Nail colour of the week

I thought I'd try something more muted and classic this week so I went for another one of the new Essie collection, Lady Like. It's quite violet and not as insipid as that photo suggests. I like it but it's weird to not have a banging colour on my nails, I always go for something strong and this feels like I am turning down the volume a bit. I shall enjoy it this week but next week I plan on having something properly vampy to compensate.

Reporting back - Benefit mascara

I have used this every day this week and there has been no better test for it. Twelve hour days in the office, extreme tiredness and much stress. How did it stand up to this rigour?

Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is this does make your eyelashes look longer and fuller. It is a great brush, easy to apply, no smudging on application, no clogging and clagging so full marks there. However, it 'travels' I had to wipe away smudges of black under my eyes from about lunch time onwards. I promise you I hadn't cried (although felt like it on occasion) or rubbed my eyes. By evening, it was really smudgy. Also, a bugger to remove despite me investing in two new eye make-up removers (more on them at a later date).

In conclusion this is a great evening mascara when you might only need it on for five hours or so but the jury is still out on its staying power. For £18.50 I expect it to do everything and make me coffee.

New super-powered hairdryer

I am always on the look out for something to make styling my hair easier. In this month's Red magazine, there was a feature with a woman saying this hairdryer had changed her life. As if I could resist investigating!

Parlux is the brand hairdressers use and they have lots of choice on the website. Anyway I ordered the 3200 last week in a frenzy of online shopping and it arrived and I've only used it once so far but I can already report that it is amazing. So much more powerful than my old hairdryer. What's more, it comes in different colours! I got purple. Recommended.

Sampar Three Day Weekend

I got this little baby on the plane on the way back from France. I needed something to cheer myself up after all. It's a self tan but without the nasty smell and it's very subtle. I love it. I am so pleased with it. I normally find self tans such a faff and the smell so off-putting but this light gel is amazing. It's my new miracle product.

You can read a bit more about it here. I really recommend this.

Nail colour of the week

Oooh all the new Fall colours in today when I zoomed down to get my nails done. Essie's new collection is inspired by handbags. Whatever. I picked Power Clutch (great name) which is a gorgeous grey/blue/green. Yes, it's all those colours depending on the light. It is nice to have a more muted colour on as I've been having a colour-fest lately.

A quick review of the other colours:

I loved Carry On, a deep, almost black purple.
Very Structured is a weird orange, like terracotta. Not wild about it.
Case Study is odd, sort of beige. Not sure what to make of it.
Glamour Purse is gorgeous, a nice subtle choice.
Lady Like - nice enough pink.

You can see them all in more detail here.

Benefit - They're Real, Beyond Belief Mascara

I've been hearing very good things about this. Because I still like to believe there is a miracle mascara out there, I bought it. I only just got it today but I have high hopes. Full reportage will occur.

£18.50. It had better work.

Nail colour of the week

I have two colours to share this week. Not because I am wearing one on one hand and one on the other. Although I bet that's a craze that will happen at some point. I am just a little behind on my blogging since I've been swanning around the south of France. I bought a great new product on the plane that I will tell you about soon.

I am milking those last days of summer with these colours. I had Tangerine (bottom one, obviously) the other week and loved it. I used to hate oranges but now I am soaking them up. And yesterday I picked Super Bossa Nova which is a fabulous pink with a little shimmer to it. I am wearing it today with a neon pink top. I am very pink.

Soon it will be time for more muted autumn colours and I am liking the look of Essie's Fall Collection. Especially Carry On.

Mmmmmmm.