Swatching my nail polish collection

Hi everyone.

I confessed before that I have got far too many beauty products and I am sure you can relate to that :)
I own over 150 nail polishes and I decided to swatch all the colours a couple of weeks ago to see what they actually look like. Since then I got even more new colours and I can't stop buying! HELP!
I found many colours that looked very similar and I have never used them. It is a waste of money.
Today I am showing you a sneak peek of my nail polish collection and some swatches.
Would you like me to do a post about the full collection in the future?

NEW Handmade ARM CANDY in my ETSY STORE

Hello everyone!

I added the neon rainbow bracelets to my etsy store.There is 4 of them available here.

I will be making the skull bracelets as well very soon. I am waiting for a delivery with all the bits and bobs I need  :)

 

OPI Nail Envy nail strengthener and Avoplex nail and cuticle replenishing oil

My nails are very weak and I struggle to grow them and my cuticles are extremely dry and horrible looking  :( I have tried many treatments for my nails and oils for my cuticles, but I keep forgetting to actually use them on a regular basis. I decided to get this OPI duo, when I seen it on buyapowa. I have got many other treatments and they help to improve the condition of my nails but I wanted to try something new. I think I paid £11 for this set. Bargain!

 

OPI Avoplex nail & cuticle replenishing oil 15ml £16.30 link

OPI Avoplex Nail And Cuticle Replenishing Oil is a hydrating and replenishing oil that restores moisture and lipids with antioxidant vitamin E, avocado, sunflower, sesame and kukui nut oils.

I  try to use this oil as often as I can, ate least once a day. It really works and makes my cuticles and nails look much nicer and healthy. I promise you, there will be no more "excuse my cuticles" statement in my NOTD posts :) You need the tiniest amount for each application so the 15ml bottle will last for quite a long time. The normal price it far too high for my budget, but if you manage to get it on buyapowa or ebay for a more reasonable price, I can highly recommend it.

 

OPI Original Nail Envy Nail Strengthener 15ml £18.55 link 

Nail Envy is a well know product and if it wasn't raved about in the blogosphere I would have never bought it. Like I mentioned before, my nails are very weak, break easily, peel and split... Just imagine the weakest, paper thin nails and you will know what I am talking about. I wish I could swap nails with my husband :) His nails are rock hard! Constant use of nail polish doesn't help and I end up with pains in my nails. That's how bad it gets- I actually get stabbing pains in my nails sometimes when they are very weak. It all started when I got acrylic nails done for my sisters wedding. I had it done once in my life and got them removed a couple of days later and was left with the weakest nails ever. 

I do not want long nails, I look after a very active baby boy so it wouldn't be a good idea

I just want my nails to be stronger. Since I started using Nail Envy I noticed that my nails became much more stronger, the surface is more even and they look more healthy in general. I don't use it every day, but I try to use it a couple of times a week. The directions are to apply 2 coats of Nail Envy the first time and then one coat every day for a week. I need to admit I haven't done it this way, but it still worked and helped my nails. Have you tried Nail Envy or Avoplex? What are your thoughts?

A Bit Of Rough- Japanese style wash cloth

Hi everyone!

I thought I will write a quick post about the Giveaway prize I won from a fellow beauty blogger Pampered Prince.  I really enjoy reading his blog, it is nice to hear from a male blogger for a change :) Check out his blog here.

 

A BIT OF ROUGH Japanese style wash cloth £8.00 link

I normally use Soap & Glory exfoliating gloves for my weekly exfoliation and I have never heard of ABOR wash cloths until I entered Andy's giveaway. I was lucky enough to win 3 of them :) 

A Bit Of Rough is a Japanese style wash cloth made up of a mix of fibres that are gentle enough to use on your face and robust enough to exfoliate your body. 

The size of the wash cloth is 100x30cm so you can easily reach your back and exfoliate your full body. There is no need to use a scrub, you can use a normal shower gel with it and the effects are amazing. It leaves my skin felling really soft and smooth and ready for my weekly fake tan routine :) It is also great to remove traces of old fake tan when it happens to go patchy. I am a convert :) Since I got the wash cloths, I forgot about my exfoliating gloves :)

Do you ever use products after their expiry date?

Hi everyone!

Hoarding makeup, skincare, jewellery and clothes is my biggest problem. I hate it and the situation is getting out of control. I decided to start with something easy and binned all skincare products that were no longer safe to use. Don't think I was using them after the expiry date. I wasn't. They were collecting dust in the bathroom or taking up space in my drawers.

I read a lot about skin care expiry dates and I am shocked with the fact that most of my skincare and makeup will have to be binned very soon :(
I always thought that it is safe to use beauty products until the expiry date printed on the packaging.
I was wrong. Once you open a product, the countdown starts and you have only got a couple of months to use it up. You can find this information on the packaging. Some creams are safe to use for 3 months, some will be ok to use for  6, 12 or 18 months.

Here is all the skincare I had to bin recently:

No7 Eye Make-up Remover- a great dupe of Lancome's Bi-Facil

When it comes to make-up removers I have to be very careful.  My eyes are very sensitive and most products cause irritation, redness, tears and swelling.  I used Avon, Olay, L'Oreal, Simple, Garnier and all of them caused an allergic reaction! After using all the cheap brands, I decided to try something different. My sister recommended the Lancome Bi-Facil to me, so I paid £21 for a 125ml bottle! It is a lot of money to pay for a make-up remover, but I didn't mind spending it on something that actually works.
I have used Bi-Facil for over 3 years and I love it but... I wanted to find a cheaper alternative.
When I was looking for a no7 product to buy with my £5 off voucher in Boots, I found this amazing dupe! 

 

No7 beautiful skin eye make-up remover 100ml £8.50

 I read many bad reviews of this product, but the only reason why people didn't like it, was the oily formula. If you don't like "oily" make-up removers, you won't like this one. I wouldn't say that it's greasy and I like the feeling of it. It is slightly more oily than Bi-Facil, but it works in the exact some way.

It is a bi-phase formula that activates when you shake the bottle. It is very gentle, fragrance free and removes all traces of make-up, leaving my skin really soft. With this kind of product, there is no need to scrub your eyes to get waterproof mascara off. All you need to do is gently wipe the make-up off with a cotton wool pad, lightly soaked in this double-action formula.  

I absolutely love it and every time I get no7 vouchers I stock up on this product. It quickly became my favourite eye makeup remover and it is really cheap compared to my previous saviour from Lancome. 

Available from Boots.com

Mama Nature Pure Argan Hair Oil and Young At Heart Night Cream review

Hello my lovelies!

Tonight I would like to introduce you to a brand I discovered recently: MAMA NATURE. It is a natural skincare brand and all products are hand prepared to order. The founders believe that natural is best and they care passionately about our environment. They want to continue making a real difference and their philosophy is simple - to improve the quality of life of their customers through their natural products. I've been using Mama nature products for over a month and I am very pleased with the results.

 

MAMA NATURE PURE ARGAN HAIR 120ml* £20.95 link

INFO: PureArgan Hair is 100% pure certified organic cold pressed unrefined Argan Oil of Morocco and contains no additives, preservatives or synthetic ingredients of any kind. Pure, natural and organic Argan Oil has been used in Morocco for centuries to nourish and protect hair. It is great for applying as a hair mask or for using as a conditioner and adds a beautiful and healthy sheen to hair, leaving it feeling silky, soft and smooth. It is great for split ends, dry hair, frizzy hair, brittle hair and for detangling hair. It can also be used to style hair (curls, waves etc.).

It is a great natural alternative to conditioners and other hair products filled with chemicals and synthetic ingredients. Argan oil is produced from the kernels of the Argan tree, endemic to Morocco, that is valued for its nutritive, cosmetic and numerous medicinal properties. Our Argan Oil is a cold, first pressed oil, produced using a mixture of traditional and modern techniques to ensure a high quality product.  No chemicals are used in the process.

IMPORTANT: All Argan Oil sold today is produced by a women's cooperative that shares the profits among the local women of the Berber tribe. The cooperative has established an ecosystem reforestation project so that the supply of Argan Oil will not run out and the income that is currently supporting the women will not disappear. The money is providing health care and education to the local women, and supporting the entire community as a whole.

MY OPINION: My hair is very damaged so I always look for products that are meant to hydrate, repair and protect. I've heard about Argan Oil and its amazing properties before, so I was very excited to try this treatment. My hair is oily close to the roots and extremely dry at the ends so I only applied small amount of the oil to the bottom half of my hair. After the first use I noticed that my damaged hair was looking much better. I haven't tried using this oil as an intensive treatment allover my hair, but I left it on my dry ends overnight and it made a big difference. I am always scared to put oils on my hair in case it ends up greasy, but with this oil there was no greasy residue. I really liked the effects and I will keep using this treatment. 

 

 

MAMA NATURE  YOUNG AT HEART ANTI WRINKLE NIGHT CREAM 100ml* £30.95 link 

 

INFO: Young at Heart Natural Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream is a very effective natural skin cream that contains coconut oil, aloe vera, shea butter, almond oil, avocado oil, rosehip oil and a unique blend of essential oils to  rejuvinate your skin to give it a more youthful appearance. Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and Aloe Vera are all renowned for the beneficial and wonderful effects they have on the skin. Lavender, calendula and chamomile aid in skin cell regeneration and reduce inflammation. Frankincense, Geranium and Ylang Ylang balance dry/oily skin and firm skin tone.

MY OPINION: First of all, you get a lot of product for your money. Most face creams come in 30-50ml jars, with this one you get 100ml! I usually apply face creams lightly because I don't want to use them up to fast, but when I seen this big jar I decided to apply generous amounts on my face and neck :) It smells really nice, mostly of rosehip oil and calendula. Like I mentioned before, all Mama Nature products are made to order, so when I opened the jar, the fragrance was amazing! I could tell that it was freshly made. 

I use it at night after applying an anti wrinkle serum or my new favourite- Antipodes Joyous serum.

It absorbs quickly and leaves my skin soft, firm and hydrated. My skin is normal/combination, but sometimes it goes extremely oily and I need to stop using some of my rich night creams. When my face went through it's oily stage last month I was still using  the Young At Heart night cream and my skin responded very well to this formulation. I also noticed that my neck is looking much better. I didn't pay too much attention to my neck before and neglected it, but now I will definitely keep using generous amounts of cream on my neck and chest to keep the area firm and soft :) The closer I get to my 25th birthday the more obsessed I am getting with anti wrinkle creams. I really hope that my skin will stay young longer if I keep using natural anti wrinkle products like this one. 

*PR samples

Customized necklace

Want to match your jewellery to your nail polish? You can! I customized my bargain ebay necklace with Essie Mint Candy Apple nail polish and I love the way it turned out! It matches my nails too, which is always a bonus, haha :) I added a slightly darker turquoise blue as well. I am in love! Simply paint your piece of jewellery, wait for it to dry, add a top coat and it's ready!

Here is a link to the post with the necklace before the makeover.