#REVIEW- Barry M Gelly in Blood Orange

OKAY. I know I find a new nail polish to swoon over every week- but this time I mean it.
This time, I'm on to a game-changer.
Batty M Gelly Hi-Shine nail polish in Blood Orange, £3.99

I think the reason I like this nail polish so much is because it came as a pleasant surprise.
I reviewed the same polish in Grapefruit (I think on my old blog) and although it's nice, I didn't feel it lived up to the hype.
But when I saw Blood Orange on the stand in Boots, I was really taken with the colour.
Pastels, nudes, pinks, blues- they all come and go. But reds? Give me a red, come rain or shine, and I'm a happy, nail-polish-wearing bunny.
This is a real, true, classic red shade. But the shine and the longevity are the things that set it apart from other drugstore polishes.
And every polish addict who travels a bit knows what a pain it can be to lug around base, colour and top coat in your bag.
This cuts the process in half.
I've worn it from Thursday through to Monday without drama or fuss.
And the shine- oh, the shine!
Put simply, it's one of those 'can't stop staring at my nails' finds. And today's #Resolution is never to settle for anything less.








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NOTD- Rimmel Kate Salon Pro

 Owwwwww! :( I think I've fallen in love again.

That's right. A new nail polish has entered my life. How did that happen?! 

Well personally, I blame Kate Moss. Because if she didn't keep making those darn alluring adverts in which she wears some, quite frankly, excellent Rimmel products, then I'd have more money in my pocket and more room in my nail polish drawer!

But who said life was easy, eh?

And quite frankly, I couldn't wait to share this polish with you today.

Prepare your eyes for gorgeous colour...

THAT'S RIGHT. It's the 'Kate Moss' Rimmel Salon Pro lycra nail polish, £5.49.

This is very much a dupe for Essie's Hip-anema. In fact they are an exact colour match (and the names aren't exactly at opposite ends of the scale, either).

As soon as I saw promos for this polish, I knew I had to have it. Is there a more perfect summer-yet-good-for-brightening-up-winter shade?
I'm sure the formulation is not much different from the old Rimmel lycra-pro nail polishes. And some of the colours and names are even the same.
But new editions, like this baby, make the collection worth a fresh look.

This colour is a bright red-orange that looks different depending on the light...

See? One minute it's red the next it's orange...my brain just can't keep up!
And my brain can't seem to get any work done because I am so busy staring at my nails.

Formulation wise, I've had four days of wear out of this (with touch-ups) and now it is starting to look a little shabby.
The bottle promises up to 10-day wear, which isn't ever going to be a lie because just one day can be classed as 'up to' 10, you clever people at Rimmel, you.
This says it has a 'gel-like' finish and I'm 'mmm-ing' and 'ahh-ing' as to whether I agree.
The pessimist in me wants to say this is just a made-over version of the old lycra pro polishes.
The optimist wants to say that a) they were excellent anyway and b) just look at the colour

What I do know is that this polish is uber-glossy. You really could get away without a top coat with this.
They give you a generous amount, too.
Everybody knows that anything from the Rimmel 'Kate' range is going to sell well. They could have used that totally to their advantage and given as little as possible for the same price. And it still would have been well-received.
But they didn't. And for that, I applaud you, Rimmel.

In fact, I applaud you upon every aspect of this nail polish. I love it.
(and if you'd like to see how far back my unhealthy obsession with Rimmel polishes goes, click here)

 Have you tried any of these polishes? What do you think?

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Resolution- #Give A Second Chance

I'M no ball breaker.

In fact, anyone watching me watch a particularly emotional episode of Corrie would mistake me as being soft as sh*t. (WHY anyone would be watching me watch Corrie who knows)

But one thing I generally don't tend to do, is go back on things. (Except if it's 'I'm giving up chocolate cake!', obvs)

That foundation ain't cutting the grade? MMmmmhMMmm honey, you being kicked to the kerb.

I was SUPER-excited about the Rimmel Apolocalypse. I heard such good things about them and, being a lover of all  things lips, I knew at least one of those babies would be coming home with me. I was tempted by Big Bang, but already having a gazillion red lipsticks, glosses, liners, I knew that wasn't the best idea.

So I decided to go with Stellar. A bright, corally, reddy, pinky...(I'm great with describing words...)

Basically, it's not like any other colour in my collection. And I really, really wanted to like it. I really, really wanted to go back and get others from the collection. But when it came to it...I just...couldn't make it work.

I'm not sure what I did wrong back then. But I was so disappointed in myself, I flung it in my make-up drawer and sulked for a while. (I didn't say I wasn't stubborn...)

Anyway, I've been gazing at it longingly ever since, tempted to try it but...so...hurt by the disappointment.

T'other night, I was spending my free time doing what I love best (watching beauty gurus on youtube, obvs), when I came across fayesfix and I was watching all of her videos, obvs, when I happened upon a Primark Haul.
And all the while I was watching, I was like 'what is that on her lips? It's so unusual, I must have it!'
Being a seasoned youtube watcher, I knew to look in the downbar for the information I needed.

And there it was- Rimmel Apocalypse in Stellar.
My giddy aunt, I couldn't believe it. I was like...no way is that the same thing?!

So the next day I got up, with determination in my little heart, and I grabbed that Stellar Apocalypse and I worked with it.

AND I LOVE THE RESULT.

*wow, that's a hairy hand.....

I've started using this with a lip liner and pressing in only a small amount of colour at a time, so it's got some real staying power. My best tip is to wipe off as much excess colour from the wand as you can and apply with care.
Once I'd mastered the technique, I realised this is a real stayer.
And now definitely a stayer in my collection.

....Oh dear, I'll definitely be going back for Big Bang now...

So, as you may have guessed, today's #Resolution is to not give up on products. Just because I can't get it right the first time, doesn't mean I can't try again.

Sure, some things will never work for you. But you don't know that unless you try!

Has anyone else had this experience with the Rimmel Apocalypse? Or anyone other products you've given a second chance?


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OOTE- Red and Leopard

Top- New Look, £9.99

Pencil Skirt- Charity Shop, £3.99

Shoes- New Look (Sale), £8

Bag- Charity Shop (£2.95)

Who says you can't wear leopard print and red?!

Well, up until a while ago- me. 

Put these two together and I'd have been like.....what's your name, Kat Slater? 

But I saw an article in company magazine about styling and outfit pretty much like this. I loved the way they'd taken the look and made it modern 

I knew I had the items I'd need in my wardbrobe, so I gave it a go. 

The result? I love it. 

Nude heels keep it modern, don't you think?

I love this little bag- another charity shop gem. It cost £2.95 and its a classic 90s piece. It kind of reminds me of something Rachel in Friends would have as an evening bag. It reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw and New York.

So, today's #Resolution is never judge a leopard by its spots....
You can reclaim a look from the trash pile and make it work for 2013.

Do you have any clothing items that remind you of places or people? Or am I just weird?*

*That was a rhetorical question...

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