My Work: Acrylic Nails with Nail Art

Just a quick one to show you todays work. These are for a very unique friend of mine who likes things "a bit different" The hardest bit for her was deciding which colours she wanted....!!

My Work: Shellac With The New CND Additives

So today's post is just to show you my mums nails (hi Mum! Thanks for reading!)

She is wearing two coats of Hot Pop Pink, a layer of Iced Coral (my favourite combination!) and then the ring finger has the Cerulean Blue Additive fading up the nail.

Gorgeous or what?!

My Work: Large Hexagons in Acrylic

So I just wanted to share with you a set of acrylics I did today. I was my first attempt at using large hexagons in acrylic - I knew the effect I was going for so just needed to put it into practice. I have to admit its pretty tricky to get them in exactly where you want them but I adore the overall look. I've ordered more colours so my clients can have loads of different colour combinations.

Hope you like!!

Beginners Fairytale Inspired Nail Tutorial

I uploaded this design as a video a few days ago but I wanted to add to my blog as well so I have a photo to look back on. I actually think the photo doesn't do it justice - that's not big-headed - I just couldn't get a photo to show how pretty the gold fade is with the silver foil stars against it.

My Work: Black Acrylic Tips with Konad

Here's another two photos of my work. They're both the same person and technically the same set of nails but when I rebalanced them we swapped from the white flower design to silver stars.

I love the effect that the stars have as they went way beyond the smile line.

JolieBox June 2012

So finally the June edition of JolieBox arrived.  We all had an email quite some time ago to say there had been an issue with their delivery systems and that we will receive the boxes but the customisation of them might wrong.  I'm not usually bothered by things like this to be honest so it made no difference to me.

Anyway, I missed the delivery on Saturday so I picked it up this morning from the Post Office... the packaging is lovely and so pretty!! I've made a full video of it and my thoughts but I have to say I'm pretty impressed with them.  The Yonka product is for dry / normal skin (I'm oily / combination) but I have a friend that it can be passed so theres no problem there. 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Just Catching Up...

As promised I just wanted to do a little update post. I don't like to do these too often because I like posts with photos but there's been so much change recently (hence the lack of posts and videos) so I'd thought I'd share...

My biggest news is that on the 20th June I qualified as a beauty therapist. The course is all over and done with so I can now offer tinting, lashes, waxing, facials and spray tans to my existing nail business. Although I love "doing nails" it's great to be able to offer some completely different services. I now looking into starting an Aromatherapy course in September as I want to be able to offer a few "feel good" services to the business and I'm interested in learning more holistic skills. Honestly if any of you are in this industry you'll know what it's like to just keep rolling and rolling with it, learning more and more!

The another news is that I've left the room I was working in. It was above a hairdressers but we had no passing trade and it wasn't worth the rent, plus the room was too small for me to have a massage bed in to offer any beauty services. I was sad to go - I'm not going to lie but now I have a set up at home which I also use to film my You Tube videos in too. I'm planning on doing a room tour soon so you can see it since it has been requested.

I have two beauty videos coming up that I have already filmed. One is an empties video which is particularly for products that I've received from beauty boxes, if I'd purchase them etc... The other video is a review of the HD Brow tweezers that came in last months GlossyBox. In both videos I'm very honest so I hope if you do watch it i hope you'll appreciate my honesty.

Anyway - that's it for now... I will talk to you very soon

x

Fish Tail / Braid / Plait Nail Tutorial

Yes it's me... I'm back big time both on this blog and on my You Tube Channels. Ill be posting tomorrow with an update but today I'll show you my latest nail tutorial. I love it. It's as simple as that. It takes a little while as you have to let the polish dry but it's not too much of a problem.

I wasn't sure what to call it. My mum said it looked like basket weave. I knew no matter what I called it someone would tell me "it looks more like..." so I went with the long name.

Hope you like!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TUTORIAL 

My Work: Shellac Summer Rockstar Nails

First all I will start with a further apology, life has gotten a little bit busier as I'm due to finish my college course this month and I have been busier in work this this sort of fun.

I just wanted to share with you the nails I did today as my friend picked two gorgeous colours and I loved them!

More posts are to come soon!

Zingy (EDF Energy) Nail Tutorial

So I've finally gotten around to filming my next tutorial. It's been a while and I've been thinking of doing this one for a few weeks now. I love this little guy!

Hope you like!

Click HERE to watch the video 

New Polish - OPI Number One Nemesis

So it's just a quick one to show you my latest OPI purchase. A lovely friend of my placed an order with the OPI distributor as the new Spiderman collection is out and kindly ordered the only one I was interested in - Number One Nemesis.

I did firstly look through other swatches online and was surprised to find that there was only really this one that I was interested in. There is another one in the collection which is similar to Chanels Peridot (that greedy two toned shade) but since I already have Jessica's Iridescent Eye which is also simular, I didn't feel a need to buy it.

So here it is - its a great colour but very close to OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Mavelous which I also have so for that reason I'm pretty much left unexcited.

Equalled my friend actually ordered the full collection and she wasn't very impressed or excited by it either.

My Work: Shellac in Romantique

I just thought I'd share with you my favourite Shellac "colour" which is Romantique - I like it as a natural French if my client has a nice even free edge. This is one coat - obviously two coats would make it more of a milky pink.

I often put a layer of Zillionaire over it (glitter) or actually sprinkle glitter over.

It's my most popular colour! Hope you like!

GlossyBox April & SheSaidBeauty May

I'll start todays post with a little apology for my absence recently... things have gotten a little hectic with one thing or another. 

Those of you that have read my older posts will know I like to do a full posts on each Beauty Box for each month but i've had two boxes recently and havent been able to sit down to take my photos etc so I just wanted to make this post before I get too far behind to link my You Tube videos for each box so you can see what I got and equally - what I thought of them.

So here they are...

Click here to watch SheSaid Beauty Box May 2012

Click here to watch GlossyBox April 2012

I'll be back to normal with my usual posts as of tomorrow !! I have loads of new products to show you !!

My Work: Shellac Rockstar (Fingers)

So today's just a quick one... I did these Shellac Rockstar nails using this Stargazer glitter. I've done it with this colour quite a few times and I love it. Hope you like!

Nail Of The Day

I just thought I'd do a quick post and show you my latest nails. I've fallen back in love - hook, line and sinker - with Konad. Here I have OPI Step Right Up with the lace design from Konad Plate M57. I just think it looks so sophisticated (for me anyway - haha)

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

So today's post is about the Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer which I received in two of the beauty boxes, I think it was GlossyBox and Feel Unique (RIP!)

I've recently become more dubious of hair care - particularly those that offer the promise of soft and silky hair that we all crave. The reason for this is as you may know I'm coming up to the end of my Beauty course and have recently learnt that this type of product simply coats the hair making it appear shiny and smooth. Over time with regular use this coating builds up to the point where your hair is lank and lifeless. Have you ever felt this way with your hair? I know I have and then I go running out to buy a clarifying shampoo to clean away all of those layers of build up.

That being said - I still wanted to go ahead and test this product out for myself. The reason for this is because Philip Kingsley is a Trichologist (Trichology is a branch of medicine that deals with the scientific study of the health of hair and scalp.) so he clearly knows his stuff(!)

I have to say that although my hair has been coloured and bleached more times than I care to remember - it is fairly shiny naturally. My actual hair colour is brown with hints of auburn and that's what most of my hair is.. apart from the fun chunk of blonde that I've had for the past year on the left side of my head underneath the part. As this section had been bleached to death it often feels terrible after I've washed it and only feels better after straightening (that's such a warped this to say due to the heat damage straightening causes!)

So directions...

You need to wet hair and apply the Elasticizer in sections, cover with a bag and leave for 10 - 20 minutes.

My initial thoughts were that this was a lot of faffing about before you even wash your hair and I also thought that surely using shampoo and conditioner when you finally get into the shower will wash away the Elasticizer? That being said I still followed the instructions only I wrapped my hair (rather attractively) up in cling film(!)

It washed out easily just like a regular conditioner. When I got out of the shower I generally gently brush my hair and leave it for an hour to dry naturally. I did notice that my hair brushed through easily with the blonde section is normally its so matted so this was a definite improvement.

Once I'd dried and straightened my hair I would definitely say it appeared to be soft and smooth. I'm conscious of the hair at the top of my head looking greasy quicker due to the shine which is why I took a photo straight away to show you that i think it does look like day-old hair. The reason being is that I have a loads of baby hairs and it seems that they've been weighed down in some way.

 

My overall thoughts on this product is to save it 'for best.' I think if you're doing something special and need your hair to be top notch then try this out. Referring back to my original thoughts, I would imagine it would eventually leave to build up and you needing clarifying shampoo.

Full size 150ml is £22.30 on feelunique.com

New Love!! Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser

As strange as this sounds I never expected to fall in love with the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser. I mentioned it on in March Beauty Favourites video (click here to watch) that I'd bought it last summer as it had such rave reviews and as a sufferer of oily skin in summer but wanting a little coverage, I thought that this might be the answer.

Unfortunately in the UK the official stockist is only SpaceNK and at the time (believe me I know this sounds ridiculous) but I begrudged paying the shipping cost so I ordered it from my favourite America site and saved something like £5. When it arrived I got slapped with a huge tax bill of £13 (I think) so I ended up waiting a long time for shipping as well as paying far more in the end!! For that reason I chucked it in my make up basket and it lay there unused... Until recently.

Boy I love this product! I have it in 'Nude' and it's such a perfect shade for me (luckily!)

There's a couple of things that make me love it:

• the coverage - its pretty light coverage, more like it just smooths things over.
• the consistency - its a light texture that makes you feel like you have nothing on your skin but it gives a slight glow to the skin that I've tried to capture with the photo to give you an idea.
• the scent - it has SPF20 and has a scent of sun tan lotion which is lovely to apply in the summery mornings that we've had recently.


After I've applied it I apply a little concealer on my chin to cover a few minor scars and then finish with a light translucent powder.

A point that I notice is that normally (even wearing a foundation) when it comes to the evening and I'm removing my make up I can not usually see the foundation as its slid off hours earlier but this... I can see it on the cloth/wipe which shows me that it really is lasting even on my oily/combination skin.

Another point is that it is available in a normal version (as opposed to the oil free version) for normal to dry skins.

I can definitely see me repurchasing this... From the UK this time!!

SheSaidBeauty Box April 2012

So today's post is all about the newest UK beauty box - SheSaidBeauty box. I stumbled across this one on google whilst searching for something else and after my Feel Unique Beauty Box was discounted (RIP!!!) I was delighted to see there was another one to take its place (that's a true addict talking isn't it?!)

Anyway - unfortunately I signed up just before their first box was released for March so this box is my first one from them. I did see a promotion code on their website at the time so rather than paying the £9 and £2.95 P&P - I paid £6 something and P&P for this box.



So let's talk about the box - it arrived in the typical beauty box outer box which is in a gorgeous bright pink. Opening it up it reveals a box ideal in style to the old Boudoir Prive box with the flap over lid and magnet clasp in a beautiful aqua shade. Inside there is a contrasting pink sheet of tissue paper with a pink ribbon. I love these colours together #decoratinginspiration(!) The products sit on a bed of what I can only describe as what looks like paper hay!!

So enough about the box... Let's get onto the good stuff

First on the list is the Filthy Gorgeous Nail Polish. This is a full size product at 10ml and has a RRP of £9. The colour I got is 'Tu-tu Much.' Its a beautiful coral pink shade. I have to be honest - the price says 'higher end' and not really a budget product but the bottle is really uninspiring and a little cheap looking. I think if I pulled this out to use it on a client they would likely think that it would be a low end product in a similar price bracket to the Beauty UK line in superdrug. Image is key and I don't think there's an awful lot of attention to the detail of this packaging. That being said - the colour is really nice and something I would definitely wear.

The next product is the Comfort Zone Body Expert Kit. This is a handbag style pouch with six different sachets of products that range from £19.95 - £58.25. The sachets are a mix of creams, shower gels and exfoliators. This is a lovely little kit - I love that there's so many of their product range to try in one little bag.








The box also had another full sized product - Mischa Barton Luscious Lips In 'Pink Pop.'. This balm has SPF15 with a hint of colour. It's exciting to see a brand that I am familiar with the name but not the cosmetics line. I have to be honest though - this balm is £12 and I wouldn't purchase it myself. I have already tried this a few times in the short space of time I've had it and it is definitely not as moisturising as some of the other lip conditioners I've tried - if at all.




BellaPierre Shimmer Powder in 'Champagne' is the next item on the card which has 100% Mica powder in it. It's a stunning colour and this is another full sized product worth £12.99!! This will be perfect for the warmer days and a gorgeous glory look so I look forward to cracking it open!!









A small sample pot is the last official item on the card. It's a face and neck polisher by Bharti Vyas. It is a gentle exfoliate with walnut shavings. It is only a very small sample compared to others but I'll definitely try it out but due to the size it's a 'one use' sort of sample.

Now for the extras... Theres a black smart looking mini folder containing five creams by Erno Laszio's The Hollywood Collection. These creams were used by some of Hollywood's finest including Marilyn Munroe. The full sized versions are priced between £85 and go up toa breathtaking £175 (now thats what you call luxury!) very excited to try these out.

Lastly - a lovely touch is the little Lindt egg they included. I smiled when I saw this and smiled more when I ate it.

A lovely pleasant box from this new company - keep up the good work and I look forward to opening my box next month!!

Click here to watch my video on this box 

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick

So today's post is about my latest purchase - the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in 'Platinum Pink.'

I spied this brick at the start of March when I was buying my MAC 'O' lipstick at the local CCO and it was sitting pretty on the counter. Once I'd swatched the tester there I made a vow to myself that I would return and buy it.

One of my friends raves about the bronzer shimmer brick from Bobbi Brown so when I saw this one is a gorgeous pink highlighter shade I was sold! It should have been £30 but as it was in a CCO is was £21.50 which I was really pleased with.

I love the idea of the multi toned products just because if you swirl your brush in a different area you'll get a slightly different colour. The colours in this brick are pretty similar to each other with mainly pink tones and one olive strip in it. If you swirl all of the colours together it's the perfect light subtle pink with shimmer. Definitely a gorgeous Spring / Summer highlight that leaves a gorgeous dewy glow to your skin.  If you're not a shimmer fan - you may want to give this a miss though but you probably guessed that by the name of it!!

So happy I got it - next step is to try the bronzer!!

GlossyBox For Men March 2012

So finally the GlossyBox For Men has arrived for my husband.  He loves getting his surprise male grooming products in his 'man box.'  I have to say he's not vain at all and can sometimes annoyingly not care what he looks like but for when hes feeling in the mood to improve his skin, etc then these sized tubes are perfect for him as its enough to use until he starts getting a little bored with it all again ! This box is delivered quarterly but has 7 luxury sized samples for £15 plus P&P.

The box is a very manly taupe brown colour - identical to the female version on the outside but plain black on the inside rather than the pink crown logo.  The products lay on a bed of those paper widget things (does anyone know the name of them? answers on a postcard!) wrapped in tissue paper and finished with a GlossyBox sticker, tied with a black ribbon. The card inside reads 'Gentlemen, the wait is over.  You next dose of the ultimate grooming products has arrived!  Containing the greatest and latest manly must haves, you can be sure your look is more couture than clown'

Onto the products (and my thoughts along with hubby's)

Organic Homme By Green People - Active Fix Repair Serum 20ml (full size is £16.50 for 50ml) The card says 'Extraordinary age reversal plant formula with a clinically proven cell rejuvenator to actively reduce wrinkles.  The scent is really fresh and organic.  What I like about it is the directions are literally 'lightly tap on to face and neck, particularly focusing on heavily lined areas'  For those men out there like my hubby that are slightly hopeless with fancy instructions this is one step that they can all manage !

4711 - The Original Eau De Cologne 3ml (full size is £10.95 for 50ml)  The card says 'Pour a generous amount of cologne into cupped hands and apply liberally around the neck, cheek and wrist area for instand refreshment.  I think most people will recognise this cologne - it was only GemsMaquillage (YouTuber & Blogger) that was talking about it in one of her recent videos and how she loves it's history and scent.  This cologne was created in 1792 and is formulated from the essential oils of citrus fruits blended with Rosemary, Lavender and Neroli. This unique scent is suited to both sexes and its ultra-fresh citrus notes instantly revive the wearer.

The Legends London Alum Matchsticks - Full size product RRP £1  The card says 'Natural after shave astringent' When my husband saw these in the box he said 'MATCHES?!' and was a little puzzled but these little matchsticks seem to be a brilliant idea.  Used after shaving, the alum matches calm razor burn, soothe and help to keep recently shaving skin in good condition.  Hubby kindly advised me that I will need to get a massive amount of these since he tends to cut himself on a regular basis !!  

Liz Earle For Men Face Scrub 30ml (full size is 75ml for £13.25)  The card says 'Pumice and jojoba beads exfoliate and help clear blocked pores - leaves skin clearer and ultra-smooth.  This was the product that I was most excited about and my eyes were drawn to it when we opened the box.  For valentines day I purchased hubby the travel range of Liz Earle products which contained the hot cloth cleanser and moisturiser so now he can try out the face scrub as well which his skin does need.  Good for you GlossyBox for getting a brilliant brand into the box !

FAB Body Moisturiser 56.7g (full size is £13 for 226.8g) The card says 'The ultimate travel companion for all skin types that provides irritant-free hydration'  This moisturiser has two major plus points for me - its paraben free but most importantly its fragrance free which is perfect for men and will cover all of the skin types.  Hubby has really sensitive skin so it is important that the products he uses is suitable for him.  I also like the packagine - 'First Aid Beauty' apparently !!

Kyoku For Men Sake Infused Shave Cream 9ml (full size is £25 for 170ml)  The card says 'Prevents redness, irritation and moisture loss and guarantees a razor slick glide for a smooth, calming shave.  This sounds like a dream product for men if it lives up to it's promise.  I have to admit I am a lady who doesn't mind dropping some cold hard cash for a good product so for the price of this cream I would hope it is brilliant.  It's a shame its only a sachet and not a miniature but beggers can't be choosers eh?!

Dr Bronner's Magic Liquid Soaps Lavender Hand Sanitiser 59ml - full sized product - £3.99  The card says 'a lavender scented hand sanitizer in  a handy spray size, perfect to carry around with you.  My thoughts?  If you had to read this one twice then you probably had a simular reaction to both hubby and I !!  I'm not sure how I feel about having a hand sanitiser in a 'male grooming kit' - let alone a lavender one (which has the stereo type of being an older lady's fragrance)  I'm certain the spray will be handy but its a lot more likely that either hubby will leave it in his car for emergency freshen ups or I will use it in my handbag.  I think it was a rather unusual choice and a shame that it wasn't a more general fragrance if they had to put a hand sanitiser in at all !! 

All in all - hubby is happy.  The box paid for it's self although I would have liked to see a miniature fragrance in there.  I lik GlossyBox For Men as I think I can keep an eye on what he likes and uses and it's a perfect present then to buy the full sized versions for him.  We shall eagerly await the next one in June !!

 Click here to watch my You Tube video on this box

JolieBox March 2012

So todays post is all about the March JolieBox - their first all full-sized products box (yes you've read that correctly!) Now compared to my slight disappointment last month - this has really taken me by suprise (and i'm sure a lot of other people too - definitely those who unsubscribed after last months box!) I was delighted to see that they seem to be continuing on with the fabric bag as opposed to the paper pieces in all of the other beauty boxes - I've been using the other one to keep my glitter pots & coloured acrylic in and it was getting a little overstuffed so now I de-clutter it a little!!  

This months theme is 'Put a spring in your step' according to the card enclosed which has all of the products listed.  So onto the good stuff... the products.

Yardley Luxury Body Wash - 200ml £2.50  The card says 'A luxury body wash to cleanse and nourish the skin.  Available in three floral scents'  Mine is in 'Royal English Daisy' and as you can imagine it is a slightly floral scent with hints of... I think possibly citrus? its sweet anyway and truly is luxurious.  The the price I think its amazing quality and you truly do get a lot of product.  I'm actually interested in testing the other two scents out as well.

Davines Authentic Moisturing Balm 75ml - £9.99 The card says 'A natural and conditioning balm to be used on face, hair and body.  Conditioning ingredients such as jojoba and sesame oil'  I feel like I say this with every box but the scent on this product is really calming - just like the sleep sprays that you apply to your pillow at night.  I'm interested to try this out on my hair as when I first read it I thought it sounded odd that you could put a product on your skin as well as your hair.

Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner - Power Pink £10 The card says 'This skinny eyeliner pencil provides precise definition and intense long-lasting colour.  Available in six different shades.  My instant reaction was disappointment - i'm not going to lie to you as I knew this product has been featured in another beauty box (February edition of GlossyBox) but I was delighted to see that this time I have the pink one since last time I received the plum shade.  When I uploaded my GlossyBox video I remember there was a lot of talk of people receiving the pink one and I said to one subscriber 'pink sounds a little odd for an eyeliner' but she replied and told me its for your waterline to help make your eyes look awake (an alternative to white eyeliner) and thats when I decided it sounded brilliant - and it is!! 

LCD Nail Polish 8ml - £10 The card says 'A fasty drying polish available in four on-trend pastel shades.  I actually can't seem to find the colour to mine but its the white shimmer polish that I received.  I have to admit it's pretty but for the size of it it's pretty expensive !! A regular sized OPI is 15ml and retails for around £10 (in the UK) thats basically double the size of this bottle !!  I've not seen this brand before - both as a consumer or in a professional sense but I have to say the packaging doesn't scream luxury or high-end which is a shame.

JolieBox Mirror The card says 'A dainty compact mirror that will fit perfectly in your make-up bag'  It certainly is dainty & pretty delicate but i'm sure everyone who has received it will put it to good use - I know I certainly will and it was lovely to receive something that's a little different.  It's super lightweight and very thin.

Also in the box was the first edition of 'JolieMag' which is a nice refreshing read.  It features a little mention of some of the previous products they have sent but mainly has current fashion and beauty products.  Brilliant idea JolieBox! 

 

Overall - this box was brilliant and more than I ever thought a beauty box would do (although Carmine does come pretty close to it pretty much every month and this is why they have always been a favourite of mine but are now merging with GlossyBox)  My only concern is how will they top this next month or will we be left pining for another 'March' box! 

Click here to watch my JolieBox March video