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Dainty Doll ‘It’s my Party’

Dainty Doll is a cosmetics brand started by Nicola Roberts (yes, the one from Girls Aloud). She is ginger with very pale skin and got fed up of trying out cosmetics that didn’t go light enough or suit her colouring. So she made her own brand.

I didn’t have high hopes for this, I don’t know why…but I was so wrong. This lipstick is GORGEOUS. It is slightly matte so you have to moisturise your lips well with balm beforehand. I quite like the semi-matte look, but if you don’t you can pop a bit of gloss over the top.

The lipstick looks like such a bright coral in the tube but applies to be a bit more subtle - it still catches the eye but doesn’t blind you! I put in the photo of me smiling because some people at work said they never wore coral coloured lipstick as it makes teeth look yellow…can’t say I’ve experienced that!

Anyone else tried any Dainty Doll cosmetics? I’m intrigued now…

Lex :)

SWATCH: Revlon ‘320 Jaded’
I love pastels. I know it’s Autumn and I’m meant to be reviewing oranges and reds and browns but come on! Look at this polish! It is just so pretty. Mint creme polish with blue flecked shimmer…*sigh*.
This is 2 coats with a layer of Seche Vite.
Lex :)

SWATCH: Revlon ‘320 Jaded’

I love pastels. I know it’s Autumn and I’m meant to be reviewing oranges and reds and browns but come on! Look at this polish! It is just so pretty. Mint creme polish with blue flecked shimmer…*sigh*.

This is 2 coats with a layer of Seche Vite.

Lex :)

SWATCH: OPI ‘At First Sight’
Ivory pearl finish polish, this was 3 fairly thick coats with a layer of Seche Vite. It’s not really my kind of polish but it’s very pretty!
Lex :)

SWATCH: OPI ‘At First Sight’

Ivory pearl finish polish, this was 3 fairly thick coats with a layer of Seche Vite. It’s not really my kind of polish but it’s very pretty!

Lex :)

SWATCH: OPI ‘Steady As She Rose’
This is a polish from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection and I am in proper googly-eyed, undying love with it. It is a really unusual neutral shade, a pastel pink-grey that is so flattering and goes with everything.
As with most OPI’s, this only needed two coats and went on beautifully.
Lex :)

SWATCH: OPI ‘Steady As She Rose’

This is a polish from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection and I am in proper googly-eyed, undying love with it. It is a really unusual neutral shade, a pastel pink-grey that is so flattering and goes with everything.

As with most OPI’s, this only needed two coats and went on beautifully.

Lex :)

SWATCH: A-England ‘Dragon’
It is so sunny in London and we all know what that means - HOLO POLISH SWATCHING!
This is a holo polish from the A-England ‘St George’ collection. I was born on St George’s day so this collection has a place close to my heart (not just because they are all stunning).
‘Dragon’ is an eye-catching emerald green with beautifully finely-milled holographic particles so that it shines with multicoloured glitter in the sun. Sorry for the picture dump but this polish is so pretty, I struggled to pick a few to show you!
Lex :)

SWATCH: A-England ‘Dragon’

It is so sunny in London and we all know what that means - HOLO POLISH SWATCHING!

This is a holo polish from the A-England ‘St George’ collection. I was born on St George’s day so this collection has a place close to my heart (not just because they are all stunning).

‘Dragon’ is an eye-catching emerald green with beautifully finely-milled holographic particles so that it shines with multicoloured glitter in the sun. Sorry for the picture dump but this polish is so pretty, I struggled to pick a few to show you!

Lex :)

SWATCH: Collection 2000 ‘Neon Art’
Polish #5 from the Collection 2000 competition prize and another favourite. This is a tropical pink creme polish with a slight neon tint to it. Perfect for summer (which apparently arrived in London today - finally!)
Like the other Collection 2000 polishes I have swatched, this manicure took 3 coats.
So impressed with these polishes!
Lex :)

SWATCH: Collection 2000 ‘Neon Art’

Polish #5 from the Collection 2000 competition prize and another favourite. This is a tropical pink creme polish with a slight neon tint to it. Perfect for summer (which apparently arrived in London today - finally!)

Like the other Collection 2000 polishes I have swatched, this manicure took 3 coats.

So impressed with these polishes!

Lex :)

Swatch: Collection 2000 - 46 Fruit Loop

Swatch #1 from the 24 I won in the Collection 2000 nail art competition :) This is a super pretty peach creme polish, very similar to Barry M ‘Peach Melba’ that I was loving a few weeks ago.
Great brush, great formula, dries quickly and goes with pretty much everything. What more could you want?
Lex :)

Swatch: Collection 2000 - 46 Fruit Loop

Swatch #1 from the 24 I won in the Collection 2000 nail art competition :) This is a super pretty peach creme polish, very similar to Barry M ‘Peach Melba’ that I was loving a few weeks ago.

Great brush, great formula, dries quickly and goes with pretty much everything. What more could you want?

Lex :)

Swatch: Max Factor Fantasy Fire swoon

Max Factor - Fantasy Fire

Gradient tutorial!

I had such an overwhelming response to my recent gradients and a lot of questions asking how I do them, so I decided to do a tutorial.

Barry M - ‘Peach Melba’

This is my favourite Spring colour at the moment: pretty but also a bit different. Barry M can do no wrong in my eyes. They have brilliant, on-trend colours that apply well, dry quickly and last well without chipping. This is two coats and a Seche Vite top coat. I applied it on Friday and have had minimal wear.
Also, in news that is only exciting to me: I changed the shape of my nails. I have had squovals for as long as I can remember but have been seeing so many stiletto nails and love how they look so I’m giving them a go. So far, I love them :)
Lex :)

Barry M - ‘Peach Melba’

This is my favourite Spring colour at the moment: pretty but also a bit different. Barry M can do no wrong in my eyes. They have brilliant, on-trend colours that apply well, dry quickly and last well without chipping. This is two coats and a Seche Vite top coat. I applied it on Friday and have had minimal wear.

Also, in news that is only exciting to me: I changed the shape of my nails. I have had squovals for as long as I can remember but have been seeing so many stiletto nails and love how they look so I’m giving them a go. So far, I love them :)

Lex :)

Revlon - Whimsical
Yes! You heard me! Revlon Whimsical now sits proudly on my display rack. And it…is…so…PRETTY!! Along with everyone else, I adored Deborah Lippman’s Glitter In The Air (or GITA as people affectionately nicknamed it) so I was thrilled when Revlon brought out this amazing dupe. I don’t own GITA, but you can see swatched all over the internet so you can compare if you like.
However, as with all good dupes, it soon became as hard to locate as the original! I searched all over the UK (no exaggeration!) but no luck. So I resorted to eBay. I’m so glad I did as it is stunning.
It’s a sheer baby blue polish with: large baby pink and baby blue hexagonal glitter, smaller silver hexagonal glitter and teeny tiny baby glue circular glitter. I layered this over 17’s ‘Chaperone’ which is a light grey and it looks amazing. I only needed one coat of Whimsical for this coverage, but did have to use the brush to arrange some of the larger glitter as it had a tendency to drag.
I love the way the glitter layers though: smaller hexagonals on top of the larger one, the tiny glitter glowing through the sheer blue polish. SO PRETTY!
And as if it couldn’t get any better, after a day or two of wear, I added a matte top coat (GOSH’s one) and it looked even more amazing. A bit more sophisticated than the glitter (don’t get me wrong, I love glitter but it can sometimes look a bit ‘young’) and the glitter still shines but in a different way. Love it.
If you can get your hands on this polish you will not regret it. I adore it.
Lex :)

Revlon - Whimsical

Yes! You heard me! Revlon Whimsical now sits proudly on my display rack. And it…is…so…PRETTY!! Along with everyone else, I adored Deborah Lippman’s Glitter In The Air (or GITA as people affectionately nicknamed it) so I was thrilled when Revlon brought out this amazing dupe. I don’t own GITA, but you can see swatched all over the internet so you can compare if you like.

However, as with all good dupes, it soon became as hard to locate as the original! I searched all over the UK (no exaggeration!) but no luck. So I resorted to eBay. I’m so glad I did as it is stunning.

It’s a sheer baby blue polish with: large baby pink and baby blue hexagonal glitter, smaller silver hexagonal glitter and teeny tiny baby glue circular glitter. I layered this over 17’s ‘Chaperone’ which is a light grey and it looks amazing. I only needed one coat of Whimsical for this coverage, but did have to use the brush to arrange some of the larger glitter as it had a tendency to drag.

I love the way the glitter layers though: smaller hexagonals on top of the larger one, the tiny glitter glowing through the sheer blue polish. SO PRETTY!

And as if it couldn’t get any better, after a day or two of wear, I added a matte top coat (GOSH’s one) and it looked even more amazing. A bit more sophisticated than the glitter (don’t get me wrong, I love glitter but it can sometimes look a bit ‘young’) and the glitter still shines but in a different way. Love it.

If you can get your hands on this polish you will not regret it. I adore it.

Lex :)

Spring leopard print…
I am excited about spring so wanted to do something cute and pretty. I love leopard print anyway but like the idea of making it more girly and eye-catching so decided to do multi-pastel leopard print!
I used various 17 and Barry M pastels, I can give you the colours if you’re interested.
This is such a quick and easy mani that I always wonder why I don’t do it more often. Even my boss at work was impressed and he doesn’t usually notice my crazy nails!
Lex :)

Spring leopard print…

I am excited about spring so wanted to do something cute and pretty. I love leopard print anyway but like the idea of making it more girly and eye-catching so decided to do multi-pastel leopard print!

I used various 17 and Barry M pastels, I can give you the colours if you’re interested.

This is such a quick and easy mani that I always wonder why I don’t do it more often. Even my boss at work was impressed and he doesn’t usually notice my crazy nails!

Lex :)

Cath Kidston-esque nails…

I finally bought a new SD card for my camera today so I can take pretty pictures of my nails on something that isn’t my Blackberry!

Here is my second ever attempt at floral nails. I absolutely adore them.

(please ignore the dreadful state of my little finger, it is poorly!)