Beauty Brawl Day 5- Nail Varnish/ lacquer

Day 5- Nail Varnish/ Lacquer

This usually would be completely my jam. But my nails are nothing to be desired right now on my hands and my toots...well they aren't getting a look in for a few weeks at least. So my lovely vast collection of OPI nail lacquer is going unused, unloved and mourned right now. But in the grand scheme of things...it is only claw colour. Regardless, and with help from my job and skills as a beauty therapist. I'm here to highly recommend the "My Gecko Does Tricks" Pearl Finish Lacquer by OPI

It is usually around £6 from any good stockist and while I am an avid OPI lover, this colour was released last year (?) and is still a firm favorite and re-purchase for me and clients. And the Peal finish just adds to the shine. 

Product: 80

Packaging: 60

Price: 80

OPI are a staple brand for any nail and beauty enthusiast. People may say they are over-priced but this price is warranted when you see the difference between an OPI product and an off the shelf colour, especially in comparison to longevity, brightness and thickness of product. OPI is a two cote product, at most. If you use their own brand Base and top coat too these colours easily last up to two weeks even for a hands on working environment. 

My only criticisms are that OPI discontinue colour a lot, leaving you to have to colour match or wait until the re-name it and release it as something else. They bottles sit well in your hand when your painting a client but trying to do your own nails is near on impossible without putting the bottle down on a non-slip surface, and the lid can be slippery and difficult, especially if you have smaller than average hands.  

Love and Light xoxo

Please go and check out Beth's Day 5 review Here. 

Boots Beauty Haul

Oh My Word!!! If it was ever possible for me to fall head over heels with a set of false nails it has happened... on my trip to Boots to buy some beauty essentials (and not-so essentials) I discovered these; Ted Baker Floral False Nails. They are stunning. Simple as that and they're £8 for the full set. I would have bought them had i not realised i'm now doing Manicures and Pedicures as part of my beauty course, so I wouldn't be able to wear them as i have to have my nails done every week (oh the horror!) 
So, after that epic pout fest in the middle of my local Boots store I proceeded to make myself feel better buy buying some new Barry M Nail Polish. The have a new "Aquarium" range which is filled with these beautiful pearlescent colours; I bought shade AQNP3- which is basically a gold/pink shimmer.

There are a few other colours, next on the agenda will be their AQNP6 which is a Teal/blue and looks like the Mermaid leggings from Black Milk. Link to the varnishes is HERE.

From Barry M i also bought myself some Matte Black nail polish, i have the Matte in a Nude colour for sensible occasions but i needed to let my old inner gothy rock chick out! Both of these were £3.99 in Boots (uk).

Next was a new beauty sponge from Real Techniques. It was £5 and boasted to be better than all the other shaped sponges for make up application as it has a variety of different surfaces for different areas of the face. I will admit i used it once and the Complexion Sponge is amazing. It doesn't eat up all your product and the odd angles and shapes literally does mean you can get your foundation into every single area of your face for even coverage. It also has some online tutorials which i've linked HERE. 

Last but not least, my new favorite blush; from Seventeen, is their Cheek Stamp Blush. I got mine in the shade "Blush" simply becasue it has a beautiful sheen to it when its on your skin. I've noticed a lot of reviews for this item and people seem to be unable to get their heads around that the blush product is actually in the lid, essentially behind the handy mirror you get with it, and when you puff the little spring-loaded pad back into the lid that loads up the pad with the pigment! When it's stored away again the act of screwing the pad side back in retracts the pad area away from the blush itself so it doesn't over-load, simple! :) 

As I said, it's the sheen that drew my attention to it. It just makes your skin look like it's glowing. The link to this is HERE and it is £4.99.

XxX

Barry M-adness

I'm coming to the realisation that i am beyond help when it comes to Barry M nail varnish. It just seems to be my go-to brand for all of my nail needs. I literally have about 30 different shades now. They're long lasting, vibrant, usually one coat and the veriety they have is amazing. If there's a new nail trend the Barry M team probelby have Multiple shades of it already, like right now... Matte effect nails.

There are various tutorial videos about creating a matte finish with just normal glossy varnish at home but this usually involves steam, and the water vapor can thin out the varnish which means it'll chip off easily. So this Matte effect nail varnish is amazing. I'm in love with it anyway.



Here i used Barry M Matte Nail Polish in 'Vanilla', goes on easily, one coat, drys quick, and added bonus is if you do smudge it while it's still damp you can dab it back into place gently with your finger and it'll kind of just blend right back in to how it was. As you can see on my ring finger i've added a layer of Barry M Glitter Polish in 'Diamond glitter', it's so sparkly!!! I'm like a Magpie when i shop so if its got glitter (and skulls) i'm usually hovering around it.



The're reasonably priced too, usually around £3, give or take, and at the moment in Superdrug they have a 3 for 2 offer on all of their make up products and this is included! Plus with your Superdrug points card you get more points to go towards your next purchase- actually i really like their points card system as you literally just go in and get them to scan it with your items and they'll tell you; you have £2 on your card do you want to use it on your purchase today? And you get unexpected money off, which is always a bonus in my book!

Thanks for reading! XxX

DIY Galaxy Nails

I had this idea after browsing for about an hour through shop Dixi and on Black milk Clothing, and quietly crying to myself that i have no money for pretty things before Christmas now. You will need: Several colours of nail varnish, including a dark (base) either black or deep blue/purple. Lighter blues and purples, really pale blue nail varnish, silver/chrome effect nail varnish or clear glitter. And obviously a base coat. Small sponges, or a cut-up make-up sponge, some tooth-picks or a very fine brush, a cotton tip and nail varnish remover for any mistakes...of which i made lots as it was 2am when i was doing this.

First you want to start with a good clean and buffed base nail. Then coat with a thick layer of black, or like i've used a blue-black from Barry M. It's not got a name, it's quite an old; 292/747. Let that dry. Make sure it is bone dry too.





Then using a sponge, (preferably small make-up application sponges) dab on a deep blue, the one i used i Barry M in Cobolt Blue. Over that is more random layers of a deep purple, mine here is from Avon and has a bit of glitter through it, this shade is purple passion. Then layer again with an even lighter blue, for this it's Barry M again in Cyan Blue.



Let those two layers dry, then using a sponge still we're going to add random layers of lighter areas, not too thick, just really go with the flow and add what you feel is right. Both of my lighter colours are Barry M, (can you tell i like Barry M yet) in Berry l/c and Blue Moon. Let those dry too.



Next using a toothpick or a thin brush add random dots (stars) with a white or as I've used my Stargazer chrome varnish. Let them dry too then add a top layer of the clear glitter; mine is Barry M 'Diamond glitter'. Let that dry then finally add your clear top coat. You don't have to do this layer but i'd recommend it as the larger chunks of glitter in the other layer can easily get caught on clothing etc and chip off so it means it's longer lasting if you put on this top layer.



It is really all about you though, and being creative I will probebly do this a few times before i get it perfect. But i do love the end result. I'm pretty sure you won't have to limit yourself to those basic colours either. So long as the colours don't clash you can just pick a deep base and 4/5 lighter colours to layer on top and you'll create the same effect. So have fun!
Thanks for reading! XxX