Some Bargain O.P.I and Butter London

I popped into TKMaxx last week and picked up two things that I really didn’t need – more nail varnish and more lip gloss! They looked pretty and sparkly though so I decided to treat myself. I haven’t worn the nail varnishes yet but I thought I would posts some pics of the products anyway in case anybody is interested in checking out their local TKMaxx to see if they have them in stock.

I picked up an OPI duo with full sized bottles of the shades Pirouette My Whistle (silver glitter) and Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (multi-shimmer charcoal), with a diamante encrusted pen thrown in for good measure. I have to admit that the pen is quite fetching if you like your bling!

According to TKMaxx’s price sticker the RRP of this set is £17.50 but I picked it up for £12.99. I was just thinking that the last (and only) time I bought a full priced OPI nail polish it cost me around £11 so since I really like both these shades this was certainly a bargain.

They also had quite a few nail varnish and lipgloss sets by Butter London. It’s a brand that I’d heard of but never tried before. I know that they are primarily known for their nail varnishes but I thought I’d branch out and pick up this gloss trio, which at £9.99 (RRP £21 according to the price sticker) worked out at £3.33 per gloss which I thought was OK.

The colours are quite sheer but are nice and shimmery. They’re quite sticky but I don’t mind sticky gloss as I find it tends to last a wee bit longer on my lips. The colours offer a lovely selection for daytime wear – I think they’re a bit too sheer and subtle for evening. I wouldn’t pay £21 for this set but at £9.99 it’s OK.

Here are a couple of shots of swatches on my arm so you can appreciate the sparkle a bit.

Left to right: Frilly Knickers (white-blue shimmer), West End Wonderland, Rosie Lee

Sparkling Cement

Today I just have a quick nail post to show off the sparkly greige nails that I’m sporting at the moment. For some reason I really like to match my nails to the weather (I don’t know why! I just always feel inspired by nature and love channelling the weather on my nails) so as the last of the summer is gently fading away and autumn is beginning to peep through these seemed fitting.

Here are the products that I used to create this look. I always use a base coat to protect the surface of my nails (I find that it really makes a difference to the condition of my nails afterwards) and at the moment I’ve just started using Illamasqua’s base coat. (I loved my previous base coat but it was by German brand P2 which isn’t readily available in the UK so I had to switch). It’s OK but a bit thin so sometimes I feel like I could do with a bit more protection underneath certain nail varnishes, eg those that are bad for staining.

The greige I used was 091 Smoky Canvas by Revlon which gives opaque coverage in 2 coats. I then added a couple of coats of O.P.I’s Care to Danse (that is how O.P.I spell it but if it’s a pun I’m not sure that I get it…) which I have a tiny mini bottle of from their NY Ballet minis collection this spring. I do like it but would hesitate to pay the asking price for a full sized bottle. Finally I finished off as always with the China Glaze No Chips Top Coat which I think is AMAZING and will be rushing out to buy again as soon as I finish it. This stuff extends the life of my nail varnishes like nothing else I have ever tried before and I at the moment I seem to be managing to average 5 days with my varnishes. Did I mention that I love this stuff??

Above left – right: Illamasqua base coat, Revlon 091 Smoky Canvas, O.P.I Care to Danse, China Glaze No Chips Top Coat, butterfly clip V&A museum shop