A Beauty Birthday Wishlist

My 18th Birthday is coming up next week so (mostly because I love making these collages) I decided I'd do another little beauty wishlist. Again, I'm not expecting anyone to buy me any of this, in case you needed a disclaimer.

1. Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm- because while I really struggle to justify spending more than £3 on a lip balm for myself, none of my lip balms have really been cutting it this winter and I'd love to try something new.
2. Mac Lipsticks- because with so many shades to choose from, you can never have too many. Top of my wishlist are Plumful, Lady Danger, Russian Red, Cosmo and Sunny Seoul.
3. Real Techniques Bold Metals Flat Contour Brush- because of all the beautiful new Real Techniques brushes, this one looks like it'd be the most use to me as I have neither an easy contour brush in my collection nor the skill to create a good contour without one.
4. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush- because they're just so beautiful, although I've yet to go and swatch them so I don't know which one I'd like the most.
5. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick- because everything about these appeals to me, they're supposed to have an amazing formula, I love almost every shade and the packaging is gorgeous.
6. Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush- because I love a dewy blush, especially coming into Spring.

Let me know what's on your wishlist at the moment! See you soon!

Eva xx

Gel Nail Varnish- Maybelline vs Barry M

(Maybelline Super Stay 7 Days Gel Nail Color in 'Uptown Blue' and Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in 'Almond')

I've become a big fan of these gel look nail varnishes recently, they apply very easily, seem to have a thicker, more opaque formula than most nail polishes and often claim to look better and or last longer. Today I'm putting two of these from the drugstore up against each other- Maybelline Super Stay 7 Days Gel Nail Color and Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint.

Lasting Power- Maybelline wins this hands down, it is the one claiming to last 7 days after all. Nail polishes tend to chip within the first few days on me and the Barry M polish was no exception to this- in fact the extra thick and shiny formula seemed to make it chip more quickly and easily. The Maybelline polish, however, lasted far longer without chipping, usually about 5 days on me rather than the claimed 7.

Opacity- This is about the same in both polishes- I'd say the Maybelline was a little better but both need two coats.

Application- The formula of the Barry M polish makes it pretty painless to apply despite a very skinny brush which does mean a slightly streaky first coat and longer application time. However, in the Maybelline polish the brush matches the formula- its big, flat and makes application quicker than in any other nail varnish I've tried.

Colour Range- This is where the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polish wins hands down. There's just so many colours, and a lot of them are very unusual ones, the shade 'Almond' (pictured) for instance, is a lovely kind of pink-grey colour I've never seen before (and would in no way associate with almonds, but there you go). Online, I can see that the Maybelline polish has a much bigger range of colours than I've ever seen in Boots, but they aren't as unique and diverse as the Barry M ones, although the shade 'Uptown Blue' (also pictured) is gorgeous, its popularity among beauty bloggers last summer was not unjustified.

Price- Barry M wins by 50p, £3.99 vs £4.49.

I'd love to hear any of your nail recommendations. See you soon!
Eva xx