EXPERIMENTAL EYES #2 - PINK AND GOLD

You might remember my first installment of 'experimental eyes' and today I'm here with part two, which is a bit more wearable and is a soft, almost quite romantic pink and gold look. I will add that my brows were not looking on point on the day and I can't help but gawp at them instead of focusing on the shadow, so apologies.

I started by using the Avon Eye Primer as per usual, and then took Shade 2 from the MUA Undressed Palette (a budget friendly look today) on the inner half of the lid to create a slightly pink sheen. Shade 4 (a pale brown/taupe shimmer) went over the rest of the lid with Shade 6 (quite comparable to Half Baked by Urban Decay) in the centre of the lid to add that golden sheen.

For the pink crease I began with Shade 5 as a warm matte brown base, and then took Crochet from the Sleek Lace Blush By Three, along with the pink from the H&M Spring Flowers Blush to transition it as it was a bit lighter in colour. I don't own any pink shadows so it's all about working with the products you own whether that be blushes, bronzers or something else. As usual I blended the outer edge with a touch of the Sleek Contour colour to give it a warm, seamless look and is pretty much foolproof.

I used the Barry M Blink Pen Liner to create a wing slightly less dramatic than shown in the previous look, but still fairly noticeable. I also used the same array of mascaras as the previous look, Soap and Glory Thick & Fast, followed by Sheercover Lash Fibres, then Too Faced Lashgasm - a bit of a creature of habit it seems (or maybe not considering I just put pink on my eyes). 

THE MINT GREEN LOVE

I think the first time I ever fell in love with a nail polish was when GOSH Miss Minty* dropped through my letter box back in the days when I had my nail blog. I wore it almost every time I painted my nails, and due to that I needed a replacement as this one was getting a little gloopy.

The one I love the most, and is a new love is the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Sugar Apple, one from their latest pastel collection for Spring. It's the perfect mint, not too blue, not too green, and the glossy finish wins it for me. Definitely one to add to your shopping list.

One which I forgot about until having a hunt through my (overflowing) nail polish drawer was the Rimmel Salon Pro Lycra in Peppermint. This one is a little darker than the rest, but nothing to stop it fitting in the mint category. Also, the brush on this one is great, just a swipe over each nail is all you need, and only a couple of coats.

Last but not least is Ciaté Pepperminty, which is slightly more green than the rest, but nothing dramatic. I quite like the finish of this one too, as it doesn't seem to chip. My one peeve with this one is that it's pretty sheer and you have to build up the coats to get that perfect mint colour.

I think it is very 'blogger' of me to do a post entirely dedicated to mint green paints, and perhaps this has made me realise that I don't really need any more...

PASTEL PAINTS FROM BARRY M

If there was one thing I had to say about Spring beauty, I would probably express my love for the pretty pastel nail polishes, but when routing through my collection, I noticed that I was lacking in a powder blue colour, and so I was straight to the Barry M counter after hearing about their new pastels in the Gelly Hi-Shine collection.

In Boots there was a buy one get one half price offer on, and I picked Huckleberry and Sugar Apple from the collection. There is also Rose Hip in the collection which is a pale pink, but they didn't have any left of those.

Huckleberry is literally my perfect powder blue shade, and is just what I was looking for. Something which was literally a slightly darker than off-white colour (you can barely see the swatch on the nail wheel), and this is that. As always with the Gelly Hi Shine Range, the formulation is incredible, thick and glossy which makes for the perfect speedy manicure.

Sugar Apple is a mint green, which a lot of people say is a good substitute for Essie Mint Candy Apple. This one looks like it'll be replacing my (rather stodgy, well loved) GOSH Miss Minty now, which I am very happy about as that one needed a replacement anyway.

I can tell that the two of these polishes will be ruling my collection in the upcoming months, so expect them to feature a few more times here...

THE SPRING POLISH PICKS

As Autumn and Winter leave us, and as Spring looks as if it is just around the corner, I have been ditching the vampy plums and reaching for the dainty pastels when it comes to polishes. There are definitely a few more types of colours I am looking to purchase, like pastel blues and pinks that are almost off whites - the L'Oreal new releases look promising. But, for now I have been enjoying using my current lineup.

An old favourite is the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Greenberry. If it was possible to have a pastel mint green, with a hint of neon about it, this would be it. The formula scores full marks from me too - glossy and opaque. Stunning.
Who can resist a bubblegum pink? I certainly can't and Ciaté Candyfloss is the one I am loving. There's something about this milky pink that stands out among the rest of my collection of polishes that makes me want to paint it on my nails every day.
Another offering from Ciaté is Chinchilla, a powdery pale blue which looks really nice on my skin tone. The formula of this one isn't quite as good as my other Ciaté polishes, but I still love it nonetheless.

One that I never stop banging on about is the Revlon Colourstay in Provence, a dusty, slightly grey pale lilac, which I slap on my nails if I can't decide what to wear - it's basically my go-to.
I don't really like how oranges look on my nails, but GOSH Peachy* is slightly more pastel and muted, so I feel like it is one of the only oranges I enjoy wearing. I'm not sure if this is still available anywhere, but if it is, I recommend picking it up.
Finally, what would this post be without a true mint. This is the Rimmel Salon Pro polish is Peppermint, and it is the perfect blue-mint which has a great thick formula and I seriously don't understand why I haven't purchased more from the line because they really to rule.

So, that's what my pointers have been loving, but leave your suggestions of what to get for when Spring hits hard so I have my fair share of pastel lacquers...

P.S - This is my 200th post! *applause*

THE BUDGET BLACK LINER TRIO

Eyeliner has become a step in my daily makeup routine and after a few weeks to a month of consistent daily lining, my peepers look odd to me without the slightly winged, not too thick, black line of definition.

The Felt Tip Pen: This is my favourite option to go for of the three. I have totally got to grips with using the pen to do a line (pretty much even on both eyes, can I get a round of applause?), quickly in the morning and it stays all day. The felt-tip in question is the Barry M Blink Precision Eyeliner which costs something short of £5, so is totally bargainous. There is no doubt that I will be repurchasing this once it has dried out.

The Gel Pot: This is a new addition to the liner posse, but strictly speaking isn't actually designed to be a liner. This in fact is the Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo in Timeless Black, but it is so pigmented, that once set, it almost doubles as a gel liner. Sometimes I am worried that it'll smudge being as it isn't actually a liner but I haven't had any issues yet. For £2 in the Boots clearance, it isn't bad at all.

The Pencil/Kohl: This is the option I am least familiar with, but this is one to go for when you want something a little more laid back or a bit more smudged out and sultry. This is the Avon Glimmerstick in Blackest Black, and this stuff is seriously pigmented. You have a short time after applying to smudge, move and wing this liner before it sets which is what I like about it. For £6 it isn't pricey either.

Three great liners at 3 budget prices, and I feel like my eye look is never complete without a slick of the stuff nowadays, and for just over £15 for the trio, you can't resist...

BARRY M BLINK EYELINER

Diverting away from the Christmas posts for a day, over the past month or two this Barry M Blink Eyeliner has quickly become my favourite eyeliner. I haven't tried many before, but the simplicity of using this has won me over.

This is a felt tip eyeliner, which I find the easiest type of liner to use. I basically draw on whatever shape I like, whether that is a dramatic wing, a small wing, or no wing at all, (some of which are demonstrated in the picture above), and it will last all day. I love that the pen tip is a spongey-foam kind of thing, as it just makes the application so much more flexible and quick. 

This is waterproof and smudgeproof, and all the other good stuff. I have only ever had this smudge on me once when my eye watered and I went crazy rubbing my eye because I forgot I had eyeliner on. School Girl Error. For £4.19 though, and for how blimmin' good this is, I will be repurchasing to my heart's content. 

If you suck at eyeliner, go and buy this. I was awful at liner, and after buying this, the amount of compliments I have gained isn't countable on my two hands...

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Greenberry | Swatches and Review

Hi everyone! So as you should know already, these Barry M Gelly polishes have been raved about a lot recently, and I couldn't help it but buy one! So far, I only own Greenberry, but I certainly have my eye on a few more! This is like a mint/pastel green, but bright, and almost neon. It just makes me feel so summery when I have it on my nails!

Greenberry £3.99

 Woah, so this picture makes this polish look horrible and streaky. I can promise you now that's not the case, these are some of the most flawlessly applying polishes I have tried. Also, I apologize for the blurry picture,I don't have any more swatches! :( 

This is one of the colours that just makes me think 'OK England, we have had enough snow now, so please just let it be summer already?'. But I would wear this little guy on my nails in winter because I love it so much! It makes me feel so peppy and happy wearing this - I never knew nail polishes could be so uplifting!

Have you tried any of the polishes in this line? I really recommend them to you! 

Thanks for reading, don't forget to follow on GFC and Bloglovin' and twitter; www.twitter.com/thebeaubow

Bye! Lauren x 

My Spring Nail Polish Picks! - High End and Drugstore

Hi everyone! So, Spring is just around the corner, and I really like things to match with the seasons, so I will do a few posts on my blush, jewellery, lip, and nail polish picks. This is my polish post, so I hope you enjoy it! With polishes ranging from high end/luxury to drugstore, this is a great selection!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Greenberry £3.99

 I absolutely adore Barry M nail polishes, and when this new collection came out I had to get one. I picked this for one of my top 5 spring polishes as it is pretty and pastel, but also very bright, and uplifting and not your normal pastel turquoise colour. I can't fault this at all!

OPI Nail Lacquer in Red Lights Ahead...Where?! £8.50-£11.00 depending on the place of purchase.

 OPI nail polishes are flawless. This one is incredible. It's a vibrant pink-red coral colour, opaque in 1-2 coats. The lasting time is great, which you would expect for such a good quality polish. I really love just simple creme colours on my nails in the spring, I have no idea why, but I just don't lean towards shimmers and glitters as much in the warmer months.

China Glaze in Passion For Petals - Around £7-£8 

China Glaze are another great high end brand. This polish is a lovely pink/coral creme colour, which I absolutely adore. It is from their recent Avantgarden collection, so you should still be able to pick it up! The drying time of this polish is great as well, so you won't have to wait around for it to dry!

GOSH - Miss Minty £4.99

 Hands down, one of my favourite nail polishes. Hence the dirty cap, and it being half empty. I must buy another one of these, as the GOSH polishes are so incredible and I will probably cry when this one runs out. I was wearing this in autumn and winter for crying out loud, I must love it if I was wearing a pretty pastel in the month of oxblood and deep plums.

Fearne Cotton Polish in Lemon Drizzle.

You can't do a spring nail polish post without a nice pastel yellow creme. I have a weird hing about yellows. If they aren't like this one (pretty and pastel) I won't wear it. I feel strange about it, like I have mouldy nails or something. Yellows just don't suit my skin tone, but this one is lovely. This came in a Christmas set, but I am pretty sure that if you shop around online you will most certainly find it!

So, let me know some of your favourite spring/summer polishes in the comments! I have my eye on Essie Fiji, Mint Candy Apple and Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Lychee.

Thanks for reading, don't forget that you can follow via GFC and Bloglovin' and also on twitter; www.twitter.com/thebeaubow

Bye! Lauren x