Beauty Review: Matchy matchy

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I saw this post over on The Beauty Department blog a couple of weeks ago. And it hit me, after always thinking I hated the matchy matchy look, I actually didn't hate it at all. I preferred it, in fact. We all like to think we're a bit rebellious really but turns out, I'm not. The matchy matchy look - in my opinion - looks cleaner and chicer than the clashing colours. Of course, our nails and lips rarely get that close, in real life. But as I painted my nails in Boots' 17's Risky Red, I reached for my new Boots No 7 lipgloss in Sultry Red and slicked on a coat:


Do you match it or clash it?
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200 follower and 2 year anniversary GIVEAWAY

21/08/11: COMPETITION NOW CLOSED: WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

Have you entered my fabulous five giveaway yet? No? Well, what are you waiting for?

1st prize is a Filofax Flex systeml

2nd prize is a selection of Burt's Bees products;

3rd prize is a pair of leggings from Tabio;

4th prize is a bottle of Soltan Self Tan for the face and a face application mitt;

and 5th prize is four bottle of Boots 17 nail polish, a Models Own eyeliner and a Burt's Bees lip shimmer.

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on the original post - including your email address.
2. For an extra entry, follow this blog on blogger or bloglovin'.
3. For a further entry, tweet the following: "I just entered the Fab Five giveaway @sugarandspiceSG - you can too: http://t.co/GpVjgo2".
4. The giveaway is open to EVERYONE!
5. The giveaway will close at midnight GMT on 28 August 2011.

Mani of the Week: Boots 17 Risky Red

When Boots sent me some of their new 17 Supreme Shine nail polishes to try out, the one that I couldn't wait to use was this red. I have something of an addiction to red nail polish. My go to polish when I want my nails to look grown up and "done" is either Chanel's Rose Flamme which is a very pale pink or a red. When I find myself away without any polish with me, chances are, I'll buy a bottle of red. As a result, I have ended up with nearly too many bottles that I have finger nails to paint!

There is something glamorous and timeless about a good red manicure. My nail icon for my red obsession is the ever stylish Olivia Palermo who never seems to be without a coat of red on her nails:

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The Fab Five GIVEAWAY!!! 200 follower and 2 year anniversary thank you!

21/08/11: COMPETITION NOW CLOSED: WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

I've been promising a big giveaway for a while now, to celebrate reaching 200 followers and 2 years since Sugar and Spice was founded - and now it is here! I have teamed up with some fantastic brands to bring you five fabulous prizes:

1st PRIZE: NEW FILOFAX FLEX + inserts

2nd PRIZE: BURT'S BEES FACIAL CLEANSER; BODY WASH; and CONDITIONER

3rd PRIZE: TABIO LEGGINGS

4th PRIZE: SOLTAN SELF TAN FACE CREAM + APPLICATOR MITT

5th PRIZE: BOOTS 17 SUPREME SHINE NAIL POLISHES x4; MODELS OWN KOHL; and BURT'S BEES LIP SHIMMER

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post - including your email address.
2. For an extra entry, follow this blog on blogger or bloglovin'.
3. For a further entry, tweet the following: "I just entered the Fab Five giveaway @sugarandspiceSG - you can too: http://t.co/GpVjgo2".
4. The giveaway is open to EVERYONE!
5. The giveaway will close at midnight GMT on 28 August 2011.

Good luck!! And a huge thank you to all those who contributed to this giveaway.

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

(A rave) Beauty Review: inside my bathroom cabinet

This week, I'll confess, I had thought I'd written and scheduled a beauty review post and so this morning I got up, dyed my hair, did my chores and headed out into the sunshine to the library. And then I came home and logged on and realised... there was no lovely new post this morning. So apologies to anyone who came here earlier looking for some beauty review action. Here it is. Better late than never and better still, it is about more than just one great beauty secret this week:

I am a hoarder of all things beauty (as well as being an advertisers dream and buying into every new beauty trend!). So today, I thought I'd share with you my absolute favourites from all of the many products I have collected over the years and the ones that have turned out to be keepers:

Let's start at the top:

• Hair care:

Aussie Take The Heat shampoo and 3-Minute Miracle conditioner: this is the only shampoo and conditioner combination that I have found that doesn't end up leaving my hair heavy and lank after continued use. It also tames my frizzy and unruly hair, leaving it almost straight when blow-dried.

Trevor Sorbie's Dry Shampoo is the lazy girl's best friend. I've tried others but this is my favourite for price, size and results. And it smells pretty neutral too.

Trevor Sorbie's Beach Hair Spray is a salt spray that does to your hair what the sea does when you're on holiday. Want your hair to retain those loose curls and waves from the beach when you're back home? Use this!

• Body care:

To keep my skin soft, I like to use Garnier's Intensive 7-Day Lotion with Shea Butter which is so moisturising. And smells pretty indulgent too.

To keep my legs soft and hair-free for longer, I've started using Veet's Hair Minimising Moisturer, which does seem to work as I usually have to shave every day but this seems to allow me to wait another day or two.

I don't tend to fake tan my whole body but I do like to tan my legs a little during the summer months as they never seem to take any colour at all.

When I have time I use Garnier's Summer Body Lotion for a Deep Sun-kissed Look. It smells lovely and is deeply moisturising whilst also building a good even colour over a couple of applications.

When I've forgotten to tan my legs (or have been lazy!) and still want to wear a skirt, I use St Tropez's Wash Off Instant Body Glow Lotion. I either use it alone or with a little of my moisturiser to tone the colour down a bit. Gives the most natural colour of all of the fake tans I have used. Ever.

The Body Shop's Shea Body Scrub is my number one for the shower as it has the large gritty bits in that I like to feel like I've been exfoliated properly.

• Face care:

I don't like putting a thick cream on my face on the morning, so I swear by Boots' No 7 Essential Mositure Day Fluid which is light and yet moisturising. Only annoying thing - no SPF. (But I do use a Tinted Moisturiser instead of foundation each day which does contain an SPF.)


At night I do like a thick cream to slather on and do its best as I sleep and so I use Boots' No 7 Essential Mositure Night Cream.

• Hair removal:

I've mentioned the Nair Silky Sensations Hair Removal Cream before and I love this for keeping me hair free without any pain.

• In my handbag:

I always carry a red nail polish in my handbag as it seems to suit any mood and outfit when I'm caught without polish on. At the moment, my red of choice is this Boots' 17 Supreme Shine in Risky Red. It's long lasting and has a great shine - even after one coat.

Boots' No 7 Summer Collection Lipgloss in Sultry has found a home in my handbag as I love the colour. I'm not usually one for bright lip colour but this I do like. The colour is rich too - not too translucent like some lipglosses.

My final beauty must have is Boots' No 7 Nail Polish in Sing the Blues - the colour is strong and sophisticated.

What are your beauty essentials?

Mani of the Week: Boots 17 Down Town

When I got sent the Boots 17 Miami Pop Summer Collection to try out, I decided that I wasn't perhaps the best person for the job - so I sent it to my super stylish sis to play with as she's off on her holidays to Ibiza - right now, in fact!!

For her holidays she chose to paint her nails with the Down Town shade which is a bright colour pop in a hot orange shade which is on trend this summer:

Super stylish sis said: "fab colour and went on very easily", adding only slightly against it that, "it doesn't last hugely well". But then, when it's summer and you have a ton of different shades to play with, what does it matter?!

What colour are you wearing this week? Have you tried the orange nail trend yet?

BEAUTY REVIEW: Boots 17 Miami Pop Summer Collection

Those lovely people at Boots obviously realised that my bank balance needed a break from all of the spending I keep doing and offered to send me some samples to try out - to which I said, yes please! Naturally.

So, I was pleased to receive the Boots 17 Miami Pop Summer Collection in the post last week. The packaging cute and candy coloured - just what you want to fill your make-up bag with in the summer, no?

The collection includes a shimmer bronzer - which will look perfect swept on with a large powder brush for summer evenings - and a hot pink lipgloss - which will brighten up any make-up look. In addition, there are two limited edition nail polish colours - Palm Beach, a hot pink colour, and Down Town, a bright orange  - I'd suggest painting one colour on your toe nails and another on your finger nails!

Boots 17 are also currently offering a 17 Nail Bar in a Bag free with any two purchases from the 17 collection:

Have you tried any of these products? What summer make-up do you use? Does the make-up you use change between summer and winter?

PS. I stumbled upon this post which suggests How to Wear Bronzer (and How to Avoid Mistakes).

Mani of the Week: Boots 17 Crackle Top Polish

You might remember that a few weeks ago the lovely people at Boots' 17 sent me their new Supreme Shine collection? The package included their brand new Crackle Top Polish. Many brands now offer crackle top polish but I had yet to try any, so I couldn't wait to try this one out. It works best if you use a thin coat as it dries quickly and cracks as it dries. I tried it first with Boots No 7 Lovely Lilac polish which looked great but the pale undercoat meant that the effect wasn't too noticeable:

So I gave it a go with the Boots No 7 Tangy polish which I think worked better:

Have you tried any of the crackle polishes? What do you think of them?

Beauty Review: Boots 17 Waterproof Mascara

So when I got up last Sunday morning I wasn’t exactly planning on giving the Boots' 17 Waterproof mascara such a vigorous trial. I had in mind a day by the pool to see if it gave me panda eyes after a brief dip. But instead I found myself on a high-speed boat in the sea off Ibiza being thrown around and then thrown – quite literally – into the sea. And you know what? Not a panda eye in sight!


Do you wear waterproof mascara for water activities? Or go mascara-free? Or just hope for the best?!

Mani of the Week: Boots 17 Twilight Teaser

It is not only Nair that I have to thank for making sure I am ready for my holidays at the end of this week, but also the lovely people at Boots who sent me a few bottles from the new Boots 17 Supreme Shine collection:

Now, I still haven't decided which colour I will use for my weekend away - although I am thinking something dark and glamorous, like Spiced Plum for my toes and something bright, like Miami for my finger nails with the Crackle Top Coat that was also sent to me. Of course, I will keep all of this for another week.

This week, I have mostly been rocking the subtle tones of Twilight Teaser:

The colour, after one coat, is pretty opaque but I like that. However it can be built up with another one or two coats. It certainly lasts well - this has been on all weekend and endured some pretty hardcore cleaning and is still in tact.

What colour do you wear on your nails on your holidays?