Valentine's Cupcakes

I had a very quiet weekend which mainly involved a bit of housework and baking. the old housework isn't as fun to look at in photos though so I thought I'd share some baking snaps. I thought these red velvet cupcakes could be a winner for Valentine's Day which isn't too far away...

I hope you all had a lovely weekend :)

LoubouLush x

Deborah Lippmann at House of Fraser

I've been lusting after some Deborah Lippmann polishes for a while and am really pleased to see they have finally arrived online at House of Fraser for the UK fans. I especially love the glitters (are you surprised??) and how they look just that little bit different and luxurious...

Today Was a Fairytale

Boom Boom Pow

Happy Birthday

The only one I can see on the House of Fraser website which had really tickled my fancy is the beautiful pink "One Enchanted Evening" which is part of the "All That Jazz" set - and at £42 for the set it's a little out of my range at the minute. I think it would be gorgeous for Valentine's Day though [Mr Louboulush, if you read this, this is a hint!]

I live in hope that they will stock some of the others soon including "Glitter in the Air" which is part of the Spring 2011 collection - it looks DREAMY. Milky blue with glitter flakes - stunning!

What do you think of the polishes? Do you think House of Fraser might get some more stock in? I can't wait to get some and use them for NOTDs!

LoubouLush x

More Sparkle NOTD

Hi lovelies! I have another glittery NOTD for you.

I have been wearing the Rimmel Pro in Beige Style all week and have to say it has grown on me a lot. I find I like it more in certain lights and sometimes I find it looks a bit orange on me (maybe because I'm so pale?) but with tans and camels pushing nude in the fashion stakes this is something I can see myself getting a lot more used to. As for the polish itself - the wide brush allows it to be applied quickly, the formula is quick drying and leave s a nice glossy finish = the photo below shows it without a clear topcoat. Shiny!I loved sporting the glitter tips but wanted to try a less defined glitter this time without having full on glitter. I added Models Own Silver Fox as shown below. It was very quick and rough to be honest but I like the effect. I wasn't sure if I should added another coat of Silver Fox or not. I have deeper glitters too but wanted something soft that was work safe so added a coat of Models Own Pink Fizz on top and was pleased with the results. Again both glitters dried quickly and it was a super quick look to create. Another coat of glitter would maybe work better but I'm happy enough with this.I haven't bothered with a clear top coat yet but no doubt it would give them more longevity.

So what do you think? I need to try the defined tips over this beige too as I think it gives a cleaner based than just bare nail... Do you prefer the more defined tip or this? I'm on the fence at the moment though could be swayed by the speed of this one [insert lazy icon].

LoubouLush x

Freebies & Storage

First off, I got my free Model's Own Kit from News of the World/Fabulous magazine at the weekend. Overall it cost me £2 - 2 x £1 for the Sunday papers and so for the price it looks pretty good. So far I've only tried a couple of the things and to be honest they haven't been great which is disappointing as I'm a huge fan of Models Own products.

The mascara is very fibrous and it feels very much like I have something stuck in my eyes when I wear it at first. It also doesn't seem to have much actual mascara in the tube and the formula looks pretty dry. I definitely wouldn't describe the effect and volumous either - it's pretty subtle. I also tried the eyelash curlers and again I'm not wild about them. I haven't been able to get a good angle with them and they are making my eyelashes go vertical rather than a nice curl. I'll persevere though and see how I get on my those are my initial thoughts at least...

On to something a bit more positive and I thought I'd let you in on my most recent Poundland discover (yes I love that shop!). In the DIY/tool section I pick up some box which I think are meat for storing nails and stuff but I bought them for my make up. they only cost £1. They are see through and clip shut so are handy for storing in general as well as travel. What do you think??




So did any of you pick up the kit? What do you think? Or do any of you have any handy storage tips to share?

Louboulush x

NOTD Models Own Silver Fox Tips

I has planned keeping my nails fairly neutral this month but couldn't resist a bit of glitter. Following my previous attempt at doing the white tips on red (previous post) I felt that it might be easier for those with an unsteady hand to do glitter tips as the line doesn't need to be quite so solid/straight as the glitter has a rougher edge.

I'd been enjoying having just clear polish on my nails for a few days so thought I'd give silver glitter tips a go. So far, I LOVE it. I mainly wear blacks and greys for work and this goes really nicely without being too in your face. Unfortunately I struggled photographing it well today but hopefully you get the idea... I think it would be fab with colour glitter or with some little gems added if you wanted something more.

I used one coat of a random clear polish with 2 coats of Models OWn Silver Fox and then did a clear top coat and it dried really quickly for me which was excellent. Hopefully it wears well as removal won't be a lot of fun!

What do you think?

LoubouLush xx

Some Barry M Nail Paint...

This is a very quick post just to show a few nail polishes I had on over the festive period.

Barry M Bright Red 262 and Barry M Matt White 66 with a festive/snowy twist

As per a previous NOTD I love the red and I had intended doing straight white tips here but the left hand doing the right proved too tricky. So my Christmas/Santa themed nails turned out like the above

Barry M Cobalt Blue 291 and Barry M Blue Glitter 297 on top of one nail...

Mr L kindly bought me a whole selection of Barry M paints for Christmas and I gave these two a go first. The 291 is a very solid blue as per the photo and is nice for what it is but not sure how much wear I'll get out of it. I love the glitter and the 291 works well below the 297 I feel so it gives a solid glitter without having to use too much of the glitter which is always handy for removal purposes!

LoubouLush x

I’ve been meaning to do this post for a little while now. A few months ago my Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara ran out. It’s possibly the only mascara in years that has actually run out. Like properly finished. I liked it but at the time I couldn’t face forking out the £15odd to replace it.

Now, I do like mascara and I love a dramatic eye (or two!). When I wear makeup it tends to be all about the eyes and I love false lashes too so I like something which gives my lashes some nice dark definition.

I was wondering round Superdrug looking for a cheaper alternative. All I knew was I wanted black mascara, possibly in a chunky sort of container in a bid to get something similar (judging a book by its cover and all that...)

Bourjois Volume clubbing Mascara caught my eye. It offered “a dramatic look all night long. Extreme volume and ultra resistance”. And it cost just under £8. Hmmm, I thought what’s not to like.

Well when I got it home I realised the answer to the above. EVERYTHING. The brush was clumped with product. The product went onto my lashes in clumps. It seems like a nightmare to work through and there was so. much. excess.

So I gave up and went to back to using the random mascaras I’ve never actually finished (bad I know). I then picked up the Collection 2000 Big Fake False Lash Effect Mascara which I’d heard so much about. Costing just under £5 and promising “sensational lashes that really stand out from the crowd”, I was hopeful. The idea you could get the false lash look with mascara wasn’t lost on me and when I opened the mascara and saw the wand it was much more reminiscent of the Bad Gal Lash wand that the Bourjois one had been.

I was impressed, nice big wand, non clumpy mascara which applied nicely. If anything it was a little too subtle but great for work or day wear none the less. Similar to Bad Gal I thought, even in the way it seemed to dry out a little as time wore on (not so great!). Then I realised that maybe I was after something a bit more dramatic for a night look. I felt a little let down by the lack of actual false lash effect.

Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash Effect Mascara
I’m very much on a drive to use everything up. I’m trying to spend less and waste less so I thought I’d persevere again with the Volume Clubbing Mascara. I had the Collection 2000 one as a trusty fall back after all.

Yes the Volume Clubbing wand was often overloaded but with some removal of the excess back into the tube and working of the product through the lashes I found it was actually REALLY GOOD. The product is very black. It makes my eyelashes pretty dramatic, so much so I do sometimes question whether false lashes are necessary on a big night out. I wouldn’t say it lengthens my lashes necessarily but I feel it makes them look thicker without being clumpy. And it lasts! I find it doesn’t dry out in the way most of the other mascaras I’ve used do. The sort of double sided brush wand takes a little bit of getting used to – at the minute I remove a lot of excess and used one side for one eye and the other side for the other and it gives a nice finish.

Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara

Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara
Pros
Price – less than £8
Very black
Lasts really well and helps the lashes old shape
Gives a good dramatic rich look
Cons
Takes some getting used to
Can be a nightmare to remove
The packaging looks a little cheap

Collection 2000 Big Fake False Lash Effect Mascara
Pros
Price – less than £5
Nice packaging for the price
Fairly subtle so nice for everyday use
Cons
Dries out quite quickly
A bit subtle given the name
The big brush might not suit everyone

All in all I really like both mascaras now and surprisingly if I had to choose I’d probably pick the Bourjois over the Collection 2000 purely because I really love the finish it gives me and how well it lasts. Having said that I think the Collection 2000 one is excellent for an everyday sort of look and offers excellent value for money.

The eyeliner I used here is the Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner which is the most amazing, highly pigmented eyeliner I have ever used. I’ve long been a fan of Avon’s black eyeliners but this one is a keeper. It lasts SO well and gives a really intense and smooth finish. I love it!! It usually costs £6 but is currently £3 so I must stock up.

Have you tried either of the mascaras at all? Do you think there's much difference between the mascaras int he photos? I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

LoubouLush x

Avon Luxe True Color Eyeshadow Quad

Another Avon product (I know!) but I bought this just before Christmas and thought it deserved a mention. Usually £8 but now £4, it is a great little quad. The colours are pretty - the white has a nice satin sheen - great for highlighting. Both purples have a touch of silver glitter in them and the charcoal is more of a satin. As the swatches go, the dark purple was deeper than I expected but it builds up into a nice rich colour .

The colours go nicely together and althought the payoff isn't amazing, the shadows lasted well. The packaging is good for the price and the colours are versatile.

All in all I'm pretty impressed.

Oh and of course, HAPPY 2011 [waves]

LoubouLush x