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Nails of the week – green and purple glitter

purple and green glitter nails

click to enlarge

This week I am mourning. For the second time this year I broke a nail. I know, amazing all time record for me; my nails used to flake a lot, thus splitting and breakages were a constant. Somehow, the first six months of this year were great for my talons -not even a single breakage. Second half, not as great – twice, by the “hands” of a spin bike.

Anyway…. I wasn’t so inspired, so went for a “one colour will fix it” kinda mani. I chose Specialittá Hits Phenomena Moonbow, an amazing colour shifting glitter – its goes from green into blues to purple into a warmer fuchsia.

Application was a nightmare. Sadly, this polish has a clear base and it is not super saturated with glitter. I applied Collection 2000’s Bongo Beats (which matched the green shade of glitter) as a base and had to apply, and I kid you not, around six – yes, you heard it – SIX coats of the glitter. It was so difficult to work with, and to make things worse, it is not the quickest drying polish in the world, so there was plenty of gloopiness on the nail as the coats piled up. It looks pretty, got lots of compliments, the colour shifting range is AMAZINGLY STUNNING but seriously, when I finished applying, I was exhausted!

Durability, on the other hand, is great. As expected, it was awful to take off (yes, SIX coats of glitter). I was thinking about buying more of the collection, as the colours are undeniably exquisite but I don’t think I will – I just cannot bring myself to do it again. Gorgeous, but just a bit too much hard work for me.

Rating:

4_starfor the looks

starfor the application (traumatised)

Product review: Russell Organics Argan Oil

Russell Organics argan oilMy hair (and skin, for that matter) really suffers on the run up to the winter. Something in this transitional period really upsets my hair – it gets drier at the tips, lifeless and a bit dull, so anything that can do any good is very welcome, especially at this time.

I received the Russell Organics argan oil and on the same day started to use it. I’ve been using it for three weeks now on my hair. The bottle has 2 fl. oz, and a pipette, which I love! I applied a few drops on my hand and rubbed it to warm, applying then to the ends of my towel dried hair.

My first impression was that the hair naturally dried softer, heavier but not greasy, with less fly-aways. As the days progressed and I kept using it, I feel my hair has a little bit more weight to it and is less straw-y.

Something I like liked about this product is that it has no fragrance, no smell at all. Also, it can be used all over the body, as a moisturiser, on your nails and of course, hair and a few drop go a long way!

This product is 100% pure argan oil, carefully sourced from Morocco, and eco-certified. It is toxin and cruelty free, as well as vegan.

Their whole range uses pure natural ingredients. Packaging is fuss free, to minimise environmental impact, but very functional. Russell Organics, which carries the slogan “naturally luxurious”, is a carbon free organisation and also certified cruelty free and vegan – so goodness all around!

They also have a long toxin list on their site, to raise awareness about the ingredients we should avoid putting on and in our bodies! Nice!

They are a US company, available online and in various shops but will ship internationally, with reasonable rates, according to their site.

This product was sent to me by the company to try, and I became their media partner, meaning I will receive a product once in a while. This review is, however, based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on it.

Nails of the week: purple gradient

purple nail gradientSince I tried my first gradient a few weeks back, I’ve been dying to try another one, but this time with three colours.

I picked purples. I love purple on my nails! I chose a lilac from Nails Inc, Cambridge, a light purple from H&M, Pale Violet and a dark purple, also from Nails Inc, Belgrave Place.

First I painted my nails white using Natural Collection’s nail tip whitener. I then got my sponge and painted three lines on it, from lighter to darker and stamped the nails. I described the technique in more details on my previous post on gradient.

This took four rounds of stamping, more than my first one, to look good! But I am very pleased with the results. Again, after applying the topcoat there was a bit of shrinking, so I can see a tiny bit of the white, that bothers me a little bit!!!

Overall, loving it – caught the eyes of lots of people, even on the train, where I then explained the technique! Nice!

Rating:

5_star

Eye make-up look challenge: light pink and green

light pink and teal eye make-up

As this eye make-up was requested by the lovely Eilidh, I am naming it Eye-lidh! She asked me to use the Urban Decay vice palettes colours Provocateur and Unhinged, which are quite contrasting. Provocateur is a very light pink, quite cold and extremely shimmery. Unhinged is a deep metallic teal, with enough green and blue in it.

This look was very easy to achieve! After priming, I applied the light pink all over the lid, until a little bit above the crease. Using the pencil brush, I drew above the crease with the teal shadow, creating the cat eye shape. I then blended upwards only using a blending brush. I then saturated the colour a bit more.

I applied black eyeshadow with a shader brush to my lower waterline and then teal to the lower lash line. I applied the pink to the corner of the eye blending in the lower lash line.

After that, I applied the liquid liner in a lovely metallic charcoal colour (very pretty – a shame it didn’t photograph very well), creating a flick and then added some light eyeshadow, pigment and crushed pigment on the brow bone, just below the brow arch. To finish off, I put fake lashes on.

Products I used:

  • Urban Decay Provocateur (first on third row) and Unhinged (fourth on second row) eyeshadows from Vice palette
  • MAC eyeshadows in carbon and vanilla
  • MAC pigment in vanilla
  • MAC crushed pigment in white as snow
  • Urban Decay eye primer potion
  • Diorshow Extase mascara
  • Myface.cosmetics Slinky liquid eyeliner in black ice
  • Smashbox photo op under eye brightener
  • MAC brushes 219, 231, 239, 208 and 130
  • Urban Decay double ended good karma shadow and crease brush
  • Duo lash glue
  • Ardell lashes 107

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Difficulty:

eye make up look - easy

Genoa cosmetics and make-up trolley from Beauty Boxes

Genoa Cosmetics & Make Up Trolley from Beauty Boxes - So Many Lovely Things

A girl’s beauty dream

If you are a make-up mad person as I am, I doubt you never dreamt about having all your lovely cosmetics organised in a gorgeous beauty trolley.

I mean, just think about having everything visible, in one safe place that is mobile. Well, I no longer have to dream.

The Genoa trolley from Beauty Boxes is a “workstation on wheels” and it is suitable for make-up artists and beauticians, as well as to have at home. It’s not too big and bulky, so it sits comfortably even in homes that don’t have that much space (like mine), and because it is very pretty, it can (and should) be on show!

The delivery service was exceptional – next day and I got an email on the day specifying an hour time slot for delivery, and it came 5 minutes into the slot. In all my excitement, I opened the box to find an amazingly sturdy, finished to a high standard trolley, with very smooth hinges and sliders. There are two mirrors inside and it also comes with two make-up brushes holders which can be hung on the trolley when open. The top compartments have a good depth and the bottom part too – it’s deep enough to fit hair tools. It also has a key.

I fit most of my make-up in it, well, the usual suspects that is, leaving out many odds and sods, some palettes and a few products I haven’t opened yet! At the top I put my face and lip products. In the second fold of drawers I put my single eye shadows and all eye stuff. In the compartments at the bottom, I put my beloved Urban Decay palettes and bags with the other eyes, lips and face stuff I use less often. There were two empty compartments where I could put my other eye shadow palettes, skincare and/or hair dryer, straighteners, curlers and products. On top of it, when closed, I had the brush holders and my lovely Revlon mirror with lights, so the trolley is really versatile!

In terms of mobility, I found it is not too heavy when loaded. The wheels are smooth, and the handle strongly built.

It comes in three colours; mine, rose, a lovely bright-ish pink with a snake skin-like texture, baby pink and silver, both with a metal finish – all in 38.5cm width, 62cm height, 30cm depth and 7.4kg of fabulousness.

Would I recommended that anyone that has a considerable amount of make-up and cosmetics buy one? Definitely. If you don’t have that much, Beauty Boxes has an exciting range of practical, durable and versatile beauty boxes and trolleys which are also very pretty and stylish, to cater for varied needs – oh, and with free delivery!

Beauty Boxes kindly sent me this as a PR sample, and I could not be happier. Serious amount of excitement. Views are my own, based on honest experience with the product.

Nails of the week – silver glitter, black and nail sticker

silver nails with black tips and nail tattoos

click to enlarge

I am in love with this week’s manicure! Glitter is one of my guilty pleasures – I love sparkly things, especially on my nails, even though it is a major pain to get it off.

This week, I am wearing Barry M in Silver multi-glitter, a fine, silver based glitter with lots of other colours – red, blue, pink, a bit of gold. Really really pretty. Actually, Barry M’s glitter polishes are really amazing, at a great value! This particular one is very saturated, two coats were enough to achieve a good coverage. I ended up using three, but could’ve done with only two.

With Barry M in plain black, a staple in my mani box, I created the diagonal tip, using  normal sticky tape.

To finish it off and give it that extra cuteness, I added a SkinArt UK’s bow nail tattoo on each of my ring finger nails to create an accent nail. The tattoos come in a pack of 60 individual stickers with varied designs – bows, stars, hearts, birds, crosses, anchors – all very pretty and you shall be seeing more of it very soon! I found application easy enough; it is quite delicate, as it is a small sticker, but I applied quickly without a problem, with the aid of tweezers. A good topcoat (I use Seche Vite) is a must after you apply the sticker, and also to smooth the diagonal french tip.

Durability was great, full week with no chips, sticker in place! But above all, how pretty is that?

Rating:

Product review: Elemis freshskin skin clear

Sometime ago, I went to the Elemis freshskin event. It was a lovely evening and I left with some great products to try, and met some lovely people.

When trying skin care, I like to use for a few weeks to have a real sense on how my skin likes it, how it reacts to the goodness slapped on it, and if I can see an improvement.

I have been using four products of the freshskin Skin Clear line for the past few weeks now and they have treated my skin very well. If you have been here before, you probably know that although I am not that young, I suffered from severe acne and to this day, I can suffer from breakouts and this is a very touchy subject for me. This event came at a time I had been very upset about the bad breakouts appearing.

I introduced the range to my routine, so I am going to breakdown by product and tell you what I think:

Purifying face wash

What they say: “helps detox and purify the skin. With antiseptic properties, the wash promotes healthy cell growth to repair damaged tissue. White Willow Bark provides gentle exfoliation whilst Cedarwood and Cucumber soothe the skin. Experience an extreme clean.”

What I thought of it: smells very fresh and give you the impression of a really clean skin. A small quantity goes a long way and the smell is fresh, without being overpowering. It does not dry my skin.

Key active ingredients: extract of iris, zinc salt and vitamin A.

Mattifying moisturiser

What they say: “helps control the shine of oily skins. A skin multi-tasker, this reduces T-zone shine within one hour of application and maintains a matt finish for up to 8 hours. Shea Butter helps promote cell renewal, hydrates and protects all day long, whilst reducing redness, inflammation and helps minimise post blemish imperfections.”

What I thought of it: has a rich consistency, but not too much. What I really like about this is that it feels nourishing, is absorbed by the skin very nicely and doesn’t feel greasy. Good to use under make up.

Key active ingredients: seamat, shea butter, bergamot.

Treatment gel:

What they say: “gel to powerfully bust blemishes. With Salicylic Acid to de-clog pores, allowing spots to shrink this multi-tasker reduces swelling and redness around spots, clears blemishes without over drying the skin and encourages fast and effective healing.”

What I thought of it: really like this! It feels a little bit tingly when applied over the spot, and has a calming effect. It doesn’t dry the area, so it can be used over and over again in the same place.

Key active ingredients: extract of iris, zinc salt, vitamin A.

Overnight serum:

What they say: “helps de-clog pores, allowing spots to shrink, without causing sensitivity. It reduces swelling and redness around troublesome spots whilst tightening pores. Whilst powerful anti-oxidant properties aid skin repair and help minimise post blemish imperfections.”

What I thought of it: Can also be used under make up, actually, I used this more during the day than overnight!!! Feels like a good overall healing and maintenance for the whole face, opposed to the “on the spot” gel.

Key active ingredients: slow release salicylic acid, renovhyal and vitamins C & E.

My skin has really calmed down, it is quite visible. Admittedly I’ve been on medication too, but it is the first time I take meds and my skin feels nourished, not dry and flaky, and more plump, healthier.

For me, it seems like a great range to maintain your skin under control, healing and preventing “daily” spots. Of course, if you, like me, suffer(ed) from severe acne, you might have to resort to powerful oral medication or more aggressive topical products. This range, however, seemed to keep my skin happier, even though it was receiving a more aggressive treatment.

The packaging is simple, nice and the blue colour also appeals to the boys! The smells are subtle and herbs-like. All products are free from parabens, SLS, SLES, DEA, mineral oils, artificial colours and silicons.

I do recommend it, not only for younger skin, but also for adults who may still suffer from acne and need a non-aggressive daily treatment line. If you are in this situation, well worth a go, I do know how difficult it is to find something that will agree with problematic skin.

I am keeping them on my daily routine, and I am fully stocked, as I won their competition after the event. Lucky me!

All images are from the Elemis website, where you can also find more information on the products reviewed.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: myface.cosmetics eye shadow and eye liner

In my amazing goody bag from the Elemis event, I received an eye shadow duo from myface.cosmetics, which were providing the make over at the event. I had heard about them before but didn’t have any of their products. And I love to try new brands!

The duo is called Siren and is part of their Silk Screen collection. Packaging is very nice, clean, easy to use, and it comes with soft brush, which is also very nice for blending. The shades are a satin finish orange with a subtle shimmer and a beautiful raspberry with some golden sparkles.

Both eye shadows are very satin-y, they have good pigmentation and blended well. They are very bright shades and applied well. There was a little bit of fall out, but no more than other brands.

Since I attended the Elemis event, NBPR, who looks after myface.cosmetics, has kindly sent me some products to try, and I decided to use the first one from the lot I received with the very first product I ever got from the brand, as they went together beautifully!

So I used the slinky liquid liner in Tequila Sunrise, and orange-gold. Yeah, just one little bottle inspired the whole look I posted before!

The liner is very easy to apply, the brush is firm without being hard, very fine and precise. The consistency is good, not too runny, not too hard. The colour, with one stroke, is quite vivid, but I went for two, especially where it was over the orange eye shadow, to get more distinction. It dries quickly and I managed not to smudge, and it sticks well. The metallic effect is really noticeable, and the colour very solid. Thumbs super up.

I am soooo happy they sent me a few, and in gorgeous colours, so it looks like you will be seeing different looks going liner crazy, as I will be experimenting more – after all, this is what the challenge is all about.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Nails of the week – silver holographic nail foils

To make up for the short life of my bead manicure, I had to choose another half-life, or occasion manicure: nail foils.

I love nail foils. They deliver an amazing effect. Truly stunning. But they do last three days. As a busy person, I think a good manicure is made to last at least seven days in a good state. On occasions, I do compromise this conviction for prettiness. Yes. Guilty as charged.

So, after I lost my beads, I decided to fill up the week with these amazing foils from Minx. They have the most amazing selection of designs. I bought I couple over Olympia Beauty a couple months ago.

They were quite easy to apply – just heat with hair dryer, peel and apply on nail, smoothing it, cutting the excess at top and filing to finish. They are extremely thin and sticky, a great sign. But if you make a mistake, like a crease, and have to peel it back to re-apply, you can see the texture of the foils changes, so ideally, do it once. I didn’t manage to do it in one go on all nails, so there were a couple imperfections, but nothing too blatant.

The effect was absolutely stunning. I mean, breath-taking. The rainbow colour shift this silver foil gives is something I never ever saw before.

And it lasted three days, bang on my expectations. So yes, would do again, it would be great it lasted as much people say they could (a week? hahahaha),  but truth is, after three days it looks a bit manky, with jagged edges…. a shame, but well worth it!

Rating:

Eye make-up look challenge: red and orange

Tropical cocktail. This was my inspiration for this look, so I am naming it Tequila Sunrise, taken from the drink, of course, but also from the liquid liner name!

I primed my eyes and applied a shimmery golden peach shade on my brow bone, blending towards the crease. I then swept the orange all across my lid and blended upwards. Using a blending brush, I applied the raspberry on the outer corner and blended around the crease.

I then applied the black liner, creating a long-ish flick on the outer corner. I then used the liquid eyeliner in metallic orange/copper above the black eyeliner and then from the outer corner of my eye, just below the black, following the same shape. Black eye shadow was applied across the water line using a liner brush, then I applied black eyeliner to the lash line, smoking it just a little bit.

After that, I cleaned the fall-offs and applied a concealer under my eyes. I then created the line below my eye, from the inner corner, following the black liner just past half the eye and flicked downwards.

I made the raspberry colour more intense using the pencil brush on the crease and applied the shimmery peach to the inner corner of my eye, bringing it up slightly on the inside of my nose bridge towards my eyebrow.

To finish it off, I applied mascara and then false lashes. Very happy with this look,  it is different, colourful and very pretty!

Products I used:

  • myface.cosmetics silkscreen eyeshadow duo in siren
  • Inglot eye shadow 469
  • MAC eyeshadow in carbon
  • myface.cosmetics slinky liquid liner in Tequila Sunrise
  • Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion
  • Laura Mercier eye concealer in wheat
  • Hourglass film noir mascara in onyx
  • MAC eye kohl in smolder
  • Collection 2000 Extreme felt tip eye liner
  • MAC make up brushes 239, 217, 219, 231, 194 and Mink blending brush

Difficulty: