Confessions of a Beautyholic - Beauty Blog

Nails Inc Hampstead Heather - Perfect for Valentines!

2012-02-14T00:42:00.013Z

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am loving Nails Inc Polishes.... they are just perfect! They have great formula, dry super fast and are extra glossy.

Most Nails Inc polishes I have tried so far are 1 coater. I always apply two coats, but you can get away with only one if applied properly.

I'm also loving this Leighton Denny base coat & top coat. I prefer using it as a base coat only and use Seche Vite as my top coat.

And also Leighton Denny Best Defence hand cream. I got both of these in a set from Leighton Denny and I love them! I've purchased the set at a discounted price, which is even better!

Wish you all a great day!

What are you wearing on your nails today?

Sparkling Pink Mani - What about some hot pink and holo glitter for Valentine's?

2012-02-12T00:00:00.001Z

2 coats of Collection 2000 Siren + 1 coat Coastal Scents Holographic Glitter mixed with a top coat

To start off this manicure, I've applied 2 coats of Collection 2000 Siren on top of a base coat. I didn't like the colour on its own and I felt something was missing....

So I've mixed a little bit of glitter with a top coat and that's the effect I got. I really like it! It is very similar to Sinful Cosmic.

I really love this mani!

Cute Valentine's Manicure Idea: Zoya Bebe

2012-02-10T00:41:00.001Z

When I got this polish from Shop Like You've Never Shopped Before, I was SO EXCITED! I had in my hands my first Zoya, finally!!

I think this shade would be perfect for Valentine's day. Not in your face pink, but not too subtle either. It's just a pretty pink!

This is 2 coats of Zoya Bebe. This polish is very sheer, so you will have VNL. You can't tell from the pics, but I stamped a silver french on my tips, so you wouldn't notice any VNL. Then, I topped it up with 2 coats of Beyu 395 - a gorgeous holo pink glitter.

Then I added a couple of rhinestones from Born Pretty Store... Love it!

It's a shame you can't see the holo glitter properly, but I am loving this mani!

What will you be wearing for Valetines Day?

Trendy Nail Wrap Viva Las Vegas Purple - Review and Tutorial

2011-12-01T00:01:00.000Z

Early January I tried for the first time Trendy Nail Wraps in Cheetalicious. If you read my post, you'll learn I didn't know how to properly apply it and everything went wrong.

After my first application, I found a great You Tube Video that helped me to figure out how to best apply Trendy Nail Wraps:

1 - Prepare your nails as usual. Roll up the sheet, so you can check how much of it you'll need to trim. Each small sized sticker fits perfectly onto my nails. I can cut it in half and use it in both hands.

2 - Roll up the sheet to remove the sticker, so you don't touch the glue. Trim it to fit your nails if necessary.

3 - Warm it up for 5 seconds with a hair drier. It is best to use travel sized ones. Stick them onto your nails, leaving a small gap between the cuticle and nail. Smooth it out, so you don't get any wrinkles.

4 - Heat them up for a further 2 seconds, smoothing out any wrinkles. Trim it and file it to size.

Trendy Nail Wraps Viva Las Vegas Purple

I only got a small wrinkle on my index finger, which is unnoticeable. I strongly recommend to add some nail glue to the tip of the nail to seal the wrap and prevent them from peeling off easily.

They lasted for 3 days, but I didn't seal the tips with nail glue. I'm not sure if I didn't heat up the adhesive side properly or they are more suitable for acrylic nails rather than natural nails, as they started to peel off very easily, and I reckon they normally last for 14 days.

I think they look awesome and it is something different to try. I got lots of nice comments on my nails and I will be trying some more designs. I've purchased quite a lot of different designs and I can't wait to try them!!

Have you tried Trendy Nail Wraps before or any other nail sticker?

Rimmel Funtime Fuschia

2011-11-20T00:58:00.000Z

Rimmel London is also another favourite brand of mine for nail polishes. Rimmel polishes are awesome!

The 60 sec line has a large brush, which makes application easy. This nail polish looks OK with one coat, but I end up applying 2 coats. This is a jelly finish and it is already super shiny on its own, but I used some Catrice top coat on top.

Love the shade!

You can see a bit of shrinkage as the photo and I took this picture on the next day.

I do like Rimmel polishes, but I guess I already own all of the nicest shades. I wish they launched fun colours now and then, it seems they never have limited editions or new colours available.

What's your favourite Rimmel polish?

Trendy Nail Wrap - Stained Glass

2011-11-18T00:16:00.005Z

I think I give up on this nail wrap thing... I guess they are supposed to be worn on acrylics and not on natural nails. Rebel Nails Wrap was the only nail wrap that actually gave a perfect finish on natural nails.

Upon application, it looked OK - no wrinkles and no peeling off. After a couple of hours they looked awful and I had to remove them. Every single nail had wrinkles and the edges were peeling off. When I tried to apply some nail glue on the edges, it got even worse...

nail glue + trendy nail wraps don't agree with each other!

If you have acrylics on your nails, this may be a great option for you, but if you have natural nails, you may need to look somewhere else!

What's cool about Trendy Nail Wraps it's the fact they are durable and quite thick. They also have lots of great designs. It's a shame they are not for me...

Nails Inc Brook Street

2011-11-16T00:10:00.000Z

This is one of the nicest pink coral shades I've ever tried!

Nails Inc polishes are a dream to apply and they last long on nails... they are one of my favourite nail polish brands of all times!

When I applied Nails Inc Caviar top coat, I got a few bubbles and visible brush strokes.... so weird! My last bottle of Caviar Top coat would work similar to Seche Vite, don't know what's wrong with the new bottle... maybe I bought a defective one?

Nevertheless, this shade is gorgeous and I'm loving it!

Colorama Gesso

2011-11-14T00:49:00.000Z

One of our contributors, Aida, is from Brazil and she kindly sent me this gorgeous nail polish from her home country to try. If you haven't check out her blog yet, please do so! She has great food recipes that are always nutritious and are kind to your waistline

Love the shade! This is one of the nicest greige shades I own! Thanks Aida!

Nude Mani with Kiko & Konad

2011-11-13T00:41:00.005Z

Kiko is one of my favourite brands... not only they have gorgeous make up, but their nail polish selection is to die for!

This is Kiko 220, a gorgeous nude polish. Easy to apply, opaque with 2 coats and it dries super fast.

I has a gorgeous shimmer that are not very noticeable on the pictures.

Then I stamped some white special polish from Konad with Konad plate M62

Love, love, love!

Are you mad about nude polishes too?? What are your favourites?

Essence Green & Fimo Nail Art

2011-11-11T00:40:00.002Z

Today I wanted to publish a special manicure!

I really liked this mani! Hope you all like it too! It's a very simple mani, but it looks great - in my opinion.

I applied 1 coat of Essence Trust in Fashion. This shade is quite opaque and one coat provides good coverage. I have worn Essence Choose Me on its on and VNL is quite evident, so for this mani I wanted to start it off with an opaque shade. Trust in Fashion by Essence is the perfect pair for Essence Choose me.

Then I followed up with 2 coats of Essence Choose Me. This shade is so amazing!

As a top coat I used Leighton Denny One for All. This is not a fast drying top coat, it only adds loads of shine and it doesn't shrink the polish.

For the flowers, I used a fimo wheel from Fraulein38.

I really like fimos, I think they look super pretty on nails. For me, they are a must have item such as glitters and rhinestones!

Do you like adding fimo on your nail art?

Kiko Yellow

2011-11-09T00:58:00.000Z

This is 3 coats of Kiko 279. As any other yellow polish, it is streaky and difficult to apply... sight! :(

However, with patience you can get a good result.

Kiko polishes are great. This is the best yellow polish I've tried so far. Love the large brush and how it applies... the only downside is that you need 3-4 coats.

I got this polish for €2.50 when they were having an offer. Great value! Love the shade and would recommend it for sure!

Do you like yellow nail polish?

Kiko Yellow and Sparkle Touches

2011-11-08T00:25:00.000Z

I normally don't repeat the same polish after just wearing it, but this Kiko Yellow is kind of special!

I wanted to try wearing it with a white base and it worked really well!

So, I started with 1 coat of an opaque with and followed with 2 coats of Kiko 279. Then, I applied 1 coat of Kiko Sparkle Touch 270 and 231. These sparkle touches also look AWESOME on top of blue polishes.

I got the yellow one on a special offer for €2.50 and paid normal price for the sparkle touches. Kiko polishes are great and the prices are great!

Do you own any Kiko polishes?

Kiko Yellow & Black Nail Art

2011-11-04T00:15:00.001Z

Today I went for some black konad nail art just to refresh my mani... Love the effect of black & yellow!
This is 3 coats of Kiko Yellow 279 + Konad Black for stamping with Konad Plate.

When I applied the top coat, it dragged the design a little, so I know tomorrow I will change my polish as I can't stand looking at my nails like this..

What about you? Do you remove your nail polish straight away when they are not looking good or would you wear it for a few days?

Leighton Denny Millionaire

2011-11-03T00:50:00.000Z

This is 3 coats of Leighton Denny Millionaire. The formula is great, but there's still some visible nail line.

Love the shade, it is stunning!!

I'm certainly enjoying my new Leighton Denny polishes. They are a bit deer at £11, but they do have great quality and are long lasting.

What do you think of this shade? Isn't it amazing?

Sleepy Beauty - Neal's Yard product review

2011-10-31T22:01:00.000Z

by The Cosmic Girl

For weeks now I’ve been using the Beauty Sleep Concentrate, a beautifully light formula from Neal's Yard.

Beauty Sleep is so much more than just a night cream, it is indeed a full on overnight facial treatment that not only helps your skin work better while you sleep but its benefit can also be noticed through the day.

Even though this is an organic and super natural product and when that is the case you usually have to use it for a good few weeks before observe any changes, I could actually feel the difference in my skin from day/night 1.

I tend to get very dry skin after a shower or a simple face wash event though through the day I’ll see my skin turning ever so slightly oily and depending on the weather it can get badly oily, to the point that I will have prominent spots at the end of a day.

Right after the first application I could already feel that my complexion was a lot more balanced, not too dry that I was in urgent need of moisturiser but not so oily that all I could think of was a shower.

This is definitely a must have night cream and the best thing? It is organic which means you will not be using alien stuff on your skin and considering that your skin absorbers up to 70% of all external use products I think your body will thank you for nourish it every night.

Just a quick heads up, we are also trying another couple of internal and external product from Neal’s Yard so watch this space.

Floral French Mani

2011-10-23T00:35:00.001+01:00

For this, I've used Essence Snow White from the Black & White collection - awesome white, 1 coater.

2 coats of Chanel Beige Petale

1 coat of OPI Pearl of Wisdom

And white konad for stamping

I confess I couldn't wear this for more than a couple of hours... what do you think? Would you wear it?

Nails Inc Orange from InStyle Magazine

2011-10-20T00:13:00.007+01:00

I got this nail polish free with InStyle Magazine in May... I love when magazines offer great freebies!

This orange nail polish is stunning. So pretty!

I guess the pictures speak for themselves... LOVE IT!

Gorgeous Blue from Colorama

2011-10-18T00:03:00.000+01:00

2 coats of Colorama Azul Celeste + 1 coat of Seche Vite

Look at this awesome blue shade I got in a beauty swap with The Cosmic Girl! OMG, this shade is simply AWESOME!

I got so many compliments about my nails! My intent first was to do some nail art, but I felt in love with this polish and decided it deserved to be worn on its own! The formula is great, two coats and it is completely opaque.

I apologize for the super dry looking hands. I had glitter on earlier and I had to do the foiling method to remove it.

Aren't you in love too?

Revlon Gray Suede + Essence Gold Rush Manicure

2011-10-15T00:00:00.000+01:00

Revlon Gray Suede 2 coats + 1 coat Essence Gold Rush

I just found this old picture on my computer and realised that I never posted this pictures!

I think this is the best way to use Revlon Gray Suede - as a base to another shimmery nail polish.

I'm too pale to wear Gray Suede on its own and it worked really well using it with Essence Gold Rush.

This gold colour from Essence is one of the prettiest gold colours I've seen! It contains some different sparkle hues in blue, teal, pink and gold. The only negative side is this nail polish is not as glossy as a cream colour.

I'm still finding Revlon polishes a little bit hard to apply, whilst Essence is very easy. They are both long lasting and still looked fresh and nice for 4 days.

Nail Close-Up

Anyways, I really like this combo! What you think?

Essence Fall for Me and holo glitter

2011-10-13T01:07:00.000+01:00

Essence Fall for Me does not have the best formula. I get that with most pastel polishes I own... :(

However, the shade is stunning!

I also applied 2 coats of this polish I got in a beauty swap last year. So gorgeous!

It's a shame the camera fails to pick up the holo glitter properly. In person, this combo is marvellous! Loving my blue nails!

Do you wear/like blue nail polish?

Yellow and Purple Nail Art

2011-10-12T01:00:00.000+01:00

You will have to excuse me for the crappy application... yellow polishes are so hard to apply! This is three coats of Avon Sunshine, a bright yellow polish. I'm not sure if it is still available.

I stamped it with some purple konad special polish using BM 225 plate

The image was quite clear, however I had some issues when applying. In some spots, I had to run the stamper a couple of times.

Do you own any Bundle Monster plates?

Product test - Stages of Beauty

2011-10-09T17:49:00.001+01:00

Stages of Beauty invited us to review their product recently. First I'd like to apologize if this review seems late, but I really wanted to give time to see the product's results. As a licensed skin therapist I didn't want to do a short time span to see the results knowing skin types when experiencing a change in their skin care regime take at least a month (30 days) to show significant good or bad outcome. I'd like to thank Stages of Beauty for inviting us to try their products.

The philosophy behind this skin care line is anti-aging skin care focusing on our skin as we age. Many skin care brands don't consider the changes skin will experience each decade of our lives. Stages of Beauty also focuses on areas beyond fine lines/wrinkles to include targeting increased sun sensitivity, dulling complexion, and thinning dehydrated skin.

Stages of Beauty was created by a woman with a degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering from MIT. Their skin care is broken down by age groups: 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's. I actually let my mom sample their products so I selected the age range for 50's. We were sent their Grace Treatment Cream and Intensive Wrinkle Serum.

Grace Treatment Cream uses a special group of ingredients to tighten skin, speed/promote repair of free radical damage, repair DNA, and reinforce the protective barrier of the skin against dehydration, stress, etc. This treatment cream also combats fine lines/wrinkles and collagen elastin loss. The directions instruct that you apply a nickel sized amount to the face and neck during daytime with an SPF for best results twice per day. Grace Treatment Cream retails at $74.99 for a 50 mL jar.

Intensive Wrinkle Serum packs anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to help slow the aging process while protecting skin from environmental damage. It also assists in stimulating the immune response of the epidermis' ability to regenerate and retain moisture while plumping the skin. Recommended usage is to apply 4-5 drops to the skin after cleansing twice a day (morning and evening) followed by the Grace Treatment Cream. Intensive Wrinkle Serum retails at $52.99 for a 15 mL jar.

It's worth noting also that their products are free of sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals, synthetic dyes, phthalates, and GMO's. All products are dermatologist tested, formulated for sensitive skin, and not tested on animals.

Packaging: Their products arrive in an adorable box with fluffy white feathers for their Grace line. Each item arrives in a canister with great detail and design of the products. It's very simple and elegant.

Fragrance: There is a very soft and clean fragrance to the treatment cream that is not offensive. This scent fades quickly so it doesn't bother you during the wear of their product. No smell was noticeable with the serum.

Texture: Both have a very light weight texture that melts into the skin with no greasy or oily feel after. The treatment cream texture for us is a great spring/summer moisturizer, but during winter we do question with it so light weight if it would give enough moisture to the skin during harsher winters. Our skin tends to be even more dehydrated during fall/winter. The serum in fact feels very fluid when applied to the skin so you don't need to use very much as it spreads and absorbs into the skin very easily.

Overall Results: My mom stated that she noticed her fine lines/wrinkles have become less noticeable through sight and touch. They are still there of course, but not as pronounced as they were before. This was most noticeable around her mouth and forehead. She has stopped using the serum as often as recommended because she noted some minor breakouts using both as the directions stated. I think this is simply based on her skin type, and may be different for each person. She does not complain about any dryness in her skin and the tonality I wouldn't say has had a dramatic change, but still looks very healthy and radiant. I don't believe her skin has ever had problems with skin tone actually which makes her lucky.

She's very happy with the products/end result and says she uses very little to achieve her outcome so she expects to continue using it for a while before running out. The only thought we had is that it's out of price range in terms of something we could regularly purchase. We will gladly recommend the product to others. In fact I'm a bit jealous that she got to try their products, but I've done so many product reviews I really wanted to share something with her instead of being so selfish!!

For more information on Stages of Beauty please visithttp://www.mystagesofbeauty.com or like them on Facebook. To order you can purchase online at their website or call 001-877-869-3162.

The product provided in this review was sent for the purpose of writing a review. This bears no biased view on the quality of my review. I received no exchange of money in writing this review. The opinions expressed are solely those of The "E" Girl.

Rimmel Coralicious and Nfu Oh 48

2011-10-07T00:33:00.000+01:00

2 coats of Rimmel Coralicious + 1 coat of Nfu Oh 48

I am in love with this combo!!

Rimmel polishes usually have the best formulas ever! Coralicious not only is a beautiful shade, the wide brush just makes everything so much easier! Application is smooth and quick. One coat is enough for a full coverage and the polish dries super quick.

Nfu Oh glitters are so pretty! This is my newest addition to my Nfu Oh collection.

What's your favourite coral nail polish?

Salsa - N7 nail swatch.

2011-10-04T21:57:00.000+01:00

by The Cosmic Girl

Ladies, I am in love with the n°7 nail polishers. I know, I have always been a self-declared addicted to Rimmel London when it came to sort me finger nails out. That was not only because of their exciting range of colours and great prices but mainly due to their brush that makes my manicure something quick and easy.

Just about a month ago, after reading some great swatches for n°7 here on the blog, I decided to give it a tr, since now they seem to have a very similar brush to Rimmel London. I have to say even though I always have to apply at least 2 coats to get a full on and vibrant colour this brand became n°1 on my list because it just seems to last forever.

2 coats of SALSA from N7

On the last two weeks I ran a stand in two different 2 days exhibitions and while on the first week my n°7 manicure survived setting up, exhibiting, breakdown and so much more. After the first day of the second exhibition I found myself having to use my crackling from BarryM to cover the tipping.

All in all n°7 offers some high quality polisher and if money is short you can always wait and buy it whenever a boots voucher comes your way. And lets agree that those vouchers aren’t exactly rare!!

Have you tried N7 nail polishers? Let us know what you think about them!

Yeeeessss They Real!

2011-10-03T21:38:00.000+01:00

By The Cosmic Girl

Just a few weeks ago I came across Benefit's latest lashing creation, "they're real!".

This mascara gives your lashes a great full on effect that will leave people questioning whether they are real or not.

My lashes are naturally long however you can’t usually see the whole thing as the hair is quite thin in the tips but “They’re Real” revelled my lashes giving them lots of body and a great curve.

Before "They're Real!"

After "They're Real!"

While 100% of users saw long-wearing results for me the one down side is how hard they are to remove. If you have sensitive eyes, like I do then you shouldn’t wear this as your everyday make-up, that being said this is one brilliant piece of kit for those that just like myself always have that last minute event to attend after work and need a quick fix that will not look like so.

£18.50 from Benefit

Have you tried "They're Real!" yet? What is your favourite mascara?