Spring Floral Nail Art

Haaaaaai! I painted flowers on my nails and wanted to show you. 

My sloppy right hand

I had just bought the base polish and wanted to try it out, but thought it looked a bit bare all alone, so I added a trusty floral pattern. I used only nail polish rather than acrylic paint for this and wasn't terribly happy with the colours, but in the end it looks okay. Slightly wish I had added an accent nail or something to funk it up but hey, you live and learn. 

Below are the main polishes I used for this manicure. I also used generic white and mid-brown colours for detailing of the roses and such. 

  

 From Top Left: Rimmel 60 Seconds in shade 621 Mary Mary Quite Contrary (base colour), MUA Love Hearts collection in shade U&I, Barry M nail paint in shade 318 Peach Melba, Nails Inc in shade St. John's Wood, O.P.I. Nail Lacquer in shade Thanks A Windmillion and Nails Inc. in shade Ascot.

Thanks for reading, ciao! x

Review: Souk Souk February Beauty Box

Hello again! I got my February Souk Souk box quite a while ago so felt it was about time to share it here. In case you haven't heard of beauty boxes, they are small monthly or weekly parcels containing various beauty products that you might not ordinarily find in the average high street shop. The majority of products you would receive are sample sizes, and you can expect anything from shampoo to eyelash curlers. The idea is that you get to try out new brands for a fraction of the price, all delivered to your door. Souk Souk specialise in "green" beauty, meaning they support organic, cruelty-free, chemical-free beauty lines. 

February Edition: Conscious Skincare Body Wash, Conscious Skincare Body Lotion, Bodytox Lavender Sleep Patches, Living Nature Deep Cleansing Mask, Living Nature Vitalising Cleanser, The Raw Chocolate Company Cacao Bar in Gojiberry and Orange.

Here is a close up of the body wash and lotion from Conscious Skincare:

 Both the body wash and body lotion are scented with grapefruit and cedar wood, which smells absolutely amazing! It is a really fragrant, fruity smell with subtle spicy undertones, really refreshing and perfect for Spring. I can't fault the body wash, but I found the lotion a little bit on the watery/runny side, although I do like really thick buttery lotions so it is a matter of preference. Despite this it does make my skin silky soft! I can also still smell it on my skin hours after using it, which I love. 

I found the concept of Bodytox Lavender Sleep Patches a little strange at first... you are instructed to peel back this bandage-like contraption and stick it on the ball of your foot for the night. According to Bodytox the active ingredients such as wood vinegar and tourmaline "support the natural cleanse of the body" as well as ensuring a good night's sleep. As gimmicky as this sounds, I gave it a go as I haven't been sleeping well recently. Within 30 minutes I was sleeping like a log! It seemed pretty miraculous. My only qualm was waking up; I was literally a zombie! It felt like I had overcome a 5 year coma and I was learning to be a human again... not good when you have to be up and ready for work. So I would recommend this for days off, where you won't be doing much outside of your bed... I would also recommend showering in the morning after using these, they leave a horrendous brown sticky residue on your soles which would NOT be fun walking around in all day. 

This is the first I have heard of The Raw Chocolate Co., or indeed raw chocolate. Apparently, raw cacao is always cooked below 42 degrees, which retains all of the living enzymes while removing the fat. This particular chocolate is vegan friendly, fair trade and organic, always a bonus! I tried gojiberry and orange flavour. I have to admit I wasn't impressed; I do like rich dark chocolate but this was too much! I could also barely taste any flavour other than gritty cocoa/cacao/whatever is in there. Think I'll stick to my dairy milk cheers... 

Well, that's it folks. I haven't yet had a chance to try the Living Nature products, but will update as soon as I have given them a go! I'm fairly happy with this month's box, I'm just kind of hoping I won't get yet another cleanser next month... 

Ciao for now pals x

Review: MAC Lipstick in 'Pivot'

Hello everyone! Today I am reviewing a late Christmas present in the form of my first ever MAC lipstick. In fact, it is my first ever MAC product! Yep, I have officially lost my MAC virginity, about 5 years after everybody else...

The colour is a very bright, summery red, with pink undertones. When I first saw it I was a little shocked; it looked like clown paint. However, now I've worn it a few times it seems to compliments my skin tone, and is a dramatic look but will suit almost any time of day/occassion.

It is fairly easy to apply and has a good, matte consistency. It is very pigmented, so you won't need a lot. I won't lie now, I have no idea how you're supposed to apply lipstick. But I know you're supposed to use lip liner? Maybe. Well, I didn't use that. And I think it still looks okay. Here are some fuzzy pictures of me sporting MAC pivot in different lighting and such. 

As for wear, I think it lasts really well. I can eat or drink normally and expect it to last. It also doesn't have the tendency to smear all over your teeth, which is the main reason I rarely ever wear lipstick! Overall, I'm very impressed, and if I can expect this from other MAC products I might be bankrupt quite soon...

Ciao for now x

Le Vernis Avril Nail Polish Review - French Rose

Le Vernis Avril Nail Polish in French Rose

Hello there! I was recently sent the latest Souk Souk beauty box, and this Le Vernis Avril polish in shade French Rose was one of the products inside. Souk Souk sources only "green" products, and Avril's range is 7-free, meaning it has none of the usual chemical nasties that unfortunately come with most other beauty products. The 7 ingredients are as follows:

1. No paraben
2. No tolulene
3. No formaldehyde
4. No phtalates
6. No xylene
7. No camphor 

I love anything pastel, especially pink so I was pretty excited to try this out. It is quite translucent and took 3 thick coats to sit nicely... even then it was a bit of botch job, but maybe I was just being sloppy. It definitely seems geared towards French manicures, however I think it's too pink for that. If that makes sense. Here is the polish alone after 3 coats, no topcoat.

I decided to funk it up a bit with some Bundle Monster; here it is updated with BM Plate 21, stamped in Konad special nail polish in white with a trusty Seche Vite topcoat.






Apologies for the photos; I have a severe case of crusty nail from general winter activities, plus I still have no idea how to take good pictures on this camera! I haven't sported stamped nails in a very long time, but I quite like how this turned out. :)

Ciao for now friends! x