W7 mega matte lips

Ugh, you say, who wants matte lips? We want glossy lips. Seductive, kissable lips.

That's as maybe but...
1 What if you don't like the gloopy feel of glossy lips?
2 What if you have old lips which have lost outline and pigmentation and want your lips to look fuller and not have shine distracting the eye and minimising the area?
3 What if you have thin lips and want to enhance them (see above)?
4 What if you are after a fairly natural look that's easy to maintain?
5 And other stuff...

Anyway, I found these in TJ Hughes (closing down, get there fast) and got 2 for under £3.

I love this, I do. Can't find a number or name on it but the print is fearfully tiny so it may be there somewhere. They do a variety but they're all pretty much of a muchness. Didn't prevent me from buying 2 though. Feels so velvety. Love matte lips.

(See how good beauty uk shatter polish is? Yes?)
Oh, and the cap is itself matte. How cool is that? I do love the feel of matte rubber tops and lids to beauty products. Like Orly polishes. Fab.

My lips used to be fuller and plumper and so forth. Shine on the lips just gives the effect of lustre but doesn't really suit the *ahem* more mature woman. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Forgive hideous grey.

Jenni

Flakies must always be mattified: IT'S THE LAW

Because, if you leave them glossy, reflections detract from the flakie goodness. I just thought I'd mention it.

This is Leighton Denny Provocative (lovely formula but the little beggar chipped on 3 nails in one day) with Nubar 2010. Then 17 matte top coat over that.

Took me a long time to see any merit in matte and I wouldn't buy a matte colour but top coat does have some value.

Jenni

A Utopian Rainbow

i.e. Models Own Utopia + GOSH Rainbow mattified with Boots 17.

I am completely gaga for this combo of flakies + matte.
Good thing I have a back-up of Rainbow as I haven't seen it in Superdrug for a while.
I also have Nubar 2010 though so I should be OK for a while.

What are your essential back-up polishes?

Jenni

China Glaze Life Preserver + matte tips

I am trying to keep away from the same old, same old US brands but I had a voucher and I picked up the set of minis from the Anchors Away collection. This is my favourite. Fabulous CG quality. Took 2 coats but you could maybe get away with one if you have good nails. Very impressed with the 17 matte coat. Makes a good contrast because LP is a decidedly glossy polish so this is a simple way to tart up a mani.

IRL the tips look much neater. But I always say that. And likewise my cuticles are much less scruffy. Still, in my head I'm 17 so what do I know....Perhaps I removed the tip guides too soon. The OH wanted to know why I had bits of paper stuck to my fingers so I had to show her. My explanation clearly wasn't enough. Proof was required.

I'm going to invest in some more Boots 17 because I think they may be good quality. Pity the bottles are so small. Why can't we have big Texas-type bottles over here - generous bottles. Why are our bottles the size of a piddling English village with no pub, school or Post Office?

Best bottle?
OPI?
Or square ones like Misa and Color Club?
Models Own?
Revlon?

And advice needed on how long to leave tip guides or masking tape on the nail before removal, please.

Jenni

Boots 17 Nail Xtras Matte Top Coat

I even shocked myself with the generally lousy quality of my last post. Therefore attention was paid to the nails and some improvements made.

An extra coat of Illamasqua Viridian was added to each nail and then I put a matte top coat over one nail to give an accent. It's actually more matte IRL than the photo suggests. An easy way to add a bit of variety to a mani. I'm going to use it to do matte tips as well. Also simple. I hate matte polishes but a layer of matte TC over one nail I can tolerate.

I looked for a buffer in Boots but there was little choice and they were all made in China so that's a no-go. I did get a ridge-filler. Haven't used it yet. Likewise very little choice. My town is really sucky as regards cosmetics availability. Oh, got a great Barry M lip crayon. I want to show you that soon.

Should I draw a red circle on my nose on Friday for Comic Relief? Just nose or nose and cheeks?

Such a dilemma....

Jenni

Diamond Cosmetics Matte Burgundy + Zoya Casey

Has to be one of the worst pix I've taken recently. And considering that this is the best of the worst (ya with me?) you get a flavour of how bad the batch was.

The ring finger has a coat of top over it and the index finger is Zoya Casey. The other 3 are Matte Burgundy. Looks way better IRL. You blow up these photos and you get warts and all.  Not flattering. Perhaps I should get an apprentice to take the photos from the next county. Distance lends enchantment to the view. This was from my haul from Konad Nail Stamping Nail Art - Flashy Nails. She's nearly cleared her stock now. But take a look at what's left.

You wear the Zoya in winter and you might just as well wear black polish tbh. But Casey is basically the same as the Burgundy + topcoat.

Miserable bloomin' weather. Not funny.

Looks Sixties to me. The Cutex packaging was always pretty uninteresting but the ad was maybe a bit radical for the time. 

Here's another one with an exotic inspiration. Well, except the polish is still the same old red. Quite a challenge really for the marketing department. 

What colours are we promoting this season? 

Well, how about red and pink. That's what we thought anyway. 

Red and pink, huh? But didn't we do red and pink last season?

Yes, but it's always been very popular. 

That's true. But have we ever tried any other colours?

No, no. It's a winning formula.

So we can just tweak the ads then. The product's the same, after all.

We can't do that! The polish isn't new but the advertising better be!

OK, we had the Oriental collection last winter so how about the Mexican collection for this one?

Good, good. We can't repeat the Cowboy collection or the Moscow collection so Mexican it shall be.

I could do with a Sunny Interval collection today so I can get these dogs out without us all getting thoroughly bedraggled.

Jenni

Jessica My Cabana Boy - coral creme

I must be quick as I have one of those missives from the postperson inviting me to collect 2 (yes, TWO) parcels! Can only be nail bobbins. Unless a mysterious admirer has decided to send me unsolicited gifts! Probably not...

Bought because it was cheaper than usual.
I believe I can't wear orange/peach and. by extension, coral. So - time to test my theory.
This (above) is 2 coats + GOSH Rainbow because...

I saw this photo and realised that it was streaky. Ah, the power of the camera lens!
This is with topcoat because it does dry matte to semi-matte.
So I added a 3rd coat. Yer real professional routinely does 3 (polishaddict - sadly too busy with important legal affairs to upkeep her blog) minimum. And then got the matte effect again.

I bought ridge filler (for blindingly obvious reasons) and £10 (I kid you not) on a nail file. A Leighton Denny crystal nail file. The larger one was £14!!!
The small one is smaller and has a box. Now the big one had no box. That's not sensible. I wanted the case/container for that money. And who needs a big nail file anyway? A person with big hands and that's not me.
My previous nail filing (when done at all) was with any old emery board/match box I could find at the drop of a beret. And to be frank you could tell. You could definitely tell.

Even more bizarrely the other hand is coral too. I never do that. My hands are always asymmetrical. Not the same corals as THIS hand but at a casual glance you'd think I had matched hands today. Not entirely comfortable with that. I look as if I might be acting my age. Eeek. Worse. Old-lady coral.

Believe me, the other hand is way better.
I think the Jessica is a lovely polish for some people. I don't dislike it but I'm going to have to go Twilight or something soon.


Let's have a not-so-heated debate.
Do you file nails damp or dry?
Do you resent spending money on a nail file?
Do you use ridge filler?
Which is a better use of cash - on preparation of the nail (lotions/remover etc) OR on colours?

I thank you
Jenni-FUR (all that dog hair I haven't yet shaken off)

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!