NOTD Models Own "Coral Reef"

I wasn't sure if I'd already done a report on this as I've had it for a while. When I first received it from ASOS I was a little disappointed as I'd hoped for something a little bit paler. It is a fairly true bright coral and has that is it orange/is it pink?! thing in certain lighting conditions. Setting aside my own preconceived ideas I tried it and I have to say I quite like it...

It is fun for the summer, bright and hard wearing. I did use 3 coats of colour here but it doesn't take long to dry so it was fairly painless and this photo is 5 days after application so I think it is holding up well.

The photo below was taken by my iPhone (4 yes, get me!!) and is a fairly good representation of the colour though it might have a bit more of an orange sheen in real life!

Coral is a fun colour and I find it flattering especially with a tan. I think it would also be a fun base for some nail art if you feel adventurous...

What do you think? What other Models Own colours would you recommend?

LoubouLush x

EDITED - just as this morning I thought the above photo was a good representation of the colour, the ever changing nature of this in different lights has surprised me yet again! Here it is as a base coat on a leopard print-esque nail... showing its more orange side!

Cheap or sort-of-chic?

Ok girls (and guys), as promised I am going to reveal a little make up bag essential I have discovered. It isn’t ground breaking. It isn’t particularly pretty. It isn’t from some fancy designer label. It won’t make you look 10 years younger. BUT that doesn’t mean it isn’t super practical!

It’s a little mirror with a built in light. It isn’t the Les Tai Tai I have long coveted but it is a similar idea I suppose...

I stumbled across this in my newly opened local Poundland (no more travelling 40 odd miles to the nearest one!!). So there is a clue here are as to the price. For 100 of your finest British pennies you too could be the proud owner of this handy little contraption.

As the photos show, it is a double sided mirror (one side more magnifying) with a little light switch and light. It also has a little sucker pad on one side but I find I have mixed success with these. It comes with a non replaceable battery and although in the daylight, the light doesn’t seem like much, in a dimmer situation or in darkness it is a powerful enough little thing.

I brought this away on a hen weekend and it was great for using to apply my make up when there was a severe lack of mirror availability but most importantly it was fab in the morning when I woke up early (still covered in the last night’s make up, ooops!) and wanted to give my face a good clean. This allowed me to see what I was doing without having to wake everyone up turning on lights/opening curtains/finding a mirror. I also used it when plucking my eyebrows and the light/magnified mirror combination worked a real treat!

It is a good size – the circumference of the mirror is somewhere in between the size of a CD and a can of Coke (diameter is about 9cm), so maybe a bit large to bring on a night out in your clutch bag, but great for your every day make up bag/work bag/ to bring on holidays etc. The little box it comes in is handy to protect it though isn’t the prettiest either but it wouldn’t be hard finding a little cheap purse/pouch for it. The most significant down side I can think of is the irreplaceablity (have I created a new word?!) of the battery. However the fact the mirrors cost £1 mean a) I will be stocking up on more and b) when the battery dies in one the mirror is still pretty functional so it isn’t like it’s a complete waste!

I will do another post on my Poundland bargains but this was my favourite – what do you think?

LoubouLush x

Summer Shopping Haul 1

Here are some of the goodies I had delivered yesterday...

1. ASOS Sequin Butterfly Headband - £5 (Gold - £3)

2. ASOS Peacock Feather Drop Earrings - £6

3. Closet Jersey Wrap Dress - £35 (oli.co.uk)

4. ASOS Linen Pencil Dress - £30

5. ASOS Kaftan Sleeve Plain Chiffon Maxi Dress - £55 in Coral and Black

1 - Cute little hair band - silver sequined butterfly on black elasticated band. The gold version is slightly cheaper but I'm lacking in silver hair accessories so went for silver!

2 - These are MASSIVE! The colours are fab though so I've ordered a second pair to maybe use to decorate a hairband or something

3. I love a good LBD and love the tulip sort of style with little sleeves as I feel it suits my shape well (pear shaped and I like hiding my shoulders a little). I'm delighted with this dress. It's a little on the snug size due to my size being out of stock but as it's jersey it's not a deal breaker (especially if I pick my diet up a gear). The shape is very flattering though I might need a bit of tape to keep my little boobs in it!

4. I ordered this in stone as I thought it would make a cute plain dress for work and thought the stone would be a bit different. Again I like the shape and think it will be fab for the summer - light and neutral so I can dress it up in all sorts of ways - for work and for play. Although it is lined though, I'll need to dig out the nude underwear for this one!

5. I LOVE, Love, love these dresses. I love maxi dresses and wanted a plain one and found these. Unfortunately the stock seems to be all over the place for them but the coral and black are gorgeous on (sometimes a purple shows p in stock too but never in my size). They are a little long on me (5ft 4) but they will be fine with heels or with flats if I'm careful. I don't know if I can justify keeping both though. Do you think they would be too casual to wear for something like a wedding? If I can get a lot of use out of them, they both might be keepers...

So girls, what do you think??

LoubouLush x

NOTD - Illamasqua "Obtuse"

OK I've maybe gone a bit OTT with photos here but I love this colour so much I wanted to try and capture it properly. I think I've probably mentioned it before. I bought this back in July 2009 so really must buy a new one as at the minute it only gets used for special occasions!

In all honesty I didn't get on well with it as the start, it peeled badly almost like foil but I've found with a good solid base coat and top coat it works a treat. The polish itself is very runny. It goes on easily but due to the consistency and colour I guess, the lines of the brush can show as it sets so a steady hand is good to help give it a nice straight finish.

It gives a lovely light metallic bronze colour with a subtle shimmer. It goes well with my skin tone and works for me like a nude with a nice kick. I think that when applied, it looks expensive and lasts well. These photos were taken this morning and I applied the polish on Saturday morning so it's been on for almost 7 days! I used a clear base, 2 obtuse coats and a clear top coat. The only signs of wear it has is from nail growth and slight fading on the tips so I'm very pleased overall.

For £13 it isn't something I would wear every day but it is a very versatile colour and very possibly my favourite nail polish. It adds interest to a nude look or as a great fall back when I can't pick another colour to wear.

What nail polish is a staple of your collection?

LoubouLush x

Pretty Little Shoes!

I have little feet. Sort of like hooves but not quite! They used to be a UK 4 or 5 but now are usually a 3 (EU 36 I think and US 6 maybe?) Anyway this doesn't have a lot of benefits as a rule.

Some 3s in heels are too big and most adult shoes don't go down to a 2 (and don't have decent heels) thus sometimes I need to go designer (OK not a lot of the time).

I did pick up amazing Valentino shoes in TK Maxx recently in a 36 (for £22!!) but shoe bargains aren't that easy to come by. Unless I look at children's. Now children's trainers are amazing - cheap versions of the adult ones. Result!!

This brings me onto my most recent shoe purchase. Flat sandals from Next - from the children's range (sizing of which goes up quite high incidentally). Now kids ranges obviously won't be great for heels or even boots (I do not have the ankles or legs of a 10 year old unfortunately) but they can be excellent for flats. And so I ordered these hoping they won't arrive in teeny tiny baby sizes. For flats because of my arch I usually go up a size so ordered a 4 and they cost £18 (price varies with size)

The Butterfly Cuff Sandals can be found here. I think they are great as they are fairly neutral with a bit of shimmer and cute butterfly detailing. I also like the thick ankle part and the kind of paper bag look it has.

Another great buy from Next are these which don't look like much online but I have had them for a couple of months and they are incredibly comfortable and I've had a ridiculous amount of complimentary comments on them so they would be worth a look if you are looking for an easy to wear pair of summer flats!

So whaddya think? What are your summer shoe must haves?

LoubouLush x

NOTD - GOSH 571 Wild Lilac

I liked the name and the bottle. I also liked the 3 for 2 thing in Superdrug and as I was picking up a couple of GOSH primers to test I popped this in my basket (well hand as I dragged myself away from the make up and towards the till).

I like the bottle. It's simple and has a bit of a MAC look to it. The colour looked nice and solid while being a fun but muted sort of purple - I'd say more of a dark lavender than lilac but ho hum!

I've played about with the colour on the photo here as I had to take it with my iPhone (I've lent my good camera to someone) and the colour it picked up wasn't a good representation of the actual colour so hopefully this is better:

The polish itself seemed a bit tacky on application and with a second coat the colour became a lot more solid. A third would have helped but I didn't have time, and it doesn't seem to be the quickest drying of stuff. The coverage isn't bad on the second coat but a third would definitely be optimal and at £5 a bottle I'm not THAT impressed with that. The colour is good though. It's quite unusual. A nice muted shade of purple which reminds me a bit of the 70's (not sure why, I'm far too young for that lol) but solid all the same. So far, it's wearing OK. There is one noticeable chip which is a little disappointing after one day, one base coat, two colour coats and a clear top coat.

All in all, I like the colour and will keep it for an occasion when it will go with whatever else I'm wearing but it certainly isn't a classic in terms of shade or substance.

Are other GOSH polishes better? Have I just picked a bit of a dud colour in terms of quality?



LoubouLush x

Cherry on Top Award!

Well as a nice surprise on a drab Wednesday I received my first ever blog award from the lovely Dollface @ Dollface-24

I should have written a proper speech really but I never win anything so wasn't expecting this etc etc :) But thank you very much to Dollface! If you haven't already, go and check out her blog. Go on...

The Rules:

1. Thank the person that gave this to you :) Go on, give them a virtual hug!

2. Copy the award and put it on your blog.

3. List 3 things you love about yourself ♥

4. Post a picture you love (e.g a person you adore etc.)

5. Tag 5 people you wish to pass this award on to :)


Now for three things I love about myself [thinks very hard...]:

i) I love that I have a wacky but pretty wonderful family. Most of them are a bit mad and some of it has rubbed off on me no doubt but I wouldn't be without them!

ii) I love my shoe collection. Shallow I know but it's so true that shoes tend to fit no matter how much weight you've put on/how bloated you feel and I'm very lucky to have some of the fab shoes that I do and lots of them hold special memories for me too.

iii) I love that I have long nails. I bit my nails for YEARS and finally a couple of years ago decided to make a real effort to stop and I have! My nails are getting stronger and all pretty long and I no longer feel like I have to hide my hands in shame. I can wear my rings with pride and have lots of gorgeous nail polishes. It has also saved me a lot of money in falsies!!


As for a picture I love, I thought I'd go for this one on my wedding day. It feels like a lifetime ago now but it still makes me smile...

Now to tag

Louloustar @ all that glitters

Jade @ the long road to nowhere

Marilou @ my precious nail polish

Santy @ santy's world

Wonderlander @ wonderlander

Scholl Cracked Heel Repair Cream

It's all glamour here eh?Summer time is sort of here, and it's time to get those bare feet into flip flops/sandals/mules/well bare feet. I always think my feet are fine until this time of year when they are out all the time and I notice little dry patches on my heel and on the pads of my feet. I ped egg and moisturise the odd time but that's about it. I don't mind a good pedicure but to be honest, I don't really feel that much difference after one so tend to DIY. When I saw Scholl "Cracked Heel Repair Cream" advertised, I thought it might be worth a shot.

It's "fast acting" working in 7 days, with visible results in 3. It also has to be used twice a day which had me a bit dubious in itself. It is suitable for sensitive skin and diabetics. It is fragrance free and should reduce discomfort and prevent infection.

Now as I said my feet aren't all that bad. They do look a bit dry in parts and have some hardened skin. I applied the cream to the dry areas in the morning and in the evenings before bed. The cream itself is quite thick and greasy - a bit like a greasier version of Savlon. It did make my feet a bit greasy so I tried to wear socks after application but at this time of the year it wasn't always easy.

After 3 days I didn't notice much difference to my dry bits. After 7 there was possibly a bit of improvement. But nothing spectacular. Maybe I was expecting too much? But for about £6.00 I thought it might at least be an intensive moisturiser.

I don't really know what else to say other than... if I were you I'd save my money for something else. Invest in a ped egg and apply a nice rich moisturiser a couple of nights a week (or a budget one more often) along with a pair of thick socks.

Have you tried it? Have you any other tricks to keep your feet sandal-suitable?

LoubouLush x