Sunday 23 January 2011

Lianne Loves.. Nail Watch - Rimmel Lasting Finish Fruities

We all look out for long lasting nail polishes, so I decided to start doing posts reviewing them as I wear them. Introducing the aptly named 'Nail Watch' lol - cheesy but you get my point! :) I will do regular edits, updating you on the condition of the polish. So here is this weeks choice...




Rimmel 'I Love Lasting Finish Fruities'



My nails had grown lovely over Christmas & New Year but a couple broke, quite low down *tut* so I had to trim them all quite short this weekend. So to cheer them up a bit I thought I'd treat them to a nice vibrant colour!

I received this polish as part of a Secret Santa present from one of the girls at work. Not usually a Rimmel fan but thought Id give it a go as the colour is lush!


This Rimmel range, apparently inspired by 'the freshness of summer' includes bright, vibrant shades and boasts a long lasting, chip resistant finish. These, plus the fact that they're supposed to smell fruity when dry, makes for a fun, bang on trend range of nail wear from Rimmel.


I'm trying 066 - Cranberry Zest, a gorgeous hot pink/reddy colour.

It applies smoothly, has a nice consistency and after 2 coats looks great. The only downfall so far is that it takes absolutely ages to dry, and I'm so impatient when it comes to waiting for my nails to dry!!

I admit, I couldn't smell the fruity fragrance that well once dry, I've read reviews that say they smell delish, but I won't lie, I couldn't smell much at all.

Sealed with a coat of my faithful top coat Sally Hansen Double Duty I was good to go!


I love the finish, and the colour! I can't stop looking at them.

Let's see if it passes the test of time!


Please bear in mind, the nail colour is sealed with top coat which will obviously allow the nail polish to last longer than usual.


My nails were painted yesterday afternoon and they're still in tip top condition with no signs of chipping as yet. Good start! :)

I shall keep you posted!!


Read more about this Rimmel range here.





UPDATE: 2 days in. After a busy day at work (bearing in mind I work with children) the tips are beginning to wear slightly on a few nails...

UPDATE: It's been 6 days and my nails still look fab!! The colour still looks bright and my top coat is doing a fantastic job at keeping my nails smooth and with no chips. The only change other than slight regrowth is a tiny amount of wear at the tips of a few nails, which appeared a couple of days in, which is inevitable as a busy, working mum! So far, very impressed!!

Lianne Loves.. My Current Fave Products

I had planned to put this post together a while ago, but here it is, finally! My fave products, my must-have essentials of 2010 that I use on a daily basis, that I'll be taking through to 2011 until something a lil more amazing comes along! :)




Max Factor Xperience Foundation


I've already raved about this foundation in it's own post which you can read here. :)





Benefit's 'Hello Flawless' Cover-Up



Now, I've never been a massive fan of powder as always found it took the dewy, fresh look from my foundation away. And I'd never even thought about using a cover-up in powder form. But during a trip to Benefit whilst spending a Xmas gift card, I thought I'd give it a go.

I was more than impressed!

The silky smooth powder comes in gorgeous packaging complete with mirror, the powder palette lifts up to reveal a brush for smooth application all over skin and a sponge for more precise cover-up.

It applies really nicely and leaves a smooth, light finish and the sponge covers spots, blemishes, redness and dark circles fantastically, giving me a 'flawless' finish without the 'over-done' look! I'll definately be using this for the foreseeable future!

'Hello Flawless' is available in 9 different shades (I've been using 'Me, vain? Champagne') at a price of £24.50 at Benefit counters and online at benefitcosmetics.co.uk




MUA eyeshadows


Make up for £1! Who'd have thought it. But MUA Make-Up Academy is Superdrugs new £1 make-up brand. Now, I usually buy a cheappish brand for my eyeshadow 'base' as I use so much of it. So when I spotted these MUA shadows in Superdrug I snapped up some whites/nudes/beiges to use as my eye make-up base. I dont usually expect much as 'you get what you pay for' but these are lovely! They're a decent size for the price and are silky smooth to the touch. Best of all, they last all day long, which is more than I expected for £1! :)


Available in a range of colours, for £1 in all Superdrug stores and at Superdrug.com




MAC Eyeshadows


My beloved MAC never fails to keep my eyes looking sharp with their highly-pigmentated eyeshadow powders. They apply smoothly and blend easily. Available in an extensive range of colours, I never fail to find a colour to match my mood or outfit with MAC. An old favourite I'll never get bored of!


Available for £11.50 at MAC stores and at maccosmetics.co.uk




Benefit 10 Highlighter & Bronzer


I looooove a good bronzer/highlighter and one of my faves to use all year round is Benefit's '10'. The bronze & pink powder lasts for ages and comes complete with a soft brush to sweep across cheeks & brow or for contouring.

It creates a lovely glow, I'm a big fan!


Available for £23.50 at Benefit counters and at benefitcosmetics.co.uk



MAC Mineralize Blush



This was my Summer bronzer 'A Little Bit of Sunshine' which I think is no longer available but it's lasted me well but I've hit the pan as you can probably see, so I'm currently on the lookout for a new all over bronzer - suggestions welcome!! :)


I love MACs Mineralize range. They use 'baked minerals refined into a powder formula to provide exceptionally sheer and lightweight application.' Their blushes highlight the cheeks and I love the bronzing effect it has when used all over face, creating a slight shimmer without looking, or feeling too heavy.


Available in an ever changing range of colours (currently 6 I believe?!) at a price of £17.50 at MAC stores and at maccosmetics.co.uk




Maybelline The Falsies Mascara


I spent most of the year trying to work out which mascara I preferred out of MAC Opulash or Dior Diorshow Extase - both big premium brand named mascaras that provided a great look, but halfway through the tube, lost it's power for me.
Towards the endof 2010 saw the release of Maybelline's 'The Falsies'. They claimed that their mascara, enrinched with a Pro-Keratin & Fibre formula 'delivers a false lash look; giving you a full set of voluminous, bold, fanned out lashes and the appearance of no gaps from any angle'. I'm not sure about the 'no gaps' part but the rest of the claim is spot on.
The spoon-shaped brush perfectly fans lashes and gives me thick lashes that 'set' all day long.
I love the daytime look it gives and with lashings and lashings, creates amazing volume perfect for a night out. I shall definately continue to use this mascara!

Available currently on offer at £6.19 from all Maybelline stockists.
Read more at
maybelline.co.uk



MAC Eye Kohl



Find me an eyeliner as good as this one!
I have a make-up bag full of eyeliners from different brands, but none are as good as MAC. I've yet to find another that gives me a soft line above my lashes. And a dramatic, long-lasting line along my waterline. I've used MAC's eyeliner for years, and even when trying other brands, have always come back to MAC!

Available at £13 from MAC stores and at
maccosmetics.co.uk



I'd love to hear your current faves


Lianne X

Sunday 16 January 2011

Lianne Loves.. Next Home!

Yesterday we decided to pay a visit to our second home, Next Home to buy some new bits for the house. I love shopping for the house almost as much as shopping for myself.. almost ;)

I'm lucky enough that my boyfriend and I have the same sort of tastes when it comes to interior design, so decorating and accessorising the house has been easy!

We love Next Home, they have some gorgeous pieces! Our house is pretty much a shrine to Next!



I thought I'd share with you some of the bits we bought yesterday..



Corin Floor Lamp




Ever since we took the Christmas tree down we vowed to get a lamp of some sort, as the light from the Christmas tree was much softer/cosier (work with me here.. :) ) than the harsh ceiling lights. This floor lamp is brand new into Next Home and fits perfectly into our lounge. It almost matches the light shades we have with our ceiling lights, the design has been tweaked slightly for the new season but still has the same classy, 'chandelier' look as before.


With a glitter inner-shade, black outer-shade and light reflecting crystal droplets, the lamp creates a soft accent light and a great focus point.


Our lounge colour scheme is black/silver/hot pink so it fits in really nicely.




Available at Next Home for £80.






Red Mugs





Unfortunately I can't seem to find these on the website and can't remember the name of these mugs. I'm not sure whether that means they're no longer available online or if they're new and haven't been put online as yet.


Our kitchen colour scheme is red/white so we always head over to the red & white pieces to see what we can treat the kitchen to! :) We needed new mugs and these were quirky and fit in with our colour scheme well.






Available at Next Home for £8.





Poppy Design Dinner Set




This 12 piece dinner set, with the cute poppy flower detailing, was our next present to the kitchen! :) The have some lovely dinner sets in Next currently, all dishwasher and microwave set. There are matching mugs and a tablecloth runner available too.



Available a Next Home for £30.





There is some lovely stuff available in the new season that will definitely be on my Wish List!




Visit Next Home to see for yourselves.





Wednesday 12 January 2011

Lianne Loves... Max Factor Xperience!

This post was originally set to be a look at some of my favourite products of 2010 but I got so carried away talking about this that I decided it should have it's own post! So..

Max Factor Xperience Weightless Foundation







When I got my first pay cheque at 18 years old, I headed to the premium beauty counters at the likes of Boots/Debenhams/House of Fraser and splashed out on lots of yummy beauty products and vowed to say goodbye to high street brand foundations forever.. until now!



I've pretty much tried foundation from every premium brand going, and as a huuuuuge MAC addict - with whom I was extremely loyal to, I never looked twice at a high street brand for years. Until Autumn of last year, I was out of MAC *insert scream* and was in a rush home from town. Stood at the bus stop I remembered the lack of this extremely important item in my make up bag!! With not enough time to head back to the other side of the city centre to purchase my beloved MAC foundation I ran into the nearest Superdrug.. trawling the beauty shelves I came across one of Max Factor's newest releases. At first I thought it'd just be a stand in until I could get to MAC, but after a few uses I fell in love! Truth be told, I didn't think I'd find a high street brand foundation anywhere as good as the premium brands I've used, after all, you get what you pay for right?


Well I was more than impressed with Max Factor Xperience!
'Luxurious flawless coverage with a weightless feel..' they boast. And, unlike many products, it does exactly that. When applied onto bare skin, this liquid foundation provides fantastic coverage leaving a silky soft base. It almost gives the impression of a powder like finish. The coverage is amazing, we all look for a foundation that gives a full coverage but often end up with a thick/heavy feel.
When applied with a foundation brush, the liquid, that is not too thick or too watery, goes on beautifully and sinks into my skin providing a perfect base for my make up.



Max Factor Xperience - Brown Hessian



Rubbed into hand


I loved the lasting effect it gave also, with hardly any need for touch ups throughout the day.
Max Factor offer this foundation in 6 shades, I use Brown Hessian 75 which seems to suit me fine.
So much for my 'stand in foundation' ... I'm on my 2nd bottle!! :)
A bargain at £7.99 in most stores, go try it for yourself.

Have any other premium brand snobs been reformed by any fab high street brand products?


Heyy!

I'm Lianne, I'm 26 and live in the Midlands with my little boy Bradley (6) and my amazing other half James.


I took up blogging as I really enjoy reading blogs, and I love talking! :) Anyone that knows me, or follows me on Twitter can vouch for that! ;)

I previously blogged with my partner in crime, 2 mums with different lives and different opinions, but for personal reasons she cannot continue with the blog so I'm going solo!
Welcome to 'Lianne Loves..' :) See previous blog here.

I'm a busy, working mum. I work full time in a PreSchool in a Children's Centre. In my spare time I love spending time with my boys, they're my world! <3

I love all things beauty, and spoiling myself with clothes and cosmetics! I'm a total MAC addict!


Expect reviews on things from beauty, to family, and home stuff too.. my thoughts and opinions on current affairs to anything that I'm loving right now.. I'll share with you too!

Follow me on Twitter to read my day to day ramblings too.. twitter.com/lianne84


Enjoy!!