NOTD - Max Factor Bright Orange

The clue's in the title folks!

I had got my heart set on Mad about Mango and Bubblegum from the new scented Revlon range, but when I got to Boots, where they were 2 for £8, they didn't have Bubblegum and tbh Mad about Mango wasn't quite as orange as I had hoped, it was a softer less in your face shade than the rather appropriately named Max Factor Bright Orange!

Taken indoors (much clearer if you click to enlarge)

 You may notice that comapred to recent NOTD posts my nails aren't looking quite as nice as usual.  This is because something really bloody annoying happens to me after a few glasses of wine - I seem to become hell bent on self destruction and invariably my nails get it.  I cannot tell you how deeply peed off I was at 3am this morning cleaning lilac nail varnish off the tattered remains of my nails, especially as I had planned to buy nail varnish today.  I am so bloody cross with myself for doing this yet again, think I am going to have to get a bottle of stop and grow to slap on my nails whenever I drink to stop this from happening.

Outside in full sunlight (again not sure about quality, click to enlarge)

 I absolutely love this nail varnish, its the really juicy splash of colour I was hoping for, these photos are no base or top coat and 3 coats of polish, there is still some vnl which would usually bother me but today not so much, largely I think because I am so disgusted by my nails a bit of vnl is the least of my worries.  Will have to do another NOTD post with this colour when my poor nails have had chance to recover.

Bright Orange is £3.99 from the Max Factor Colour Effects range, in Boots although this shade isn't available online.

I also picked up a lush lipgloss, a moisturiser that has been hitting the press and replaced my concealer, posts on all 3 to follow during the week.

Filthy Gorgeous - Blah

Isn't this lush?!  The lovely Jane at Modesty Brown very kindly offered to post this to me when I commented on her post about the Filthy Gorgeous nail varnishes, she had tried this and whilst she liked the application it wasn't a colour she felt she would wear.  I have recently bought a black and lime dress from Wallis and had thought a lime polish with it would look fab!

Tiny dress pic borrowed from Wallis.co.uk

Black leggings and heels complete the look!  Steve was aghast when he saw the dress but liked it on.  Jane and I negotiated a swop - her lime polish for a Botanics face brush, I bought a spare last time I was in Boots and I am really glad I did - Jane was more than happy just to post the polish but I was much happier to do it as a swop.

I absolutely love the colour of this although I know its not going to be everyones cup of tea - Em thinks its vile!  What I really like is that it has that slightly murky look to it so its not lime in your face its more of a light swampy green.  I may not be selling this to you!

Even if you don't like the colour you have to love the lace on the bottle top.

Application is pretty good - streaky on 1st coat, a bit more level on 2nd but does need a 3rd at that point it is nice and opaque and very glossy, although I suspect I may regret my decision to apply without a base coat, strongly suspect I am going to have seriously yellow nails to deal with when I take this off.  The top photo is very colour accurate.

This one is taken in bright light when the polish does look more lime than swamp.

 Back in shade - almost more glowingly neon than my nails are my rather red hands, lurvely!  I do think this would look amazing with a tan and perhaps when I am not wearing my lime and black dress it might be best on toe rather than finger nails, although I am wearing it today with an all black outfit - what Steve calls my Italian widow look! - and really like the flash of colour it gives.

Just to show you how well it sits with my usual make up, one last photo - lol!!!

Chanel Paradoxal

I have never been a lucky sort of person so I was totally amazed when I won not once but twice on the Lipglossiping Advent New Year give away!



I was so excited when Charlotte confirmed I had won Paradoxal as I had really fancied it back when it came out but would never be tempted to part with the sort of wedge Chanel demand for their nail polishes, I mean how much better than any other polish can brush, application and formula be?


I know all about aspirational products and the adoration those interlocking C's generate but hey its only nail varnish.

Just goes to show what I know!  It's a bit like the nail varnish angels have left heaven, decended to your kitchen and have applied this for you, given your cuticles a quick nudge and massage and done the washing up too.  Of course being a mousey greyed purple its a bitch to photo and all you get is the shimmery purple, which is lovely but frankly I have a million shimmery purple polishes.  What I really love is what you actually see when you aren't pointing a camera at this, that mousey greyed out colour.  Its not in this next photo,

But by the miracle of me being a photographic genius, or perhaps because I can make stuff happen in LightRoom! it is in this one:


I was in swatching mode not mani mode on Sunday when I took these photos so slapped 3 coats on my left hand, no base and no top coat, today its Wednesday and whilst its no longer looking perfect it only has a couple of little chips and some tip wear, neither of which were bugging me til I typed this and now it has to go! I consider myself incredibly lucky to have won this, but I think I may live to regret it as has potential to cost me a fortune, the brush, application and formula of this are all exemplary and the hideous price for a bit of nail paint is fully justified.