NOTD - The PERFECT Red Polish!

Hello lovely readers!

Red lips...red nails. Vintage & iconic, whether you're a loyal fan of one or go all out & love to rock both, there's no doubt that both are timeless looks that will never fade out. Its a mission in every girls life to find THE perfect red. Me, I'm still yet to find the perfect red lipstick...it may be a while till this task is accomplished seeing as red lips scare the bejesus out of me however, I am happy to say that my hunt for the perfect red polish may finally be over as I have discovered one that I've fallen head over heels in love with! And its brand Sabon who have delivered so perfectly...

Sabon is in fact a brand specializing in bath and body products, not so hugely well known in the UK...yet. I've heard on the grapevine that they plan to make their stamp here too which I am so happy to hear & they now have a UK website! I actually stumbled across this store on my trip to NYC last year & was drawn in immediately by the delightful scents & cute kitsch packaging.

After befriending the absolute sweetheart of an assistant, gosh I really miss how wonderful New Yorkers were during my time there & indulging in a complimentary hand pamper session in which a sublime selection of Sabon products were used, including scrubs & hand cream potions, my nail polish raider went in to overdrive when I spotted the bottles sitting so prettily amongst the bath products. Naturally I was in my heaven & I ended up taking this beauty home with me which goes by the simple title of Burgundy ;)

Regardless of the simplicity of the name every other aspect of this polish more than makes up for it, firstly packaging. Just look at that beautiful vintage bottle, wouldn't that look so pretty & elegant sitting on your vanity table? J'adore!

Next is the colour, what can I say its just the PERFECT vintage red for me, not too orange toned, nor too bright or too dark, just....PERFECT.

Finally the formula of the polish, which I absolutely love, it does veer towards the thin side, but I actually prefer this as it prevents any possible gloopiness & makes the polish so much easier to work with. Due to the consistency of the formula being such, you are left with a lush glossy almost jelly like finish to your manicure. This was 3 coats applied.

The finishing result...glossy, vintage pin up red goodness. You could even forgo topcoat however its always a good idea to finish with a thin coat at least for longevity. So yes, my hunt for the perfect red is over. Huzzah! You can find Sabon products as well as these beautiful polishes online but I believe there is now a store in Covent Garden...either way I will definitely be popping in again when I return to NYC in June! 

Do you have your perfect red shade? Thanks for reading!

Lotsa love to ya!

Beauty Icon Makeup Inspiration - Cat Eye Wing Eyeliner...

Greetings to you my lovely readers!

Here's a question for you, when it comes to your makeup style, do you seek inspiration from a particular era? Be it a modern day celebrity or an iconic beauty of the past, no doubt there have been many women whose unique styles have left a mark on the beauty world. Personally, when it comes to my go to makeup look there is one thing I am usually NEVER without...cat eye winged liner. A look that was very popular with the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Bridget Bardot, Sophia Loren & many other beautiful icons of the vintage film era.   

source: google images

Of course these ladies knew how to ROCK the red lip also, yet being slightly terrified of bright lips in general, I'm one of those that much prefers to focus on the eyes. Just the simple addition of a cat eye flick can transform your look, emphasizing & making the eyes stand out, a look that Bridget Bardot had down to perfection & one that I love to try to channel in my makeup.  

Recreating a look similar to that which these ladies rocked so fabulously back in the day doesn't have to be a difficult task either! As long as you have in your make up arsenal the core item which has come to be one of my holy grail beauty products...Felt Tip Eyeliner.

Being a complete eyeliner addict & having tried & tested literally ALL types of eyeliner out there, gel, liquid, pencil, you name it, I am always & forever returning to my beloved felt tip eyeliners.

I've found that not only are they effortless for creating the perfect cat eye wing shape, but the pen design gives you more control, perfect if your an eyeliner newbie & not confident with it. A couple of my favourites are by Bourjois and Make Up Revolutions. Not only are they pigmented but both have great longevity. However there are many great quality ones available including offerings from MAC, Urban Decay & YSL to name but a few! All these & more can be found online in the House of Fraser Makeup Department...a makeup addicts dream!

Everyone has their own way to create their cat eye wings that they are comfortable with, of course there are numerous tutorials on YouTube with detailed steps that are very helpful. I prefer to start on the outer corner & draw my wing first before going on to the lid, finishing about halfway.

If you're not sure which direction or how far out to take the eyeliner, a little helpful tip for creating the perfect angle for your wing; simply line up your pen at an an angle from the corner of your eye, going up to the end of your eyebrow, applying a dotted line if it helps & use this as your guide. 

Once drawn, you can then go back & shape it up a bit more if you wish, curving the bottom edge, defining the point etc. You know how it is ladies with getting that perfect flick!

source: google images

Once you're happy with the finished wing, you can keep it as it is for a simple low key look a'la Marilyn Monroe or you can go full on Sophia Loren & pile on more for that fully defined feline look. Just line the waterline with a gel eyeliner, my personal favourite being MAC Fluidline with its smooth formula & for added oomph factor, go in with pencil liner on top & smoke out on to the lower lid. Urban Decay 24/7 is one you can't go wrong with, super pigmented!

And there you have it! That's my simple way on how to channel the look of some of my favourite movie star divas of the vintage era. I hope you've enjoyed this wee post which I've also written as my entry for a wonderful competition that House of Fraser are running at the moment who are currently on the hunt for a Beauty Ambassador, details can all be found HERE if you're interested in applying too! 

Thanks as always for reading lovelies, I would love to know who your beauty icon inspirations are! 

Lotsa love to ya!