Product Rave: OPI Nail Envy Natural Nail Strengthener

Unluckily for me, along with stumpy eye lashes, I also have another beauty affliction – weak nails. My mum suffers the same problem, but she has always put hers down to the fact that for years she was a hairdresser, so spent a lot of time with her hands in water, unfortunately I have no such explanation! I religiously had nail extensions for 5 years which gave me great looking nails but cost me a fortune and left my real nails in a worse state than they were in the first place. 

 

Since I stopped getting extensions I’ve tried every lotion and potion going to try and coax my stumps into becoming beautiful talons, but I haven’t been having too much luck. I found that a combo of Soap and Glory Hand Cream and Boots No 7 Nail and Cuticle cream gave me a kick start growth-wise but they didn’t do anything much for the strength of my nails – they were still bendy and brittle.

 

I’ve been a fan of OPI colours for a long time (mainly because I can get them cheap with my Sally Trade Card) and I’ve picked up Nail Envy on a few occasions only to balk at the price of £15 and put it back on the shelf. Having tried Hard as Nails by Sally Hansen and been unimpressed I decided to take the plunge and invest in Nail Envy. This is one of the first products I’ve picked up without doing any research online first and I’m happy to say I’m really impressed, my nails are in the best condition they ever have been!

The instructions say that you should apply two coats of OPI Nail Envy strengthener on the first day, and then one coat every other day for one week. After a week, you remove the strengthener and try again.

I’ve been using Nail Envy for 3 weeks and I can’t stop singing the praises of this product. Within a week I was already beginning to see results, my previously soft and bendy nails became strong and flexible, and they have stopped peeling. I’ve also used Nail Envy as a base coat and I’m pleased to report that it works really well.

The verdict: If you have soft nails that are prone to breaking I couldn’t recommend this enough!!

xxx

 

Last Orders!

Just to let everyone know that you have until Friday at midnight to enter my giveaway. If you haven’t entered yet what are you waiting for?!

Enter HERE!

xxx

Aussie Goodies

I’m sure you’ve all read lots and lots of posts about this already but I thought I’d put my two penn’eth in!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Emma at Aussie to ask whether I would like to be part of phase II of Aussie Angels and of course I jumped at the chance (special thanks to Sinead for recommending me!) I attended a couple of the Aussie events during the first round and had a fab time so I was really excited about being more involved during phase II. The first this to d was to decide which tribe I belonged to – I identified with most of them (except Luscious Long) but given that my hair is generally flatter than a week old bottle of bubbly I plumped for the Aussome Volume tribe.

Being a bit lazy, when the postman knocked on my door at 6am on Saturday morning I grumbled a bit and rolled over for another hours beauty sleep – I regretted that decision when I spotted what seemed like half of the world tweeting about their Aussie welcome packs later in the day! Turns out my laziness meant I had to wait until Monday morning to pick my treats up from the Post Office, that’ll teach me.

So On Monday morning, I toddled off to said Post Office to pick up this little bundle of joy:

Which contained:

• Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner
• 3 Minute Miracle (I love this stuff)
• An Aussie Mirror
• Comb
• Badges
• and a Crunchie (slightly irrelevant but who doesn’t love free chocolate?!)

I was really surprised to receive this, so I want to say a massive thank you to Aussie!

I haven’t tried out any of the Aussome Volume range as yet so stay tuned for reviews!

Shout up if you’re in the same tribe as me – I can’t wait to meet up with everyone at the party in July!

xxx

Figure Envy / Gymspiration

I’m pleased to report that my gym going has been going pretty well, I thought that it may have been a short-lived flash in the pan (as these things generally are) but I’m consistently going 4 times a week. I’m not good at self-motivation so I find that classes work best for me and I’ve found 4 that I really enjoy – Boxing, Spinning, Power Step and Zumba. I’d like to try Body Pump but my gym buddy isn’t quite as keen and I’m not brave enough to go on my own yet!

I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll never be skinny, I’ve got an boobs and hips and I’ve finally decided to embrace them! So instead of aspiring to a figure I’ll never achieve I thought I’d put together some pictures of girls with the kind of proportions I could realistically (with a bit of work) have. 

xxx

(All photos courtesy of Google Images)

REVIEW: Skin Wisdom All Day Light Moisture Cream

I picked this up during a recent trip to Tesco (I must stop sneaking things into the trolley while the Mr is not looking) as I was looking for a cheapy moisturiser to use every day. I should probably be considering a more hardcore moisturiser, but at the moment I don’t think my skin needs anything heavier. Maybe I’ll rethink when I hit 25!

The Skin Wisdom range has been created for Tesco by Bharti Vyas (who is a holistic beauty therapist) and the range of skin care is designed to bring all of the benefits of professional therapies to your own bathroom. The Skin Wisdom range sells all manner of other skin care products, from cleansers and toners to exfoliators and eye cream.

The packaging lists Spring Sea Water, Green Tea and Chamomile as its active ingredients -the spring sea water helps to boost moisture levels in the skin and the Green Tea and Chamomile promise to soothe the skin and protect against the ageing process.

The cream itself is white in colour and it has a fresh scent to it which I wouldn't think would irritate even the most sensitive of skins. The product is very light, so you only need to use a very small amount as little goes a long way. Once applied, I find that the product sinks in very quickly and leaves my skin feeling refreshed.

For anyone with normal/combination skin I would recommend this product, but for anyone with dry skin it may be a little bit too light. I’m not sure that this will replace my Soap and Glory Catch a Wrinkle in Time (which is my usual moisturiser), but for under £3 is a bargain!

xxx

NOTD 20/04/2010

Boots Natural Collection - Hibiscus.

This is a much brighter fuschia pink/hot pink in reality, but for some reason it didn't photograph well at all. I'd thoroughly recommend it along with pretty much all of the other Natural Collection polishes - they're amazing quality for under £2!

xxx

“I’m Just Crazy About Tiffany’s….”

…..so said the fabulous Audrey Hepburn in my favourite film of all time, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  I spent many an afternoon on the sofa with my Grandma watching Paul Varjak’s pursuit of “that daring, darling” Holly Golightly, and I think that has to be where my obsession with the little blue boxes (and Audrey Hepburn) comes from. I have quite a collection of Audrey memorabilia which I’ve built up over the years, but until I met the Mr that little blue box had eluded me.

The Mr isn’t the best at buying presents but he knows me well enough to know that if its shiny I’ll probably like it! I thought I’d do a little post on my day-to-day jewellery, as though I love costume jewellery I don’t wear it all that often and tend to stick to the same staples. All of the items I wear on a day to day basis are presents from the Mr – yes, I’m a very lucky girl!!

So here we have it. I’m not a gold girl at all, I think gold can look lovely on other people, its just not for me!

The Items I wear everyday are: Gucci watch, Tiffany & Co Interlocking Circles ring, Return to Tiffany double heart pendant and Return to Tiffany bracelet.

Next on my wish list are earrings and a Tiffany Key, but I can’t decide which one!

Do you have any items that you wear every day?

xxx

Derby Day NOTD

The nerves have been building all week and here it is – derby day! Had my nails been longer I’d have gone for the full blue and white stripes, but given that this was a bit of a rush job I went with Wednesday blue – the polish I chose is True Blue from Boots 17 Fast Finish range.

Wish us luck!!

xxx

Long, Short or Choppy?

…..decisions, decisions!

xxx

FOTD: Sunny Saturday

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunny weather today, whether you’ve spent it in the garden, in the park or in a beer garden (which would have been my choice!)

the sun must have sent me a bit dolally as I thought I’d be brave and share my FOTD with you all. I went for a coppery, lightly bronzed look today. Given the fact that I’m as pasty as a Cullen, my bronzed is probably a lot less tan-tastic than other peoples idea of what bronzed should be but here it is……

What I used

• Maybelline Dream Creamy Foundation in Nude
• MAC MSF Natural in Medium
• MAC MSF in Redhead
• Maybelline Dream Sunglow Bronzer in Light/Medium
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Barry M Dazzle Dust in 44 Bronze (all over lid)
• 17 eye shadow in Yeah Baby (highlight)
• Natural Collection eye shadow in Asteroid (crease)
• Urban Decay 24/7 liners in Lucky (lower lashline)  and Zero (waterline)
• GOSH Velvet Touch eye liner in Bananas (inner corner)
• Maybelline The Colossal Mascara
• Urban Decay Brow Box in Honeypot
• MAC TLC in Feelin’ Good

I tried to take a close up of my eye but unfortunately my photography skills aren’t up to that much yet!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend

xxx

REVIEW: Skin Therapy Eye Make Up Remover

No fancy names here, but then what can you expect from 79p? Yes you read that right – seventy nine pence. Although I’m a sucker for a bargain I don’t make a habit of picking up my skincare in Wilkinsons (though they do sell other brands at bargainous prices), however I was about to be late for my spinning class and I realised I a) had no eye makeup remover, and b) had exactly £1.17 on me. I popped into Wilkos expecting to come out with some paint stripper-esque baby wipes but lo and behold I spotted this beauty. Naturally I picked it up and left the shop feeling very pleased with myself for getting eye make up remover AND a Twix for the princely sum of £1.17.

So onto the review. The packaging is nothing special, I'd prefer a pump dispenser than the hole-in-the lid which you get but again, its 79p, you can't expect too much!

The product is very much water-like, its runny, clear, and is fragrance-free. I generally prefer liquid/oil based eye makeup removers as I find gel ones a bit slimy and cream ones leave too much residue. It promises to gently moisturise with conditioning agents, though I'm not entirely convinced by this claim. I didn’t notice any moisturising qualities what so ever, but then if you want moisture buy an eye cream!

So onto the burning question…..is it any good? I'd say for 79p, yes. It shifts my daily eye makeup (currently Max Factor Lash Extension mascara, UD 24/7 liner in Zero, Too Faced Shadow Insurance and whatever eye shadow I happen to have picked up), though I'm doubtful that it would do a job on anything heavier than that.

Would I recommend this? For my gym bag, yes - for 79p you can't really go wrong! But if you wear heavier make up than that described above I'd probably say save your pennies and go for something like Boots No7 Dual Action Eye Makeup Remover which is my usual staple. Having said that, its such a bargain that its not the end of the world if you buy it and don't get on with it. Plus you'll have enough cash left to buy another (much needed) lippie!

xxx

Slightly Belated 100 follower giveaway - CLOSED

Here it is – my not-so-long-awaited 100 follower giveaway. Thank you to all of my lovely followers, I do read all of my comments, though I can be a bit slow at replying to them and appreciate each and every one of you!

Without further ado, lets get to the good stuff – THE PRIZE!!

The giveaway winner will win everything pictured above. I decided to make up the prize of some of my favourite products, and hopefully there’s something for everyone.

One lucky winner will win:

• FCUK Make-up bag (perfectly handbag-sized)
• A bottle of St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse
• Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel
• Collection 2000 Hot Looks Nail Polishes in BMX Bandit and Siren
• Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Midnight Cowboy
• Boots Extracts Almond Body Butter
• Boots Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Apple Blossom

Obviously all products are brand new and have never been used!

The Rules (Thank you to the lovely Rhamnousia who let me pinch her watertight giveaway rules):

• Follow this blog and be an active blogger, either in the beauty or fashion community.  This giveaway is to say thank you to my genuine followers. Its not for the 2000 people who will suddenly decide to follow me because they see the “G” word then disappear back into the ether. Obviously I welcome new followers, but I’d rather those followers had a blog and/or had something to say and aren’t just in it for the ‘free lunch’ so to speak.
• For 1 entry: Leave a comment below telling me what your favourite type of blog posts are (e.g. reviews, FOTD, OOTD, Hauls)and of course, the obligatory "enter me".
• For 2 entries: Post on your blog or tweet about the giveaway
• For 3 entries: Have a link in your sidebar about the giveaway

If you post about my giveaway on your blog, tweet about it or link back to it, let me know so that I can give you your extra entries

This giveaway will be open for 3 weeks from……………….NOW!!(Closing on 30 April at midnight)

Good luck ladies!!

xxx

Middle-aged Post Alert – My Kitchen

Yes, its yet another off-topic post….

Now you’ll probably know that I’m a bit middle-aged and there’s nothing I like more than watching UKTV Food and pottering about in my kitchen. So I thought I’d share a few pictures of my beloved kitchen. There are a few things I’d still like to change, but it’s just about getting there now. Not quite sure how I managed to talk the Mr into the hot pink (I think she was up to his ears in circular saws and decking at the time) but believe it or not he’s grown to love it – result!!

I tried to do this as a 360 degree tour round my kitchen, only I’m waiting on my new sink so I omitted that area as it’s not finished (we do have a window – honest!). I’ve gone for a slightly kitsch/retro theme as you can see (I’m still waiting for my Dualit Kettle/Toaster combo though *hint hint Mark*)

Enjoy…..(or not, as the case may be)

So that’s my kitchen! Don’t worry, normal service will be resumed soon :)

xxx

REVIEW: Aussie Dual Personality part 1: Curl Definition and Soft Feel Serum

One of my staple hair products is serum – I’m never without the stuff! I use it both before and after styling to tame the frizz and eliminate any flyaway static-y bits of hair that I always seem to have. I’m a bit of a Paul Mitchell devotee, and have always used Super Skinny serum, which I absolutely love. I recently went away for the weekend and somehow forgot to pack serum, so in a mad panic I picked up this Aussie product in the supermarket. I think that it cost me about £4.50 for 75 ml which is slightly cheaper that the Paul Mitchell product (£14 for 150ml). To be honest I’ve not really tried all that many Aussie products, in fact the only one I can remember using is the ubiquitous 3 Minute Miracle but I was drawn by the name of the product – since having shorter hair I’ve been dabbling with curls instead of the poker straight hair I’ve had for as long as I can remember. I’m quite impressed by this product and will probably use it alongside my Paul Mitchell staple so I thought I’d do a little review on it.

The serum claims to revive and separate each curl, giving  defined but bouncy locks with a soft feel. Ever the cynic, I was a bit dubious about the statements made but I’m happy to report that the product lives up to most of them.

The Serum contains  Australian Jojoba Seed oil which acts as a  built-in conditioner aid for your hair – which is definitely a bonus when you have slightly straw-like bleached locks like mine.

The product is clear (as expected) and slightly runnier than the Paul Mitchell product (which is the only other serum I’ve used) but this doesn’t cause me any problems. Oh, and it has the standard Aussie scent which I happen to love.

I prefer to use this on dry hair than wet as it makes my hair feel beautifully soft and shiny. When used on wet hair it gives plenty of definition but not so much softness. Having said that, its a great product for putting on your hair and leaving to dry naturally if you can’t be bothered with drying and straightening.

The Verdict? I’m not going to abandon Paul Mitchell yet but I’ll definitely use this product when I want curly locks or I’m giving the straighteners a rest.

xxx

Spring Wishlist....

I’m starting to think that maybe I should rename this blog as its evolved from being purely a beauty blog, but as you can tell I’m not too imaginative when it comes to blog names so for the time being at least I’ll leave it be!

As I’m still trying to scale my make up collection down to a manageable size I’ve been more into clothes shopping than make up shopping in recent months, and at the moment I’m absolutely loving Oasis! I’ve only ever really bought from Oasis during the sales, but at the moment there are so many new items I want to splurge on! I thought I’d share a few of my current objects of desire through the wonders of Polyvore, so here goes……

Spring wishlist by BrionyLou featuring Oasis

Which is your favourite store at the moment?

xxx