Sunflower Nail Art

So after what I said about my colour club polish I received in my Birchbox (read here) I thought I might as well do some nail art as it has been a jolly while! I thought as the sun has been shining, what better to go with a bit of green than some bright yellow sun flowers! I was inspired to do these nails by my latest scrunchie addition. I love a scrunchie and have been waiting for years for them to come back into fashion. My latest scrunchie is more of a bun decorator and was £4.00 from Topshop. As I am fair skinned, I can't wear yellow as it makes me look so pasty and sallow but I really love the colour. This way I can wear it in my hair and now on my nails!

This nail art was done with, you guessed it, my good old Models Own nail art pens

April Birchbox

Propercorn Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-Dried Tomato flavour

Birchbox like to pop in a few treats to eat as well as to enjoy which I think is a nice touch. After last months disappointing stick of rock, this month I got a little bag of popcorn which is a snack I often choose! Its low fat and light and still enjoyable. Popcorn is becoming pretty trendy at the moment, as lots of new flavours are being explored and this is a perfect example of an exotic flavour. This flavour had a real spicy kick and were a good example of savoury popcorn.

Tommy Guns Shampoo

I have never heard of this brand before, but after a bit of research, I found out Tommy Guns is a professional hair dresser based in Soho. This Pomegranate and Orange Flower shampoo is for all hair types and is a general protecting shampoo, and it smells really summery but is quite subtle. It is supposed to help lighten fairer shades of hair too although I haven't noticed much of a difference yet. I have been using natural hair care for a long time now so it felt strange going back to something that foamed up. I didn't mind this shampoo but I probably wouldn't buy it again just because I felt it didn't do anything a different shampoo could do. Maybe with the matching conditioner it would enhance it a little more! Here is a link to the website anyhow incase you wanted to browse yourselves

http://www.tommygunshaircare.com/

Color Club Nail Polish

For this Birchbox, we got to go online and choose which colour we wanted. I went for this mint green metallic colour. I usualy hate metallic colours, but all the colours had a metallic finish. I have to say that this polish is no exception, I really am not keen on it! I think metallic finishes just remind m of old ladies (sorry all old ladies/ metallic finish lovers) I thought the pastel green would win me over but I am just not a fan. Maybe with a bit of nail art over the top would look better!

The Balm Cosmetics cheek and lips cream

I am not usually a fan of creme blush so I just used my 'the balm cosmetics' cream lush on my lips. As you can tell by the name, this company just does balm makeup and I really like the quirky packaging. This was a really nice colour for the lips but maybe a bit much for the cheeks. It was a really soft texture but the lasting power wasn't great.

Lord & Berry Black Eye Liner

This Lord and Berry eye liner was a really good size to squeeze into my makeup bag, it is good for travelling. Lord and Berry is sold on Asos and looks like a really good brand although slightly similar to Bobbi Brown. It is quite reasonably priced as a high end band and has a wide variety of makeup. I don't tend to use liners like this one but they are handy too have!

One Love Organics Beauty Balm

Beauty Balms are slowly becoming the must have skin care product for everyone. Although some people are sceptical about having a thick and sometimes oily balm on their face, once used to it, they are a fantastic multi use product that can be used for everything. I usually use beauty balms just for cleansing but with this one I have tried to use it more universally. As far as cleansing goes, this really does remove all my makeup including eye makeup, and it leaves my skin feeling really soft and balmy. Perhaps a little bit too balmy as I have to use a second cleanser after washing with it. I have used it a couple of times overnight as a moisturiser, especially when i have been a little sun burnt over the last few days. It really soothes the skin.

My only problem with this product is the smell. It smells a bit orangey and is quite sweet but I think its a little too sickly after a while which is a bit annoying if its on your face!

https://oneloveorganics.com/shop/skin-savior-multi-balm

Clinique Clarifying Toner

This product has saved my face.

Dramatic statement to make, but in order for me to express just how amazing this product is, I will need to set the scene for you. Let me take you back to a few weeks ago...

 The dryness around my nose that I have spoken about in quite a few of my posts hit a new low. It was constantly flaking and was drier than ever. It had spread round my mouth and people started commenting on it which is when you know it has got bad. Luckily, I don't get upset when people mention these things, and will often prompt conversation about it in order to find a solution. My friend took me over to the Clinique counter where I work, as she had seen they do a cream called 'Moisture surge intense', which she thought would be perfect for my dryness. When I got to the counter, the lovely lady shocked me by recommending something that would have been the last thing I would have thought to remedy my dryness: a toner.

I usually think of toners as being very harsh and drying on the skin, but she explained that the clarifying lotion works as a very mild exfoliant, and gently buffs away at dead skin in order for the skin to balance itself out. It restructures itself leaving a flat surface for more moisturising products to penetrate the layers of skin. The way she described it to me, was that my flaky skin was leaving big holes in the surface of my skin, so any moisturising products were just falling through and not actually hydrating the dryness.

I can honestly say that from the first use, my skin was 100% healed! She gave me a sample pot to try and a couple of days later I went back and bought the full lotion for £16.50 because I was so impressed by the results. The lotion she recommended me was the mild one as the dryness is a sensitivity, although there is a lotion for every skin type, ranging from skin type 1 being very dry, to skin type 4 which is very oily, plus a full skin care regime to try for each skin type which I want to try next.

I wish I had taken a picture of how bad my skin was before to show you the dramatic difference it has made. I have had absolutely no problems whatsoever since using the lotion which is such a huge relief for me. I can now concentrate on my skin as a whole, rather than constantly thinking about how my dry nose would react to certain products.

I must also mention the original product that prompted me to try Clinique, which was the 'moisture surge intense'. The Clinique lady also gave me a little pot to try and it has lasted me forever, probably because I am not needing to use it as much anymore. This was really good for the couple of days following the clarifying lotion, and is a great product to reach for as an instant relief.

If you want to give Clinique a go, then take a look at their website here. You can also take a quiz which will diagnose your skin type for you

www.clinique.co.uk

I am really impressed with the results I have had from Clinique, have you ever tried any of these products?

Aromatherapy Associates Rose Hydrating Face Mask

Hands up if you got a little too excited by the English sun this weekend and got a little bit burnt? I for one, have my hand firmly up in the air. I now have a very rouge T zone which is not only unsightly, but also a little painful when I laugh too animatedly. At times like these, the only thing you need is moisture moisture moisture, so my first point of call was my Aromatherapy Associates moisture mask.

The mask contains Aloe Vera which is particularly great for sun burn due to its cooling properties. The clear mask goes on for 10 minutes and is washed off after, or alternatively it can be used more thinly as a night treatment. It is a bit like an intensive after sun. Rose is a fantastic ingredient to help redness and after just one treatment as a mask, my sun burn was pretty much healed. This mask retails at £37.00 so I don't use it as regularly as I should, but I think over the summer this will become one of my hero products.

March Birchbox

As we reach the start of May it is about time I should review my March Birchbox I received.

Korres Body Lotion

Korres is a brand that I regularly hear asked after in the beauty department in which I work. Unfortunately we do not stock this range, but I was over joyed to see a large product of theirs in my Birchbox. The product is a citrus body milk, and I really really like it! The milk itself is really light and easily absorbed, and my skin feels moisturised all day long, even when I'm having my evening shower, I can still feel that my skin is moisturised. The smell is really nice and not overpoweringly citrus-y, and has a bit of a woody undertone which is subtly sophisticated. A little bit really goes a long way and I am still using this product after a couple of months!

Dr. Brandt Pore Refiner

This product is very similar to the Benefit 'Pore-fessional' I received in my last box. It is a coloured primer that covers the appearance of pores. I don't really suffer from large pores, but it is a really good makeup base that lasts all day. It can be applied over makeup but I prefer to just use it underneath.

Benefit 'Stay don't stray' eye shadow base

Speaking of Benefit, this concealer and eye shadow primer was a really good product. It has a light colour to it, and is applied underneath and on top of the eye. It makes your eye shadow and concealer really stick, and it lasted all day for me! I even had a bit of trouble getting my makeup off in the evening, so this is a really good product for keeping makeup on. 

Molten Brown Rhubarb & Rose Hand Cream

The rhubarb and rose hand cream is the latest scent to come from Molten Brown. We have a Molten Brown counter at the department store I work in and they let everyone have a try of it when it first came in so I already new about this product. The smell is so yummy and smells like rhubarb and custard sweets.

Christopher Wicks No7 perfume

This fragrance is slightly spicy and zesty but has floral undertones. Its very feminine and summery but not too strong.

Finally the theme of the box was LuLu Guinness, so this stick of rock was the influence on the box, a little strange as it hasn't got much to do with the brand, but the little Birchbox booklet had a lot of interviews with her. I don't like rock so this was a bit wasted on me!

Ruffian Glitter Nail Art

Hello everyone, I hope you have all had a lovely sunny bank holiday weekend! Apologies for not posting much, I have been enjoying the sun too! This post was originally meant to be posted last Monday, to tie in with Lacquer Legion prompt. The Lacquer Legion is a group that posts a theme every month and nail artists have to create some nail art based on the prompt. Last Monday the prompt was 'Glam' so I thought I would try something glittery. I usually hate using glitter as it is such an ordeal to take off, but I heard using PVA glue as a base coat really helps ease off the glitter so I gave this theory a go!

For this look, I used Homebase own PVA glue, glitter polish by Barry M and 'brompton place' by Nails Inc

This style of manicure is called a 'ruffian' and it is really easy to do. I applied about 4 layers of my glitter base on top of the PVA to make a really good thick coverage. You then go over the glitter with your other chosen colour, leaving the glitter peaking out of the sides. It is really simple to do!

The next question was, was the PVA base coat going to work? The answer is yes! It made peeling of the glitter so easy, and I didn't have to do any cleaning up afterwards at all. It kept my manicure in tact for a good few days as well, and would have lasted loner if I wasn't riddled with temptation at peeling it off.

I am definitely going to use PVA in the future so expect a lot more glitter here!!