*LAQA & Co*

I was very lucky to be sent 2 items from the new spring launches from LAQA & Co last week. The first thing that caught my eye about them was the gorgeous packaging (it really is attractive) and I couldn't wait to try them out! The items I received were a nail polish in shade Nemesis - a warm coral shade perfect for summer, and the Gold Fleck Manicure in shade Lacey.

So, a bit about LAQA & Co; they describe themselves as a 'bold line of beauty products in strong colours. Done with attitude. Something that not only inspired, but gave back' and from first impressions they are just that. Their products range from Nail Polish pens (so you can do your nails on the go!), nail polishes, Mani Pens and Lip Lube pencils in all manner of beautiful, bright colours. What I really love about them though, is that each items packaging is covered in 'unique artwork by young artists looking to get their work seen...' and they really are eye-catching. Imagine that, just the box it came in is a little bit of artwork. I think this is a brilliant idea and really supports new talent, helping them get their work noticed, I like that idea a lot.

I guess I should really talk about the product itself now. I found the applicators were a bit thinner than I would usually like, I prefer a brush that applies polish to the entire nail in one swipe as it just makes application soo much easier. Regardless of this though, the product was incredibly easy to apply as it had a really good consistency - thin enough to apply easily but thick enough to not leave streaks. I could have applied just one coat and it would have been enough but in the pictures they are all 2 coats. They dried quite quickly, but not anything noticeably fast.

 I applied Nemesis to my toes and was impressed at how, one week later, they are still perfect and unchipped! Sadly, the Gold Fleck Mani didn't last so long on my finger nails and was chipping after just a day or two. I think this is largely down to the size and thickness of the gold flecks as they don't bend brilliantly around the nail and do begin to peel off quite easily. Which is a shame because I really did like the look when they were first done.

In conclusion, LAQA & Co seem a really good brand with some clever little quirks that really makes their products stand out (that packaging, again I'm obsessed!). Their Gold Fleck Mani's I'm not completely sold on but their polishes are good and I really want to get my hands on some of the Nail Polish Pens to see how they work and the Lip Lube Pencil, being a massive Lip product addict. They've recently had some new launches as well which, from the product listing, look quite worth looking at.

All products from LAQA & Co are available at www.myretailbeauty.com and here for anyone in America (they are a New York based company).

This post contains a PR sample

April favourites

I know it's probably a bit late to be writing my April favourites now that its the 7th May, but I have been planning this blog post for a couple of days now. I always find it really difficult to limit my favourites to only a few items! So here are those carefully selected for April:

Barry M Textured Nail Paint in shade TNP 5 Princess 333 - I go through phases with Barry M of either loving there products or finding them a bit disappointing. This nail polish though is Barry M at its finest. This is a gorgeous glittered light pink shade and is so easy to apply, especially for a textured polish. It dries evenly, but you do need to use a topcoat to avoid that rough, sandpaper like feeling you get with textured/ glittered varnishes. I really do love this colour though and have worn it a few times for evenings out as it really is like dressing up your nails.

Benefit the POREfessional Agent Zero Shine - As you may have read in earlier posts of mine, my skin is very oily and looks very shiny very quickly, regardless of whether I have put a base on before my make-up or not. But this works wonders combatting the shine! It's a mattifying powder that does really work to give a more matte look to my face. I keep this in my make-up bag and use for touch ups during the day, which means that it having a built in brush is brilliant! It's a translucent powder so can be used for all skin tones and it doesn't cling to dry patches like with some face powders. Being from Benefit it is a bit pricey, but well worth every penny.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum - This was actually a gift from my aunt that got pushed to the back of my perfume collection (I do have a pretty epic perfume collection) and forgotten about until recently. I was wanting to wear a different perfume as I seem to always wear the same 3 or 4 regularly, so I picked this one up and have been wearing it a lot since. It is a beautiful smell and has great longevity so you really don't need a lot to last you all day. I'd say it is a great summer scent and I will definitely continue to wear this a lot.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in shade 240 Striking Spectaculaire - Not only do I love a good bright red lip but I also love a good matte lip, so I definitely struck gold with this lip crayon. It is so easy to apply accurately to the lip and goes on so smoothly and feels so hydrating, not like you would expect from a matte lip product at all. This shade is a gorgeous bright red that I love to wear out in the evenings, although I do have some more neutral shades in these Revlon crayons as they just feel so great on the lip. The fresh minty-ness of it is an added little bonus as well - lovely!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in shade Busy Signal - I got given this by a friend AGES ago as she didn't think the colour suit her (she is blond with a very fair complexion and this just looked to dark against her pale skintone). Again this was a product that I had just chucked in with my other make-up and not really given a second thought to. I rediscovered it when sorting through my make-up a few weeks ago though and have been wearing it to work a lot since. I prefer to use it as an eyeliner as it isn't too obvious and a perfect shimmery brown shade that compliments my eyes and skintone, but I have also used it as a shadow too recently (after trying the shadow sticks here, before getting them I always thought anything other than powder eyeshadow would feel cakey on my lids) and it gives a great colour without feeling in anyway heavy on the lid.

So those are the products I have been loving in April. It is mainly just make-up products but I haven't found any other products that I have really fallen in love with recently. Are you a fan of any of my recent favourites? Maybe you have these yourselves? All comments are very welcome :)