Green Eyed

I was going through my make up drawer the other day, choosing which bits to take with me on my mini trip to Bournemouth, when I reached one of life's extremely challenging and completely life-altering dilemmas: which green eyeshadow(s) do I pack for eighteen hours away from home?

I know, absolutely important, nail-biting stuff, right?! How I made that decision, I will never know.

I hadn't quite realised just how much green eye make up I owned, so I collected every eyeshadow and every eye liner together and laid them out so that I could decide between them. I wasn't quite prepared to learn I had twenty-two different eye colours! 

Twenty-two! That was a surprise, even for me!

I mean, I knew I had quite a collection brooding in the make up shrine, due to a slight addiction to green eye make up that goes back at least a decade, but regardless, it still came as a shock. Twenty-two does sound rather excessive, doesn't it, but in my defence, no two shades are alike. Some I've had for several years, some were bought recently. Two were purchased last week for the festive season. And each one is loved and used.

Hello, my name is Louise and I'm addicted to green make up!

My favourite shadow of all time was a stunning light olive green called Beatrix (in the trinket pot) that was by a company called B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful. They were the sister company to Lush who sold the most beautiful vegan beauty products and cosmetics, but who sadly went in to administration a few years ago. That eyeshadow was the main reason I was heart broken when they closed their doors; I went through several pans in my early-mid twenties and I adored it. I still have a tiny bit left which I'm trying to make last as long as possible. 

I've been searching for a replacement ever since, but so far I've had zero luck finding a near-identical shadow. However, I purchased a similar, but slightly darker shade called Kush by Urban Decay last week (the silver pot), which is the closest match I've found. I've fallen in love with the colour, and it's so perfect in colour and performance that I think I've found a new favourite! I adore it already.

I also really love my Inglot shadows, and the liquid liners by Lush and Jemma Kidd.

I don't know what it is about green eye colours that I love exactly, but I've always liked the way they look with my pale, freckled skin, brown eyes, and dark, or, currently, red hair. I think green compliments those features perfectly, whether it's a bold lime, or a rich emerald. They bring out the brown of my eyes and are a great contrast against both red and brown hair colours, and most importantly, I feel good wearing them. Dare I say, green eye make up even gives me a little confidence boost every time I wear it- which is often! I wear green more than any other colour, and probably more than all the other colours combined.

I think that everybody should give green eye make up a chance, as it's the most beautiful, varied colour palette, and there's a shade out there to suit everybody. 

Have you got a particular make up colour or product that you can't stop collecting? Do you own more green eye make up than me?

Inglot Freedom System Lipsticks and Concealer Palette

When it comes to make up, I almost always make my eyes the focal point with lashings of black mascara and brightly coloured shadows, but I rarely give my lips any attention. In fact, I haven't worn lipstick or gloss religiously since my mid-teens.

It's not that I've not wanted to paint my lips, but I'm prone to badly chapped, dry and sticky lips which are hardly the ideal canvas for bold and eye catching lip colour. Still, I've been aspiring to buy a perfect red lipstick for a while now; one that even I could wear. I've always loved how classic red lips can look, and how effortlessly they can complete an outfit.

So, when I found out about Inglot's Freedom System sale, I couldn't resist treating myself to a few pieces. Inglot is one of my all time favourite make up brands, and I was interested in finding out if their lipsticks and concealers were as fantastic as their wonderful eyeshadows and nail polishes.

I treated myself to a concealer, four lipsticks, and a palette to put them in. They were all half off their original prices. The refills were just £1.75 each, and I think the palette was £3.50 or £3.75. Delivery was a little steep at a fiver, but my order arrived after just a few days, and I was impressed by the efficiency.

The palettes and the make up refills are sold separately, which gives you the complete freedom to personalise a set to your own tastes, which is something I really love about Inglot's Freedom System. It's so much more appealing to me than buying a ready made make up set that always has several shades I'll never use. By choosing every shade yourself, you'll have a better chance of loving every colour. And they don't cost any more than a ready made set, either.

The palettes are extremely sturdy and thick, and you can see the make up at a glance through the transparent lid, which makes it easier to find the right palette if you have more than one in your collection. The lid is secured by a magnet on each corner, which keeps it firmly in place. It's easy to open, and shuts with a satisfying snap. 

Each make up pan came in a little plastic packet, inside a little plastic bag. Thankfully, they all arrived in pristine condition as they were packaged well for delivery.

With each pan out of its wrapper, I organised them in the order I wanted them, ready to pop in to the palette.

And they all fitted in perfectly. The pans are held in the palette magnetically, and they all fit in snugly and securely. There should be no danger of any of them coming loose and getting damaged.

I bought a concealer in 'Y', which was the palest shade as far as I could tell from the online swatches, and four lipsticks in, from left to right, 81, 64, 09, and 56. I was so excited to give each of them a try.

So, here we have the lipstick swatches. I swatched them from my wrist down, so they've ended up in reverse order to the palette in these photos; I hope that's not too confusing.

Let me skip all the nonsense and say now that these lipsticks are fantastic! I can honestly say that I've never been so impressed with a lipstick in my life. Three of them glided on as smoothly as butter, and not only did they keep my lips soft and nourished whilst wearing them, but my lips have become much softer in general since I started using them. A miracle with my lips! They're all highly pigmented in gorgeous shades that suit my colouring, and they're long lasting, too. I found that the lipsticks stayed  in place for about four hours without reapplying, and little transferred when eating and drinking. (Although it didn't stand a chance on fajita night!) I'm extremely impressed.

The exception here is shade 81. Unlike the other three, it's a pearl lipstick, and although it's a beautiful colour, I found it incredibly drying on my lips and difficult to get a smooth application. I'm going to go back and give it another chance, perhaps mix it with some lip balm, but it hasn't made me disappointed with my order at all.

Please excuse the state of the application; I didn't have lip liners at the time to prevent them from bleeding.

My favourite is shade 09 which is a classic blue-toned red or 'tomato red', as I would describe it. It's so beautiful and vibrant, and I love the way it looks against my very fair skin. It's the perfect red lipstick I've been searching for for years.

56 is lovely for something a little more toned down. I'm finding it difficult to describe the colour, I think it looks like a dark salmon colour, perhaps with a slight hint of coral, but I don't know what it would officially be classed as. Answers on a post card...

64 is not as fuchsia as it appears on my lips above. It's a deep red with a hint of pink, and it's another winner in my eyes. It's beautiful.

81, however... it's a deep brick red in the palette and on my arm, but it doesn't translate well on to my lips.... oh, well, you can't win them all!

Now quickly on to the concealer. I purchased 'Y' which is the palest shade available. I wasn't sure if it would be right for my skin tone, but I took a chance. It's quite yellow based and appears to be the wrong colour for my skin, but once I start blending it in, it matches my skin perfectly. It's a smooth and wonderfully thick concealer. I usually just use a light under eye concealer pen for my concealing, so it's a little alien to me, but- it's amazing! It covers blemishes and  red patches, and even works to even out my skin tone. And if that wasn't good enough, it does it's job for hours without needing a touch up.

So, with those conclusions, I really couldn't love this little palette more. I'm so impressed with four out of five of the products, and I can't believe this set cost me just £12.50, before shipping costs! I got myself a bargain without compromising on quality, and I found my perfect red lipstick. Happy days!

There's a huge selection of lipsticks, concealers, eyebrow powders and wax still on sale for just £1.75, and palettes starting from £5.00 for a ten-pan. You can find it all here. I highly recommend them, the quality of Inglot's products is far superior to anything I've ever tried before. I'm tempted to go back for another purchase and snap up some other colours before they all sell out and are gone for good.

Have you used Inglot make up yet? Which products are your favourite?

Half Off Inglot Make Up? Yes, please!

Hey guys,

I wanted to share a little discovery of mine with you this morning; one which I think will appeal to the make up lovers among you. 

I stumbled up on what I'm about to show you by chance on Tuesday afternoon. My sister bought me one of their nail art pens back from New York this week, and impressed, I logged on to check out the other shades in the range. Only, I was distracted with the 50% off banner on the homepage. So I followed it...

And what did I learn? 

Inglot's round Freedom System lines are all on sale at 50% off! That's half off the palettes, lipsticks, concealers, eyebrow powders and brow wax! Fantastic, right? 

The palettes are as little as £5.00 , and the refills are all just £1.75 now which is a bargain if ever I saw one! You can find all the sale lines here.

The palettes and the make up themselves are sold separately, which gives you the freedom to customize your own make up palettes. You buy the palette in your desired size, and can then buy the make up to fill it in your favourite colours. I don't know about you, but I usually find that most ready made make up sets contain at least a couple of colours I don''t like, so a system like this is ideal. 

I thought I'd provide you with a little peek at some of the make up on sale.

Lipsticks

There are dozens and dozens of lipsticks to choose from in every colour imaginable. (The screen shots above show just some of them!) When it comes to make up shades, Inglot is never short of variety. Choosing from their wide selection of colours always makes me feel like a kid in a candy store! Overwhelmed!

Concealers

There are currently eleven shades of concealer to choose from in these round refills, catering to a reasonably good variety of skin tones. I ordered 'Y', since it's their palest shade and I'm about as pale as they come. Hopefully it'll be fair enough for me! 

Brow Powders

There are six shades of brow powders- otherwise known as six shades of brown- for all you brow experts to choose from. Eyebrows are definitely not my area of expertise.

Brow Wax

And there are five shades of brow wax to choose from, for the darker brow.

I've not yet tried any of these particular make up products myself, but I own a lot of the eyeshadows in a few palettes, and I can honestly say they're some of the best eyeshadows I've ever used. 

As a big Inglot fan, I couldn't resist treating myself to a few new products to try, so I purchased a palette for five refills (which now appears to have sold out), and four red lipsticks and a concealer to fill it. This came to just £12.50 before shipping costs, which I personally think was a total bargain! I'll review them once I've received them, and if they're half as good as the eyeshadows I own, I shall be a very happy customer!

I hope you will be, too.

Please Note: I wasn't asked to write this post or promote these products in any way. I simply wanted to share a fantastic offer I found by one of my most favourite make up brands of all time!

Pretty Green Eyes So Full of Wonder

I love colourful eye make up. I always have done and I probably always will. I love experimenting with different colours, shades, and hues, and different colour combinations, but you're most likely to find me wearing green eyeshadow in some shape or form.

I'm not sure why green is my favourite, or exactly when it became my signature look, but I enjoy wearing it, and think it's a colour palette which works best with my brown eyes.

I used to wear make up almost every day, but since injuring my back and spending most of my time at home in bed, I've got a bit lazy and not worn make up so often. I genuinely miss wearing make up, so I'm trying to make a habit of putting my face on on the 'good' days. Last week, I created a simple green eye look, and finished with a coat of black mascara.

In these photos, the only make up I'm wearing is on my eyes and eyelashes. I just couldn't be bothered to apply a base for lounging around the house. I apologize for the appearance of my face!

 I used three shades of apple green eye shadow. I applied a medium shade over each lid, and then blended a lighter shade to the inner sockets, and a darker shade to the last third of the lids, and blended it all together. I then applied a coat of black mascara to both sets of lashes. Simple as that. 

This look is very simple, and not at all perfect, but I wanted to share it as it's been a while since I last posted a make up look here on my blog.

For this look, I used my Inglot Freedom palette, and used the three green shadows in the centre of the green row. (Light, Med, Dark). I don't want to damage the eyeshadows by lifting them out of the palette to check their shades, but if any of you want to know the number of a particular shade leave me a comment and I'll happily look for you.

I ADORE my Inglot eye make up. They're some of the best make up I have ever owned. The colours are highly pigmented and long lasting, and work well wet or dry. Inglot have an extensive selection of colours, and they look so striking. The thing I love most about Inglot is that each palette and eyeshadow is sold separately, so you can customise a palette to suit your budget and taste. You don't have to fill every square straight away; so you're able to add new colours as and when you have the money to treat yourself, or when a new colour catches your eye. I think they're reasonably priced, too. I highly recommend their eyeshadows (I currently own 3 palettes/22 shadows and love them!),  and I'm confident they won't disappoint you, so why not check Inglot out here? I've not been asked or paid to promote Inglot, I'm just genuinely passionate about their make up!

Have you tried Inglot make up yet?

Do you enjoy wearing colourful eye make up?

A Look Back At My Nail Looks of 2012

2012 was a year of many different nail looks for me. I found sanity and enjoyment from trying out different colours, different combinations, a few new brands, and a little nail art.

It's become a great distraction for me from my back injuries, and sort of a therapeutic comfort! Painting my nails has been one of the few activities I've been able to do whilst confined to bed, and something which has made me feel like more of a civilised human being on the 'bad' days.

One of my resolutions of 2012 was to venture out from my predictable palette of reds, corals, and pinks which I stuck to almost exclusively in the past few years. It wasn't that I was afraid to wear other colours, it was just that I liked wearing those colours most. I think it's safe to say that I achieved this resolution in 2012, and then some!

Green and glitter//  Purple and violet// Rainbow nails// Beetle green nails- favourite!
Red with a hint of gold// Oxblood red polka Dots// Teal and glitter
Purple// Turquoise
Grey and teal with flowers// Forget me not blue with dots// Lilac// Tomato red and a striped ring finger


Over the last year...

 ~I've built up a vast collection of polishes of every colour of the rainbow.

~I've tried new brands I'd never used before, such as MUA, Nails Inc, Ciate, and Maxfactor.

~Although I still remain loyal to my old favourite Barry M.

 ~I wore a different colour or look to the day before almost every day.

 ~I attempted a little nail art.

~I layered glitter polishes over colourful manicures, something I hadn't done since my teens.

... and I loved it!

Just like I am with eye make up, I've become a nail polish chameleon! I no longer stay in the boring safe zone of classic reds, pinks, and corals. I wear almost any colour, and I've built up a steady arsenal of varnishes to play with. I've particularly enjoyed wearing greens and teals, especially a dark 'beetle' green which I never would have worn a year ago!  I also branched out to try more crackle polishes and started an obsession with layering glitter polishes over most manicures in the last few months, something I'd shied away from since my teens. I began trying a little nail art, which I'll admit so far is nothing to write home about, but I was proud of my oxblood polka dot nails, and aim to try more designs in 2013.

My Favourite Polishes of 2012

It's hard for me to narrow down my favourites, as I have so many of them now, but these are the ones which I probably use most...

Barry M Racing Green
Barry M Bright Red
Barry M Ruby Glitter
Inglot Nail Enamel 024
Bourjois So Laque! varnish in Bleu Fabuleux

Favourite Brands

My favourite brands are still the same as this time last year: cheap and cheerful Barry M and luxury range, Inglot. The latter is fast drying, very chip resistant, and affordable, whilst the former is very purse friendly, long lasting, and easy to handle. Both ranges have a large selection to choose from, and I highly recommend both.

So, I'm proud of the variety of nail looks I tried in 2012. There were a lot of them! Some I showed you, some I didn't. I have a handful of new polishes yet to try, and lots of old ones I plan to try together. I'm certain 2013 will be a year of many, many new looks and hopefully a lot more nail art created with a better technique. Let's see where the new year takes me...

Which nail look was your favourite?

Do you try lots of different colours and looks, or do you tend to just stick to a couple of old favourites?

Manicure | Red Glittery Christmas Nails

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you all have a magical day whatever you have planned.

I have a quick nail look to show you this morning. This is a look I was playing around with last week when I was trying to decide what my Christmas manicure would be.

The polish I began with is this Inglot Nail Enamel, shade 024. It's a beautiful dark red with a gold sheen; the perfect Christmas polish, if you ask me!

I applied my usual three coats to my nails here, although two would have sufficed. This enamel glides on like a dream, becomes opaque after two coats, and dries so quickly. A coat on one hand would be dry by the time I painted the other! It's amazing! I think I completed all three coats on both hands within ten minutes! I don't have to tell all you nail polish enthusiasts what a rarity that is. It's one of the reasons I love Inglot nail enamels. They dry incredibly quickly, and they're also of impressive quality; these nails remained chip free for five or six days! They're probably the best brand I've ever tried.

The golden sheen of the nail colour doesn't show well in this photo, but the finish is just how it appears in the bottle.

I then used this Accessorize polish over the top of the red nails. It doesn't have a name or number, but it was part of a set which I found in Superdrug.

I wanted to have ruby red glittery nails for Christmas, and was intending to purchase the Barry M one, but that didn't happen. I then remembered I had a dark pink Accessorize polish, so I tried it over the Inglot manicure. The glitter actually dried red, so I got instant perfect red glittery nails! The best thing is that it didn't leave that awful glitter polish texture; it gave a relatively smooth finish. I didn't manage to get a decent photo of the glitter nails, but they looked so festive. I'm intending to recreate it for Christmas Day.

What do you guys think?

How do you do your nails for Christmas?

I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and New Year with your loved ones. Be sure to have a few drinks for me! I'll be having a quiet one at home. I'm off to get dressed and attempt to make a trifle...