Models Own Pukka Purple Ice Neon

Sunny days are perfect for showing off bright nail polish, and since the sun put his hat on last week I thought I'd break out Models Own Pukka Purple. This is part of Models Own's Ice Neons collection, although I don't think purple is really a proper neon shade! Pukka Purple is a rich, bright purple. It's very difficult to capture purples correctly on camera, so I've had to adjust the picture quite a bit (my skin isn't that red in real life!). I'd say the shade matches violet on this colour chart.

I used two coats for full opacity, and found that the polish dried quickly to a semi-matte finish. I wasn't really a fan of that look so I added a glossy topcoat for super shiny nails. I did get some chipping after a day or so, but this doesn't bother me as I change my polish every couple of days.

Models Own recommend that you keep these polishes in the fridge to preserve the bright neon effect, but my boyfriend would think I'd lost my marbles if he found nail polish in the fridge! I'm curious to try a few more neon shades from the Ice Neons collection - they look amazing against a tan!

The Models Own Ice Neon collection box set is £20 for 5 shades here, or you can buy Pukka Purple for £5 from Models Own, ASOS, Boots and Selfridges.
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IMATS London 2013

In six weeks, I'll be making my way down to London for The International Make-Up Artist Trade Show (aka IMATS!). It will be my third time at this gathering of artists, vendors and enthusiasts, and I couldn't be more excited to buy from exciting brands, see makeup artists in action and learn more about makeup from the best of the best in the industry.

If you're familiar with IMATS then you'll know the London 2013 event was rescheduled for the summer - I'm so happy about this because trekking around London in the snow was a bit of a nightmare last year! This year it is taking place at The Olympia on Friday 21st June (Pro Only), Saturday 22nd June and Sunday 23rd June, so you only have a few weeks left to book your tickets! Tickets will increase in price on Monday 20th May at 10am GMT so if you're thinking about booking it's a good idea to do it sooner rather than later!

Brands exhibiting this year include some old favourites:
Crown Brush (professional quality brushes at low prices)
Guru Makeup Emporium and Pam Ltd (pro stockists - usually sell MUFE at 30% off!)
NYX (a US brand, I love their lipsticks and cream blushes)
MAC (of course!)
Inglot (I wish there was a store in Liverpool!)

I am particularly excited to see that NARS will have a stall this year - I am keen to try their eyeshadow primer and lipsticks so keep your eyes peeled for a haul!

You can see the full list of exhibitors here.

The student competition themes for this year are 'The Elements' for the Beauty/Fantasy event on Saturday, and 'Oz' for the Character/Prosthetic event on Sunday. I am also determined to attend Terry Barber's Ultimate Beauty master class as I missed his talks in 2011 and 2012, oops!

Tickets for IMATS London 2013 are available here. For the general public (i.e. you are not a Pro or student make-up artist) prices are as follows:
Saturday 22nd June - £40
Sunday 23rd June - £40
Saturday and Sunday - £65

If you're going to IMATS and want to meet up, or if you'd like to ask any questions please comment below or tweet me! My twitter is @beautylovenotes.

My 2011 IMATS posts are here (part one) and here (part two). My 2012 IMATS post is here.
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Bourjois Cream Blush

One of my first ever makeup products was a Bourjois Little Round Pot Powder Blush. I didn't know it at the time, but the 'Little Round Pot' was first invented almost 150 years ago. The product became hugely popular and now Bourjois sell millions of them each year! 

Bourjois have now developed a new range of Cream Blushes, with a light, buildable, cream-to-powder formula. There are four gorgeous shades available: Nude Velvet (peach), Healthy Glow (apricot), Rose Tender (pink), and Sweet Cherry (pink-brown).

The Cream Blushes have the classic Bourjois rose scent, and the sturdy, slim-line packaging offers a handy mirror for touch ups. Extracts of Poppy, Apricot and Mango care for your skin, ensuring your complexion stays fresh and natural.

Bourjois Cream Blushes are £7.99 each and are now available exclusively at Selfridges. They will be released in Boots, Superdrug and ASOS on 15th May.

Which shade is your favourite?
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