I Am Disappoint! .\/.

After deciding to give L'Oreal Resist&Shine Titanium a good chance, I am very disappointed to find that at the end of the second day my nails look like this;


This is not what I expect from a varnish that promises me 7 days of wear.

Incidentally, that is my 'I am disappoint!' face. Hopefully you will not see it too often, in this situation however is it called for!

As a dupe for No 17 Dragon's Blood, which was of the Rock Hard Nails line, it has lost quite a few points for me... Did I not mention I'll be scoring the potential dupes out of 20?... Well, umm... Too late now! We already started playing!

L'Oreal Resist&Shine Titanium! Come forward for judgement!

Colour: 3/5

Well, it's certainly red and dark red at that, however with the two coats required to make it sufficiently dark enough and streak free, the colour gets lost.

Gloss: 5/5

I cannot deny that this varnish is extremely glossy, it does look freshly applied hours after. Which I like.

Cost: 0/5

£5.99 for a varnish that simply does not deliver what it promises? On your bike son.

Wear: 2/5

I'll give it the obligatory 2 points for lasting through an entire day of my baby related chores, almost continual typing and washing up. But I am doing it begrudgingly, promising 7 days of wear and delivering this, is shocking L'Oreal. SHOCKING.

I would also add that the application, whilst aided by the smaller cap, was hindered by the ridiculously thin and rigid brush. Ah well, on to the next conquest!!

Hanibee out <3

DuWop Tinted Prime

I bought this last year but haven't got around to photographing it until now. I bought shade "Tango" which is described as a sheer blackberry.

Packaging -
A slim shimmery grey tube about three inches long. The product inside is a narrow pencil like stick with a slant top. It twists up and down and applies like a standard lipstick.

The formula -
Applies smoothly on the whole, feels rather waxy and drags a little but application has always been even for me. Pigmentation is good, sheer but definitely noticeable with a soft sublte sheen. There's no shimmer to this product and it actually looks quite natural in an odd sort of way. Prime venom makes claims to being a protective balm, and my lips do feel comfortable when wearing it, but I can't say that it feels particularly moisturising due to the waxyness.

The DuWop magic -
Of course the main selling point for this is as part of the famous "Venom" range. Once applied there is a gentle minty "humm" that on me lasts for about 20 minutes before fading. When applied the spicy scent is still detectable which is a little off putting if like me you are prone to headaches. As it write this my nose wrinkles up in discomfort, not because it's an unpleasant smell, it's quite nice in a medical sort of way, but because having something so close to my nose is aggravating my existing migraine. Ouch!
As far as plumping goes, I don't notice a major effect, but then my lips aren't small and arguably not in need of plumping. What it certainly does do, is make the wearer more aware of their lips, which feels nice. The confidence boost that you've got a little help probably goes a long way into that pouty lip feeling!

Applied alone over bare lips

As you can see the awkward patch on my bottom lip that resists being covered can still be seen, but in a sheer product that was to be expected.

This product costs £14.50 and can be purchased here. If you are looking for a nice balmy stain that gives a fuller appearance without the burn of some plumpers this is a good choice.

Other shades available;

Samba- Peach
Cha Cha - Nude

Guerlain, the stuff dreams are made of

Through my migraine induced haze of the past three days, with little more than enough energy to gaze longingly through the Debenhams website of lovelyness I have come to realise something.

I am deeply in love with Guerlain. Everything of theirs I have tried has been flawless. Thoughtfully made, and with an attention to detail befitting such a graceful and renowned perfume house.

Guerlain Meteorites are right at the top of my Christmas wish list. Of course I lust after the pink version (with each subtle shade of pearl providing a unique benefit to skin's luminosity, shade pink contains a fresh mint sprinkling to balance the redness so common in fairer complexions.) Though each variation contains a carefully chosen blend of decadent powder pearls which when swirled together (ideally with the meteorites brush) gives mid-toned and darker complexions exactly the right kind of luminosity.

Stock image from Debenhams, where I intend to purchase this little pot of heaven as soon as I can!

Drummers in the Sky with Confetti

Last night I went to the Freedom Fest 2010 in Hull City Centre and it was absolutely fantastic.

I love street theater, it is always new, never boring and mainly, absolutely insane. Here are just a few of the fantastical sights I was able to see last night:



That, is a giant mobile, suspended high above the ground in the city centre, by crane. It holds several, amazing nutcracker-esque drummer men and one absolutely mesmerising acrobat. As the crane floated the mobile high above us, we were treated to a magnificent display of grace and skill. Then, much to my delight, they dropped confetti ^^



I fucking LOVE confetti...



Moving on...

The next magical event we witnessed was like a parade of dreams, we were ambushed by giant muti-faced heads...



A floating, firey, fish...



And most magnificent of all...



A GODDAMN DRAGON!

Unfortunately I was unable to reach it to sample its blood, shame too, I bet that Dragon's blood would have been beautiful!

As the night moved on and the monsters began to drift away, myself and my friends sat by the fountain to wait for the fireworks display to begin.



Myself and Haus Frau got rather wet as it poured down but it did not dampen our spirits, nor our makeup!

Just as we were getting comfortable and ready for the fireworks we spotted some commotion around the other side of the fountain...




Could it be?....



YES! YES IT IS!



DINOSAURS!!!!

I love dinosaurs and I can tell you that this was a dream come true for me, as I got extremely close to them...



Extreeeeeeeeeeeemely close.

After these marvelous creatures had bounded off into the distance, we finished the night with a pretty, albeit brief, fireworks show.



KABLINGLE!

Quest for Dragon's Blood; The Journey Begins

My last post got me thinking; why, oh why have I not been looking for a dupe of No. 17 Dragon's Blood, all these years!?
It shouldn't be that hard a colour to duplicate, gothic is all the rage (again >_>) these days! Surely I can find another red that matches its beauteousness?

So in light of this revelation, I have donned my suit of armour, raised the colours and set out to find another Dragon to slay! This is a dangerous quest, it will be long and arduous, some of you may not survive, those who do will have the honour of decorating themselves with the blood of our fallen enemy! TO BATTLE!

The first Dragon slain goes by the name Burgundy Black and is of the line L'Oreal Resist&Shine Titanium.



It was a hefty beast, costing £5.99 of my shiny pennies but we shall see if it is worth the cost. The bottle is rather large and quite pretty, I like chunky bottles but I haaate using chunky lids for application, luckily this bottle top handily comes away to reveal....



TADA! A handily small cap! This made application far easier than expected, which I was happy with. My main quibble however is with the brush, it doesn't fan out to cover the nail efficiently and it meant I had to be careful to avoid bubbling.

Coming in at 9ml the formula is a rather thick one, as is often the case with varnish that promises 7 day wear, I applied my habitual two coats (I like things to be dark and opaque, it is the nature of a dirty goff) and was quite pleased with the colour.



Ok so, it's red, it's dark, it's shiney, it's certainly got a gothic vibe to it.... But is it sanguineous enough? Hmm... I know I'm being picky but something just feels off to me, perhaps I resent paying so much for a varnish, I'm going to give it three days of wear and see how it fares!

Hanibee out! <3

Mac Villains

I'd heard about the upcoming Disney Villains collection from MAC, and I hadn't expected to fall in love with it. Today I saw the previews over on Tamptalia and OH MY GOODNESS it's beautiful.

You simply must view this collection, I DEFY you not to want at least some of it. My personal favourites are the Maleficent colours, the sprakles, the duochrome, oh it's winter heaven!

GO HERE NOW
Straight to the good stuff

Ellis Faas - Ellis Red

Finally the lip product I have longed for has arrived! *Happy Dance of Joy*

For about ten minutes I thought the product I received was broken as I twisted away at the end of the tube with no avail. Finally little red speckles showed up on the pristine white tip and I was very pleasantly surprised to find that when smearing it eagerly over my lips, the creamy red didn't drag or create lines of dense and shallow pigment. Once on it doesn't feel drying at all and I also don't feel like I have a sticky layer of gunk. I know it's there, but I don't feel like smearing it off again, which is too often the case for me. Sticky things make me ick.

It truly is a suit everyone red. It's not too warm, not too cool, not too neutral, it almost looks natural, in an unnatural way of course. 

In the hideous light of a laptop screen

I love it to bits <3