Autumn/ Winter - Lips & nails

Hello! I haven’t posted in so long which sucks but it’s because all my plans for blog posts have required a bit of photo snapping, and (to cut a long story short) I had my phone robbed (which the insurance company have finally managed to replace 3 months later) and I'm not getting a new camera till the end of the year.

So yes, apologies for the absence but I thought I would issue you my first Autumn post (bit late, sorry!).

Autumn is and always has been my favourite season which used to make me super cool and quirky but has become the thing among beauty bloggers. I think its because you can suddenly be so much more adventurous with your makeup in terms of bold lipstick and smokey eyes. Anyway, two of the easiest things, I think, beauty wise to change up and give a little nod to the season are lips and nails. So here are some of the nail vanish’s, lipsticks and glosses that have become my staples since the start of autumn, and will no doubt carry me right through winter.

Nails

 (Clockwise from the top)
Barry M - Gelly Hi Shine nail paint - Black Cherry
I am quite surprised this is the only Gelly nail vanish i've put in this post because I love these. I got this in October and i'm pretty sure it was part of a Halloween collection but don't quote me on that!
A few coats leaves this nail vanish really opaque and super shiny, plus the Gelly nail vanish and impressively chip proof. The shade is like a really-dark-red-almost-black and makes you look like some sexy, chic vampire goddess.

Essie - Angora Cardi
UNsurprisingly this isn't the only Essie vanish in this post. I'm going to through it out there and say Essie polishes are my favourite EVER. They have such an incredible range of colours and are INSANELY chip proof, even for lazy buggers like my who can't be asked with top coats and such. On first look, it's like a beigey dusty rose (not that you can tell from the awful picture - sorry!) but comes out a little bit darker on the nails. A very chic nude.

Maybelline Color Show - 241 Orange Attack
If you want something a bit brighter, I really like this unashamedly vibrant orange shade. The consistency of this particular vanish is quite thin and liquidy so requires a bit more patience to apply but, after a few coats, does leave and lovely glossy, vibrant nail.

Rimmel London - 60 seconds - 320 Rapid Ruby
In my opinion, the perfect red. I would say its a touch darker than a pillar box red but is perfect is RED is all you want. I also tend to wear this one over christmas because it looks great with a lick of red glittery polish over the top. They 60 second polishes also dry really quickly (obviously) which, again, is perfect for me because i'm so lazy when it comes to waiting for my nails to dry.

Essie - Bahama Mama
Shock horror, more Essie. I picked this one up last month when I discovered that my dark vanishes were all more red than anything else, so I ventured into Boots with the intention of finding a polish that was more berry toned. This is. It's A gorgeous dark berry but, when applied, gives the appearance of an almost brown-red. Very chic (wow everything's very chic today). I tend to reward myself with this when i've managed to grow my nails a bit.

(From right to left)

Maybelline Color Show - 216 Plum Paradise

I don't often find a time to wear this certain one as it's a deep, shimmery purple. It would be perfect for a porter maybe Halloween? It it a bit less thin than Orange Attack so is slightly easier to apply.

Barry M nail paint - ?

This is like a darker Plum Paradise with silvery, metallic shimmer running through it. Again, it's a nice shade after you've grown your nails out a bit. This is also quite liquidy and takes some coats to become really opaque but gives such a nice metallic finish.

Rimmel London - Metal Rush - 60 Royal Blue

This was a gift a long time ago and I LOVE IT. When you twist the bottle, light reflects the colour as a mixture of blue, green and purple and it paints on as exactly the same colour. Only a couple of coats leaves a lovely metallic finish, but more blended together than the Barry M one (if that makes sense!). Writing this, i'm ashamed I've ignored it for so long because it's honestly gorgeous.

Rimmel London - 60 seconds - 844 Out of the blue

This is another antique purchase. I feel like everyone has a different idea of what teal looks like but, for me, this is pretty much it. This has to be the perfect representation of my favourite blue EVER. It's like I dark bluey-green but not quite turquoise (more blue). I wore this religiously a couple of years ago and am looking forward to revisiting it. I would also like to add that it has an XPRESS brush (whatever that means) but it's wider that most nail vanish applicators which I love because it drives me mad when you're practically wiping on vanish with like a needle.

However, I warn thee this nail vanish does majorly stain your hands for a few days when you take it off which is gutting because I love everything else about it.

Essie - Chinchilly

I bought my best friend this nail vanish in a set last year, and I think went out to by the same one the following week. For autumn, i feel like this a the perfect nude. It's a gorgeous beigey, almost lilacy grey, which seems to just flatter pale skin wonderfully and doesn't wash you out at all. Looks lovely on short or long nails, and I don't need to walk you back through how much I like the staying power of these.

L'oreal Paris - 205?

Now, this is quite a runny nail vanish and takes quite a few coats before it goes opaque. It's staying power isn't much crack either HOWEVER, I am yet to find a pink as nice as this. Is like someone got a baby pink and mixed in a tiny bit of Chinchilly. A lovely nude.

Lips

Phew, now that we've got through all those nail vanishes, lets move onto lips.

1. Revlon Lip Butter - 085 Sugar plum

In the stick, this lipstick looks like a super dark berry however, as it's a balm, it comes out pretty sheer which I actually love! It leaves a lovely pink-berry colour one the lips, and really flatter pale AND darker skin. I also suffer from insanely dry lips, and it's no secret that these are largely popular for their nourishing properties. However, as with most balmy lipsticks, you do want to apply this it freshly exfoliated lips, other wise the colour can catch on bits of dead skin (eww, sorry for that!).

2. No7 Moisture Drench - Mulberry

These, although aren't very long lasting, sit really nice on the lips without being too drying. The shade itself if a dark beigey-pink and is a really nice colour. My skin tone and dark lips make it difficult for me to wear any pale, milky pinks so this for me is a really good pinky nude.

3. Rimmel London  - Kate - 107

Although a recent purchase I love this. It's long lasting and super pigmented and just darker than a pillar box red. It's the lipstick equivalent of Rapid Ruby nail vanish. This lipstick is famously loved and raved about by Zoella, so of course I had to try it and now I love it too.

4. Mac - Diva

Oh, hello holy grail. I don't need to sit here and tell you about how pigmented and long lasted mac lipsticks because they're famous for it. The colour is also really popular - it's a super deep, dark red but just on the right side of vampy.

(front row)

5. Urban Decay lipgloss - Liar

I am a little surprised there only one lipgloss but I think it's because i'm really fussy when it comes to lipgloss consistency. This is such a nice pink - your lips but infinitely juicier and more kissable. It's shiny and opaque, glossy but not sticky. It also smells and tastes lovely, like mint. It tingles ever so slightly but not OTT like fireworks on your lips.

(not photographed - sorry)

Chanel - Rouge Coco Shine - 54 Boy

Sorry I forgot to photograph it, but thats because it lives in my bag rather than my dressing table! I bought this earlier in the year after seeing Tanya Burr wear the shade Satisfaction in a video and initially went out to purchase that one. Alas, it had been discontinued, but I began swatching others and discovered this one. The only way I can describe is your lips but better. The perfect in between of sheer and pigmented. It also smells SO GOOD - like rose turkish delight.

So there are my current beauty staples.

Hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to a few more wintry post before the year is up!

TTFN x