Birdcage Walk Nails Inc. Review

The wisteria are blooming on the front of the house, the sun is out – albeit it a little windy – and the tennis season has begun. It is at the time of year that I fall in love again with pastel nail polishes.

Birdcage Walk (I like the name – but I don’t really get it – any thoughts?) is a French Manicure pastel pink, nude, pale – whichever description you may choose. It looks beautiful against a slightly tanned hand and transforms short nails into shiny, delicate beauties. In fact, this colour is the best to apply out of any I have had from Nails Inc; it’s a little thinner than most of their (slightly gloopy) darker colours and so brushes-on like a dream!

Pair the nail varnish with Kensington Caviar Basecoat, to ensure it applies smoothly and stays put. The basecoat also prevents any discolouration of your nails and makes the nail varnish last a bit longer. I quite often wear this basecoat alone, as it has a touch of pink within the clear, which makes your nails look darling.

The Top Coat, same brand, same name is a must as it maximizes shine and staying power.

Birdcage Walk is my all time favourite pale pink nail polish. Yummy.

Bourgois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl Mascara

A glamorous member of the Bourjois mascaras, claiming it ‘Curls & Doubles eyelash volume for an even more glamourous look’. The bottle is a little bit like Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, and fantastically embodies the curves it claims to produce. Even the brush has a gradual curve, which can be held against the lashes to make them curl. The mascara produces long, shiny black lashes.

The mascara does not create outlandish volume, but it does sculpt the lashes into a lovely long curve. The formula dries quickly, so you can avoid those dreaded smudges (especially now the hay fever season has begun – I always manage to sneeze after applying mascara!)

The small, curved brush is not anything new, but nonetheless effective, for it is easy to use and coat  the lashes into the inner corners.

The mascara has waxes and silicon to make it last, which is does. This does not drift! Overall, a fabulous low price mascara that, for length and curl, easily compares to the competition.

£7.99 from Boots.

Chanel Rouge Coco Camélia Review

The Chanel Rouge Coco lipsticks were created as easy to wear colours, in a long-lasting creme formula. For me, with dry skin, long-lasting formulas tend to dry out on my lips, or they look cakey straight away. Worn with a small amount of balm, however, this lipstick is a wonderful medium coverage lipstick with a noticeable shimmer (not glitter). I would suggest, however, that it is not the perfect lip stick for my skin type.

Camélia is a member of the ‘pink’ family and the name derives from one of Coco Chanel’s favourite flowers, which often subtly graced her designs. It has a light rose scent. The colour is a medium to full coverage, but adapts to your skin tone; how it looks on my lips will differ greatly to yours. This creates a ‘your lips but better’ look. One layer will seem as though many have been applied; in this sense it is good value.

The packaging it divine, as always with Chanel. As the colour is easy to reapply without a mirror (or just using the reflection in your phone) and so is a great handbag lipstick. It is the perfect accompaniment to Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation: luminous and satin.

Debenhams Chanel Beauty Website. Their Beauty Discount Card also accumulates points, which I have found fantastic!

See Also: Chanel Rouge Allure Review

Urchfont Scarecrow Festival 2011

A Day Out In… Wiltshire for May Bank Holiday.

Bank Holiday entertainment cannot get more typically English than this village festival. If you are feeling a little bit blue that the Royal Wedding is over and you want to spend some time celebrating being British, then Urchfont is the place to be this weekend. Every May Bank Holiday, this small Wiltshire village plays host to thousands of sight-seers, come to look at scarecrows.

The attraction may not be immediately evident. But these are no ordinary scarecrows. In fact, most of the creations bare little resemblance to their namesake. Firstly, there is a competition. You have to guess who or what all the scarecrows are. Not only do you have to name the scarecrows, but also match them to a clue. There’s a theme and this year it is advertisements, or ‘adverts’. This can be a fiercely competitive event. To win it you are required to get every answer correct (which many achieve) and thus the winner is decided upon by the expulsion of those with – dare I mention – spelling mistakes, or slight inaccuracies. Of course, winning is not what makes the day fun. There’s a kids trail too, so the little ones can get involved. It would be a lovely way to spend time with a partner, or the family, or friends.

Around the village duck pond are refreshment tents selling BBQ food, cakes, coffees and Scarecrow Festival Beer (which is a vibrant lime green)…

‘Urchfont Scarecrow Festival’ in Urchfont, Wiltshire until Monday 2nd May.