Butter London rave and see Aston

I have started a collection of Butter London nail colours. I must say, I really like these: they are non-toxic, all 3 Free ("no formaldehyde, no toluene, no DBP colour, not carcinogens").

Bumster, Blagger, Victoriana, Aston, All Hail the Queen

They are easy to store. I will not buy OPI anymore because their round bottles take up too much space!

They come in a range of fantastic colours. 

Aston on thumb, then L to R: All Hail the Queen, Blagger, Bumster, Victoriana

And they really stay put. 

I had Chanel's Black Pearl on my nails the other day. Gorgeous colour but no staying power! Within 24 hours they had all chipped. So as tempted as I am to buy Chanel's limited edition shades that come out every season, the clever thing to do would be to stick to Butter London. 

I've never paid much attention to base/top coats. I've tried most of OPI's but they're all just... okay. But I was blown away with Butter London's Nail Foundation. It's called a Flawless Basecoat and flawless it is! It's matte and if you are after a "my nails but better" product, this is it! 

So you could definitely use the nail foundation on its own but I had to try out some new shades so I went ahead with Aston. It's such a pretty nude taupe-pink. Butter London describes it as: "No self-respecting heiress would be caught without it. A sultry toffee colour that looks like a million quid."

Aston

Did I mention that they have a sense of humour, too? There is a Butter London dictionary and here are the definitions for some of the colours I have shown here:

Aston: As in Aston Martin, the British super car made famous by James in the 1964 film Goldfinger.
All Hail the Queen: All Hail is used as an acclamation or welcome, as in "All Hail this gorgeous lacquer".
Bumster: British reference to ones booty or butt.
Victoriana: Things reminiscent of the Victorian era, such as corsets, top hats and Syphilis.

Butter London Victoriana swatch here.

Butter London rave and see Aston

I have started a collection of Butter London nail colours. I must say, I really like these: they are non-toxic, all 3 Free ("no formaldehyde, no toluene, no DBP colour, not carcinogens").

Bumster, Blagger, Victoriana, Aston, All Hail the Queen

They are easy to store. I will not buy OPI anymore because their round bottles take up too much space!

They come in a range of fantastic colours. 

Aston on thumb, then L to R: All Hail the Queen, Blagger, Bumster, Victoriana

And they really stay put. 

I had Chanel's Black Pearl on my nails the other day. Gorgeous colour but no staying power! Within 24 hours they had all chipped. So as tempted as I am to buy Chanel's limited edition shades that come out every season, the clever thing to do would be to stick to Butter London. 

I've never paid much attention to base/top coats. I've tried most of OPI's but they're all just... okay. But I was blown away with Butter London's Nail Foundation. It's called a Flawless Basecoat and flawless it is! It's matte and if you are after a "my nails but better" product, this is it! 

So you could definitely use the nail foundation on its own but I had to try out some new shades so I went ahead with Aston. It's such a pretty nude taupe-pink. Butter London describes it as: "No self-respecting heiress would be caught without it. A sultry toffee colour that looks like a million quid."

Aston

Did I mention that they have a sense of humour, too? There is a Butter London dictionary and here are the definitions for some of the colours I have shown here:

Aston: As in Aston Martin, the British super car made famous by James in the 1964 film Goldfinger.
All Hail the Queen: All Hail is used as an acclamation or welcome, as in "All Hail this gorgeous lacquer".
Bumster: British reference to ones booty or butt.
Victoriana: Things reminiscent of the Victorian era, such as corsets, top hats and Syphilis.

Butter London Victoriana swatch here.

Chanel summer make-up 2011

Oh how I do like summer collections. And especially if Chanel comes out with a product called Mimosa! (Bellini next year?) Here's what I got:

I was desperate to get my hands on the nail colours - but to be honest, they're not worth the hype. Mimosa is a tremendously happy colour but it's difficult to apply, hence the rather sloppy manicure. Morning Rose is cute, it makes me think of candy, but I prefer Chanel's Pêche Nacrée from the spring collection (see pictures below to compare). And Beige Pétale is nothing special - so far I've used it once, applying just one coat to the nails (and no base/top coat) for a barely-there look when I didn't have the time to do a colourful manicure.

Summer collection: Beige Pétale, Morning Rose, Mimosa

Mimosa (summer), Morning Rose (summer), Pêche Nacrée (spring collection)

The blush-bronzers are really pretty and my favourite of the collection. I originally picked up the pink one, but then went back for the coral one. These give a soft glow to the cheeks and are perfect for summer.

Bronze Rose, Bronze Corail

Officially, I'm not into lip glosses anymore and especially not Chanel glosses because the two I had about six years ago leaked and I had to throw them out. But there was one gloss in this collection that I kept on picking up and admiring - always the same one - so I finally gave in. Glossimer 277 (Pensée) is non-glittery, it only has tiny gold sparkles (none of the outrageous blue, red, silver glitter). It is so pretty...  

Chanel summer make-up 2011

Oh how I do like summer collections. And especially if Chanel comes out with a product called Mimosa! (Bellini next year?) Here's what I got:

I was desperate to get my hands on the nail colours - but to be honest, they're not worth the hype. Mimosa is a tremendously happy colour but it's difficult to apply, hence the rather sloppy manicure. Morning Rose is cute, it makes me think of candy, but I prefer Chanel's Pêche Nacrée from the spring collection (see pictures below to compare). And Beige Pétale is nothing special - so far I've used it once, applying just one coat to the nails (and no base/top coat) for a barely-there look when I didn't have the time to do a colourful manicure.

Summer collection: Beige Pétale, Morning Rose, Mimosa

Mimosa (summer), Morning Rose (summer), Pêche Nacrée (spring collection)

The blush-bronzers are really pretty and my favourite of the collection. I originally picked up the pink one, but then went back for the coral one. These give a soft glow to the cheeks and are perfect for summer.

Bronze Rose, Bronze Corail

Officially, I'm not into lip glosses anymore and especially not Chanel glosses because the two I had about six years ago leaked and I had to throw them out. But there was one gloss in this collection that I kept on picking up and admiring - always the same one - so I finally gave in. Glossimer 277 (Pensée) is non-glittery, it only has tiny gold sparkles (none of the outrageous blue, red, silver glitter). It is so pretty...  

Butter London Victoriana

This is my first Butter London nail varnish. Great quality! Two coats (easy to apply) + top coat and my nails were still looking nice (as in, not much chipping) when I took the polish off - rather reluctantly - five days later. Staying power, yes!  

The rectangular bottles are so much more practical than eg OPI's round ones. They take up less space! 

Most of all, it's the colour that I adore, though. 

Butter London Victoriana

This is my first Butter London nail varnish. Great quality! Two coats (easy to apply) + top coat and my nails were still looking nice (as in, not much chipping) when I took the polish off - rather reluctantly - five days later. Staying power, yes!  

The rectangular bottles are so much more practical than eg OPI's round ones. They take up less space! 

Most of all, it's the colour that I adore, though. 

Daily make-up

Before the move, I put a few make-up essentials in a bag and packed everything else away. My make-up drawers don't have a proper home yet (they are in my wardrobe!) and I'm too tired these days to be that creative... so I've just been using these products... for an entire month (I'm shocked, this never happens)!

Face:

NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Stromboli

NARS Laguna bronzer

NARS Penny Lane cream blush - Very pleased with this! Adds a subtle flush. But doesn't always last all day.

NARS Orgasm blush - I sometimes apply this over the cream blush.

Eyes:

NARS Rajasthan eyeshadow duo - I still love this! Good thing I got a back-up! 
MAC Technakohl liner in Graphblack or
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in black - Fantastic eyeliner, doesn't budge, I have multiple back-ups of this!
MAC Zoom Lash mascara in black or
Chanel Inimitable Intense mascara in black

Lips:

MAC Patisserie (lustre lipstick) with
MAC Love Nectar (lustreglass lipgloss) - Peachy pink with some golden shimmer. Comes with a brush wand, which I like best. My favourite combination of MAC lip products.

L to R: Patisserie, Love Nectar, both together

Nails:
Chanel Rose Confidentiel (491) - I knew I wasn't going to have the time to look after my nails during the move so I stuck to a neutral dusty rose colour. 

Daily make-up

Before the move, I put a few make-up essentials in a bag and packed everything else away. My make-up drawers don't have a proper home yet (they are in my wardrobe!) and I'm too tired these days to be that creative... so I've just been using these products... for an entire month (I'm shocked, this never happens)!

Face:

NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Stromboli

NARS Laguna bronzer

NARS Penny Lane cream blush - Very pleased with this! Adds a subtle flush. But doesn't always last all day.

NARS Orgasm blush - I sometimes apply this over the cream blush.

Eyes:

NARS Rajasthan eyeshadow duo - I still love this! Good thing I got a back-up! 
MAC Technakohl liner in Graphblack or
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in black - Fantastic eyeliner, doesn't budge, I have multiple back-ups of this!
MAC Zoom Lash mascara in black or
Chanel Inimitable Intense mascara in black

Lips:

MAC Patisserie (lustre lipstick) with
MAC Love Nectar (lustreglass lipgloss) - Peachy pink with some golden shimmer. Comes with a brush wand, which I like best. My favourite combination of MAC lip products.

L to R: Patisserie, Love Nectar, both together

Nails:
Chanel Rose Confidentiel (491) - I knew I wasn't going to have the time to look after my nails during the move so I stuck to a neutral dusty rose colour. 

Chanel fall collection 2010: Enigma, Inimitable Intense, Paradoxal

I finally went to pick up my reserved goodies... and I must say, I'm rather pleased with my latest Chanel purchases.

I picked up the Enigma (19) eyeshadow quad without even swatching it, which (thinking about it now) is usually a silly thing to do but I wanted it. That's a good enough reason, right?

* * *

I also got the new Inimitable Intense mascara, this simply being the technologically more advanced, more intense version of the already existing Inimitable. It holds the curl all day and gives my lashes a dramatic boost. Yes, I really like it! (and how gorgeous is/are the model(s)? Not sure if it's the same person?)

* * *

And I picked up Paradoxal (509), obviously. It's usually more purple than grey but it depends on the light. I applied two coats. (On the right: with a ham, cheese and mushroom crepe.)

* * *

I got some samples of the Beauté Initiale skincare. Has anyone tried it?

Chanel fall collection 2010: Enigma, Inimitable Intense, Paradoxal

I finally went to pick up my reserved goodies... and I must say, I'm rather pleased with my latest Chanel purchases.

I picked up the Enigma (19) eyeshadow quad without even swatching it, which (thinking about it now) is usually a silly thing to do but I wanted it. That's a good enough reason, right?

* * *

I also got the new Inimitable Intense mascara, this simply being the technologically more advanced, more intense version of the already existing Inimitable. It holds the curl all day and gives my lashes a dramatic boost. Yes, I really like it! (and how gorgeous is/are the model(s)? Not sure if it's the same person?)

* * *

And I picked up Paradoxal (509), obviously. It's usually more purple than grey but it depends on the light. I applied two coats. (On the right: with a ham, cheese and mushroom crepe.)

* * *

I got some samples of the Beauté Initiale skincare. Has anyone tried it?