Recently on the nails...

1. My nails for the wedding reception mentioned in my last post. I used Essie 'Blanc', Orly 'Glowstick' and a few random brights.

2. Beach themed nails! I based these on an image I spotted on Tumblr and looking back on them I'm in love with them. The sandy colour is Essie 'Sand Tropez'. How appropriate ;-)

3. I don't necessarily get along with bright, vibrant blues like this, but there's something special about & Other Stories 'Twill Blue'. 

4. Oh, how long I spent on these nails! I used my Rio nail art pens over Essie 'Blanc' and Rimmel 'Double Decker Red'. I think I prefer the white background to the red though.

5. Glitter and ombre, how exciting! I intended to wear this design to the wedding reception but when I compared the colours to my dress, they weren't bright enough. I'm still not in love with plain ombre on my own nails though.

6. Bourjois 'Amande defile' (which I can no longer open after only one use, excellent packaging there Bourjois...) with white striping over the top made for a gorgeous, pastel design that I thoroughly enjoyed wearing. 

7. Orly 'Glowstick' and Nails Inc 'Portobello' with a kind of tribal design... making bright and neon a little bit 'edgier'?

8. Rimmel's 'Tangerine Dream' with white stripes and plain rhinestones. This is another design based on an image I saw (this time on Instagram) though I'm not convinced the rhinestones look brilliant on shorter nails. Not a bad design though. 

Please let me know if you'd like a tutorial on any of these designs! I have plenty of time and polish on my hands at the moment, so I'd love to do some if you guys would like :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachel.soshedances@gmail.com
Tumblr: lookintothestorm.tumblr.com
YouTube: soshedancesxo

Celestial

Those of you with a keen eye for new releases might have already figured out what today's post is about purely by the title, but if you're not quite up to speed on recent releases then you might be excited to hear that Rimmel have released a new line of lip products.

All hail the Apocalips! I'm actually quite wary of hyped releases such as this, as usually the products don't really live up to expectation. The colours in this line are, admittedly, gorgeous, although only the colour I'm showing you today appealed to me personally. The remaining shades, such as Big Bang or Stellar, are perfect for those who love to wear a bright, bold lip. I picked up Celestial while I had some time to kill in the train station last week and am pleased to say that it does indeed live up to expectation.

Of the lip products I already own, I'd compare the formula and consistency of this product to my NYX lip creams. Celestial is a vibrant, springtime pink that stays on the lips for a very decent amount of time and won't need to be reapplied every hour or so. The only downside to this product is the smell, which really does not appeal to me at all. Thankfully, it disappears once on the lips and it doesn't hang around for long at all.

As a student who often spends all day in university without chance to reapply make-up, I have to say I was very impressed with this product. I also think it will be very versatile and can be used to create a number of looks. 

Here's what it looks like overall ^ What do you think? Have you tried any of the Apocalips products? Do you think you would now? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

NOTD #3 - Art Attack

Having taken a little break to concentrate on my second semester of university starting, I'm back with a beauty-related post today and I thought I'd share my nails of the day!

I can't really figure out what I think they look like, but I've called the post 'Art Attack' because I basically went mad with different colours and a paintbrush. Sometimes I think they look kind of feathered, sometimes I think the colours look a bit like those of a peacock... I like the fact that they're all completely different and some nails have more of one colour than the others.

What do you think? Would you try this out yourself? Would you like to see any more designs using this technique? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Recent Purchases

Hi guys :) Since it's the run-up to Christmas and I'm ridiculously busy, I thought I'd just share some of my recent purchases with you all. These are things that have been building up throughout December...

Topshop nail bits... (link will take you to nails section on site)

- Topshop Nail Polish in Mercury Rising
- Topshop Nail Polish in Rising Star (holographic glitter + teeny tiny stars = major win)
- Topshop Nail Art Pen in Fool's Gold
- Topshop Nail Art Pen in Barbarella

Soul Cal Deluxe Aztec Western Boots

These are easily the nicest shoes I've seen since I bought my Zara aztec boots back in September. I have a huge thing for aztec-style prints and knowing how often I wear my Zara boots, when I spotted these while window shopping with my friend Rachel I knew I had to have them. They're a beautiful dark tan colour with a (fake) fur lining that makes them extra warm for our glorious UK winter and I'm very much looking forward to taking these on their first outing.

H&M Pink Blazer (unlinked as not on site)

I also spotted this while shopping with Rachel, but unlike the boots I purchased it there and then. It looks bright in the photo and it is in real life too. I'm a huge fan of blazers and have been for years, so when I saw this I knew I wanted it. It's maybe not the most wintery item I own, but I kind of feel that it cheers up a dreary day and stands out against our grey Yorkshire sky. 

Lip products...

- Rimmel Moisture Renew in Latino

- Rimmel Lasting Finish in Alarm

- YSL Rouge Volupte in 1 Nude Beige

Feeding my ring obsession...

I bought all of these rings in Bijou Brigitte, which opened about a year and a half ago in the city I live in. It's a German brand, but they also have shops here in the UK (and maybe elsewhere, I'm not really sure). I've been building up my ring collection recently and I really, really love how much variety there is in this shop.

New Look striped shirt...

This is another item that I spotted while out with Rachel and went back to try on (and, obviously, purchase). I'm not really sure why, but I was just drawn to it and I love the fact that the red is definitely on trend right now (what with Christmas being on Tuesday and all). 

Dorothy Perkins vintage looking ring... (unlinked as not on site)

This was also purchased due to the fact that I've been making a conscious effort to build up my ring collection recently. I'm kind of surprised by this, as there was a time when I'd never have purchased something like this but now I do really like it. 

So, that's just a few photos of my recent purchases. I know it's almost Christmas, but I really couldn't help myself :/ haha. What do you think? Would you buy any of my purchases too?

Hope you all have a fabulous Christmas :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

The Hoarder

Ladies, I know you all do it. Whether it's with lipstick, face products or eye products, you all do it. You know when the time comes around to swap bags, or maybe your bag's getting too heavy and you decide to have a bit of a clear out, and you start taking out all of the beauty products... I'd be willing to bet that most of you will line them all up and look at them thinking "and why have I been carrying around 8 lipsticks?", "when did I ever think that I'd need to apply blue eyeliner halfway through my day of uni?" and "why do I have 3 different types of concealer in here?" I'd also be willing to bet that there's one type of product you seem to hoard in there, and for me it's lip products.

I looked through my bag a few nights ago when I was taking uni things out of it, and I happened to go into the little make up bag that I take around with me. It mainly contains three things: hair bobbles, my bus/train pass, and lipstick. 

When there are too many to fit in one photograph, you know there are too many, right? From L to R, top to bottom, we have: Rimmel Kate Moss 107, Mac Creme Cup, Beauty UK Snob, 17 Mirror Shine in Belle (broken, I might add, because the packaging is horrific in every single way), Body Shop Born Lippy in Watermelon, L'Oreal Caresse in Tempting Lilac, L'Oreal Caresse in Nude Ingenue, 17 Lip Liner in Claret. 

Realistically, I'm not sure why I've been carrying around that many products, but the lipstick junkie inside me is screaming "but...but... what if you suddenly want to wear a darker lip?"... I'm never even going to apply the broken one in public for fear of it falling out and onto whatever I'm wearing, and Snob is so matte that I can count it out for most of the winter. 

But, even as I write this, I'm not sure I can bring myself to put them back into my make-up collection and lighten my bag a little...

Surely there must be somebody out there who agrees with me on this? Are you a hoarder too? Let me know in the comments below :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo
Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti
Instagram: iRachey