LOLA - Ultra Shine Nail Varnish

Nail polish is the quickest (and chicest) way to change up your look from day to night, and from season to season. As we at The Amazing Blog make our way through these colourful autumnal days, we have handpicked a select few nail polish shades from LOLA Make Up by Perse to share with you. This isn’t the first time we have come across this Luxembourg cosmetics brand, we previously tried a range of their face and lip products (see here). We were therefore excited to try their nail polishes, which like their other products, are both professional and cruelty free. With numerous shades and an incredible formula, their nail polishes are affordable, and we found that they delivered a great manicured look.

The go-to classic shades we chose were: Plum Pudding and Nude. Both are from the #10 Free Formula range (a range free from chemicals like Formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP, toulene, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene and TPHP). The Plum Pudding is a stunning medium berry shade that is perfect for a classic pop of colour, especially complementing our autumnal wardrobe. Nude is a light and delicate ballet-slipper pink shade. It leaves a subtle colour on the nails that is incredibly chic and with a couple of coats make a opaque base for the ever-so classic French tip.

We also received the Infinite Nail Gloss; a multipurpose base and top coat that helps to nourish and add a high gloss, ensuring that your LOLA colour will last. We used it on its own for a simple clear glossy look. However, it is specifically formulated to be applied with the LOLA nail polishes to help give a perfect home manicure.

These nail polishes apply with ease and the colours apply as a block and not streaky. We particularly liked that you only need apply one coat of polish (the Nude is an exception) as it gives a higher luminosity and intensity. Due to their special formula, with Gloss Seal’R, a patented technology - LOLA nail polish is an economical choice. The formula gives instant gloss from the moment of application, concealing it and preserving it up to 11 days as a glossy manicure. It also has a permeable film - a formula with a porous film that allows water and air permeability for your nails, engineered for a fluid and high gloss look that lasts. We mustn’t forget to mention that their entire nail polish range is 100% vegan. The LOLA Make Up by Perse #10 Free Formula Polishes in Plum Pudding is available here and the Nude is available here, both for £6.95, while the Infinite Nail Gloss is available here for £7.95.

LOLA Make Up by Perse

Here at The Amazing Blog, we are always looking to expand our make-up bag with the latest and greatest products. Recently, we have been loving LOLA, Makeup by Perse. We previously raved about LOLA's Matte Long-Lasing Lipstick in the past here, so we were thrilled to get the opportunity to try out some more of their products. All of their professional quality products are affordable, cruelty-free, designed by make-up artists and beauty experts. In addition to their wide array of makeup products, LOLA also offers nail polish and makeup accessories online on their website.

We understand that a good primer can make or break any makeup look. With the help of a good primer, you can ensure that your make-up will last for hours at a time.  The Illuminating Base primer by LOLA has certainly not disappointed, this Illuminating Base is made out of diamond core powder and micro mineral pearls. These ingredients help to create a more even looking skin tone that will bring out your skin’s natural glow. The Illuminating Base is also oil-free, which helps to leave your face feeling light and smooth. You will find that the appearance of your pores and fine lines will be reduced when you apply the product under your foundation. The product is also incredibly easy to use. You simply apply a pea-sized amount of the product to the entire face using your fingers or a brush.

Another great LOLA product that we've been using is their Concealer Pen. This product helps you to flawlessly hide under eye dark circles and any other imperfections you may want to cover up. This liquid concealer comes with a convenient built-in brush to assist with the blending of the product onto the skin. The application is so simple you can apply it on the go if need be. The concealer contains pearl-coated pigments that make your skin radiate light and help you to appear more awake. The pen comes in three different shades so you can find one that matches your skin tone. 

Finally, another one of our other favourite LOLA products is their Ultra High Shine Gloss. This is the perfect lip gloss to finish off and perfect your make-up look. The gloss is available in 10 different shades, so you can test out different shades to find your favourite. Each gloss has a hyaluronic acid filling that adds volume to your lips after just one use. In addition, there is an active vitamin complex that ensures that your lips stay moisturised and soft. The glosses can be used on their own or with any LOLA lipstick, ensuring that your lips get a shiny finish. We tried out the clear gloss (010) and our lips were glistening all night long. 

You can purchase the Illuminating Base here for £13.95, the Concealer Pen here for £15.95 and the Ultra High Shine Gloss here for £5.95.

Friday Feature - Lips

The fun, or perhaps daunting, part about cosmetics for your lips is that the variety is vast, from sheer lipsticks, to opaque lip glosses, to shimmery lip glosses, to matte lipsticks, to moisturising salves and lip balms, the options are endless. We at The Amazing Blog maintain that the staples are a matte lipstick with longevity, a shiny lip gloss to use as a matte lipstick topper or on natural lips, an intense lip salve to use as a rich treatment, and an on the go lip balm. In our selection today, you’ll find all of these.

Lip preparation is very important when you’re going to be putting product on your lips, as you don’t want cracks and dried skin. Smith’s have a range of lip moisture products, and we were lucky enough to try the Rosebud Salve and the Tropical Ambrosia Balm. The former is their self-proclaimed ‘miracle in a can!’ and is their original salve dating back to 1892. The latter is a modern twist on the traditional formula with a heady combination of coconut and mango. The base formula has remained unchanged for over 100 years, with just some additional flavours added in to ramp up the vintage recipe for a modern generation. The concentrated blend of oil is high in vitamins A and E, which will do so much good for dry skin. The salves have a buttery, emollient texture which soothes chapped and cracked lips and anywhere that is craving for some extra-hydration – our cuticles and elbow love it! You can even add some dewiness to your face by tapping some onto cheekbones or keep unruly eyebrows and flyaway hairs in check with a touch of salve. Really, the options are endless.

Dr Smith’s company is still owned by his grandchildren, so we recommend getting in on this family’s secret recipe for some skin repair. Purchase tins here for £8.50.
 

Of course, these little tins aren’t always the most convenient to carry around with you, which is where ISUN’s Golden Lip Balm comes in. With equally intense hydration, it comes in a small chapstick for moisture on-the-go. This little lip saviour contains antioxidant herbs and high nutrient berry oils for nourishing lip therapy. One key active ingredient, Buriti Fruit Oil, extracted from the Amazon rainforest, has the highest known levels of protective carotenoids. Cacao Butter forms the base and is known for its antioxidants and fatty acids for intense moisture, and is responsible for the heavenly chocolate smell and taste.

All of ISUN’s products are created with natural ingredients, and these are harvested from the plants in their natural habitats, untouched by humankind. It is the rich nutrients that gives ISUN’s products their naturally nourishing properties.

Purchase ISUN’s Golden Lip Balm here for £12.50.
 

It is no secret that matte lipsticks have been the prominent trend of the past year or two, and they are definitely here to stay. With a matte formula, you get longevity and rich pigment. These lipsticks from LOLA say it all in the name; Matte Long-Lasing Lipstick, so make no mistake about it, these colours will last hours on your lips, with infrequent touch ups. Of course, as it is autumn, we’re into the colours Glacier Cherry, a rich, true red (which, to be honest, is timeless) and Purple Rock, a very autumnal, vampy purple.

The formula of these lipsticks does something special. It helps lips to appear fuller and smoother, which matte lipsticks usually do the opposite of. This is thanks to the blend of polymers and emollients which helps fill in fine lines and create an even surface. The jojoba oil and vitamin E nourish lips, making this matte lipstick a creamy and comfortable wear.

Purchase the Matte Long Lasting Lipsticks here for £11.95 each.
 

Now onto the gloss, a necessity, we believe, in everyone’s makeup collection. Jane Iredale’s PureGloss range has a plethora of shades to choose from. We have the shades Hot Cider, a golden-peach toned gloss, and Pink Lady, a classic pink gloss with a hint of shimmer. High-shine, sheer, but with a touch of colour, these glosses are perfect for transforming your natural lip colour or adding a shine and colour depth to lipstick. Despite being a gloss, these PureGlosses are remarkably long-lasting and contain Moringa butter and avocado oil to condition your lips. The added bonus? To us, they smell like gorgeously sweet pink lemonade.
These glosses are all vegan and certified cruelty-free, luxuriously creamy but with a slight stick which helps them to last longer on the lips. They are everything we love in a lip gloss.

Purchase the PureGlosses here for £19.95 each.

With an abundance of lip products and formulas to choose from, we hope we've helped you navigate the maze slightly. We think lips are one of the most fun facial features to decorate, so prep them and go forth and rock a bold or glossy lip!