'Dead Beautiful' - Vamp Lips Courtesy of Dior.

Achieve super sexy vamp lips with Dior Addict Lip Color in Pinstripe Plum 989 (£21.50) & Ultra Gloss in Black-Tie Plum 982 (£19.50).

Dark plum lips as seen on the runway at Proenza Schouler.

Psst...Some tips

*Keep your lips in tip top condition, so that the finished look is the best it can be. Use a good quality lip scrub to buff away flakyness and leave lips smooth. Try Bodyshop's Lip Scuff £7.50, as some can get pretty expensive, like Benefit's Lipscription at £23.00, it works just as good! If you have dry chapped lips, invest in a creamy lip balm because any flakes and you won't get an even coverage.

*I'd say this is a MUST - use a primer. I use Mac's Prep & Prime lip primer £10 which conditions the lip and creates a silky base for the lip colour to adhere to. It really does make lipstick last much longer and glides on easily.

*If you want to pout like the pro's at Proenza Schouler, try dabbing at the lips with your index finger to make to give a stained effect for ultra va-va vampness!

A word of warning before I begin, this look really isn't for the faint hearted! As you can see, this lip colour is very dark and intense, not to mention perfect for A/W10! There's two big lippy looks for fall this year, and they are the polar opposites of each other - buff nudes Vs super dark vampy shades. I've gone for the dark lip because, well, I've just never tried it before! When I had my nose in the August issue of Vogue, I saw lots of dark plum/berry lips, and models pouted perfectly vamp lips at on of my fave designer catwalks: Proenza Schouler.

I just had to have the matching gloss when I saw it glittering at me from the Dior counter. It is the exact same shade but when applied over the top of Pinstripe Plum it gives such a creamy and intense shade. The glitter gives the lips a pop, even though by now your lips will need no help standing out! FYI, this looks just as vamp applied alone, i'd describe it as giving the lip a just bitten look. Just look at this gloss though...It's beaut!

I'm not too keen on the brush applicator. It feels a little stiff, but other than this, I can't fault it.

This swatch is of 'Pinstripe Plum' on its own, and you can see it's a very dark plum. The lipstick is the latest version of 'Prune Smoking' which was available last autumn. I don't know if it's exactly the same and why they changed the name, but it certainly looks the same. I find the colour to be highly pigmented, easily applied and doesn't feel heavy or thick on my lips. Weightless almost. It has a slight sheen to it, which I like. I thought I would want a matte lip, but trust me, this looks pretty matte when applied and the sheen is just the right amount to make it look fresh, and like I say, give you that just bitten pout.

This swatch shows Pinstripe Plum with a coating of Black-Tie Plum applied over to achieve an ultra glossy vamp lip. You can see the little shimmery bits of glitter mixed in, the camera doesn't do them justice. It really does look dazzling with them mixed in. The gloss I would say isn't necessary for the vamp look but it really does make the colour so very intense and creamy. If you like to wear gloss then it's perfect but if you like lippy then it's fine to wear Pinstripe Plum alone. Both are vamp enough to wear alone, but the lipstick is matte and kind of more catwalk statement whilst the gloss gives the look a more polished and sexy finish.

There are so many cheaper alternatives available to achieve this look, so don't be put off by the price! I splurged on these with my birthday money and I had like £20 in Debenhams reward points. Revlon's ColorBurst lippy in Plum £7.99 and Mac's Cyber £12.50 are two fab vamp lip shades.

Much Love ❤

Tag: You're It!

I was tagged by the lovely Sophie over at Sophie's choice, you should check out her blog, she's a fellow makeup and fashion junkie too :)

Rules:
1) Post who gave you this award
2) State 10 things that you love
3) Give this award to 10 other bloggers and notify them with a lovely comment.

10 Things I Love...

1. Fashion (Piccie from Wildfox, one of my ♥'s)

2. Magazines (I always have my nose in a good mag...)

3. Leather.

4. My beautiful followers...Thanks for your support and inspiration :)

5. Makeup. What girl doesn't??!!

6. Partying.

7. Going to the beach.

8. I ♥ Tea.

9. Spending time with friends.

10. South Beach, Miami. I love this fabulous place. 3 weeks and counting!

These are my tags...Check out their fab blogs

Primp and Preen

Sweet Narcissus

Simply Naturale

Stolen Inspiration

The Beauty Sanctum

The Veiled Bump

Happy 1234

Just-A-Girl-Blogging

A Little Fashion Romance

Eccentric Daydream

O.P.I's Lincoln Park After Dark - Vamp Nail Polish...ღ

This is my all time favourite polish - the uber vamp Lincoln Park After Dark, by O.P.I (£9.95). I actually first came across this colour in September 2009 after looking up one of my fave celebs signature dark nails in The Hills, Lauren Conrad. She keeps her nails pretty short and squared off too, which i was pleased about, as i can't leave my nails to grow long due to my work. It'd just be impossible, *sigh*. On a more positive note, i felt that keeping the nail short and straight gave the polish and overall look a more rocky/edgy feel. In my picture to the left i am wearing some falsies in order to give you guys a better idea of the colour etc as there's more to colour in than on my own nails, and will do in many of my piccies.

The vampish nails and makeup began hitting magazines and catwalks around fall and in sync with Steph Meyer's New Moon movie release, coincidence i think not, and vamp mania began. Either way, it all fell in perfect timing for winter when i ditch the bronzed and beautiful look for pale and interesting. The polish stood in contrast to the paleness and broke it up a bit. It was also a perfect choice for me as i was wanting to go dark but not too dark, as in black. Even though it's not black it is still very dramatic, i can only describe the colour as the darkest aubergine purple with a hint of dark cherry. I felt it needed two coats for an even application and to get the desired dark colour but i think this can be said for most dark polishes. If you want more of the cherry hue to shine through, i'd suggest that you don't layer it on too thick, as this only makes it appear darker. In my pic i've given my nails a generous one coat as i found that with my usual two coats it appeared black on my photo's so, although it looks a little streaky on my nails it shows the colour a little better for you. It looks fine with two coats in normal lighting, just not on my camera.. Chips would show straight away with this colour so be sure to use a quality topcoat; i used Nails Inc's Kensington Caviar 45 Second Topcoat, £11.00 and my polish lasted around 7 days. Without my trusty topcoat this polish wouldn't last out the day, i'm always using my hands, but there's no excuse not to use a topcoat as the shine it gives from the dark colour just looks super glossy, i love it.

Although a tenner is more than what some people want to spend on a polish, i would definately recommend this as an investment to any gals beauty stash. It is dramatic enough to make a statement on its own and can also be teamed with dark vampy eyes or blood thirsty red lips - never both! Remember to choose one or the other or it can look like overkill guys. Little really is more when it comes to some makeup looks, and you'll be surprised with the effect you'll get from just concentrating on one or two areas with vamp makeup.

In terms of wearability, personally, i feel i can wear it with most things and at any time yet some people may feel daunted by the deep shade and if you are pretty new to painting nails it can be a tricky colour to apply without hitches. But don't give up, any slips can be easily corrected with a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover and dabbed away.

I'm giving this polish 5/5 - it's my signature colour which i always turn back to ♥

The affordable alternative to Chanel's 'Particuliere' polish ❤

'MINK' BY NAILS INC PRESENTS THE AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE TO CHANEL'S 'PARTICULIERE' POLISH ❤

If you are like me, you'll have seen Chanel's 'particuliere' polish in magazines, talked about on the t.v and blogged about on the internet - (it is THE shade of the summer!) and you'll have been doing some research into a more affordbale version of this darker than usual creamy nude polish. Well in March, I saw a tweet announcing that Instyle Magazine had got together with Nails Inc and were giving away 3 different shades of polish. These polishes are £10.50 in the store but I got them with the magazine for £3.60! Bargain or what?!

There was Mink; a classy dark nude that wouldn't look out of place from Nails Inc's Griege collection. Then there's Beach; a bright vibrant coral red, and Candy - as the name suggests a candy pink. I didn't even need to think twice about which shade i was going to get... Mink was the kind of shade that had been on my list of lusthaves for sometime but I am trying to save up for a holiday so i've been biding my time. And thank God I did :) I was tempted to buy Candy too, but i've already got the bubblegum pink shade in O.P.I's Pandamonium Pink from the Hong Kong collection.

Mink is a beautifully sophisticated nude and is on trend with the likes of the most famous polish for the summer; Chanel's 'particuliere'. I nearly bought 'particuliere' a few times, as i just couldn't find a shade that looked similar and was affordable but still high quality. Both shades are darker than what most people think of as nudes and are not the typical pale beige. I have a an olive-y skin tone and i find that 'Mink' suits me perfectly. To be honest, i think it's a good all-rounder, and should suit nearly all skintones.

It gives off a very grown up and classy style, I feel like i want to don a pencil skirt, ruffled blouse and chic glasses before heading off to my swanky office! Who knows, maybe it highers your IQ too?! Hmm. Either way, i'll definately be wearing it to work and would feel confortable wearing it to an interview as it's not in your face but still screams grown up glamour. It really is very beautiful in a subtle way, and makes your hands look perfectly preened.

The only downfall i found was the brush is a bit hit and miss. I don't know whether mine is just a little out of shape but it didn't apply as smoothly as i'd have liked (or expected) from Nails inc. I found it hard get the right amount spread evenly on the nail, and the polish itself felt a little gloopy/thick. I ended up rushing to try and even out the gloop before it dried and this made it a little unenjoyable to apply but the end result is worth it. the shade is just what i wanted to so i'm willing to overlook these little niggles. I suppose the advantage of the thick feeling of the polish is that you'll definately not need more than two coats, if you are used to applying polish you may even get away with one if you master the brush!

The pictures i have taken do not have a topcoat on them, yet they still look ultra glossy huh? BUT! I emplore you not to miss this step as it will make them even more glossy (I know, right?!) and protect your polish from wear and tear, allowing you to enjoy this lush shade for even longer. So, wat are you waiting for? Hit up eBay and see if you can add this perfect polish to your collection too!

Much Love to all my beautiful bloggers

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