MAC X-S lippie is extra-special

Okay, maybe not extra-special, but I thought that was catchy.

MAC X-S is a dark rich brownish red. It's a satin lipstick and like all MAC lippies I've ever owned, it has that signature lipstick smell, which sadly I'm not a fan of.

It's not moisturising, so I'd use a lip balm first, but it's extremely pigmented and gives a beautiful stain look.

Not a colour for everday for me, but perfect for making a statement.

Love at first coat... Seche Vite top coat

Okay, so Seche Vite's top coat is no secret, but that's not a good reason for not mentioning it.

It's my favourite top coat nail varnish. It dries quickly, and leaves my nails shiny and strong. I really adore this stuff, and haven't found anything better.

The only criticisms I can think about it, is that it can dry out (I sometimes I have to chuck the bottle towards the bottom cos it's gotten goppie. Of course, Seche sell a softener, but I was too lazy to try this, and just bought a new bottle instead). When I say it dries out, I mean, after a tonne of uses, and not any more drastically than any other nail varnish.

Also, I find that it pulls the polish away from the edges of the nail or shrinks when you apply it to already polished nails. Wait, let me explain. So, when I paint my nails fresh, it's fine and dandy and perfect. But in order to keep polish looking nice or prevent chipping, I've heard it's a good idea to apply top coat every day, but when I do this (i.e. apply Seche Vite a day or more later), I find it actually makes the shelf-life of my nail polish worse than if I'd left it alone. Anyone else find this happening to them too?

Another Chanel purchase...

Chanel Rouge Coco 117 Magnolia lipstick has recently been repromoted by Chanel this spring at counters. As a sucker for all things Chanel, I picked this one up at my Boots.

It's a light peachy pink with just a hint of shimmer.

It feels moisturizing and smooth. It's lovely and very sheer. An everyday wearable colour.

Personally, I think it's too light for my lips. It's like not wearing hardly anything, but it is lovely.

Can always rely on Lunasol for lippies

This was one of the first Lunasol lipsticks I ever bought, but I believe it's still available, so I thought I'd post about it.

Lunasol Full Glamour Lips S 27 Sweet Pink Red

A creamy and moisturising pinky red. It's pretty feminine, and rather pigmented, but not over the top. Nice for a good pop of colour, but nothing outrageous.

I can't really say anything else other than it's smooth and lovely.

Love Lunasol lippies. :)

Shoes... glorious shoes!

Ahh, I'm too excited. My L.K. Bennett shoes arrived, and they are heavenly.  Yes, HEAVENLY.

I was so happy I had to post and share.

I blogged about how I fell in love with the Sabira shoes, and then regretted that I wasn't able to find my size in blue or navy...  but low and behold, I found this lovely light brown, called latte on sale (£125 £155) and in my size, so ordered away.

While I waited for them to arrive, I noticed that L.K. Bennett restocked my size of the navy ones! Oh dear, indeed. So I have now ordered a second pair - sadly not on sale (£155), but these are such classics, they will be wardrobe staples, and with a gloomy summer like this, treating myself to shoes is much much needed.

On the subject of shoes... here's a clip from one of my favourite comedians, Dylan Moran, that I think you'll enjoy!

China Glaze Ingrid swatches

I've had this colour for ages, but only just now had the chance to use it.

It's a dark, sparkly warm brown however I found it a bit too runny and thin. I used two coats, but still found some patches where the colour had thinned so much so that I could see my nail underneath. :/ Not ideal.  Excuse my messy application... I was feeling lazy.

I don't think this will be a favourite for me...

Something that is a favourite of mine...

a classic from Green Day

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist

I'd never tried balancing mist before I kindly received Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist as a gift from a dear friend.

I have to admit, I've had this awhile now and I haven't used it in my daily routine, so I don't think it's fair for me to comment on its toning properties, but I do use it on occasion for a light fresh on my face. The scent is lovely and delicate, but a bit strong for my face - it may be that I'm spraying too close? Who knows.

If you have a chance to try this, I would recommend it. It's a lovely little pampering treat.

Celebrating the Jubilee in style...

I celebrated the 4-day weekend for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee by doing a little of much needed retail therapy.

As usual, I went in thinking I needed nothing, and so would be a good window shopper, and assist my shopping companion in his needs. And yes, as usual, I found a few things I fell in love with and possibly can't live without.

While browsing in House of Fraser, I became mesmerized by one of Kate Middleton's favourite high street brands, L.K. Bennett.

Here were some of the items I was instantly in love with:

Sabira Shoes - in Navy (I've since looked online and sadly Navy and Dark Blue are all sold out!) I wasn't ready to pay £155 for a pair of shoes at that very moment, but I thought I might have time to think about it. Ah, I forgot how cruel shopping in the UK can be (if you don't snap it up immediately, you may miss it!). Plus they have half sizes.

These shoes are so lush, I'm tempted now to just buy a pair in a colour I don't really need since they fit so lovely. That's really silly, isn't it? They are simple and elegant, and I hope navy or dark blue shoes in a similar style will make a reappearance soon!

What I couldn't leave without was two lovely dark red patent leather wallets/purses. Yes, I am a sucker for patent leather - especially in deep rich shades such as dark red, dark blue, or dark green. I couldn't decide between the two sizes of purse, and luckily, they were on sale at House of Fraser, so I actually got a bit of a deal!

The Lulu (smaller) and Lola (larger) purses also come in light beige, and black.

Credit must go to the boyfriend, who actually spotted the purses and showed them to me. Such a good eye :D

Have you shopped at L.K. Bennett before?  Did you treat yourself this Jubilee?

Crabtree and Evelyn Iris Shower Gel & Body Lotion Duo Just in time for Summer?

Ah, summer. Well, summer was here for about a few weeks, and it may be back (fingers crossed), and I've had the chance to enjoy this lovely duo of shower gel and body lotion from Crabtree & Evelyn (UK site, US site) which was a surprise gift from a dear friend.

If it wasn't a gift, I probably would never have thought to try a scent like iris, and although it's not something I would have picked out, it does have a delightful, not too strong scent, that I've really enjoyed using.

The shower gel is pretty standard, not sticky and quite lovely to use. The only downside to it is the packaging. Although the cool square shaped bottle is pretty, it makes it difficult to squeeze the shower gel out of the bottle when it's not as full.

The body lotion solves this problem by having a pump top, and I think the shower gel would probably benefit from a pump too. Moving on to the body lotion, it's really thick and moisturizing. I really really really love this. It makes my skin feel super soft all day long. I really can't recommend it enough. The only issue I've had with it was accidentally using too much. It's thick and creamy, so I was using about 10 pumps on one leg, and then I'd put my tights on, and the lotion would kinda come off on the tights like dandruff of the legs... Yep, pretty. Once I applied less, I found I didn't have this problem and my legs were still just as smooth.

This was the first time I've tried anything from Crabtree & Evelyn. Have you tried any of their products?