opinion

What was in my January 2012 Glossybox?

2012-01-31T11:08:00.002Z

Hi girls!

I sometimes don't have that much time to blog about all the beauty boxes because if I want to describe every product, it takes quite a lot of time. I'm sure most of you have already seen what is in the Glossybox so I won't be doing elaborate descriptions.

I really like this month's Valentine's Day themed Glossybox! Look at the bright fuchsia pink matte box, lovely heart details and roses on the card :) I am not a Glossybox ambassador so I haven't received any roses or free box but I don't regret subscribing...I just have to hope I'll get some roses from my boyfriend who by the way HATES buying flowers because according to him 'they don't last'!

I had fill size of Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in Plum which is quite self-explanatory ;) Plum is a nice dark brownish plum colour, pigmentation is ok, it smudges easily which is good for creating a bit of a smoky look. On the other hand is you want your eyeliner to be precise you might not like a bit of smudging.. The packaging of the eyeliner is abit weird though...why the long silver end??? Don't know..
Enter GLOSSY in the comments box to get a free gift with any purchase. Expires 01/03/2012

Weleda One-step Cleanser & Toner - I haven' tried this product yet so I can't review it but so far I liked Weleda products so fingers crossed I like this one too ;) £5 off your next order plus free P&P when you spend £15 at www.weleda.co.uk Enter promotion code GLOSSY

Orly mini polish in Ruby - lovely vampy red colour, I will be trying this one soon :)

FAB Gentle Body Wash - a moisturising, irritant-free everyday cleanser ideal for even the most sensitive skin. I haven't tried this product yet but I'm looking forward to it, I've heard great stuff about FAB products.

Murad Skin Perfecting Primer 5ml - this is a very lovely product! It is like a makeup but it kind of soaks into your skin and leaves it nice and smooth. Look at the swatch below. I'm not sure yet if I'll purchase full size but I'll really think about it. Get 33% off at www.murad.co.uk with code GLOSSYPR

If you would like to subscribe to GlossyBox, please use my referral link and discount code GLOSSYTUBE2012, STYLISTDEC1411 or AFFGLOSSY50OFF to get 50% off: http://www.glossybox.co.uk/invitation/MjIzNzE=?utm_source=Customers&utm_medium=link&utm_term=MjIzNzE=&utm_campaign=Refer-a-friend/

I will be updating on current Beauty box discount codes here on my blog. Alternatively send me an email and I can let you know if there is any discount code.

A England - The Legend collection: Saint George. Review & swatches

2012-01-29T21:20:00.000Z

Hello lovelies!

Today I have here something veeery special! The first out of three A England nail polishes from new collection The Legend! The whole collection consists of 7 shades and hats off, Adina, they are truly amazing! 6 of the polishes are holographic and the one to me seems like it has glass flecks in it. I will review every polish in separate post because they just deserve it and that way I can fit in more pictures :)

First up Saint George! I had to wait few days for sun to come out to do these swatches, they look the best in the sunlight!

Saint George - deep teal holographic colour. THE BEST TEAL EVER! This polish is a dream - it is insanely pigmented, this is just one(!) coat without topcoat and it applied soo nicely! And look at the colour! Awesome teal with very fine holographic particles. I must tell you it looks even better in the sun than my pictures show! It also dried really fast and I removal was very easy and fast too. Now I'll just leave you to have a look at the pictures because they are awesome :D

I've reviewed Princess Tears from The Legends Collection. Click here to read review (or click on the picture)

and Bridal Veil. Click here (or click on the picture)

*This polish has been sent to me for a review. I've expressed my honest opinion

OPI Road House Blues from Touring America Collection review and swatches + what's coming

2012-01-26T10:36:00.000Z

Hi everybody!

Sorry for the absence of posts lately, I'm kind of stuck..the weather has been terrible, cloudy, rainy so it's too dark to do some new swatches :( And I have sooo many new polishes to swatch! I have 3 polishes from A England THE LEGEND collection (three beautiful holos!), I have lots of new Zoyas, some Wet n' Wild glitters, Barielle polishes and more and more! I just need few days of sun!

So I will be publishing older swatches I have yet to publish till I can do some more swatches. Some of them are taken with my old camera so the quality is a bit worse and I might have shorter nails :-/ SUN, PLEASE COME OUT!

Road House Blues - dark creme navy blue with lots of purple tones. This polish has fabulous formula - I could've done with just one coat how beautifully pigmented it was! I've done two to cover my ridges on the nail which resulted in perfection :D Application itself was dreamy, it applied very smoothly and dried fast.

Lately every single OPI polish I try is truly amazing! If I compare OPI polishes from collections few years back some of the old OPI's were not half as good. I see a lot of improvement in formula and that's why OIP is my #1 right now!

Have you seen what I've done with Road House Blues before Christmas? My version of Snowflake manicure!

Really weird creation with gold foil :)

2012-01-23T19:11:00.000Z

I'm not really sure why I'm even showing you this manicure because it didn't go as I planned but somebody might get inspired :)

The base colour is basically two coats of dark red jelly Victoria by Nails Inc. Then there is one coat of Kleancolor Chunky Holo Fuchsia. Over all this I applied foil glue and started to add gold foil. I haven't used top coat for these pictures.

Don't forget to enter my 2 Year Bloggiversary Giveaway!

UK Beauty Boxes - current discounts and offers!

2012-01-23T15:10:00.003Z

Hi girls,

I've decided to summarize current discount offers on UK Beauty boxes. If you'll decide to subscribe, please use my links as I will get points for referral and it doesn't cost you anything and you'll help me to get closer to my free box x

GLOSSYBOX - probably the most popular UK beauty box - subscribe to Glossy Box using this link and get your first box for half price - use the code STYLISTDEC1411, GLOSSYTUBE2012 or AFFGLOSSY50OFF at the checkout! http://www.glossybox.co.uk/invitation/MjIzNzE=?utm_source=Customers&utm_medium=link&utm_term=MjIzNzE%3D&utm_campaign=Refer-a-friend%2F
Also this january box will be shipped 27th january and will be Valentine's Day themed in glossy fuchsia pink box!

CARMINE - subscribe to Carmine beauty box and enjoy first box for £4.75 THE DISCOUNT LINK I HAD HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE GO TO YOUR FB AND GO TO CARMINE FB PAGE, THERE SHOULD COME UP ADVERT ON THE RIGHT WHICH SHOULD GENERATE DISCOUNT CODE!

SHE SAID BEAUTY - completely new Beauty box on the market, first box will be shipped in early March. Usually first boxes are EPIC so you should really subscribe and not miss out! If you subscribe now, you'll get 25% off of your first box! http://www.shesaidbeauty.com/FACGF and after you'll subscribe and you'll refer two friends you'll get your box for free! Please use my link for your first subscription x

That's it! I don't know about any more discounts for boxes but if you will want to subscribe in the future just let me know and I'll find out for you x

SinfulColors Holiday 2011: Wish Collection - Review and swatches

2012-01-20T22:11:00.000Z

Hello lovelies,

Holiday season is behind us again but holiday polishes are still in our drawers ready to be used again! My nails are finally reasonably long so I swatched SinfulColors Wish Collection straight away. It consists of 5 nail polish shades and two nail art polishes.

OUT OF THIS WORLD - pearly shimmer silver. This is like millions of tiny silver flecks in the bottle. It is like sugar coat :) I'm sure it will be great for layering as it is not very opaque on one coat. This is two coats which were enough for a good coverage. Drying time was average but I had a bit of an issue with removal. You see those million silver flecks that look so great on the nails? Well they are not that great on the cuticles :D

SUGAR SUGAR - beautiful red shimmer with gold flecks. This polish has a bit jelly formula that looks really good and rich. There gold flecks that you can see in the bottle but they get coloured so they don't really translate on the nail. Despite that this is beautiful holiday red. I must tell you that it not only is a beautiful colour but also have amazing formula! it is almost one coater and it dries very fast! I had no problems with removal either.

MIDNIGHT BLUE - rich vibrant deep blue shimmer. This polish has great formula - it's almost one coater but 2 coats are just perfect. It dried REALLY fast and the application was nice and easy. as you can see it has a fine shimmer but it causes little bit of streaks.

LAST CHANCE - dark creme forest green.Very nice holiday shade :) It has again very good formula, same as previous polishes. It is almost one coater but I've used two to make it flawless. It dried fast and I had absolutely no problems with removal.

DADDY'S GIRL - dark purple cool-toned jelly with glass flecks. I'm soo happy that this colour is featured in this holiday collection! It was on my wishlist for ages but it was always sold out. It is beautiful but sheer purple jelly with glass flecks. It is very nice as layering polish too. This is 3 thicker coats and as you can see it is not completely opaque but still beautiful :)

Daddy's Girl over Midnight Blue

FASHIONISTA - silver glitter in a clear base with nail art brush. This is one out os two nail art polishes in the collection. Not really unique polish but if you enjoy nail art, it's good to have something like this.

FLOWER GIRL - a bronzy gold with ton of sparkle - this description says it all. Very well pigmented nail art polish. As you can see in the picture the pigmentation is very good, I have dipped the brush just once.

Overall I feel this is a great collection not only for including Daddy's Girl ;) The formula of Midnight Blue, Sugar Sugar, Last Chance and Flower Girl was amazing! The rest was very nice too and I was really surprised by the quality of polishes.

"SinfulColors surpasses the masses with more than 150 amazing shades of nail polish, including the above-mentioned shades. All hues are available for $1.99 at major drug and mass-market stores nationwide, by calling 1-800-448-0763 or online at www.walgreens.com"

*The products were provided to me for a review. I've expressed my honest opinion.

Do you love vampy jellies? Check out China Glaze Crimson from Haunting Collection 2011! Review and swatches

2012-01-19T13:41:00.001Z

Hi girls!

I absolutely love jellies so China Glaze Crimson was no brainer. It is from Haunting Halloween collection 2011 so I'm showing it to you a bit late :-/

Crimson - blackened purple jelly. This is very dark rich blackberry jelly. Sometimes it looks like black jelly, that's how dark it is. Despite the jelly formula, the pigmentation is very good and this is just two coats. In the last picture I painted thumb with one coat so you can see the difference one coat makes. Drying time was average (jellies always dry longer) and removal was without any problems. No topcoat.

2 coats vs. 1 coat on the thumb

Sally Hansen All Fired Up - cool bright red! Review ans swatches

2012-01-18T09:27:00.000Z

Hello :)

Looking for a bright red colour? Look no more :) Today I'll show you Sally Hansen's All Fired Up.

All Fired Up - cool-toned bright red creme. The pigmentation of this polish is good, I've used two coats. It dried fast and the formula was nice, not runny/watery :) I really like this colour as it's a nice change from all the dark reds and purples I usually wear. Oh and also Complete Salon Manicure polishes come with large flat brush that is wide almost like the bottle neck :D But suprisingly if you'll learn how to work with it it's a very pleasant brush.

OPI Gold Shatter over Red Lights Ahead...Where? from Holland Collection

2012-01-17T11:25:00.000Z

Hello :)

When I was swatching OPI Red Lights Ahead...Where?, I finished it with OPI Gold Shatter I had in a Joliebox (UK Beauty Box). The Gold Shatter looks very nice. I had a little trouble applying it equally - the middle (1st stroke) was thickest and sides were thinnest which causes different sizes of cracking. I ended up with quite big crackled pieces of gold colour.

The BodyNeeds Blackened collection eyeshadows - swatches

2012-01-16T09:09:00.000Z

Hello lovelies :)

I've recently purchased four eyeshadows from The BodyNeeds Blackened collection and since they are so beautiful I've decided to share this joy :) Each pot costs $1.99 and it's 5 gram jar. Available is also 10g jar.

I got Blackened Teal, Blackened Violet, Blackened Emerald and Blackened Bronze. The eyeshadow is very fine and the pigmentation is good. I would recommend to apply it over dark grey or black base as it will intensify the colour. I wore combination of Blackened Teal, Violet and Emerald on New Year's Eve over dark grey Benefit creme eyeshadows in Strut. They didn't crease whole night and looked very good. The only downsize is (as with most colours of this type) that if you blend it too much you can lose some of the coloured particles.

You should definitely check out Jangsara's swatches, she did awesome ones on her eyes and since I wouldn't do better, I will just recommend hers :)

OPI Holland Collection Spring 2012 - OPI Red Lights Ahead...Where?

2012-01-15T12:02:00.001Z

Hi girls,

today I have here the only one OPI from Holland Collection I own right now. But I must moan a little bit first :D One of my nails is still really short so I cannot do swatches :( it's taking ages to grow back (I broke it a week before Christmas) I swatched this OPI on my right hand and MY RIGHT HAND SUCKS! The pictures are not as half good as if I do swatches on my left hand :( Enough moaning!

Red Lights Ahead...Where? - bright neon coral creme. The colour is something between red and orange neon colour, a bit coral I'd say. The formula is awesome! You could do with just one coat but I've applied two to cover few ridges in my nails. It dries fast and it applied like a dream! It was quite hard to photograph it as neon colours don't agree with most cameras :-/ I've done my best and I think the colour is I think 95% accurate, only little bit more bright neon.I might get few more Holland polishes like Vampsterdam :)

*This polish has been provided to me for a review. I've expressed my honest opinion.

2 Year Bloggiversary Giveaway!

2012-01-14T07:00:00.003Z

Hello my lovelies!

I cannot believe that it will be TWO years since I started my blog! Just for fun I went to my blog archive and found first few months and looked at the pictures...OH MY GOD, they were so lame :D And my short nails? And the shape? :D :D :D I really changed a lot in past two years. So...

As a huge thank you to all readers, subscribers and supporters, I'm holding a 2 Year Bloggiversary Giveaway! Thank you thank you thank you for reading my posts, for your lovely words in comments and interacting with me on Facebook (I have Twitter but don't really use it for interaction...any tips?)

There will be three prizes and three winners in this giveaway.

Prize #1:
- ELF Day to Night Beauty On The Go palettes - two eyeshadow palettes with warm & cool colours
- ELF Beauty Book Smoky Eye Edition - Smoky eye eyeshadow palette
- ELF Nail Polish in Chocolate
- Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle mini polish
- Zoya Jem mini
- Models Own 3 in 1 Base coat/Top coat/Gloss
- Models Own Beetlejuice Purple Blue
- Models Own Beetlejuice Golden Green
- Models Own Snow White

Prize #2:
- Sleek The Berry Collection - includes lipstick, blush and khol pencil, full review and pictures HERE
- ELF Smoky Eye palette
- ELF Shimmer eyeliner pencil in Plum Passion

Prize #3:
- Konad Stamping Starter Kit - includes 2 plates (M2, M3), 3 polishes (red, white, blue) and a stamp & scraper.This prize have been kindly donated by Nail Polish Canada.
Morever if you comment on this giveaway post with your favourite Konad from Nail Polish Canada and you will be drawn as a winner, you will win your chosen plate!
Still not enough? Prize #3 winner will be entered to win $200 worth of Konad products from Nail Polish Canada site. So the winner of the Konad Kit from my blog will be entered, along with about 10 others, to win $200 worth of Konad products.
- This prize is available only to U.S. and Canada residents only but the rest of you is still in for the first two prizes!

The Rules:
1. Fill in the Rafflecopter Gadget
2. Be a follower - thank you very much if you already follow. New followers are welcome too :) Gain extra entries for following on FB, Twitter, Bloglovin, Hellocotton etc.
3. Spread the word - share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, blog post, your sidebar and in any other way you can think of..

Giveaway is open internationally and starts on 14 January 2012 and ends on 14 February 2012 on Valentine's Day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck everyone!

Press Release: China Glaze Electropop Collection for Spring 2012

2012-01-13T19:05:00.000Z

Where heavy metal meets rocker chic, China Glaze® introduces the Spring 2012 collection, ElectroPop. Inspired by all things girly, edgy and fun, the 12 shades of ElectroPop bring out the inner rock star in all. For flash and glam this spring, China Glaze® hits the stage in style!

ElectroPop Shades include:

· Kinetic Candy – Touch the sky in light blue crème

· Electric Beat – Periwinkle nails for a wink worthy performance

· Aquadelic – Pool blue for nighttime gigs and daytime fun in the sun

· Gaga For Green – Green lacquer for the girl craving the limelight

· Sunshine Pop – Shine in the spotlight in bold yellow

· Make Some Noise – Rock the mic in tangerine

· Wicked Style – Party cocktail tropical punch

· Fuchsia Fanatic – Fuchsia pink for the rocker diva in us all

· Gothic Lolita – Steal the show on girls night out in seductive purple

· Dance Baby – Hit center stage in cotton candy pink

· Techno – Glitter confetti polish for a dazzling topcoat finish or all over finger tip bling

ElectroPop is also available in:

· 6 Piece Collection of “Brights”: Techno, Aquadelic, Sunshine Pop, Gaga for Green, Make Some Noise and Wicked Style

· 6 Piece Collection of “Lights”: Fuchsia Fanatic, Dance Baby, Electric Beat, Kinetic Candy, Sweet Hook and Gothic Lolita

·12 Piece 3D Counter Display

·36 Piece Rack

ElectroPop will be available February 2012. Individual shades retail for $7; 6 piece collections retail for $42.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

Press Release: SpaRitual Water Spring 2012 Collection

2012-01-13T13:02:00.000Z

SpaRitual Water Spring 2012 Collection

Nature’s purest distillation of life-giving energy. Drink in its powers while getting lost at sea. A hidden world, found in the depths below, beyond reflection.

Shimmering corals, deep watercolors and dense pastels rise to the surface. The effect is fluid, weightless and glistening.

Our collection is inspired by the beauty and life-giving energy of one of our most precious resources, water. To help raise awareness and protect our resources for generations to come, SpaRitual will be donating 20% of sales to Surge. Bringing water to those in need, Surge is a non-profit organization that improves access to clean water for life. Surge increases public awareness of the global water crisis through education and investment in sustainable solutions.

Deep – Iridescent Grey Shimmer

Ebb & Flow – Aqua Crème

Hidden Reef – Coral Shimmer

Lucid – Lilac Blue Crème

Ripple Effect – Dusty Mauve Crème

Undercurrent – Deep Blue Crème

Water Individual Lacquers RRP £8.50

Water Collection Mini 4-Piece RRP £15.95

For more information, please call at 0808 202 0855 or visit the SpaRitual website at www.sparitual.co.uk

As with all SpaRitual lacquers, these new shades are vegan and free of DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde resin. Each nail lacquer includes our sleek patented Plum Cap allowing effortless opening of the bottle and a non-slip grip while applying lacquer.

Feel Unique January 2012 Beauty Box - review

2012-01-12T19:39:00.000Z

Hi girls,

just a quick post with Feel Unique January 2012 Beauty Box review. It was a first box I was dissapointed with because the only product I want to try and I will use is the Dead Sea Spa Magik Salt Brushing.

So what was in the box?

Two packs of Dead Sea Spa Magik Salt Brushing 50g each - This is supposed to be the best selling product, voted 'Best Body scrub' by You Magazine. Suitable for those who desire a highly nourishing exfoliating treatment. Made from 100% pure Dead Sea Salt, mixed with a citrus aroma oil... will leave you amazingly silky and smelling divine. Paraben free! It naturally exfoliates without irritating. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant therefore having an anti-ageing and healing effect, and the Coconut oil nourishes and hydrates the skin. I've tried this product and I must say I REALLY like it! It smells nice lemony and it left my skin smooth, oily(but good oily) and nourished.
Green People Make up remover & cleanser - Want to liberate your skin from pollutants and impurities? Purify with beautiful Gentle Cleanse. 2 in 1 organic cleanser: make-up remover and face wash. For all skin types. Suitable for areas of sensitive skin and safely removes eye make-up (including waterproof mascara).
Caudalie VinoTherapie Nourishing Body Lotion - Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion is a rich, hydrating body treatment, enriched with plant-derived ingredients that provides intense nutrition and anti-oxidant action to your skin. Unctuous, it encourages micro-circulation and helps prevent premature skin ageing. The sample I received in the box has 30ml. I have tons of body creams and butters so this one goes to swap box.
Lierac Coherence L.IR Infrared Lifting Cream - Extreme Age-Defense Firming Care. Drawing inspiration from dermatological infrared laser techniques, this advanced formula, with its soft and velvety texture, helps reactivate the synthesis of collagen fibers. Featuring combination of collagen III accelerating vectors and micronised tourmaline crystals, Lierac Coherence L.IR Infrared Lifting Cream produces a virtual "face-resculpting" effect. Skin looks visibly "lifted" and regains optimum firmness. The oval of the face appears ideally redesigned. This cream will go to my mum as I really don't need super-duper anti-wrinkle cream. It is 15 ml.
Lierac Comfort Peel - a small tube-like packaging of a serum
Phyto PhytoBaume Color Protect Express Conditioner - Grapefruit and sea buckthorn extracts, castor oil, sunflower extract, hibiscus flower acids, mallow extraction (78%). Phyto PhytoBaume Color Protect Express Conditioner instantly detangles and protects colour-treated or highlighted hair. Sea buckthorn extract has nurturing and antioxidant properties that acts as a cellular protector to lock-in colour and prevent fading. Grapefruit extract combined with hibiscus flower acids seal the cuticle for ultimate shine. I've already tried this conditioner and to be honest it doesn't make a big difference. My hair is not too tangled, it is nice and soft but that's about it..

Layering experiment: Essie Raspberry with Nfu Oh #50

2012-01-11T08:39:00.000Z

Hello :)

I did another layering over Essie Raspberry I've reviewed here. Nfu Oh's are just beutiful and I love experimenting with them! As it says in the title, I've layered Nfu Oh #50 over Essie Raspberry.

Essie Raspberry - review and swatches

2012-01-09T16:16:00.000Z

Hello lovelies :)

Today I've decided to post more girly colour and I chose Essie Raspberry.

Raspberry - reddish berry creme shade. This polish has very pleasant formula with good pigmentation. I've used two coats for full coverage and it dried reasonably fast. I haven't used topcoat and you can see the polish dried nice and shiny. This is a very nice shade, not red, not purple but something in between..like light berry colour. For me it's a must have :)

Haunted Zebra manicure :D

2012-01-08T09:31:00.000Z

Why Haunted Zebra manicure? Well I was just playing with words but it's because I've used zebra stamping pattern over China Glaze Haunting polish :) The pattern is stamped with China Glaze Millennium.

Christmas sales haul...China Glaze, Zoya, Nails Inc..

2012-01-06T22:17:00.000Z

Hi girls :)

I just wanted to show you what I bought in holiday sales, won in a giveaway and what is waiting for a review.

SinfulColors holiday collection finally arrived and the colours are really nice in real life. Especially Daddy's Girl has been on my wish list for a long time! Next there are four Zoyas which I purchased thanks to lovely Karen and also thanks to great Zoya Christmas promotions! Well I got a little overboard and another 14 Zoyas are on the way!!!! Couldn't resist!

Here I have a lovely China Glaze Seasonal Sparkles set and Bath & Body Works anti-bacterial hand gel with peppermint stick scent which I won in a giveaway at http://ashleyispolishaddicted.blogspot.com/ Check Ashely's blog, she has great polishes and swatches!

Next I purchased Fashionista's Red Magnetic polish, Nails Inc. polishes which were in a set for a bargain price and the last is OPI from Holland collection which I have to review (but have to wait for my broken nail to grow back :o/ )

China Glaze Haunting from Haloween Haunting collection 2011! Review & swatches

2012-01-06T09:10:00.000Z

Hello lovelies :)

I am veeery late with this year's Haloween polishes, aren't I? I still haven't shown you China Glaze Haunting and Crimson. At least today's post is about Haunting polish :)

Haunting - ash black with silver square glitter. Great dark polish with very nice formula - I needed only two coats for full coverage and it applied easily. However there is one problem with this colour - it dries a bit gritty so make sure you use thicker topcoat. I've used Models Own topcoat which made the surface nicely smoothbut unfortunately added a little bit of this UV blue-ish shade :-/ Very dissapointing topcoat.

Starry Starry Magic - OPI DS Magic with silver stamping

2012-01-05T09:26:00.000Z

Hi girls!

A little bit of very simple stamping today? when I was reviewing the OPI DS Magic polish here, I didn't leave it alone...no...I stamped little cute stars on it :) I've used two coats of Magic and then stamped it with China Glaze Millennium.

Artificial light

Layering experiment: Facets of Fuchsia & Bad Romance with Revlon Star

2012-01-04T09:47:00.000Z

Hi girls :)

In the previous post I've compared Revlon Facets of Fuchsia with Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance. Since they were almost identical I've used them as a base colour for another layering experiment. I've used one coat of Revlon Star (silver and blue hexagonal and square glitter in a clear base) and no top coat.

It came out quite nicely, I like the mix of purple, blue and silver glitter on a black base.

Lucy's Stash: The Favourite Beauty Products of 2011

2012-01-03T08:20:00.001Z

Hello lovelies,

I know my blog is mainly about nail polishes but I thought I might share my favourite beauty products of 2011. And after all it's my blog and I can write about anything I want :D :D Some of the products became absolute necessity for me and it might just inspire you :) So here we go:

Skincare:

Care Set Pure Nutrition by Santaverde - it contains 30 ml Medium Aloe Vera Cream and 30 ml Extra Rich Beauty Elixir. I love this stuff! I don't think I've ever had better skin care than this. Santaverde cosmetics do not contain water, but instead contain pure Aloe Vera plant juice and it makes wonders with my skin! I use the cream for a day and the Beauty Elixir oil for the night. I wake up with nourished healthy skin and all it takes is few drops. The set retails for £56 but you can get it as a gift if you'll subscribe to Amarya Beauty Box for a whole year!

Colbert MD Nourish Eye Cream - I had this eye cream in my Boudoir Prive box and stocked up on few more pots because full size (15ml) costs whopping £90! I really like its light but nourishing formula and it seems to help with my dark circles a bit (but really only a bit). I use it mainly in the evening but occassionally in the morning too.

Make up:

MAC eyeshadow palettes - I don't think these needs an introduction :) I use these four MAC palettes the most out of my all eyeshadows! I'd say I use Carbon, Smoke & Diamonds, Bisque and Shroom the most out of all. Nehru is missing in the picture, I still have to depot it :)

Too Faced Shadow Insurance - this has been my favourite eyeshadow base for about a year and a half. I much prefer it to Urban Decay Primer Potion which had left me like beige streaks on my eyelids. TF Shadow Insurance blends into transparent colour and it dries fast enough not crease when I open my eye after application. Also it's in a tube so you'll be able to use entire product not like with the UDPP (unless you cut the bottle and scoop the product out).

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack - this is my all time favourite eyeliner! I've tried all different types from felt tip eyeliners through to pencils and liquid eyeliners but I like this one the best. I apply it with eyeliner brush :)

Sephora Perfecting Lash Primer - I never apply mascara without a primer, it makes quite a difference to me. I have quite long lashes but not really thick so the primer helps a bit with that. I'm currently using Silk Naturals' Eye Lash Conditioning gel to help my eyelashes grow but it's too early to tell if it works..oh and just few days ago I started to use Talika too :)

Maybelline The One by One Volume Express Mascara - stupid name but makes nice and separated eyelashes :) I never had an all time favourite mascara because I simply buy one, use it till it's dry and then purchase different one. I've been using this one for quite a while and I would recommend it, especially for the price.

Illamasqua Concealer - This has been my fav concealer for some time and I would probably get another one if I ever finish it. I like this creamy concealer because it is not too creamy (if that makes sense), it is thicker so after I dab it and blend it stays in its place and doesn't crease. I bought this one at Asos so I didn't get the right shade but after I apply makeup and powder it looks fine.

Revlon PhotoReady makeup - I've purchased this makeup only recently because I needed a heavier colour for winter and I am really happy with it. It's my #1 makeup right now. It matches my skin tone very well and it lasts on me whole day.

T. LeClerc Loose Powder - This has been my #1 powder for about two years now and I still really like but I'm slowly finishing my fourth jar and I think I will try Chanel loose powder this time. It is really nice powder, very fine, lightly colouring however the price tag hurts - £35 for 25 grams.

T. LeClerc Multi Use bronzing powder in Aurore - This has been my favourite go to bronzer/blush for the past two years. I use it from the late spring till the late Autumn. The colour is easy to regulate and it is not too bronze-y. I think it will last me forever.

My fav blushes MAC Harmony, Illamasqua Beg and recent addition Sleek Fenberry -Harmony is a great blush for contouring so if I fancy it I contour my face a bit with this one. Illamasqua Beg is insanely pigmented blush, it takes only a light dab and it is almost enough for both my cheeks. Sleek Fenberry is currently my go-to blush as it's new (I know :D) and it has really nice colour and pigmentation. I thought I would show you my top three blushes, I couldn't select just one :)

Fragrance:

Boss Orange by Hugo Boss - I got this fragrance from my boyfriend as a graduation present and for the past year it has been my absolute favourite of all times! Fresh citrusy scent that doesn't give me headache...I couldn't wish for more :D No seriously..I really have problem to choose fragrance as I can't stand most of them and they give me headache but this one is just prefect.

Hair:

Tangle Teezer - You surely must have heard of this little thingy. I cannot imagine my life without it! It helps me so much with untangling my very long hair and I would never ever ever go back to an ordinary comb!

So there you go, my favourites of 2011 :) I hope you've enjoyed this posted, maybe inspired yourself and I will welcome any comments and suggestions you might have :)

Comparison between Revlon Facets of Fuchsia and Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance

2012-01-02T10:45:00.000Z

Hello lovelies :)

I finally got my paws on Revlon Facets of Fuchsia and did a comparison of it with Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance (reviewed here). The polishes are almost identical. The Bad Romance have more opaque black jelly base but in the end they are almost same. Facets of Fuchsia have slightly more glitter in it. Can you spot any differences?

Bottle comparison (sorry for the poor quality pic)

1500 Follower Giveaway - The OPI Muppets winners!

2012-01-01T14:28:00.000Z

Hello ladies,

First of all HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I wish you all the best in 2012 and hope you'll enjoy my blog even more :) Thank you for following, reading and for all your lovely comments!

I've drawn two lucky winners who won OPI Muppets polishes in my 1500 Follower Giveaway (Winners' names announced on the Rafflecopter gadget HERE).

The winner #1 who wins 3 OPI Muppets polishes of her choice (from offered 5 shades above) is ...

.... Helen H

The winner #2 who gets 2 remaining shades is ...

.... Bebe

from A Sleepy Beauty

Congratualations girls! I will send you emails to let you know!

Thank you all for participating and sorry you didn't win this time. Stay tuned for 2000 Followers Giveaway which is coming soon as a big thank you!

Lucy's Stash: The Best of 2011

2011-12-30T11:27:00.000Z

Well that was fast! This year went really fast for me and I can't belive it's over again! I've moved twice, celebrated my first year anniversary with my hun and got a new job and a car! Also tried to improve my blog as much as I could and I hope you will stay my readers in 2012. What a year!

I've selected some manicures I liked the most this year, hope you'll enjoy the small window to the past :)

Checked Manicure - I've used China Glaze QT as a base holographic colour and then created different colour squares using a tape. The check colours are intentionally assymetric, I like it better :) The black squares are Color Club Black and silver ones are China Glaze Millennium.

White Shatter - cream white crackling polish. Colour has very good pigmentation so you don't have to worry about too thin layer. Polish starts to dry and crackle within about 5 seconds after application so work fast :) I've applied White Shatter over Spark de Triomphe.

SpaRitual Shooting Star - this shade comes from Twinkle 2011 Collection. It is beautiful purple full of gold flecks. The formula and the pigmentation of the polish is great. I applied two coats for a full coverage and one coat of Seche Vite topcoat. It dried reasonably fast.

Earth Matters - green and gold glittery particles in a green jelly. The green colour is nice and fresh, very nice shade. I needed only two coats for a full coverage so the pigmentation is good. The formula is a bit runny but nothing too bad, just make sure you don't have nail polish dripping from the brush. The polish dries a bit gritty and matte but once you'll use a top coat, it will transform to this absolutely stunning green!

City Siren - beautiful cool tone red creme. One coat was almost enough for a full coverage and it's soo shiny! It applied very nicely and dried reasonably fast. This is a very nice shade of red I must say.

Traffic Jam - a raspberry creme colour. This is a beautiful shade that reminds me CHG Heli-Yum from Spring 2010. The formula is great - so smooth, not watery and shiny! The polish is opaque about 90% in one coat and it takes just second thin coat for perfection. I dried quite fast and became #1 of the whole collection for me!

Gradient manicure with Misa and SinfulColors - I've used two coats of Misa Wishing on a Star and then created gradient effect with Sinful Colors Call You Later.

Models Own Smash-Up Silver Crackle over China Glaze Ahoy!

GlossyBox manicure - I've used Leighton Denny in Baby Doll, Color Club Black and Konad White polish for bow highlights. This was very successful manicure and you all helped me to win a nail art competition with it! Thank you!!!

Gradient manicure with Cetuem and SpaRitual - I've used two coats of Cetuem duochrome #167 and then painted the tips with SpaRitual Clarity pink glitter polish. There is no topcoat in the picture and I quite liked it for a change.

Christmas Manicure - I've used one coat of Ciate Talent Scout as a base colour. Then I've painted part of the nail with Blue Pumpkin polish which is blue jelly with round blue glitter and silver hexagon glitter. After everything dried properly I stamped silver snowflakes using China Glaze Millennium.

Night Sky Manicure - I've used one layer of Elf Golden Goddess over A England Tristam which created interesting night sky effect. Then I've mattified this manicure using Essie Matte About You.

Lady Of The Lake - cool-toned hologhraphic purple. The holographic particles are tiny and the rainbow effect is not over the to. The formula is really great! The pigmentation is good so I applied the first thicker coat and was really hesitant if I need to apply the second coat. I did so there are two coats in the pictures :) Polish dried quite fast and was easy to apply.

Divine Swine - purple and silver glitter in a clear base. The purple glitter is ordinary small glitter, the silver glitter is bigger hexagonal glitter. It dried fast which is always great. It really reminds me of polishes like Revlon Facets of Fuchsia and Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance.

Purple Blue - Purple duochrome changing to blue. This polish is a bit like foil finish, very shimmery and I find it very hard to describe :) The formula is quite nice - polish is easy to apply as it is not too watery. I applied two thicker coats so you might also do three thinner coats. Polish dried quite fast which I liked and didn't leave streaks.

Models Own Emerald Black from the new Beetlejuice Collection and CND Teal Sparkle from the Night Factory Duo and the result is amazing! It's like a mermaid manicure.. I've used two coats of Emerald Black and one layer of Teal Sparkle.

Aqua Violet - Aqua blue duochrome changing into cool-toned purple. The finish is pearlescent duochrome with a bit of shimmer. The formula was a bit watery and pigmentation was a bit weaker. I've used two really thick coats but if you use thinner layers you'll need three coats. The colour is streaky as with all pearlescent finishes so paint carefully! It dries quite fast and boy, the result! I think it's worth all the pain!

Pinky Brown - well it's not pinky at all. The colour is foil-like duochrome purple changing to burnt orange and brown. The shimmer is towards pink but I wouldn't call this polish pinky :) The formula is on the weaker side - I had to use two really thick coats for the full cover and the first coat looked terrible. It wasn't streaky but it dried a little longer.

Frozen tips manicure - I've used two coats of Pepe's Purple Passion and a bit of Gone Gonzo! glitter for the tips. Then sealed it with thick coat of Seche Vite topcoat.

Gradient manicure - I've applied two coats of Animal-istic and then decorated the tips with Gettin' Miss Piggy With It. One coat of Seche Vite and done!

Dress inspired manicure - I've used China Glaze Grape Pop and Millennium. Firstly I painted one coat of Millennium and when it dried I've applied different size stripes to the nail and painted it over with Grape Pop.

Barielle Lust- red jelly with Elle's Spell over it creates this amazing combo! Elle's Spell by itself is not very opaque so it's better layered over another polish. I've used two coats of Lust and one coat of Elle's Spell. There's not as many flakies in Elle's Spell as in Nfu Oh 59 but it still creates a beautiful effect. I haven't used topcoat and it's really shiny even without it.

I've decorated Barielle Glammed Out Garnet with OPI Excuse Moi!. Excuse Moi! is perfect for gradient manicures as it contains small and bigger glitters. That always makes the best details.

Cetuem 194 - purple shimmery duochrome changing into olive green shade. The pigmentation was decent, I've used two thicker coats for a full coverage. Polish is streaky so I had to be a little careful with the second coat. Drying time was average and removal was without problem.

Snowflake mani - For this manicure I've used two coats of OPI Roadhouse Blues, then I painted gradient tips with Revlon Star glitter. When everything dried I started to paint the snowflake.

A England Merlin over Perceval - rectangular silver glitter. Now this was a surprise! I was expecting round or square glitter (just classic one) but I couldn't be more wrong. It is rectangular glitter, very unusal. It creates different effect than classic shaped glitters. It applied easily - mainly because the polish is packed with glitter so there is no need for dipping your brush twice. It dried fast and it removed difficult as usuall glitter. No topcoat here.

Rainbow Connection - different size and colour glitters in a clear base. This is a great layering polish. I don't like it by itself, it looks like circus on the nails or confetti, just too much. But like this over white it looks quite nice :)

Mermaid manicure - I've layered Nfu Oh 52 over Dr.'s Remedy NOBLE Navy. For this mani I've used one coat of NOBLE Navy and one coat of Nfu Oh 52. No topcoat. I really like the mermaid-like duochrome colour and the gorgeous flakies in it!

Gone Gonzo! - small light blue hexagonal glitter mixed with large silver hexagonal glitter in a clear base. It has exactly the same formula as other glitters in this collection - dries fast, it's tough to remove and applies good.

Fresh Frog of Bel Air - small green hexagonal glitter mixed with large silver hexagonal glitter in a clear base. I've applied one coat of glitter and one coats of topcoat. There's not much more to say about this glitter, only that it dries fast and looks good :)

Dr.'sRemedy RESOLUTION Red Glitter - pink and silver glitter. I don't know where this name came from, I really don't :) IT IS NOT A RED GLITTER :D The finish is again foil-like, very sparkly and almost metallic. I needed two coats for a full coverage and then one layer of topcoat to smooth it out. Drying was time average and removal very difficult. Soak, soak, soak!

Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all the best in 2012!

Layering experiment: Dr.'s Remedy ESSENTIAL Emerald with Golden Rose 06

2011-12-27T11:44:00.000Z

Hello my lovelies :)

Another layering experiment here at Lucy's Stash today :) Are you tired of them or do you want more?

I have here Golden Rose Scale Effect 06 (light blue/green flakies) layered over Dr.'s Remedy ESSENTIAL Emerald. Another mermaid-y colour? Golden Rose flakies are very good substitute for Nfu Oh's but they won't give you that jelly with shimmer base...but you can layer it over a jelly polish or shimmery polish and it will look great.

How freakin' beautiful is this???

KIKO 255 - Purple Holographic awesomeness in the bottle! Review and swatches

2011-12-26T10:33:00.000Z

Hi girls!

This is my second KIKO polish - number 255! There were two holo polishes in store but I picked up only one (I'm soooo stupid :D) The other one is warm holo purple, similar to OPI DS Extravagance.

KIKO 255 - cool-toned holographic deep purple. The formula of this polish is very nice - it applied easily and dried reasonably fast on me. However when it dried it left a bit gritty finish so I had to use a topcoat. The first two pictures are in the direct sunlight and you can see the awesome holo particles. Of course it looks MUCH better in real life! Removal was ok, the holo particles didn't cause me much trouble :)

Comparison of KIKO 255 with OPI DS Extravagance. KIKO is much closer to Color Club Wild Heart (don't own) and to A England Lady Of The Lake. Looking at the following photo now I should've do comparison with lady Of The Lake...well never mind :D

Merry Christmas my lovely fellow nail polish addicts :D

2011-12-24T22:24:00.000Z

Hello lovelies!

Enjoying Christmas? I had a lovely Christmas Eve with my boyfriend and tomorrow we're going for roast turkey Christmas lunch to his parents :) I'm really looking forward to it, I love roast!

I wish you all very Merry Christmas and thank you for coming back and reading my posts, commenting and ... just being there :) You make me enjoy blogging more and more!

I also wish you lots of beautiful presents and lots of the most beautiful colourful bottles of nail polishes :)

Kleancolor Chunky Holo Purple layered over Dr.'s Remedy PASSION Purple

2011-12-23T10:37:00.000Z

Hi girls :)

I have another layering experiment here today. I've layered on coat of Kleancolor Chunky Holo Purple layered over two coats of Dr.'s Remedy PASSION Purple (reviewed here).

I really like the Kleancolors holo glitters! In the end they all have the same effect but it's still gorgeous!

Don't forget to enter my 1500 Follower Giveaway for a chance to wim OPI Muppets polishes!

Matte version with Elf Matte topcoat

1300 Follower Giveaway WINNER!

2011-12-22T11:20:00.000Z

Hi girls,

yesterday I've picked a winner for my 1300 Follower Giveaway. And the person winning the whole Models Own Beetlejuice collection is......

................. Zirafka!

Congratulations! The winner already responded to my email so Zirafka is officially the winner!

A England Merlin glitter layered over Perceval - review and swatches

2011-12-22T10:00:00.000Z

Hello :)

As I promised, today I'm reviewing A England's Merlin. It is layered over Perceval (reviewed here).

Merlin - rectangular silver glitter. Now this was a surprise! I was expecting round or square glitter (just classic one) but I couldn't be more wrong. It is rectangular glitter, very unusal. It creates different effect than classic shaped glitters. It applied easily - mainly because the polish is packed with glitter so there is no need for dipping your brush twice. It dried fast and it removed difficult as usuall glitter. No topcoat here.

Direct sunlight

A England Perceval - a must have festive shimme red! Review and swatches

2011-12-21T08:56:00.000Z

Hello lovelies :)

Today I have here another A England gem - Perceval. My pictures don't really do this polish a justice, it is much more beautiful in real life - rich deep colour. There is a promotion called Merry Crowns - duos of polishes for £13 so I got Duo called 25th including Perceval and Merlin - silver glitter topcoat. In the next post I'll show you Merlin layered over Perceval.

Perceval - rich dark red shimmer. This polish has a great formula (as any other A England polish I've tried). It was almost opaque in one coat but I needed two for a perfect coverage. It applied like a dream - smooth, easy to apply and fast drying. The colour was streaky a bit but in the end I couldn't see it very much. No topcoat in the pictures.

Direct sunlight

SPOILER ALERT December Carmine Box Review!

2011-12-20T11:29:00.001Z

Hi girls,

sorry for all these beauty box reviews but I just love them and some people like to know what's in them....it's like Christmas 5 times a month, every month!!! Love it!

Anyway today I've received my December Carmine box and decided not to wait and write review straight away. Oh and this first picture is of October box, I forgot to take picture of unopened box and don't want to spoil surprise for those who don't want to know the contents by posting a picture of opened box. In December box I had dark red bow :)

If you would like to subscribe to Carmine box, please use this referral link: http://www.carmine.co.uk/0dcO3 It will get me some points towards free box <3

And here are the contents of the box:

Japonesque smudger Brush - The perfect tool to give your eyes a kick, this smudge brush provides excellent control for creating a variety of looks and blending all kinds of colour. Sold at Boots. I've heard good reviews on Japonesque brushes so I'm happy to finally try one. It's dense but still soft enough and will be great for crease. the brush retails for £14.75

Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash - Fresh from the orchard, this refreshing body wash is packed with nutrients and organic pomegranate oil. So lather up and breathe in. This body wash comes with a discount card for free Pomegranate Facial Care Travel set worth £12.95 with any purchase of £30 or more. Use code MINEFREE. It is a full size and retails for £8.95

KMS CALIFORNIA FREE SHAPE quick blow dry - the ultimate time saver that will leave your hair incredibly smooth from multi-award winning haircare brand KMS California. Simply make this the last product you spritz on before drying to reduce your blowdrying time by up to 50%. Well that sounds interesting, I hate long hair drying. I have very long hair so sometimes it feels like ages! Will try in the evening :) The full sized product has 200ml and retails from £9.10. The sample size bottle has 30ml which values about £1.36

Institut Esthederm Time Technology Cream - Don't be deceived, this miracle cream is perfect for skin of all ages. Light reflecting- this Time Technology Cream from Institute Esthederm not only gives your face an instant glow but provides that deep moisturisation that you know your skin will thank you for. I'm not sure I'll be trying this cream as I'm very happy with the one I currently use. The full size has 50ml and retails for £69. The sample size has 10ml which values at around £13.80

MYFACE Cosmetics Blingtone eyeshadow - Just like the name says, this Grazia award winning pot of colour will give your eyes a bit of bling. Try a small dash of powder for subtle look or layer it on for powerful glow. Get £5 off a purchase of £20 or more (incl. free delivery) when you use code carmine5 at myfacecosmetics.co.uk I have the shade Crystalline Green. The eyeshadow has decent pigmentation, it has this metallic shine and tiny glittery particles. It retails for £9.99 which I don't think I would pay for it :-/ I'd rather buy MAC refill...

BENITO BROW BAR Eyebrow threading - box includes a voucher for one free brow threading at Benito brow bars nationwide, valid until 30th June 2012. Also 20% off of any eyelash treatments when combined with another treatment or service, valid until 31st Jan 2012

I'm really happy with this box, especially with the Japonesque brush and KMS spray. What do you think ladies? If you would like to subscribe to Carmine box, please use this referral link: http://www.carmine.co.uk/0dcO3 It will get me some points towards free box <3

December JolieBox and Boudoir Prive Goodbye box - quick review & photos

2011-12-20T08:32:00.000Z

Hello :)

It finally arrived! My first Joliebox! I've read that some girls received it on last Friday so I was impatiently expecting it on Saturday but nothing :( It was a looong wait till Monday but it is finally here together with my Boudoir Prive Goodbye box.

Joliebox is a renamed Boudoir Prive and it comes in black sleek box. The box is thinner than Boudoir Prive or GlossyBox's.

Apparently everybody has the same box so my review won't be a surprise :) The box contents are:

OPI Gold Shatter - full sized bottle of OPI nail polish is awesome!!! The polish itself costs around £10. I will be trying this one once my nails grow back to the normal length

Mitchell and Peach Shower Wash - Shower wash containing natural English honey, Vitamin E and wheat proteins. It smells to me like lavender which I cannot stand so it will either go to my swap box or as a stocking filler :) Full size bottle is 250ml and is sold for £20. The sample size from the box is 50ml which has value of £4.

New Cid Cosmetics i-gloss in Baby Doll - Light up lip gloss with mirror for a non-sticky, long-lasting and high-glam shine. well in my opinion it is sticky quite a lot but the light and mirror is pretty cool. The applicatior is brush. This is a full sized lipgloss that retails for £14.40

Jane Iredale 24-Karat Gold Dust in Rose Gold - A multi-use shimmer powder in shade Rose Gold to apply to cheeks, eyes, lips, body and even hair. I don't know if this is a full sized product (but probably is), it has1.8g. Full size retails for around £10.90

Yon-Ka Vital Defense - Anti-aging prevention, antioxidant and anti-pollution cream to help the skin to preserve its youthfulness. Full size product has 50ml and costs around £40. The sample I got in the box has 5ml which is value around £4

Extras in the box:

Kushmi Detox Tea - A delicious blend of Mate, Chinese Green tea and lemon grass full flavoured with lemon. This tea smells divine! I love the rich lemon smell! Tastes after lemon as well, very pleasant taste. Full size tea tin has 125g and costs approximately £13. The tin I've got is 20g, value around £2

Joliebox Concealer brush - very nice wide synthetic brush for concealer which I will definitely use. I like to have few different brushes for everything. I have no idea of a retail price

And just to show you the contents of the my Goodbye Boudoir Prive Box (last Boudoir Prive box with the best of product selection)

KIKO 244 - dark purple jelly! Review, swatches and comparison with OPI and China Glaze

2011-12-19T09:02:00.000Z

Hi girls :)

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to enter my 1300 Followers giveaway! You can win whole Models Own Beetlejuice collection!

It's finally here, my first swatch of KIKO nail polish! You can find post of my haul from KIKO store and pictures of their whole range of polishes HERE.

KIKO 244 - cool-toned dark (blackened?) jelly purple. This polish has very nice formula for a jelly. I haven't experienced any patches, it applied easily and the surface was smooth and shiny. The pigmentation is very good as well, this is two coats. Drying time is little bit longer but I haven't used Seche Vite top Coat or any other drying product. The last picture is a comparison between KIKO, China Glaze Crimson and OPI Honk If You Love OPI.

I've purchased this polish in KIKO Store in Westfield Stratford in London for £4.90 which is more expensive than the rest of the Europe :-/ I found out that in all other countries is the price €3.90 (about £3.34!)

Comparison with China Glaze Crimson and OPI Honk If You Love OPI. As you can see China Glaze is much darker blackened purple jelly. Honk If You Love OPI is very close though, only a shade lighter.

MUA Single eyeshadow haul and swatches

2011-12-18T11:05:00.000Z

Hi girls,

After I saw swatches of MUA eyeshadows on Carlotta's Beauty Spot, I had to have some! Especially when they are £1 and you can get extra 25% discount when filling a feedback form at Superdrug website! I bought some polishes too :)

So here are the shades I bought:

Shade 20 (matte black)
Shade 17 (matte beige)
Shade 19 (matte dark brown)
Shade 8 (pearl turquoise blue)
Shade 1 (pearl champagne)

I was pleasantly surprised with the pigmentation which is very good. They blend nicely too, I've used them so far in one makeup look and I'm happy with them. For £1 you get a great value for your money. They don't make huge range of shades right now but there are basic shades like matte black, shimmery champagne, forest green, very similar colour to MAC Blue Brown pigment (!) etc.

MUA products are available in Superdrug.

Dr.'s Remedy DEFENSE Deep Red with layer of CND Crimson Sparkle

2011-12-17T11:43:00.000Z

Hello!

I like layering whether it is shimmers, glitters, flakies or anything else. Whenever I swatch a polish I always do second set of pictures after applying some layering polish or doing nail art on it. This is one of the cases. I've swatched Dr.'s remedy DEFENSE Deep Red polish and then added one layer of CND Crimson Sparkle.

I like the duochrome and sparkle effect of Crimson Sparkle, it creates unique look every time.

Don't forget to enter my 1300 Follower giveaway ending 20 December 2011 and 1500 Follower giveaway ending 1 January 2012!

17 Magnetized Polish in Green - review and swatches

2011-12-16T08:04:00.000Z

Hi girls!

It looks like magnetic polishes will be the next big nail polish trend...well they are already pretty big. China Glaze is coming out with their magnetic collection, Nails Inc., Superdrug and Boots' brand 17 are already in stores.

I couldn't stay behind so I went to Boots and bought 17 Magnetic polishes in Green and Purple shades. Why this brand? It is pretty easy - Nails Inc. costs £11, Fashionista polishes cost £6 plus £3 for the magnet and most of the colours are identical to 17 brand. 17 polishes cost £5.99 and each come with own magnet.

Green - cool-toned forest green. This polish is very pigmented (as it has to be) so I've applied one coat and put the magnet above the nail straight away. I wore this for three days and experienced only very light tipwear which pleasantly surprised me. As you can see the pattern is not same on each nail, I'm still lame with magnetic polishes :D

I have couple of tips I've observed - don't do too thick coats because when you'll put magnet too close the amount of magnetic particles with lift up towards the magnet and creat a bump. Also try to put the magnet always on the same place and same height to get the same pattern.

I've recently created Bloglovin account so please follow me there as well as on my Twitter and Facebook accounts and get the news about my posts :) Also have you heard of Hellocotton? It's a website with updates from different types of blogs ranging from beauty, design, family to crafts. Definitely check it out! My profile there is here.

December GlossyBox (UK) Review... The best edition yet!!!

2011-12-15T15:43:00.002Z

Hi girls!

This box has been long expected and I really love it! It doesn't have a perfume sample in it and it has nail polish! Moreover December edition comes in shiny red box with black bow over white tissue paper. Fabulous!

Let's have a look at it then:

In my box I had:

Blink+Go Hi-Definition Mascara - Longer, thicker, sexier. give your natural lashes stunning flake-free waterproof boost. It did lenghtened my eyelashes quite well but it also stuck them together. I don't think it added a volume. Mascara is full size and retails for £14.99

CARGO COSMETICS Classic Lip Gloss in Paris - CARGO's new Lip Gloss formulation! Perfect shades, great wear and high-shine without being sticky. I've got pinkish pearl shade Paris. The sample I've received had 0.45g but I don't know how many grams is full size. Full size retails for £10.

Deborah Lippmann mini in Razzle Dazzle - Party Glitter nail colour. I am soooo excited about this polish! Deborah Lippmann polishes are expensive and hard to get in UK so I'm over the moon! Razzle Dazzle is great raspberry glitter in a dark berry base. The only shame is that there is just one shade in all the boxes so we can't swap for more shades. But still, Thank you GlossyBox and Deborah Lippmann for this little jewel! The full size polish has 15ml and retails for £16. The mini version has 8ml so the value is about £8.50

MEMEME Seventh Heaven - A luxurious moisturising facebase enriched with active nutrients and extracts to prime and nourish the skin. Can't wait to try this one! The full sized product has 30ml and retails for £15. The sample size I've received is 10ml, the value is then about £5

RITUALS Foaming Shower Gel Yogi Flow scent - This unique foaming gel gently cleanses your skin and leaves it silky soft and smooth. Contains organic ingredients Sweet Almond oil and Indian Rose. Ancient Ayurvedic ingredient, Sweet Almond Oil restores the skin's moisture balance. Indian Rose has a relaxing effect. The Yogi Flow scent is just fabulous! Love it! Love it! Love it! It is a full size worth £6.50

As an added extra there is a Deborah Lippmann Stripped to Go Sachet - remover finger nail mitt. I'm excited to try this sample as it is supposed to be a great remover.

Overall this is the best Glossybox I've recieved (my first one was October one) and I'm very happy with it. usually I don't like at least half things but in this one I love all of them! There are discount codes for three items which might come handy :)

If you'd like to subscribe to GlossyBox, please use this link: http://www.glossybox.co.uk/invitation/MjIzNzE=?utm_source=Customers&utm_medium=link&utm_term=MjIzNzE=&utm_campaign=Refer-a-friend/

Don't forget to enter my 1300 Follower giveaway ending 20 December 2011 and 1500 Follower giveaway ending 1 January 2012!

Dress inspired manicure with China Glaze Grape Pop and Millennium

2011-12-15T08:28:00.000Z

Hi girls :)

Today I'll show you my next experiment with duct tape. This whole manicure is inspired by a dress I once saw in a shop (unfortunately I really don't remember what brand it was) about two years ago. It was purple and white and had lots of uneven stripes.

As it says in the title, for this manicure I've used China Glaze Grape Pop and Millennium. Firstly I painted one coat of Millennium and when it dried I've applied different size stripes to the nail and painted it over with Grape Pop.

Don't forget to follow, subscribe & spread the love :) And enter my giveaways, you just might be lucky :)

KIKO eyeshadow #174 - lovely taupe :) Review, swatches & makeup

2011-12-14T08:01:00.000Z

Hello :)

I've recently purchased this KIKO eyeshadow #174 in Westfield Stratford store and I've decided to do a short review and makeup with it. It's a warm taupe colour with pearl finish but it's not too shiny.

It is nice size eyeshadow (3g) for £3. The pigmentation is very good and it didn't crease on me for whole 7 hours I had them on. Well I generally don't have problem with creasing as I have dry skin so I cannot guarantee that it won't crease on oily skin. It blended nicely and I will definitely try to pick few more shades (it will be hard though because they have looooots of shades!).

Eyeshadow comes in black box with hole so you can see the shade, something like MAC box only bigger. The packaging is shiny black case with transparent lid and each eyeshadow has embossed word KIKO in it. I like this little detail.

And I did a quick makeup with this eyeshadow...nothing crazy, just nice day makeup :) For this look I've used Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MUA Shade 1 (champagne pearl) , KIKO 174 and a bit of MAC Carbon. As eyeliner I've used MAC Blacktrack.

Layering with Dr.'s Remedy NOBLE Navy and Nfu Oh 52

2011-12-13T08:48:00.000Z

Hi girls!

I must have some blue fever or I don't know what is going on with me :D I've always used only reds and purples on my nails, not blues and greens and lately I posted quite a lot of blue polishes like OPI DS Magic, Dr.'s Remedy NOBLE Navy, OPI Gone Gonzo!, A England Tristam and so on :)

And today ANOTHER one! I've layered Nfu Oh 52 over Dr.'s Remedy NOBLE Navy. For this mani I've used one coat of NOBLE Navy and one coat of Nfu Oh 52. No topcoat.

I really like the mermaid-like duochrome colour and the gorgeous flakies in it!

Don't forget to enter my 1300 Follower giveaway ending 20 December 2011 and 1500 Follower giveaway ending 1 January 2012!

My version of Snowflake Christmas manicure with OPI Road House Blues and Revlon Star

2011-12-12T08:35:00.000Z

Hello lovelies!

Oh my! Christmas is so near and I've done only few holiday themed manicures! Well here is one more :) I got inspired by few snowflake manicures I saw on another blogs and decided to create my own version. This time no stamping, no stickers only freehand.

So for this manicure I've used two coats of OPI Roadhouse Blues, then I painted gradient tips with Revlon Star glitter. When everything dried I started to paint the snowflake. Excuse my amateurism, I still don't have proper brush so it's not perfect.

Despite that I really like the results and my boyfriend liked it too! He told me to do this mani on Christmas day! *WOW* That's like first time he liked something that much he wanted me to do it again :D What about your boyfriends/husbands? Do they 'get' your nail polish and make up hobby?

Don't forget to enter my 1300 Follower giveaway ending 20 December 2011 and 1500 Follower giveaway ending 1 January 2012!

Feelunique December 2011 Beauty Box - don't read if you're still waiting for your one ;)

2011-12-11T13:40:00.000Z

Hi girls,

I've received my FU Beauty box Saturday early morning (EVERY Sat 8am, I hate package service so early!) and opened it straight away! I must admit I was very impatient and I've peeked to my FU account to find out what to expect. So what was in my box?

Box theme was Finishing Touches. "Sparkle your way through the festive season with this month's fabulous finishing touches. With a sprinkle of sugar, a touch of gloss and spritz of fragrance, all eyes will be on you!"

Plus every beauty box subscriber gets automatically £5 off when £30 spent....I've already used mine for my bf's xmas present :)

Annick Goutal Mandragore EDT - this is unfortunately very strong and musky fragrance for me, I just can't stand it :( But look at the bottle!!! It is very gorgeous dark purple matte bottle with gold print on it and long gold cap, wrapped in purple pouch with tassels..fabulous! 50ml retails for £43.35 and sample size has 25ml. That makes the value about £21.60

Figs & Rouge -100% organic balm can be used for dry lips and skin. The scent is Sweet Geranium which again is not my scent so it will go to swap box. However I've tried it and the balm melts into oil under a warm finger and it feels really nice on the lips. If you're into organic brands and don't mind geranium smell, this is a nice product. Value of this product is £3.49

Nails Inc. Oxford Circus - a miniature which has 4ml. The colour is light baby pink and has the usual Nails Inc. quality - good pigmentation, good drying time etc. Full size is 10ml and retails for £11. Miniature is the worth about £4.40

Clarisonic Cleanser - My cleanser is for oily skin which I can't use for my very dry skin so I won't be even trying it and straight to the swap box. I would like to swap it for the beige one-Nourishing for dry skin. The full size is 177ml and retails for £21. The sample is generous - 30ml and value is £3.56

TIGI Bed Head Candy Fixations Sugar Dust - this is very similar product to Schwarzkopf Osis+ from previous FU box. Since I kept the Osis + I won't be using TIGI (it doesn't work on my long heavy hair anyway) This is apparently full size and retails for £9.35

As an extra I got Living Nature 100% natural New Zealand cosmetics leaflet containing three 2ml samples - vitalising cleanser, extra hydrating toning gel and nourishing day cream.

This month's box was very generous but really products of my taste. The value of the box is about £42.40

MAC Dazzlesphere! Petite Nail Lacquer Ornament skittles swatches

2011-12-10T20:01:00.000Z

Hi girls,

this is just a quick post. I went to a MAC and since I didn't have any nail polish on I've decided to quickly swatch Petite Nail Lacquer Ornament set from Holiday 2011 collection.

Set includes 4 shades: Mistletoe, Style Tip, Dark Angel and Much Adored

I have two coats in the picture and you can see that all polishes are pigmented enough except Dark Angel. Dark Angel was little bit like jelly and the pigmentation was quite poor. Mistletoe reminds me Chanel Peridot and Models own Golden Green.

The hot red Asiatique shade is from a different set - Iced Delights Nail & Lip Bag - Rocking and it is just one coat! Unfortunately it is not sold separately, only in set with lipstick and lipglass for £29.50

Did you get something from this year's holiday collection? I didn't as nothing really grabbed my attention (didn't need anything or already had the colours).

OPI Muppets Animal-istic with Gettin' Miss Piggy With It - one more gradient manicure

2011-12-10T12:55:00.000Z

Hello lovelies :)

I'm sorry if you're getting fed up with my overload of gradient manicures but I really really like them! This one is quite subtle, not that contrasting.

I've applied two coats of Animal-istic and then decorated the tips with Gettin' Miss Piggy With It. One coat of Seche Vite and done!

OPI DS Magic - review and swatches

2011-12-09T09:01:00.002Z

Hello girls!

Today I have here the lovely OPI Magic from Designer Series. I don't purchase blue shades very often but this one is really beautiful. The colour in the bottle looks duochrome changing into pink but it does not translate to the nail :(

Magic -very rich darker blue full of glass flecks. I firstly thought it is a shimmer but it is too big chunks for shimmer :) The formula was nic, not watery and nicely pigmented. I've used two coats for a full coverage and no topcoat. It dried quite slowly in comparison with the other OPI's I own.

Artificial light

Direct sunlight

Stripy manicure with Essence and Colour Club

2011-12-08T14:31:00.000Z

Hi girls!

Just a quick post today with a little bit of nail art. I am still inspired by Nailside and tried to recreate one of her stripy manicures only with slightly different colours. This manicure was real pain in the ass :D I've never realised how difficult is to cut thin and straight pieces of tape.

I've used Essence Naughty But Nice - pastel yellow creme - as a base colour. Then I've created stripes using scotch tape and Color Club Black and Essence Crazy Me.

December Amarya Beauty Box - Review and pictures

2011-12-08T09:25:00.000Z

Hi girls,

I couldn't wait any longer and I want to show you what I had in December Amarya Box :) I kinda skipped reviewing the November boxes so I hope I'll find the time to do all the December ones (except Boudoir Prive/JolieBox). I subscribe to all of the boxes I will review, I don't get any of them for free.

My Amarya Box arrived yesterday - 7/12/2011 which is about a week later than last month. I had only three items in the box but they are nice samples and good value.

The main product is REN Neroli Duo Gift box - Zesty, invigorating, uplifting, REN's Neroli and Grapefruit duo contains a reviving body wash and a fresh and richly hydrating body cream. Perfect for sporty types, our Y chromosome friends and those who love a refreshing wake up shower in the morning.

I'm still not sure wether to use it for myself or to give it as a gift but Neroli and Grapefruit are not exactly the scents I would pick for myself. This gift box retails at Amarya website for £28 so here you get your value for money. Both are 200ml bottles. Overall it is a nice product with amazing packaging.

The second sample in the box is Dr.Hauschka Cleansing Cream - A beneficial approach to healthy facial skin care is to use Cleansing Cream, with its mild and very effective action. Features: A very important core product in the Dr.Hauschka facial skin care range. Deep cleansing. Maintains the pH balance so that the acidic barrier protecting your skin is not broken down. Maintains and supports the skin's natural moisture level.

I am very happy to try this Cleansing Cream as I've never tried anything from Dr.Hauschka. Full size is 50ml and retails for £14.95. The sample is 10g so the value is approximately £2.99

The last is perfume sample - Acorelle Citrus Verbena EDP. The unmistakable fresh citrus scent in this Verbena Eau De Parfum will delight your senses working in perfect harmony with your skin.Soothing notes of petitgrain, litsea (an evergreen tree), cedar, and neroli have a calming effect on the senses. Additional notes include mandarin, bergamot, armoise, cut grass accord, clary sage and cedar.

Family: Green Flowery Hesperidium Woody
Top Notes: lemon, tangerine, bergamot
Middles Notes: petitgrain, jasmine, notes of freshly cut grass, neroli
Base Notes: cedar

This is a first perfume sample I'm happy about! Yaaay! :) I like fruit and citrussy scents but not all of them appeal to me. Also the sample has a little spray pump so that makes it even nicer to use. The full size is 50ml and retails for £29.99

So that's it, my December Amarya Box. Can't wait to see other reviews and if we all got the same products :)

Lucy's Stash

Valentine's Day inspired manicure #3

SpaRitual Ripple Effect from Water Collection for Spring 2012 - Review & swatches

SpaRitual Deep from Water Collection for Spring 2012 - Review & swatches

FeelUnique Beauty Box February 2012 - Review of the last FU box

February 2012 Amarya Beauty Box - Review

OPI Nicki Minaj mini Collection - Review, Swatches & Nail Art

Valentine's Day inspired manicure #2 Hearts & Stripes

First snow in England and some beautiful macroshoots of snowflakes

Fun nails for my friend :)

Valentine's Day inspired manicure #1: On clouds of love

A England - The Legend Collection: Princess Tears. Review and swatches

Nail Mail on my 2 year bloggiversary!

A England - The Legend Collection: Bridal Veil. Review and swatches

What was in my January 2012 Glossybox?

A England - The Legend collection: Saint George. Review & swatches

OPI Road House Blues from Touring America Collection review and swatches + what's coming

Really weird creation with gold foil :)

UK Beauty Boxes - current discounts and offers!

SinfulColors Holiday 2011: Wish Collection - Review and swatches

Do you love vampy jellies? Check out China Glaze Crimson from Haunting Collection 2011! Review and swatches

Sally Hansen All Fired Up - cool bright red! Review ans swatches

OPI Gold Shatter over Red Lights Ahead...Where? from Holland Collection

The BodyNeeds Blackened collection eyeshadows - swatches

OPI Holland Collection Spring 2012 - OPI Red Lights Ahead...Where?

2 Year Bloggiversary Giveaway!

Press Release: China Glaze Electropop Collection for Spring 2012

Press Release: SpaRitual Water Spring 2012 Collection

Feel Unique January 2012 Beauty Box - review

Layering experiment: Essie Raspberry with Nfu Oh #50

Essie Raspberry - review and swatches

Haunted Zebra manicure :D

Christmas sales haul...China Glaze, Zoya, Nails Inc..

China Glaze Haunting from Haloween Haunting collection 2011! Review & swatches

Starry Starry Magic - OPI DS Magic with silver stamping

Layering experiment: Facets of Fuchsia & Bad Romance with Revlon Star

Lucy's Stash: The Favourite Beauty Products of 2011

Comparison between Revlon Facets of Fuchsia and Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance

1500 Follower Giveaway - The OPI Muppets winners!

Lucy's Stash: The Best of 2011

Layering experiment: Dr.'s Remedy ESSENTIAL Emerald with Golden Rose 06

KIKO 255 - Purple Holographic awesomeness in the bottle! Review and swatches

Merry Christmas my lovely fellow nail polish addicts :D

Kleancolor Chunky Holo Purple layered over Dr.'s Remedy PASSION Purple

1300 Follower Giveaway WINNER!

A England Merlin glitter layered over Perceval - review and swatches

A England Perceval - a must have festive shimme red! Review and swatches

*SPOILER ALERT* December Carmine Box Review!

December JolieBox and Boudoir Prive Goodbye box - quick review & photos

KIKO 244 - dark purple jelly! Review, swatches and comparison with OPI and China Glaze

MUA Single eyeshadow haul and swatches

Dr.'s Remedy DEFENSE Deep Red with layer of CND Crimson Sparkle

17 Magnetized Polish in Green - review and swatches

December GlossyBox (UK) Review... The best edition yet!!!

Dress inspired manicure with China Glaze Grape Pop and Millennium

KIKO eyeshadow #174 - lovely taupe :) Review, swatches & makeup

Layering with Dr.'s Remedy NOBLE Navy and Nfu Oh 52

My version of Snowflake Christmas manicure with OPI Road House Blues and Revlon Star

Feelunique December 2011 Beauty Box - don't read if you're still waiting for your one ;)

MAC Dazzlesphere! Petite Nail Lacquer Ornament skittles swatches

OPI Muppets Animal-istic with Gettin' Miss Piggy With It - one more gradient manicure

OPI DS Magic - review and swatches

Stripy manicure with Essence and Colour Club

December Amarya Beauty Box - Review and pictures

SPOILER ALERT December Carmine Box Review!