January Favourites

I can't believe it's the 7th of February already! Here are the products I have been loving throughout January this year...

Nail Art Pens - Topshop - £10

I got this little set as a Christmas present and they are the best pens I've used as of yet. They come in much nicer colours than the Models Own versions and with a pen and a striper, are perfect for virtually all nail art designs!

Rimmel London 1000 Kisses Lip Tint - Boots - £4.99

I'm not really one for wearing bright lipsticks in the daytime, I usually stick to nudes or nothing at all and save my bright corals and deep reds for nights out. However, when I picked up the Rimmel 1000 Kisses lip tint at The Clothes Show Live I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to apply and how long lasting it is! The only downside to this product is the pen nib, I have found it dries up pretty quickly so you don't get anywhere near the same amount of use as you would get from a conventional lipstick.

I have included this in my January favourites as I used it throughout December and then re-purchased in January.

Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte translucent powder - Debenhams - £32.00

For anyone with combination skin, this simply is your miracle worker for mattifying the T-Zone! This translucent powder by Chanel simply glides over my foundation and leaves me with a radiant shine-free complexion. I use this everyday and reapply in the early afternoon to keep my skin looking even. 

Nail Polish Remover Pens (set of 5) - eBay - £2.79

I have mentioned these pens in all of my nail art tutorials, as they're simply amazing. One stroke around the edge of your nails and they get rid of all excess polish to leave your nails looking like you have had them professionally painted. They're a complete bargain also, so make sure you snap them up! I found mine here.

Bed Head Control Freak - TK Maxx - £7.99

This Pineapple fragranced shampoo smells good enough to eat and I've been loving it this month for taming my long, thick hair into a manageable mop. TK Maxx have a whole range of Bed Head products in store at the moment, and for £7.99 this is a product I will definitely be repurchasing... In about a month or two's time, these bottles last forever!

Bourjous 1 Seconde Nail Polish Remover - ASOS - £4.99

I'm not going to write too much about this product as I have already reviewed it in a previous post, but let's just say this was my top favourite for January!

Soap and Glory Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em Body Buff (mini) - Boots £2.50

This is yet another product which I simply cannot get enough of it's smell. Anyone who already knows and loves Soap and Glory will know how amazing their range smells, and if you don't, what are you waiting for?! Made from Babassu oil and sea salt, this is a really good scrub for when in the shower, and I always use it before applying moisturiser and fake tan. I will most definitely be repurchasing the full size tub of this. (Fingers crossed Boots are running another 3 for 2 promotion!)

Paris perfume - NEXT - £8.00

I'm really getting into store's own brand perfumes at the moment, last year I had an obsession with Zara's range, and this year I'm really into the new Next collection. It's a bit of a Jo Malone dupe, but I think the bottle is beautiful and the scent is really floral and musky. If you needed any more convincing... it's only £8.00 for a 50ml bottle, so you can't really go wrong.

What did you think of my January favourites? Have you purchased and used any of these products?

xxx

Candy Striped Nail Art

It's Suuuunday!

As I got so much good feedback on my floral nail art post last Sunday, I've decided to post another one today, but in a more 'tutorial' style format so you can all have a go yourselves!

To achieve this look you will need a base coat, two pastel nail polishes, a white nail polish or nail pen, a clear topcoat and some nail polish remover. For my nails I have used:

Topshop Nail Polish in '201 Green Room'

Nails Inc Nail Polish in 'Basil Street' (the best basecoat ever!)

Rimmel London Nail Polish in '415 Instyle Coral'

Models Own Nail Polish in 'Snow White'

Sally Hansen 'Hard as Nails' in 'Clear'

Nail Polish Remover Pen

I started off by painting one layer of base coat onto my nails. Using a base is really important as it stops the nail polish staining and discolouring your nails. Base coats also help to 'smooth' out your nail which will make your nail polish look more polished when finished.

I then painted my nails in alternate Green and Coral colours. You don't have to go for the same colours as I did, I just think they clash quite well and will contrast with the White I am going to apply afterwards. 

Now for the tricky (ish) part. Using the Models Own White polish, I drew stripes down my nails from the cuticle to the tip. If you use a nail art pen this will look more polished and you will have smaller stripes, but unfortunately my White pen has ran out so I made do with this instead. Oddly, I found it easier to paint these with my left hand (I'm right handed) which has never been the case before, but my left hand ended up with straighter stripes somehow!

Inevitably, when painting the stripes on the edges of my nails, due to the size of my brush I managed to paint some of my skin. This is easily removable with the nail polish remover pens I got for Christmas, or you can just dip a cotton bud into your nail polish remover and swipe away at the edges.

Finally, to preserve your nail art for as long as possible I would recommend painting a clear top coat over the top. Make sure you wait until the stripes are fully dry before attempting this however, or they will smudge and leave them looking like a White mess! Using a top coat smooths out all of the teeny bumps your nail polish can leave and will make your nails look shiny and professional. I used Sally Hansen 'Hard as Nails' for this as it keeps your nails strong, healthy and prevents chipping.

What do you think of my nails? Would you like to see more posts like this? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

xxx