First Give-away!

So, here we are the first give away!

The first give away item iiiiiisss *drum roll*


L'Oreal Resist&Shine Blackend Red!

Only used once, lovely colour, wears well for two days and has a very nice glossy finish. However the poor lady doesn't have a name! Quel'horreur!!

So get naming peeps, this one will be up until midnight on the 12th, please do enter as I don't want to condemn this luscious red to the bin!

So good luck and toodles!

Oh Origins, how I miss you

I remember when Origins use to sell their full makeup range in this country (UK) and I LOVED it. Three of my favourite make up products ever are from Origins.

Unfortunately only one is available in this country now. The FANTASTIC "Pinch your cheeks" is a beautiful sheer buildable blush stain. Just beautiful. Please. Please don't discontinue this one Origins!!!

Another favourite was their powder foundation. Best part for me was that they actually stocked shades that those of us with milky skin could actually wear without looking like we'd been tangoed.

The third, and now sadly, discontinued product. Was "Bite your lips" a sheer flush stain in a sleek metal tube. My favourite shade was "raspberry". Clinique "Black Honey" almost lipstick is the closest I've found to it, but nothing can replace this for me. Please bring it back!

Quality, on the cheap.

After three days of wearing the Collection 2000 dupe, I was rather impatient to review it, yet have not had a chance to upload it, so here is the judgment of Midnight Rouge!

After three days of wear, there was some chipping on the tips of my weakest nails, (alas I have two that like to flake :( ) however this is to be expected from my nails.


Curse you weak nails! Aside from this however there was zero tip wear and my nails looked freshly applied on the other hand!

Glorious! They are still marvelously glossy and very pretty.

Let's break it down! Collection 2000 Lasting Colour, Midnight Rouge, COME FORWARD!

Colour: 3/5

It pains me to say that this colour was not very close to the Dragon's Blood varnish, it was far more on the burgundy side and didn't have that deep, red, glow that I so fondly remember of Dragon's Blood. It is however a beautiful varnish.

Gloss: 3/5

It wasn't *quite* as glossy as the L'Oreal varnish but it was still lovely and shiny, especially in the sunlight.

Cost: 5/5

At £2.49 you really can't go wrong with this varnish.

Wear: 5/5

Three days, minimal chipping and only on the nails of *mine* that I expect to chip, zero tip wear and no smudging. If I wasn't such an impatient lady I'd like to see if it could last ten days! I wouldn't be surprised if it did :)

Overall it kicked L'Oreal's arse! If you're looking for an affordable, lasting varnish, then I highly recommend this!

Quest for Dragon's Blood; The Second Beast

What-ho fellow Dragon slayers! I have felled another beastie! This one goes by the name Midnight Rouge, of the Collection 2000 Lasting Colour line.

As you can see, it's new!

It appears that the blood of Dragons is known for its longevity and durability, as this one promises *up to* TEN DAYS of wear! At the small price of £2.59, I would pleased with one full day of good wear! It is becoming increasingly difficult to find varnish at a good price, especially when they all like to promise me the world with pretty diamonds and unicorns who crap rainbows... Moving along!

Initially I was struck by the ease of application, the brush is simply marvelous! I was able to do several of my nails with one sweep, magic. The formula is nice, not too thick for one that, once again, promises durability and I had no streaks, no bubbles, no drag, just a nice even coat.

POW!

I have to say, so far Collection 2000 are kicking L'Oreal's arse! That's right L'Oreal, we know you're not as premium as you claim!

I quite like the colour and opacity of this varnish, it only required one heavy handed coat and has a lovely, glossy sheen to it, the red isn't too lost in the darkness of the shade, so it's doing well!


Unfortunately the shade appears a bit more towards the mahogany red, rather than the sanguine, who knows, perhaps it will look better in the light of day, rather than the fluorescent lights in our house! We shall see....

Hanibee out! <3

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

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