Monday 3 January 2011

Today's MakeUp and Shellac Update

I discovered my All For Eve QVC parcel on my doorstep yesterday. I ordered it before Christmas and I had literally no idea how long it had been sat there. Very relieved that it remained safe, I wasted no time in trying the lipstick out! The lipstick is a red designed by Daniel Sandler and is a flattering shade. It's not too orange or too blue and pigmented enough to give a nice coverage without being too in your face.

Flash

Natural light

On the rest of my face I am wearing

Face
Lancome Teint Miracle under-eye concealer
MAC Studio Finish concealer on blemishes
Edward Bess Island Rose compact rouge

Eyes
Too Face Shadow Insurance
Shu Uemura ME Brown 850 eyeshadow
L'Oreal Super Liner - can't remember the shade but it's the glittery black one
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous mascara



I'm very pleased with the ME Brown eyeshadow, it's a pretty colour and not similar enough to Satin Taupe for me to feel like it's a dupe. I got IR Beige 800 at the same time but I'm not as enamoured with it as it's a pale, yellow gold rather than beige. I'm not sure I can make it work for me but we'll see.

I thought I would update you on the Shellac manicure. I had it done on Thursday night and yesterday I got a little tear. I now have a tear on my thumb and since I took the photos it's torn again on the same thumb nail. It's very disappointing but not at all unexpected.

How they look after 4 days

The Damage!




I think lifestyle must be to blame, I must be very heavy on my hands and nails. I hadn't realised until I uploaded the photos how dry my hands were. I've since found a bottle of almond oil and I will apply regularly to the skin around the nails in a bid to stop them drying out. I will keep you updated on manicure watch, I think I'll be lucky to hit the week mark without more major damage. Back to the drawing board I suppose...

10 comments:

  1. Face looks lovely, red is great on you and I love the taupe - have discovered I am also a taupe addict so am going to trawl back through some of your other posts for more taupe inspiration! Shelllac, that would be a disaster on me, I'd have peeled off the remaining shellac with my teeth and probably the top 20 layers of nail with it, you have my sympathy my hands are so dry the skin is literally peeling off in sheets in places and my nails have flaked to hell. Have taken them down very low, whacked on a coat of Nail Envy, which for £18 I am seriously not loving, its a pants base coat as polish takes a week to dry and having used it since the end of Nov am seeing no difference at all, if anything have more peeling and flaking than usual, although putting some of that down to an epic bout of flu week before xmas, hoping some care and attention might get hands and nails back to looking at least vaguely polished, at the moment I look like I do all my washing by hand and dig potatoes out of the ground with my bare hands!

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  2. That is a GOOD red for you. I love the ethos and charity behind it too.

    I don't like the idea of shellac at all; I just don't think it can do the nails any good, and it looks as though it might have taken a couple of layers of your nails with it where it's chipped.

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  3. I generally steer well clear of reds but this one had me making a note! It looks wonderful on you and as we have
    similar colouring I am hopeful- plus I too am a taupe lover so can try to recreate the look. Must try EB range but I fear it will be expensive! Love your blog btw

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  4. That red really works for you, whole look is pretty, the Shu taupe shadow looks really nice. I had that IR beige one and it was just shimmery golden iridescent, yet I have seen reviews where its said its a straight up beige, might be best if you layer it over something, over a light grey might work, I've no idea where my one is now.
    Thats very disappointing about the nails, you'd expect a bit better really. My nails are rubbish so I have no helpful suggestions, my boy sits there trying to pick my varnish off which is rather unpleasant x

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  5. @Debbie: Thank you! I love the taupes, you should find plenty to browse on here ;). Ordinarily I would have resorted to peeling it off but I figure I need to see it through! It took 1hr 10 minutes to put on and cost £25 so I need to make the most of it.

    I have Nail Envy and it doesn’t really do anything for me. I bought from Ebay though as I’m way too tight to pay the £18 when it’s cheaper to import from the States. I do find it dries very quickly though so I’m surprised to hear it takes ages for you. I wonder if it’s a different formula. I can’t help giggling at your digging potatoes comment, mine are VERY similar!

    @Grace: Thank you. I love the ethos behind the brand and that the money is going in to research. I feel bad for not mentioning it but I’m sure I’ll do a post soon on the other products I got.

    My nails were peeling at the tips before so it’s quite possible it’s taken layers of nail with the chips. I thought they might buff the nails before applying to lessen the chance of it coming off. Oh well. I will probably peel it off as the thought of soaking it off with acetone doesn’t fill me with cheer!

    @FragrantWitch: Thank you so much for such a lovely comment. Yes, EB is expensive but gorgeous. I really wanted to buy some things from the all for Eve range because of the idea behind it (all the profits go in to funding research in to gynaecological cancers). The lipstick is lovely to wear.

    @Replica: Thank you. The brown Shu is lovely, I’m stunned that someone one call the other straight up beige! Even in the pan it looks pale gold to me. I’ll give it a try with a grey. Thanks for the suggestion.

    I don’t think there’s much to be done for my nails…. apart from getting a maid. The children don’t pick my nail varnish off but J did insist on having his nails painted the other day. “I want purple Mummy. No, not the one with glitter, the other one”. I don’t think that’s normal for a 5 year old boy!

    Jane x

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  6. A lovely look - that red really suits you, but I'm not brave enough for reds! Love the taupe too. THANK YOU for the review of the gel - I've been thinking of having it done, because my nail varnish chips almost the minute it is done - it's life-style with me too, having five kids and constant washing/washing-up/supervising younger ones baths, swimming trips etc really play havoc. Looks like I would do better to get used to the natural look!

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  7. Hi too busy to stitch! It's a lovely red and such a good cause.

    You're a step up from me having 5 to look after. Looking after small people seems to a recipe for bad nails. I did wonder if this wouldn't last for the same reason that normal polishes don't. On some of the nails it still looks quite good but there's no way it would last 2 weeks. I think I'll try the rebel nails next and see how that stands up to my nail brutality!

    Jane x

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  8. That is a big shame on the nails!

    How your nails look now, mine normally look after the same amount of days- with a normal nail polish and topcoat- so for that reason I don't think I'll bother..

    It's a brilliant idea in theory- but I must admit I'm of the school of thought, that if it sounds too good to be true - then it usually is..

    The lipstick is a really fabulous red on you :)

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  9. If you're nails look like this with regular polish after 4/5 days, I would think the shellac would last the proper amount of time for you. My nails get chips within the day and to be fair, this level of wear is exceptional for me. I had just hoped that it might last the 2+ weeks. Particularly as I hoped it might give my nails a rest.

    So far my opinion of it is, if you have nails that are in a bad state, the shellac with be more long lasting than a regular manicure but 2 weeks is unlikely. I need to find links to other reviews for people with 'normal' nails, lol!

    Jane x

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  10. Such a shame about the shellac, had really hope it would work for you. Do you think you will try gelish to compare?

    Love the all for eve red on you - gorgeous! Mine was delivered yesterday, cannot wait to have a play with it but at the moment my lips are cracked, so I'm saving it xx

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