Mac Rebel

Good God I love this colour. I know it's been around forever so this is nothing new but I just had to share it. Depending on how the light hits this, it can be purple, dark pink or burgundy. Mostly though it's just this amazingly rich berry shade.

Originally I was afraid this might swamp my pale skin but it's surprisingly wearable and very flattering on. I checked it out on various online blogs first and it really does seem to suit most skin tones. It's easy to apply- soft with a nice sheen but long lasting. I've actually been wearing this since November and it's kind of the perfect Winter shade but as you can see in the photo below I'm now wearing it with gloss to make it more Spring appropriate- I think it works equally as well worn darker as a matte or as I have it here with my new Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector.

Such a pretty shade. Anyone else tried Rebel?

xx

Happy Easter!

Apart from consuming my own body weight in chocolate (and Lord knows, I don't require a dedicated religious holiday to manage that), I haven't done much to celebrate Easter this year, other than these egg-wrapping inspired nails. I'm not really one for nail art considering my general lack of ability in that department but sure it's a bit of craic if nothing else. For me, Easter nails are all about the pastels. I picked up two of the Essies on Fragrance Direct.com for next to nothing recently and couldn't wait to try those out- that's Cascade Cool (pink) and Bikini so Teeny (blue).

• Over the blue on my ring finger I put a coat of Luxe and Lush (that beautiful sparkly holographic top coat from the China Glaze Hunger Games collection). 
• Over the pink I put a layer of Barry M's Gold Glitter. 
• My thumb is Essies Topless and Barefoot (which I did a full review of HERE before) with dots of Bikini so Teeny.
• My index finger is Ciate Apples and Custard with dots of Topshop's Heart of Gold and 
• My baby finger is Max Factor Mellow Yellow with a tip of again, Topshop's Heart of Gold. 

Really if nothing else, this has been an exercise in showing me just how many nail polishes I own that I don't wear often enough..hmm.
If you've done your own Easter inspired nails I 'd love to see them, there's something about that particular theme that always cheers me up! Leave me a link in the comments if you've done a post!

Happy Easter! 

xx

Miss Selfridge Pearl Spike Collar

Just a quick post today to show you the beautiful necklace I just got online from Miss Selfridge. I've been after this little beauty for a while and decided during the week to treat myself. A combination of pearls, pink and clear crystals with little gold beads, this is going to look fabulous over a plain grey marl t-shirt or a black dress.

These statement necklaces still seem to be very much in fashion this season which works well for me as there's not much I love more than a dramatic neck piece. For a similar alternative, Love From Misbehave also have THIS Disco spike necklace in five different colours, at only 4.50 each and I think they have 10% off this weekend too. I'm seriously considering getting one of the mint green ones, at that price it seems almost wrong not to :)

Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute Enrichie

Well that's a mouthful, isn't it?! My skin has been in bits lately- a combination of long term illness, major surgery and a lengthy hospital stay combined with my just generally unfortunate dry complexion (that last one is clearly the least of my worries) have all added up to me resembling a wizened old shrew of some sort. Attractive. Step in my sister with this gift of moisturising goodness. Nuxe is a French brand I've wanted to try for ages and what better way to start than with this 24 hr soothing and moisturising rich cream for sensitive, dry to very dry skin. The 50mls contained in a heavy glass pot adds a feeling of luxury, while the product itself, although for very dry skin is also surprisingly light and is easily absorbed. It smells amazing, which is unsurprising given that it contains almond and orange white flowers. I will say that it is quite a strong scent though so not for those who prefer lightly scented products.

The super duper moisturising part works through a combination of 8 plant milks, aloe Vera sap, macadamia oil and something called salicornia, which maintains optimum moisture levels apparently. It's paraben free, non comedogenic and contains 91.4% natural ingredients. My skin is definitely starting to feel more soft and plumper so Ill be continuing to use this for the foreseeable future and am already planning my next Nuxe item..apart from their famous Reve de Miel lip balm, is there anything else I should be looking at?

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector

I've been lusting after this beautiful gloss for an absolute age so was delighted to receive it as a gift recently. While Clarins originally produced this in only three shades, they've since brought out several new ones, all of which look rather lovely. I however had my heart set on this one from the original line-up 01- Rose Shimmer, a stunning milky pink which in spite of the name actually has no shimmer in it at all.

It's a very pretty pink gloss that looks natural yet still manages to enhance the appearance of the lips. It smells really good too- like vanilla flavoured sweets and the packaging is very aesthetically pleasing. I also like the application of it- it's a soft nib that the gloss is squeezed through, so very soft on the lips.

Here's the brands description:

"The ideal lip perfector for smooth, perfectly shaped lips with subtle, natural colour. A soft, gel formula that nourishes, repairs and protects. Day after day, lips are visibly more beautiful".

I would agree with all of that except the "day after day" part as I haven't been using it long enough to judge. It has left my lips softer though even after a couple of uses. The only negative thing I would say about it is that it isn't crazy long lasting but I almost prefer that because it means the formula isn't as sticky or tacky as a lot of longer lasting glosses can tend to be.

Overall, I absolutely love this gloss. I now have my eye on the original peach shimmer and will definitely be checking out the newer shades.

Have you tried any of the Clarins Lip Perfectors?

xx