Another blog hop! :D

Another Monday has rolled around...and with it arrives another blog hop!!

This is a great way to discover other interesting blogs, and gain more followers yourself.

Click here to see for yourself. :)  BlogLoveTherapy!

Rose nails. :)

I decided to make the most of the remaining nice long nails. 

I tried out a rose pattern, painted free hand. I used Log onto love by OPI, black acrylic nail paint, alpine snow by OPI and tree hugger from China Glaze.

Hope you like it! :)

Totally UNimPRESSED

Oh dear...I am ending my review on the  imPRESS nails incredibly early.

The claim on the box...up to 10 days wear? Yeah...if you lay down for these said days, being hand fed and bed bathed.

Day one : 4 come off. Very disappointing. Incredibly unimpressed.

I think that these are fantastic for 1 night, such as a special occasion. But for general day to day use? A total waste of money.

Shame...they looked so pretty.

imPRESS nails review

 Oki doki...I am finally going to try out the imPRESS nails, in the colour 060 Stiletto. I received these in the August Glossybox.

My first impressions of them are positive. They are good quality, easy to use, feel healthier on my natural nails compared to the ones you apply with glue, such as the Boots own stick on nails. They feel firmly stuck on, with no fuss or mess.

I personally do not like the colour. It's simply not me. They would look fabulous on some of my friends, but I am more of  a pastel and purple type of girl.

I'm happy with their appearance. Although, like most stick on nails, they do look false. I'm interested in how long they will last. The box states they'll last up to week. I will do a quick update blog to let you know how long they actually stay on.

There she Grows...

I am the unlucky owner of frizz prone hair. Each strand of hair expands in different directions by the mere threat of moisture. No matter how much I moisturise with conditioners and frizz ease products, the second a single water droplet hits it, my whole head of hair tries to escape from their home.

SO I decided to try a more professional hair mask. I bought Osmo deep treatment mask from Sally's Beauty supply, and smothered my head with its contents for a good 15 minutes. I was desperate!

Well...I have to say that I wasted my money! I have bought high street brand conditioners that work better. Even in my house, my hair frizzed. Barely any humidity at all. I will use the tub up eventually...but will be investing in argon or macadamia oil hair products next...continuing my desperate search for a product that will tame my fly away locks.

 Straight after blow drying.

Half an hour after blow drying!

Jewelled pedicure on broken daughter!

Good morning everyone.

So...my daughter broke her ankle at the beginning of the summer holidays. Trampolines are no longer a friend of mine (Very inconvenient!) So we are finding the silver lining...and have settled on the best one. Her toes are constantly on show for 6 weeks! Which mean unprecedented access to painting them!

This time she opted for a jewelled pedicure. We used craft jewels, which unfortunately are not as shiny as we would have liked. But it is still a lovely look for her broken self!

Review of Pro White Original

I am pleasantly surprised at how much I like this product!!

There is a definite difference once this varnish is applied. My nails look pearly white and so healthy. Again, my pictures do it no justice. 

For anyone who has even the slightest discoloration to their nails, this will transform them into beautiful nails.

Please excuse the nasty dry cuticle horrors in these pictures!!

Absolutely Flawless nail foils...best for children

These nail foils came with my She Said Beauty box. Now, like I wrote in my She Said Beauty box review, these are of no use to me. But my daughter will love them.

Well...today I put them on her. I skipped the step of filing the shine from the nail plate. I KNOW what that does to nails, and I would like hers to stay strong and healthy.

I squeeked the nails. (Rubbing over them with nail polish to remove any oils etc that remain on the nails) and cut them down to size. They are very easy to apply. I use tweezers to hold the individual foils, for easier application. Once all are placed and smoothed down, you run a nail file along the nail edge to remove the residual foil design.

My daughter is very happy with them, and I think that for the younger age groups, these work well enough. Especially for the price. You can't go wrong.

There's even enough for a couple more applications.

Simple design for small nail plates

I decided to do a different design on my natural nails today.

I am not a fan of my nails, mainly due to their small size. My genetic make up lets me down in all beauty areas. Cursed with small features. Not only do I have small eyes, mouth, feet and general height...(4ft 10)...I also have teeny nail plates. Which is not ideal for someone fascinated with all beauty related things!

But I am determined to let my teeny tiny nail beds shine. In all their minuscule glory.

I used : OPI Dulce De Leche and OPI Stranger Tides.

Review of Revlon color stay.

This is a must have foundation. Hands down the best drug store foundation.

The coverage is fantastic. Really good consistency. I would describe it as fairly thick, but only to a perfect amount! 

It lasts well throughout the day. I wore it all through my shift at work the other day, and it was still pretty much intact at the end of the day. 

Tried to get photo's of it, but I am currently throwing tantrums over the crapness of my camera. NOTHING turns out through the lens, the way it actually looks in real life. Especially make up. I am going to invest in a good camera and hope its pictures are true to life.

I used the oily/combination range, in Buff Chamois. It also has SPF 6.

 Skin BEFORE

Notice my freckly, almost orange tint.

Skin...AFTER!

This is much better, almost hiding my freckles with one thin layer

First play with the Urban Decay Naked pallet

I finally found time to experiment with my new Urban Decay Naked pallet! My daughter was eager for me to practise on her.

For the lid colour, I used sidecar. She loves glitter, so this was a subtle version for her. :) 

For the crease I used both hustle and dark horse. To soften the edge when blending, I used a touch of Buck. 

For the brow highlight, I used Virgin, because she has very fair skin.

These shadows are a delight to blend. Just beautiful.

First Glossybox...(Beware SPOILER)

Ok...so after my She Said Beauty box let down...this box was received in a kinder light than I think it would have been!!

This month's theme was International Superstars. Which is fitting considering all the nations have come together for the Olympics. :)

 I have to begin with the rubbish item first!! Oh deary me!! After researching, this item is most definitely not a cult item in Spain. It is most often found in their Thrift stores for tourists. 

pretty poor quality, not very pigmented, and almost chalky in consistency. Another present for my daughter.

Full size : £3.85

 I am interested in these press on nails. I am eager to see if they are kinder on my natural nails than the nails that you use the glue with. I will come back to these once I have reviewed them properly.

This product is American.

Full size : £7.99

 I am cautious about using this cleanser. Theres something nerv wracking about using an oil cleanser on oil prone skin!! 

I will try it...reluctantly...on a day where I have no important events scheduled for the following week or 2! :D

This is a japanese product.

Tester : about £3.00

 Very impressed with this item. At first look, I thought it was going to be some sort of UV top coat that glowed! lol...it is not. It is fantastic, as it takes away any yellow tinge on your nails, and makes them look super white and clean. Will review properly soon.

This is a German product, and I can see why it is included as an international superstar!

Full size : £7.95

 I have never heard of this. Apparently as a beauty therapist, I really should have!! It prolonges your lipstick, to reduce the need to touch up. 

This item is British.

Full size : £3.99

 I was happy to receive a bonus product. This is quite a nice lipstick...but I do think that they have over estimated the price! lol...nice try Glossybox. But it's a lovely colour, in glossy pink.

Full size : £9.50

SO the total value of the box is around £36.28. Although the price of the lipstick was inaccurate in my opinion.

Over all I was happy with this box. Not ecstatic...but certainly pleased. At least there was no toothpaste in here! :D

First She Said Beauty box...

Soooo...my first ever beauty box was a big disappointment.

My August She Said Beauty box arrived late July, so delivery is outstanding! I was pleasantly surprised that it arrived so quick! This is where my excitement ended. 

My expectations were obviously too high to appreciate the box. 

On the plus side, this box made my first ever glossybox experience a very positive one!

I am going to give She Said Beauty time to redeem themselves, with 2 boxes. If the contents continue to disappoint, then I will give up, and try another box. The last few months boxes have looked pretty fantastic...hence why I subscribed to them first. So hopefully they'l raise their game after this 'blip'.

 My outrage item...TOOTHPASTE!!! Will say no more other than What Where They Thinking?
Sample : less than 90p

The balance me lipbalm is actually lovely. But as lovely as it is...is was also free with a magazine last month.
Full size : £12.00

The Redken color extend Radient - 10. Still unsure what it does, other than provide 10 essential benefits. Said benefits are not listed. So Im non the wiser. Leaves my hair frizzy, so the nourishing lotion is not nourishing enough. :/
Sample : No more than £5.00

 Papier Poudre...so blotting papers. I have to say that I have combination skin type, so when I tried a sheet of this, it did work. Although not for long. Nice to try though.
20 leaf : £7.95

The Absolutely flawless nail foils...cheap version of Minx, which I have worked with. My daughter has now been handed these...which she loves.
Sample : less than £1.00

Our bonus item. OMG...it smells awful. Manly, citrus/ cleaning product like. Like the teeny bottle though.


The rough total value of the box was £26.85. The subscription is £10 a month, plus £2.95 (ish) postage. So we did get our money's worth. 

Unfortunately I experienced the downside of beauty boxes early on. Which may be a plus seeing as this has caused me to lower my expectations. Which will mean I will be bowled over by a good box!!

My box also arrived damaged. 















I have a more positive reaction to the glossybox coming very soon. :)

My first Urban Decay Naked pallette!!

Eeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

I am ever so slightly late on the Urban Decay Naked band wagon. I have watched with envy as everyone has ordered, received, used and re-bought their palettes.

Finally, my time has arrived.

So so so so so excited. 

I really like the brush that comes with it, which has surprised me. Mainly because most people I have seen review the naked palette have been critical of the accompanying brush.

I shall be playing with my gorgeous new palette over the next few days. YAY!!!

The colours are stunning, so soft and pigmented. Can't wait ti experiment!

Incredibly excited about this primer...gone are the days of creased eyeshadow!! :)

Cannot fathom why some people do not like this brush...it feels like a very good quality brush to me. :)

Over done Ruffian Manicure!

Initially I was aiming to do a ruffian manicure on my new stick on nails to test them out. The I decided to expand on the idea. This is not my favorite look...but is interesting in it's own right!!
Very simple to do. The polishes I used for this were:

• China Glaze  : Loft-Y Ambitions
• OPI : Stars In My Eyes
• OPI : Senorita Rose-Alita

Shopping spree! :)

So...I spent money I shouldn' have yesterday! Could not resist. 'Popping into boots and Sally's' turned into intense browsing and an hour of kissing goodbye to my budget!

I have become spending deprived the last 3 weeks...my daughter broke her ankle, so we have been unable to do much other than stay at home. I miss my shopping!!

I have decided that none of you guys would blame me for the buys in Sally's. 3 china glaze polishes for £3.27 in total. Yes... £1.09 EACH!! The colours are Brownstone, Loft-y ambitions and Westside warrior. (Hmmmm...I have just noticed that the labels say £1.07...but was charged £1.09. Am I going to complain? Of course not!!! :D )

I also needed a deep conditioning treatment, so decided to try out osmo. It is such a large tub, so I am hoping I like it! It cost £6.99...but this is due to me having a trade card.

From boots I bought the 200 clear press on nails, for around £8.50. I am tired of the palava of acrylic nails, and I am being very lazy using these! So far I am happy with them and their appearance. Although it has only been 1 day!

I am so excited about the next product! I have heard great things about this. Apparently it is known as the best drugstore foundation. It is Revlon Color Stay. I like how they cater to both normal/dry to oily/combination skin. I bought the Oily/combination range, in Buff Chamois. I think that it smells a lot like Baileys, which I love!! I have not yet used it, but I will review it once I do. :) This was £12.

I also bought Rimmels soft kohl in pure white. I have very small eyes, so I am hoping that this  gives the illusion of wider eyes. I was looking for a more champaigne light color, as the white may be a bit harsh and striking. But I was unable to find one in any of the brands. 

Finally...my pasty complexion is in severe need of some color! Finally I have succumbed to bronzers. I bought a medium-light one, and am hoping that it will perfect for my skin tone. To be completely honest, I bought it largely due to contouring. I am not blessed with naturally prominent cheek bones, or a super sharp chin line. So contouring is a must for me.

This is a cheaper product, costing me just £1.99. It is in 'Golden Glow'.

Ok, I shall leave it at that for a moment. I am going to use the products today, and I will review them later tonight. :)