Some more Va Va Voom - this time a Revlon nailpolish workout

I don't celebrate Xmas (my family don't celebrate it so never grew up with it - New Year and Chinese New Year were always more the event) but I do love the new collections that come out at Xmas - makeupwise as well as fashionwise. The UK drugstore Superdrug has particularly been good over the last couple of years with their Xmas gift sets and I stumbled across this little number today - The Revlon Va Va Voom Red Nail Collection (it isn't just fate that made me name my hair blog post yersterday Va Va Voom).

Revlon nail polish was the first nail polish I ever tried (mum's favourite) and a glamorous American brand that was available growing up in HK. I thought this set was a perfect gift (for me!) but also imagined my niece enjoying it - and it's perfect for travelling with great bright colours (which I would wear all year round). It's a really great collection of colours I think - I've always wanted to try 2 colours in this set, One Perfect Coral and Cherries in The Snow.

The set retails at Superdrug for £5.99, each bottle is 5ml and has a very decent sized nail brush. A steal IMO and a perfect gift.

Some quick swatches (bit messy in parts and I tried different lighting) - I did 2 coats:


From Left to Right: One Perfect Coral, REvlon Red, Cherries In The Snow, Frankly Scarlet




My description of the colours:
One Perfect Coral - bright coral with more orange tones (matte)
Revlon Red - a true retro red 1950s style (matte)
Cherries In The Snow - quite similar to Revlon Red just with a touch of fuschia in it
Frankly Scarlet - a pretty metallic shimmer light red (metallic)

The colours are pigmented and go on smoothly with no streaks. A clear top coat would give a great shine. I can report in due course too about its durability.


Have you bagged yourself any new holiday collections?

Some va-va-voom to my hair workout - Samy Salon FAT HAIR styling creme

I love my hair, it's always been good to me. Only recently have grey hairs started to appear but I've always loved its colour, never dyed it, loved that in the early 90s I could make it grungy and stringy or totally hippy thanks to its total inability to keep a curl or waves. Total straightness a la Jennifer Aniston without having to do much to it.

But since I moved to the UK, I think the hard water has contributed to it drying out and becoming more fine. Age too : D So this year I began to make an effort to achieve healthy, voluminous and styled hair. Afterall, getting your makeup right and trying to follow through with a decent outfit - and then no hair effort - seems a bit of a waste : D

I am not good at styling my hair. Period. If ever there was a workout for me, it's definitely The Hair. I just don't have the patience and get tired so easily with styling The Hair. But when I do make the effort - I go the whole hog ie. the volumising mousse, spray, ceramic huge velcro rollers and some backcombing (can I just say that I don't do this often, when I do it takes me ages!). I have had great results with Loreal's Tecni art range. But I need to simplify on a normal day to day basis.

Girls and boys, say hello to Samy Salon FAT HAIR styling creme:


I bought this on a whim in Superdrug - it's bright red and has huge lettering so I thought what do I have to lose? I am going to do a YT vid review on it. It is pretty good and fuss free. You do have to rub it in. You do have to blow dry your hair to activate the creme. No mousse, no gel. Just a cream you blend in. No crunch. It is a bit sticky but doesn't leave a residue in your hair if you blend it in well and most importantly it makes my hair look like it has body and has been styled (no flyaways) and dare I say it - it gives me some almost-Cindy-Crawford-90s-style hair. And is the only product that seems to make the body and movement in my hair last well throughout the day.

The only downside is the packaging, as it's difficult to squeeze out the creme from the bottle - but they've realised this and now it comes in a pump style container. I'm also trying out their shampoo from the same range - and will give a verdict in due course.

Anyone else tried this line?

Prescriptives All Skins Mineral Powder Foundation - a faithful workout

Ok, so I gotta stop waxing lyrical about this foundation - especially seeing as it's only 3 months to go before Prescriptives opens its counters for business for the last time on 31 January 2010.

But I wanted to share how I can wear this foundation both wet and dry to achieve natural finishes both in sheer and heavier coverages. I took them over about a month probably - and tried to get the same lighting in the same room, but it's not possible with the UK weather!

For info, I wear Level 2 - Warm Medium.

Applied dry and a sheer layer - my freckles! : D


Applied dry with a medium coverage


Applied wet with a sheer coverage


Applied wet with a medium coverage


Thanks for reading!

FOTD workout thanks to 2 recent swaps

I did this FOTD a couple of weeks back using 2 recent items I received as swaps from makeupalley - MAC Signed, Sealed e/s and Stila Kajal in Onyx. Both are fast becoming favourites in my collection.

Both wear extremely well on alot of fronts:

- they apply very easily
- they last very well (a good 12 hours IMO)
- they are pigmented and vibrant
- as they are so pigmented, you only need a light touch IMO (esp with Signed, Sealed - really only a touch and blend it out on the crease)

MAC Signed, Sealed is a matte deep dark brown purple with warm brown tones in it (more brown than purple) and is unique in my collection. I'm impressed with the Stila Kajal - as I had thought it would be similar to UD 24/7 Zero which did not work for me - but it totally is not. It applies so well on the waterline and so easy, and smudges equally well without that greasy smudgey effect (not in the good way!).

Likey, likey.




Products used:

Px All Skins Mineral Powder fdn in L2 Warm Medium
MAC Bare Canvas all over lid
MAC Brule e/s all over lid
MAC Signed, Sealed blended well in crease
Stila Kajal Onyx to waterline and on lashline and smudged
Maybelline F&S WP mascara in black


Have you had any recent swap items you are working well?

Working my NYC vintage party dress find (at least I hope)

As I had mentioned in my YT vid about my NYC clothes/accessories finds, a great vintage store I came across on 5th Avenue was Cheap Jack's, check it out at www.cheapjacks.com The staff were very helpful - and were also stylists - so I felt well looked after.

It's a striking teal dress with (in my mind) lovely ruching detail on the shoulders and pairs very well with black! On a dinner out with the boyfriend I wore it with black tights, a black H&M tuxedo jacket from many seasons ago and some black suede peeptoe heels. Fashion is what you feel special in, as well as what makes you feel comfortable. I felt very special in it - hence love it.





What's your recent favourite outfit?

NYC Jewellery workout - Guenevere Rodriguez

As I covered in my YT video, Guenevere Rodriguez has a small stall on Prince Street on Sundays where she sells some of her pieces. I really like the delicateness and lightweight look and feel of her pieces - it is definitely something that I can wear all at one time - or individually. They might seem too fine, almost ethereal like, when worn but the fact that they are makes them all the more eye catching.

Here is her website and hopefully if I am able to go to NYC again, I'll be checking her store out for sure - www.guenevererodriguez.com





Do you have any favourite jewellery designers?

My New York Love Affair......

I'm writing this post whilst SATC is on the telly in the background. I had a blast in NYC. I've been about once every 2 years in the last few years, and this time I spent the longest time there - one week. My girlfriends and I rented a flat in Greenwich Village - and the stay there made me fall more in love with the area! Looking back at my pics - I didn't take many actually (and the ones I post here are just general -without my pals for confidentality really) - but lately I am just loving living life - through just creating and remembering experiences.

We did quite a bit of shopping, a bit of museum and gallery hopping, went to the Marquee Club (which was ok but nothing to write home about). Generally I just love walking round NYC. I also visited Ground Zero for the first time and was very humbled by it.

Though I know NYC much better now than I ever did, I STILL get confused by the directions of which way up I should go up a street or avenue! : D Of if I am going uptown or downtown!

The food was really good. The makeup was good (you will have seen my haul vid!). The company was good. Just catching up with old friends and each other's lives was just endearing and special. : D

So onto the pics

NYC street and cab on Broadway!



Carrie's stoop (check out the No Trespassing sign)and street




Joh's Pizzeria in Greenwich Village for a slice : D


We were lucky to get a balcony with our flat and had breakfast practically
each morning on it!


Pancakes at Pastis in the Meatpacking District


...then followed by a must stop to DVF & to peer in where Whitney Port went to work every day (such a sucker for those Hills and City girls)


We also spent some time in the Woodbury Outlet (way bigger than Bicester here in the UK!) and I managed to score a few things there and elsewhere shopping in NYC. I'll make posts of my purchases slowly with the next few posts. Managed to see some celebs too - Andrew McCarthy, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammar - and even Earl Spencer (Princess Di's brother) and his 2 daughters! New York is just so fabulous! : D
I had a total blast.......just trying to schedule my next trip there : D