Oh O.P.I.!

I don't actually own a lot of O.P.I. nail varnishes - my whole collection can be seen below! - but I constantly look at swatches and lust over them...  However, I found out a few months ago that they are owned by Coty and realised I would have to stop buying from them!  I emailed O.P.I. a couple weeks ago in the hope that maybe they were independent from Coty and that I could continue to buy from them.  I sent them a variation of my template email, saying that I knew Coty were not a cruelty free company but were O.P.I. independent, and this is the reply I got:

Our products are not tested on animals at all, you can also view our MSDS sheets on our website, this will give you a breakdown of the ingredients we have in our products.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions.

I contacted them again to ask about suppliers/ingredients (even though this is covered in the first email I sent) and got no reply...  So I will take this as a 'no, they are not cruelty free' and will stop purchasing from them.  This makes me rather sad :( If anyone else has had anymore luck with them then please let me know!

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NOTD: Neon Pink!

Today I am wearing Nina Ultra Pro in Punki Pink (I've tried to find out if this brand is CF but I can't find a website for it so I'll just avoid it in the future to be safe) which is a neon colour - so obviously it's made my camera go crazy haha - so annoying!  Just think pink highlighter colour basically!  The nail line is still visible with 2 coats which doesn't bother me too much as it is only slight.  I think I will try some of these neons over a white nail varnish just to see what that would turn out like.  I am still using the Sally Hansen strengthener stuff underneath but I won't bother photographing it anymore, just assume I am wearing it unless otherwise stated!  My base coat is running out boo :(

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Quick Thoughts: Lush Animal Testing Campaign

I know everyone and their granny is blogging about this at the moment so I will keep it very brief!  I just wanted to say how pleased I am Lush did this, it has definitely caused a big stir in the beauty industry and it is something which was really needed in my opinion.  I know a lot of people were upset because their children saw it, and I can appreciate that it would be quite traumatising for very young children but I for one will be raising my children to know what is going on behind closed doors in the beauty and farming (another story!) industry.  I know this seems to be a rather controversial subject and I don't really want to go into it any more depth than that at the moment but I felt as cruelty-free advocate I should at least mention it!

I share Karrisx's views pretty much and she did a great post about it last night which left me sobbing into my kitty! Here is a link to her's here.

Theo looking cuteee!

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NOTD: Frosty Finish

After removing Fiercely Fiona - which came off like a dream, no staining! - I decided to paint my nails using my new Models Own polish from my haul.

With regards to 'the experiment', the base coat over the nail treatment did seem to help it last slightly longer so I have done this again here.

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Models Own Nail Swatches

Here are some swatches of the two nail varnishes I bought recently:

First is Mystic Mauve, a frosty light pink.  This is 2 coats but it is basically opaque in one, albeit slightly streaky.

Then Ibiza Mix from the Hed Kandi collection.  This is a multi-coloured and multi-sized glitter polish in a clear base.  On the left is just one coat then the other one is about 2/3 coats... I tried to build it up but I got bored.  There's not a chance in hell of this one being opaque!  I found the consistency to be much thinner than I expected and the glitter is very sparse.  I would only use it on top of other colours so this isn't really a problem but I would have preferred for there to be slightly more glitter and less clear nail varnish!

Finally I layered one coat of Mystic Mauve and one coat of Ibiza mix.  I probably wouldn't wear this but I was having a fun and just curious!  It gives you an idea of how it would look over another colour.

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Look What I've Bought!

I was in Boots the yesterday so I thought I would look and see if Models Own had the full Hed Kandi collection available which they did!  It was also 2 for £8 so obviously I had to buy two, duhh!  I didn't really fancy any of the other Hed Kandi ones as I have some similar, so I just bought Ibiza Mix and then Mystic Mauve from their normal range.

I also got the Starter Set from Real Techniques.  I've been saving up my Boots points for ages and I finally had enough to buy this, so pleased that I basically got them for free!  I have the Core Collection and Stippling Brush which I got when they first came out and really liked them, love that they are synthetic!

The main reason for getting this set was that I really want to find a synthetic version of the MAC 217 brush and Sam tweeted me saying that the Base Shadow brush (second on the left) is quite similar so I will need to do a wee comparison and see if it is!

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Versatile Blogger Award

I have been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award, thank you so much Sophie Does Beauty!  I would definitely nominate you right back if I could!

The Rules:

1. Nominate 15 Bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.
2. Let them know you have nominated them.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
4. Thank the bloggers that have nominated you.
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

7 Random Facts:

1. I'm obsessed with Harry Potter.
2. I'm pescatarian which is basically vegetarian plus fish, I'll be cutting out fish at some point though!
3. One of my favourite books is The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
4. I have 4 cats, one of which is 20 years old!
5. I want to keep rescued battery chickens when I'm older.
6. I am so happy that Nutella is now suitable for vegetarians, YESSSS!
7. When I was younger I was on a Saturday morning kids TV programme with my chinchillas and had an interview with Vernon Kay...

I think 15 is too many, I don't even follow 15 relatively new blogs I don't think!  Instead I have chosen just a few blogs which I enjoy reading.  Hope you will go and check them out :)

I nominate:

• http://pretty-little-obsessions.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://what-jools-wore.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://clawnailsandbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://yasminaawrites.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://beautybycarmz.blogspot.com/

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NOTD: Sunshine, Daisies, Butter Mellow...

...Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow! :D Love Harry Potter!

Anyway... that little rhyme came into my head as I was painting my nails Fiercely Fiona (not CF) from the Shrek O.P.I. collection.  My nails have been peeling so badly recently I thought I would try using Sally Hansen's Miracle Cure (also not CF, gahhh) again.  It certainly hasn't been a miracle cure for me in the past!  It says that you can apply it underneath nail varnish but this has always ended up with my nails chipping even sooner than it usually does! 

So I am doing an experiment of sorts... I have applied the Miracle Cure to both hands, then I applied my Nails Inc. Caviar base coat on the left hand only, then 3 coats of Fiercely Fiona and of course a good big thick coat of Seche Vite.  We shall see what happens!  My bottle of Fiercely Fiona has gone rather gloopy sadly, I think 'cos it's just a wee one it happens quicker than if it was normal sized - application was interesting, hence why I used 3 coats.

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Origins VitaZing Vs. Soap & Glory Glow Job

Origins VitaZing is my staple daily item, I use it every morning before putting on my make up.  This is good for me as I am terrible as routines!!  However due to Origins' parent company Estée Lauder recently being put in the spotlight for either lying about animal testing, or starting it up again (I'm not sure of the details), I have been on the hunt for an alternative!

I really did not expect to find one at all to be honest, never mind one which is so similar!  I saw it mentioned on Behind These Closed Eyes' blog, and knew I had to go out and try this ASAP!  The product is Glow Job (oooh err!) by Soap & Glory.

Price:  VitaZing comes in at £26, however I used to buy it with my staff discount so got it for £22.10 (it used to be £25, and my staff discount used to be 20% so would get it for £20, booo!) and Glow Job is £9.

Application:  You only need a pea sized amount for both of these creams, any more than that and you can end up with streaky and uneven coverage.  VitaZing is easier to apply in that you just rub it into you skin and it changes colour - actual voodoo magic - whereas Glow Job contains bronzing balls which burst to release colour.  So for this one you need to apply it to your fingers then rub them together to burst all the balls (lol...) and mix in the bronzeness before putting it onto your face.  You do not want to just rub this straight on, you will end up with the beads bursting all over the place and it will be hard to make it even after that!

Appearance/Scent:  VitaZing is a beigey colour with tiny dark specks, and Glow Job is just pale white colour until the beads are burst and mixed in when it turns to a more golden tan colour.  Personally I prefer the smell of VitaZing, it is a fresher fruity smell where as Glow Job is sweeter, reminds me of something but I can't quite think what...

Packaging:  I prefer VitaZing's packaging for this one as it's a flip lid so much easier when you're in a rush in the morning!  Glow Job is just a twist on lid which can be awkward at times.  However, every morning when I go to use it VitaZing has a gooey, congealed bit at the nozzle which I need to wipe off before using which is really annoying! I'm sure this isn't really to do with packaging but just thought I'd throw it in there!

So here are some really awkward pictures of my face!

Without any face make up on

Wearing Origins VitaZing Moisturiser

Wearing Soap & Glory Glow Job

And my overall thoughts on them both...

VitaZing:  I prefer the application and smell of this but it is no longer cruelty free in my eyes and also has quite a hefty price tag!

Glow Job:  Love the price, it's also more accessible as it's available from Boots rather than an Origins counter.  It does have a more greasy feel to the cream which sank into my face however it left more of a residue on my hands.  It also doesn't contain SPF which is a bit annoying, however it means you can wear it for occasions where there will be photos taken and it won't make your face look shiny!

So to be honest I'd say they are quite interchangeable!  Except Glow Job is almost a 3rd of the price and it is most importantly cruelty free!

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Recently Read: The Tenth Circle

This is the second in a series I've started doing where I just discuss an interesting book I've read recently.  Click here to see my thoughts on To Kill a Mockingbird.

This book is called The Tenth Circle: A Novel by Jodi Picoult, who is my favourite author at the moment.  I can just pick up one of her books and start reading, knowing I'll enjoy it without knowing anything about it.

The basic plot line to this one is about a 14 year old girl who is raped by her ex-boyfriend at a house party, however no one believes her and thinks she is just making it up to get revenge on him for breaking up with her.  She is driven to self-harming and evens attempts suicide.

In Picoult's books there are always more than one protagonist so each chapter is from a different point of view, the girl, her mum, her dad, the detective, even the mother's lover at one point too!  This way you get a lot of different perspectives, but it also keeps you thinking, trying to work out the truth for yourself.

Then of course there is the twist... I won't give it away as it came as a huge shock to me!  Especially as Picoult's twists always come in right at the end - if you have seen/read My Sister's Keeper by her then you will understand! - whereas this one was a lot earlier, more in the middle.  There is another one at the end too but I had kind of seen it coming, and it was connected to the first twist; the first one was definitely the biggest surprise!

One thing I love about Picoult's novels are that she often includes a minority community into them somehow, and I just love reading about their lifestyles and how they differ to our own.  The ones that come to mind are the Amish, Native Americans, and in this one Eskimos (don't worry I have checked, that is completely politically correct!).  She brings it into this book as the girl's father was brought up in a Yupik (an Eskimo tribe from Alaska) community and his childhood is often referred back to throughout the book.  How accurate these descriptions are I do not know, but I'm sure she does her research!

Overall, this wasn't my favourite Picoult novel (I love the ones with lawyers for some reason!) but it wasn't my least favourite either.  If you liked My Sister's Keeper you will probably like this too, although I will warn you now, it is very creepy at the start with sexual references, especially when you remember they are only 14, ahhh!!

Please excuse my writing style, I feel it's still a bit higglety pigglety but I do do maths at uni, we don't write, pffft!!!!  Hopefully it will improve with time, thanks for reading :)

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NOTD: A Night's Sky

This is not 'springy' at all but I love it!  I first tried this combination on my nail wheel here, and couldn't wait to have it on my nails.

It is 2 coats of O.P.I. Russian Navy (not CF) and then one layer of Last Friday Night over the top.

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Favourite Soap & Lush Soap Collection

I got this soap as a sample along with some bits my friends got me as a birthday present last year and didn't really think much of it until I used it... OH MY GOD!  The smell is just amazing!  Say hello to Northern Lights:

I am definitely not one for citrusy scents, or even tastes for that matter, but it is also mixed with a pine element which softens out the citrus lime notes so that it isn't one of those 'zingy' aromas.  Not only does it smell amazing, it is also the most eye-catching colour of luminous/neon yellow!  I think the big slabs do have other colours incorporated as you can see from the photo below, sadly mine have only been yellow.

[Photo from Lush no copyright infringement intended]

Unfortunately it is only available at Christmas I think, although my birthday is October... maybe for Hallowe'en and Christmas!?  I went back to get some more once I used my (substantially sized) sample and I asked for 200g but he must have misheard me and only gave me 100g - sob! So I am having to ration it!

Another point to add is that it actually lasts quite a long time.  I recently used the Honey, I Washed The Kids soap and it just kind of disappeared within quite a short space of time!  Also the smell lasts on your skin afterwards, mmm!  It almost makes me want to shower in the morning rather than at night - yes I am one of those people...

Here is my Lush jar (which I stole from my dad - the jar, not the soap...)!  In it at the moment I have another piece of Honey, I Washed The Kids at the front there; then Northern Lights is the yellow one peeking out; at the top is Candy Cane cut into two bits; the greenish one on the right is Snow Globe; and lastly, at the bottom is my Sugar Scrub!

What's your favourite Lush soap?

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OOTD: 21st Tea Party!

Yesterday was my friend's 21st birthday, and for it she hosted a tea party in her new house, which was lovely!

I bought this dress from Primark at the same time as the one I wore on Easter Sunday, it was £13!  I love it!  It is quite sheer and even though it does have a lining, I wore an underskirt which I had to pull right up over my boobs and it kept poking out the bottom - I'm so classy!!!  It has a lovely wee off white crochet collar too which you can't really see for my hair - good one Louise!

I wore it with my black blazer as I didn't really have anything else which matched, and a pair of nude suede effect heels.  The heels didn't last long, I changed into a pair of big fluffy pink socks as soon as I could!

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NOTD: Tea Party Nails

Yesterday I wore Avon's Vintage Blue (not CF) with my Primark dress to my friend's 21st birthday tea party!  I will put up the OOTD soon.

I do have a nail varnish which is almost exact to the colour of my dress, but it was a bit too similar for my liking so I wanted it to clash slightly.  This exact match is Nails Inc. Haymarket:

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OOTD: Easter Sunday!

For Easter we had a family gathering at my Auntie's which included lots of food (I had nachos, veg lasagne and profiteroles!) and a chaotic egg hunt around the garden...

I bought this dress from H&M last week and I love it, I didn't buy it with any idea of where/when I wanted to wear it so decided to wear it for Easter.  I wore it with my black blazer also from H&M which I got for the wedding, and my new shoes from Primark.  The shoes don't even go very well but I do love them haha!

I should've put my hands on my hips here can't really see the waistline, oops, sorry!

Pretty shoess! Really comfy too.

Hope you had a lovely Easter and ate far too much chocolate :)

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A Small Earring Haul!

I said I wasn’t going to blog over the weekend, but here’s just a wee quick one!

 
I got a £15 voucher for Warehouse for my Christmas but it’s really not a shop I use… ever!  So I’ve been trying get rid of it for ages but to no avail.  I was near one yesterday and had a look, all the clothes were too expensive - I am so poor right now so couldn’t afford to go over the 15 by much!  I just ended up getting 3 pairs of earrings which isn’t too bad for free basically, they are quite pretty :)

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NOTD: Short Nails!

My nails were splitting and cracking something so I had to cut them all off :(

I've used one of my new nail varnishes as mentioned in my recent haul, this is China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise.  Again, the colour isn't particularly accurate (these two are neons so I'm going to blame that for messing with my camera!), it looks quite minty here, but it is more green with subtle blue shimmer through it.  I said this in my haul, but in case you missed it, it dries to a matte finish but I applied Seche Vite on top to make it nice and shiny!

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