Sunday, 5 August 2012

Today's Shellac Manicures

So, I forgot to take a picture of my friend's manicure that she got two weeks ago before I took it off... but here's what I replaced it with. This glossy black colour is called Black Pool and it's beaut!


I decided to do two different colours, simply because I wanted to try out all the shades that I'd purchased and these were the last two that I hadn't tried.

The turquoise is Hotski to Tchotchke and the pink is called Gotcha. The pink is definitely a lot brighter than in the picture. I'd say it's a Barbie pink.

Shellac - Two week update.

Hi everyone. So, last week I showed you some pictures of my CND Shellac manicure that had been on for 7 days. Here is my final update of this particular colour - Rosebud.

I've now had this manicure on for 16 days and I've been very, very impressed.

Here's the day I got it done:



Here's the manicure after 7 days:



And here it is today - 16 days after first application:



As you can see the manicure has held up very well. There is minimal chipping and the only really visible sign of it being on for so long is the growth of new nail.

As I mentioned in my one week update, I have been purposefully heavy on my hands. I have to count a lot of money in my job so have been bashing my nails about in the coin counter, mixing up the coins. I've been peeling off stubborn stickers, cleaning, washing up, using keyboards and phones - everything and anything. Nothing has chipped the finish.

There has, however, been hairline scratches that appeared at about 10 days as you can see in the picture below. This has only happened on two nails - my left index finger and my right thumb - and I think has come about from being quite heavy handed as mentioned before. They aren't too visible and you can't feel them if you run your finger over your nail, but they're definitely there.


My right thumb has suffered the most. See the picture below. On day 14 the outer edge of the Shellac seemed to peel a slight amount. I was really tempted to try and peel it off but when I looked closer, only a tiny bit was lifting away and the rest is still firmly on there.

The Shellac on the tips of my nails has worn away as you can also see in the picture but it is by no means terrible. As I mentioned in my 7 day update, I think this may be down to application as the place I got it done didn't seem to cap the nails with the product very well.


Overall, I'm extremely happy with CND Shellac. So happy in fact, that I recently bought myself my very own kit so I can do my own CND Shellac manicures from home.
It arrived yesterday and I was so excited, eeeeee!


The boyf kindly donated his feet (along with his manliness and dignity) for me to practice on!



He's wearing the colour Black Pool which is a glossy black.
What a good boyfriend!


My mum was also keen to get in on the action and she chose the colour Masquerade, a nice deep plum red.
She never wears nail varnish because she finds it never stays perfect for more than a day, so this morning she was very impressed that they are still fully intact! Let's see how they are in a week! She may be a convert...


Finally, I practiced on my toes. I chose the colour Tropix which is  a lovely coral-orange.


I'm going to remove my Rosebud today and try a different colour on myself. Also going to perhaps give an update on my friend's colour - Fedora - which she got at the same time as me, and will be re doing her manicure this afternoon, too.

Hope these updates have been helpful if you've been researching getting a Shellac manicure. I'd totally recommend it if you want chip-free nails for at least two weeks!

Monday, 30 July 2012

Snot very well...

...guys, I'm suffering! Where on earth is all this snot coming from. I swear my head's not big enough to produce this much. Eurgh!

Sunday, 29 July 2012

Shellac - One week update.

So, it has been over a week since I had my first Shellac manicure. I thought I'd update you with the results after a week and a day.

I've been really rough on my nails to see how well they cope. I work in a busy shop and have counted thousands of pounds in coins every night and deliberately been quite heavy handed. I've also been moving heavy clothing fixtures and racks and shelves etc, so my hands have been put through the paces.

Here are how they looked the day I had them done.



And here they are after a week and a day.



There's minimal chipping - just around the edge of my thumb nail and right index finger... but it's more wear rather than chipping. The nail technician that did mine didn't seem to cap the edge of the nail very well, so I think rather than being the product's fault, I would be more tempted to blame it on the application.

As you can see the only signs of wearing really is the growth from the cuticle area. I think I'd get another week out of these, definitely. I've been so impressed with Shellac that I actually invested in buying a set for myself. I'm currently waiting for it all to arrive but will be doing my own Shellac manicures from now on, how exciting.

I'll keep an update as to how long I keep this particular manicure on for. I can see myself wanting to change it straight away when my own set comes, though!

For reference, this colour is Rosebud which is a nice purple-undertoned pink colour.

Friday, 27 July 2012

John Frieda - Full Repair Range!

Hi guys! I want to show you some videos today. These How To videos show you how you can create a basic look, and evolve it into more of an evening do, such as a top knot or beehive look.

I was kindly sent some products from the John Frieda Full Repair range, which protects your hair against heat damage without weighing it down. It's really important to protect your hair before styling, and these videos show you how.

On with the videos. My personal favourite is the Top Knot tutorial. I just wish my hair would grow longer so I could recreate it easier!











I hope these videos were helpful to you guys. I'll be reviewing the products I was sent once I've tried them out for a few weeks! 

See you soon 
x

I was sent these items from www.holler.co.uk which is a digital agency working with a range of beauty brands such as John Frieda and Revlon. I have not been paid to create this blog post and do not work for the company in question. All opinions are my own and unbiased!

Sunday, 22 July 2012

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation First Impressions

Hi girls. As you saw in my last post, I've been to my local beauty counter and picked up the latest YSL Touche Eclat foundation. I wore it for the first time today and thought I'd show you a before and after application picture and a photo after 6 hours wear.

This foundation applies flawlessly and is very light and lovely to apply. It's quite a light coverage but manages to make the skin look fantastic with only a small amount of product.
I only set the foundation with a tiny bit of powder because I wanted to see how well it lasted on it's own. My skin is combination - dry around the forehead and sides of the nose and gradually gets oilier on the cheeks and forehead during the day. As you can see in the last picture, my face seems shinier than it usually does with other foundations, which I'm so unhappy about because this foundation looks so good when you put it on at first!

I'm going to use up my tester and try out a bit more powder to set it to see how that goes.

Before:


After:


After 6 hours wear:


Testing new foundations.

I went into my local Boots and Debenhams and spoke to the girls on the Clinique and YSL counters. They kindly gave me some testers for some of their foundations. I've recently been trying Clinique Even Better which I didn't like, so I went back and got testers for the Stay Matte Oil Free and Redness Solutions Foundation to see of they suit my skin any better. The one I'm most excited about, though is the YSL Touche Éclat Foundation. Going to wear that one today I think!

Saturday, 21 July 2012

O.O.T.D Cross Tee, Wang, McQueen and Converse

Right, another attempt at a video went a bit better than last time... you can now watch in HD (I think!) 
Editing is still shoddy and lighting isn't the best but this was just a test for myself really to try out different settings on my camera.
Again, I'm waiting for the music to upload so if you can't hear it, come back later! :)


All outfit info below:

Cross Tshirt - Topshop
Skinny Jeans - Topshop
Socks - Primark or H&M
Shoes - Converse
Grey/brown Hoody - Topshop
Leather Jacket - River Island via. Carboot Sale
Bag - Rocco by Alexander Wang
Skull Ring - Alexander McQueen
Two thumb rings - Vintage
Watch - Michael Kors MK5137
Skull Bracelet - Links Of London