Babbles About... Red Carpet Manicure Simply Stunning

Hi Babblers!

I'm a huge fan of gel nail polish and have been hooked ever since I had my first manicure back in October! Whilst I love the results, regular visits to the salon don't put as much of a smile on my face. To save pennies, I bought the Sensationail Gel Polish Kit a few months ago using a mixture of Sensationail, Gelish and Red Carpet Manicure polishes with fab results.

Gel polish is amazing if you love bright or dark colours as you can be chip free for two whole weeks. Rather than two whole minutes with regular polish! However, two weeks is quite a commitment to one colour and it's not always inappropriate for racy red or flashy fushia. I'd been on the look out for a nude/natural gel polish and Simply Stunning certainly fits the bill!

Red Carpet Manicure Simply Stunning

Firstly, I have to say the photos don't really do this colour justice! It's a bit of a chameleon. Sometimes it's lilac. Other times it's nude. It's so difficult to pigeon-hole but the colour is what I would describe as nude with an edge.

Wearing it over the last week, it's really won me over. It's a very sophisticated colour and with it's lilac hues, it's perfect for spring! It's quite sheer which I like. I've used two coats and I think this is just about enough coverage for me, but some of you may prefer another coat.

A great thing about gel polish is that you can use your regular nail colour on top for a night out as long as you remove with a non-acetone polish remover. Which means that you can vamp your nails up for a night out without ruining your work-friendly gel manicure :) I think this will definitely be a staple colour for me over Spring.

What colour will you be wearing on you nails this Spring?

Babbles About... Sun Believable Instant Tan

Hi Babblers :)

I'm sure we all remember those days of using sun shimmer on our legs for a night out, to come home and find you've been dancing away with white streaks on your now not-so-tanned pins. Not a good look. It's left me in a bit of a conundrum to be honest. There's always those impromptu nights out that just don't allow for the obligatory night before fake tanning.

Sun Believable Instant Tan

I was sent Sun Believable Instant Tan* a few weeks ago and I have to admit I was a bit dubious at first. When I first squeezed a little out of the tube it bought back nightmares of stripey legs but I decided I would keep it on stand-by for a tanning emergency.

This stuff does stain your hands so for the love of all thing naturally glowing, please wear a mitt or gloves to apply. You have been warned. I used a mitt to transform my pale skin and found it really easy to apply and blend.

The colour is quite  natural and you can build it up to quite a dark but still natural looking tan. I tried it with two coats (above) but for a deeper tan three coats are suggested.

Unlike Sun Shimmer, Sun Believable Instant Tan really does stand the test of a days wear without going streaky. You need good old soap to remove it. No streaky legs with this one.

My Verdict

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I was expecting streakiness within minutes of applying but it really did last the distance. My only gripe with the product is the name. You all know I love a pun (Peaches & Clean, Prime Time...) but Sun Believable is a step too far even for me.

Definitely keeping this one for my next tanning emergency!

Sun believable instant tan is available from QVC. 

 Do you like instant tan? Any horror stories?

The Lust List #2 Featuring Enrapture, Urban Decay & Carmex

Hi Babblers :)

Last week I introduced The Lust List - a list featuring three of my most lusted after products from the last week inspired by the many beauty blogs I read.

I've already caved and ordered the Urban Decay Flushed Palette from last week's lust list. But what, I hear you ask, are my three most coveted products this week....

Lusting after... Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver

I already have the Enrapture Heater Rollers which I absolutely love (I'll post a full review of at some point) and had the Jumbo Waver and Totem Styler on my radar when Chelsea from Through Chelsea's Eyes sent me into full fledged lust for the Jumbo Waver.

I have naturally wavy hair but unfortunately it doesn't fall into beautiful beach waves so the Jumbo Waver looks perfect. I've been growing my hair for a year and half so finally have enough hair to use the enrapture range!

Lusting after... Urban Decay Oz Palettes

Firstly, I really can't wait to see this film. It looks awesome and if I had a lust list for film stars, James Franco would certainly make the list. I've seen quite a few posts for these Oz themed palettes over the last few weeks but Lily's post on What I Heart Today last week really caught my eye and convinced me that I NEED one of these gorgeous palettes.

Available in two options Glinda or Theodora (good witch or bad witch) they seem such great value for £35. Although some people may argue differently, I think the good witch option is the one for me. A mixture of pretty, ethereal eye shadows - the Glinda palette looks simply stunning!

Lusting after... Carmex Lime Twist Lip Balm

I love lipbalms. I'm not sure if it was The Sunday Girl's delicious looking photos of this one or the new flavour but my lips have been craving a bit of Lime Twist Lip Balm all week.

Now I've never really been a fan of Carmex but this new flavour is right up my street. As a self-confessed mojito addict I'm sure this would curb my cravings. Okay, maybe not but it's a bit more acceptable to use a lipbalm first thing in the morning :)

So that's my lust list for this week! What products have made your lust list this week?

Babbles About... Philosophy The Great Mystery One Minute Daily Facial

Hi Babblers!

I was very lucky to have won Philosophy The Great Mystery as a prize a few weeks ago on Beauty's Bad Habit blog. I'm absolutely in love with Philosophy fragrances and bodycare. In fact, I would declare Inner Grace as my 'signature scent'. I'd not yet tried their skincare so was very excited when I received a tweet one Saturday morning saying I'd won this!

The Great Mystery One-Minute Daily Facial

The Great Mystery is a clear paste that you massage into your skin for a daily facial. To use you simply massage the paste onto your skin until it turns from clear to white, and leave on for 60 seconds. Easy peasy!

The paste contains lavender oil so if you're not a fan of lavender this may not be one for you. The lavender scent is quite strong but luckily I really like lavender so this isn't a problem for me. The Great Mystery also contains sea salt to naturally exfoliate the skin. When I read this on the bottle I thought it might be grainy but the paste is completely smooth which means it doesn't aggravate my skin.

This feels like a real treat for the skin for something so easy to use. I use this every other day in place of my Clarisonic (see review here). It gently tingles my skin whilst it's working it's purifying magic. It leaves my skin feeling really clean without drying it out. After using, my skin feels plump and like I have really treated my skin.

I tend to use this in the morning but I think it would also be great to use at night due to the relaxing lavender scent. I really enjoy using my Clarisonic at night and feel the deep cleaning action of both would be a wee bit too much for my delicate skin otherwise I think I would use this at night.

I really look forward to using this product which I think speaks volumes for any skincare. It was a great introduction into the skincare side of Philosophy. I've heard that their Purity Made Simple cleanser is fab with the Clarisonic so may try that next!

Have you tried Philosophy skincare? Any recommendations?

Babbles About... Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick #18 Violine Strass

Hi Babblers :)

I love lipstick (hence all the lipstick kisses!) but I have to admit that I'm not always the boldest when it comes to colour. My go to lipstick/gloss a neutral pink (like Apocalips Celestial)  although I have dabbled in bright red lips for a night out! I'm not sure why I was drawn to this colour as it's totally not what I normally go for but I'm so glad I did as it's now one of my favourites.

Let's start with the packaging. It's gorgeous. High sheen black with a colour indicator at the bottom. It certainly looks luxurious but at £5.99 at the moment, it's very purse friendly.

This lipstick is part of the Rouge Edition Collection by Bourjois which features 18 scrumptious shades. I chose #18 Violine Stass, a deep plum colour. Normally I would stay clear of anything this dark of fear of looking a bit gothy but the tiny flecks of gold save this lipstick from being too cool toned for my complexion.

Anyway I must have been feeling a bit bold that Saturday in Boots and I am so glad I did. It instantly adds a bit of drama to a daytime look.

I have to say I have found my new lipstick love. It's moisturising, lasts a few hours and is really wearable plum lipstick! 

What's your favourite lipstick at the moment?

Babbles About... Mally Age Rebel Eye Shadow Sticks (Review)

Hi Babblers!

Another Christmas gift :) These little beauties as part of a set have become a bit of a staple in my make-up routine so I'd thought I'd share!

Mally Age Rebel Eyeshadow Stick

I'm a huge fan of Mally Beauty mascara and their 'bulletproof' eyeliners. If you've ever watch Mally Roncal on QVC you'll know she describes everything as bulletproof and these eye-shadow sticks are no different.

Colours & Application

In the set, I received three colours -  Sugar (light champagne), Burnished Voilet (shimmery brown) and Jade (emerald green). As you can see, they give really great colour although I tend to wear them more blended than what I have swatched. 

I absolutely love Sugar and Burnished Violet and use these almost everyday on my eyes. I find these really easy to apply. I use the brownshade on my eyelid, applying more in the crease. I finish by use the champagne shade to brighten the inner corner and as a highlighter on my browbone. Super easy! I'm not sold on the Jade colour. I'm sure it would be lovely on some folk but I think I am too pale-skinned to pull that one off.   

Long Lasting?

I found these to be really long-lasting. I do use an eye shadow primer so I'm not sure if this has helped. Are they long-lasting? Yes. Bulletproof?? Not sure I want to test that one out! They're meant to also have anti-ageing ingredients (hence the name) but I've not noticed myself looking drastically younger ;)

Verdict

Overall these are great for an easy-to-do eye and perfectly sized to carry about. The green metallic packaging is also rather fabulous.

Have you tried these or any other Mally products? What eye shadow sticks out there do you like?

The Lust List featuring Urban Decay, Korres & Illamasqua

Hi babblers :)

It's been just over a month since I started Babbles About Beauty. Whilst I've always loved reading beauty blogs, I've began religiously following loads more over the last month talking about all sorts of lovely beauty buys!

Note: Reading beauty blogs is seriously bad for your bank balance! This has inspired me to put together 'The Lust List' featuring three of my most lusted after products that I've discovered from the beauty blogs I read over the week.

I hope you like this new kind of post and would love to know what's on your Lust List!

Lusting after... Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette

I spotted this one on Sophie Meola's blog a few days ago. A 3-in-1 bronzer, highlighter and blusher, this palette from Urban Decay looks amazing! Although Sophie wished the highlighter part of the palette was a little bigger, I love the look of the Coral blusher! Definitely one of the Lust List! I'm using Sleek's Face Form Palette at the moment which seems quite similar to this if you're after something a little more bank balance friendly (although I'm still saving pennies for the UD palette)  :) 

Check out Sophie's review of the Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette! 

Lusting after... Korres Lip Butters

The Black Pearl Blog is a favourite of mine and these yummy sounding lip butters really caught my attention this week. These are a firm favourite of Sandra and they sound divine! I've not tried Korres products before but I'm a huge lip balm fan. The flavours sound scrumptious... Guava, Mango & Wild Rose! I'm particularly loving the tinted effect they give! Another one for this week's Lust List!

Read Sandra's review of Korres Lip Butters here! 

Lusting after... Illamasqua Blusher Duo

I'm a little bit of a lover of cheek products so I'm adding a second to the Lust List!

The Illamasqua Cheek Duo in Lover & Hussy caught my eye on Holly Arabella's blog. Holly says that this limited edition duo offers buildable colour. These colours look gorgeous and perfect for a fresh spring time look. At £26, they may be on the Lust List for a while though! 

Holly's review of the Illamasqua Blusher Duo here! 

So that's my Lust List for this week! What's on yours?