Wednesday 17 August 2011

NOTD Ciaté "Wait Until Dark"

I picked the Ciaté "Wait Until Dark" Paint Pot up in the latest (September) issue of Marie Claire magazine (which also comes with a free Dove hand cream bargain hunters). It was a choice between this a nude colour "My Fair Lady" which also looked lovely and at a normal price of £9 for the 13.5ml bottle I probably should have bought both...





I was really impressed with how easily the colour applied and dried (I used 2 coats on most fingernails, 3 on a few others for touch up). It has chipped a little at the edges today which is now on its third day of wear without a clear topcoat so not bad for a dark colour I reckon. I like the Ciaté packaging. the shape of the bottle and the bow are quite cool though there something about the print on the label which makes it look a bit handmade - not necessarily a bad thing, some something I noticed.

Anyway - overall I'm impressed, especially for a freebie and I would be tempted buying a full price Ciaté polish now as they weren't a brand I'd previously been that interested in other than from freebie magazine offers.

What do you think? Did you pick up either of the polishes?

LoubouLush x

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Gelish Toenails - Tiger Blossom

I've been meaning to post this since I got back from holiday but have been trying to master uploading better quality images which has been driving me MAD.

Anyway back to the matter in hand. Before my holibobs I decided I wanted to try this gel polish I'd read so much about. I decided that because I like changing my nail polish quite often on my fingernails that toenails were probably the way to go and it would be super handy to not have to worry about my toenails while I was away. I wanted something bright that would hold up well against the heat, sand and swimming pools of Thailand without me having to worry much about it.

I decided to travel down to Michelle at Bliss Beauty Clinic in Dromore and got the first class pedicure with Gelish in Tiger Blossom which is a lovely bright coral shade.

First of all I was really impressed with how quickly all the layers were applied and dried. The colour is a perfect summer shade and is finished with a beautiful gloss.



All in the aid of thorough research *cough* I did lots of lazing by and in the pool and sea, exposing it to plenty of sand and sunshine and I was impressed with how durable the Gelish was. It stayed very glossy and bright throughout the trip and didn't seem to fade or chip at all.



On returning home (about 2.5 weeks after I'd had it done) the Gelish on one of the toenails seemed to suffer a little bit of lifting at one side but it was still very wearable with it - I could only tell by touching it.

Overall I was delighted with how quick it was to get done with great results. I'm still not sure it would be great for my fingernails just as I change them so much but for toenails, especially for a holiday or stretch of time when they'll be on show I think it's great and couldn't recommend Michelle more so if you're in NI you might want to give her a shout!



Any other Gelish fans out there?



LoubouLush x


Thursday 11 August 2011

OOTD - Kind of...

I'll tell you a story. Before I went on holidays I bought some clothes and these trousers were one of the items I picked up. I got them home and realised they were a bit of a snug fit so didn't bring them with me. Despite me "dieting" before holidays I'd completely hit a wall weight wise. I put on some weight on holiday and then lost that plus another couple of pounds the week after I returned so I dug these trousers out again and they are much more comfortable on so I put them on today.


HOWEVER I felt they were maybe still a bit snug so I changed again before I went to work but thought I'd put up the photos anyway so see what you think and show you what a pear shape looks like in peg style trousers (as it was a big worry for me as to how they'd suit!).

Anyway here's a run down on what I'm wearing:
- black shouler pad t-shirt from ASOS
- trousers and belt from Miss Selfridge
- black mid court shoes from Primark

I think I really like them and will do more if I lose another few pounds. Do you own anything similar? What do you wear it with? Do you think pears can get away with pegs?? Let me know if you think they're keepers or not...

LoubouLush x

* disclaimer - I know my fringe is super wonky - it needs a trim :)

Thursday 4 August 2011

Metallic Leopard Print NOTD

It's been a while since I gave the old leopard print look a go and thought I'd give it another whirl last week though I wasn't sure if it was still in or bit last year. I still like it anyway so wasn't too bothered.




  • I used "Barry M Basecoat Topcoat & Nail Hardener (All in One)" as a base and (topcoat)


  • Painted my nails with two coats of Models Own "Champagne"


  • Dotted Models Own "Sterling Silver" in varying sized splodges


  • Dipped into Collection 2000 Lasting Colour in "Liquorice" with toothpicks and outlined in rough "C" shapes

The key to getting this look in my opinion is concentration and patience, well a steady hand or two! I found doing my left hand much easier (I'm right handed) but with a bit of practice and concentration got there with using my left hand for my right in the end. Due to the number of layers of polish you really need to let each coat dry fully before going on with the next and I loved these Models Own colours especially when it comes to this as I find they dry pretty swiftly for me.






Overall I was really pleased with how they turned out and liked the colour combination of mixing the metallic gold and silver. My only gripe was removing the shimmery polishes is a bit of a pain for going al over my fingers but I can't really complain about that.


Whaddya think? Is leopard a bit 2010 or the metallic too much? Or do you think it's a good look?


LoubouLush x

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Workwear Wishlist

So I'm back from holidays and clothes shopping is super depressing because all I am seeing are rails of holiday clothes and I have no more holidays to look forward to. I could do with some work clothes but physically trawling through shops for work clothes seems more depressing than a depressing thing so I usually shop online. My website of choice for this is usually ASOS and I haven't bought anything from there in ages but stumbled across some nice bits I thought I'd share which you might like too if you work in an office kind of environment too - though of course they would be suited to many other occasions or locations...



ASOS Midi Dress with Contrast Belt £55


ASOS Midi Dress with Soft Skirt £35 (think the blue is now out of stock, boo)
ASOS Midi Fit & Flare Dress with Basqued Waist £50
ASOS Minimal Coat With Buttons £100

ASOS Stamp Wedge Court Shoes £35


ASOS Leather Vintage Style Briefcase with Shoulder Strap £45







ASOS Leather Twist Lock Vintage Style Satchel £70



I know it's not to everyone's tastes and I probably dress a little bit older than my age but I love a bit of a vintage look. Although the shoes maybe don't quite fit with it but I always struggle finding comfortable works shoes that are nice a plain and I could do with adding a little wedge to my work collection. Anyway, I'd best get back to actually doing some work. It's all glamour eh?!



LoubouLush x