NOTW || Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! I don't usually celebrate Halloween but I like to make an effort to make it fun. This year I've decided to created some Halloween themed nail art. I got inspiration for this look from a photo I saw posted on Instagram (Follow me JennaDoesBeauty) and decided I just had to do it. Personally, I think this look isn't as good as I imagined I could have done it, but I still think it's a great idea for Halloween!

Have you created any Halloween themed nail art this year?

NOTW || Style and Money

Essie Stylenomics and Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Big Money

Lately I have been loving dark colours on my nails. I am truly obsessed with black-toned colours like Barry M Red Black and OPI Lincoln Park After Dark. 

For a while now, I have been on the hunt for a green black nail varnish, so picked up Essie Stylenomics on a shopping trip to Boots. I love the brushes on Essie nail varnishes, it helps the varnish apply beautifully and leaves a smooth and shiny finish. It took me the usual 2 coats to get my desired green/black finish.

I decided to add an accent nail, and what better to use than a glitter nail varnish. For this I used Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Big Money. I love this glitter nail varnish, it's so pretty with tiny gold and pale pink flecks. Although I love this varnish, I'm not looking forward to taking it off as glitter is notoriously difficult to get off but until then, I'll happily admire my nail creation.

Review || Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair with Liquid Keratin

Having coloured hair can really damage the condition of your hair. My hair is blonde and although I try to avoid using bleach, it still can become dry and brittle. Leave-in conditioners are a great way to help combat these hair emergencies and leave your hair looking and feeling great. Recently my hair has been in relatively good condition but with the colder and windier weather becoming the norm, and with the rise of central heating, my hair has been feeling noticeably dryer.

Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair with Liquid Keratin is a 200ml spray bottle filled with hair goodness to help target and repair damaged areas on the surface and deep inside the hair leaving it feeling smooth, silky and a with boost of shine. Personally, I think the packaging for this product is quite funky (yes, funky) as it's got pearlessent labelling. This spray contains Keratin, (which we must all know by now is the hairs structural protein) and contains liquid elements of silk for a smooth and shiny finish. Before using this product you have to shake it in order for solution mix together because it separates when left upright.

To use this product I apply a few sprays onto my wet hair after brushing it through and then blowdry. If my hair is particularly dry, I might spray it a few times after blow drying, and I must say, I do find there is a noticeable difference in the condition of my hair after using it. My hair feels a lot softer and smoother and is less likely to get knotty throughout the day, which means it's much easier to brush. I like this product, but I don't LOVE this product. It's good but it's not "OMG THIS IS AMAZING!", but my hair was never super dry to begin with. I would be quite interested to know how this product works on really brittle and dry hair as it's advertised.


My Hair after using Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair with Liquid Keratin. Hair blow dried only.



Have you got really dry, brittle hair? Would you use this product? What's your favourite leave-in conditioner?

Product Regrets || Seventeen Stay Time Long Wear Primer

It's not often that I write about products that I don't like. I would rather just chuck it in the corner of my make up collection and forget about it. But every so often a products come around and it's so awful and has nothing but bad qualities that I can't help but write about it.

Recently, I've been really interested in primers. After doing a bit of research I decided that I was going to buy the Smashbox Photo Finish More Than Primer Blemish Control which contains salicylic acid to help prevent bacteria from causing breakouts. But after visiting Boots and putting it into my basket, trying to justify paying £28 for a primer when I've never used a primer before, I put it back... with great difficulty of course. So I decided to have a look around to find some cheaper alternatives for my first ever primer. I came across the Seventeen Stay Time Long Wear Primer and decided to give it a try.

The bottle is really small and contains 20g of product, so I was a bit surprised when it rung up as £5.49 (somehow I thought it was cheaper when I picked it up). That's a lot of coins spent on something so small. As a primer virgin, I would have loved for the packaging to have contained some kind of directions of use. You might think it's pretty obvious but I like to know for sure. The first time I used it, I found it quite thick. It's also quite pale on the skin, which is fine for me as I'm fair skinned but I can imagine it wouldn't be great for more olive skin tones. But the thing I hate (yes, hate) the most about this product is that it is so difficult to blend and spread. It dries so fast into the skin that your left with unblended lines and an uneven look. But if you try to rectify it by attempting to blend it out, the primer actually peels off of you skin like dried up Prittstick glue. And don't even think about applying foundation over this because it is so noticeable! The foundation sticks to the patches of peeling primer leaving your skin looking like you have really bad dry patches all over you face. As for it being long wear, I didn't see any signs of my make up budging throughout the day, but would you sacrifice flawless looking skin for longevity?? I know I wouldn't. Who would want dry patchy skin to be long lasting??

I've used this primer twice and can safely say I will definitely not be using it again. I just amazed that it's managed to make it to Seventeen's shelves. This is hands down one of the worst products I have ever used but I hasn't turned me against using other primers in the future. I still have my heart set on the Smashbox Blemish Control Primer, but will have to save my pennies for that one.

Have you ever used this primer? What did you think about it? What are some of your product regrets?

Review || Sleek MakeUp Blush in Flushed

Anyone else finding it impossible to find good lighting lately?

Sleek MakeUp is quickly becoming one of my favourite brands when it come to blush. Whenever I pop into Superdrug I always check out their blush. Flushed was the first Sleek MakeUp blusher I bought. I loved the colour, packaging and the pigmentation was crazy, I just knew I had to have it. I've had this blush for probably a little over a year and you might notice that it hasn't had a lot of use. This is because of how pigmented the blush actually is. I've got quite pale skin, and as you can see in the picture, the blush is quite dark, so it's taken me quite a long time to get used to how much product I should use in order to not look like a clown. This blush has definitely taken a back burner in the last year, especially after buying Sleek MakeUp's most famous blush, Rose Gold (Review Here) and getting my first ever Nars Blush in Deep Throat. But being well and truly in Autumn, I decided to pick out a few autumnal make up products and I rediscovered this blush and thought I'd give it another go.

Flushed is a deep plum colour. It's advertised as leaving a matt finish but I'm convinced it has a slightly shimmer, which, to be honest, I'm quite happy about. The shimmer isn't very obvious but it does leave a slight cheek glow and giving you skin an overall radiant look. I apply this blush with my Real Techniques Multi-Tasking Brush but I'm sure any other blush brush would work fine. Like I've already said, this blush is really pigmented so I try to not to get too much on my brush. Luckily, it blends really well and leaves a really beautiful flush to my cheeks. This blush looks gorgeous with a bronze eye make up, I would recommend Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 Hour Cream Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze. I also think a nude or glossy lip looks great with this blush.

Have you used any Sleek MakeUp Blusher? What's your favourite blush for Autumn?

Blush applied with finger.

Blush blended with Real Techniques Multi-Tasking Brush.

Review || L'Oreal 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

For what feels like years I've been seeing nothing but rave reviews of this L'Oreal 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution and how its a great dupe of the even higher rated Bioderma Sensibo H20 Micelle Solution and at a third of the price. So on a spur of the moment trip into my local Boots I decided to bite the bullet and try it out for myself.

Now, I am seriously the worst kind of beauty blogger because I am so lazy when it comes to cleansing my face before bed, and even though 9 out of 10 times I do remove my make up, I remove it with my all time favourite cleansing wipes by Simple, and leave it at that. So the biggest thing that drew me towards trying this new product was that I didn't have to wash it off, I could just apply it to a cotton pad and wipe it over my face.

This Purifying Miceller Solution claims to dissolve make up, unclog pores and remove impurities whilst toning and soothing skin. One of my favourite things about this solution is that it's not packed with loads of perfume's and colours. For me, there is nothing worse than putting something of your face that smells so strong of synthetic smelling perfumes or that smells like your smothering your face in chemicals. My skin is is quite sensitive as well so perfumed products are definitely a no no.

I'm not going to go on and on about this product because I will just end up repeating everything everybody else has said but I will say that I do love this product but I'm not completely converted to using this Purifying Miceller Solution alone. I still use my Simple Cleansing Wipes religiously and then use this product to remove any remaining make up and residue.

Do you love this product or swear by Bioderma?

Review || Jemma Kidd City Chic Eye Essentials in Bronzite

There's something about eyeshadow palettes that I truly love. I'm not sure if it's because you know all the shadows will go together so well or because they look so pretty packaged with one another. I got this Jemma Kidd eyeshadow palette last Christmas but only used it a few times as I didn't wear much eyeshadow at the time. But recently I've been pulling this eyeshadow quintuplet out of my collection more frequently.

The packaging of this palette is really lovely. It has quite a chic and classy look with an all black background and a matt leaf/feather design. I also love the black and pink combination. The palette itself is very sleek so will easily fit into a makeup bag or even a handbag. The inside of the palette has a long mirror which is great if your applying on the go or want to check out a closer look of your eye masterpiece. All of the colours are really pigmented so it's easy to create some gorgeous looks with this palette epecially for Autumn as the colours have warm undertones. The eyeshadows themselves are soft and have great staying power. The palette also came with a double ended brush but I threw that away, as I never use them.

This palette has five gorgeous shimmery, neutral toned colours. My favourites for an every day look are Copper, which is the slightly pinky colour, and I apply this to my eyelid up to the crease and then use Pewter, which is the taupey colour, and I use this for the crease. It creates a lovely look that compliments my eye colour. I also use this palette for a more dramatic look for those few and far between evenings out. For that look, I use the Pewter colour all over up to the crease, then I use the Rich Brown colour for the crease and then add a tiny bit of Black Shimmer to the outer corner to give it a bit of depth.

(Swatches L-R) Cream, Copper, Pewter, Rich Brown and Black Shimmer.

I recently did a FOTD post using this palette, if you want to check that out, click here.

Jemma Kidd's makeup range can be quite difficult to find as I don't think they are making products anymore but you can still get them online or in shops like TK Maxx where mine was from.

 

NOTW || Essie Cocktail Bling

 

I have been dying to get some colour on my nails after treating them with the Rimmel Nail Nurse Nail Treatment for 2 weeks. Especially after posting about my Autumn Nail Collection! And if you read that post, you will most definitely recognise this nail varnish. If you didn't, click here to see what I thought.

Update || Rimmel Nail Nurse Nail Treatment



First things first, if you have read my original post then you can read it here. I'm now on my 14th day of this nail treatment and I've just removed the treatment from my nails. I can definitely feel a difference in the strength of my nails. They are a lot less flexible than they were prior to using the treatment. I haven't noticed any early signs of peeling which is great because before using this treatment, peeling nails were my biggest nail worry. As you might be able to see in the picture below, my nails are still slightly stained but I think that's the kind of thing that has to be buffed off or grown out.

 

If I'm being honest, I think this nail treatment has worked better than I thought it would. Especially as it was only £4.49 from Boots. And now I'm off to paint my nails with one of the lovely autumn colours that featured in my Autumn Nail Collection. 

 

 



FOTD || Autumn Chic

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Seasonal Nail Collection || Autumn

Autumn is by far my favourite season. There is nothing more pleasant than the sound of  rain on the windows, getting into your pj's early and sipping on a hot chocolate and watching the leaves change. Not to mention the chunky knits, knee-high boots and tartan print. But today I'm showing you what nail varnishes I'm most looking forward to wearing this Autumn.

 First up is Essie's Cocktail Bling which is a blue/grey colour with a hint of lavender. It's a great colour for the seasonal transition from Summer to Autumn as it's quite a neutral colour and isn't exclusive to just one season. It's also good if you don't like wearing dark varnish on your fingernails but want a colour that symbolises the season. Personally, I think it is a gorgeous colour and is a great representation of the Autumn sky (so poetic, haha).

 Next is Barry M's Red Black (115) which just as it's name describes, is a very dark blood red. Darker colours, especially with deep berry tones are really popular in Autumn and this is a great nail varnish to achieve an on trend nail look. I love this sexy vampire like colour and think it will be a hit for me this Autumn.

OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark is a nail varnish that I think most people will have heard of as it's one of OPI's best sellers. Looking at it in the bottle, it's looks black but when applied you can clearly see that it's dark purple. It's a really chic colour and I can definitely understand why it's so popular. It's a deep plum colour so slots in great with the Autumn berry trend.

Look Beauty Nail Pop in City is a grey/taupe colour which is really popular colour for Autumn. It's a darker yet neutral colour which works perfectly with the seasons trends. Again, it's a great colour for those people that don't like wearing to much of a dark colour on their nails.

Barry M's Raspberry is one of my all time favourite nail varnishes. Every year since discovering it I can't wait for the Autumn months to sneak in so I can start wearing it. It's a gorgeous red berry colour and bang on trend when it comes to this season. One of my very first NOTW posts was about this nail varnish. You can check it out here.

Last up is Essie's Penny Talk and the only metallic nail varnish in this collection. It's a very pretty copper colour, thus being great for this season. I am yet to use this colour but I think it will definitely get it's fair share of use this Autumn.

As you might be able to tell, I can't wait to use all of these gorgeous nail varnishes. I love them all so much that I'll probably have them on a weekly rotation. I would love to know what your Autumn Nail Collection looks like so feel free to leave me a link to a similar post.

Review || Jergens Ultra Healing Body Moisturiser

As I'm such a fair skinned person, since coming back from my holiday with a lovely tan, I've been slightly paranoid about loosing it. So a couple of days after getting back home I searched the Boots website to find a body moisturiser with pump-action and at an affordable price. After starring at the Soap&Glory body moisturisers for what felt like hours, but just not getting my head around spending a tenner on a moisturiser, I resorted to buying the Jergens Ultra Healing Body Moisturiser for extra dry skin for £3.99.

Jergens Ultra Healing Body Moisturiser contains good to skin vitamins like vitamin C, E and B5 which results in visibly healthier looking skin. This moisturiser is marketed for people with extra dry skin and even though I don't suffer with extra dry skin, I thought it would do the job of hopefully preventing my skin from peeling and keeping my tan.

I mainly apply this moisturiser all over my body after having a shower and and then apply it to dryer areas before going to bed. So far it's worked really well since coming back from Majorca and it's a really nice moisturiser.

First Impressions || Rimmel Nail Nurse Nail Rescue 14 Day Nail Hardening Treatment

Is it just me or are names for products getting longer and longer?! 

My love of nail art is reaching an all new high but my nails seem to be weeping underneath the pretty polish and crying out for some love and attention. My nails are stained from months worth of nail varnish, flimsy, weak and are starting to peel. So when I spotted this treatment at a reasonable price of £4.49, I thought I'd try it out and hope for a change in the condition of my nails.

 

Rimmel Nail Nurse Rescue boasts longer, stronger, harder and more resilient nails in 2 weeks. To start the treatment, your nails must be clear of any nail varnish. I also cut my nails down and shaped them to their natural curve. Next, you should apply one coat of the treatment and then a second a day later. You should then keep the treatment on for a remaining 5 days, remove it and repeat the procedure for another 7 days.

 

The treatment is very polish like in formula. You apply it like you would any other polish and wait for it to dry. I found that it dried really quickly which is great because I'm very impatient. It also leaves a shine to your nails like a top coat.

 

I look forward to seeing how well this treatment works and will keep my blog up-to-date with the results. Have you used any nail treatments? Did they work for you?

 

 

First Impressions || Beauteco Box

Beauty box subscriptions are a great way to try out an array of new products for a reasonable price so I decided to get a Beauteco Box after seeing a few bloggers write about how great the products they offered were. After checking out their website, I discovered that you can actually choose between three boxes which have slightly different products inside. I thought this was a great idea and snapped up a box that best suited my beauty needs. And of course, they try to be a eco-friendly as possible and not just for their own carbon footprint but for the consumers as well as the box and packaging is easily recycled. The packaging itself was ok. I'm not a fan of the colour combinations used in this box but I'm not sure if they use this for all their boxes. It also came with a little booklet that described each products which was a really great touch.

Inside my box, I had three full size product which were the Arran Aromatics Lavender Tea Tree Reviving Toning Facial Gel Wash which is worth £12.95. The Lord & Berry Intensity Lipstick in Peach Gleam which was worth £12. And the Lord & Berry Kissproof Lipliner in Blossom which is worth £7.50. The remaining two products were both sample size and were the Melvita Fresh Moisturising Body Milk and S5 Purity Serum for Blemish Prone Skin. I'm really pleased with the products inside my box and really look forward to using them.

So my first impression of the ideas behind Beauteco Box were great, and my first impressions of the packaging was that they were not really my taste. My first impressions on the items in my box were great, there was a variety of brands and products. My overall first impression is that the concept is genius but I think they should think a bit more about the design of their packaging. Keep it eco-friendly but just make it a bit prettier please.

Monthly Favourites || August

 

 

August has been a month that I haven't bought many new beauty products but have found myself using a lot more products that I already own.

Look Beauty Make Me Blush in Rosy
I've had this blusher for over 6 months now and use it every now and then. I didn't particularly love it when I bought it but during August, I just couldn't put it down. It's a gorgeous pink colour with silver toned shimmer. It looks great on sun kissed skin although it's not too pigmented but easily buildable. Annoyingly, the packaging is really bulky and not travel friendly. It also looks a bit cheap. I'm not a fan of the silver/grey packaging. But at the end of the day, it's all about the product and I think this is a great blusher.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer
You may have seen my review of this bronzer already, but if you missed it, you can catch it here. I've been using this bronzer a lot more in August, especially since coming back from my holiday. I usually just apply this to areas that I want to contour but found myself applying it all over my face to give it a bit more colour. It's a great matt bronzer.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Gel Foundation in 52
This is another product I've had for a while. I had heard so many good things about this foundation and because it was a gel foundation (which is great for combination skins) I was totally intrigued. Once I'd returned home, much to my dismay, I realised I had bought it in the wrong colour. When I had bought it, I was unbelievably pale, so the shade 52 was too dark for my skin. But with my newly sun kissed skin, I've been using this foundation loads and love it, especially with its fruity scent.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr in Permanent Taupe
I absolutely love this eyeshadow! The colour is so gorgeous and really pigmented. Personally I struggle to blend out these shadows on their own but find it much easier to blend them with other shadows (if that makes sense). I definitely want to but some more of these shadows, I love the look of On & On Bronze, Metallic Pomegranate and Eternal Gold.

Bourjois Colour Boost Glossy Finish Lipstick in Peach on the Beach
Now, if your an avid reader of my blog you may have noticed that this product was in my July Favourites. I must say I didn't mean to have it in this months favourites post but when thinking about products I've used a lot in the month of august, I couldn't deny that I used this glossy lipstick a hell of a lot in August, so it's place here is just.

SIDE NOTE: Today, September 2nd is my 1 year Blog Anniversary! YAY!

What I Wore on Holiday

Before jetting off to Majorca, I had all my outfits meticulously planned out. I knew what I was going to wear and when I was going to wear it. Here are some of the outfits I wore on holiday.

 

 

If your interested in finding out where any of these items came from then please don't hesitate to ask me in the comments.