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.

Nails: Little Hearts

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I don't do nail art!! But my sister was visiting last week and asked me to do her nails, and I couldn't resist popping a little heart on her ring finger.

The main colour I used was In Style Coral from Nails Inc which I don't think is available anymore. The beige base colour on her ring finger was Essie's 'Sand Tropez'- one of my all time faves. With a bit of help of some cotton buds soaked in nail varnish remover and a steady hand I managed to whip out two little hearts pretty quickly. Perhaps not the neatest of jobs, but maybe not bad for a first timer ;-)

We used a Nails Inc basecoat and topped the final mani with my trusty Sally Hansen MegaShine. 

Thanks for reading,

E.

My Nail Varnish Storage

I have been meaning to blog about my nail varnish storage for moooonths. I recently realised that I manage to leave a trail of nail varnishes behind me. I knew I had a lot but it wasn't until I sat down and counted them all that I had the sickening realisation that I owned just a few short of 100 nail polishes. No girl, needs 100 nail polishes. Not even the nail bars I used to frequent had 100 nail polishes! Always keen for a mini spring clean (my makeup drawers are calling me- they're in one hell of a state) I thought I had better sort through my varnishes as there is no way that I wear all of them or will ever want to wear some of them again.

Above you can see the before, during, and after pictures. I streamlined my collection and put lots aside to go on to new homes, be put in the bin, or to be sent to Give and Makeup. These included the majority of my Barry M, all of my 17 (they chip too quickly), prehistoric MUA, gooey GOSH and Rimmel, plus excess coral varnishes from Nails Inc. (I had 6 corals. All the same. Girl got problems)

The storage:
The shelves are from the Ribba range that you can buy from Ikea for around the £5-£8 mark. I bought these shelves a year ago when I was shopping with my mum and instantly knew they were perfect for nail varnishes. 
I didn't put too much thought into how I would organise the ones that made the cut, I just sorted them by brand. Top shelf, front row I put my Illamasqua beauties, O.P.I, No.7, Nars, Dior, Rococo, Jessica, China Glaze and Orly. Behind the front row I put some odd glitter polishes and unbranded ones, and some nail wraps.
Second shelf I put my Essie's, Models Own, L'oreal Colour Riche, GOSH (including the original Holographic polish which I couldn't bring myself to get rid of), and all of the mini Ciate from my advent calendar. Behind these I popped any spare base and top coats and the one Barry M the made the final line up ('Mushroom' incase you were wondering.)

Already I feel a little more organised and have made it my aim to sort one section out each week. Now my nail stash is sorted I fear it may be time to move onto lip products..I dread to think how many of them I own! Would you be interested in seeing more spring clean/storage posts?

New In! Illamasqua 'Speckle' Nail Varnish

Illamasqua 'Speckled' Nail Varnish, £14.50 for 10ml. (Limited Edition)

Attention nail polish addicts! There are some new kids on the block, released today as part of Illamasqua's new spring collection named 'I'mperfection' these limited edition pastel shades seem to be a perfect ode to upcoming spring with their 'speckled egg' type finish. I think the finish of them is so unique in their matte glitter type effect and I am a sucker for lilac so had to have this one. The baby blue comes a close second though. I might have to buy it.

I found that one coat was very watery, with two coats it intensifies and the layers of speckles build up. Pictured above is three coats and a top coat to make them shiny. I think that the effect is pretty exciting as I haven't really seen anything like it before. I love that the finish is quite muted, it's a way of wearing decorative nails but with a more mature or sophisticated edge in comparison to outlandish glitter designs (though there ain't nowt wrong that either.) 

The speckled and irregular finish of these fit into the 'I'mperfection' campaign perfectly with Illamasqua encouraging us to embrace our perceived  flaws and make them a feature to be proud of, whether it be freckles or a birthmark. I've got a couple of other bits from this collection, would you be interested in seeing them?

Will you buy one of these polishes? Do you love the finish of them as much as I do?

P.S. Please excuse my horrible looking short nails. But I couldn't wait for them to grow back before I showed you!

Midweek Post: Crescent Moon Mani

I think it has been a little while since I posted my Midweek Post. I do try and post every Wednesday, but as you all know sometimes life just gets in the way! I am not one for nail art per se, but I love the crescent moon manicures that have been flying around since they were first spotted on the runways in 2011 sported by the models at Vena Cava. Since then we've seen it on celebs such as Dita Von Teese and as I had some free time this morning I thought I would give it a whirl. 

I knew I fancied a dark nail polish as I have been wearing Illamasqua's 'Whack' the last few days and while it's been a lovely bright contrast against the icy backdrop of the recent weather I felt the need to go back to near- black. I chose Essie's 'Stylenomics' which is a very, very deep green and was released in the autumn collection of the same title. 

After applying base coat and letting them dry I cut a semi circle shape out of a piece of sellotape and popped it on top, painting the rest of my nail with Stylenomics. I made sure to wait a little more time than I normally do to let these dry, I am a real impatient nail painter but knew I didn't want to mess this up by whipping the sellotape off too quickly and leaving uneven smudges behind. Two layers of top coat later et voila! All in all it took me about an hour but it wasn't as laborious as I had first expected it to be. Making do with sellotape I don't think I did too a bad job (all the online tutorials I read and watched were using stationary circular paper binders as their guide, but I didn't have any of those to hand.) I wanted to leave the cuticle end my natural nail but there is the option to have it coloured you would just need to alter the process slightly.

A nice twist on my normal painted nail. Have you ever done a crescent moon manicure?

Ciaté 'Cookies and Cream.'

It's been such a treat opening up each window on my Ciaté advent calendar. There's been a few questionable shade choices (there's a canary yellow that I know will go untouched) but overall they've been lovely picks. 
Opening up the window to 'Cookies and Cream' immediately prompted my nude obsession to come flooding back to me. I posted a while back about how much I was enjoying a nude nail- understated, feminine and so chic but with the onset of winter I felt compelled to wear deep reds, dark greens and greys. The nude polishes got brushed aside and ignored.
'Cookies and Cream' reminded me straight away of my beloved 'Sand Tropez' from Essie. They're very, very similar, a warm pastel beige that even flatters pale, pink hands like mine.
In terms of application this polish was opaque in two coats but I applied three to stengthen the finish (they seem to chip on me a bit too quickly with two coats, other than that I can't complain)

I'll do a post with the 'best of' the advent calendar after christmas with swatches of my favourites, I just thought that this one was worth a mention in the mean time. It's certainly up there in the favourites!

Do you like nude nail polishes? What nail polish are you loving at the moment?

Midweek Post: Buy of the week!

Nails Inc Duo, £12 for 2x 8ml bottles. 

I just thought I'd show you what a bargainous deal is in Boots at the moment. For only 12 British Pounds you can get yourself an 8ml bottle of the A&E Basecoat and an 8ml bottle of the Albert Bridge Topcoat. They're not quite full sized, but full sized bottles retail at £11 so to have these two for just a pound more is a worthy spend. 
I love Nails Inc polishes and was a bit sad when my base coat ran out last month, then in the same week I lost my Sally Hansen MegaShine topcoat after using it in the car, I cannot for the life of me find it anywhere! I swear cars are just a blackhole for me, I lost a flip flop in one once while it was ON my foot and we couldn't find it after emptying out the car- twice!! Since that mishap I've been using a base coat from Collection 2000 but I swear it is making my nails dry, flakey and weaker than usual. I haven't worn the A&E basecoat enough to comment on whether it has helped repair my nails but it is really quickdrying and provides a good base and fills in ridges well. The Albert Bridge topcoat is wonderful. It dries in under two minutes to a super glossy wet look finish that seals the colour well. It still doesn't prolong the wear of those darn Essie polishes though, but does anything??

I don't know if these have been available for a long time as I normally buy my Nails Inc from Debenhams, but I know that if I had known this was available I'd have snapped it up sooner!

While I'm on the subject, what are your favourite base and top coats?

P.S. So sorry I have been absent in terms of blogging recently- I will reply to all your comments, check out your blogs and say hello to all of my amazing new followers very soon. I have been juggling three jobs and driving all around the country and I am knackered. I'm not ignoring you!

Counting down to December 1st...

When Ben told me the other day that he had ordered my advent calendar I was baffled and confused. Firstly, why was he ordering my advent calendar? Just go down Tescos, innit. And secondly, why was he ordering it in October?

As soon as a Selfridges box arrived (damn, I love them yellow boxes) I opened it up to discover an advent calendar, but not just any advent calendar, it's one from Ciaté. If you've not heard of Ciaté before, they're a nail polish brand with the cutest packaging- sweet little bows adorn every rectangular bottle and their shade range is to die for, they are also famed as founders of the 'caviar manicure.'
So, each day on the countdown to Christmas I will open a little window to discover a mini nail polish, how cool is that?
I only wish they hadn't included the contents on the back. Despite this I'm really excited to see what colours I'll get each day, bring on December!

Empty Products- the October Edition.

It's that time of the month again, empties time!! I've racked up a total of 13 empty products this month, which is pretty good going for me. They're a mixture of skincare, haircare, nails, makeup and fragrance! Read on to see what I think of each. :-)

Bioderma Crealine h2O Solution Micellaire- I really enjoy using miscellar waters, I think they're great because they remove face/base makeup effectively and are gentle enough for all skin types. Bioderma was the first I purchased and probably remains my favourite of them all. It's unscented and I notice an improvement in my skin when I remove my makeup with it before cleansing my face, rather than just using a cleanser on it's own to remove my makeup as well as clean my skin. Bioderma isn't readily available in the UK (though I heard miniatures are on sale in Harrods now) so I use an eBay seller, I think this 500ml bottle cost me between £12-£15. There is something so simple yet tactile about the bottle too, I just love it.
Will I buy this again?
I've got an Etat Pur one to use now but I'm certain I'll buy this again in the future.

YSL Top Secrets Pro Removers Eye Makeup Remover- This 30ml bottle came free with a selection of YSL products in a makeup bag that I was given last Christmas after spending so much on the counter! I absolutely loved this, it removed eye makeup instantly and gently, without irritating my sensitive eyes.
Will I buy this again?
I've got a full sized eye makeup remover still unopened, but I would buy this full sized.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish- Another month, another empty Cleanse & Polish! This is my go-to fail safe cleanser of the moment, it cleanses really well and gently removes any excess makeup. I think it's price is so reasonable for the quality, it contains gorgeous natural ingredients such as chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus oil.
Will I buy this again?
Already have.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Light moisturiser- This claims to offer 48 hour hydration and is targeted towards those with sensitive skin. The consistency of this is quite fluid and it takes quite a long time to absorb. For once, a Vichy product left me quite opinionless.
Will I buy this again?
No.

L'Occitane Ultra Rich Body Cream- This was a sample given to me after my boyfriend spent £22 on a body wash for my birthday. I absolutely adored this, while I only used it once I noticed how quickly it absorbed for such a rich cream that contains 25% Shea Butter. It softened my legs and elbows, and the nourished effects could still be felt in these areas days later, after further showering.

Will I buy this?

I would love to have this full size, it'd be a perfect winter moisturiser.

Kiehls 'Creme De Corps' All Over Body moisturiser- This was a favourite of mine and was featured in my May favourites. Luxurious, soft, and doesn't take too long to absorb, it's ideal if you're looking for an unscented intensive body moisturiser. This is technically Ben's, so he used it up and I thought I'd include it in the post, I only used it sporadically but I always enjoyed it when I did.
Will I buy this again?
I'm sure Ben will ;-)

Lee Stafford Hot Shots 4 Blondes- I used to use these religiously when I had white bleached hair when I was younger. This time around, they don't seem to have done much though girls at work keep commenting that I seem to be blonder and blonder each week so perhaps it has been working more than I know noticed. It's a purple treatment that you lather into shampooed hair, before conditioning. You're meant to leave it on for 2 minutes but I always try and do 5, it eliminates brassy, yellow tones to colour treated hair to create a more pure blonde.
Will I buy this again?
This was a repurchase but this time I'm undecided. I think I will try another purple treatment first.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in 'Cherry'- This will probably appear every month. You can read what I think here.
Will I buy this again?
Already have.

17 Miracle Matte pressed powder in 'Ivory Porcelain'- While this was nice n' pale, it was too powdery and heavy on the skin no matter how little I used. The entire product lasted me about two months, but it did shatter when it was near empty and I lost a lot of product when I subsequently opened it!
Will I buy this again?
No.

Nails Inc 'Harley Street' ridge filler- Though this isn't technically empty, it has died a death. The brush no longer reaches the product unless tipped and the product is a gloopy mess. This has served me well as a base coat and I've used it so much over the last year. It smoothes the base of the nail well and doesn't take very long to dry.
Will I buy this again?
I've got another basecoat to use up at the moment, but it doesn't even compare to this one. I will buy this again when I've got a spare tenner.

Hugo Boss 'Orange' EDT-  I've had this for a loong time and for a while it was my favourite but then I felt that it didn't last very long on my skin and stopped wearing it as often. I think my tastes have changed (working next to the perfume department hasn't helped!) so I won't buy this again even though it is a gorgeous scent. I remember an old friend of mine telling me 'if I was a girl, I'd want to smell like that' when I hugged him, and I was wearing this at the time. That sounds quite funny written down, but it was a nice compliment all the same.
Will I buy this again?
No.

Dolce and Gabbana 'Pour Femme' EDP- This was a 2ml sample size of the new fragrance. I've never really liked D&G perfumes and this one was no exception; it's overly sweet, heavy and unoriginal.
Will I buy this?
No.

Marc Jacobs 'Daisy' EDT- Another sample. This is a pretty, feminine and playful scent that I imagine would appeal to a large age range. It's fresh and floral, a lovely day scent or for the summer.
Will I buy this?
No- I don't love the scent enough, and I don't like the bottle!

Do you use any of these products, if so what do you think of them? Please link me to your empties posts too, they're my favourite to read!

Midweek Post: Essie 'Stylenomics'

Essie Nail Varnish in 'Stylenomics', £7.99 for 13.5ml.

Essie 'Stylenomics'- one coat. Sally Hansen Megashine topcoat- one coat.

Similarly to 'Head Mistress' which I reviewed here, 'Stylenomics' is part of the limited edition Autumn collection from Essie which is available in Boots stores in the UK. It's probably no secret by now how much I love Essie- the wide brush, quick drying formulas, amazing colour range and milky consistency. The only negative factor I can think of is that sometimes they chip too quickly. 'Stylenomics' is opaque in one coat, which cuts manicure time in half. This is the only Essie shade I own that is really dark, so I cannot comment for all of them, but the consistency of this felt thicker and more like a gel, which is probably the reason it only needed one coat instead of two or three.
I would describe the colour as a green infused black. In some lights, or to an untrained eye this varnish probably does look black, but it's certainly got a murky, moss green pigment that makes it so stunning and autumnal, and I hope that this comes across in the photos. I couldn't find any 'dupes' for it on any of the other makeup stands in Boots, so you'd probably have to go high end if you wanted a colour like this, which in turn completely takes the point out of a 'dupe' as they'll be no cheaper.

All in all, another Essie colour that I adore. I think this is my new favourite; it's mysterious, chic and powerful.

NOTD: Deep Autumn Red.

Essie Nail Varnish 'Head Mistress, £7.99 for 13.5ml.

Two coats of 'Head Mistress' with Sally Hansen MegaShine topcoat.

 Hello everyone! How are you all this Friday night?

Just a quick post to show you what colour I have been loving on my nails this week. It's an Essie shade called 'Head Mistress' and while I am not a fan of the name, I am a fan of the colour. I love classic red, on nails and lips but I did notice that my collection was missing a shimmer-free deep red. Obviously a necessity, I popped into Boots and soon sorted that situation!
Like many others I gravitate towards deep, rich shades as soon as Autumn hits. This colour deepens with every coat, and so far on the second day it remains chip free (which is pretty good going for Essie) 

I'm now after a British racing green kinda colour if anyone can recommend one

What are you wearing on your nails right now?

(Also- please excuse a couple of bitten nails in the above picture. Sadface.)

New nail varnishes from Estee Lauder

So these are new in, it seems Estee Lauder have recognised how popular nail varnish is becomming for women recently and have released a plethera of new, and I've got to say, absolutely stunning shades.

Me, and all the other cosmetics girls painted these on quickly the other day when they arrived, I just couldn't resist so managed to get a load of different colours on each nail rather than sticking to one! Please excuse the photo- it's not too clear as again it was just a quick snap on my break but hopefully it'll prompt some of you to go and check these out yourself as the pictures don't portray how pretty and multi dimensional some of the colours are.
Some of the shades pictured include Bete Noir, Blue Blood, Noveau Riche and Black Plum.

Are you tempted by any of these?

(Please excuse my shabby moonstone ring, I've had it on that finger for 4 years and it's a long story as to how it got to look that way- don't judge me!!)

You are GOLD! (leaf)

Rococo Nail Apparel in '#7676 Gold Leaf', (about £25) for 14ml.

Rococo are a premium, luxury nail polish brand, and this shade #7676 is a glossy top coat that contains real 24k gold leaf. I'll be honest and say that this has been in my 'to review' pile for about 6 months now, and I think I have finally found it's perfect partner- Essie's 'Sand Tropez'.
I mentioned here about how I have gone back to nudes recently, and whilst I do enjoy a glitter topcoat as much as the next girl, most of the time I'll wear a plain nail colour.

The formula of the polish is quick drying, you don't have to wait around too long for it to set before you slap on your shiny topcoat and it does add a different, extra dimension to a nail look.
However, I do feel I should warn you of its potency! The smell is unbelievably strong during application, but this does disappear when it dries. As with many decorative topcoats (glitter, confetti) the finish is irregular so be prepared that one nail may end up more coated than another, also some of the flakes don't sit flat and may stick up here and there. This can be avoided with a firm push down of the brush and another topcoat, though.

I do love the finish of Sand Tropez with Roccoco on top, I think it looks expensive and that they are a match made in heaven, what do you think? Would a gold leaf topcoat be a welcome addition to your nail polish collection?

Summer cupcake NOTD!

Technic 'Carnival' available here for £2.05 for 12ml.

Illamasqua 'Loella' available here for £13.50 for 15ml.

Not one for nail art particularly but like a true magpie anything with glitter and I'm attracted to it! A few weeks ago when my bargainous Technic 'Carnival' glitter topcoat arrived through the post I rushed to my bedroom to pick out the perfect base colour. For the ultimate girly, party nail it had to be paired with Illamasqua's nail varnish in 'Loella'. It's a perfect candy pink with subtle pearl sheen, however the formula of this is gloopy, streaky and takes a long time to dry which is a shame, (however the colour is so gorgeous that I'm never really put off.)

The pictures show (base coat), two layers of 'Loella', two coats of 'Carnival' and a coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine top coat.