Nail of the Day: OPI Jade is the New Black

Today's NOTD features Jade is the New Black from OPI. Jade is the New Black is a beautiful dark green shade, that looks stunning on the nails. Green is a bit of an unexpected colour on the nails, which I love. As it isn't too bright, however, it prevents the shade from being too in-your-face and it can still be fairly subtle on the nail. The Pantone colour of the year is Emerald making Jade is the New Black a nice option for on trend nails. The shade was part of the Hong Kong collection released several years ago, however, you can still find it online on sites such as Beautybay for €13 (link here). In terms of finish, Jade is the New Black is a glossy creme which is opaque with 2 coats. OPI polishes come with a wide brush, which makes painting the nails quick and easy. OPI nail polishes also tend to wear relatively well on the nails as well. 

Do you have any favourite green nail polishes?

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MAC Painterly Paintpot

I have already posted about my favourite eye primer (here) and today I thought I would talk about the MAC Paintpot in Painterly. I typically pair a cream eyeshadow with an eye primer before appling eyeshadow to enhance staying power and make the colours more vibrant. I wear an eye base most days I wear makeup, whether to under eyeshadows or on it's own, to even out the eyelid. I bought Painterly Paintpot mainly because of the huge hype behind it in the beauty community. 

Swatched heavily and not blended 

Painterly is a nude, pinky-beige colour with no shimmer in it. While it looks far darker than my skin tone in the photo, once blended out the colour isn't that noticeable on my skin. Because it does match my skin colour, it means I can pair any colour eyeshadow with it and I can wear it on its own without any worries. In terms of staying power, paired with Too Faced Shadow Insurance, it will last most of the day and prevent my eyeshadow from creasing. On especially long days, I do have some issues with creasing, though I have particular trouble with creasing. 

MAC Paintpots retail for €19 and are available from MAC counters. If you live in Ireland, you can also buy Paintpots online from House of Fraser (link here) 

Have you tried any Paintpots?

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Charles Worthington Intense Rescue Melting Balm

Hair treatments are an essential part of trying to keep your hair in tip-top condition. I have dry hair, which is regularly subject to heated stylers, meaning I like to pay particular attention to its condition to ensure that it doesn't turn into straw. This is where the Intense Rescue Melting Balm by Charles Worthington steps in.

The Intense Rescue Melting Balm is a pre-shampoo treatment, that you leave on for about 20 minutes. As the name would suggest, it has a solid oil formula which melts with the heat from your hands. You simply scoop out a little bit, melt it between your fingers and then apply it to your hair, concentrating it on the ends. Once you have left it in your hair the recommended time, simply wash it out with shampoo and follow up with conditioner.

I really like this product. My hair feels lovely after I use it. My main issue is that I seem to take forever when applying it. As the balm has to melt in your hands, I find you have to use a little bit at a time. I have quite a lot of hair meaning this can be a fairly time consuming process, especially when compared to traditional hair masks which take seconds to slap on in the shower. Maybe I'm not using the best method to apply it or something like that. Saying that I don't find this to be that major of an issue. I tend to wash my hair in the evening anyway and just watch some telly while applying it.

It's not the cheapest hair treatment on the market. I can't remember what the price was in euro but it seems to be about £16.99. I bought mine from Boots when it has just come out so it was on an introductory offer. I think it's a really nice treatment and it makes a nice change from the traditional hair masks that are applied like conditioner.

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MAC Creme Cup Lipstick

After my post about MAC's Angel lipstick (post here) seemed to go down well, I thought I would share some of my other MAC lipsticks, starting with the shade Creme Cup. MAC describe Creme Cup as a light blue pink, which I think is pretty accurate. I think it's a pretty choice for everyday or evening if you are going for dramatic eyes and want to tone the lips down. Creme Cup is understated and neutral, making it a nice alternative to nude shades if you prefer pinks. Compared to Angel, it is a little bit lighter and more blue-based. 

In terms of formulation, Creme Cup is part of MAC's Cremesheen line. As the name would suggest, they quite creamy in texture, provides a decent amount of colour pay off, without drying out the lips. They have quite a glossy finish as well, which I like as I don't tend to wear lipgloss. Because they are so creamy and glossy, they don't have the best staying power. I also heard that they have a tendency to melt quite easily in heat, which might be worth bearing in mind. 

Creme Cup is available from MAC counters or from House of Fraser online (link here). MAC lipsticks cost €17.50 and Creme Cup is part of the permanent line. 

Have you tried Creme Cup? 

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Nails of the Day: Essie Bahama Mama

Today's NOTD post features yet another Essie polish, Bahama Mama. I had seen quite a few blog posts about this shade last autumn and decided to pick it up when I found it in Boots. It's such a beautiful colour for this time of year. I would describe it as a raspberry colour, as it has both red and purple tones in it. I don't think the photos truly capture how nice this colour is. I also think shades in the dark red/purple family look so polished on the nails and this fails into this category. It doesn't have the glossiest finish though a good topcoat would help that. Overall, if you like dark nails I would definitely recommend taking a look at Bahama Mama. As I already mentioned, I picked mine up from the diffusion line in Boots for €12.99. It is also available online from Beautybay (link here) where it is slightly cheaper. 

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Video: Feel Unique Sales Haul

A few of the things mentioned

Feel Unique is one of my favourite places to windowshop and once they had their Christmas sale, it didn't see right not order a few things. I love watching haul videos so I thought I would film a haul video of the things I picked up. I had been eying up most of the items for a while so needless to say I'm excited to try them out. Look out for some of these featuring in future blog posts and videos.

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Soap and Glory Hand Food

Hand cream was always one of those things I was incredibly lazy about. This winter I decided to be much more diligent about protecting my hands for the harsh winter weather. This newfound commitment meant a trip to Boots was in order where I picked up, my now essential, Soap and Glory's Hand Food. 

Soap and Glory seems to be quite a popular brand in the beauty community and Hand Food seemed to be a particularly raved about product. I can understand why it is such a loved brand, adorable packaging, smells divine, affordable, accessible and most importantly does a good job. The small tube on the right cost me about €3.50, which I think is very reasonable. You get a good bit of product and it's the perfect size for throwing in your bag. I picked up the larger bottle in the Boots sale in a set with a matching hand wash. In the sale, it worked out cheaper buying the set than just the hand cream on its own. The bottle on its own retails for around €9, again very reasonable for the amount of product. 

I hate greasy, heavy hand creams that takes ages to absorb into the skin, which is not a problem here at all. Hand Food is fairly light in texture and absorbs into the quite quickly. I have found it has keep my hands moisturised and soft whenever I have used it. Hand Food also has the added advantage of smelling lovely. It has the signature Soap and Glory scent, which I have heard likened to the Miss Dior Cherie perfume. 

I will continue to repurchase Hand Food for the foreseeable future and definitely recommend it if you are looking for a good hand cream. 

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