Friday Favourite: Metallic Croc Effect

After my previous post on Autumnal Nail Shades, I experimented using two together. Barry M Nail Paint in 343 Burgundy Croc and Rimmel London Metal Rush in 80 Purple Reign. Both of these were two of my favourites from the selection and when paired together they create a stunning nail for this season. Metallics are everywhere at the moment and the Rimmel polish reflects that with it's electric purple pop of colour. The result with a coat of the Barry M Croc Effect on top is amazing, with a beautiful texture and two autumnal colours that work perfectly together with just the right amount of contrast.  The metallic purple peeks through the berry toned burgundy underneath the cracks formed by the Croc Effect polish and once finished with a slick of my favourite top coat, Sally Hansen's Mega Shine, you have a unique nail polish collaboration that will ad a pop of colour to the dull tones of Autumn clothing! I've worn this pair for a solid week without a single chip, perfection!

Autumnal Nail Shades

I have an excessive nail polish collection but the strong majority of the polishes I own are darker shades, my favourites being the vampy plums and almost blacks. While I do love the brights and pastels of Summer, there is something about the deep rich shades that return every Autumn and Winter that I'm drawn to, so I thought I would head to Boots & Superdrug to scout out ten of my favourite shades that I'll be wearing this season. I've chosen from a variety of brands and tried to include different tones and finishes so I hope you enjoy my autumnal nail picks!

From left to right:
Maxfactor Max Effect in 03 Red Bronze -  A gorgeous metallic bronze, reminds me of the falling leaves of Autumn.

Models Own in Red n Black - One of the aforementioned almost blacks, with a very slight tint of red.

Maybelline Forever Strong Pro in 786 Taupe Couture -  A dark grey toned taupe, perfect neutral nail for Autumn.

Barry M Nail Paint in 327 Magnetic Burgundy - A beautiful burgundy colour polish, reacting to the magnet with stripes of pink.

Barry M Nail Paint in 433 Magnetic Moon Dust - Similar effect with the magnet, resulting in gold and silver stripes, another great metallic shade for Autumn/Winter..would look great at Christmas.

Barry M Nail Paint in 327 Magnetic Burgundy. This is definitely one of my favourite shades from my selection, I love the berry tones and the stripes the magnet creates. Makes a change to plain block colour nails and is just as easy as a quick manicure.

From left to right: (excuse the nasty little cut on my first finger!)
Barry M Nail Paint in 343 Burgundy Croc - Another great polish from Barry M with a textured finish in a great vampy colour for Autumn.

Models Own Pro in Limited Edition 043 Pinky Grey - It's not all doom and gloom! This is a great neutral nail colour and is exactly what it says on the tin -  pinky grey! Slightly lilac I think, and great for days when you want to perk up a dark Autumnal outfit with a lighter colour nail. I'm finding this is the perfect transition colour from Summer to Autumn.

Essie Sole Mate - Very similar to Models Own Black n Red but much more red so looks like a dark burgundy on the nail rather than almost black.

No7 Stay Perfect in Thunderstorm - The photo does this colour no justice, it looks a lot more dark and black than it actually is (I'm sorry!) It's similar to Maybelline's Taupe Couture because of it's grey neutral shade but has a slightly blue/purple undertone which I really love.

Rimmel London Metal Rush in 80 Purple Reign - This has to be another of my favourites, it definitely steals the show. The Metal Rush polishes are part of Rimmel's AW12 collection and from the four polishes on offer, this one stood out. I just adore the bright purple metallic shade and think it will work well to brighten up an Autumn outfit.

Best of the bunch: Barry M's Burgundy Croc is a polish like no other. I've seen the crackle effects been done by so many brands and quite frankly, I'm tired of it! This is a new twist on things and yes, it does still crackle like the others but the cracks are more precise and it definitely does look very similar to a Crocodile skin. I used this over Maybelline Taupe Couture as to not detract from the effect but I'm thinking of trying it will the Rimmel Metal Rush polish next to see how that contrast works. When finished with a slick of Sally Hansen's Mega Shine, it truly does mimic that of a patent mock-croc bag. Love it!

So there you have it, my nail polish picks for Autumn. Let me know if you'll be sporting any of these yourself this season!

Review: Maybelline Master Smoky

Master Smoky shadow pencil in Smoky Black/Smoky Chocolate & Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Smoky Eyes Mascara

My first ever mascara was Maybelline Great Lash which I adored at the time, but since discovering that there is makeup beyond Maybelline, I've tended to neglect the brand, sometimes trying out the odd mascara which usually impresses me but I never follow through and give it any more attention. Recently I've seen the pairing of Maybelline Master Smoky shadow pencils and the Colossal Volum' Express Smoky Eyes Mascara everywhere and decided I had to give in and to see what all the hype was about.

I was really impressed with the mascara. I'm not sure I noticed the 'matte kohl look' it claims to provide but wasn't bothered by that. The mascara lengthens and darkens my lashes dramatically but I was disappointed with it's application. Although it does catch all the lashes well, including the bottom lashes, I find it started to go clumpy on a second application. I prefer my mascara's to be buildable so will have to consider whether I mind sacrificing that for the length and strong black it offers.

In all the campaigns I've noticed the shadow pencils have been used to create really dramatic dark eyes, and while I will try that for an evening look, I first used it solely on my top lash line to see the effect for a daytime makeup look. I was pleased with the result; the pencil glides on smoothly creating an intense saturated and pigmented line, and when smudged out with the smudge sponge on the opposite end, it does blur the harsh line creating a smoky effect. The only draw back for me is that the smudge sponge can tug at the eyelid if you're not gentle, but if you aren't firm enough the pencil doesn't smudge well...dilemma? For a subtle daytime look, I only used a small amount, but I'll be interested to see how it looks with more product used (I'll keep you posted!) I bought the pencil in both brown and black and personally think that brown will work best for everyday looks, and the black for strong dark evening eyes. For me the shadow pencils work best to simple enhance the mascara, in place of a typical eyeliner.

One coat of Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Smoky Eyes Mascara with a little smudge of Master Smoky shadow pencil in Smoky Black

Maybelline Master Smoky shadow pencils and Colossal Volum' Express Smoky Eyes Mascara are available at Boots, Superdrug and other drugstores. Tell me if you have a different experience with either of them!

Bare Minerals vs. Laura Mercier

My current foundation favourite at the moment is Laura Mercier Mineral Powder. I have combination/oily skin and I need coverage mostly for acne scarring now, but still get a few blemishes and active breakouts. Having previously sworn by Bare Minerals, I have now discovered other mineral foundations on the market and think these two are the best I've tried.

Since using mineral foundation, my skin has improved dramatically. I used to have a constant battle with breakouts and there was rarely a day where I didn't have at least one, but it's the opposite now and I only have the odd one or two now and again. This is because these powders don't clog up and sit in your pores like normal foundations do, and instead are good for your skin because of the minerals themselves, especially the Zinc, known to help skin fight acne. Not only has my blemish-prone skin improved, but so has my skin tone. It is less irritated and red and instead much more even.

I was sceptical when I first experimented with mineral foundation, not believing it could provide enough coverage for me because it's really just a powder...but these foundations are so buildable and buff into the skin beautifully with the complementing brushes so you can have a light coverage or if you need more, simply buff more into the skin. I also thought they would look really matte on the skin, but they still give a slight dewy glow leaving your skin looking healthy and fresh. They also both have SPF 15..what more could you want?!

When it comes to choosing between these two (please bare in mind these are just my personal favourites, there are others on the market) I prefer Laura Mercier. For me, I find it is a better colour match for my skin (I am 03 Real Sand) and you get a lot more product for your money. I also find the Laura Mercier brush is a lot less coarse than the Bare Minerals ones (although the Bare Minerals concealer brush is fantastic for targeting blemishes for a little more coverage).

However, the Bare Minerals does still stand it's ground. If you buy the Get Started Kit you get three brushes, two shades of foundation, a bronzer and a mineral veil (which claims to give a flawless finish) which is fantastic but again, I'm not keen on the colours for my skin tone and find their brushes too harsh since discovering Laura Mercier. Bare Minerals do offer a great range of colours though, including eyeshadows, blushes and even their new solid minerals in the READY range so it's worth experimenting with different brands and seeing which minerals work best for you! Let me know what mineral foundation you prefer...I'd love some new recommendations!

CHANEL Loveliness

So here's what was hidden inside the beautiful Chanel packaging in my last post. The nail polish in Infidèle is a gorgeous plumy pink, a perfect transition shade from Summer to Autumn and Winter. I'm not a massive fan of Chanel polishes for their lasting power, as they are known to chip more than others but I just can't resist all their stunning shades and glossy finishes. This shade is part of Chanel's limited edition collection 'Les Twin-Sets de Chanel' created exclusively for Fashion's Night Out. Chanel's latest limited edition offers three new shades - Infidèle, Délicatesse and Provocation - each with a coordinating shade of Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick. I wasn't as impressed with this collection as I thought I might have been but think I'll wear this shade frequently throughout the bleaker cold months.

And here is the lipgloss: Chanel Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimer in #119 Wild Rose. I'm not really a lipgloss kind of girl, and rarely stray from my lip balms and lipsticks, with the exclusion of my beloved Clarins Lip Perfecter but I thought I'd dive into the world of lip glosses while I was there. I was looking for a 'my lips but better' shade, although cliché, because I wanted one I could wear subtly every day. Wild Rose was picked out for me and so far I am really enjoying it. The colour is a gorgeous subtle pink with a slight iridescent finish and it lasts a good few hours before I have to reapply, so long as I don't eat or drink! The formulation is great with a creamy, non-sticky consistency. I even got a couple of free sample lip glosses in a very scary bright pink...more on that when I find the courage to try it! So far my experience with lip glosses has been good! Hoorah!

Next on my Chanel list: Eyeshadow due in Misty Soft 

CHANEL at Covent Garden

Chanel opened it's first stand alone makeup store in Covent Garden back in July and I hopped on a train straight there as soon as I heard. Since then I've popped in whenever I've been in the area, if only to admire the beautiful displays of makeup inside. Unfortunately it's only a pop-up store and is closing on December 30th...still plenty of time to get some goodies before Christmas!

The store stocks all the Chanel perfumes, skincare & makeup. Downstairs is the first ever UK Chanel nail bar where anyone can have a shape and polish, with £20 redeemable against purchase. Effectively you're getting a free shape and polish when you buy a nail polish!

My habit of perusing the loveliness within the store didn't end when I passed the other day, and I ended up leaving with a nail polish and lip gloss (oops..!). The service in there is amazing, all my questions were answered and they even wrapped up the polish in Chanel wrapping paper before putting each item into very cute little bags. I literally gasped when I got given a tiny black embossed one...adorable! (I'm definitely going to have to go back and get something for my step-mum who also loves makeup and cute bags!) More on the treats inside in my next post.