Eyeko Liptastik Loudmouth + Baby Bonus/Bonus Baby

I failed with 2 of my 3 TK Maxx purchases. Nails Inc polishes not so good. Ditto OPI. The Eyeko however was another story....

All these for a fiver! Loudmouth is the one in the middle.

• Lasts for ages.
• Feels good.
• Not too sticky.
• Good value at 3 for a fiver.
• Very highly pigmented.
• So easy to apply. Foolproof actually. 
• Don't need a sharpener. Just twist the base (see pic).

(Oh, sharpeners for jumbo crayons! Do I have to buy a pen-knife and learn to whittle whilst humming "Ol' Man River" in order to sharpen my Barry M Lip Lacquers or is there a jumbo sharpener I can buy?)

UNfortunately made in China. I did not realise this because there was a label stuck over country of origin and I just tend to assume (bloody fool) that British companies get their stuff made in Britain. Or how about Europe even? Once I had broken the seal I couldn't return them.

My latest Illamasqua polishes are made in Australia! What's that all about?! I have to stop buying Illamasqua now. OK, the Australians aren't employing slave labour and beating people but the carbon-footprint implications are just plain intolerable to me.

I won't start on trade, the global economy and jobs for local people. But I SO COULD! And probably should.

On a lighter note, the next post will feature LIP WARS!

Plus a "baby bonus" pic. Granddaughter. 9 days.

Jenni

Eyeko Military

I've wanted this for a while. Don't know why I waited so long.

Yes, it does look somewhat black after 2 coats, I have to admit. But this is under halogen and there's no natural light. It's more like bottle-colour in decent daylight (so I'll be waiting until May then, won't I, at this rate...).

With GOSH Rainbow as accent nail. I haven't painted them properly so the ring finger looks deformed. Never mind. Worse things. Sea. That kind of thing.

I'm in a right mood at the moment. Perhaps it's the weather. Can't blame hormones any more! I don't have any. Probably.

What (Northern hemisphere) food comforts you in these dark and dreary months? You can't beat fish'n'chips IMHO.

Jenni

Eyeko Chi Chi + proof that I have no creative eye/sense/instincts

OK then.

Quirius Black Coal was showing a little tip wear so I thought layering would be a good idea. I was mistaken.

In theory pink and grey are fabulous together. See below.

But not so much when I try it. 

Actually of the pix above I only like the Dior ring and the Ferretti dress so what do I know? And I don't love them or anything....

Should bloggers post mistakes/errors/wrong turns or feature only highlights and successes?

Jenni

Six assorted eyeliners + nails + the history bit

Eyeliner

From l to r (1st 3)

An ancient Guerlain - it still works and I'm not chucking it as it's Guerlain - anyway just look at the swatch!
UD - Metalhead (pretty sparkle but no inherent colour to speak of)
UD - Honey (but it's gold)

UD - Ecstasy

Dr Hauschka - black (see how fine a line this brush creates!)

Eyeko Magic with Models Own Aquavit Ripened Raisin - the magic (if such it be) lies in the use of this to pick up pigment from cake eyeshadow and thus be an eyeliner for all seasons BUT does it work? And why does an eyeshadow need such a ludicrously long name? Cheesh.

TBH I don't really know because I don't actually use any of these products. I bought them and tried them but my eyes are increasingly resistant to embellishment and adornment and therefore rebel by producing tears so these items are largely redundant. Boo hiss. I only bought the Eyeko a couple of weeks ago knowing full well that it would prove of no use to me due to allergies but nonetheless I proceeded. I sometimes have no more sense than next door's cat. And that is pretty stupid as it tends to lie prone before the wheels of moving vehicles!

Rainbow Pink with Canmake glitter topping (polishes still courtesy of Green Fairy/Polished Serenity)



The history bit - about eyeliner of course!! An item (plus explanation) from the British Museum.

"Perhaps from Thebes, Egypt
18th dynasty, about 1500-1440 BC.

Kohl pot, with texts

The owner of this object, Ahmose of Peniati, served as overseer of works to many of the kings of the early Eighteenth Dynasty, from Amenhotep I to Thutmose III. This pot for kohl, a black cosmetic for the eyes, is likely to have come from his tomb. The pot is divided into five compartments, four of which have associated texts on the outside. One says 'fine eye paint for every day', while the other three refer to the beginning and the end of each of the three main Egyptian seasons of four months each. This suggests that different forms of the cosmetic might have been used at different times of the year. A small protrusion on the top formed a swivel for the lid, which has not survived, while on the outside is a knob for tying it shut. Between two of the tubes is a metal loop which would have held the applicator stick."

So it was not just packaged but labelled and they had seasonal collections!!! And don't forget the applicator stick!!

A hot and bothered

Jennifer

Eyeko Vampira - the lazy woman's guide to vampy nails

Loved the Bourjois but hadn't applied it well and had made a c0ck-up of the filing and hadn't the time to do a full revamp so slung 1 coat Vampira over the top
First time of asking for the Vampira and it needed no encouragement/went on easily and needed only the 1 coat
Now I know you'll protest that it went over a blackish base but I feel that you wouldn't need a lot of those for opacity even starting from scratch. So shoot me.

2 points

Point 1 - I love all the Eyeko I have and I think they're a great brand
Point 2 - I had CG Lubu Heels and it was a massive disappointment and this is honestly stacks better
Point 3 - My nails/hands are so dry I had to anoint myself liberally with oil - I am such a slacker
Point 4 - The amount of retouching I do digitally to make my ring finger (warty witch that I am) tolerable does make it look rather freaky but that's probably a good thing for Vampira
Point 5 - The other hand is still silver and I think that makes for a good look
Point 6 - The assistant in Sally's liked my nails this week (but I can't remember what I was wearing)
Point 7 - A bloke at Worcester Racecourse was impressed too

What mani of yours has gained the most remarks (favourable or otherwise)?
Keep on truckin'

J

Eyeko Cosmic - black glitter

I ended up loving the coral but you have to move on.....In nails as in life...

Just noticed I messed up the clean-up on my little finger. Went too far. Story of my life.

This is great. 2 coats over my new Boots ridge-filler.

That's it. 2 coats. In ordinary light (think grey day) it's basically black.

But I decided to take pix under halogen in my bathroom as they seem to come out fairly well and - Crikey O'Reilly - we had lift off.

Now we get the glitter.

With glitters my camera behaves like a nuclear missile honing in on target. It swoops, it locks on, it wavers, it hovers, it gets a fix, it veers away, it wobbles. I'm thinking Top Gun here. You may be able to tell that's how close I've ever got to armaments. A seat at the cinema.

Anyway the blurry pic is good. In a way.

Great polish by Eyeko. Again. They don't pay me and have given me precisely nothing but I still love them. This isn't hype btw.

And while I'm at it.

I ordered an Eyeko mascara and eyeliner for £10 and they sent me a lippie too.

The mascara has pretty stones on. The lippie has a mirror and a light! You press the base and it lights up. You can sort-of see that above. Tee hee. Pretty things. Child in a sweet shop. The eyeliner is good too.

Happy with Eyeko. Not happy with my dry hands.

What is your favourite CHEAP brand/brands? Of anything really. Soap. Hand cream. Tights.

You know - amazingly cheap and surprisingly good.

Don't mention the match. Shhh!

Jenni-fur

This is for Vix - only it isn't eyeliner..Sorry!

Vix (Vintage Vixen) posted in a comment that I must be well-groomed since I do change my polish very frequently and appear to give a damn.

Now this made me laugh my smelly socks off.
How is Vix supposed to know that I'm a scruff of the scruffiest order?
But I started to see myself as some sort of fashion and beauty guru - perhaps in an alternative universe? - and invited you yesterday to state an area of interest where I might regale you with advice and the invaluable knowledge I have gleaned over 54 years. You know - me being an authority on these things.

Vix voted eyeliner but the majority went for shoes.
So you get summer footwear. Summer of 1972.

There will be eyeliner another day. That's a threat promise.

I don't do gladiator sandals.

You want these, don't you? I knew it!
Well, you'll have to buy mine. They don't make them any more. And that, my dears, is a SAD story.

These aren't vintage 1972. They are a company called SWEAR. And they have recently gone out of business in women's shoes. They still do stuff for men. Their stuff is made in Spain not China. It wasn't Primark prices but for the quality they were completely worth it.
Google "swear-alternative" if you know a bloke who likes mad shoes. There is still some stuff out there. They still have some ginza sandals I MUST get.

These are suede with cork soles. The leather is beautifully soft. The soles aren't heavy. Maple leaves. Perfect for Canadians. The stitching is immaculate. The logo is embossed beautifully. Everything about them is of the highest quality. I weep at their demise. (That's not me being facetious.)

And on a fashion note I can GUARANTEE that these will be trendy again within 5 years. That's the way it goes. That's if you care about trends. For my taste you can shove those gladiator sandals up Spartacus' back alley. They are hideous and (probably) bad for your feet.

Next fashion point, purleeze.

So who bought Crocs?
And who still wears them?
And who bought knock-offs?
That's 3 questions.
These are genuine 2nd hand from ebay. I didn't clean them up for the pic. They're mostly for dog-walking. I like Crocs and I have the big guys too - also in Barbie.
Oh, and will they make a comeback?? Q4.

A new Jessica. Something to do with /cabana/ as if I know what that is.
 New Eyeko. Now I have every Eyeko polish. Hurrah.
Essie Alligator Purse - only because I like singing "Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick sick sick So she..." - I don't like the colour but it was half-price.

You may compliment me on my taste in shoes now.
And the Crocs questions.
Did you?
Do you now?
Authentic or cheapo?
Do you believe they'll undergo a renaissance?

Not long left in the giveaway.
And I've won a giveaway myself! PELICAN BEAK PURPLE!! More details tres tres soon.

Jenni-fur

Eyeko and GOSH - how not to be bored by pink..

I had a nude nail and some other nails. I can't remember what they were doing to annoy me but they had to be brought into line.

Dull pic. In both senses.

The nude nail is the one on the right. Eyeko Nude.

The others are Eyeko Petite. But as pretty as it was I had to mess with it. Anyway I'd put a few coats on and it was a bit bubbly. And there may have been dog hairs. Did I TELL you about that dog?

\

Oo, you little cutie-pies. 

GOSH Rainbow on middle and little.

Attitudes Oyster Pearl on ring.

You may not love this. I do.

A word to the wise. Get GOSH Rainbow. Don't say I never give you any good advice.

The accent nail yesterday didn't work either so the red jelly was replaced with blue foil. This works better and yet...

The blue nail is China Glaze Blue Island Iced Tea.

Which has led me to a moment of illumination. It is this.

Blues don't suit me.

Consequently there will be a cluster (what is the collective noun) of polishes up for grabs. Should I do a blog sale. Or would you prefer a giveaway? I think I can guess! Ebay?

OK, if there is to be a giveaway can we begin with a survey, please?

A Your fave blue?

B A suggestion for the collective noun for polishes/varnishes (what you will).

Some of the polishes are likely to be:

China Glaze Blue Island Iced Tea    (cue my habitual expression of disgust at the beverage-abomination that is known as iced tea)

BB Couture Sea of Cortez

Barielle Falling Star 

There will be about 20.

So - A and B, if you'd be so kind.

Jenni

Barry M Mushroom and other taupes

Mushroom is new

I couldn't get any colour-accurate pix today

This looks too dark even after fiddling with exposure/saturation/blah de blah

2 coats of gorgeous chocolatey goodness (base and top coat too)

On nice nails this would be tremendous

I obviously have similar shades to the Mushroom but this is not a dupe of any of the following:

Miss Sporty 204, SH Pure Putty (I love this one), The Edge Prague (untried but looks greyer than Barry M), Barry M Mushroom (slightly warmer) and Nails Inc Mink (mink is lighter and pinker than Barry M but close-ish)

Barry M again, Avon Root Beer Float (has slight silver glass fleck), Bourjois Beige Glamour (quite pinky), Eyeko Posh (a tad darker and greyer than Mushroom) and a lousy pic of CG Channelesque which has that mauve cast to it

These all apply very easily. Well, the ones I've tried! I never thought I'd have time for this kind of shade but it is easy to wear, flattering and can take some zhoosshing up if you feel so inclined

The last 2 pix are far too dark and I couldn't fix them to save my life. Sorry.

Will be working on publicising some giveaways tomorrow

Do Not Refreeze

Polishtopia

Frazzle and Aniploish

Ta ta!

Jenni

Barbara Daly Kiwi, Eyeko Purple, Barry M Mushroom

3 new polishes - 2 of which are shown in this pic

Mushroom is new
Eyeko Purple released a few months ago?
Kiwi is from Tesco

We did grafitti art at work yesterday and I thought neon green and electric purple worked well together
The Barbara Daly is a mini, easy to work with, very shiny, doesn't dry matte, there was a virtually empty display so it looks like the shades have been popular and I'll be back to see if they have restocked and what the colours actually are!!

The Eyeko came in a set with Nude and Vintage and some others - I am hugely impressed with Eyeko
This particular shade hasn't had good reviews but I found it very easy to apply, opaque in 2 coats - another criticism is drying-time and I can't yet comment on that

I like them all and think they work very well together
My RH is purely mushroom....

Barry M has a 30% discount going on for M Club members (you only have to register for it, simples!)

I'm going to give a nod to Polishtopia and Leanne of Do Not Refreeze tomorrow or Monday because of their great giveaways...

X
Jenni

InStyle Nails Inc Mink

A quick pic

What a bargain. £3.50 for the mag and the polish. Full-size too. 10ml.

Get one, get them all!

Looks darker IRL. 2 coats. Butter smooth and gorgeous. It does change a lot according to the light. You definitely think of milky hot-chocolate. Base and top coat obviously. Highly pigmented.

Mink is the shade the bloggers seem to be choosing. I have seen the coral/red in shops but not the baby-pink. I definitely recommend the mink.

A more true-to-life pic. The index had to have a coat of Edge London over it as I made a mess!

Above is the Eyeko freebie I got with my haul of 5. My thumb is Eyeko Posh with Edge London over it.

I am very late to the taupe-party. Is everyone else leaving????

Jenni

NEW EYEKO - POSH AND TEA ROSE

Part of a set of 5 for the price of 4.

Base coat + 2 coats + TC

Rather thick, some people may want to thin this, I like it, great pigmentation

Very pretty, quiet colours

I cut my nails - they bug the hell out of me when they get much longer, should have axed them ages ago.

More pix

Even though both polishes are a bit thick they level out by themselves if you don't mess with them.

So these cost me £2.80 each. I have now tried 4 Eyeko and I really like them. I am somewhat shocked at my willingness to wear such seemingly conservative colours but they are flattering for the older paw such as mine. I shall still sport wilder colours however just because I like them.

These are the nails I cut when I got home from work. I wanted to get a better pic of Nails Inc Portland Place. It's a lovely jelly-ish green and it came over as very dark/blackish yesterday. Well, this is with flash and shows the colour but lighter than IRL. I love this polish. Pity I applied it so shoddily. The cheapo Miss Sporty (blue) was very jolly and lasted the day but my political mani was hideous and had to go.

However I might revive the theme and show you lots of greens. Just because I want to. But I'm in a very taupe/pink place at present so who knows????

Giveaways!!! to tempt you...

Lacquerista 

http://the-lacquerista.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-first-giveaway13-pc-collistar.html 

R3 Daily

http://r3daily.blogspot.com/2010/04/rescue-beauty-lounge-nail-polish-week.html 

Great giveaways! Go there...

Jenni

Eyeko Vintage - shiny, happy person....

Yes, you've seen it before but I bought these Eyeko with not huge expectations due to their relative cheapness but the 2 I have tried go on beautifully! Tried Nude and Vintage. Also have Lilac and Purple.

3 coats but I was happy with 2. Very shiny. This has no top coat. Very easy to apply. I have small hands so small bottles work well for me.


And it's British. I really like to support UK manufacturers. Carbon footprint, local jobs etc etc


Anyway I have ordered the new set. 5 for £14. 


These greens suit everyone, I think. They don't need to stay on trend because I have plenty and I'm sure they'll stay on the market.

What a nightmare!

Illamasqua Rare
Goody! I've got an Illamasqua (does little dance). It cost £6.50 from asos. Hurrah!

Hmmm. That's where the celebrations ended.
This is described on the Illamasqua website as neon and glossy.
Yes, neon AND GLOSSY.
I thought that was unusual.
Yes, it's very unusual. So unusual that it's not even true.

Let's start with my Eyeko Nude Day 4 (middle). Other layering is Hard Candy Cosmic and Nubar Tan Me. I like this mani. But today this came off.

I wanted to try my Illamasqua. So I removed this.

This is what I got after 3 coats. 3! Streaky and thick and gloopy and MATTE! Ignore nasty filing.
Yes, I shouldn't have believed the description. Everyone knows neons are matte but I DID believe them.

So I had to top this - I do like the colour, you see - with CG Fairy Dust and my Misa Breakneck TC.

I have emailed Illamasqua and got an instant response offering to change this and to amend the website description so that's good service.

I was a fool. I may change it. What should I change it for though?

HELP!

I really haven't figured out how to do any of this properly but...

OK, this looks a lot worse than it is, especially as it's in the sun
Eyeko Nude (thumb)
Hard Candy Cosmic and then Nubar Tan Me
The Nubar is not flattering as my nails are yellow anyway and this being sheer doesn't help matters
But it's very blingy in the sun
I've used it to layer before and should have done so again - you live and learn
VNL doesn't bother me btw
The Hard Candy is gorgeous - a foil really
I love the Eyeko Nude too


The whole thing makes my ghastly hands look not so bad at a casual glance


Now for even worse however!

That wart won't go away. Full stop. Heavily ridged nails - I think this may be expected at 54. It's what I'm stuck with anyway. Odd shapes are due to my impatience. I favour square nails but they either curl inwards (middle and index) or flare outwards (ring and little) and I'm terminally in a rush and so this is what I possess.


Was going to enter a comp. inspired by a photo but no spark ignited my dull brain so I'd removed my Barry M and lazily did the above. Ah, well. Act in haste, repent at leisure.

Eyeko Nude

RH - applied this yesterday so this is 3 coats + base + top after a day
It went on beautifully and evened itself out over my ridges
Inspired me to log on to eyeko again and they have a new selection: pink, coral, red, taupe and vampy black/red
On the basis of this one I recommend them
I have seen plenty of less favourable reviews but I'm impressed
I have ordered 5 for £14 and will be delighted if they turn out as well as the Nude

However - another day and another hankering to muck about
So

This is a bit brighter than IRL

• index and little have Nude + Nubar Tan Me (lots of glitter in a brown/orange base)
• ring has Nude + Hard Candy Cosmic - Hard Candy are old now but you can still get them, I just bought 3 and have tried 2 and love them, Erogenous and Cosmic (very fine glitter)

I like the effect. I am really warming to paler nails. You? I used to be a hard-core weird and wacky fiend but the nudes don't have to be boring.