Maybelline Color Show Coral Craze Review

This is the third of my Maybelline Color Show nail varnish reviews. The first was Lavender Lies, the second Marinho and this one is the striking orange; Coral Craze, 342.

This colour is super summery, which is why I wanted to review this one last; in the hope that summer might finally be here! I love bright coloured nail varnish but have never tried anything with yellow or orange hues, so this is a first!

This colour is exactly how it appears in the bottle, as are all of the Maybelline Color Show varnishes I've tried so far. I love the fact that there are no surprises!

This particular varnish had been sitting on my dressing table for a couple of weeks before I went to apply it and I did notice that some of the orangey/yellow colouring inside the varnish was starting to separate a little, just where it had been sitting stationary for a while. 

You always want to make sure that your colour is perfectly mixed together, so I used a cotton bud to stir the varnish gently and then gave the bottle a good shake as usual. That sorted it!

As you can see, the colour of this varnish is stunning. It's bright, colourful and because my hands have caught a little sun lately, it makes them look super brown!

I can definitely see myself rocking this on the beach in a few weeks time!

What do you think of Coral Craze, Lavender Lies or Marinho? Have you tried any of the Color Show range?

MUA nail Constellations Review

Together with my MUA makeup haul, I also purchased two products from the MUA nail range. I bought Nail Constellations in Gemini, which I will review today and Fur Effect Nails in Fluffy Puff, which I will review separately.

So today I tried out the Nail Constellations and was not disappointed.

Gemini is one of the five Constellations (colours) in the range. The other Constellations are Scorpio, Pisces, Leo and Libra. Inside each pot are thousands of tiny reflective beads, that glisten in the light. 

Preparing the nail & beads
So, because my nails are Shellac and already a mint colour, I didn't need to coat my nail in a coloured varnish, instead I just used a thick layer of clear varnish, to fuse the Constellations. As soon as I had applied the varnish, I poured a number of the beads into a bowl.

I thought this would be the easiest way to apply the beads. The MUA site states that the funnel enables you to pour them onto your nail but I felt this way was probably better for keeping the beads contained as they bounce off the nail! I didn't want to lose a loud on the floor and this way they all stayed in the bowl for reuse.

Applying the beads
Next, I dabbed my finger into the beads to coat them fully. Once I had a good amount of beads stuck to the nail, I gently brushed away some of the ones sitting on top, to keep the nail as flat as possible. 

I 're-dabbed' a couple of times to ensure the sides and tip of the nail were fully covered. 

Once I was happy with the coverage of the beads, I gently patted the beads down onto the nail, to ensure they were fully stuck to the varnish and again, to help enable the nail to look as level as possible.

Then when I was happy with the look, I repeated on the other hand and left to dry. They dried pretty quickly and I was really pleased with the effect!

Getting beads back into the bottle
Then I needed to put the beads left in the bowl back into the bottle and I found the easiest way to do this was to scoop the beads into the funnel and then pour back into the bottle.

After a few hours of wear, I noticed that a few beads had fallen off, so I dabbed some clear varnish onto the bald spots, dropped a few more beads onto those spots and patted down to secure. Now they are perfect!

I really enjoyed using these and look forward to trying the other colours. Let me know if you've tried them and which colour you chose.

Watch out for my review on the Fur Effect Nails in Fluffy Puff, which I'll be trying soon!

Are you Cool Taupe or Composed Fuchsia?

When meeting someone, we no longer need to look at the things they love and watch the way they act to learn about the kind of person they are. No, according to Daily Mail experts, we can now analyse the type of person someone is, by the colour of their nail polish!

Red, scarlet nails are said to be worn by regal, glamorous girls and those who wish to be noticed by men!

Coral is a colour that suggests a girl is energetic and confident. This girl is someone not afraid of the spotlight. 

Taupe is said to be the most popular colour in London, Leeds & Manchester and associated with cool and fashionable girls. 

Hot pink, fuchsia nails are for the classy and composed girl, a ‘no-nonsense’ person who enjoys flipping through fashion magazines.

Pale pink suggests a girl is light-hearted and optimistic and someone who likes their nail polish to reflect their fun side. 

My favourite two shades at the moment are Shocking Pink (no. 272), Barry M and Turquoise Shimmer (no. 45), Beauty UK. Both colours are vibrant and fun. I especially love Shocking Pink and wear this on my fingers and toes regularly. It covers fantastically in one coat and two coats creates a deeper shade and tends to last a little longer. 

Take the Daily Glow ‘what’s you nail polish personality quiz’.

According to my results, I'm confident with colour but shy away from glitter and embellishments. That's true! Try it yourself and see what your nail polish personality is!  

Four Looks 2 B Loved

Whilst looking through various fashion and beauty blogs this morning, there were four particular looks that really jumped out at me. I'm always looking for inspiration for nail art and make up and these looks struck me as beautiful examples of things I love and want to share on my blog.

Black matte nails with gloss polka dots would be the ultimate glam for a night out, especially if you're wearing a little black dress and want a statement without being too obvious with red or blue. I think the best way to create a matte finish on any nail polish, would be by using the Westminster Bridge Matte Top Coat, £12 from nails inc. By just applying one coat over your usual varnish, your nails will be transformed! You could then easily add polka dots using any clear top coat, preferably a quickly drying one, as you've already spent valuable 'getting ready' time with your black and matte coats! Alternatively, you could ask if a nail technician could create a similar look for you.

Being a lover of large, oversized jewellery, I really love this image. If you're not able to fork out on a collection of bracelets from Tiffany's (lets face it, who has), there are so many on the high street that could replicate this image perfectly.  For just £40, the Premium Thread Wrapped Bracelet from Topshop would look gorgeous on its own, with the white and sparkling stones setting off any spring/summer ensemble. Or the Mega Sparkle Lattice Bracelet from Accessorize is equally as gorgeous, truly a statement piece and at £15 is a wardrobe must have. 

Glittery lipstick or lipgloss is not something I've ever tried before. The concept of too much glitter has always filled me with dread and brings flash backs of wearing pink and blue glitter eye-shadows in the 80's! However, this image might just change my mind and make me look at glitter in a new light. The soft rose gloss with its gentle sparkle, for the right occasion (possibly not work), could actually look really lovely. The NARS Greek Holiday Lip Gloss at £17.50, is something I would definitely try. The glitter is subtle and not too over powering. I've read on various sites about how you can make your own glitter lipgloss, using petroleum jelly, sweetened drink mix glitter, beeswax, Shea butter etc, but I'm not sure I like the idea of chunks of glitter stuck to my lips all evening. So a subtle shimmer gloss like NARS seems a more realistic, everyday option.

Amber and purple haze blended shadow, like this photo, would look absolutely gorgeous for a special occasion or night out. I love blending 3/4 colours together to create a beautiful layered look and this one is something I will certainly be trying. I should imagine it would be tricky to find a shadow/cream collection that includes both amber/gold shades with purples, so together with a good black liner and black lash enhancing mascara or falsies, I would try the Colour Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow collection in Eternal Gold and Endless Purple, together with some darker bronzes to blend into the eye crease and corners. With a little practice, I think this combination would look truly beautiful.