Mavala MyPassion, MyAngel, MyLove*

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Ok, so you may have noticed, I’m more than ready for the start of spring. I’m over dark mornings and nights, snow flurries and general chilliness, so, in an attempt to brighten myself up, I’ve been absolutely adoring the new releases from Mavala. Originally released for Valentine’s Day, my three polishes are the perfect segue-way colours to take me from my winter super-darks to the brighter polishes I wear during spring.

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MyPassion is the brightest of the trio, and it’s a stunning true-red. It’s a really beautiful shade, that I’ve been wearing as a pedicure. I cant wait to rock this polish with a navy breton sweater and jeans for a little French-inspired look in the better weather! The formula for the polish was wonderfully creamy, and I got a bright, creamy, opaque finish in two coats.

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MyAngel is the darkest of the three shades I have, and it’s a must-have vampy red shade. It’s the perfect stepping stone for making your manicure feel brighter. I love the pink toned shade, and it looks super chic on my perennially short nails. Again, I only needed two coats for creamy, opaque coverage.

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MyLove is the pinkest of the shade, and it’s definitely a must-have shade. I love how fresh it looks, and I can’t wait to wear this regularly when the weather gets better. It’s a really flattering shade to wear in the better weather. The brightness of the shade coupled with the creamy formula is an absolute dream!

Mavala polishes are priced at £4.95 and are available here.

Mavala Tallinn Polish*

Mavala Tallinn polish

For the past month or so, I’ve been really good with keeping my nails manicured. For some reason, whenever my nails are painted, they grow so much faster and stay so much stronger than they do without polish. Thankfully, Mavala has just released their new Sympohonic Collection, so I’ve had some gorgeous colours to choose from!

Mavala Tallinn polish swatch

My current nail colour of choice is Tallinn, named for the Estonian capital, Mavala describe the shade as a soft, cashmere rose. It’s a really beautiful choice which is just the perfect amplified neutral which has warm rosy undertones. Considering we’re in the tail end of the autumn, it feels like a great interim nail colour to wear before I head into my darkest polishes for winter.

Mavala Tallinn polish swatch nail

Like all Mavala polishes I’ve tried, the formula is nigh-on perfection. The dinky little bottles mean that the colours are super easy to control, and the formula is wonderfully creamy. Tallinn is almost opaque in a single coat, so I’ve been wearing it with two coats for a little extra richness. It’s a really flattering shade which feels so chic to wear, and I’ve had three days wear chip free!

Mavala Tallinn Nail Polish is priced at £4.75 and is available here

Mavala Buenos Aires*

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Right in time for Autumn, Mavala have launched their new Symphonic Nail colour collection – a set of five stunning browns which range from chocolate-y to rust and they feel just perfect to wear now that the leaves have turned.

Mavala Buenos Aires

I was kindly sent three of the colours, and the first one I tried out was Buenos Aires – a beautifully warm toned russet-brown. Like all Mavala polishes I’ve tried, the application is absolutely flawless – the polish goes on smoothly and evenly, and it’s completely opaque in two coats.

Mavala Buenos Aires swatch

On the nail, I was surprised at how much darker Buenos Aires is than it looks in the bottle, but it’s such a rich, warm toned chocolate. It’s really beautiful, and it’s such a chic, neutral polish to wear.

Mavala’s Buenos Aires Nail Varnish is priced at £4.75 and is available here

Mavala Smily Orange 277*

Mavala 277 Smily Orange

Even though I’m somewhat of a polish collector (or hoarder, depending on how you look at things), my colours tend to fall neatly into three categories: neutrals, darks and vibrant pinks. I’m not sure if it’s just force of habit, but a lot of my colours can look quite samey.

Mavala 277 Smily Orange swatch

So, you can imagine how beautifully Mavala’s stunning new Smily Orange 277 stood out amongst the rest of my collection. The colour really is summer in a bottle! I tend to use three coats of the polish to create an opaque effect, but since it has a jelly finish, you can easily control how much colour you get. The formula applied smoothly, and with a top coat, was beautifully even and shiny. I have to say, Mavala are seriously impressing me right now! I got four days of wear before I noticed any tip wear, and I can’t even tell you how many compliments I got on the colour!

Mavala Smily Orange 277 is priced at £4.75 and is available here

Debenhams Spring/Summer 14 Press Show Continued …

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So, continuing on from yesterday’s post, I thought I would share all the goodies which were part of the Debenhams Spring Summer Press Show. After oohing and aahhing over all the lovely things downstairs (as well as making a mental shopping list) I headed upstairs, where all the gorgeous new beauty goodies were displayed.

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I have to say, the number of brands which were exhibited was great – it was a good mix of old faithfuls and newbie brands, and it was lovely to see all the new colors and products. One of my favourite stands was Cargo Cosmetics.

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I’m pretty obsessed with their Jet Lag concealer (see here), so I couldn’t wait to have a nosey around their new stuff. It’s probably not surprising that I’m heavily lusting after the pink and nude glosses.

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The ‘Suited to a Tea’ palette was also adorable – the names all had tea connotations, and the colours were beautiful – the fact the shades could be used on eyes and cheeks is a major plus!

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Another palette that caught my eye was the Too Faced Chocolate Bar. I’m a brown shadow aficionado, so this was right up my street! There was a great mix of warm and cool toned shades, and they even had a slight chocolate-y scent.

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These Sweetheart blushes (again, by Too Faced) were swoon worthy. I love the Laduree-esque packaging, and I don’t think these would look out of place on Marie Antoinette’s dressing table. The powders gave a beautifully sheer wash of pink shimmer, and are perfect for wearing with a little tan.

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It was at this point that the nail polishes caught my eye – particularly this quad of perfect pastels from Nails Inc. The pink and blue are just dreamy, and I love the grey for a little unexpected mani!

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If you’re still feeling the nail art trend, Nails Inc have also made it ridiculously easy with their 2 in 1 polishes. One end has a gorgeous colour, whilst the other has a fun topcoat. I love the way you can decide how crazy you want your nails to be (plus those topcoats are perfect for hiding chips!)

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I spent quite a while at the Clarins section – the brand are finally coming out with a Chubby Stick contender – as usual, the nudes and pinks caught my eye, but those bright corals are a beach staple!

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The collection is inspired by Brazil, and look at those colours! I’m obsessed with that blue eyeliner – can you imagine that with a tan?!

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The bronzer is something special too! It’s completely matte, apart from that teeny apricot diamond at the top. I can’t wait to get my hands on this for a believable glow.

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Urban Decay’s Electric Light Palette was something special too! Those colors are actually insane in person – they’re neon, and I think that this would really be incredible in the right hands – probably not one I would actually buy, but definitely one of my favorites!

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As well as these familiar brands, Tromborg was right in the centre of the room. It’s a Scandinavian beauty brand, and I’m pretty sure it’s exclusive to Debenhams. I think the packaging is so chic and minimalist, and the colours were divine – just look at those blushes! I can’t see the brand on the Debenhams website yet, but it shouldn’t be too soon. This is definitely a brand I want to learn more about!

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I was also super happy to see Ole Henriksen, as it’s one of those brands I stock up whenever I hit a Sephora. I’ve been using the brightening wipes (pictured) and they’re pretty great. They smell of orange sherbet, and they leave skin cleansed and toned, but not stripped or dry.

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Right in the corner was also this display of fun little cosmetic bags – so perfect for stashing all the goodies I’d obsessed over all evening!

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