Trend Alert: Sheer Nail Colour

There’s something new happening in Nail-land.

80 years after Charles Revson created the first ever opaque nail enamel for Revlon, transparent shades have made a come-back.

Inspired by the juicy, tropical hues of high summer (think sticky Calippo lollies and melting mango Frappucinos), traditional varnish has gone glossy.

Make room in your life for sheer nail colour.

These high-shine colours can be used alone or over a matching (or mis-matching if you dare) shade for an ultra-shiny finish. Try Bourjois 1 Second Nail Enamel in Glossy Grenadine Tonic, £5.99, and the Juicy Sheers duo from Nails Inc, £11 each. Finish with a generous coat of Orly Polyshield, £10.40 to lock in your shine.

Jump in the nail-gloss trend – it’s here to stay!

BB x

Rimmel Brightens Up for SS12

There was an excited buzz at HIX last night as Rimmel unveiled their new launches for SS12. Amidst a cacophony of neons (including Kate’s name in lights. Neon pink light, to be precise. I want one) were bright and bold new colours, perfect for the warmer months. Most exciting? The fabulous Wake Me Up Foundation is joined today by its Concealer counterpart, £5.49 – now you can give stubborn eye-bags the caffeine treatment. 

BB x

Maybelline's Sweet Haul

Like kids in a sweet shop, it was a frenzied dash around Maybelline’s pop-up sweet store at the Oui Rooms this morning. The haul? Well, besides enough candy to guarantee a serious sugar high by lunchtime (and subsequent sugar low – I’m living it now), we walked away with some exciting news.

Jumping on the now-trending bandwagon of lip gloss-slash-stains (think YSL Glossy Stain, and a certain other who shall remain nameless until the launch proper), the Super Stay 10h Tint Gloss looks like a gloss but plays on lips like a stain. Which means you get all the colour pay-off and lasting power, without the lip-parching formula. Winner. 

Similarly dual-action are the new Color Tattoo 24hr cream-gel eye shadows. The name says it all really - rich colour pay-off, lightweight barely-there texture. Use as a shadow or liner – much like Maybelline’s hero EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24hr (which, FYI, is now available in brown – fair skins rejoice!)

Another bit of excitement came in the form of Maybelline’s first ever BB cream. With a stonkingly high SPF 30 and all the other usual BB benefits (hydration, coverage, pore refinement etc), it’s surprisingly light and velvety, and sinks into the skin immediately. The apricot shade is designed to suit all, but if it doesn’t – fear not! There are 4 others to choose from.  

The collection will launch next month, and is seriously covetable but without the major price tag. Get involved, get creative and rock the new colours! 

BB x

Beauty gets the Disney Touch

 

Re-connect with your inner child this spring with BeautyLand’s smattering of Disney-themed cosmetics

Following the success of the delectably wicked M.A.C Villains collection back in 2010, the cosmetic gurus have now got Miss Piggy on-side. Celebrating Miss P’s grand return to the silver screen just in time for V-Day, the new 3-bit collection is girly, flirty and perfectly pink. Divine. 

February will also see the launch of Pixi’s Tinkerbell inspired PixiGlow. The 5-bit collection promises to add a touch of magic to even the most wintery of complexions with a series of highlighting and illuminating goodies.

All together now, think of a magical thought..

Andrea Fulerton DIY

A little bit of nail art today with the help of Andrea Fulerton Stripe & Sparkle. All the yesteryear fun of arts and crafts but slightly more justifiable on a lazy Saturday.. Tricky to get the hang of at first, but once you've nailed it (see what I did there?!), the 2-step glitter shaker promises endless nail art fun. Plain nails are so last season..

By Olivia Cox

David Koma SS12

Fashion went a bit tribal-tastic at David Koma yesterday, but backstage the look was manipulated to include the metallic trend that has taken London by storm. Irridescent, see-through textures on the catwalk inspired hair and make up creations with a seriously futuristic theme, perfectly complemented by the daylight-strewn show space at the old Eurostar Terminal in Waterloo.

Skin was manipulated by Nicola Joss to create a shimmery, iridescent finish using St Tropez Silverrose Illuminator and just the faintest hint of spray tan. Makeup artist Mel Arter went for fresh, vibrant colours, inspired by glass, perspex and other reflective textures to create the illusion of bodies sugar coated and frozen in time. Eyes were lacquered in MAC Lipglass up to the brow bone, with the smallest of reflective blue glitter around the top lash line. Lips were washed-out using MAC Lip Erase, and (ironically) gloss-free.

Kenna for GHD re-created the positive and negative space between the paneling of the clothes using a patchwork of shiny and “natural” sections of hair. The look was completely symmetrical, adding to the futuristic vibe.

So it’s back to the future, then.

Danielle Scutt SS12

A nod to street culture backstage at Danielle Scutt last night, taking inspiration from our multifaceted society. Luke Hersheson took pretty and gave it a serious dose of reality with his east-meets-west hair – think school-girl braids given a Croydon Face-lift.

And on make-up, Gemma Smith-Edhouse continued the rebellion with her rejection of the contouring trend. Luke’s super-shiny hair (courtesy of L’Oreal Professionel Gloss Control) was contrasted with purposefully brushed-up eyebrows, fixed in place with glue for an intriguing textures clash.

She even sent a smattering of girls down the runway with a graphic stripe on the left cheekbone, reminiscent of that plaster on Nelly. Word up.  

The effect was uniquely ironic, and seemingly hopeful for our “broken generation” after the August riots.

Olivia Cox