Finally Nailing It

Hi everyone!

For ages I've been really confused by the big obsession with nail art. Partly because I'm pretty rubbish at it and partly because I'd rather concentrate on makeup, I just felt like concentrating on my face was a lot more worthwhile than spending time and effort on nails.

Nail Art Set: Urban Outfitters £6

Now I'm not going to say that I'm a complete convert but since getting gel nails I've kind of been won over. They're so glossy, strong and don't chip for ages. I also recently got a little nail art kit (pictured above) as part of a birthday present, and putting this stuff on is so easy even I can do it, and I have difficulty painting my own nails without getting polish on my fingers. All you do is paint your nails whatever colour takes your fancy, let it dry, polish your nails with a clear top coat and then apply whichever particular little gems you want while the nails are still wet, then just let them dry and you're done. Here I've gone really really simple, but I'm sure that with enough practice you could create some really original, beautiful looks.

The little kit is from Urban Outfitters and costs £6.00 which is well worth it when you consider that a bottle of nail beads generally costs around £4.00! 

If anyone has any nail art tips I'd love to hear them!

On another note, I started using the Real Techniques face brushes today and I'm already a massive fan, I've also been completely converted to Touche Eclat when applying it with the pointed foundation brush, as it goes on so much smoother than with the pen./fingers. 

Birthday Beauty Buys

Hi guys! 

It was my 21st birthday on Monday which was absolutely brilliant so thought I'd share some of my lovely presents I received from family/my boyfriend and of course some beauty buys bought with birthday money...I just couldn't resist!

The little Pandora ring was a lovely 21st birthday present from my parents! It's got my birth stone in it so I thought it was a pretty appropriate birthday present. My boyfriend got me the turquoise bracelet on my birthday and I think the two go pretty well together, but anyway, onto the beauty buys...

(Left-Right)

1. Grarnier Ambre Solaire Tinted Self Tan Gel

I've literally just put this on so I can't vouch for how it looks when it's developed, but it seems to have a decent tint, allowing me to see where I've applied it. However, my arms are already tanned and they're almost the same colour as the tint so I'm not 100% sure it's even, I'm sure I'll see soon enough!

 I noticed that in the earlier fake tan post there was no mention of gels so I wanted to put a little mini review of one on here.

On the front of the product it says it has 'no self tan smell', which is blatantly untrue in my opinion. It definitely does have a fake tan kind of smell, which doesn't put me off but might certainly put off others.

So far it has come out a nice golden brown colour but I will keep you posted as it develops!

*NB: It says on the tube not to be used on the face, but my skin generally doesn't react badly to fake tan, does anyone have any advice on whether it's safe or not/ the reasons behind this?

2. Real Techniques Your Base/Flawless Core Collection 

I have been eyeing these brushes up for SUCH A LONG TIME in work and finally bought them today with some birthday money. I haven't opened them yet as I'm going to use them to apply my makeup tomorrow but I absolutely can't wait.

I'm so much more orientated towards face makeup, coverage and highlighting than I am eye makeup, partly due to the fact that I had severe acne as a teenager, and so got pretty knowledgeable about the best coverage for each area of the face and how to highlight the best parts.

Included in this set are: 

Detailer Brush
Pointed Foundation Brush
Buffing Brush
Contour Brush
+ case 

Let me know if any of you have used any of these brushes before or have any advice on how best to use them!

3. YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch Highlighter in 2.5 Luminous Vanilla 

I bought this iconic product when shopping in Belfast as I again had a little bit of birthday money to burn. So far I've used it three times, and I'm not as blown away as I expected to be. It is a very good highlighter, but surprisingly it worked best for me when I used it over my usual full face of makeup to brighten it up a bit. However, I'm going to try using it with my new brush tomorrow to see if it'll make any difference! Does anyone have tips on how to get the best out of this product? I'd love to hear from you!

Nivea BB Cream in Light Review

Hi guys, since we're actually getting some lovely weather in Northern Ireland at the minute I thought I'd swap my trusty Wake Me Up foundation for something a little lighter on the skin. I managed to pick myself up the Nivea BB Cream for £4.00 while it was on offer. 

Price: £4.00 (on offer) for 50ml 

Claims: '5in1 Beautifying Moisturiser. Evens. Covers. Illuminates. Moisturises. Protects your skin.' 

Rating: **

I bought this BB cream on a whim as I wanted to try something that i could just wear to work that would be light on my skin and keep it moisturised, as we generally have the air conditioning blasting at the moment. I absolutely love Nivea products, especially the smell, so was really excited to try this.

It definitely had the trademark Nivea smell, but overall I was extremely disappointed by this product. It came out with a very orangey tinge, and while this got a little better when applied to the skin, it just looked like I was wearing a mask and didn't blend into my skin well at all. It provided quite a good coverage, which was definitely a lot better than a standard tinted moisturiser, but I saw no evidence of it 'illuminating' my skin whatsoever. 

It's quite possible that I just have the completely wrong skin tone for this product, but I simply couldn't get past what was, to me, a horrible colour. I'd recommend that people with light skin stay away, as even though it is labelled 'light' I feel like the orangey tint will not be good at all for anyone with blue or yellow undertones to their skin. 

It's not an absolutely awful product, and I probably will use it when I'm just pottering around the house or in the garden as it has SPF10, but I am 100% not swapping my usual foundation for this anytime soon. 

Fake Tan Troubles: Mousse, liquid or spray?

Hi guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while, work has been crazy! But today i thought I'd write a little post on fake tan, and which type is good for each area of the body, and a few pros and cons about each type. 

As I am a broke student as well as a fake tan addict I generally use St. Moritz fake tan which can be bought for around  £2.99 from various chemists and stalls. However, each time I bought tan I decided to try out a new method of application to see what was the best, so here are a few tips to help you decide which is best for you. 

This review is mostly based on the St. Moritz tan, although I have used others in the past. 

(My skin doesn't generally react badly to me applying tan not specifically for the face on this area, but if yours does then I would definitely invest in one specifically for the facial area.)

Mousse
Pros: Good for covering large areas of the body quickly such as legs, back, stomach, stays on after a shower.

Cons: If you don't spread it quickly enough it can dry in lines, can dry out your skin due to the mousse texture, hard to apply evenly on smaller areas such as neck and chest area.

Verdict: This is probably the type of tan I started with when I was younger. It's good for covering large areas such as the legs, but I really wouldn't recommend using a mousse anywhere near your face or neck as it is extremely difficult to apply evenly and dries out your skin a bit.

Rating: **


(L-R: Mousse, lotion, spray) 

Lotion
Pros: A lot easier to spread evenly than mousse, good for covering large areas of the body, less drying than the mousse, a little goes a long way, develops further within 4-6 hours.

Cons: Takes longer to dry, not easy to adjust coverage if you're in a rush.

Verdict: I definitely prefer to use a lotion for a night out, it give a bit more colour than a spray and applies more evenly than a mousse. However, it does take longer to dry.

Rating: ***

Spray
Pros: Allows for more precise application, gives a lighter, more natural colour than the lotion, dries quickly, can be applied straight onto the skin or onto a tanning mitt.

Cons: Can be a tiny bit drying on the skin, doesn't cover large areas as easily as a mousse or lotion, doesn't develop once applied, comes off quite a lot after a shower.

Verdict: Overall the spray version of this tan is probably my favourite. I use it on my face and neck as you can hold the can away from the face and spray for a light coverage, and then blend with a tanning mitt or sponge. It looks the most natural of all 3, perfect for someone who just wants to look like they have a natural tan. It generally comes off quite a lot after a shower however, so if you want to keep your colour up you have to keep applying.

Rating: ****

Sample Loving- Mini Reviews

Today in work I came across a lovely selection of new free samples to try out, including Vichy's new Idéalia BB Crème, Vichy Liftactiv Global Anti-Wrinkles and Firming Care and the new Emporio Armani Diamonds Rose eau de toilette. 

So far the Vichy BB Crème seems to be staying on well, but I've only had it on for about an hour. It smells quite like the Vichy Idealia Pro Cream, which if you've smelt it you'll know how gorgeous it is. I have the BB Crème sample in Medium, which at first seemed very dark, but has blended in well with my usual skin colour and doesn't seem to be wearing off, but I'll keep you posted on this one. It's £21.00 for 40ml so it's quite pricey, and personally I'd rather have the sample on for a full day too see how it stays on/wears off.

The other mini review of these samples has to be the new Emporio Armani Diamonds Rose fragrance. I'm not a massive fan of the original Diamonds, so was a bit sceptical about how this would smell, but I am completely and utterly in LOVE with it! It's lovely and light for Summer, and retains the smell of the original Diamonds but in a much softer, feminine way. In no way would I describe myself as particularly 'girly' in any other aspect of my life but with fragrance I 100% unashamedly am. To give you a very rough idea of the kind of perfumes it could be compared to, I'd probably put it with Flora by Gucci in Gorgeous Gardenia or L'eau by Nina Ricci. This perfume is priced pretty normally for Armani, at £27.00 for 30ml. If you like light, feminine fragrances please try this next time you're out as it's the nicest new perfume I've smelt in a long long time! 

Holy Grail Product! MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl

Hi guys, I haven't blogged in a few days because I've been working. The weather here in Northern Ireland is absolutely horrific at the minute so I thought that now would be the perfect time to share one of my all time favourite beauty products.

Product: MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl

Price: £14.50

Uses: Highlighting brow bone, cheek bones, cupid's bow and tear duct.
Rating: 5/5

This is definitely my 'Holy grail product' if I were to have one. I bought this after reading a few reviews on it and instantly fell in love. This product is really versatile and can be applied with fingers or a brush, and can be used on bare skin, over foundation or even over powder. At first I was a bit scared that using it over powder wouldn't give the same effect and it might go clumpy, but it really doesn't at all.

One reason I love it so much is due to its range of uses. I use it before blusher and powder but after concealor just under the arch of my eyebrow, on my cupid's bow and in the tear duct. However, the place where I notice it most is along my cheekbones. I usually place a few dabs on with my finger and then blend in to highlight the cheekbones beautifully (and make me look like I actually have some!) 

I sometimes use it on my eyelids too when I don't want to wear full eye makeup to highlight the area and make my eyes seem a little bit more awake. I really can't get enough of this product as for me, it makes my makeup look polished, and gives my usually oily skin a bit of a healthy glow. I'm definitely going to be repurchasing in this colour once I run out!

Have any of you tried any of the other colours of Cream Colour Bases? What did you think?