Mid-week Manicure: Essie 'Really Red'

I have always been a fan of red nail polish, and often find myself returning to it. However it can be hard to find the perfect shade of red nail polish. Some are too blue, others too pink and others too orange! For me this polish is most definitely a contender for the perfect red.

I first came across this polish when I saw a photograph of the lovely Donna Ida wearing it. Donna always look fabulous, so in addition to wanting her outfit ( and in fact her whole closet!) I had to tweet her to find out what polish she was wearing. The shade in question? Essie's 'Really Red'. Donna told me that she wears this polish every day.

I was really impressed with this polish, it applied really smoothly and I only needed two coats for full coverage.

You can buy Essie polishes from a number of stockists, including Boots, John Lewis and Look Fantastic.

Update: Donna has just told me that this shade is going to be discontinued, so if you like the look of this shade then you better stock up. If you will be stocking up on a few bottles, then you might like to know that you can buy this shade for £5.58 on Amazon. 

Have you found your perfect shade of red polish?

Free Ojon shampoo and conditioner - worth £41.50

Just a quick post to let you know about a fantastic chance to get £41.50 of shampoo and conditioner for free! All you have to do to claim this fantastic freebie is to take an empty bottle of shampoo and conditioner into your nearest Ojon stockist (John Lewis; House of Fraser and selected branches of Boots) tomorrow - 8th November. Once there, your empty bottles will be swapped for full size bottles of Ojon's Damage Reverse shampoo (worth £20) and conditioner (worth £21.50). But be quick, stocks are limited!

Acne Pistol boot v Topshop Mighty

A boot that is as perfect for the daily commute as it is for an evening out? A boot that manages to be extremely comfortable whilst also being bang on trend? Yes readers, I have found the boot in question. I give you the Topshop 'Mighty' boot. 

Topshop 'Mighty'

I stumbled across this pair of boots online whilst I was searching for the Acne 'Pistol' boot. I have seen numerous people on Twitter raving about how versatile they are, and great cost-per-wear value etc so I thought that I would do a bit of retail research to while away a bus journey to London. Sadly I didn't have the necessary £380 to invest in a pair. However it seems that I am not the only one, as my online research unearthed a dupe pair from Topshop - the 'Mighty'. I was still undecided as to whether I actually NEED more footwear in my closet, when I took a tumble at Victoria station. My heeled boots were damaged slightly and not really advisable with a bruised ankle, so I took it as a sign that I needed to purchase some footwear with a slightly lower heel if I was going to be wandering around London all day. Step forward the 'Mighty' - retailing at only £45.  As I had £35 in TopShop vouchers I only paid £10 for them!

I have only had them two days, but I am already certain that these are going to get a LOT of wear. I live at the top of a hill which normally necessitates wearing a pair of ballet pumps or smoking slippers on my way to work. Either that or allowing precious extra minutes in the morning to walk to the station if I am wearing heels. However this morning I was practically sprinting down the hill in these boots. Just enough of a heel to give some height, without being impractical. I am already considering purchasing another pair, as I hate it when a favourite previous season item finally gives up the ghost and goes to fashion heaven. The Acne 'Pistol' might have been the one to catch my eye, but the Topshop 'Mighty' has definitely won my heart!

The original Acne 'Pistol' boot

My Smashbox Makeover

Last week I blogged about the impending launch of the new Smashbox counter in Boots, St David's in Cardiff. I went along with my friend Sarah on Saturday morning, and we both had a great time. My makeup artist, Linda was lovely and was great at explaining the products she used on me. I gave her free reign to choose the look to give me, which could have had the potential to go very wrong! However I loved the look that she gave me. Linda used the following products on me:

• Studio Skin Foundation
• Photo Finish Primer
• Photo Op Eyeshadow Trio (Nectar/Roast/Cinammon)
• Blush Rush - 'Paradise'
• Limitless Lip Stain - 'Guava'
• Limitless Eyeliner - 'Smoke'
• Hyperlash Mascara

I was really impressed with the products. The base was still going strong 12 hours later, and given that it was a scorching hot Summer day, that is quite a feat considering my usually oily skin. Given my love for a red lipstick, it is perhaps not surprising that I want to add the 'Guava' lip stain to my collection asap. Gorgeous shade; easy application and longevity. What's not to love?!

Here are some photos that Sarah and I took in the Smashbox photo booth.

Smashbox launches in Boots

As they are a brand that I have yet to try, I was quite excited when I got an email from Smashbox, informing me of their launch in Boots St Davids Centre, Cardiff on Tuesday 14th August.

To celebrate the launch, fashion photographer Steven Khan will be setting up on the newly opened Smashbox Cosmetics counter in Boots, to shoot with customers from 10am – 4pm, Friday 17th August until Sunday 19th August.

To book a slot with Steven Khan for your flashbulb moment, email smashboxcrew@smashbox.co.uk with your preferred date and time and someone from the Smashbox Crew will get back to you.

Following the shoot, you will receive a USB of professionally shot images that Steven has taken to keep, print and share digitally with friends and family.

For those who aren’t lucky enough to get a booking with Steven during the exclusive in-store photo event, there will also be a travelling Smashbox Cosmetics Photobooth popping up on counter for the weekend. After having their makeup done, customers will be encouraged to create their own photoshoot in the booth with friends, or have a moment in the spotlight alone. 

On  launch day itself (14th August), Smashbox Cosmetics will be giving away 10 'Try It Kits' on the hour every hour, from 11am-4pm.   All Smashbox Cosmetics fans will need to do is be one of the first 10 people to the counter to register their details with a Smashbox Crew member.

Guest Post: The "No Makeup Makeup" Look

I was really pleased when I discovered that the lovely Emily a.k.a 'Shopgirl' over at Sugar and Spice was a Cardiff-based blogger. While I love a great style blog wherever it is based, it's nice to see someone local blogging, and I like it when they reference local events and place. So without further ado, here is Emily's great post on achieving the much sought after "no makeup makeup" look:

When the boy commented recently that there was not much difference between my made up face and my no make-up face, I took it as a complement and to mean that I had nailed the "no make-up" make-up look.

For work, I don’t like to go too over the top with my make-up. I like to look professional and together but not as if I am about to hit the town.

Boots No 7’s new Lash Adapt mascara is the perfect starting point for this look as it allows you to add more coats to your lashes if you are planning to go straight from the office to the bar but one coat is enough for the "no make-up" make-up look we are trying to achieve here.

I like a good base for my make-up but nothing too heavy – mainly because I hate the way it feels when anyone cakes the foundation on me. So I start by liberally applying Olay’s Radiant Glow moisturiser. I leave it to absorb into my face while I dry my hair and then I apply a little Instant Radiance Concealer under my eyes and Tinted Moisturiser over the rest of my face. It creates a lovely even tone with just enough of a dewy glow.

I find that cream blusher blends easily, giving a natural flush.

For my eyes, I line with a brown liner – keeping black for night-time. I’ve just tried out Boots No 7’s Autumn Collection double ended liner which has an ivory pencil at one end to highlight the inside corner of the eye too and naturally open it up a little.

For my day-time look, I swear by No 7’s Stay Perfect eye shadow in Mink . It goes with everything and if you plan to go from the office to the bar you can use it as a base for blending other coloured shadows into.

Finally, I like to finish off with a little lick of lipstick. The best natural colour I have found – which also looks great when balancing out a heavy smoky eye at night-time – is the Moisture Drench lipstick in Rumour .

And yes, before you ask, I am a massive No 7 fan. I stray occasionally but am always brought back – mainly because of the £5 vouchers Boots are always offering – and the quality of the product!

What is your day time make-up look?

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Lou Lou says: Thank you Emily. I love a beauty bargain and will definitely be trying out some of these products. Purely in the name of blog research of course!