Review: Dior Nail Lacquer (Rouge Altesse)

On the whole, I use drugstore brands. Occasionally though, my loyalty does wane and I enjoy a little flirtation with an upscale product.



And this was the culprit. Aaah, just look at it in all its rouge, shiny, Dior deliciousness. This was actually given to me by a friend who had acquired it as a gift with purchase on a fragrance. At an RRP of £18.50 for 10ml, it's certainly not cheap, and to be honest I probably wouldn't have bought it of my own accord. However I was excited to test out the formula. Maybe this would become my all-time favourite and I'd have to restrain myself from buying several more? 

In short, no.

The formula is great- thick and glossy, giving a shiny opaque colour with one coat, and a gel-like finish with two. The first time I used it, I got so excited by the colour pay-off with one coat that I left it like that... big mistake. After less than a day it was chipped to bits, and I had to do an emergency patch job with a drugstore brand before heading out for the night straight from work.

I then decided to give the Dior another chance, using two coats along with my usual base and top coat products. I'm currently on day four with this combination and chip-free.

Day 1                                Day 4

However, I very rarely have to paint my nails more frequently than every five days or so. As long as I take my time, apply my base, colour and top coat I'm pretty much set with most nail varnishes I've used. Maybe this says more for the base/top coats than the colour?

The winning combination- Orly Bonder rubberised
basecoat, No7 Stay Perfect
 topcoat

Yes the Dior formula is good, but for me it is standard. I can achieve the same results with brands which are a fraction of the price. I'll continue to use and enjoy this, but definitely wouldn't go out of my way to spend almost £20 on a repurchase. My advice would be to get a drugstore equivalent- my favourites being Barry M and Essie- and spend the rest of your money on something else. 

More bang for your buck as they say! 

Have you ever been sucked into a high-end product and been disappointed?

Let me know below.

Review: Batiste XXL Plumping Powder

If you're a girl with major flat hair problems, I sympathise. I'm always on the lookout for that elusive product which will truly deliver the 'lift' 'boost' and 'texture' that so many of those on the market claim to as my hair sadly seems to be immune to all methods of volumising bar the half-can of hairspray and vicious backcombing that I have to resort to.

I had heard quite a lot about volumising powders, specifically the Schwarzkopf got2be Powder'ful, which is my best friend's Holy Grail. Unfortunately, this seems hard to come by in Glasgow, and after looking for a couple of weeks I gave up (as I understand it, my friend buys three or four whenever she comes across it, so she was obviously getting to these shops just before I was).

I then stumbled across the dry shampoo queen Batiste's XXL plumping powder whilst shopping in Boots and decided to give it a try. At £3.99, it's a very reasonable price to pay to save your hair from that backcombing brush, and is usually on an offer of some sort (buy one get one half price when I bought it).

 

It is in a small handbag-friendly sized tub containing 5g of powder, which may not sound like much but believe me, a little goes a LONG way! It looks like talcum powder, but has an almost tacky feel when you rub in into your hands. To apply, you can either sprinkle it directly into the roots and massage in to create volume and texture, or rub into your fingertips first before touching your hair. Personally, I just apply it straight to my hair. Unlike dry shampoo or other products, the powder disappears into your hair easily upon massaging it, and won't leave any tell-tale marks on dark hair. 

 

 

I was absolutely astounded by the level of volume this provided. I really wasn't expecting much from the product at all. One little sprinkle, a rub in and a smooth over and I was all set to go with plenty of lift! I actually think I was a bit heavy-handed the first time I used it and kinda scared myself with the bouffant I ended up with so had to brush some out. This is my only downside of the product, as it is pretty stubborn and therefore difficult to brush out. I had to use a fine-toothed comb and be very gentle as it can make your hair feel almost matted.  It is for this reason that I only use the Batiste XXL plumping powder for nights out or on second-day hair as I personally don't like the texture that it leaves my hair. If I was an everyday hair-washer then I'd definitely reach for it every morning, but I'm lazy, and therefore quite content to put up with flat hair in between until I find my everyday miracle product. If you know of it, then do please let me know ;)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Get to know me: 25 questions tag

A little introduction :)

1. Do you have a middle name?

Yes- it's Louise

2. What was your favourite subject in school?

As boring as it sounds, it was maths. I also really liked drama, but apparently I'm a big enough drama-queen without being taught ;)

3. What is your favourite drink?

Non-alcoholic: Rubicon mango (the non-fizzy one)

Alcoholic: Peach schnapps 

4. What is your favourite song at the moment?

John Legend- All of Me and Beyonce- XO

5. What would you name your children?

Any name I suggest gets vetoed by my boyfriend. I can only hope he's more agreeable when the time comes!

6. Do you play sports?

No. I enjoy swimming, walking and trampolining but don't actually participate in any sports.

7. What is your favourite book?

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult- I go back to it again and again. I'm a fan of pretty much everything by Jodi. I also love the Twilight series and Harry Potter.

8. Favourite colour?

Yellow- it makes me happy :)

9. Favourite animal?

Tigers

10.  Favourite perfume?

My ultimate favourite is Daisy Eau so Fresh by Marc Jacobs. I wore that while my boyfriend and I were at the dating stage of our relationship and it always brings back such happy memories. I also love Dot by Marc Jacobs and L'imperatrice by Dolce and Gabbana.

11. What is your favourite holiday?

Christmas! Without a doubt!

12. Have you graduated from High School?

Yes- and university

13. Have you been out of the country?

Yes. I live in Scotland so it becomes very important to escape for a bit of sunshine every year :) my boyfriend and I are going to Florida very soon and I am mega excited! 

14. Do you speak any other languages?

Sadly no, although I'd love to find the time to learn Spanish.

15. Do you have any siblings?

I have a little sister who is (almost) 19 years younger than me!

She's my pride and joy :)

16. What is your favourite store?

Primark. I never manage to escape without buying something.

17. What is your favourite restaurant?

TGI Fridays- mainly for the cocktails ;)

18. Do you like school?

I loved school but hated uni.

19. Who are some of your favourite youtubers?

Fleur de Force, Sprinkle of Glitter, Zoella280390, MakeupbyTiffanyD and Hannah Maggs

20. What is your favourite movie?

Dirty Dancing- I could swoon at Patrick Swaze for hours.

21. What are some of your favourite TV shows?

I love American TV, so the Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives and of course Friends!

22. PC or Mac?

At the moment PC, although if it dies I'll replace it with a Mac.

23. What phone do you have?

An iPhone4 that I've had for three years :p

24. How tall are you?

Just over 5 foot. My nickname is Teenybash :)

25. Any pets?

No- although hopefully this may change in a few months!

Just your usual night out- on a bouncy castle, in a club,
 with your face made-up as a cat and a pair of
leopard ears on your head.

A Leap of Faith

Have you ever made a decision that goes against everything your head is screaming out to you and leapt straight into an unknown?

The reason behind it? I bet you can guess... love. Ah that old devil that makes your heart a million times stronger and squishes your brain in the process. I'll admit that I always tend to follow my heart, but never on a magnitude of this scale. This week I have turned my back on a job offer which could potentially open many doors, make me a heck of a lot of money and provide a solid start to my career all because it would take me three hours and four hundred miles away from my boyfriend.

After a tough year and a week where I seem to have been involved in a calamity with every step I take I have realised that life is too short to be unhappy (yep that old chestnut we've all heard a million times) and- for me personally- the sacrifice is not something I'm willing to take. I have no idea of the direction that my life will now take, and I know there will be a whole lot a people who will want to scream 'you idiot!' at me, but hey ho.

Yes I'm scared and worried, but I'm excited to see what the future holds. As someone who is very organised and detail-orientated, this journey may involve several (hundred) meltdowns and will no doubt be full of ups and downs, but with a very special person by my side I know that it will be ok. It might be the best decision I've ever made...

Without a leap of faith, how will we know if we can fly?