Paul & Joe Ornamental Nail Enamel Collection in O Holy Night and Merrily On High

O Holy Night (left) and Merrily On High (right)

Paul & Joe is my guilty pleasure when it comes to make up. Very sophisticated colours and lovely vintage looking packaging make it impossible to resist. And the gorgeous smell is so addictive… I absolutely adore every make up range they create. As I am self-confessed addict to nail varnishes I decided to buy two shades from their latest ‘The Ornamental Collection’.

The formula of the nail polishes is fine; it spreads on nails quickly and evenly. The massive downer is that it takes ages to dry and even putting a clear coat on the top doesn’t help to speed it up. I think it’s got to do with the fact that the formula is quite jelly and gluey, which I guess is used to hold the glitter together (although I have Paul & Joe nail polish that is not glittery and the formula is jelly like and it takes ages to dry, too). It is hard to remove it from the nails as well but on the plus side it stays on forever once dry.

O Holy Night is a deep turquoise shimmery shade with three different colours of glitter in it: silver, blue and turquoise. It is a bright and vivid colour that is easily noticeable. 

Paul & Joe Nail Polish in O Holy Night

Merrily On High is a pale shimmery purple shade that is less opaque than the turquoise one and you need to put at least two coats on to cover your nails completely. It is a nice pastel and pearly shade of purple. As I prefer vibrant and dominant colours the first shade is definitely my favourite out of these two.

Paul & Joe Nail Polish in Merrily On High

Overall, I think they are very pretty Christmas-y shades and they would make a great prezzie. The price is very acceptable (£10.50 for 10ml) especially if you compare it to other high-end brands. Plus, no one makes such a pretty packaging as Paul & Joe. ;) A.

Review: 17 Magnetized Nail Polish in Lilac

Description: What is 17 Magnetized Nail Polish...The polish contains very fine metal particles, when you have applied the polish and its still wet, hover the magnet (which is part of the cap) over your nail and watch the effect appear! (source: boots.com)

17 Magnetized Nail Polish in Lilac is one of four shades to choose from, the other shades include: Gun Metal, Blue and Teal. I was very excited about these nail polishes, as I read about them a couple of moths ago on boots website. I loved cracking nail polishes (well, I still do), so I was pretty sure this time it will be the same with the magnetizing ones. I couldn’t decide which shade I wanted (all of them looked fabulous) so I quickly grabbed the purple one and left the shop just in case I would want to buy them all.

What you have to do to get your nails magnetized: apply the nail polish to one of your nails and whilst still wet, take the magnet located on the top of the cap and move it towards your nail (remember, don't let the magnet touch your nail) and wait for a few seconds. You should see the ‘wave’ effect appear before your eyes. It takes a bit of practice to get it right and you can also try to place the magnet in different directions to get different effects. I was quite pleased with mine.

The formula is nice and thick, not too watery and easy to apply. The brush spreads the nail polish evenly. It stays on for ages as well. I think the finished look is fantastic and it is well worth the money (£5.99 from Boots). Definitely recommend it. :-) A.

Review: DIOR Nail Polish in Tuxedo

Dior Nail Polish in Tuxedo is one of the two nail polishes released as a part of Fall 2011 collection. (the other one is called Blue Denim) I absolutely adore Dior nail polishes as the texture is just fantastic and they stay on forever as well. It is no different with Tuxedo.

Tuxedo is a deep and intense shimmery blue, which is a bit darker than I expected. It looks like metallic colour but when I put it on nails, it looses a lot of shimmer – it’s not as glittery as in the packaging. I had to have a close look to notice any. But still, with the right lighting you can see it’s not just a plain colour. I think it’s a nice shade for evening parties and nights out with friends.

The formula is great, the nail varnish spreads on nails evenly and you only need one coat to cover your nails completely. The brush is thick and only one stroke is needed to cover the whole nail. Although I find it a little bit too thick but I will probably get used to it. Overall, I totally recommend this nail varnish, I wish I could purchase them both :P A.

Estee Lauder free gift alert!

Because red lips are so hot this season I decided to buy myself a lovely Pure Color Matte Lipstick in Red Velvet from Modern Mercury 2011 Collection. There are many red lipsticks out at the moment but I always tend to come back to lipsticks with a matte finish when it comes to winter months. :)

I’ve also had my eyes on crème eye shadows for a while now and decided that Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow Crème in Café Au Lait (22) looks gorgeous enough to give it a go. 

Reviews for both lipstick and eye shadow to follow soon. And…

…you get one of these fabulous gifts at Debenhams when you buy two or more Estee Lauder products. Yaaay! Offer ends 1^st October. Your 7-piece gift includes:

 - A choice of moisturiser, repair serum, eye creme and cleanser (you can choose Resilience Lift SPF15 moisturiser, Resilience Lift Eye Creme, Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum Corrector for Lines/Wrinkles/AgeSpots and Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser OR DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Crème SPF 15, Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex, Advanced Night Repair Eye Recovery Complex and Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser – that is what I chose)

 - Pure Color Quad Compact with applicator

 - Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Candy

 - Sumptuous, Bold Volume Lifting Mascara in Black

 - Plus a lovely cosmetics bag

Can’t wait to try them out! Thank you Estee Lauder for this fabulous gift! I definitely recommend it! A.

Review: CHANEL Nail Polish in Peridot (531)

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Peridot is one of three colours released by Chanel as a part of Autumn/Winter collection (the colours in the collection include: Peridot, Graphite and Quartz). I picked Peridot because I think it stands out the most out of all three. Although the other two nail varnishes look beautiful as well, this one is the one that I liked the most. It might seem odd, but the colour also reminds me of Christmas…

Peridot looks like metallic green-ish shade of gold if that makes sense. The colour has a sparkly – shimmery gold base with a hint of green. It looks very festive and elegant and it’s very pleasing to the eye. It’s very shiny and the formula is better than usual. (I bought Chanel Nail Polish in Mimosa from S/S collection and I swore to myself I’d never buy Chanel’s Nail Polishes again – more to follow) It spreads evenly and it covers the nails well. I put two coats on my nails for a better coverage.

I’ve had it on my nails for a few days and it still look great! Normally a nail varnish lasts about 1.5 day on my nails before it starts chipping so a couple of days is quite good!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this nail varnish; although it’s expensive (£17.50 each) it’s definitely worth the money!

Review: e.l.f. Nail Polish in Purple Dream

E.l.f. Nail Polish in Purple Dream is slightly glittery yet pearly purple and has a slightly matte finish when applied to nails. I know, it is hard to explain – it is just like a metallic nail varnish. The formula is quite watery but it covers the nails well with just one coat. However, to build up the colour, I put two coats on my nails. To avoid any stains on my nails I always use Sally Hansen nailgrowth miracle as a base coat first (it really helps my nails to grow!) before applying my nail polish.

The brush is easy to use, it spreads the nail polish nice and evenly. It takes some time to dry completely so make sure it is dry before applying second coat.

Overall, I definitely recommend this nail polish (only £1.50 from e.l.f. website) – I think it’s great value for the money and I am sure I will buy it again in the near future :) A.

E.L.F. Products

My fantastic order from e.l.f. has arrived! I am so excited and can’t wait to try them out! I have had my eye on e.l.f. products for a while, but somehow I’ve always missed the 50% off sale! Can beauty products be so cheap AND good at the same time? It’s time to find out. Individual reviews with photos for these products to follow soon! ;) 

Review: Cracking Nail Varnishes

We all noticed that there is a new ‘boom’ for cracking nail varnishes. With my curiosity and passion for nail varnishes, I could not say 'no' to this new trend. It sounds interesting to me and it is perfect for having a little bit of fun with your nails at home. I decided to try Barry M Instant Nail Effects in Blue Print (Boots, £3.99) and Nails Inc Special Effects in Hoxton (Fenwicks, £11). To see the effect, you have to paint your nails with any colour and let them dry first, then apply a single coat of cracking nail varnish and you will see the effect within few seconds ;-) And the result look like this:

I painted my nails with Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Mega Fuchsia first (limited edition, available from selected stores) and applied a single coat of Barry M Instant Nail Effects. I think it looks great, although the gaps that ‘cracked’ seem to be quite wide. It is quite thick and dries up quickly. It has a matt finish.

I used 17 Super Shine Nail Polish in Wave (£3.99, Boots) and Nail Inc Special Effects in Hoxton (sparkling purple). The cracks are much thinner and you have to remember that painting in different directions will affect how your design will look. It has a shiny finish. Overall, I would definitely recommend both - I love them both – it is a great fun!...

MAC Quite Cute ;-)

There is a new range of make up cosmetics available from Mac called QUITE CUTE and I couldn’t help myself but give it a try. I bought myself two lipsticks in two shades: Play Time and Candy Yum-Yum and a gorgeous Blush in Sakura:

Play Time (left) has an amazing moisturising and soft texture and when you put it on, it is a lovely lavender - violet colour. I am absolutely in love with it and I’ve worn it everyday since I bought it.

Candy Yum-Yum (right) is a matt shade and very lovely, vibrant pink colour. Absolutely gorgeous.

The blush that I chose is in a lovely lavender and violet shade with a little pink heart inside, and guess what – it is gorgeous!!! It gives you a nice colour on your cheeks and really brings out the youthfulness of your face – it is really fresh and quirky. Just cute ;-) Love it! ♥

Revlon Scented Nail Varnishes 

I am absolutely delighted that new Revlon scented nail varnishes are finally on the shelves, I screamed with enjoyment when I saw them at Boots. This is an absolutely lovely idea for the summer time to have your nails fruity fragranced and I hope this will be a massive success! The nail varnishes are £6.49 each or 2 for £8 at Boots and come in eight lovely, summery colours:

I bought myself five out of those colours, tried them and I think they are totally worth every penny:

The smell is quite fresh and delicate and stays for about 2 – 3 days, depends on how much washing / cleaning you do with your hands. The texture and thickness is very like the standard Revlon nail varnishes. Now I finally have my nail varnishes, I even more excited about the summer. 

Free Gift :D

From 17 March (Thursday) to 2 April you can get this absolutely fabulous free gift when you buy 2 selected Clinique products at Boots. The floral tin contains:

- High Impact Mascara in Black

- Superbalm Moisturising Gloss in Apricot

- Liquid Facial Soap Mild

- Youth Surge SPF 15 Age Decelerating Moisturizer

- Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion

- Exclusive Limited Edition Colour Surge Eye Shadow Quad Compact with Applicator Brush

I absolutely love Clinique skincare products and I cannot wait to try and test them all!

I’ve got a soft spot for free gifts. Absolutely love them because why would I buy something that I need anyway and get nothing when I can buy the same products for the same price at the right time and get all these fabulous cosmetics for free! :D

New Exciting Baby Beauty Blog has arrived!...

Being a slave/addicted to a good and healthy looking skin and believing that anything you give your body, it will pay you back in the future motivated me to set up this blog about fabulous skincare and make-up products. I have always been excitedly passionate about skincare regime and colours in any form and that’s what drives my never-ending desire to relentlessly try and test new products.

I believe that in our busy, fast and serious world cosmetics can bring you a little bit of joy everyday and I am very happy to be able to share this happiness with you. If I can brighten up your day in the slightest bit it will be a massive success for me. Don’t be afraid to try new things, play with colours, take the risk and don’t take yourself too seriously – these are my most important rules that I always try to keep close to my heart.


Remember, all my opinions are brutally honest and all products I bought myself, unless stated otherwise. I hope you will enjoy the content of the blog as much as I enjoy trying new products and cannot wait for your comments  :-)

(Estee Lauder Pure Colour lipstick 126 Nectarine)