Bioscultpure experience! Plus a henna tattoo or two.

My friend who threads my eyebrows so marvelously has recently rented a space in a salon local to me. Things seem to be going well for her and I am so pleased, it's not often you find a thoroughly talented and knowledgeable beauty therapist (we've all had a bad experience with one whether it be leaving a wax appointment still with hairs on our legs or wonky eyebrows with a dodgy tint.)

She offered me a biosculpture treatment for free as she was training her sister. Obviously I jumped at the chance, my nails have gotten into an unkempt state recently and I was so thankful when I left with them looking 100% better. Biosculpture is just another brand similar to Shellac or Gelish. A gel treatment that doesn't offer extension, just a shiny coat on top of your existing nail length. My friend told me that Biosculpture helped nail growth and protected the underneath, so when I go for a soak off they will be in no worse state than when I came in. (I can assure you, I'm not sure it's possible for them to get into a worse state than they already were!)

I opted for the shade 'Prince' from the Royal collection. A turquoise, mid blue with sparkle running through it. I thought why not choose something different, and I've been really enjoying the colour! In the sun it looks like the sea on an exotic island- at least I can daydream that I am on holiday!!

I also left with a henna tattoo or two. Her sister is a trained henna artist and used natural brown henna, I've got a peacock feather on my right wrist and a mandala on my left arm. I love how they look a few days on, slirghtly worn and faded, that's the beauty of henna in my opinion.

Let me know if you have ever had Bioscultpure/Shellac/Gelish and which you think is best.

Thanks for reading,

E.

Limited Edition OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection- Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It!

OPI LE Nail Varnish in 'Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It', £11.50 for 15ml.

I'd been waiting (albeit impatiently) for Lena White to launch this collection for days, so I ended up doing a quick search on Amazon and found that there was a few of these available. I ordered and was so excited when it arrived through the post on Friday! (FYI the collection is now live on Lena White)

I knew I needed this in my life, I'm a huge fan of Disney and Minnie Mouse though I'll be honest and say that the other three polishes in the collection didn't particularly catch my eye. 'Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It' is a glitter top coat with heart confetti. The polish itself is translucent with a very slight tinge of pink. The glitter is abundant in the polish and is very fine, it sparkles a gorgeous lilac pink colour when it catches the light. The heart confetti is fairly sparse in comparison and is medium sized and in the same shade of pink as the fine glitter. I've personally never seen a topcoat like this before and I absolutely love how unique and pretty it is.

Although the heart confetti is fairly sparse, it's actually not too difficult to get at least one heart per nail per layer. A little bit of skill may be needed here and there to get the hearts into a position you're happy with, but this was fairly easy especially if the bottle is shaken before application. I've read a couple of moany reviews about this from US bloggers, but I found the process really quite straightforward when I was expecting it to be quite frustrating. This certainly isn't an 'apply and go' polish, you do have to set a bit of time aside, but I personally think the results are completely worth it. 

At first I applied it on top of OPI 'That's Hot! Pink!' to achieve this look I applied two coats of 'Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It'. It was a bit of a rushed job and they ended up a bit gloopy as I didn't allow much drying time.

A day later I thought it'd be interesting to put it on top of Essie's 'Mint Candy Apple' and the results are a stunning finish that reminds me of a mermaids tail! The pink glitter and confetti compliment the aqua tones of Mint Candy Apple so well. Below shows one coat of 'Nothin Mouseie 'Bout It', which I think I actually prefer to two coats as it is a bit more understated. Apologies that my camera just didn't seem to pick up the glitter very well :-(

Overall, I'm super happy with this polish and cannot wait to try it on top of other colour combinations! I'd recommend it if you love sparkly, over the top nails! Snap it up while it's still available!

GOSH Bronzing Shimmer Powder!

GOSH Bronzing Shimmer Powder in '002 Pink', £8.19  for 9g.

Realising I hadn't bought anything from GOSH (aside from their glitter pots for nails) in a couple of years I thought it time I re-acquaintenced myself with the range exclusive to Superdrug in the UK. I used to be a big fan of their pressed powders back in the day, great for pale skin!

This is GOSH's version of the shimmer brick (similar products available from Bobbi Brown and 17 to name two), technically classed as a bronzing powder I wouldn't personally use it in this way as the colour strips are much more suitable to be used as a blusher on my complexion. The sparkle shimmer would not be appropriate if you're looking for a contour or all-over bronzing shade.

Initially there are some chunky glitter particles on the top surface of the product. These do translate onto the skin and aren't very flattering as they are green/irredescent and very obvious, however after the top surface has been used these chunky particles are no longer visible in the product. Instead, a more natural (yet still shimmery) sheen can be seen and the finish is much more satisfactory and wearable!

With primer and foundation I find this product wears well for about 6 hours. After this it does become a bit patchy and worn looking on my skin.

The colour you achieve when the product is swirled together is a dusty, dirty pink colour. It's nice for everyday, and is mostly flattering if you work indoors, as the sparkle on the cheeks isn't very flattering in summer weather. Instead, this could also be used in the evening to add a highlight to the cheekbones, or to add a little shimmer on top of a matte cheek colour.

The packaging is really impressive, I love how flat the product is, considering there's 9g of powder the case isn't bulky, instead it is sleek and protective. I like that you can see through the plastic to see the product inside, and my favourite is the click shut/push button mechanism. It keeps it secure and it so easy to use (so much better than Illamasqua packaging, does anyone else get really annoyed/break nails opening that stuff?!)

Overall I do like this product, and don't think it is too bad for the price. However I wouldn't recommend it as a bronzing powder, more a shimmer blush if you're after one that is a good everyday pink colour. It's nothing overwhelming or must have, but not a bad product from GOSH!! I also bought a lipstick and a nail varnish, so expect reviews to come on those :-)

Thanks for reading, have yourself a lovely Saturday! I'm back to cleaning and sorting stuff out now, we have Dan Smith (from LA Ink) staying with us next week and I want our place to be a bit more organised (I've been on a selling rampage on eBay!)

Barbie Nails ♥

TopShop Nail Varnish in 'Adrenalin', £6 for 8ml.

I saw this and obviously had to get it, meant to be on a polish ban as my storage shelf has overflowed onto my dresser and it looks unslightly so was hoping to refrain from anymore until I buy an extra storage shelf!

The varnish is a new addition to the TopShop collection and is a pound more than their standard core collection. With the right amount of time between layers, this formula has impressed me because I was expecting it to be gloopy and annoying like so many glitter polishes that are cheaper in price....however it dried fairly quickly (but do allow time when you're using this to avoid any smudge disappointment).

It's a sheer top-coat style polish with a mix of fine and larger round shaped silver glitter sparkles suspended within it. The sparkles catch the light, and a holographic shimmer bounces off (fairly similar to that of Models Own 'Juicy Jules')

It is so stunning, it has a very sheer wash of pink within it that builds a small amount of colour, but not much.

For those wondering, it doesn't seem far off OPI's 'Teenage Dream' from what I can make out. I always wanted that polish. Both have a tinge of pink in the polish, the size of the glitter parts do differ between the two, but it is pretty much a match.

So far I've tried it two ways, but I am looking forward to layering it over more pink shades and experimenting with it over a mint green...

One layer of 'Adrenalin' over Barry M's 'Peach Melba'.

Three layers applied over a sheer basecoat.
Unfortunately the polish only lasted a day on my nails before it began chipping (with topcoat.)

I'm a sucker for sparkles. Such a girl.....

Will you be buying this?

I done and got my nails did #Nails Inc

 Nails Inc

One coat of Holographic Top Coat

I made an appointment at the Nails Inc bar because my nails were in such a state (I'm afraid to say I'm a biter) and I needed it fixed. If I'm honest, I usually go to the cheaper nail shops (we all know which ones I'm talkin' about) to get 'gel nails', but after my rather refreshing/informative visit to Nails Inc and being educated in the proper practices of nail care (and being told that even gel nails in those places are acryllic, and that the UV dryers are used in the incorrect places), I won't be returning to anywhere else again!

I told the lady (lovely Sheeza) my situation. She trimmed my cuticles (trimming and cutting these off increases nail growth because the cuticles act as an anchor onto the nail), buffed, preened, used vitamin E oil.. I felt really pampered. She applied gel onto my nails in layers, (this does't include extensions.) She told me that due to the treatment she was giving me, my nails underneath were going to be kept in good condition. Sure enough, after a cuticle clipping and some treatment, my nails grew about a quarter of a centimetre overnight. No word of a lie!

The lilac colour is the final layer of gel (it was a toss up between this and a neutral pink!). The top coat is a Holographic top coat (I'm in love with this)- it is fine glitter particles that catch the light and reflect off rainbow colours (better than the GOSH Holographic nail laquer beause the holographic qualities are more noticeable, but I love that also. This Holographic Nails Inc varnish may also be similar to Models Own 'Juicy Jules')

3 coats of Holographic Top Coat

 I bought a treatment kit that I'll be reviewing after I've been using it for a few weeks, it contains the Vitamin E oil pen that Sheeza used on my nails during my appointment, it increases nail strength and growth- I have high hopes for this!

Overall, the experience at Nails Inc was really enjoyable. Their varnishes are amazing quality and there are some superb christmas gift sets as well. The employees know their stuff and they offer fake lashes and facial threading, as well as a range of nail treatments. 

Have you had your nails done at a Nails Inc bar? Are you loving the holographic topcoat as much as I? 

Also, if you like fashion/personal blogs then Aimee's blog is pretty good. She emailed me last week and has since added me onto her links page, I'm returning the favour! :)