Skull and Roses

If you saw my blog over the weekend, you would have seen that I posted a review of the Wet Brush. If you did not see it, then find it here.

I love the design of my candy skull Wet Brush, and with it being Halloween, I thought it would be a great skull inspired mani.

I have done a sugar candy skull manicure before (see here), but I think this one is a little more grown up and gothic, especially with the rose detailing.

The roses and detailing were done with my Models Own Nail art pens in the pastel collection, and I just used a plain White and Black base from Barry M.

Hope you all have a super Halloween!

The Wet Brush

If like me, your hair is thick, knotty, and always a bit of a nightmare, then you will know the struggle of needing a brush that doesn't hurt, but can do it's job.

Tangle Teezers have been on the market for ages now, and although I have used one for a long time, I never felt like they lived up to the hype that I had heard about.

Enter the Wet Brush!

This hair brush may look like any other hair brush, however it is so much more! The brush can be used on wet hair (obvious from the name I know) whereas other standard brushes can't. The bristles are designed to move flexibly with the hair, without causing pain and breakage, however they are firm enough to massage the scalp which I never felt with the flimsier Tangle Teezer bristles.

It is an American company and the likes of the Jenners have been said to be a huge fan of the brush, as well as stylists all over the USA. What I personally like the most about the brush, is the fact that it has a handle. The main problem for me with the Tangle Teezer was the funny palm shape. Although some may like it, I found if I had a particularly large knot, the brush would fly across the room because I had no grip. I also felt the bristles weren't quite long enough for my shaggy mane. If you liked the fact the Tangle Teezer had no handle for hand bag size etc, the wet brush also do minis, which can be used for travel.

This brush really does go through my hair so much easier, with little pain and I feel like it goes through every layer of my hair, not just the surface.

The other cool thing about the Wet Brush is the huge array of patterns, designs and styles they have.

My one is a Candy Skull and I absolutely love it! They release knew ones all the time for every date in the calender, and they retail at around £12.00. Although this is a couple of pounds more expensive than the Tangle Teezer, I think spending that little extra will make a huge difference.

I would highly recommend if you want to steer away from the Tangle Teezer and have an amazing hair brush.

Halloween Nails 2014

Hi guys! Here are some Halloween nail ideas I did from 2014!

Eyeballs

These nails are inspired by 'Wah Nails' eyeballs from their first book. I just used different less natural colours for each eye. The blood shot red veins are rather creepy!

Mummy Nails

I did these Mummy Nails by painting a white base and then getting my 'Rose Dust' colour from Mavala and wiping most of the colour off the brush. I then brushed the nail lightly to get the old mouldy looked. I then drew on the eyes and features with a nail art pen.

Skeleton Nails

 I was sent these nails on Pinterest years ago and I thought they were so cool and I've been meaning to do them for ages. These are my favourite of my Halloween creations. These were simply done with a nail art pen.

Cat Nails

These are slightly less gory and more innocent nails that you could have on a child. You could wear them anytime really. I used a my purple Ciate 'talent scout' as base which I got in my Glossy box and am loving, and then I just painted on black semi circles at the tip of the nail, with two triangular ears poking out. I outlined the cat to make it stand out and did white shapes for the eyes, and then filled in with green afterwards.

Here is my little cat Mitten enjoying the fellow felines.

What are your favourites? Let me know below!

Trick or Treat Nails

 Halloween is fast approaching! Usually I would dress up and go trick or treating with my younger sisters on Halloween and I still could not pass up the opportunity to do some trick or treat themed nails so here is what I came up with! 

To create this look I used two different shades of pink of green and used a sponge to get the ombre effect. The colours I used were Jessica 'Radioactive' (told you I would use this soon!) and 'Spring Green' by Barry M. For the pink shades I used Barry M colours. 'Strawberry' for the pale pink, and the other colour I don't know due to the sticker falling off! Its just a hot pink colour though. Sorry!

For the lettering and highlighting and little cobweb I used my trusty nail art pens.

Please excuse the green cuticles in these pictures, it is really quite tough to get off! I need to invest in some acetone.

I wanted to do more to them, like add sweets and eggs and ghosts etc. but I think it would have over crowded it too much, so maybe I'll save those for another time! I did however take the opportunity to pose my manicure with some halloween-y treats just for a change!

Let me know what you think!

Ogario Hair Care

I have been really excited to write about this, as I feel I have taken a small part in the journey of this brand, and therefore it has a little place in my heart.

 Ogario is made by Rachael and Norris Ogario, and is still a relatively small brand. Norris has a clear passion for hair, and is a hairdresser in his own salon in the Islington area. He and Rachael have decided to embark on the exciting journey of creating their own hair products, which they have tried and tested on the customers in the salon.

I have met both Rachael and Norris, as the came into Fenwick Tunbridge Wells to launch their brand and to educate us on their products. They both clearly have so much passion for their products and really do believe in them. We are the very first store to have Ogario, but you can now find them in a lot of Planet Organic stores and Wholefoods in London. They also sell online but want to keep their niche reputation. Even though it is a small company, they have won loads of awards and have been mentioned in the infamous Beauty Bible. This has really worked in Ogario's favour, as the products have flown off the shelves in Fenwicks, and customers interest in the brand continues to grow.

They wanted their products to be natural and have long term benefits for the hair, and so have made three ranges: Hydrate and Shine, Revive and Shine, and Restore and Shine. Apart from the Restore Range which consists of their only mask, the other two ranges have a shampoo and conditioner in both large and travel sizes.

The Revive and Shine range is better for people with thinner hair, and it aims to boost the hair and add shine. The shampoo smells so delicious, a bit like sweets!

As I have very thick hair that is prone to dryness and damage, I have been using the Hydrate and Shine range, along with the Restore mask. The hydrate range is great for people with dry, damaged hair, or for colour treated hair.

Starting with the shampoo, this foams up really nicely and washes the hair beautifully. It has Moringa in it which is a hydrating ingredient that can be found in things such as the Emma Hardie Cleanser. You don't need much of the product at all, and the honey gives it it's silky caramel constistency. It has a very natural scent, with a hint of spice to it which is really energising.

The conditioner is really really thick and has genuinely transformed the condition of my hair. Since using this, my hair has been so much more managable, and my ends haven't been as tangled and knotted. This has Marshmallow in which instantly makes it sounds delicious, but it is actually a herb that has super hydrating properties. Again the scent of this is fairly spicy but it has a real sweetness to it aswell.

Finally, the award winning Restore and Shine mask. I've just recently had my hair cut so want to keep the ends hydrated to the max with this product! This is the product that really got Ogario noticed, and it can be found in the natural beauty bible. This is to be applied to partially dry hair, so towel dry your hair after shampooing. I apply this to the lengths of my hair and leave it on for about 10 minutes. It smells like Lemon sherbert and is so zesty and fresh! It leaves my hair feeling really boosted and soft.

I highly recommend trying this brand as they use all natural ingredients and it has really improved the condition of my hair as well as lasting me ages! The price points are really reasonable and the little travel sizes and jet sets would make perfect gifts for someone! Find out more about the brand using he link below.

www.ogariolondon.com

Ariana Grande Lipstick 2.0

Yes that is right, I have purchased the latest edition to Ariana Grande's collaboration with Mac for their Viva Glam campaign.

Whereas the first colour was very dark and reflective of the 'Dangerous Woman' stage of Ari's life, (read review here) this one is bright bold and beautiful, and I'm so happy the sun is staying for a little longer this year, as it's a great summer colour. Saying that, I do think it will work with some plummy autumnal looks for the up and coming season.

The formula is matte again, but I feel like this one is creamier than some other Mac mattes. It definitely doesn't have the chalky feel to it and it is really long lasting but not drying.

There is also a matching gloss again, but as I'm not a gloss kinda gal, I stuck to just the lipstick.

I believe it is described as 'Orchid Pink' and I bloody love it!

Thanks for reading guys!

Skin Laundry Express Laser Facial

You may have seen on my Instagram story that on Tuesday, I was lucky enough to be invited into Liberty to try out the Skin Laundry Laser Facial.

As the brand has only just launched in Liberty, I was excited to see what it was about.

I have never had laser on any part of my body, so to have it on my face for the first time was a little intense.

The brand itself is American, and is meant to be about the perfect Californian glow-y surfer girl complexion. Aesthetically, I love the image of the brand, and the clean sharp packaging looks like something I would love to have in my bathroom. They also have some really cool tote bags which I have my eyes on, as not only is it a handy bag, but the brand logo doubles up as my initials too so I fancy carrying one of those around.

The 'Skin Laundry' counter itself is really nice. I love the earthy driftwood style the counter has, and the facial menu is up on the wall so you can see what you're letting yourself in for.

Like any treatment, there are contraindications to the facial, especially one which features laser, so make sure you turn up early to go through the checking in process for first timers, as there are a few questions to answer.

After that, you're good to go, and your therapist will escort you up 2 floors to the treatment room.

The rooms reflect the counter with a driftwood wall, and also a cool personalised skin laundry surf board.

As with most treatments again, you will have to remove your face makeup, however you can keep on any eye make up as you wear goggles throughout the whole treatment.

The first part of the treatment is the YAG laser, which dissolves any dirt on you're face and clears any congestion. It also reduces pigmentation  and promotes collagen so you get a more youthful complexion The feeling was like hot spitting rain on my face, or almost a bit like intense pins and needles, but it didn't hurt at all. She tested it on my hand before so I knew what to expect. The only time I felt most sensitive was on the upper lip and around my nose where I have sensitive skin due to eczema.
The only other disconcerting factor during this part is the burning smell, but the lady confirmed that it happens to everyone and it is simply the smell of the dirt being removed from your face and dissolving.

After this, you have the IPL light, which even with eyes shut and through the goggles, is like a little fireworks display. This is what gives your skin an instant glow, and the therapist holds the light over your face, with intervals of bright flashes which you can't feel at all.

After the light, they wipe on a cooling gel and leave it for a few minutes. After that, they wipe it off and that's it! You're done! 15 minutes later you leave with a glowier, cleaner, and more youthful complexion than when you went in.

Despite the sensitivity around my nose and mouth, I feel the treatment actually worked best on that area, as the red blotchiness I tend to get around my nose was completely gone straight after the treatment. In fact any redness or discoloration was completely gone, which is one of the desired effects from the treatment.

Left: before treatment with pigmentation and red blotchiness.
Right: After treatment a day later with a more even skin tone.

Not only this, but another instant effect I saw was that any congestion or spots I had were instantly brought to the surface and especially the remnants of hormonal spots I had on my chin had instantly turned into white heads, so if you're thinking about getting the treatment, make sure you aren't going anywhere afterwards, or you bring your makeup bag with you! The woman who did my treatment was lovely, however she did refer to my few spots as acne which I thought was a little harsh!

So my verdict?

 A 15 minute facial you could get done in you're lunch break (provided you don't mind going back to work a little spotty and bare faced) is great, especially if you're going on a night out or to an occasion and need a boost to get you a fresh faced glow.

The facial has instant results which is good for someone who likes to see instant results.
If you like a relaxing treatment where you can unwind then you probably won't like this treatment, The tag line to the treatment after all is "No downtime. Just results"

It's not a typical luxe treatment, it is results driven and a quick in and out. At £50 a go, it is quite an expensive luxury, but the results have been rumored to be addictive, and people have been favoring the treatment over botox.

You can buy treatments in bundles which reduces the price to soften the blow, but the icing on the cake, is that your first treatment is 100% completely and absolutely FREE!
I certainly hope to return in order to get that LA perfect glow.